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Did Dandadan become popular due to the ecchi!? When did you start it? Was it after you knew the fanservice of episode 1?

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May 11, 2:41 PM
#1

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Sep 2018
13271
So Dandadan is an example of an anime with a lot of fanservice, but it hit it mainstream everywhere.

Do you think it was due to fanservice. I joined in watching it after I heard about the alien scene in episode 1.



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May 11, 2:45 PM
#2

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Sep 2016
17546
Don't know, but I like it mostly for the romcom themes.
May 11, 2:51 PM
#3

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Jun 2016
13709
>I don't know
>Never actually
>I didn't know
MEA·MENTVLA·INGENS·EST
May 11, 2:52 PM
#4

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Jan 2022
2723
Yeah if it weren't for all the "banana" talk this shit wouldn't have been so popular.
May 11, 2:54 PM
#5

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Oct 2010
21550
it got popular because of the insanity not seen in most modern battle shounen, not ecchi, also the fac that fmc is actually fun unlike all modern battle shounen
May 11, 2:54 PM
#6
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Oct 2019
18
It’s more because of the opening then anything else
May 11, 3:05 PM
#7

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Oct 2018
23
I don't think it was about fanservice at all, personally. I started the manga because people were talking about how whacky and insane it gets, and I stayed because of the feelgood romcom stuff.
May 11, 3:06 PM
#8

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May 2023
51
I started reading chapter 1 the week it was first published because the Chainsaw Man mangaka recommended it. I think it's popular for the same reason most mainstream shounen fighting series are popular and that the ecchi content doesn't play that big of a part in it's success.
May 11, 3:12 PM
#9

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Jan 2008
3323
I started it because I liked the alien and supernatural premise and the main characters stood out amongst the usual. The visuals were great too when I saw the first episode. I liked the characters personality and whilst I normally don't like fanservice it wasn't overly obnoxious and wasn't just imposed on the female characters. Plus it was more absurdist and humour in nature rather then something to just demean the female characters
May 11, 3:12 PM

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Aug 2013
1541
- opening track by Creepy Nuts
- It was wild & funny
- Cool action, like the train part.
- Fanservice was just an added bonus.

For me it started pretty high, but as time moved on, it became somewhat stale.
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May 11, 3:36 PM

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Oct 2024
79
Creepy Nuts OP and Science Saru is the perfect studio for zany stuff like Dandadan.
May 11, 3:38 PM

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Jan 2023
334
The ecchi is a nothing burger. I barely even notice it. The anime has a uniqueness that scratches an itch. It's junk food, and is easy to watch.
May 11, 3:50 PM

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Jul 2013
9765
What exactly is wrong anime fan service? I don't recall it ever breaking any laws, just FYI.
May 11, 3:50 PM

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Apr 2019
478
I don't know. I started watching it because I heard a lot of good things about the manga, but honestly, when I saw how much unnecessary fanservice it had, I was a little put off. The humor could also be better. Overall, the serious episodes are okay here, but the rest disappointed me a little.
I think this series became more popular due to its nice execution. And I'm actually surprised that people here like ecchi inserts so much (running around naked at school, fanservice with Momo and grandma, etc.) but for example when ecchi appears in other shounen they have a stroke XDFire force has been getting a lot of hate for that lately
May 11, 3:51 PM

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Sep 2018
5043
It became popular despite the ecchi, not because of it. The awful romance and the toilet humor made it popular.
May 11, 3:53 PM

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Jul 2023
187
>Did Dandadan become popular due to the ecchi!?
I guess I can't speak for all of society but I doubt it.

I assume it got popular because it was funny (which I disagree with), it had a romance between the 2 MCs from the word go, and it had good production value.

EDIT: Oh yeah. And the opening song. Which I also didn't like but there's no accounting for taste.

