Junpei Murao's love affair with ballet began at a young age during his sister's ballet recital, when a male ballet dancer roused his interest with a gripping performance. But for Junpei, nothing could be worse than his peers finding out about his secret passion for ballet and perceiving him as effeminate. That is why he is in the soccer club, trains Jeet Kune Do, and is intent on following in his father's footsteps of becoming a stunt coordinator: all very "manly" activities.
When Junpei's classmate Miyako Godai spots him demonstrating an impressive kick that combines skills from ballet and Jeet Kune Do to his friends, she suddenly recruits him to join her mother's ballet studio. He resists at first, and although he has abandoned his dreams of formally pursuing ballet, nothing quite captures the euphoria that ballet elicits. After suppressing his desire to pursue ballet for so long, it is not so easy to shake off his hesitation and break free of the shackles of masculinity. Junpei has to be willing to make certain sacrifices and fully commit to ballet, all while risking losing some friends.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Itagato
This is my first time writing a review so I'm going to try and keep this short and sweet. (edit: I guess its not my first lol, forgot i posted one before) But this anime was definitely not one I expected to like as much as I did. I usually give all genres of anime a chance and decide if I want to continue after a couple episodes. This one was worth the shot. The story telling was done so well. Everything from the animation, to the music, to the pacing. From start to finish I found it to be thrilling and fulfilling all at the sametime. Normally when watching anime I'm very off put by characters being overly nice/fake. But in Dance Dance Danseur it did not feel fake, and in fact felt like the real emotions of 13/14 year old boys and girls. Through the anime I could truly feel the struggles of being a teenager trying to break out of the norms of society, and I found that very enjoyable.
The way they even paced the anime to have a mid season climax with their performance was WELL DONE. The performance was encapsulating of course with the visuals, the plot, and the music but tied in with the pacing it was just *chefs kiss*. And then the introduction of new characters... extremely well done. Characters were fleshed out just enough for them to be relevant and impactful to the story (imo), which says so much for the story as a whole.
The ending was perfect too. Once again I'm not one for the sappy endings, but I felt that the ending was realistic and perfectly executed. Hard to put into words the emotions I was feeling at the end but they were genuine.
I pray for a season 2 with just as much effort and attention to detail as the first.
And I know I gave this a perfect 10. That does not mean I think this is literally perfect or that I am comparing it to other 10s. In my ratings I rate things based off of their own metrics. Kinda confusing but to explain it as simply as possible, I do not compare this 10 to other 10s. However, generally similar genres will get similar comparisons.
Stormy_77
This is my #2 anime of the season for Spring 2022, it's unlikely another anime will come along that will grab my heart, blow softly on it to nurture hope and budding feelings, then toss it around with angst and drama until emotions overflow into tears. Story and Character 10/10 Initially I thought it would be one of those generic sports anime but this time with ballet. And then, episode 1 employed several hooks that grabbed my attention and never quite let go. The story and characters are gripping, with both coming of age and adult/mature themes:- * A young boy "hides" his passion for fear of beingjudged by his classmates / society as "sissy" or "gay". In reality Ballet (for men) is a sports form requiring grace, flexibility, speed, strength and endurance, and is technically harder than martial arts, soccer, football and 95% of sports out there. The training is so rigorous, classically trained ballet dancers can pick up other styles of dance and tend to do well in dance competitions. For example Alex Wong who should have won So You Think You Can Dance after that "Outta Your Mind" hip-hop performance with Twitch if only he hadn't gotten injured.
* Murao is unashamedly a teen who just wants a girlfriend. Most teenagers can relate to this part. For some reason this was really important when I was a teen, but when a person "finds themself" they also usually are not as hung up on "getting a partner." Life changes and goes on, but when you're a teenager this is the be all end all. Relatable.
* At some stage a person has to grow up, decide what it is they want to do and choose whether to give up their passion to fit in, or do what makes them happy. The best career is when Talent, Passion and Skill intersect, very few people actually manage this.
Skill can be taught and learned. Talent is inborn. Passion cannot be faked.
