Dandadan Volume 7 Review: Hot Water, Cold Water, and the Warmest Found Family in Manga

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️

I'm reading through the Dandadan manga volumes trying to catch up to the anime, and honestly? Every single volume just makes it harder to put down. Volume 7 ends on such an awesome cliffhanger that I had to physically stop myself from buying the next one at midnight. I just have to know what happens next.

The Hot Water / Cold Water Twist

This volume revolves around one wild discovery: hot water brings out Jiji, but a single drop of cold water lets the Evil Eye take over. That's it. That's the mechanic. And it's both terrifying and hilarious at the same time. The entire gang ends up under one roof, carrying thermos flasks around like their lives depend on it... because, well, they literally do. There's something so absurdly Dandadan about a group of teenagers armed with nothing but thermoses, trying to keep a possessed friend from going full demon mode. It's tense, it's funny, and it's exactly the kind of ridiculous premise that this series executes so well.

The Hayashi Performance Exorcism: Manga vs. Anime

Okay, I have to be honest here. The exorcism of Jiji through the Hayashi performance? In the anime, that scene was epic. The animation, the music, the pacing. It all came together to create something really special. In the manga though, it doesn't quite hit the same way. It's still a solid sequence, don't get me wrong, but this is one of those moments where the anime adaptation genuinely elevated the source material. Some scenes just need that motion and soundtrack to reach their full potential, and the Hayashi performance is one of them.

Seiko: The Heart of the Series

If there's one character who keeps growing on me with every volume, it's Seiko. This woman has already given sanctuary to Turbo Granny, taken in Hana and Taro, and basically turned her home into a halfway house for supernatural outcasts. And in this volume, she goes even further. When Jiji pleads with her not to kill the Evil Eye during the exorcism, Seiko actually cancels it. Think about that. She's willingly taking on more risk, more danger to her family, because someone asked her for compassion. That's not weakness. That's the kind of strength that makes you want to stand up and applaud. Seiko doesn't get enough credit for being the emotional backbone of this series.

The Turning Point: When Evil Eye Almost Kills Momo Ayase

Things get real in this volume. There's a particularly harrowing incident where the Evil Eye nearly kills Momo Ayase, and it's genuinely terrifying. Up until this point, the Evil Eye has been dangerous but somewhat contained. This moment shatters that illusion completely. It's a gut-punch reminder that the stakes in Dandadan are very real, and that mercy, as beautiful as Seiko's decision was, comes with a price. The tension in these pages is palpable, and Tatsu's art does an incredible job of selling the horror of the moment.

Okarun Decides to Level Up

After almost losing Momo, Okarun naturally does what you'd expect him to do. He decides to train and get stronger so he can take on the Evil Eye himself. This is the Okarun character development I live for. He's not content to sit on the sidelines anymore. He's not running away. He's choosing to step up, and that shift in his resolve is felt in every panel.

And here's where it gets even better. Turbo Granny, who has been growing increasingly attached to the Ayase family (something I absolutely love about her arc), decides to train Okarun to better use her powers. The former villain becoming the mentor? The chaotic grandma ghost teaching a cursed teenager how to fight? Chef's kiss. This dynamic has so much potential, and I cannot wait to see where it goes.

Volume 7 of Dandadan is everything I love about this series cranked up to eleven. The comedy is sharp, the horror is genuine, the emotional beats land hard, and the cliffhanger at the end is the kind that makes you want to scream. Yukinobu Tatsu continues to prove that Dandadan is one of the most exciting manga running right now. Funny, chaotic, heartfelt, and absolutely unputdownable.

If you're not reading Dandadan, what are you even doing? Go pick it up. Now. You won't regret it.