The 163rd chapter of Yukinobu Tatsu’s Dandadan “paranormal mystery battle & romantic comedy” manga revealed on Tuesday that the series will go on hiatus until September 3. Tatsu will use the break in August for research.
Viz Media publishes the manga in English and describes the story as follows:
A nerd must fight powerful spirits and aliens all vying for the secret power of his “family jewel,” so who better to fight alongside him than his high school crush and a spirit granny?!
Momo Ayase and Okarun are on opposite sides of the paranormal spectrum regarding what they’ll believe in and what they won’t. Their quest to prove each other wrong leads them down a path of secret crushes and paranormal battles they’ll have to participate in to believe!
DAN DA DAN: First Encounter Delivers a Unique Blend of Young Love, Aliens, and Spirits in New Anime Adaptation
Momo Ayase strikes up an unusual friendship with her school’s UFO fanatic, whom she nicknames “Okarun” because his name is not to be said aloud. While Momo believes in spirits, she thinks aliens are nonsense. Her new friend, meanwhile, thinks the exact opposite.
To settle matters, the two set out to prove each other wrong—Momo to a UFO hotspot and Okarun to a haunted tunnel! What unfolds next is a beautiful story of young love…and oddly horny aliens and spirits.
Tatsu launched the manga in Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ manga service in April 2021. Shueisha published the manga’s 15th compiled book volume on July 4. Viz Media will release the ninth volume on October 15.
The manga is inspiring a television anime DAN DA DAN: First Encounter that will debut early in theaters, starting with screenings in Asia on August 31, in Europe on September 7, and in North America on September 13.
The screenings will expand to over 50 countries and regions, including Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa through mid-September. The series will premiere in Japan in October on TBS and MBS’s Super Animeism TURBO programming block. Netflix will stream the anime worldwide in October, and Crunchyroll will also stream the anime.