>When did you start it? Was it after you knew the fanservice of episode 1?
I was excited for a while because it was by a studio I liked and was made by a mangaka tied to the mangakas of Chainsaw Man and Hell's Paradise, both of which I liked. I vaguely knew it was about the dude's balls but that had nothing to do with why I wanted to see it

I started it the day it came out
Supersonic_PainMay 11, 3:58 PM
May 11, 3:57 PM

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Aug 2017
11997
Yes, the fanservice is the main reason. When tourists started to complain, they made it more popular.
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May 11, 4:03 PM
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Nov 2017
1077
It's pretty much Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man 2.0

It's mid af
May 11, 4:22 PM

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Aug 2013
815
Reply to BirdyTheMighty
It's pretty much Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man 2.0

It's mid af
@BirdyTheMighty True, this type of anime aggressively targets 'cool teenagers' by appealing to their most basic age-based interests, this type of anime has nothing to tell, nothing to teach about, nothing to provoke some thinking - shallow but flashy show. All of those anime are "edgy" (cringe), have unfunny jokes and hysterical characters as a comic relief. Action is there but boring to watch due lack of developed combat rules, due meaningless of the very purpose of battles and due lack of nicely done story or heavy personal reasons. At least Chainsaw Man had a typical trope - "oh no, we have a big evil demon to defeat!", it's already something from a plot direction standpoint despite being worthless due characters and their silly motivations. Dandadan on other hand is just a mix of random scenes where one MC helps another to return his genitalia for the whole season.
May 11, 4:31 PM
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Nov 2017
1077
Reply to Lawgun
@BirdyTheMighty True, this type of anime aggressively targets 'cool teenagers' by appealing to their most basic age-based interests, this type of anime has nothing to tell, nothing to teach about, nothing to provoke some thinking - shallow but flashy show. All of those anime are "edgy" (cringe), have unfunny jokes and hysterical characters as a comic relief. Action is there but boring to watch due lack of developed combat rules, due meaningless of the very purpose of battles and due lack of nicely done story or heavy personal reasons. At least Chainsaw Man had a typical trope - "oh no, we have a big evil demon to defeat!", it's already something from a plot direction standpoint despite being worthless due characters and their silly motivations. Dandadan on other hand is just a mix of random scenes where one MC helps another to return his genitalia for the whole season.
@Lawgun well, to sum up a definition for them - its like they where AI generated. A complete soulless amalgamation of every predecessor, while entirely missing the point.

Its like trying to be 1000 different fucking things at once, and failing to be even 1 thing
May 11, 5:44 PM

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Apr 2022
7302
read it in 2023 only because tatsu was fujimoto's assistant.
May 11, 6:03 PM

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Jul 2024
468
It has a lot of fan service? Really? It has some, not a lot, I don't think. And, it's certainly not what people were talking about.
I think the popularity was largely down to manga-generated anticipation, a viral OP, sharp animation and really, really out-of-the-box plot content.
May 11, 10:56 PM

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Oct 2024
481
Pretty sure it mostly got as popular as it did because of the high production value and fun+wacky storyline (oh yeah and the opening's virality probably helped). I've actually heard a lot of people who got turned off from it from the almost-rape scene, this might be the first time I'm hearing of the inverse. I started watching it from the first episode because I heard of hype surrounding it before it aired and I thought it looked interesting, I think.

^ Briekimchi's right, I don't think there was all that much fanservice in the show. Even the stuff you could read as fanservice (like that one scene where the cast woke up naked) felt more like humor than fanservice to me.
May 12, 12:46 AM

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Jan 2024
2819
Gave it a try because it was very hyped. After watching the first episode never had a doubt. And it kept getting better. Great characters, good comedy good enough romance and absurd action. + That Ac-sara episode.

A good battle shounen got popular rightfully this time.
May 12, 1:03 AM
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Sep 2022
316
It got popular because it was fun. Both are serious crimes to the wannabe gatekeepers on MAL. I'm not surprised to find them sneering at it as having a lot of "ecchi" in order to dismiss its popularity as cheap fanservice.
May 12, 1:33 AM

