It's not a mistake or laziness, Dandadan anime creators found a way to make a brilliant and humorous reference to Yukinobu Tatsu talent
A frame from the anime Dandadan, which may have seemed like a lazy ploy by the animators, is actually a brilliant joke referencing the manga.
Visual gags in movies and TV shows are nothing new. It’s a common tactic among creators to wink at the audience and get a laugh - but often, there’s a story behind these visual jokes, and without that context, they might not land as intended.
That might be the case with a particular shot in episode 5 of Dandadan's second season, where the anime team included a visual reference to the manga. The scene drew attention for its realistic food illustrations - a signature detail in Yukinobu Tatsu’s manga. Although the series isn’t focused on food, the mangaka pays remarkable attention to its depiction - capturing it with a level of detail that borders on hyperrealism.
As a wink to manga readers, the creators of the Dandadan anime didn’t attempt to replicate Tatsu’s hyper-realistic food drawings - instead, they included a straight-up photo of the dish in the frame of the new episode. It was not laziness on their part, but rather a witty reference to the fact that Tatsu’s food illustrations are so realistic, they almost feel disconnected from the rest of the manga. The same goes for that anime frame - everything is drawn in typical style, except for the photo-realistic food, which deliberately sticks out.
So it wasn’t an oversight or a lazy shortcut by the animators hoping no one would notice - it was a deliberate, clever touch meant to add another layer of humor to the series.
It’s evident that the creators are enjoying themselves, using cinematic techniques to fully tap into the potential of Tatsu’s work in its transition to a new medium. And it must be said - Science Saru is doing an excellent job. Despite delivering a faithful adaptation, the studio still manages to surprise viewers already familiar with the manga.
0
Author: Edyta Jastrzebska
A graduate of journalism and social communication as well as cultural studies. She started at Gamepressure.com as one of the newspeople in the films department. Currently she oversees the Gamepressure movie&TV newsroom. She excels in the field of film and television, both in reality-based and fantasy themes. Keeps up with industry trends, but in her free time she prefers to watch less known titles. Has a complicated relationship with popular ones, which is why she only gets convinced about many of them when the hype around them subsides. Loves to spend her evenings not only watching movies, series, reading books and playing video games, but also playing text RPGs, which she has been into for several years.
Latest News
- Can you live a normal life in Cyberpunk 2077? YouTuber takes on a 15-hour experiment, goes through a lot of frustration, but is eventually satisfied
- A failed revolution. Chrome 2 was supposed to refresh the FPS genre
- NVIDA CEO wants full AI implementation in the company and calls executives „crazy” when they don't do it
- Looking for the answer to “Jam doughnut or sausage from Germany” in Cookie Jam? Here’s a little help
- Need help with “Playful sea mammal” in Cookie Jam? Here’s the answer