If a dead person gets to say their last words, does the regret go away? Not necessarily. Even while alive, a single word of apology is hard to say, and the more precious the person, the more you hesitate.
Dandelion is a story about angels who untie exactly that hesitation.
In the Send-Off Department of the Japanese Angel Federation, there are angels who find spirits that can't cross over because regret holds them to this world, and help them move on.
Among them, Tetsuo Tanba and team leader Misaki Kurogane of the 21st Division, the Dandelion Clan, are a bit different from the other teams.
While other teams are busy filling their quotas, these two spend time on a single spirit's story. They meet an old man who runs away, saying he can't move on until he apologizes to his wife.
They also face the spirit of a woman who wants to give a last message to her comedian husband.
Each story is different, but they're alike in one way: regret is tied to 'words never said out loud.'
✦ What the Dandelion Clan Does
Angels who help spirits with lingering regret move on
This job isn't a simple errand. It looks like the angels' work is to find spirits and take them away, but the Dandelion Clan first tries to find out 'why they can't leave.'
The quota sheet records the number of spirits that moved on, but why each spirit hesitates can't be bundled into one number.
Someone who needs to apologize and someone who wants to say a last word may look alike at a glance, but the problem each holds in their heart is different.
✦ The Spirits the Dandelion Clan Meets
Each case brings a different attitude and a different regret
They sometimes take on spirits who throw fists before words. Each case has a different attitude and regret on the other side, so it's hard to solve with just one method.
They have a quota to fill, but getting one spirit ready to leave isn't as easy as it sounds.
Tetsuo and Misaki approach the same case differently, and Masaki Kyoga, who joins later, gives off a different mood from both.
Tetsuo Tanba: ISTP 9w8
✦ Three Characters at a Glance
Type readings based on behavior
Tetsuo always looks tired, and his way of talking isn't gentle. On the surface he looks like a lazy angel, but in fact he focuses on listening to the spirits and solving their problems.
The old man he meets early on refuses to move on because 'he couldn't apologize,' and he runs away the moment anyone tries to hold him.
Tetsuo doesn't preach blindly or drag him away by force. He tries to work out why the old man hesitates so much. Watching a person's behavior and finding a solution that fits the real problem suits an ISTP.
✦ Tetsuo's Way: Find the Cause, Skip the Sermon
Careless talk, but he holds his ground with responsibility
Tetsuo doesn't just write the old man off as a bad person. He looks first at why someone who knows he should apologize runs away. His attitude is that finding the real cause of an incident gets you closer to a solution than judging the person.
The Enneagram 9w8 side shows in how he keeps his own pace. Even when other teams rush to catch up on their move-on quotas, Tetsuo doesn't get impatient easily. That doesn't mean he brushes everything off as a hassle, either.
Once he learns a spirit's regret, he checks the story through to the end. Despite the careless way he talks, there's responsibility in what he actually does.
He'd rather face the problem the person is avoiding, together with them, than dress up comfort in fine words.
What he shows isn't a grand sermon or a right answer. It's the persistence to notice the problem the other person is avoiding and stay put until it's solved.
What leaves an impression is that, though he looks loose on the outside, he doesn't back down easily in front of the spirits' regrets.
Misaki Kurogane: ESFP 8w7
Misaki is the Dandelion Clan's team leader and Tetsuo's partner. She looks young but is strong, and she's open about her feelings.
If Tetsuo is the type who looks over the situation before moving, Misaki steps up first when needed and reacts clearly in frustrating situations.
So the two bicker a lot, but it isn't simply a clash of personalities. Misaki knows Tetsuo wants to move for someone's sake, and she tries to put the brakes on when he charges in too far. This Misaki reads as an ESFP 8w7.
Jumping straight into the situation in front of her and not hiding her feelings show the ESFP's liveliness. Not just watching when things drag on shows the 8w7's backbone.
✦ Misaki's Strength Isn't Domination
Drive to act, and trust in the other person
Misaki's strength isn't about dominating others. She can be scatterbrained and make mistakes, but she doesn't brush off a spirit's fragile heart.
Having both 'drive to act' and 'trust in the other person' is what sets Misaki apart from a plain muscle character.
Masaki: ISTJ 1w2
Masaki, who joins the Dandelion Clan in episode 3, looks stiff and without gaps from the first impression. If the easygoing Tetsuo and Misaki adjust their work speed to a spirit's story, Masaki is tense about work from the attitude on.
Put the three on one team and they'll obviously disagree on the same job.
✦ The Dandelion Clan and Masaki: Different Ways of Working
A flexible team and a new member built around standards
Masaki reads as an ISTJ 1w2. He values set roles and standards, and he has a strong sense of responsibility to do his job properly.
Where Tetsuo and Misaki change pace to fit a spirit's story, Masaki shows an attitude of handling work accurately and completely.
Masaki's way has its strengths too, because standards are what keep an organization moving. But when he meets the Dandelion Clan, which freely adjusts the order of work to each story, they'll inevitably split over what to put first.
In the end, Dandelion's charm isn't in angels solving a spirit's move-on in one go with a special power. Some spirits need an apology, and others need a last word.
Tetsuo looks at the reasons behind actions, Misaki steps up when needed, and Masaki joins the team with a different standard.
The bitterness that stays with the laughter, and the different attitudes toward one person's regret, make you curious about the next story.
It deals with the dead, but what stays with you is how hard it is to say sorry and goodbye, which we often put off even while alive. That's why the spirits here feel less like strangers and more like one of us who's carried a word we never finished saying.
That's all for this post. See you next time.
Related posts
- Tokyo Revengers and the Psychology of "If Only" Regret
- Sparks of Tomorrow Personality Types: Doubt vs. Trust
- Returner's Magic S2 MBTI: How Far Should You Trust Allies?
🌐 Korean version: 죽은 사람의 미련을 풀어 주는 일이 생각보다 어려운 이유 — 《댄덜라이언》 성격유형 분석
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