WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.480 --> 00:00:09.400 Monster House presents. 2 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:23.839 This formal as I think I know what you're into. 3 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:24.480 Huh. 4 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:27.079 There's only one reason someone like you would talk to me, 5 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:29.239 and that's the reason you talk to me. This is 6 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:33.439 the reason. Look Project Pegasus. The US President went to Mors. 7 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:34.439 And met with aliens. 8 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:37.600 What you're into be a cult, aren't you? 9 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:38.399 Nah? 10 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:40.719 I don't believe in UFOs and aliens and that kind 11 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:43.600 of stuff. They're not US both, they're u a PS 12 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:45.880 unidentified aerial phenomena. 13 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:47.759 I didn't ask, don't care. 14 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:52.280 The US military admitted u aps exists and reform. There's 15 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:53.719 space forces now. 16 00:00:53.719 --> 00:00:55.600 Japan has an aerospace defense Force. 17 00:00:55.840 --> 00:00:59.439 Don't just see everyone's caring a core in space Oka. 18 00:00:59.359 --> 00:00:59.920 The lie. 19 00:01:01.479 --> 00:01:02.079 I want to say. 20 00:01:02.359 --> 00:01:04.319 There's this new picture of Nessy talk. 21 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:07.280 There's also stuff about Lieutenant. 22 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:11.120 Colonel Jim Trennon. Let's gon walk around. I don't care. 23 00:01:11.799 --> 00:01:14.480 It's actually quite unlike anything we've ever seen before. 24 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:22.560 A giant, hairy creature party part in Luckness, a twenty 25 00:01:22.599 --> 00:01:25.480 four a mile long bottomless lake in the Highlands of Scotland. 26 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:51.159 It's a creature known as the Luckness Monster monster t. 27 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:56.560 Welcome to Monster Talk, the science show about monsters. I'm 28 00:01:56.599 --> 00:02:00.319 Blake Smith and I'm Karen Stolsner. This is a fan 29 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:03.239 request episode. As I'll say, hearing the interview, quite a 30 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:06.519 few listeners reached out to us about the content overlap 31 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.719 between the topics that we discuss on Monster Talk and 32 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:13.280 the topics covered in the anime series Dan. To Dan, 33 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:17.520 it's not a show for everyone, and it's definitely not 34 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:20.400 a show for little kids, But you guys were right 35 00:02:20.439 --> 00:02:23.080 about the stuff that the show covers being of interest 36 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:27.039 to Munster Talk listeners and to me now, this episode 37 00:02:27.080 --> 00:02:30.039 will not be a deep dive into critical thinking or science. 38 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:33.879 It's more of a fun side quest into contextualizing how 39 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:37.080 a show like Dana Dan has fictionalized and incorporated story 40 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:43.280 elements from folklore, legend, custom Fortiana myth, and conspiracy theory 41 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:47.400 and to a darned amusing and engaging teen comedy drama series. 42 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:52.960 It's probably possible to watch the show without ever realizing 43 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:55.319 that the stream of trivia about these topics is so 44 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:58.879 relentlessly evocative of familiar elements to those of us who 45 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.319 immerse ourselves in the weird and the spooky. But if 46 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:05.879 you watch it and you are immersed in this stuff, 47 00:03:05.960 --> 00:03:10.439 it's just kind of astonishing. Maybe the only other pop 48 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:14.240 culture consumption similar to me would be how people my 49 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:17.280 age tended to respond to the book Ready Player One. 50 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:20.639 There's so many references in there that if you're in 51 00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:23.360 clients in nostalgia, it was easy to sort of ignore 52 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:25.919 other weaknesses in the plot when you first read it. 53 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:29.520 But unlike Ready Player One, this show seems to have 54 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:33.080 a lot more depth and definitely more surprises. Now if 55 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:35.319 you want to check the series out after listening, you 56 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:37.759 can find it on streamer channels that our guest Justin 57 00:03:37.800 --> 00:03:42.599 Mullis will mention, including Netflix. Speaking of we're happy to 58 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:46.080 welcome back doctor Justin Mullis, who most recently joined us 59 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:50.159 to talk about the relationships of cryptozoology