The Housemaid
Freida McFadden
Shares the Fiction genre and themes
Dandadan, Vol. 17
Volume 17 strands Momo inside a cursed game-board diorama with the thief of Okarun's missing ball, mixing absurd battles and teamwork in the series' kinetic, inventive style.
What It's About
Dandadan is Yukinobu Tatsu's genre-blending manga about two high schoolers: Momo Ayase, who believes in ghosts but not aliens, and Okarun, an occult nerd who believes in aliens but not ghosts. Both turn out to be right, and that mix of supernatural horror, sci-fi weirdness, crude comedy and a slow-burning crush has carried the series a long way. By volume 17 the cast is large, the rules are many, and the running quest to recover Okarun's stolen family jewel is still pushing the plot.
This volume splits into two threads. Momo falls into a cursed diorama built like an oversized board game and has to work with Zuma, the same person who took Okarun's jewel and then lost it in hostile territory. Their uneasy partnership involves fights against frog creatures and a giant cook, set pieces that suit Tatsu's love of grotesque, oddly specific monsters. Outside, Okarun argues and clashes with Zuma's companions over how to rescue the two of them, so the tension comes as much from mistrust between allies as from the enemies.
Reading it feels like the rest of the series: fast, loud and dense with detailed art. Action pages are crowded and energetic, and the jokes often land in the middle of real danger. It is very much a mid-series installment, so it rewards readers who already know the characters and offers little footing to newcomers.
Read this if you…
- are caught up on Dandadan and want to see how the Zuma storyline develops
- enjoy chaotic, densely drawn action with strange monster designs
- like horror-comedy that refuses to take itself too seriously
Skip it if you…
- haven't read the earlier volumes, since this one assumes you know the cast and backstory
- dislike crude sexual humor or find the 'family jewel' running gag tiresome
Key Ideas
- 1
Unlikely alliances under pressure
Pairing Momo with Zuma, someone with every reason to be distrusted, gives the volume its emotional engine. The fun lies in watching two people with opposed interests figure out how to cooperate while things keep trying to kill them. It is a familiar shonen setup, but Dandadan keeps it lively by letting the friction stay funny and a little uncomfortable rather than resolving it neatly.
- 2
A game board as a battlefield
The cursed diorama gives the arc a playful structure, turning territory and movement into part of the challenge. Tatsu uses the setting to stage escalating encounters with bizarre opponents, and the board-game framing adds a sense of rules and stakes. It shows the series' habit of building each arc around a strong, visual gimmick rather than generic arenas.
- 3
Rescue as a source of conflict
While Momo fights inside, Okarun's storyline is about disagreement over what to do. His clash with Zuma's friends highlights how loyalty and worry can make allies turn on each other. This parallel thread keeps Okarun active even when separated from Momo and reminds readers how much the two lean on each other.
- 4
Absurd humor mixed with real danger
Dandadan's signature tone remains intact: the stakes involve a stolen testicle, frog monsters and a giant chef, yet the fights are drawn with genuine menace. That whiplash between crude comedy and intense action is either the series' greatest charm or its main obstacle, depending on the reader, and this volume leans fully into it.
Limitations
As a deep mid-series volume, this offers almost no onboarding, and the expanding cast can make it hard to track who stands where. Some longtime readers feel the hunt for Okarun's jewel has stretched on, and arcs built around self-contained gimmicks can feel like detours from the core relationship. The crude humor and fan-service elements that run through the series are still present and won't suit everyone. The art is a highlight, but busy action pages can occasionally be hard to follow.
Questions Readers Ask
- Can I start Dandadan with volume 17?
- Not really. The volume picks up mid-arc and relies on relationships, powers and the stolen-jewel plot established over many earlier volumes. Start with volume 1, or watch the anime adaptation to get oriented, then catch up on the manga before reaching this point.
- Is this volume covered by the Dandadan anime?
- The anime adapts earlier parts of the manga, so this volume is well beyond the first season's material. If you've only watched the show, expect to need several intervening volumes before this storyline makes full sense.
- Is Dandadan appropriate for younger readers?
- It's aimed at older teens and adults. Expect monster violence, gore in places, sexual jokes centered on the series' premise and some suggestive imagery. Readers comfortable with titles like Chainsaw Man or Jujutsu Kaisen will find it in a similar range, though often sillier.
- Published
- 2026
- ISBN
- 9781974761982
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Category
- Fiction
Book details and cover from Google Books.
Ready to read Dandadan, Vol. 17?
Get your copy on Amazon, or listen to it on Audible. We earn a commission if you buy through these links.
You Might Also Like
Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 1
Gege Akutami
Shares the Comics & Graphic Novels genre and themes
The Rancher's Famed Triplets
Melissa Senate
Shares the Fiction genre and themes
Judge Stone
James Patterson, Viola Davis
Shares the Fiction genre and themes