Dandadan’s Romantic Twist: A Possible Love Rectangle?

From the start of the Dandadan series, we saw an incredible chemistry between the two protagonists, Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura. Although they tried to hide it, both Momo and Okarun still expressed their affection for each other in many ways. However, there is another character that shares Momo's affections towards Okarun, and that is Aira Shiratori, a popular girl with a questionable attitude. Jiji is there as for Momo as Okarun's counterpart, creating a really interesting dynamic. Recent developments opened up a possibility of a potential love rectangle between the foursome, but it seems it will be much different from what we're used to in fictional media.

Love Between the Protagonists from the Beginning

Interestingly enough, the start of the Dandadan series introduced us to characters who seem quite different from each other but are actually the opposite of that—they're more alike than they realize. Momo is an outcast due to her being a granddaughter of the spirit medium and simply because she mostly doesn't care. She has her close friends, and they are enough for her. On the other side, Okarun is an extremely introverted boy who wants to have someone to discuss occult things with. When they meet, Okarun seemingly immediately likes Momo because she stands up to him and actually gives him a time of her day. Momo is almost certainly the same because we see hints of her liking Okarun from the beginning of the series as well; she just never showcased it.

We still don't have the official confession from the duo to each other, but their feelings are getting stronger by the day, and both of them are slowly but surely reaching the point of maturity that will make their love even stronger. Momo and Okarun are almost there, but there are other factors that will determine their future relationship: Aira and Jiji.

Another Girl and Boy Enter the Scene

Aira Shiratori was introduced in the Dandadan universe pretty early, and her impact on Momo's and Okarun's dynamic was immediately visible. She presented herself as a nice and popular girl but actually was the opposite—she was arrogant, at times even an outright bully, especially to Momo. However, over many chapters and obstacles, Aira survives with Momo and the rest of the gang; she goes through many stages of maturity that instantly reflect on the dynamic of the group. This includes her relations with Momo and Okarun, for the latter of whom she has developed romantic feelings for. Aira is very loud in her affections for Okarun while Momo's struggling to express her own, unassumingly creating a conflict between the trio.

Another member of the 'Family,' Jiji, arrives shortly after Aira and immediately impacts Okarun's life to the core—he feels like a perfect match for Momo. Of course, it doesn't help that Momo once had a crush on Jiji when they were kids, making Okarun even more insecure about his chances with Momo. Putting all of these factors together, one could say this situation between the characters is a recipe for a certain and unnecessary mess, but Yukinobu Tatsu made sure to create one of the healthiest love triangle/rectangle dynamics we've seen in manga in many years.

More about Dandadan's romantic aspects at The Mary Sue website.

Maturity and Development of the Characters in the Middle of the Love Triangle

With all that being said, we know that Aira constantly confesses her love for Okarun, while Jiji actually confesses his feelings for Momo at one point in the Dandadan manga series. However, what's really interesting are Momo's and Okarun's reactions to all that. The introverted and very insecure aspect of Okarun doesn't make him mad or envious of Jiji, but of Momo—Okarun simply doesn't feel worthy of Momo and silently basks in jealousy until Momo breaks it with her affection. On the other hand, Momo does what she does best and is compartmentalizing her feelings for Okarun, constantly fantasizing about Okarun's romantic advances just so she doesn't have to do it. This is why she's jealous of both Aira and Okarun; the former doesn't stray to showcase her real feelings, while the latter has the potential to be with the girl who likes him.

Another great detail about these dynamics is the way both Jiji and Aira wear their hearts on their sleeves while also knowing that their friends truly love each other. The maturity that we see from these characters is incredible, and Tatsu certainly has to take credit for that aspect.

Conclusion: The Healthy Love Rectangle Done Right

Pathetically, produced love triangles and other dynamics are not part of Tatsu's writing. He knows his characters to the core and makes sure that they don't fall into the trap of being too 'tropy' or, even worse, too cliché. From the first moment of the series, the creator established Momo and Okarun as the potential main couple and made sure that side characters don't fall into the predictability of being rivals or 'tools' for creating more drama. Aira and Jiji are great friends of Okarun and Momo, who tentatively (more or less) showcase their feelings for the other two but never feel like obstacles.

Yukinobu Tatsu created one of the healthiest romantic dynamics seen in fictional media, making sure that his main couple will finally 'get there' in the end while having strong bonds and friendships intact with their friends in Aira and Jiji, who will most certainly help Momo and Okarun to get to the happy ending they deserve for each other.

For more Dandadan discussions, check out this Reddit community.