Dan Da Dan and the Visual Language of Underwear.
I never thought I'd be going full AP Lit on panty shots but here we are. I've seen some misunderstanding of Aira's panty shot in the most recent chapter and I thought I'd try and clear that up, based on the visual cues that precede it. *extra details in the ALT descriptions!
In the very first chapter, we get a very clear depiction of assault. The intentions are crystal clear and completely spelled out for us. The Serpo aliens are emotionless and have absolutely no guilt over what they're about to do to Momo. They violently strip her of her clothing. The sight of her in her undergarments is striking and uncomfortable- until she gains her psychic powers and turns vulnerability into empowerment.
This language of underwear representing vulnerability persists all throughout the manga. When Turbo Granny (using a possessed Okarun) inspects Momo's groin for a dong to munch, when the girls strip during the nessie encounter, the children being prepared to be sacrificed to the giant worm, Evil Eye ripping Jiji's clothes off during the transformation, even Rin's costume when first using Mai's power. I'm sure I'm forgetting an underwear citing, but these are the ones that stand out.
All of these involve vulnerability and a violation of autonomy. With this established, let's now look at the fights.
During fights, when able, the girls are afforded the logic of fiction. Despite their ridiculously short skirts, underwear is typically covered by something like, say, a well placed foot or other limb, in Aira's case, or simply the skirt magically staying in place for the other girls. In short, the typical cheap "panty shot" isn't used. There is a moment during Aira's fight with Mr. Mantis and the Serpos that she goes tumbling backwards and lands with her butt upward, resulting in fiction logic failing her. That, to my memory, is the closest to a typical panty shot that we've gotten. However, one could argue that at that point the Serpos had decided to rope her into their evolution scheme and this was assault rather than a regular fight. To argue whether or not this moment is a cheap shot is a moot point, anyway, considering Okarun is completely naked at that time.
With this established, to write off this shot as cheap and unnecessary is likely incorrect.
For one thing, Aira says it over and over again. The sexy cowboy is a capital "P" Pervert. It seems almost all of Count Saint Germains underlings are. Others have pointed this out as well, but I find it especially interesting that these are the first humans the gang as gone up against and they are deliberately gross towards women. Previous enemies had a layer of seperation through their lack of humanity. They also, except for the Kito men, all had reasons (This doesn't make it better, but it does add depth). These guys are doing it purely for the love of the game.
Cowboy opens the conversation by asking to whip Aira and not taking no for an answer. When Aira rejects all of his advances, he aims for her clothing and thighs.
As mentioned before, the girls usually rely on fiction logic to preserve their modesty. But here, Aira is deliberately holding down her skirt. She understands what this guy wants and is determined not to give him that satisfaction.
Now, remember how Cowboy is aiming for her clothing. Let's think for a second what article of clothing he could possibly be reaching for during this shot. There’s at least arrows pointing to her underwear. He's trying to tear it off. The composition is centered around her butt. This is not a cheap shot meant for fanservice. This is assault. Sexual assault.
It's almost funny, because this is the most subtle it's ever been and there are ARROWS.
So far, it seems a good rule for interacting with Dandadan is: If you see underwear, it's assault.
theartofmadeline
areudirty
blakekathryn
