Dan Da Dan – Season 1 Episode 11 Recap & Review

First Love

Episode 11 of Dan Da Dan begins with Momo opening her front door and greeting Jiji. Okarun wonders if Jiji is as sincere as he looks. Then, Jiji acts foolishly in front of everyone. Seiko tells Momo that Jiji is going to live with them. 

Aira believes Momo is gathering forces for a Ragnarok-like event. She leaves to gather people for her side. Okarun leaves next and tells Momo he’ll see her tomorrow. Meanwhile, Momo asks Seiko why Jiji is staying at their place. Seiko says Jiji’s parents are hospitalized. She wanted to do them a favor and have Jiji remain with them. 

Jiji and Momo perform dish duty. He tells Momo that he regrets picking on her during grade school. Jiji says he can see ghosts and shows Momo a picture of his home. He says there’s a strange monster roaming his home that unsettled him. Jiji says his parents’ health dwindled after he saw this creature. 

He says he sought help from several spirit mediums but many perished. Jiji was told to ask Seiko for help. Seiko refuses to help since her powers only work within Kamigoe City. She tells Jiji that Momo will handle his request. 

Seiko promises to fulfill Momo’s clothing request if she helps Jiji with his. Some time passes. Momo’s teacher introduces Jiji to the class and tells Jiji to sit next to Momo. Meanwhile, Okarun contemplates Jiji and Momo’s possible feelings for each other in a different classroom. 

Okarun is concerned Momo will become disinterested in him if she dates Jiji again. He heads outside to train and Momo arrives seconds later. Momo tells Okarun she wants to prevent Okarun from doing anything funny again. 

Then, Jiji arrives and shows Momo a specific type of yogurt to get her attention. Before Okarun leaves, a living anatomical model rushes toward him. Okarun runs and the model pushes him aside. Momo attempts to stop the model but Jiji saves her. She uses her psychic powers to grab the model while it’s running. 

Okarun transforms and heads toward Momo, Jiji, and the model. Although our heroes try to catch the model, the model escapes. Okarun returns to normal and Momo performs several hand gestures. The model screams each time she does. Momo leads Jiji and Okarun to a garbage dump. 

They find the model there. Momo tells her friends that she grabbed the model’s heart when the model split apart during the chase sequence. Momo tries interrogating the model but it hears a female named Hana in the distance. The model (Taro) looks for Hana in the dump. 

Taro finds Hana and we learn she’s a female anatomical model. He declares his love for Hana and tells her how much his worldview changed because of her. Okarun watches and understands where Taro is coming from. The episode ends with Okarun having a determined look on his face. 

The Episode Review

Dan Dan Dan gives viewers a look at Jiji’s goofy personality and his reasons for staying with the Ayases. While he made quite the impression on Okarun and Aira, it’s nice knowing that Jiji isn’t a 100% goofball. Many fans will resonate with his familial concerns and supernatural issues.

It’s fantastic having portions of said issue in this chapter. It’s a marvelous way to develop excitement for the next story arc. However, it may be a while until we see what unfolds in that arc. Episode 12 may be Season 1’s final chapter.  

That aside, episode 11 also focuses on Okarun’s jealousy. Considering prior episodes centered around Momo’s frustration with Aira and Okarun, it’s nice to see the tables turn here. Hopefully, this upcoming arc inserts enough dramatic exchanges between Jiji, Momo, and Okarun to keep audiences invested. 

Next to having stellar visuals and animation, particularly in the Taro chase sequence, this was a wonderful episode of Dan Da Dan.