with kaiju in Japan, 60 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:54.159 and today he's going to help us contextualize the weird 61 00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:58.240 shitology elements in season one of Dan to Dan. We'll 62 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:00.919 try to make this a no spoiler show, but due 63 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:03.120 to the fact that the main plot of the first 64 00:04:03.159 --> 00:04:06.919 few episodes deals with a witch stealing a boy's penis, 65 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:14.719 this episode gets the explicit tag more instrutle. Anyway, thanks 66 00:04:14.719 --> 00:04:17.240 for joining us, Justin. We're really excited tonight' to be 67 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:22.360 talking about the very peculiar show Dan to Dan. And 68 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:26.160 by the way, I sometimes see it listed as Dan 69 00:04:26.199 --> 00:04:28.519 to Dan one word, and I sometimes see it listened 70 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:32.879 as Dan Dan separately. Any idea. I mean I realized this. 71 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:36.959 It's an English version of a Japanese title. Do you know? 72 00:04:37.079 --> 00:04:38.600 Is it three words? Is it one word? 73 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:43.120 You want to the title explained? So I'm so blake. 74 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:46.839 I imagine you've probably seen the very famous Academy Award 75 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:53.000 winning Japanese movie Qui Don. Yes, yeah, so the famous 76 00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:58.040 based on the Lafacadio Hearn's collection of Japanese ghost stories. 77 00:04:58.519 --> 00:04:59.920 Right, so three. 78 00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:04.680 Hours of color and experiment. Wow, yeah, exactly three hours, 79 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:06.639 four four stories, three hours. 80 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:09.839 Yeah, yeah, there you go. Amazing movie. 81 00:05:10.519 --> 00:05:14.240 But so that word, yeah, Qui don, right, so to 82 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:19.639 cut the Qui off don the don so Qui don 83 00:05:19.720 --> 00:05:25.120 means ghost story. So this is Tatsu the creator, having 84 00:05:25.160 --> 00:05:27.160 some fun with the title. So it's kind of like 85 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:29.680 stories story. 86 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:32.360 Yeah, that's funny, Okay, Yeah. 87 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:35.560 Well yeah, when I hear Dan to Dan, I think 88 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:39.240 of the the of Blue Moon, the original version, the mussels, 89 00:05:41.959 --> 00:05:43.279 you know what I'm talking about. 90 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:49.439 Dang and Dang Dang. But Dan and dangloom. 91 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:52.600 I'm not gonna sing it either, but that that's uh 92 00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:56.879 my wife, that's one of her favorite movies is an 93 00:05:56.879 --> 00:05:59.480 American Werewolf from London and that comes in a critical scene. 94 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:01.000 So yeah, there you go. 95 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:02.360 It all comes together. 96 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:06.879 It really does well. Anyway, justin we're having you on 97 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:10.560 tonight to talk about this anime series. Dan to Dan 98 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:16.160 and I. We get a lot of emails from listeners 99 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:19.879 suggesting we try out certain pop culture things, but I 100 00:06:19.959 --> 00:06:25.480 had never gotten as many random, feeling out of the blue, 101 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:28.720 people who've never written saying, hey, have you guys seen this? 102 00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:35.319 Because it is and I, you know, I Kieren and 103 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:37.600 I are both really busy doing lots and lots of 104 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:40.560 consumption of stuff to prepare us for the show. But 105 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:45.040 I made the time, and holy cow, they weren't joking. 106 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:48.480 The first episode of this has when they all through 107 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:51.800 the whole series that exists so far, there are so 108 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:58.480 many references to cryptids and folklore and magic and monsters 109 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.279 that are not entirely made up for the show that 110 00:07:01.240 --> 00:07:04.040 they were like pulled from like I don't want to 111 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:10.399 say real, but like contemporary sources in our culture, Like so, uh. 112 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:14.959 The folklore, Yeah, and folklore exactly. 