I reflected and realized I don't know if I even made the right choice in this respect, as culturally, we are raised to do well in school then get a job that utilizes skill for $$ and forget the other 2. Does this mean when we work were "dead inside" and unfulfilled? Should we have made a different choice? What would a person have to give up to make the right choice for themselves?
* This anime has one of the best love triangles I've seen, not contrived but something that happened naturally with the second male lead and girl being compelling characters in their own right. This might also the most controversial part of the story in how it plays out. Delicious drama!
Art and Sound 10/10
Mappa did a great job animating this series. So yes, I hated the eyes with that pupil thing but I was told this is the style in the manga, so I guess I have to forgive it and I eventually got used to it. And the eyes are even a plot device! There's one character that spends most of the anime with her eyes closed, so the audience is waiting to see if and when they will open their eyes.
The animation is done most likely using motion capture but with 2D drawing. The dance scenes are an animation achievement, similar to Yuri on Ice, with everything from head to toe accurately portrayed. This in combination with the piano or orchestral Ballet Music make the dance scenes phenomenal.
Words cannot express how moved I was ... at the ballet performances. I have seen Swan Lake live, but it was never as dramatic as the ones performed in this anime. Not just once, but there are several jaw dropping dance sequences that I ended up IRL clapping to. Wow. The last episode moved me to tears, TWICE.
Enjoyment and Overall 10/10
#1 hidden gem and second best anime of the season. The youth. The angst. The overwhelming Passion. An anime this good which makes one reflect on their life choices that is also exhilarating and moving shouldn't be a hidden gem, it should be watched and enjoyed by many more people.
Lylaaz
This ballet series produced by MAPPA is odd but great. But it's difficult to recommend this to anyone. This series is not for everyone. But there are definitely people who should watch it. Are you one of them, or are you not? Simply - whether you will enjoy this series comes down to whether you "appreciate art". Classical art? Maybe? It definitely helps but it’s not a requirement. Ballet? Heck, I don't know anything about ballet yet I still loved this show. So maybe the short and simple explanation seems vague and a bit lacking. But let's say you additionally appreciate the art of expression. In this show yousee characters coming out of their "shells": when someone struggles to show a new side of themselves in front of a public. It's that type of moment when people fall into two categories: do you appreciate that or do you see it as a weird thing and laugh at it?
Therefore, you probably need to be a person who accepts "oddities" and differences in people. Even if the show is about ballet, it's mainly about boys dancing ballet. And boys dancing ballet in the middle of a city park lake. And boys talking about ballet. Which is in general terms out of the ordinary. The characters are aware of it. And it’s one of the struggles that main characters have to face as well.
But! There is nothing wrong about doing things you like to do. This is the main message of this series.
Getting it across to other people is a challenge but it can pay off towards your own happiness.
This series also manages to wrap a love story within 11 episodes that interconnects with the general theme of one of the ballet’s most known compositions „Swan Lake”. Pretty clever and pretty adorable. And beautiful on top of that.
Those were the main reasons why Dance Dance Danseur was a show that surprised me. It became one of the series that I started looking forward to every week when it aired.
So in numerical terms
STORY - 7
ART - 10
SOUND - 9
CHARACTER - 8
ENJOYMENT - 10
OVERALL – 9
Perhaps you noticed that I rated story one of the lowest aspects of this series. Which is fairly subjective. It might be that without MAPPA directing this it may have been a good quirky coming up age story. The animation and directing definitely gives it extra points. Perhaps any other animation studio would have failed to deliver it as well as they did. Many scenes are amazingly drawn. Tender moments and amazing fight scenes. Yup, it even had that. The animation gives it the art and dynamic that manga lacks. Overall everything just plays so well together. I really enjoyed it!
I seriously hope there will be a continuation. It might be that many people don't appreciate this series, but I really hope many do find this amusing.
