Dandadan is probably the manga that has intrigued me the most over the last months. Ever since the first chapter that so harrowingly introduced me to the occult and supernatural elements of this world, I've been intrigued to see how far Yukinobu Tatsu can reach in this in relation to creativity. And I'll say, I am not disappointed in the slightest.
Story 8/10
The story so far had a bit of a rough start after the first few chapters, as it flung itself between interactions like a very rapid succession of mini-arcs. Naturally, these were to establish the world, but the pacing made me feel a bit flustered at times while reading week-by-week. As we've approached and broken the 50 chapter mark, the story has taken a more solid form, with the latest arc being a genuinely exciting and action-packed arc that I thoroughly enjoyed. Despite that, I cannot give the story more than an 8 because of the somewhat stressful pacing it had in it's earlier chapters.
Art 9.5/10
The art in Dandadan is outstanding. The art-style is consistent and the panelling is fantastic in guiding your eyes and keeping interest, without wasting time on. It is very effective, yet doesn't spare expense in displaying what's happening in full effect. The manga has a few rare massive 2-page spreads that allows the mangaka to truly flex his artistic skills. Character expressions are fantastic and the action scenes are exciting to witness. The supernatural entities are also both horrifying and interesting to look at, with designs that vary extremely, as well as their origins.
Characters 10/10
This is where I feel that the manga shines the most, in it's characters. Our main characters Okarun (Ken) and Momo Ayase start off at totally opposite sets of the spectrum. The former's displayed as your usual scrawny, nerdy kid, whereas the latter's the more cool, gyaru-style kinda girl. Dandadan quickly diverts from tropes though, as we learn that there's more to these characters than the preconceived notions of their design. Over the manga's current run, their chemistry is fantastic, as Okarun has the guts to retaliate against Momo's more abrasive attitude, and Momo reciprocates Okarun's gentle nature. The side characters are also very enjoyable and have great chemistry with the main cast, but as to avoid spoilers, I will not divulge in them further.
Enjoyment 9/10
Overall, I enjoy the manga a lot. It manages to thread through multiple genres very effectively, as it can go from a silly slice-of-life style comedy to a terrifying horror manga at a moment's notice thanks to it's occult persuasion. It then intermingles this with astounding action set-pieces as well as some very neatly sprinkled romance that pops up from time to time, making sure we don't forget that the undertone exists.
Overall 9/10
In conclusion, I deeply suggest you to read Dandadan, or at least give the first chapter a chance. It's an incredibly enjoyable and smoothly fluctuating read, that has some trouble finding it's identity, but has at this point started solidifying itself onto a solid path. I can only see it going upward from here, as the characters grow and more of the world is divulged to us readers.
Not to cry wolf, but I can feel the anime adaption just waiting to happen once there's enough content for one.
The entire thing is available to read on MangaPlus, for free! It's frankly unbelievable for the quality of this manga
Tl;dr
I have a feeling this is potentially of the next big shonens. Probably not in the big three for the foreseeable future, but it's no slouch either