Every week, manga readers crane their necks at anime watchers to live vicariously through their first foray into experiencing Dan Da Dan . Thus far, every episode has done a phenomenal job adapting the sheer scope, scares, and magnetism of Dan Da Dan ‘s action and romance . However, the anime’s latest and most anticipated episode nails one of the core tenets of why the series has such a strong fanbase: its phenomenal backstory writing.
Whenever a flashback sequence greets a shonen anime fan, they reflexively roll their eyes in annoyance. This knee-jerk reaction is mainly due to how the expository narrative device can grind a show’s action to a halt. While contemporary shonen series like Demon Slayer also utilize flashbacks to endear their villains to audiences, repetitious flashbacks tend to be used solely to draw parallels to their heroes.
A stylish action sequence follows where said heroes unalive the bad guy, and then never think about the life they took as they propel toward the next monster of the week. While the above isn’t the most charitable read of shonen shows like Demon Slayer , it’s become the expected norm for anime fans walking into a flashback to expect: it’ll offer a tragic backstory wherein its hero will shed tears as they tie a villain’s strife to their own and hopefully carry their life lessons into their next battle. Just as how anime protagonists rarely look back on past villains as something stirring their ethos, flashbacks in shonen anime .
