Dandadan Does Not Stop Getting Into Controversies

This article includes spoilers for the anime “Dandadan.” Reader discretion is advised.

We have already talked in previous articles about Shihei Lin, the Shueisha editor who has helmed successful manga such as “Chainsaw Man,” “SPY x FAMILY,” and, currently in publication and with an anime adaptation airing, “Dandadan.”among others. The editor is quite active on social networks, and often shares highlights of the works he supervises, as well as photographs watching anime series inspired by his works.

Thus we come to what brings us together today, as Shihei Lin shared his experience watching Episode 10 of “Dandadan”, broadcast last week. One of the scenes in question refers to the moment in which Seiko Ayase, the grandmother, discovers thanks to the smell of the room that the precious vital fluid that runs through Mr. Mantis Shrimp's body is nothing more than cow's milk.

Not only does this serve as a minor reveal, but it completely changes fans' perspective towards this character.who goes from antagonist to ally given that this information serves to save the life of his son, who needs transfusions of this fluid, almost impossible to find on his planet of origin.

It is certainly a moving scene, and what follows is even better, offering a spectacular quality of animation that Science SARU studios have maintained since the beginning of this broadcast. But why are we talking about this? Well, Shihei Lin wrote on Twitter, sharing dialogues and his thoughts about them.

«“Would having my sausage save your son?“. A strange feeling of discomfort wrapped in kindness. “Your blood stinks!“. Words so direct that they almost seem pure racism. Okarun: “Hey! How can you say that? It’s not politically correct!”. I love how short and to the point this answer is. And I'm also fascinated by Seiko, which cuts everything off saying: “Shut up idiot! What political correctness or nonsense?“.».

That's right, the dialogues made a reference to “political correctness,” but Grandma Ayase immediately cut the topic short, saying it was “nonsense.” Both this and editor Shihei Lin applauding the exchange unfortunately soon became a topic of discussion, with comments criticizing the use of “this important term” for a joke:

«I always felt a certain discomfort due to the fact that Look Back did not officially declare that it was inspired by the fire incident at Kyoto Animation, but after reading the tweet of this animator (former colleague of the deceased), that discomfort turned into anger. I think the responsibility falls more on the producer than on the work.».
«Those who are criticizing with retweeted quotes appear to be left-wing and Communist Party sympathizers, according to their followers and previous posts. This air of superiority towards someone who works on world-successful works is ridiculous. What achievements do they have? I hope you do not allow yourself to be intimidated by this collective left-wing hysteria, which is nothing more than a mob of monstrous whiners».
«The quoted section is full of off-base comments, saying that the term 'political correctness' is being misused or criticizing the supposed aversion to it. It seems that they only want to talk about political correctness to attack this work. We don't need readers like that. They have already been exposed. Bye».
«It's ridiculous how they protect publishers who read erotic manga on illegal sites, even justifying technical problems on YouTube to hide videos, but then are unnecessarily harsh on political correctness. It seems that, in the end, they don't care at all about the creative content».
«I can't believe that someone as cultured and with as much antenna as the editors of Jump Plus do not understand the correct meaning of 'political correctness'. It's obvious that they say it intentionally to please ignorant otakus. how low».
«Thanks to comments like these, it's easy to decide not to read something. It is appreciated».
«This is simply an observation like 'it smells like milk (no bad intentions)'. Perhaps the goal was to criticize those who react instinctively by shouting 'political correctness' without thinking. Really correct people don't need to worry about political correctness; They just help others naturally.».
«I have always had some concern about the ethics of editors of Jump Plus and the editor Shihei Lin in particular, but I never imagined that they would be so brazen in showing their bad intentions in public. This post impacted me deeply.».
«How unpleasant… Jump has really hit rock bottom. Is this the same place that posted Slam Dunk and Kimetsu no Yaiba? It seems that at Shueisha there is no one capable of distinguishing between 'freedom of expression' and 'bad taste'. I don't plan to buy more».
«These types of jokes about current issues, without any social or ideological background, but which they believe are 'edgy' and 'risky', don't only happen in manga. It's a crappy trend that we also see in comedians in Japan».
«Blocking angry idiots in the dating section would make everyone happy. These people should not be on the internet».
«It's funny how otakus, who complain about discrimination against themselves, believe that political correctness has nothing to do with them. 'Saying that otakus are repulsive is discrimination against weak men.' What if it were said: 'What discrimination or what nonsense'? I'm sure they would applaud him.».
«An Appropriate Response to Political Correctness Extremists Who See Discrimination in Everything».
«Seiko's 'political correctness' comment likely to resonate with international viewers».
«What's worse is that editor Shihei Lin has worked with works that seem 'pro-political correctness' before, but proves to be superficial about it. This generates criticism from those who know the subject and harms the authors, since it fails to provide continuity.».
«Creators and publishers who are not sensitive to discrimination will not be successful globally.».
«People who criticize this would probably be angry if Okarun was depicted as a black man abroad. Personally, I didn't like that adaptation or that the voice actor supported it».
«Does this mean that Seiko was literally talking about the smell of milk, and Okarun misinterpreted it all as discrimination? Was the point to show the lack of communication as humorous?».
«The scene is nothing problematic. Okarun, thinking he heard a discriminatory comment, says, 'Political correctness!' while Seiko, literally referring to the smell, responds: 'Political correctness? What nonsense.' It's a perfectly normal dialogue».
«I think it's time to stop reading Jump. Their content continues to plummet, and mangas now seem more like the work of editors than authors».
«I don't understand why they criticize this. Okarun uses 'political correctness' wrongly, and Seiko simply mocks its misuse. What is the problem?».
«It is absurd to interpret this scene as an attack on political correctness. I can't stand them using my favorite anime for this type of debate.».
«Angry people on dates are clearly liberals and feminists. How obvious».
«The sleeves of Jumpincluding Dandadanignore and oppress the rights of more than half of humanity. They seem to think the world revolves around their short brains. It's disgusting».
«Seiko is not criticizing political correctness. Otakus should stop attacking her for anything. Enough already!».
«The term 'political correctness' was used as a simple device here. Neither the author nor the readers seem to really understand it.».
«That editors speak so much publicly is already problematic. Even more so when they are neither authors nor their assistants. What happens with ethical compliance in the company?».
«The use of 'political correctness' in Dandadan It seems more like a reflex attack than something thought out. And yes, it is portraying the silly use of the term by some. If that's problematic, how authoritarian are we being?».