The punishing finale will leave you hanging

summary

• The development of Okarun and Jiji's relationship was a highlight, making Jiji even more endearing and balancing her personality.
• The season finale felt anti-climactic, lacking excitement.
• Despite the lackluster ending, Dandadan's strong storytelling and character development shined throughout the season.

Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for Dandadan, Episode 12, “Let's Go To The Cursed House”, now streaming on Crunchyroll.

It's weird when an episode – by all metrics – is so good but has the unfortunate curse of having a season finale at a point in the story that isn't all that exciting (at least not yet). That's quite the predicament that is the latest episode punishment Feeling a little lackluster, which is definitely not ideal, especially after a thoroughly impressive first season.

Between Jiji's bold and brash debut, Okarun's subsequent disappointment at the thought of losing Momo's heart, and the screaming mannequin, last week was a busy one for the gang. After witnessing the sentient mannequin's devotion to his lover (also a mannequin), Okarun resolves to be more direct with Momo and not let fear get the best of him.

Obligatory team building of Okarun and Jiji

One thing that needed to be accomplished before the end of this season was to make GG feel like a real part of the team, rather than just infiltrating the cast to worry Okarun. For some, his antics may have been entertaining enough to make him endearing, but for others – and admittedly I'm referring to myself – he was a bit much. So I'm happy to say that this finale sold me.

Frankly, the execution – as it unfolded for me on an emotional level, at least – was pretty spectacular. In Okarun's eyes, Jiji is the antagonist's third wheel and nothing else, and the viewer is made to see him in the same light. Then when Okarun realized how funny he was talking about the supernatural with Jiji, it was as if the wool was torn from his eyes. Suddenly, GG is kind of okay, because they finally talk like regular people (who would have guessed?).

This episode changed the way Jiji was viewed

What a good couple does Address the elephant in the room regarding their feelings for Momo, but it's very friendly and very fun to boot. After the gang finds no trace of spiritual activity at Jiji's house, Momo runs to a local hot spring and leaves them behind. This is a conscious choice on Okarun's part in the hope that he will make a new friend, which seems super sweet and goes to show yet again how awesome Momo is.

To be completely honest, the episode's biggest achievement was making me realize how childishly I wish Jiji wasn't around like Okarun. In a way, this speaks to how magnetic and compelling the central romance is and once again shows how effective drama can be once a wrench is thrown into gears.

A very anti-climactic ending

As hinted at in the beginning, this episode is okay, it just doesn't feel like the season finale. It ends on a cliffhanger but it's not the kind one might expect from a final episode before a hiatus, especially from a show with a penchant for compelling storytelling. To its credit, this is a weakness of many manga adaptations. When the episode count ends at a point that is not quite favorable for the grand finale, the ending will be affected. It doesn't need more, it needs more.

Of course, now that the episode has been released, they've announced Season 2 for July. Posterity will see this as a minor error, which will autoplay after any episode is reduced by its existence. But still, as a creative whole, it is a lackluster ending. Okarun and Jiji discover the first clues to the unsettling truth behind the house's mystery while Momo is accosted by creepy friends in a hot spring… the latter of which brings the season full circle in the strangest way to say the least.

Looking at the big picture

However, a lot of harp is not necessary at this point. Jiji and Okarun form the basis for an entertaining bond and the depth of Jiji's supernatural state is very interesting. It sucks that in the interim between seasons Momo will be the target of implied sexual violence again, but… really, there aren't many bright sides, it's unfortunate.

These past few months have been an emotional rollercoaster, one that director Yamashiro and the team at Science Saru should be very proud of.

punishmentThe finale was just disappointing in how it closed the book on this season, but it shouldn't reflect too harshly on the rest. These past few months have been an emotional rollercoaster, one that director Yamashiro and the team at Science Saru should be very proud of. The first words out of your mouth at the end were “That's it!?” Don't be surprised if yes.