The ground shakes beneath the footsteps of the kaiju in DanDaDan Season 2 episode 11. Outmatched by its sheer size, our heroes decide to fight fire with fire. But can they learn to work together before the kaiju tramples them underfoot? Maybe a prayer to Buddha will help.
Spoiler Warning for Episode 11
Rated 16+ for Sexual Violence, Smoking, Suggestive Dialogue, Suicide, Violence
Make My Monster Grow
The kaiju grows in size and starts wreaking havoc on the town. Momo, Okraun, and Kinta meet up with Jiji and Aira and the fight continues. This fight scene is full of high-flying choreography as Aira takes the lead. It’s awesome seeing her training from episode 8 pay off. She uses the same move she did then to blind the kaiju, but her direct attacks have little effect. Even with Okraun and Momo acting as ground support, they barely put a dent in the monster. Then it unleashes a lightning attack that looks absolutely stunning, no pun intended. One tiny nitpick is the somewhat slow action. That’s to be expected when animating a giant monster, but I would have liked to have seen more dynamic angles to sell the difference in size. I will, however, applaud the animation staff for keeping the kaiju a 2D animated asset.
It’s a Gundam…Kinda
Momo, Okraun, and Aira retreat to Momo’s house to think of a better strategy. Evil Eye is there, too, thanks to Kinta’s sweat. That bit was comedy gold. Okarun suggests using the nanomachine blocks they used to repair the house to create something on par with the kaiju’s size. Enter Kinta’s knowledge of all things giant robots. In a sequence straight out of a Super Sentai show, Momo’s house transforms into a giant mechanical Buddha, with each of our heroes in a cockpit. That transformation sequence was so well done. Crisp, clean animation embraced everything fans love about Gundam, Super Sentai, and even Transformers. It also reminded me of the robots from Gurren Lagann, which is no small feat. The addition of the tranquil Buddha head makes it all the funnier.
Final Thoughts
I can’t say I was disappointed by this episode, given what’s coming next, but I was hoping for a lot more frenetic action. It would have made the downtime in the second half feel more earned. That said, the fight itself was still great. There was some great creative use of both Aira’s and Momo’s powers. The kaiju design, while simple, evokes the charm of early tokusatsu television. The parts with Kinta and Jiji added some nice levity and getting more of the domesticated Evil Eye is a fun wrinkle.
The way the author wove Kinta into the ensemble so smoothly was very impressive, despite Aira constantly asking who he is. In another series, it might have felt contrived that the solution to the problem just happened to appear right before said problem. The difference is how much Kinta was humanized before the kaiju attack. He came off as a cringey comedic relief character, but we got to see beneath that first impression. Now he’s free to show off to his new friends. A nerd, but an honest nerd he remains.
Scorecard
Art and Animation: 3/5
- Some great camera angles at the start
- The character animations were really dynamic and lively
- The robot transformation was great
Story and Characters: 3/5
- Aira taking charge was fun to watch
- Kinta’s time to shine
- Pretty much kept the status quo of the group dynamic
Sound and Presentation: 3/5
- Really nice kaiju theme music
- Scope and size were conveyed well
- An awesome fight is on the way
Occult Corner: Kaiju
The Japanese word “kaiju” translates most directly as “strange beast” or “monster.” This subgenre of science fiction features giant creatures terrorizing the populace. The film Godzilla (1954), created by Eiji Tsuburaya and Ishiro Honda, is considered to be the first “kaiju” movie. However, giant creatures had been used before, like in King Kong (1933), The Lost World (1925), and even another Japanese film, The Great Buddha Arrival (1934). What set Godzilla (1954) apart was its use of creature suits that would become iconic for the franchise. The monsters are often used as metaphors for natural disasters and the fears of war. Godzilla itself is considered to be an embodiment of the nuclear warheads that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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