Odd but great. if you are that type of person to appreciate it :)
Taurto
"You can't fake passion" **Very minor spoilers** Dance Dance Danseur is a ballet anime that absolutely exudes passion. From the voice acting, to the animation, to the choreography, It is an embodiment of passion. While DDD is an anime about ballet and that can seem off-putting to some people, I don't think it matters even in the slightest. If you have played a sport you are passionate about, you will absolutely recognize the moments that our main protagonist, Junpei lives through. There are these moments where Junpei is doing a dance and stars and fireworks start shooting out of his eyes and the background. Thesemoments are when Junpei is feeling his most passionate and you can absolutely feel it. It's bone chilling for someone who has felt the exact same way about him and it's one of the most cool experiences I've had watching an anime.
Unfortunately, this anime does have its fair share of problems. The romance moments are very questionable and almost feel sort of forced. A lot of the side characters are inconsistent and Luou, our other main protagonist, is honestly unbearable a lot of the time.
We'll get to that in a bit though.
Story: 7
The story is very simple and if you're expecting anything complex I wouldn't suggest this to you at all. The story is straightforward and is always moving forward. Rarely does it ever come to a stop and have an episode dedicated to being a slice of life or anything like that. Whether its training, performances or character relationships the show will always be moving forward in those aspects.
Characters: 7
This is probably the most questionable part of DDD. I personally liked Junpei as a protagonist because of how much I could relate to him when it came to his conflicts. However I could definitely see how Junpei could come off as annoying and a bit too hyped up. The main problem with this show in my opinion is Luou. Luou was insufferable. Luou is a quiet kid that keeps to himself a lot except when he talks to Junpei. He rarely ever speaks for long periods of time, not even internally but Luou easily becomes aggressive towards Junpei and launches insults at him. Besides that, Luou is an incredible ballet dancer. He dances full of power and energy but he himself has none of that. Luou has these incredible dance performances which I really enjoyed watching but outside of his performances, I really disliked him as a character because of how quiet and snappy he came off. I don't even think he's necessarily a bad character, because he gets his backstory for why he's a great dancer and a quiet kid. It's just for up until the point where we get his backstory, I found him to be a huge turnoff to this show. Miyako as a side character is fine, she seems to be very fond of Luou for what seems to be no reason but it is explained throughout the story. I actually found the side characters from the Oikawa school to be much more interesting than Luou and Miyako. Natsuki and Misaki both seemed very interesting to me, Natsuki even being featured in my favorite moment in the entire show along with Junpei. To sum up, the characters all have explanations for why they do things, so stick with them until the end even if they seem annoying as some did to me.
Art: 10
DDD has outstanding visuals. It has consistent fluid animation that seems to always be in motion. It's actually crazy how smooth the dances are in this show and it stays like that for all 11 episodes. The art style can be off-putting but I don't think it hindered the show at all. In fact, I think it helped the characters express themselves more. The long necks and arms seriously enable the characters to stretch and move in ways that really express themselves. I know next to nothing about ballet so I can't speak for how accurate the choreography is in all this, but for someone who knows nothing about it the dances all seemed super smooth and very nice as a viewer.
Sound: 10
Between the voice acting, music and sound effects, DDD seriously does it all. Junpei's voice acting brought his character to life. In the times Luou actually gets significant time to speak, Luou's voice actor also kills it. Props to Daiki Yamashita and Kouki Uchiyama as they did a fantastic job. Between the piano that plays for the performances and the music for the moments outside of that, DDD has a great OST and the sound director also nailed exactly when to use them. The most impressive part about the sound in DDD, is the sound effects. Each time a dancer does a jump and land you hear the landing and it's crisp. Earlier I talked about a moment where stars and fireworks start lighting up in Junpei's eyes and the background. The sound effects in these moments are seriously amazing. The crackling, and fireworks shooting off, encapsulate exactly what it feels like to experience that passion Junpei is feeling.
Enjoyment: 9
Outside some of the characters I found to be hard to deal with, this was one of the best experiences I've had watching anime. The pure amount of passion that went into this can be seen. I would seriously recommend this to anyone who has been super passionate about something because I consider this more of a passion anime than a sports anime. As someone who was also very passionate about a sport just like Junpei, I found this anime to be super relatable and it was awesome to watch. Lastly, I know I've said this a couple of times now but the moments where Junpei has this sparkle in his eyes, it spreads across the screen from just his eyes and it slowly turns from stars to fireworks shooting everywhere. Every time that happened, I got goosebumps down to my bones because of how much I could relate that happening to me when I played sports. DDD seriously encapsulates passion and just runs with it all the way and I enjoyed it a ton.