113 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:20.040 It's it's it is extraordinary. Uh, it's so it's so 114 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:23.319 dense with references. Uh, but they work. I mean it 115 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:25.720 does it. At first, the first episode, I actually thought 116 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:28.759 they were over the top with how many specific so 117 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:34.480 many specific references to UAPs, to the Ministry goes, the 118 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:36.759 Flatwoods Monster shows up. Yeah, I mean just so much. 119 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:39.800 But it actually works. I mean, like it's it's not 120 00:07:40.920 --> 00:07:44.800 it's not artifice smacked on top of something shallow. It's 121 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:47.439 like it actually it seems to really all be integrated 122 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:48.399 with the central idea. 123 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:53.319 Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean I forgot until Reese. I 124 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:57.680 just rewatched the first arc of the show in preparation 125 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:00.279 for this. But yeah, I mean in the first episode, like, yeah, 126 00:08:00.279 --> 00:08:06.879 they name drop Skinwalker Ranch even so yeah, so I'm curious, 127 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:12.439 you know, maybe this is relevant contexts. So, you know, Blake, 128 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:16.319 I know you're an anime fan, and obviously I am 129 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:20.199 as well. But so, Karen, was this your first experience 130 00:08:20.279 --> 00:08:21.519 with this medium? 131 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:30.199 Oh oh yes, yes, so I you guys suggested. I 132 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:33.440 watched not one episode to judge it on the basis 133 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:35.639 of one, but to watch a couple of episodes, and 134 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:40.440 so I only got it around to watching two, and 135 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:43.000 I have to say I did struggle through it a bit, 136 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:49.879 and the first episode was very full on as Blake described. 137 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:51.360 I mean, there were a lot of things that I 138 00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:53.960 liked about it. I liked I thought the Japanese music 139 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:56.639 was cool. I thought the elements of girl Pow are 140 00:08:56.679 --> 00:09:00.480 really cool as well. Characters were quirky. It's a very 141 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:04.159 action packed, but I think in general, it's just not 142 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:07.759 my cup of tea. It's not my kind of I 143 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:10.440 didn't get into that genre. And I've spoken with anime 144 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:15.120 fans because I wasn't receiving the plethora of emails from 145 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:18.440 listeners who asked, have you seen this? And I think 146 00:09:18.679 --> 00:09:20.279 it definitely sounds that the kind of thing that Blake 147 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:22.919 would see, But no one's approached me about it, so 148 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:25.679 I didn't know what the hell I was in for, 149 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:31.240 and again approaching anime fans, I didn't come across anyone 150 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:33.480 who liked it. But then when I did a lot 151 00:09:33.519 --> 00:09:37.480 of looking up of forums and things online, so many 152 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:40.120 people were raving out raving about it. Ten out of 153 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:42.559 ten they seem to absolutely love it. So it just 154 00:09:42.600 --> 00:09:45.000 seems like you either I don't want to say I 155 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:46.639 hate it, but it seems like people love it or 156 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:50.919 hate it, and there's not too much in between. But 157 00:09:51.320 --> 00:09:54.480 it was again, it really should be right up my 158 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:57.679 alley because of all the paranormal themes that they investigate. 159 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:02.919 But it was just very different to anything of ever experienced. 160 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:04.039 And maybe that's not a bad thing. 161 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:09.440 Well, I think for me, Like, so you said, I'm 162 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:13.080 an anime fan, and that's not wrong, but it also 163 00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:16.039 I think I should constrain that just a little bit 164 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:20.279 because I've been, like I've been in fandom forever because 165 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:22.559 I'm old and grew up in the eighties and so 166 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:25.919 I still remember before the Internet, when all the anime 167 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:30.799 content was bootleg vhs, and like even even when I 168 00:10:30.840 --> 00:10:33.639 was in boot camp in the Navy, when we first 169 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:35.759 got out of boot camp and in a school, I 170 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:38.399 was able to leave base and go. I think the 171 00:10:38.440 --> 00:10:40.720 comic book store was NCC one seven and one. I 172 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:42.799 think it was actually named after the Enterprise, but they 173 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:44.879 had a back room where you could do role playing 174 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:47.799 games or whatever, and on Saturdays, people would bring bootleg 175 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:51.679 