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Jul 2017
2343
What made me watch the anime:
- the synopsis (aliens, ghosts, paranormal entities, UFOs, the occult, the supernatural, Momo and Okarun's clashing beliefs, etc.)
- the trailer (the art style was nice, the tone seemed really fun, the characters seemed cool too)
- Momo seemed like a really cool, eccentric, fun character, and after finishing Season 1, yeah, she indeed is all of those things in my opinion
- I was lowkey curious about Aira and wanted to find out what her personality was going to be like lol
- I was curious about the romantic comedy aspects, as well as where the story and plot would go

"Did Dandadan become popular due to the ecchi!?"
Ecchi elements might've been one of the things that made people love it, but I'm not sure if it was the main thing that made it popular. Episode 7, romcom elements, that whole alien/ghost/occult/supernatural stuff, as well as the main cast and their interactions with each other, might've been some of the other big reasons why it became popular.
May 12, 3:29 AM

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Feb 2024
127
>No, it's because of the comedy, I think. Also because the manga was very popular to begin with.

>I started it right when episode 1 aired, one of the few anime I watched weekly, when it was still airing.

>No, I had planned for watching it ever since I learnt it was getting an adaptation, I love the alien and yokai themes as well as Momo and Okarun's antics.
May 12, 4:02 AM
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Mar 2025
13
It was a new type of plot, I haven't seen that type in any other anime.

May 12, 4:43 AM

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Jan 2011
26846
It became popular because the manga was already a popular title.
May 12, 7:34 AM

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Sep 2024
55
Dropped it because of forced sexualization.
May 12, 1:27 PM

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Apr 2025
60
Funnily enough, I never think about this series in terms of fanservice. At best, I just think it likes to use nudity and the sort as part of its characteristic jokes
May 12, 1:47 PM

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Dec 2020
1028
It got popular because the manga was already pretty popular and because it is a good and funny show XD (also very unhinged and crazy).
"Those words are meant for those that dare defy god's final warning... An epigraph of their stubbornness"
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May 12, 3:26 PM
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Jul 2024
3545
Well, it's not that bad. And considering what is reported for alien abductions, it was actually done rather tastefully. And hysterically funny. ROFLMAO
May 12, 3:30 PM
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Apr 2014
496
If it was due to fanservice then shows like Dark elf, Makina-san, and Takamine-san would be much more popular than they are right now I think.
Shows just get popular because they are hyped up before the season starts and if that show ends up being good then it stays popular, thats all there is to it really. You can make a top level show that basically most people would watch (yaiba reboot for example) but if it doesn't get hyped up enough before the season starts then too bad so sad, you never had a chance, at least in the west.
May 12, 4:30 PM

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Oct 2022
985
For anime "circles" many of the readers hyped it a lot (and it was deserved, it is really good).

For the mainstream media, I think it was the opening and the little "dance". Mainstream anime viewers didnt have anything at that moment, and Dandadan, even with its silliness, can fit perfectly with normies "tastes".
May 12, 5:03 PM

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Jul 2024
4315
The most I saw Ayase_Seiko, I didn't care about anything else I knew Dadandan would be off the charts.
Plus it has aliens and youkai, dominatrix teacher..
Sometimes it feels it's a custom made series for me.
May 12, 5:15 PM

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Apr 2021
685
Did Dandadan become popular due to the ecchi!? I dont think so, i think it got popular cuz it was well animated, it was weird/crazy and there is target audience that likes that, and it combine supernatural and sci-fi and teen romance. Plus some ppl like the old references it has as well. Plus it got a lot of marketing...

When did you start it? Maybe 2022 (manga)


Was it after you knew the fanservice of episode 1? nah, i personally dont even consider this to have a lot of fanservice tbh
May 12, 5:46 PM

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Oct 2016
2946
Well my word on it holds no real value whatsoever since I refuse to watch that show, but from from the elements it has, and the reception and discussion it got, I would say no. The source material was popular, there was marketing, lots of people hyped it up, there's a currently somewhat popular studio behind it, the trailer was crazy, people seemingly expect and like whacky stories from anime, so the show fits those expectations, good visuals always help, inflluencers, reactors, vtubers drifted to it because it gives them views, and the opening was among the top three most popular and viral of its year, it is also played by a big, famous and popular band, so that helps. Ecchi only helped on making it controversial briefly to keep it talked about on social media for a bit, but that went away as soon as the more dramatic, romantic, and action filled moments came in. If anything, the ecchi scenes were the scenes more complained about.
May 12, 6:02 PM

