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The official Twitter account of Shounen Jump+ announced on Aug 3, 2021, that they are finally releasing the first Volume of Yukinobu Tatsu’s bestseller manga Dandadan. To commemorate this crazy tale of aliens and missing balls Jump+ has created a PV to go along with the release.
In light of the announcement, Dandadan‘s author Yukinobu Tatsu and his editor in charge Shihei Lin shared a few secrets with AL(alu.jp) and Da Vinci News(ddnavi.com) about the creation of the hit series.
In the interview Tatsu revealed that the supernatural manga, which has captivated readers worldwide, was conceived out of a single word, thanks to an unconventional suggestion from his editor, Shihei Lin.
Tatsu, who was not a household name at the time of Dandadan‘s launch, had previously struggled with short-lived projects like The Roku Issue of Justice and FIRE BALL!, none of which gained the momentum needed for serialization.
However, his creative journey took a decisive turn when he began working with editor Shihei Lin in 2015.
Lin, who had recently moved from Jump SQ to Shonen Jump+, believed in Tatsu’s potential and gave him a life-changing piece of advice: “Draw freely without thinking about anything, even if it’s just one page.”
When Lin was asked why he gave him this advice, he replied that Yukinobu Tatsu had a lot of potential which he cannot express if he is put under restrictions.
Tatsu had tried every means to get a story serialized and in the process, he believed Tatsu had forgotten how to draw without a story. So, it was his idea to give him the chance to go back to what he likes.
At the time, Tatsu was suffering from an artist’s block.
Despite his impressive artwork, he felt stifled and had trouble finding the right story to tell. Lin noticed this and encouraged him to create without a structured plot or extensive “nemu” (thumbnails or rough drafts used to outline pacing and character movements in manga).
Tatsu took this advice to heart and, without any clear storyboard, began sketching the first concepts of Dandadan. The story and characters were built out of spontaneous creative freedom, with some of the most iconic elements coming out of casual conversations between Tatsu and Lin.
The entire process was impulsive. Tatsu even created the initial character designs purely based on names and playful ideas.
One standout example is the character “Turbo Granny.”
According to Tatsu, the inspiration for this character came from being teased as “100 Kilo Baba” (roughly “100 Kilo Granny”) during his childhood.
He found the contrast between “Turbo” and “Granny” amusing and used it as a foundation for this now-popular character.
One of the most sensational aspects of Dandadan‘s creation was how it drew inspiration from “ridiculous but fun” ideas, like the horror movie Sadako vs. Kayako, which Tatsu described as “ridiculous in a good way.”
He sought to capture that blend of horror and humor in Dandadan.
While Tatsu admits he is not a fan of pure horror and finds works like Junji Ito’s Tomie too terrifying, he wanted to bring a fun, playful twist to the genre.
The goal was to make the supernatural elements more entertaining than frightening, leading to the absurdity and charm that define Dandadan.
It won’t be a stretch, since fans totally agree that “a monster can only be defeated by a monster”. His idea was to involve the creepiest creatures such as UMA(unidentified mysterious animal), aliens, or even youkai/spirits that fans can’t naturally think of, placing them in all kinds of fights and scenarios and go all out with the manga.
In an interview with Jump Comics, Tatsu features an illustrative songbook by Narita Toru, creator of Ultraman composed of abstract-looking creepy creatures.
Looking back to the weird questionable villains in Dandadan, they quite follow the same uneasiness of the illustrations. Well, the author himself admits that’s the feeling he is going for in this manga. The “interesting” uneasiness.
The organic development of Dandadan went on to produce some of its most memorable moments. For example, Okarun losing his “balls” was an idea Lin pitched during a casual drink.
The duo’s relaxed brainstorming sessions produced wild ideas that would shape the manga’s quirky and unpredictable narrative.
By the time the first chapter was ready, both Tatsu and Lin knew they had something special on their hands. The series’ launch on Shonen Jump+ was met with massive enthusiasm, and the decision to serialize Dandadan without a concrete plot until Chapter 3 didn’t slow its momentum.
Lin believed that Tatsu’s ability to draw boldly and make use of screen space would thrive on Jump+, where there are no strict limits on page numbers, allowing the manga to unfold at its own pace.
The process the author follows is something he learned at a “Pixar Exhibition”. He makes the storyboards using cuts that show the worldview first. It also helps him to convey the character’s personality and story to his editor just from these images.
Since Tatsu sensei is who is good at using the screen with bold flashy cuts Shihei thought it will be best to put it in Jump+. To favor them more, Jump+ does not care for the number of pages, which makes it easy for DANDADAN to unfold at its own pace.
Frankly, the plot of Dandadan mostly constitutes elements of some random conversation, from where the author picked up only the best ingredients to cook up the manga to perfection.
