Kara Dennison
October 17, 2024 
This season’s anime adaptation of DAN DA DAN is winning over audiences with its one-two punch of paranormal influences. The latest project from Science SARU adapts the manga of the same name by Yukinobu Tatsu. And if you’re finding yourself wishing for more from week to week, you’re not alone. We can’t speed up the release schedule, but we can recommend a few titles we’re pretty sure you’ll love!
Whether you’re into the animation, the mysteries, or the spooky stuff, give these three series a try while you’re waiting for the latest adventures of Momo and Okarun!
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
If you enjoy the overall look and feel of DAN DA DAN but haven’t seen anything else from Science SARU, here’s a good place to start! Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! was praised by anime and mainstream reviewers alike. While on the surface it’s much more down-to-earth than its ghost- and alien-filled sibling, Eizouken is just as full of flights of fancy as anything else Science SARU makes.
The story follows high schooler Midori, who dreams of making her own anime but can’t get past her notebooks full of concepts. With the help of aspiring animator Tsubame and the money-minded Sayaka, Midori creates an animation club. Together, they start bringing her visions to life while learning what it takes to get an anime produced.
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is available on Crunchyroll.
Dark Gathering
If you can’t get enough of the ghostly side of DAN DA DAN, Dark Gathering has exactly what you need. Kenichi Kondo’s manga follows Yayoi, a ghost hunter who’s surprisingly adept for her age. Before long, her tutor Keitaro becomes embroiled in her paranormal antics. This is already a scary situation, but there’s more: he’s already been cursed!
Fans will notice a bit of overlap in the urban legends that inspire both series. Dark Gathering is heavier on the scares and lighter on the humor—so if hauntings are your favorite part of DAN DA DAN, be sure to give it a goooooo…st!
Dark Gathering is available on HIDIVE.
Boogiepop Phantom
As much as we love fresh anime like DAN DA DAN, we’re always in the mood for something retro. Madhouse’s 2000 anime Boogiepop Phantom has an impressive pedigree when it comes to paranormal anime. It serves as a follow-up to the landmark Boogiepop light novel series, which is credited with popularizing light novels as we know them today.
The series in its many forms follows a shinigami known as “Boogiepop” who emerges to fight the enemies of the world. Boogiepop’s host, a normal schoolgirl name Touka, has no idea that she’s secretly leading a double life. Throughout the series, Boogiepop crosses paths with aliens, clones, and other strange beings. In Boogiepop Phantom, the shinigami has a copycat: someone who fights the enemies of the world as well, but for very different reasons.
Boogiepop Phantom is available on RetroCrush.
