Dandadan: The Pun Behind The “Golden Orbs”

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Dandadan: The Pun Behind The "Golden Orbs"

Key Takeaways

  • Dandadan is known for its over-the-top silliness with a genuine take on battle shōnen.
  • Okarun’s quest for the “golden balls” tied to his ‘banana’ leads to ridiculous scenarios.
  • The pun of Okarun’s ‘golden orbs’ as both literal and figurative testicles drives the story’s supernatural elements.

As a seasoned gamer with a soft spot for the absurd and the bizarre, I find myself thoroughly amused by the unique charm of “Dandadan.” With its over-the-top silliness and a genuine take on battle shōnen, it’s a series that knows how to make an impact – quite literally in the case of Okarun’s golden orbs!

Yukinobu Tatsu’s manga, titled Dandadan, is rapidly associated with a style of shōnen genre that combines extreme absurdity with an earnest interpretation of the battle shōnen structure. A significant part of this reputation is due to the central conflict – the rivalry between Okarun and Momo, who aim to disprove each other’s beliefs about ghosts and aliens – evolving into a quest for the “golden balls”, which are essentially powerful family heirlooms represented as ornaments attached to a male’s personal anatomy.

In the anime ‘Dandadan’, for an unusual reason, aliens and ghosts are on a quest to acquire male body parts specifically, their private areas. Unfortunately for Okarun, due to a curse from Turbo Granny, he’s lost what they call his “golden orbs”. This peculiar predicament, when translated from Japanese, carries a humorous play on words that perfectly embodies the spirit of ‘Dandadan’.

The Big Joke

They Are Literally and Figuratively Golden Balls

Dandadan: The Pun Behind The "Golden Orbs"

The pun in Japanese for the anime “Gintama” is quite straightforward and shares similar humor in its title. In this story, Okarun, after losing a race against Turbo Granny in her territory, suffers a curse that implies he was “swallowed” by her, specifically his genitalia. Until he can defeat Turbo Granny in a footrace again, Okarun will not regain possession of his banana (a symbolic representation).

Instead of returning his entire genitalia, only part was returned because Turbo Granny misplaced the testicles, leaving the banana without its “round spheres”. Although these spheres symbolize a source of supernatural power and are fittingly called “golden orbs” due to their golden association, it is this very connection that makes the joke seem even more nonsensical.

In Japanese, the term “kintama” has two meanings – it can be translated as “golden ball”, but it is also an informal term for male genitalia, specifically testicles. So, when Okarun and Momo are searching for the “golden orbs” that are filled with Turbo Granny’s supernatural energy and a powerful life force, they are actually referring to Okarun’s testicles – his kintama. These golden orbs are described as being spherical and golden in color, but they also carry this second meaning due to their identity as Okarun’s kintama.

In the series “Gintama“, instead of gold, silver is used in a playful reference to its name. Yōkai value these silver orbs due to the immense life energy they contain, which can revive them, while humans acquire supernatural abilities and heightened senses after touching Okarun’s testicles. The “banana” aspect was just the start of the eccentric fixation on genitalia in “Dandadan“, as these golden orbs become a crucial item, causing events to unfold over several story arcs.

The Impact of Okarun’s Golden Orbs

Call to Action: Find the Magic Balls Before the Bad Guys Do

Dandadan: The Pun Behind The "Golden Orbs"

In the anime series titled “Dandadan,” the initial objective is to expel Turbo Granny from Okarun’s body. However, this task turns out to be merely a stepping stone for the main mission: locating Okarun’s supernaturally charged testicles before they end up in the possession of malevolent yōkai, aliens, or even ordinary individuals who might become targets of those entities. In the early stages, a familiar face from their school, Aira Shiratori, encounters one of the golden orbs, granting her supernatural abilities.

Aira considered herself chosen by the heavens as the world’s savior due to her exceptional beauty, believing that her ability to sense the supernatural was a divine bestowal. In actuality, Okarun’s gemstones rekindled Aira’s innate capacity to see spirits, a gift she had as a child but had somehow lost along the way. It turns out that there are many individuals experiencing a similar awakening to the world of the paranormal. Later in the series, an alien race becomes interested in Okarun’s gemstones, hoping to harness their energy for advanced technology.

In essence, it’s balls. The pun is literally balls.

Dandadan is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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2024-10-23 23:34