To a Kinder World

"To a Kinder World"
Dandadan episode
A screenshot of the episode, featuring the human Acrobatic Silky performing ballet before her death
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 7
Directed by	Kōtarō Matsunaga
Written by	Hiroshi Seko
Original air date	November 15, 2024 (2024-11-15)
Running time	23 minutes

"To a Kinder World" (Japanese: 優しい世界へ, Hepburn: Yasashii Sekai e) is the seventh overall episode of the anime television series Dandadan, an adaptation of the manga series of the same name by Yukinobu Tatsu. Episode six depicts a fight between the yōkai Acrobatic Silky and characters Momo Ayase, Ken "Okarun" Takakura, and Aira Shiratori, the latter Silky believes is her daughter. The fight is concluded in "To a Kinder World," which centers around the history of Silky before she became a spirit, as well as explaining her attachment to Aira.

The episode was produced by Science Saru, with Kōtarō Matsunaga serving as episode director and Shūto Enomoto as storyboard and animation director. Changes were made from the manga version of the story, including how Silky is portrayed when Aira first meets her as a child. Greater focus was put on Silky's memories than in the manga, with staff remarking about the difficulty of creating these scenes. The episode premiered on MBS and TBS on November 15, 2024, and was released shortly thereafter on streaming platforms such as Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix internationally.

The episode has been met with critical acclaim, with critics considering it the best episode of Dandadan and one of the best of the year. It was praised for its animation and use of colors, and the scene depicting the memories of Acrobatic Silky, particularly the tragedy of her and her daughter, was considered the highlight of the episode.

Plot

See also: Dandadan § Plot

The preceding episode, "A Dangerous Woman Arrives," has the character Aira Shiratori believe herself to be chosen due to finding a golden ball, which Ken "Okarun" Takakura, Momo Ayase, and a yōkai named Turbo Granny are searching for. This ball allows her to commune with spirits; while confronting Momo in a warehouse, another yōkai named Acrobatic Silky arrives, believing herself to be Aira's mother. She eventually devours Okarun, Momo, and Aira after being angered by them, only for her to regurgitate them after the hair she swallowed was set on fire from within. "To a Kinder World" opens from the POV of a woman running in the street, sounding distressed, cutting back to Silky's POV. She accuses Momo and Okarun of taking Aira from her, using her hair to chase them through the warehouse.

Silky attempts to eat Aira to become one with her, but finds her hair is now tangled in the environment. Momo attempts to restrain Silky, but she tears her hair out and attacks, leading to Okarun incapacitating her. They discover that Aira died from being eaten; while Momo and Okarun attempt resuscitation, Silky offers to sacrifice her aura to revive her. Momo uses her powers to connect Silky with Aira, allowing her and Aira to see Silky's memories. This reveals that Silky was originally an indebted single mother who did sex work and other jobs to keep herself and her daughter afloat. Unable to pay off her debt, she was attacked by loan sharks, who severely injured her and abducted her daughter. After failing to save her, she performed a ballet on a rooftop before jumping to her death. Now a wandering spirit, she forgot about her daughter. A young Aira sensed and mistook her for her mother, who recently died, causing the spirit to believe that she is Aira's mother and transform into a yōkai to protect her.

Aira comes back to life once Silky's aura is transferred, and Momo learns from Turbo Granny that since Silky lost her aura and will leave behind regrets, she cannot rest in peace and will disappear, forgotten by the living and the dead. As a disintegrating Silky expresses regret for hurting Aira and not being a good enough mother, Aira embraces her. She expresses her love for Silky, asking that she and her daughter be sent to a kinder world and promising to never forget her.

Voice cast

Momo Ayase (綾瀬 桃, Ayase Momo)

Voiced by: Shion Wakayama (Japanese); Abby Trott (English)

Ken Takakura (高倉 健, Takakura Ken) / Okarun (オカルン)

Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae (Japanese); A.J. Beckles (English)

Turbo Granny (ターボババア, Tābo Babā)

Voiced by: Mayumi Tanaka (Japanese); Barbara Goodson (English)

Aira Shiratori (白鳥 愛羅, Shiratori Aira)

Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Lisa Reimold (English)

Acrobatic Silky (アクロバティックさらさら, Akurobatikku Sarasara)

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese); Amber Lee Connors (English)

Acrobatic Silky's daughter

Voiced by: Hina Kino (Japanese); Brittany Lauda (English)

Production and broadcast

Japanese voice actress Kikuko Inoue spoke of an experience where she feared for her own daughter's life, which inspired her performance as Acrobatic Silky, particularly her breathing.

