Dandadan: The Evil Eye, Explained

Yukinobu Tatsu Dandadan has a unique blend of both sci-fi and supernatural elements that feeds into humans' long-documented obsession with “that which is not of our world”, and thus borrows many of its concepts from urban legends, folklore, and a vast array of unexplained phenomena. and events that have been speculated about for a very long time.

One such concept is the Evil Eye, a concept taken in a number of geographic regions including the Mediterranean, the Levant, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, all of which have some idea of ​​a curse placed on a target through a malevolent glow. What is the Evil Eye? Dandadanand how does the concept in the series differ from its concept in real life?

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What exactly is the Evil Eye?

Curse of Malice

The evil eye is a curse that people have believed in since prehistoric times and refers to a malevolent look (you know, like you stare “daggers” at someone?) cast upon someone. Envy is usually the inspiration behind such a curse, so it's a fairly common idea to delay telling people good news until sometime in the past to prevent envious individuals from casting the evil eye and thus doing what cool kids do. could be described as “blocking your blessings”. Talismans or artifacts created to protect against this curse are believed to date back as far as 5,000 years ago and the most famous include the nazar, a bead or amulet modeled after an eye that looks like this🧿; and also hamsa/tohamsaalso known as the Hand of Fatima, a palm-shaped amulet depicting the five fingers of a hand, commonly used as a wall decoration and known as a protective charm against the Evil Eye.

The association of looking or eyes with misfortune has been represented in very different ways in different cultures; for example, the story of the Gorgon Medusa tells of a cruel monster that takes the form of a woman with snakes in her hair, with whom eye contact leads to petrification. The eyes have also historically been considered the “windows to the soul,” perhaps in part because of their function as the main way humans take in information from the world, as well as their role in the myriad facial expressions that human beings have. in their repertoire that convey essential information about how a person feels or what they think.

In Dandadan

A child's malevolent spirit

Jashi, known in English as Evil Eye, is a yokai that is bound to Tsuchinoko sacrificial house. Jin Enjoji, better known as Jiji, Momo's childhood friend, unknowingly lived in a house that was attached to a giant worm monster to which a certain family had been secretly sacrificing people for over two centuries to keep a nearby volcano quiet. The evil eye is a spirit attached to the house in which Jiji lived with his parents, which became a sacrificial altar. Originally, the Evil Eye was a young boy who spent his entire life in solitude and captivity, only to end up sacrificed to a volcano. From then on, the boy's spirit remained bound to the place of his death for several years, until at some point a house was built over it and a new family moved in. Their little boy saw the ghost, but his parents did not. The family's stay ended when the parents took their own lives as a result of the psychological effects Tsuchinoko an earthworm that would drive the occupants of the house to commit suicide.

When it was decided that the child would also be sacrificed, the Evil Eye became enraged, taking over the boy's body and vowing to kill everyone responsible for the human sacrifices that were taking place. IN DandadanThe Evil Eye is an evil spirit that causes anyone who makes eye contact with it to kill themselves, making it a similar type of entity to Tsuchinoko. While protecting Jiji from the psychic waves TsuchinokoThe evil eye eventually wanted to control Jiji, who has tremendous spiritual energy and athleticism, and use his body to destroy humanity. Momo and Okarun soon discover that Jiji can regain control of his body if hot water is poured on him, with the Evil Eye taking over whenever a non-hot liquid comes into contact with him (it's like Ranma 1/2). When Jiji saw her memories, he empathized with her and her deep desire to play with other children, but probably because of her long quest for revenge, her idea of ​​play and violence became intertwined. Okarun promises to indulge his bloodlust once a week if he promises to only fight him and allow Jiji to control his own body.

Based on Yukinobu Tatsu's popular manga that debuted in 2021 on Shonen Jump+, Dandadan combines action, comedy, romance, and supernatural thrills to create a unique and satisfying adventure. Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura believe in the supernatural, although the former believes in ghosts and the latter believes in aliens. Determined to confirm the existence of their party, they set out to find their proof.