Dandadan‘s anime adaptation has had nothing short of an explosive premiere since it officially dropped on October 4, and has been dominating the anime community with its expressive animation, high-octane pacing, and stellar soundtrack. Something that immediately made the paranormal hit stand out was its opening sequence, “Otonoke”, which was performed by the ever iconic Creepy Nuts, who are best known for Mashle Season 2’s opening, which currently sits at 103 million views on Aniplex’s official YouTube account.
“Otonoke” is a similar success, garnering over 13 million views as of writing. It isn’t just the catchy beat and visuals that make the opening so impressive, though, as the rap duo’s impressive lyricism is filled with references to Japanese urban legends, myths, and nods to other popular anime and manga series. The clever references scattered throughout the song add to Dandadan‘s eccentricities, and showcases Yukinobu Tatsu’s many inspirations when developing the series into what it is now.
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“Otonoke” Celebrates Japanese Horror Icons, Aliens, and Shonen Jump
The rapid-fire visuals and bars in “Otonoke” are filled with lovable references, with some of the most notable being its shout outs to other Shonen Jump titles. With lyrics like “wataru oounabara,” paying homage to One Piece and “lyrical chainsaw massacre” making an obvious nod to Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man. There’s even a reference to Creepy Nuts’ Mashle opening “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born”, with the line “tsumiageteku top of top” being a reference to the line “to the ichiban ue”. The shadow box-style visuals in the opening also pay homage to the opening of Ultraman, with Momo’s earrings blurring in a way that resemble the sentai hero’s eyes.
As Dandadan is a series focused on ghosts, aliens, and other paranormal oddities lurking around every corner, the opening has plenty of references to the occult and other horror adjacent media. The creator of Dandadan is a self-proclaimed fan of the crossover horror film Sadako vs. Kayako – a film that pits two Japanese horror icons, Sadako from The Ring and Kayako from The Grudge, against one another in a Freddy vs. Jason-esque fight – and has stated in the past that the movie’s ability to be scary while also having a comedic side resonated with him, and ultimately inspired him to create Dandadan. “Otonoke” shouts out the film in a line that cleverly rhymes “Sada-chan” and “Kaya-chan” with the series’ title. Another funny horror movie reference comes from a seemingly throwaway mention of “Shyamalan”, which, of course, is shouting out the infamous horror movie director M Night Shyamalan.
The opening also contains plenty of references to real-world urban legends, with the title of the song, “Otonoke”, being derived from “Yamanoke”, with lyrics in the song solidifying the connection by adding in the phrase that individuals supposedly begin uttering once they’ve been possessed. The same phrase, “hairareta”, is also the key phrase used in a popular urban legend that began on 2chan called Kinkisaki. Another reference to Japanese occult stories and urban legends is the use of “4:44”, which, in Japan, is the time of night when paranormal oddities supposedly occur, as well as the number “4” often being considered an unlucky number due to its pronunciation, “shi” being the same as the word death.
Dandadan‘s Passion For the Occult Proves It’s a Labor of Love
The studio behind Dandadan‘s anime adaptation, Science Saru, is incredibly well-known for the passion the pour into their projects – and it’s clear that the team behind Dandadan has put in the effort to make the show as faithful to Tatsu’s original work as possible while still making room to add in their signature expressive flair. The series’ opening animation proves this, with the visuals perfectly capturing what the series is all about, and Creepy Nuts’s lyricism elevating an already incredible production.
As the anime barrels toward the conclusion of the Turbo Granny arc, fans have plenty to look forward to as Momo and Okarun prepare to take on the sinister figure after she threatened the safety of Momo’s grandmother.