"To a Kinder World," similar to all episodes of Dandadan, was produced by animation studio Science Saru and is an adaptation of the manga of the same name by Yukinobu Tatsu. The episode was directed by Kōtarō Matsunaga and written by Hiroshi Seko, and the music was composed by Kensuke Ushio. The storyboard and animation was directed by Shūto Enomoto, his debut as a storyboard director. His animation work was primarily centered on Acrobatic Silky and Aira, with Matsunaga working in tandem with Enomoto. When compared to the manga, the episode put more focus on Silky's memories, with Fūga Yamashiro making her the main focus of the episode. Enomoto stated that he created the storyboards with Yamashiro's ideas in mind, but had difficulty executing them. Matsunaga agreed, specifically citing the scene where Silky comes down the stairs as particularly difficult. Enomoto created a 3D layout of the storyboard of the scene of her chasing after her abducted daughter.

When designing the fight between Silky, Okarun, and Momo, Enomoto wanted to illustrate Silky as "imprisoned by her own hair," spending the entirety of the production storyboarding and figuring out which animators should work on which task. Artist Kana Itō was responsible for illustrating the final scene between Silky and Aira. Enomoto, having picked her to animate it while creating the storyboard, stated that the first illustration was perfect. Other scenes, including her hair attacks at the beginning of the episode, her hair-pulling scene, and cardiac scene, were illustrated by Jura, Genta Ishimori and Kana Okutani, respectively. The first five minutes of the episode are an adaptation of chapter 15 of the manga, where Silky's backstory is depicted in 11 pages, compared to 10 minutes of the anime, which has additional and elongated scenes. The scene of Silky meeting Aira as a child was changed to have Silky look more similar to her human form instead of her yōkai form as in the manga.

Kikuko Inoue, Acrobatic Silky's Japanese voice actress, stated in an interview that she channeled an incident that occurred 20 years prior when she left her six-year-old daughter unattended in a pool briefly, running at full speed back after realizing how unsafe she was. She described her breathing on the way back as half-crying, and noted how terrified she was that her daughter may drown. Inoue noted that she related to the confusion and fear that Silky experienced chasing after her daughter's kidnappers, putting her own experiences into Silky's breathing during this scene.

"To a Kinder World" was first broadcast on MBS, TBS and other JNN stations as part of the Super Animeism Turbo broadcast block on November 15, 2024. It was also available on the ABEMA Anime Channel. It was also released on streaming services Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll. It is available in Japanese, English, German, French, Spanish (Latin America and Spain), Portuguese, Italian, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Thai and Indonesian.

Reception

The anime's adaptation of the original chapter was highly anticipated by fans according to Anime News Network. Upon release, "To a Kinder World" received critical acclaim, considered the best episode of the first season by multiple critics, It was also considered as one of the best episodes of the year by Anime Corner writer Jay Gibbs, who considered it one of the most impressive episodes of an anime he had seen. Dengeki Online writer Kawachi felt that, despite how moving he found the original manga version, the episode exceeded his expectations. He noted that he felt sad, questioning how impactful it would be for parents. James Beckett, writing for Anime News Network, re-read the manga chapter to get ready for the adaptation, but was taken off guard by how emotional it was. He praised Matsunaga and Enomoto for making one of the "finest pieces of animated artistry" he has seen in a long time, calling it a "perfect episode of television." He also praised the scene of Aira hugging Silky, feeling that it made her a hero on par with the protagonists by showing the power of compassion.

