Dandadan has redefined the Shonen genre with its brave female protagonist and beautiful romance angle. While the main characters, Okarun and Momo, are high schoolers who fight yokai and aliens, they are also normal teenagers, a side that many Shonen series conveniently forget.
Yukinobu Tatsu, the author of Dandadan, has tried to give his characters as much of normal school life as he could, and it includes the scope of romance. As it stands, another author could learn from Tatsu’s philosophy.
Episode 5 of Dandadan: Romance Done Right
While the previous four episodes of Dandadan were filled with back-to-back action scenes, the latest episode slows down the pace to show how Okarun and Momo long for each other. This is probably the first episode that has been dedicated to the high school and romantic life of the protagonists. It shows an awkward day in school where Okarun and Momo repeatedly try to seek out each other but miss every time.
Each starts to wonder if the other even wants to be seen with them. They even end up sharing an accidental kiss at lunch, which leads Momo’s friends to tease the duo. Both reconcile and end up meeting after school. These moments of young love are refreshing to see in a Shonen anime as most anime/manga belonging to the genre treat romance as a side plot with no development.
This leads to the question: Why can’t other Shonen series also focus on love? While couples are present in almost every series, such tender moments are barely exhibited. The relationship that Yukinobu Tatsu has developed between Momo and Okarun is so real that it can make anyone relate to the scenes.
Eiichiro Oda Needs to Rethink His Stance on Romance in One Piece
In an interview from Jump Festa 2009, Eiichiro Oda was asked who Nami likes in One Piece. In his reply, the author made clear that he has no intentions of developing romance between the Straw Hats in One Piece.
I don’t think there will be any romance among the crew. Nami probably sees all the good aspects/qualities of those guys, but One Piece isn’t a romance…One Piece is basically a Shonen manga, manga for boys, so romance isn’t depicted.
-Eiichiro Oda
One Piece is all about the adventures of the Straw Hats, and Eiichiro Oda is also a master at worldbuilding. But that doesn’t mean a bit of romance will hurt anyone. Dandadan also belongs to the Shonen genre, but the development of love has been appreciated by fans.
There are plenty of characters in One Piece who are shipped with each other, and one of the top ships is Roronoa Zoro and Nico Robin. When Robin first arrived on the ship, Zoro was immediately on the defensive due to her past employment under Crocodile. However, in the following arcs, he never thought twice before protecting her. A slow romance between Zoro and Nami as each tries to understand the other would be a perfect relief from the intense chapters of One Piece.
Dandadan and One Piece manga are available to read on Viz Media. The One Piece anime is currently streaming on Crunchyroll, while Dandadan is available on Hulu.
