Dandadan S2 – Episode 02 Review

「邪視」 (Jashi)
“The Evil Eye”

I thought the color palatte that was used was quite effective. Varying shades of brown interrupted by a flash of neon light/pale rainbowish hues was both drab and faintly beautiful- in some scenes it lent a soft, dark tone, like afternoon sunlight filtering in to a deep cave and in other places, the lurid neon glow of a haunted house. The audio effects were interesting too- the weird sound with the worm and the staticky radio sound of Evil Eye/Jiji’s voice. The interplay between the audio and visuals to create a disorienting, mind-bending experience really highlights the skill on the creative team here and how anime can really bring a manga adaptation to life, to a higher form of art.

On the story side of things, our crew are still trapped in the house pit, in danger of becoming the Mongolian Death Worm’s midnight snack. Things really go to shit- not only is Okarun going berserk in Turbo Granny form, both he and Momo are trying to self detonate, thanks to the suicidal mind control waves being sent out by the worm. If one creature emitting those waves weren’t enough, we have a second one on our hands- the Evil Eye spirit inhabiting Jiji’s rental house. Things take a unforeseen turn when Evil Eye tosses a life raft to the kids by blocking the worm’s waves, and the two end up cancelling each other out.

Now, Evil Eye’s a tricky one. This series is good at getting you to empathize with the spirits- we saw it with Granny, with the Red Dress Lady, and now with Evil Eye’s tragic past as a child sacrifice. The first of many that came after him. Being a kid, all he wanted to do was play with friends, but in life, he was locked away as a volcano offering and in death, he was feared, because well, who wouldn’t freak out with a ghost in the house, especially one that targets your parents. The ghost didn’t seem to be intentionally killing the adults- he seemed confused more than anything at the humans’ reactions. Which makes me wonder if there’s a curse that’s separate from, yet fused with him, or if he was manipulating Jiji’s vision to make himself look innocent.

The spirit angered by being kept as animal feed, but his grudge is (and has been) in “fuck you, a plague on all of you” mode. What better way to exact revenge on members of the species who killed him than possession of a vessel like Jiji’s fine body and spiritual prowess (which, like Momo’s, have only just awakened). Jiji makes the mistake of inviting the spirit inside him, turning Jiji into a superpowered monster interested only in playing kickball with pent up grudges- oh, and destroying the human race. Which is all good and fine when his plays are directed against the Worm– he does some damage to what is essentially an indestructible worm that regenerates every time someone kicks its head off. Things get hairy when he turns his foot against Momo.

Poor Momo’s had a night of it- creepy crocodile oji-san, getting punched by oba-sans and oji-sans, and now beaten up by Jiji. I will say this- I appreciate that it doesn’t give Momo “you can’t hit her, she’s a girl” sexist shit treatment that series are sometimes wont to do.

On top of all of that, things are looking pretty bad with the Death Worm- it’s now vomiting up some sort of sticky stuff, which is probably a trap or digestive fluid of some sort- either way, they have to get out ASAP, which of course, with Evil Eye, doesn’t look like is going to happen any time soon. It’s a frustrating situation to be sure, a lesson in deadly multitasking, with 2 enemies to fend off at once- especially with one of them a regenerating one (I always hate bastards like that). I find the concept of 2 baddies that cancel each other out intriguing.

Jiji is a seriously nice guy. Rather than be put off by the creepy ghost, he empathizes with it. The flaw with enormously kind people like Jiji is that they can be too trusting and easily taken advantage of, which Turbo Granny is convinced is happening here. As we’ve seen before in this universe, spirits are not to be taken lightly- they’re not the kind, cuddly creatures you see in other series. If you piss them off- good luck to you and your kind- the spirits have no qualms about killing (or cursing) anyone. While embracing Evil Eye is probably not the wisest of choices, I can’t help but appreciate Jiji for his soft-heartedness. In a world where you can take your pick of dark fates like the poor Death Worm victims, someone like Jiji is a sliver of light.

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