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Apr 2023
70
Had no idea there was fanservice/ecchi until I watched it. I'd say its more the opening+animation+popularity of the manga that led to its success.
"I'm enjoying the journey. So if your destination is the same as mine, enjoy the side trips. A lot. Something more important than the thing you're hunting could be right there by the side of the road."
May 12, 6:17 PM

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Apr 2025
40
I watched it because of the absurdity of it. I thought it was okay but there are definitely better anime out there
May 12, 7:21 PM

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May 2015
1374
I don't know where I first saw it, I think social media?! Idk, I don't how or when I took a look at it even though it have been only about 2 months ago! But I think I was just looking for an anime to watch, it seemed to me like it have a (badass) female protagonist when I quickly checked out the trailer and the summery and that was enough reason for me to pick it up as I've come to enjoy female protagonists much more in recent years but more than that I absolutely loved it for the top tier comedy it delivered.

Was it really heavy on fanservice, tho?! I remember it being FULL of sexual jokes but actual fanservice?! Nah it was only a couple of episodes unless I have a terrible memory! Either way I didn't know about it until I watched the first episode, and going dark into any anime is how I roll!

What made it popular? Idk I wasn't there when it first aired but I don't think it was that, I think because it was batshit insane and fresh.
TheBerserkerMay 12, 7:29 PM
May 22, 9:16 AM

Online
Jul 2023
5195
I was reading the manga, so that's my reason.



๐“•๐“ธ๐“ป๐”€๐“ช๐“ป๐“ญ ๐“ฒ๐“ผ
๐“ฝ๐“ฑ๐“ฎ ๐”€๐“ช๐”‚.....

May 22, 9:21 AM

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Oct 2024
207
I don't care about fan service in any anime. Have watched it because my GF suggested it - she told me I'd probably like its weird sense of humour.
May 22, 9:22 AM

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Apr 2024
132
It was popular and my friends were talking about it so I watched it. I was indifferent to the ecchi. Loved the anime though.
May 22, 12:18 PM

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Jun 2007
4085
I've noticed that broader audiences tend to be more forgiving of fanservice if it's in a package that's wHaCKy and aVAnT-GarDE, like Dandadan or Kill la Kill, than they are of fanservice in typical ecchi anime.

Everything that connects to MAL

Contains Ecchi, but not Tagged Ecchi: Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

May 22, 12:44 PM
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Apr 2019
402
What looks like fanservice to someone looks distorted to someone else.
What looks ugly to someone looks hilarious to someone else.
I can't believe that the act of sex appeal of old hags are so multifaceted.
Diversity lovers should praise this work.
May 22, 10:11 PM

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Jul 2024
4315
No real men like myself @deg and @catalano were posting for years for a dandadan anime after reading the Manga several times .

Ayase_Seiko first time I saw her manga Pic , she had me hooked up like fish and pulled me in.

I don't know about others but it was the same with jujutsu_kaisen and chainsaw man. May be fire punch is next.
I read through many such manga that later got popular anime adaptations.
May 22, 10:16 PM

Online
Jul 2023
5195
I’ve loved Dandadan from the very beginning, so that’s the main reason why.



๐“•๐“ธ๐“ป๐”€๐“ช๐“ป๐“ญ ๐“ฒ๐“ผ
๐“ฝ๐“ฑ๐“ฎ ๐”€๐“ช๐”‚.....

May 22, 10:19 PM
#1 Hitagi Lover

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Apr 2014
3023
It's because its an action comedy series. Those tend to always take off in popularity for the most part as long as it's anime is done by a capable studio.

Unfortunate that Sakamoto Days falls in the same category like Dandadan but was dealt the short end of the stick.
May 25, 2:00 AM

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Mar 2021
1488
I started the manga way back when the silky arc was going on. So I wanted to see how they adapt that part in the anime.
Tbh I actually watched the anime because kensuke ushio was making the music.
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