This will probably be buried under the heap of constant doomposts but I was binging up on chapter 130 until 232 earlier and felt the need to properly convey why I feel like many people (myself included to an extent) have felt so disconnected from the series recently due to the romance. This is also my first time making a proper post on the sub so if there's any errors in my writing or things i get wrong, I apologise in advance.
Up until chapter 169, the romance in Dandadan was always keep at a steady pace. There was clear feelings between the two protagonists, really endearing moments and both genuinely bounce off together as a duo really well. There was the occasional separation of Momo and Okarun that started in the Serpo arc, but Tatsu has gone on record to state it's a way to bring them back together stronger than ever. And it worked every time.
Once the confession hit, it seemed like the highest point in both the manga and for the readers.
In the plot's eyes: Okarun literally AND figuratively finds both of his balls, professing his love for Momo and taking that leap of faith that she's been egging him on and dreamt of him doing.
In the reader's eyes: It was a genuine surprise to see a confession this early on, especially compared to full blown shojos that *usually* take 90% of their story to build up the attraction before ending it off with the couple getting together or marriage as an epilogue. (Trust me, I've been through that pain enough as a shojo fan)
It probably felt almost like reassurance. A statement by Tatsu himself that Momo and Okarun COULD and would become an "official couple" midway through the story instead and break this common trope in both Shonen and Shojo manga. This is also why I believe the reaction to the current day DDD has been met so harshly online in the western side of the fandom. By causing such an event so early on, Tatsu unknowingly set up expectations for most readers that he simply wasn't ready for. Part of this IS to blame on the community, but I think this is also a huge blunder on Tatsu's part too.
I want to make it clear that I'm not expecting pure "Mokarun" fluff with nothing else happening in the background. Neither should you. World building takes time and progress. Side characters deserve their time in the spotlight and more development (mostly speaking for more Vamola lol). Count Saint Germain needs entire chapters devoted to him for setting up the villain's goals and what's to come. If the confession never took place in Danmara and we still followed the same structure up until the amusement park, I feel like the reception would be greatly more accepted and it wouldn't feel so unearned for many.
I know that some will claim that the confession *needed* to happen to push Okarun to keep trying to win Momo's love again even with amnesia, but I'd argue things would still play out similarly as his feelings were just as strong then as they are now. In terms of Momo, it would practically change nothing as chapter 169 didn't hinder her choice in letting Seiko be driven in the hospital (which is completely valid), nor did we see her reflect much about it other than in the car ride to the temple in Shimane. The story didn't make them confront the reality of Aira and Jiji's feelings up until now, nor did it want to sort these problems through them getting together which begs the question: "what was even the point?"
By all means, I want to make it clear that I still do love Dandadan and appreciate it as one of my favourite current mangas. There's still some genuine nitpicks I have even outside of the romance, like TG's return feeling like it lacked "impact" or the inclusion of Vlad taking away from the mystery aspect of DDD, but those are small things in a sea of so many great things to come out of these recent chapters. I've seen how both sides have engaged with the story as of late, and I can understand both completely. While I don't think the manga has "fallen off" or Tatsu has an "NTR fetish" like doomposters have been claiming constantly, I think all of this pent up criticism all stems from a confession that was made, walked around and awkwardly silenced in chapter 210. I won't claim to know better than the author with writing, but even as genuine fan of his work, failing with a proper resolution is something worth pointing out.
If you weren't ready for your main characters to make up and face their insecurities as "legitimate" partners, don't shoehorn it in and pull the rug out at the last second.
I also want to want to add a point on "the romance isn't that important" debate. Personally, I find it very ignorant to make such a claim when a large majority of people's introduction and enjoyment in Dandadan is the chemistry of both Momo and Okarun. Likewise, it's also naive and unreasonable to get frustrated when they're not the center of attention constantly. The romance is important, but the fight scenes, family dynamics and SCI-FI elements are just as crucial in why people enjoy this series so much. One dosen't take place over the other.