Overall: 8
DDD was a unique experience for myself and I believe for other people who have had passion for the things they love to do it would be a fantastic watch for you as well. If you can suffer through a bit of annoying characters, I think this is a super unique experience that contains some of the best animation and sound direction I've seen in the medium.
This was my first review and if you have any criticisms I encourage you to leave a comment on my page. I plan on writing more and I'd love to know how to make reviews better.
KANLen09
"Swan Lake is the most difficult thing to portray for a female ballet dancer; it really requires such specific qualities of articulation, agility, strength, and the arm work is something that takes a lot of training." — Benjamin Millepied And this. thus, says the same for such a high-regarded mangaka like George Asakura, whom has penned many of her works (mainly Shoujo manga) that has acclaimed awards for her unique, edgy style and storytelling by crossing over between the everyday and the fantastic, the hilarious and bittersweet. Of her currently serializing works, Dance Dance Danseur is the one that we'll be looking at, courtesy of MAPPAand in-house director Munehisa Sakai, famous for Zombieland Saga.
Surprisingly enough, ballet has popped up in AniManga so much, but in anime form, there only exists to be one and the definite until today: Princess Tutu, which dates all the way back in 2002. That's 2 freaking decades apart from this and Dance Dance Danseur (when you count the anime adaptation), while maintaining the central core theme which is ballet and fairy tales, the case use in Danseur being Swan Lake, and others like the topic of masculinity. The reason for that, you'd have to read on.
Dance Dance Danseur's story starts with Junpei Murao, a 14-year-old boy who took a liking to ballet from a young age, but familial circumstances forced him to take up the only supporting cornerstone of the family: Jeet Kune Do, an electic martial art that's heavily influenced and adapted by the personal philosophy and experiences of well-famed martial artist Bruce Lee, as the only male in the family and advised by his uncle to be the moral support in order to be "masculine". In truth, Jeet Kune Do was just a way for Junpei to exercise his love for ballet more, while not showing the similarities that it would be judged as such. It's only when he encounters the same-aged Miyako Godai which demonstrated her ballet skills to challenge his perception, is when his fixation for ballet increased to rediscover himself, and adding onto that with Luou Mori as a near-perfect dancer to define his meaning of what it means to be a man, performing in a mostly feminine and exquisite form of art. It's the Freudian belief that masculinity is society-confirmed, otherwise it can turn toxic quick.
Junpei at first glance, can come off as the typical boy whom has no façade to bear all of his emotions and feelings towards people in his life, and partly because his VA Daiki Yamashita (HeroAca's Izuku Midoriya) gave his character so much life that he comes alive just at the effervescence of things and situations where he can just be himself to be whom he wants to be. His only negative point is that although he can dance well enough, he wasn't trained in the art of ballet as he lacked fundamental basics, not to mention that he will gloss over proper technique to prioritize expunging his emotions. Through the trials and tribulations, Junpei learns characteristically of how a ballet dancer should act, while growing to be more mature as a person and dancer.
That's supported when Miyako Godai comes into the picture as Chizuru Godai's daughter, part of the myriad of dancers whom used to be under the Ayako Oikawa brand of professional ballet that has an international influence from Japan to even Russia, that Chizuru couldn't see eye to eye with Ayako to branch off on her own self. Chizuru has a keen eye on ballet skills the same that Ayako once taught her, now used in her own teaching classes at the Godai Ballet Studio, teaching kids ballet the way that she knows how. Miyako is lovable, has a kind and polite nature, and that's to say it's on top of her own ballet skills that due to her personality, isn't suitable for large roles. Instead, what Miyako does is to help Junpei find his footing and help lean on his strengths while fixing his weaknesses with her much stricter mother.