Anime Corner writer Jay Gibbs commended the implementation of the POV scene with Silky, arguing that the desperation behind the scene humanized her and made the fight with Silky feel less like it was with a "spirit meddling with human affairs." He felt that the director's goal of reminding people that yōkai used to be humans was done well here. He also appreciated a specific change from the manga, where Silky is portrayed as looking more human until she meets Aira. He believed that this depicted her becoming a yōkai from a "warped desire to protect Aira," in a transitionary period between her death and transformation. Screen Rant writer Zach Zamora believed that the episode introduced one of Dandadan's strongest elements, namely its emotional backstories. He felt that her sacrifice for Aira made for what he considered the "most poignant and visually stunning sequences that anime has had to offer in recent years." Real Sound writer Hotaka Sugimoto praised the episode's pacing and ability to display both gags and tragedy. He felt that it was particularly outstanding for the series, commenting on how detailed Silky's memory was, believing the creators wanted it to feel as though something that could happen in real life. Sugimoto compared it to the film The Colors Within, also by Science Saru, stating that Enomoto emphasized how beautiful Silky was before becoming an evil spirit and how she did not lose her beauty even after.

Audio and visuals

The visuals of the episode received acclaim as well. Screen Rant writer Zach Zamora found the series' biggest draw to be its visuals, stating that the flashback had a "quiet, intimate direction" added to the tragedy that was "impressively told" in the manga. Anime News Network writer James Beckett found the first half of the episode "funny, thrilling, and spectacularly animated", commending to how its neon pink lighting "perfectly highlights" the setting. He also highlighted the visuals of Silky's memories, stating that it uses "careful, naturalistic drawings" with the "painstaking cinematography and haunting music to give us a movie-in-miniature that is impossible to look away from." Dengeki Online writer Kawachi praised the art, commenting that the action looked interesting and that the combat in the anime version looked more impressive than the manga version to him due to the use of long-distance shots to emphasize Silky's hair. He also appreciated that the animators came up with new scenes for Silky that did not change the development or direction of the manga plot. Anime Corner writer Jay Gibbs felt that the choreography and animation were high quality, complimenting the action, particularly the way Silky uses her hair in combat. He also felt the flashback was beautifully handled, enhanced from the manga depiction. He appreciated the way that light and sound were used to contrast her low points from her high points, CGMagazine writer Ridge Harripersad also gave praise to the flashback depiction and Science Saru's skill, particularly the use of lighter borders during happy memories in the flashback.

Real Sound writer Hotaka Sugimoto stated that there was skepticism as to whether the anime could do justice to the artistry of the manga, adding that only a top-level animation studio could handle it. He commended Science Saru for making visuals as dense as the original, noting that the episode garnered acclaim worldwide. He believed that episode 7 demonstrated their skills more than earlier episodes, commending the work in the depiction of Silky's death. He compared the scene's art to The Colors Within, stating that its use of colors emphasized the beauty of her soul. He noted that Aira and Silky both incorporate pink, believing that the color of their auras connected them. Sugimoto felt that the manga could not depict what the anime does. Game Rant writer Matthew Magnus Lundeen considered the episode a masterpiece, noting how it switches styles between "distinctly dazzling opening with bold visuals and character art" into "livelier character expressions and subtle, realistic gestures." He remarked about how it feels as though the episode should not have worked well in a series he considered strange, feeling that it was nevertheless earnest and "impeccably raw." He found the use of a first-person perspective and shaky camera to evoke found footage cinematography, making the vocals and location turn it into a "subtle but striking opening." Lundeen also commented that this was an atypical episode, stating that the animation and facial expressions showed an intent by the animators to create an interesting and creative episode. He felt that the episode would not have been as effective without quality presentation, music, and sound design.

The sound design for the episode received acclaim from critics. Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima praised the episode for Kikuko Inoue's performance as Acrobatic Silky, adding that her work surpassed her performance as The Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Anime Corner writer Jay Gibbs called Inoue a "fantastic" voice actor, citing her performance in the beginning of the episode. He felt that being able to convey "such a strong feeling of desperation" without dialogue was proof of extraordinary acting ability. He also highlighted the music during the flashback scene, stating that the piano conveyed an "intriguing mixture of melancholy and joy" that conveyed "remembering something precious but fleeting." Dengeki writer Kawachi also complimented Inoue's performance, stating that she portrays Silky as both a scary monster and a loving mother. He commented on the use of music used in Silky's final moments, saying that it combined with Silky's movements to create a scene that was beautiful and tragic.