- This is the article on the episode. For the chapter, head to That's How Love Starts, Ya Know!.
That's How Love Starts, Ya Know! (それって恋のはじまりじゃんよ Sorette koi no Hajimari jan yo?) is the first episode of the Dandadan anime series.
Synopsis[]
Momo is a high school girl born to a family of spirit mediums, and Okarun is an occult fanatic. To settle an argument, Momo heads to an abandoned hospital famous for UFO sightings while Okarun heads to a tunnel famous as a spiritual hotspot.
Plot[]
Momo Ayase becomes infuriated after her boyfriend insists she lend him money for a date and becomes prompted to make an attempt to kick him after he suggests they have sex at a hotel, resulting in their breakup. Heartbroken, she confides in her friends, who question her attraction to her ex-boyfriend. Momo admits she was drawn to him solely because he resembled her favorite actor, Ken Takakura—a reason her friends deem absurd.
Momo and Ken meet for the first time.
As Momo walks through the halls, feeling downcast, she notices a male student being harassed in a classroom. Deciding to intervene, she sits at his desk, giving the bullies a stern look until they stop. Afterward, Momo leaves but is soon approached by the student she had defended. He eagerly engages her in a conversation about aliens and UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena), which only serves to exacerbate her bad mood with his incessant chatter. Although she had no plans on befriending him, Momo apologizes upon realizing she had hurt his feelings and confesses her belief in ghosts over aliens. Hearing this, the male student smirks in disbelief at the existence of ghosts, prompting Momo to defend her stance by mentioning her grandmother is a spirit medium. This then led to a heated debate over their beliefs, culminating in a challenge to prove whether UFOs or ghosts are real.
Late at night, Momo and the male student, whom she nicknames "Occult-kun," reach their respective destinations to determine who is correct. Momo enters Nagi Hospital, where Occult-kun suspects UFOs might appear, while Occult-kun reaches a tunnel where Momo suspects a ghost might manifest. As they talk over the phone, Momo shares her past resentment towards her grandmother, having been bullied by the boys around her, including one who she previously liked, after being required by her relative to perform a ritual in public. She then reveals that she eventually forgave her grandmother and started believing in ghosts after realizing the value of her role as a spirit medium and that what she actually hated was not the bullying but her crush mocking her guardian. Soon after, Occult-kun encounters an elderly spirit known as Turbo Granny, who offers to have him suck on her breasts in exchange for performing fellatio. Occult-kun then flees in terror while denying the reality of the ghost. Momo warns him about the Turbo Granny ghost, explaining that being caught by her in a race means being cursed. Hearing Occult-kun's screams after the ghost catches up with him on his bike, Momo sets out to help him. However, upon glancing ahead, Momo is struck with fear at the sight of three enigmatic figures lurking in the hallway. In a panic she attempts to flee, only to be captured and restrained by them.
The Serpos attempt to subdue Turbo Granny.
After waking up to find herself strapped to a chair in her underwear, the figures identify themselves as the Serpos, an extraterrestrial species seeking to obtain reproductive capabilities akin to those of humans. One of the Serpos reveals a mechanical device from their lower region, intending to extract her womb and reproductive organs through sexual means. Momo struggles against her bindings, but the Serpos employs psychokinesis to induce a state of arousal in her. Just as they are about to proceed, the ringing of Momo's phone diverts the Serpos' attention, leading to their astonishment as Turbo Granny emerges and bites off the device. Momo soon realizes that the ghost is actually Occult-kun under her possession. The Serpos attempt to prevent the possessed individual from intervening but are unable to react swiftly enough as Turbo Granny attacks their lower regions and removes their mechanical devices. After being pinned by their psychokinesis, Occult-kun offers to fulfill the Serpos' desires, revealing his longing to meet aliens due to his lack of friends until he met Momo and pleads for her safety. The Serpos, however, reject him and continue to heighten Momo's arousal.
Momo awakens her ki.
