Dandadan Author Had to Read 100 Romance Mangas
Did you know that the author of Dandadan had to read 100 romance mangas? At least that’s what he says. I’m watching Dandadan, but I couldn’t wait for the next episodes, so one night I read all the current chapters of the manga. One of the things I enjoyed most while reading was the relationships between the characters.
The way Ayase, Orakun, and others interact is one of my favorite aspects of the manga, and apparently, the reason behind it is that the author had to read “100 romance mangas.”
Dandadan Author Had to Read 100 Romance Mangas
This information comes from the Nikkei website and was published in 2022. In it, the author Yukinobu Tatsu explains his creative process in developing Dandadan. On that occasion, Tatsu shared the following:
“I have a notebook where I keep loglines (notes that describe a work in a single sentence), and when I was reviewing it, I found a simple note that said: ‘Sadako vs. Kayako is interesting’ (laughs). And I thought, ‘Maybe I could create something from this.'”
“It’s not like I was a big fan of the occult before. When I was in elementary school, it was a popular theme, but I wasn’t that enthusiastic about it. However, when I started researching, I found it fascinating. There are things we ‘don’t fully understand’ that end up being quite intriguing, you know?”
“I’m attracted to unresolved phenomena and events—like UFOs. I think it’s suspicious, but I’d like to see one up close someday. When you don’t understand something, your imagination takes flight; it’s harder to imagine things you already know well. For example, when I’m looking out the train window and the scenery rushes by, I imagine a fictional version of myself running outside. I enjoy daydreaming.”
“People who talk about the occult tend to specialize—there are ghost story experts, and then there are UMA (mysterious animals) experts. But in the TV shows I watched as a kid, everything was treated together, so ghosts and aliens naturally got mixed up.”
“I’ve always liked battle mangas, and when I did my first one-shot, my editor, Shihei Lin, suggested, ‘If you want something different, why not try drawing a romantic comedy?’ Then he sent me 100 shoujo mangas (laughs). As I read, I realized there was something captivating in the parts where characters fight and then somehow make up—it’s an element not found in shounen manga, and I really enjoyed it. It would be a shame to lose the impact of the climax if the interest wanes by that point, so I thought of mixing in some humor or other elements to keep readers entertained.”
And it worked, didn’t it? The relationships between the characters are extremely engaging; it’s incredible to think that he had to read 100 romance mangas to create the story as he did.
via Voce Sabia Anime