Dantaru stretchies! I've been thinking about a scene like this for a long time. Like, since the circus event I couldn't stop thinking about Dante helping Karu stretch.
Despite thinking about it a lot, I never really managed to properly picture what it would actually look like until...
Thank you, Medalist anime! I even wanted to include Eiden cheering them on, but the outfits were such a hassle I ended up scrapping him. Now there's just the Eiden stamp of approval in his place...
Alright so first off: I originally wrote 6 paragraphs and then deleted them and oh boy now I gotta start over!
Have this rushed artwork as an apology for the delay.
Short answer: Dantaru! Both Dante and GaruKaru are incredibly underrated to begin with, so I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed.
Longer answer: A lot of people don't seem to realize just how close the two of them actually are. I guess it's a given, since they're both very overlooked in the fandom, but I still see too regularly see people assume they don't care too much for each other. Not so long ago, I saw someone describe Dante as "tolerating" Garu. This is not true!
The two of them have had a lot of events together, and you can see them growing closer over time. The most recent event they shared, Circus of Eccentricities, gives us a good look at how close the two of them are even before they meet up. In fact, the very first scene should tell you a lot.
The first scene of the circus event establishes the following: Garu/Karu have written and illustrated multiple books about themselves and Dante. These are full stories about them going on adventures together and Aster sends these to a professional bookbinder for them.
They are excited to travel all the way to Solaria to show off the newest book and read it together with Dante. This is NOT the first book and they've done this before. It's clear that Dante likes when Garu and Karu come over to show off their books. All of this is just the first scene, before they even meet up!
Later they end up taking a break at the circus only to find Dante there and it's clear from how they interact that they are friends. Yes, Dante is doing his usual tsundere spiel, but whenever he realizes Garu takes it seriously, he immediately backpaddles (cute!). Dante also seems to have a lot of trust in GaruKaru and their abilities. There is no doubt that they look up to each other.
Aside from all that, there's also the thing with them having a lot of overlapping interests and a fun combination of personalities. Have you thought about what might happen in Dante and Karu try to out-tsun each other? No? Well think about it.
There are many joys in life and Dantaru is one of them.
Chapter 3 of the bottom Garu anthology: Dantaru! 🔥🐺
Spank That Dog
Through a clever ploy, Garu gets Dante to rub lotion on his sunburns and then do a little more. But when the young yokai's trickery comes to light, he gets even more than he bargained for.
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