Dan Da DanJust Keeps Getting Better and Better

Every week , manga reader crane their necks at gum anime watchers to live vicariously through their first maraud into experiencingDan Da Dan . Thus far , every episode has done a phenomenal job conform thesheer compass , scare , and magnetismofDan Da Dan‘s action andromance . However , the anime ’s latest and most anticipated episode nail one of the core dogma of why the series has such a strong fanbase : its phenomenal backstory authorship .

Whenever a flashback sequence recognize a shonen gum anime fan , they reflexively roll out their eyes in chafe . This knee - jolt response is mainly due to how the expository narrative twist can fag a show ’s activity to a freeze . While contemporary shonen series likeDemon Slayeralso utilize flashbacks to endear their villain to audiences , repetitious flashbacks lean to be used alone to guide line of latitude to their heroes . A fashionable activity chronological succession follows where said heroes unalive the bad guy , and then never recall about the life they took as they propel toward the next monster of the week .

While the above is n’t the most sympathetic read of shonen show likeDemon Slayer , it ’s become the wait norm for anime fans walk into a flashback to expect : it ’ll extend a tragic backstory wherein its hero will shed tears as they tie a baddie ’s discord to their own andhopefullycarry their life lessons into their next struggle . Just as how anime protagonists rarely expect back on past villains as something stirring their ethos , flashbacks in shonen anime ring emotionally hollow as the show trucks on . That is , unless you’reDan Da Dan .

Dan Da Dan Science Saru Netflix

© Science Saru / Crunchyroll

Dan Da Dan‘s 7th episode , “ To a Kinder World , ” see Okarun , Momo Ayase , and Turbo Granny battle Acrobatic Silky , a yokai stalking their classmate Aira Shiratori . While the gang outmaneuvered and defeated Acrobatic Silky in the first part of the episode , the latter half humanized the gangly , predominate yokai .

In a primarily voiceless flashback , we learned that Acro Silky was n’t always a monster . In a preceding life , Acro Silky was a single mother who lived a brutal , tragic life , taking on odd job as a janitor , store shop assistant , and sexual practice worker to keep solid food on the table . While scurvy , she used her hard - earned cash to shower her girl with talent , fix it all deserving it . That is , until disaster come to , set Acro Silky campaign through the rainy streets of Japan looking for her kidnap daughter . When all hope seemed fall behind , Acro Silky ballet danced on the rooftop of a skyscraper before plummeting to her dying .

However , not even death could undo a mother ’s categorical love . Now experience as a trace , Acro Silky pledges to watch over and protect a young Aira in her daughter ’s stead — even if that stand for wrench her expression into a permanent smile and transform her body into a towering Sadako - looking yokai . This volley of aroused gut punches is further punctuate by Acro Silky sacrifice herself and transferring her spiritual essence to revive Aira . She does this selfless do knowing that once she does , she ’ll be forgotten forever as she exists in an infinite void . What follows is an emotional hug between Aira and Acro Silky , where Aira promises never to forget her . Reader as a manga reader , I knew this scene was come , and that did n’t stop me from crying .

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© Science Saru / Crunchyroll

What makes this episode ofDan Da Danall the more remarkable is Science Saru opted not to regurgitate mangakaYukinobu Tatu ’s panels to picture Acro Silky ’s backstory . Instead , the anime present her tale through an extended sequence mostly told without voice acting in a Studio Ghibli - esque stroke of whimsy before plow to darker imagery consanguine to a Satoshi Kon film . All of this was accompanied by a languid melodious sexual conquest akin to something you ’d hear out of a euphony boxwood with a swirl ballerina spinning at its center . What ’s more , the anime forge home Acro Silky ’s desperation with a first - mortal succession of her doggedly run through the rainfall searching for her girl .

Dan DaDan‘s most substantive quality is consistently providing soul - stir backstories for Hero of Alexandria and villains alike . While Acro Silky served as its first momentous emotional here and now between a villain and the audience , the serial has already subtly suggested that it has always been focalize on humanize its resister as more than horrific adversaries . This is represent by the reveal that Turbo Granny , the show ’s initial antagonist , has a chronicle of deliver disquieted girl . This is why she go forth from Momo ’s phone ( via a possessed Okarun ) to protect her from an assault by the Serpo alien . This event , which unfolded in the show ’s first episode , initially led fans to interrogate whether this intense setting was contrary fanservice or genuinely compelling storytelling . Thankfully , it was the latter .

What ’s more , Dan Da Danhas continued to raise the level of its flashback piece of writing to a storey that nearly eclipse that of its varlet - turning scares , highly detailed action episode , and adorable romance . Now that Acro Silky ’s flashback has been like an expert adapted , fans can look forward to the realDan Da Danbeginning as the show adapts even more heart - wrenching backstories for its cryptids and aliens .

Dan Da Dan Acro Silky Anime Crunchyroll Netflix Hulu

© Science Saru / Crunchyroll

novel episodes ofDan Da Danair every Thursday on Netflix , Crunchyroll , and Hulu .

Update 3:00pm ET : A premature version of this billet formerly identified Acrobat Silky as a satanic variant of Aira ’s mother . Although the sequence does fuzz interpretations of Silky ’s perceived relationship with Aira , there is a line of negotiation that clarify that Silky and Aira ’s mother are separate individuals . io9 regret the erroneousness .

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Anime Dan Da Dan Aira Shiratori Acro Silky Netflix Crunchyroll Science Saru