vhs from Japan and I remember watching some of that 176 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:55.759 and basically there was no subtitles, there were no dubs. 177 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:58.720 There would be somebody there explaining what was going on. 178 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:03.279 It's like like aids for the deaf or something. But 179 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:06.399 I remember someone trying to explain Ronmo one half to 180 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:08.879 me as I watched a bootleg of that. It was 181 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:11.799 very peculiar. But I do like this stuff. But a 182 00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:13.440 lot of it is there's there's parts of it that 183 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:18.639 are super focused on very sexy teenagers, and that's never 184 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:20.639 been something I was Basically by the time I got 185 00:11:20.679 --> 00:11:23.279 into it, I was too old to feel comfortable with 186 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:26.799 that that that sort of thing. But this show grabs 187 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:29.799 me in a decidedly non sexual way with its plot 188 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:32.440 and content, so it manages to get. 189 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:33.399 Past the fact. 190 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:37.919 Yeah, it really does. But I guess we should start 191 00:11:37.919 --> 00:11:41.440 with actually, because I'm rambling and I and you're here 192 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:44.200 as a as an expert to talk about this. What's 193 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:46.759 this show about? What is Dan to Dan about? 194 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:47.399 What is it? 195 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:51.559 Yeah? Sure, So for for anybody who doesn't know what 196 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:55.639 we're talking about and hasn't been completely alienated yet. 197 00:11:56.600 --> 00:11:59.879 So is a. 198 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:02.399 Anime series that premiered last year in the fall of 199 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:07.600 twenty twenty four. It was twelve episodes. It was produced 200 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:11.519 by Science Saru, which is the anime Studio branch of 201 00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:13.080 Toho Studios, to the same. 202 00:12:12.919 --> 00:12:14.480 People who do the Godzilla movies. 203 00:12:15.639 --> 00:12:18.480 And it's based on a manga of the same name 204 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:22.879 that is written and illustrated by Yuki Nobutatsu, and the 205 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:24.919 manga is a couple. 206 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:25.360 Of years old now. 207 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:28.360 It debuted in April of twenty twenty one, and as 208 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:32.360 of January of this year, it has been collected into 209 00:12:32.559 --> 00:12:35.919 eighteen volumes, eleven of which have been translated into English 210 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:39.759 so far as of the start of this month February. 211 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:45.759 And in Japan, Dandaddan is serialized in Shonen Jump Plus, 212 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:50.200 which is a comic magazine that's intended for mature audiences. 213 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:54.200 It's the same magazine that other popular series like Spy 214 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:58.360 X Family and Kaiju Number eight, which are both very 215 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:02.960 popular right now, appear in, and so kind of building 216 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:05.440 off of something you are just alluding to, Blake, this 217 00:13:05.480 --> 00:13:08.320 is probably also a good place to bring up that, 218 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:10.879 yes we're talking about a comic book, Yes we're talking 219 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:15.120 about an animated series, but this is decidedly not a 220 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:18.879 children's fair, right, and since there's like very young children, 221 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:22.120 so the anime in particular, well, both the anime and 222 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:26.639 the comic have plenty of like risk gay humor in it, 223 00:13:26.679 --> 00:13:29.799 there's partial nudity, and they also deal with really weighty 224 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:33.639 issues at times, like sexual assault and domestic violence. So 225 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:36.960 this is intended for at least like I think the 226 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:40.559 rating on the streaming platforms because it's on Netflix and 227 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:43.159 it's on Hulu, and it's on a Crunchy Role, which 228 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:45.960 is an anime specific streaming service, which is I believe 229 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:49.320 it's TVMA, so you know, it's for kind of an 230 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:54.279 older and older teen audience. But as Karen was also saying, 231 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:56.639 this was a series that when it debuted last year, 232 00:13:57.080 --> 00:14:00.679 proved extremely popular. It ended up being the most streamed 233 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:05.240 anime for twenty twenty four on Netflix with over three 234 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:09.000 million views, and it was ended up also being Netflix's 235 00:14:09.080 --> 00:14:14.120 most second most popular English language program for the platform. 