As this continues, Momo recalls her grandmother's instructions to perform the ritual in order to release her ki and manages to accomplish the task, resulting in her unlocking psychic abilities that help her break free from her restraints. With the ritual serving as confirmation, Momo acknowledges her grandmother's true abilities as a spirit medium and counters the Serpo with a powerful kick that sends the alien crashing back, causing damage to the UFO. Momo then suppresses Turbo Granny's possession over Occult-kun after she attacks him. Before vanishing, Turbo Granny warns Momo that she has taken Occult-kun's genitalia, and the only way to lift the curse is to confront her in the tunnel where she resides.
Momo speechless upon learning Occult-kun's name.
Having survived the UFO's destruction, Momo and Occult-kun start to believe in the existence of both aliens and ghosts. Occult-kun then prepares to take his leave to confront Turbo Granny, which he insists on doing alone to avoid troubling her further. Nevertheless, Momo persists in offering her assistance. The make student accepts her generosity and apologizes for his behavior, explaining that it's due to him being an "awkward fellow." Hearing a phrase reminiscent of Ken Takakura, Momo becomes taken aback but quickly regains her composure, dismissing any misconceptions. After inquiring about his name, realizing that she hadn't asked before, Momo is left speechless upon learning from Occult-kun that it is "Ken Takakura."
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Momo Ayase (Debut)
- Momo's Ex-Boyfriend (Debut)
- Muko (Debut)
- Miko (Debut)
- Okarun (Debut)
- Hase (Debut)
- Serpo (Debut)
- Jiji (Flashback)
- Seiko Ayase (Debut)
- Turbo Granny (Debut)
Anime Notes[]
- In the manga, a visual of Ken Takakura is shown after Momo brings him up to Miko and Muko. This is excluded in the anime.
- In the anime, Okarun meets up with Momo in the hall with stairs where Miko and Muko see the two arguing. In the manga, Ken meets up with Momo in a hallway absent of stairs, with Miko and Muko witnessing the two argue after walking straight down the hall.
- The anime also includes Miko drinking from a carton.
- In the manga, Barack Obama is the president shown in the page of Ken's magazine that he shows to Momo, while the anime has him replaced with a different president.
- The anime includes a Serpo from the shadows as he observes Momo walking around Nagi Hospital.
- In the manga, Ken manages to run out of the tunnel after encountering Turbo Granny and gets on his bike to leave the location. In the anime, Ken never reaches the end of the tunnel as it stretches further away from him.
- In the anime, lights from the windows start to go off as the Serpos' presence are revealed to Momo in the hall.
- In the manga, a young Ken is shown at his desk as he talks about his sad childhood. In the anime, an additional scene of a young Ken is shown, showing him holding a walkie talkie from a roof in an attempt to communicate with aliens. A depiction of Ken in junior high is also added.
- In the manga, a blank background is used as Momo talks to her grandmother about her refusal to do her public ritual. In the anime, the two talk at the entrance of their residence.
- The anime reveals that the moon under the Nagi Hospital was actually the Serpos' UFO.
- In the anime, Turbo Granny's spiritual projection after her cursed is suppressed by Momo includes hands. This is not included in the manga.
- In the anime, the Serpos' UFO lands at the highway after crashing through the Nagi Hospital, with Momo also being shown kicking a platted wall to escape the ship with Ken. In the manga, the UFO never crashes near the highway and is shown to have only destroyed the hospital.
- In the anime, the Serpos' UFO explodes behind Momo as she becomes speechless learning Ken's name. In the manga, the explosion is not shown.
Gallery[]
Episode Previews[]
Keyframes[]
Poll[]
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| Season 1 | |||||||||
| Episodes | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 | ||||||||
| BD&DVD | Vol.1 • Vol.2 • Vol.3 • Vol.4 | ||||||||
| Season 2 | |||||||||
| Episodes | TBA | ||||||||
| BD&DVD | TBA | ||||||||
| Movies | |||||||||
| Movies | First Encounter | ||||||||
| Music | |||||||||
| Opening | Otonoke | ||||||||
| Ending | TAIDADA | ||||||||
| Kintama Hunt Saga | |||||||||
| Turbo Granny Arc | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 | ||||||||
| Acrobatic Silky Arc | 5 • 6 • 7 | ||||||||
| Serpo Arc | 8 • 9 • 10 | ||||||||
| Cursed House Arc | 11 • 12 | ||||||||