But there's one more person, and he is Luou Mori. Both Miyako and Luou are same-aged cousins, but while Miyako's life is one that's of a typical bred child, Luou's however is a much darker and sinister story. George Asakura likes her stories to be weaved with the bittersweet mix, and Luou's story of mental trauma and physical abuse is just that, that's more than enough for a perfectly sane person to choke with spiteful comments about his abusers, mainly his ballet-obssessed grandmother. For a start, Luou isn't your average typical kid: he's the illegitimate son of a mother whom was embroiled in a high-profile scandal, whom afterwards ran away and never to be seen again, leaving his grandmother to take care of him. And his growing up days were a barrage of constant nightmares and tortures of the ballet-obssessed grandmother forcing him to be like his abandoned mother: a behaviour that's not of conformity to society. And ultimately it's through the torture that he has become the skilled dancer that he is today, though he still suffers from social segregation and reclusion when people know and begin to make fun of his history. It's legal to marry cousins in Japan, and this is the same for both Luou and Miyako, whom the former has always seen the latter as his sole light, a source of encouragement to step out to the outside world and breaking out of his reclused shell, other than just plainly falling in love with her, the same way that Miyako does for Junpei, creating a love triangle that does not actually inch into it, but more of a necessity for each other to break out of their own shells.
Truth be told (and going back to the top), while Princess Tutu is shapen to be from the POV of kids (since this nostalgic memorabilia and the manga's age feels that way), George Asakura's version is characterfully driven in a raw, powerful, imaginative and shell-shocking way, all combined into one package that sells ballet in both its good and bad light, with the influence and affluence that comes to signify that this isn't your average child-like ballet fanatic, thrust into an adult world. Not to mention that there's symbolisms in Swan Lake from the characters to the emotions, everything has a purpose and reason of the act, and I think that Junpei, Miyako and Luou perfectly fit that mold in matching Swan Lake with the much-resembled "Romeo and Juliet" style of a tragic expressivo play.
MAPPA has always been known for high-quality action, and sometimes taking a radical direction while not losing its ooze, and just like "Yuri!!! On Ice" 5+ years before, Munehisa Sakai and his staff team have done it again in Dance Dance Danseur. There're many core staff in Danseur's production, and they're nothing to scoff at: series composer Yoshimi Narita (helming 3 shows this season: this one, HoneyWorks Heroine and Shikimori), chief animation director and character designer Hitomi Hasegawa (Shingeki no Kyojin), to name a few. And for a ballet show, how can you not have ballet directors to ensure that this show imitates ballet the same as in real life, and the supervision goes to Sayako Abe for doing a great job on this to envision sparkles like Junpei's POV during his ballet dancing stint.
It's been a long while since YUKI has performed an Anisong, given that her last stint was with 3-gatsu no Lion a.k.a March Comes in Like a Lion all the way back in 2017, and her OP once again marks a triumphant return to form, that with the stylized OP of Junpei's POV dancing around in school and within the lead of Miyako, is easily one of the most impressive and creatively made OPs of the season. The same can be said for Hitorie's ED, which to go for a theme about crafts, notes, paper cut outs, and biblically accurate ballerinas, it's a near-perfect representation of the life of a ballerina or a Danseur in a traditional "feminine" art of ballet. Great songs across the board, plus their impressive visuals, it's style, but also with form and function.
All in all, this does not give me the sense that MAPPA, other than being underpaid and overworked for newer and hyped shows like Jigokuraku: Hell's Paradise or the much acclaimed Chainsaw Man coming soon, couldn't manage other seasonal shows under their belt, but damn, did Dance Dance Danseur proved me otherwise. It's definitely a "sport" category that isn't a sport, but a tapestry of the combination themes of tragedy and ambition on display. It's a visual treat and a sense of humanity to find yourself, and you need not conform to society if what you see and believe is very real, that no one else sees the way like you do.