236 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:17.279 Netflix actually seems to be the platform that garnered the 237 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:20.320 most attention with Dan to Dan, even though it was 238 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:25.480 on multiple platforms, and interestingly enough, apparently, from what I've read, 239 00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:29.519 a Crunchy Role, even though they are an anime specific 240 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:33.519 streaming service, didn't really heavily promote the release of Dan 241 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:37.559 to Dan because they were concerned about the kind of 242 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:43.639 riskue elements you know, alienating some viewers, so they kind 243 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:47.279 of missed out on getting new subscribers because of that, 244 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:51.559 because most people, it seems like, just turned into Netflix 245 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:55.840 to watch this particular series since it was available there. 246 00:14:56.159 --> 00:14:59.440 And also, I mean, as far as as kind of 247 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:02.480 anime and especially sort of mature anime standards, I mean, 248 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:07.279 the show is also kind of frankly not that incredibly 249 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:09.159 riskue either, right, So. 250 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:14.000 Yeah, yeah, it's the It's there's the whole subgenre of 251 00:15:14.120 --> 00:15:18.080 sexy teen drama comedy type thing and h and some 252 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:23.279 of those are way more, way more openly sexual in 253 00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:25.200 their content. And of course I grew up in the 254 00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:28.240 American South and the evangelical family, So even though I'm 255 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:31.639 pretty liberated myself, I might, you know, I can't help 256 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:34.200 what makes me cringe, you know, well. 257 00:15:34.039 --> 00:15:37.159 And it's worth mentioning. So also, I mean, as a 258 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:39.679 point of comparison, so the creator of Dan to De 259 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:43.759 Dan tatsu he actually started off his career in the 260 00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:48.000 industry as an assistant to Tatsuki Fujimoto, who is the 261 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:52.519 creator of another very popular contemporary anime series, which is 262 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:56.759 chainsaw Man, which is much more violent, much more risky, 263 00:15:57.360 --> 00:16:00.120 and its content, I mean, it is literally about a 264 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:03.840 guy who makes a faustian compact with the demon just 265 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:06.799 so that he can try and get laid. So that's 266 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:11.519 that's the plot of that series. So you know, considering 267 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:15.360 that that was sort of Tatsu's sort of mentor and template, 268 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:18.279 you know, this is definitely kind of a step down. 269 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:20.600 And I do like the fact that Karen earlier mentioned 270 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:24.240 the sort of girl power aspect of Dan to de Dan, 271 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:27.879 which I'll get to the plot here of the series 272 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:30.600 in a second, but that's something that Tatsu has actually 273 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:33.360 talked about in several interviews, which was that, you know, 274 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:38.960 he really wanted to do a boy's comic, right, which 275 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:42.360 is what shonan means in Japan, right, a comic that's 276 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:45.360 aimed at an adolescent male audience. But he wanted to 277 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:49.320 do one that had a female character who wasn't there 278 00:16:49.480 --> 00:16:52.919 essentially just to be, you know, a sex object for 279 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:56.320 the male protagonist, right, who was actually the main character 280 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:59.159 and who had a lot of autonomy and was actually 281 00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:04.960 the focus of the narrative. And and so, without spoiling anything, 282 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:08.400 what Dana de Dan is about is it revolves around 283 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:14.039 these two high schoolers, momo I Say and Ken Takakura, 284 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:19.480 who meet each other and bond over a mutual obsession 285 00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:28.319 over paranormal phenomena. Ken is really into UFOs and and 286 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:32.480 that kind of side of of Fortiana, and Momo her 287 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:37.240 grandmother is a spirit medium, and so she's into ghosts 288 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:40.000 and that kind of thing, and so they and they 289 00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:43.720 initially have a disagreement over the validity of that stuff, 290 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:47.200 which we can get into, but they end up having 291 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:52.359 kind of a mutual experiences with the supernatural that kind 292 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:55.079 of bond them and and you know, sort of challenge 293 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:59.200 their preconceived notions about this, and then basically the bulk 294 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:01.319 of the series is the kind of teaming up to 295 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:06.519 go and investigate different paranormal occurrences happening around their hometown, 296 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:11.759 involving aliens, ghosts, cryptids, that kind of stuff. So that's 297 00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:15.640 the very sort of spoiler free version of the. 298 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:18.720 Plot of Danda Didan. 299 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:23.880 I should also mention so that Momo nicknames kN. 300 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:27.920 Okoroun, which is a. 301 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:32.640 Portmanteau of the Japanese version of the term a cult, 302 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:37.160 which is oko ruto plus the Japanese prefixed kun, which 303 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:40.720 is a term of endearment. So basically kind of like saying, 304 00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:43.920 you know, a culti pal or something. 305 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:47.119 Yeah, my kids said it means something kind of like 306 00:18:47.160 --> 00:18:48.759 a cult, bro or a cult. 307 00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:51.640 Yeah that's a good one. Yeah I like that. Yeah. 308 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:55.680 Well, now I'm curious, like, have your kids watched it? 309 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:56.599 And what did they think? 310 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:00.359 Oh? They they two thirds of them absolutely love it. 311 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:02.519 But the other one has got one of those personalities 312 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:04.359 that if you tell them there's something good, they'll hate 313 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:09.759 it or they won't watch it. So whenever her friends 314 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:12.400 suggest it instead of her dad, I'm sure she'll love it. 315 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:17.839 So yeah, Plus she has so much in common with Momo. 316 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:21.400 I just they love it. I mean they the two 317 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:23.759 watch it with me and we've had a really great conversation. 318 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:26.640 Of course, I'm sure they would like get better without 319 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:28.559 me because I keep going, oh, that's a real thing. 320 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:30.680 Oh and that's a real thing, and that comes from 321 00:19:30.680 --> 00:19:32.680 here and that comes from there. But I mean it 322 00:19:32.839 --> 00:19:36.200 is like I mean, it is just chalk. It's chunk 323 00:19:36.279 --> 00:19:39.359 a with real stuff to reference, you know, I say 324 00:19:39.400 --> 00:19:40.200 real you know what I mean. 325 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:43.559 Momo is Japanese for peach. 326 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:47.000 Really, Okay, that's cute, do you know? 327 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:49.759 Well, so do you know the Japanese folk tale of 328 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:55.240 Momotaro No? So the characters' names in the show are 329 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:58.839 all an illusion to the folk tale of Momotato, which 330 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:02.240 is basically a story about a boy who the super 331 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:03.960 short version, it's about a story about a boy who 332 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:06.759 teams up with a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant 333 00:20:06.759 --> 00:20:10.079 to kill a bunch of oni or demons. It's probably 334 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:12.359 one of the most famous folk tales in all of Japan, 335 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:15.200 so much so that it was I mean, this doesn't 336 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:17.839 sound great, but it's true. It was used for propaganda 337 00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:21.000 purposes during the Second World War. That's how like embedded 338 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:25.480 in the culture it is. But so in Danada, Dan 339 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:31.119 Momo right peach, and then ken Oko Run's real name. 340 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:32.319 Ken is dog. 341 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:35.759 And then later on they're joined by two other characters. 342 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:40.920 Oh yeah, Aira whose full name is Shira Tori, which 343 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:45.759 is pheasant, and Jigi, which is short for in Joji, 344 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:46.839 which is monkey. 345 00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:50.559 So they're all like, oh, that is really cool. Again, 346 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:52.599 this thing's got so many layers, it's amazing. 347 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:56.799 Yeah. So, and they're they're going off to fight monsters together. 348 00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:01.799 So yeah. 349 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:04.240 So yeah, as we've all been discussing, there's just such 350 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:11.640 a phenomenal mashup of tropes that really all our listeners 351 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:14.400 would be interested in. I'm still getting over the idea 352 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:17.960 of the Sumo Alien. That was a new one for me. 353 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:20.319 But I wonder if we could talk a little bit 354 00:21:20.359 --> 00:21:25.160 about these kind of mash ups and the different characters 355 00:21:25.160 --> 00:21:27.119 that are on the show. And I only watched a 356 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:29.559 couple of episodes, but could you maybe tell us a 357 00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:34.000 bit about the stories of cryptids as aliens. 358 00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:38.519 Yeah, absolutely, so you were you were alluding to the 359 00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:44.119 the Sumo Alien, which is within the context of the series. 360 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:46.000 It is supposed to be the Flatwoods. 361 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:48.119 Monster, right, which I know you guys, Yeah, I have 362 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:49.200 covered before. 363 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:56.680 So yeah, so the Flatwoods Monster is incredibly popular in Japan, really, 364 00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:58.599 like ridiculously popular. 365 00:21:58.680 --> 00:21:58.920 Yeah. 366 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:06.160 It's shown up in multiple video games, various Japanese manga, anime, 367 00:22:06.359 --> 00:22:11.319 superhero shows. You can buy vinyl figures of the Flatwoods Monster, 368 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:17.279 and most recently it was in Minoru Kawasaki's twenty twenty three. 369 00:22:17.079 --> 00:22:18.440 Film a UFO Intruder. 370 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:24.839 So, yeah, so the Flatwoods Monsters is very popular. It 371 00:22:24.920 --> 00:22:28.640 seems to have been introduced to Japanese culture when John 372 00:22:28.759 --> 00:22:32.599 Keel's book Strange Creatures from Time and Space was translated 373 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:40.000 into Japanese. It was translated by Hiroshi Mina Miyama, who 374 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:44.519 is a very famous and still living paranormal investigator in Japan. 375 00:22:44.680 --> 00:22:49.039 He translated it as the Mysterious Phenomena File. And to 376 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:50.759 kind of tie back to the last time I was 377 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:56.440 on the show, Mina Yama is also one of the 378 00:22:56.839 --> 00:23:00.839 two guys who came up with the acronym uma or 379 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:05.359 Unidentified Mystery Animals, which is what cryptids are called in Japan. 380 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:08.839 So oh yeah. And also Strange Creatures from Time and 381 00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:12.359 Space is the that is the same book that I 382 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:17.759 contend is where John Keel injected blessed silver bullets into 383 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:21.480 the Jevadan story and it's just from there's blown up everywhere. 384 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:23.079 So yeah, yeah. 385 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:26.279 Now, one of the things that's interesting is so in Japan, 386 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:29.880 the Flatwoods Monster is not always referred to as the 387 00:23:29.880 --> 00:23:35.680 Flatwoods Monster because flatwoods doesn't necessarily have any kind of 388 00:23:35.720 --> 00:23:40.240 resonance or meaning for Japanese audiences. So and even in 389 00:23:40.279 --> 00:23:42.279 the English dub for Dan to to Dan, this kind 390 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:48.200 of comes through because you'll notice that Okorun goes back 391 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:52.160 and forth between calling it the Flatwoods Monster and emphasizing 392 00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:54.759 the fact that it's three meters tall, right, And that's 393 00:23:54.759 --> 00:23:57.559 because in Japan, The Flatwoods Monster is most commonly referred 394 00:23:57.599 --> 00:24:02.559 to as the three meter tall Alien, which also, fun fact, 395 00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:07.319 was apparently the nickname of director Shinji Haguchi in high school, 396 00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:10.440 with Haguchi being the guy who worked on like shin 397 00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:15.799 Godzilla and the nineties Gamma trilogy and stuff. But there 398 00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:20.119 was actually a recent interview with the head translator for 399 00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:24.440 the Dona de Don manga for its English language release, 400 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:27.119 and he talked about how it's that kind of stuff 401 00:24:27.160 --> 00:24:31.640