GimmeAnime
This series is a solid 9 up until episode 10, but good god, that ending is an incredibly frustrating, disappointing, and depressing 2, so I will grudgingly, GRUDGINGLY give this a 5 overall. No lie, the characters are very good, with solid development for the MC, but I wouldn't have minded more than the last-minute exposition for the 2 main side characters. The overall story is great; it certainly pulled me in and got me invested. The music is fantastic, especially if you enjoy classical. And the ending, man, the ending ruined the entire thing for me completely. Felt like getting emotionally beaten with a nail bat.I'd call the overall feel of the ending maybe something between "bittersweet" and "what the f* is this?".
marisawithones
What does it mean to be a man? This is the question that Dance Dance Danseur attempts to explore and, for the most part, is successful. Dance Dance Danseur (moving forward will be referred to as DDD) focuses on middle school student Junpei Murao and the beginning of his journey in the ballet world. DDD’s themes of toxic masculinity are made apparent in the first episode. Upon seeing a male ballet dancer at his sister’s ballet performance he becomes enamored with no regards as to whether it adhered to dominant gender roles. While initially hesitant, his father, a stunt coordinator and Junpei’s vision of what masculinityrepresents, accepts his son’s new interest. However, after Junpei’s father dies shortly after Junpei puts his dreams of being a ballet dancer aside in order to conform to society’s expectations of masculinity. Namely, taking part in traditionally masculine activities including soccer and Jeet Kune Do with the intention of eventually become a student coordinator like his father. This trajectory is disrupted my Miyako, a fellow student, who sees Junpei’s potential as a ballet dancer and his ballet journey commences.
As one can see, the show is initially concerned with exploring how society categorizes ‘masculine’ vs. ‘feminine’ activities which is a topic I have seen rarely addressed in anime so far, particularly for a seinen series. In addition, the show takes Junpei’s struggle to deconstruct masculinity seriously as opposed to being treated as a comedic bit. We see his difficulty with fully committing to doing ballet as he weighs the gendered expectations he perceives his family and friends have of him. However, with the introduction of Luou, Miyako’s cousin and fellow ballet dancer, Junpei’s seemingly polar opposite, Junpei begins to see how 'being a man' is a lot more fluid than what society has consistently promoted.
One of my favorite aspects of DDD is the dynamic between the two male characters. Both struggle with figuring out their own individual passions and pursuits under the shadow of a parental figure. Luou serves as a nice contrast to Junpei. When Luou begins to be bullied by Junpei’s friends he cowers and is passive as opposed to Junpei who is brash and openly antagonistic when faced with conflict. Perhaps it is Junpei’s ideas of masculinity that plays into why he does not understand Luou’s passive and quiet personality. However when the bullying reaches its boiling point Luou combats it by performing ballet in front of the students, earning the admiration of Junpei and allowing him to come to the conclusion that “being a man” is about sticking to his beliefs and passions rather than adhering to societal standards.
However, Luou also pulls a lot from Junpei’s personality. For instance, Luou learns to be more aggressive in pursuing his passion of doing ballet in Russia and pursuing his own dreams rather than letting people just see him as an extension of his mother as he becomes friends with Junpei. In this sense, DDD is not necessarily criminalizing the more aggressive aspects of traditional masculinity (which often occurs in debates regarding toxic masculinity). Rather, the show portrays how there are various ways people can embody a masculine identity.
If I did have a critique about the main cast of characters it would be directed towards how the show handles Miyako. When we first meet Miyako she is portrayed as a powerful force that takes Junpei out of his par for the course life and reignites his passion. However, over the course of the show her role seemingly diminishes from promising ballet partner to strictly a love interest for Junpei and Luou. It’s not like Miyako does not have a enticing backstory of her own which we see in episode 10. However, even in this episode much of the backstory we receive for Miyako remains grounded in her relationship with Luou. For a show that is interested in breaking down traditional gender roles it is a bit ironic that they wouldn’t attempt to do this with their main female character and grant her more autonomy. This could very well change with some of the later manga material but as a first season her character was noticeably given the short end of the stick in comparison to the other leads.
Given it’s a performing arts anime, one would expect the dance scenes to deliver and for the most part MAPPA does a great job with the animation. There are sparing uses of CG and the dance scenes are fluid with excellent color composition to emphasize the tone of each performance. If there was a minor complaint it’s that the character designs are a bit divisive. Unfortunately, in ballet a singular body type tends to dominant - long and skinny. The show does not deviate from this standard and through a seeming attempt to emphasize the body movements opt for, at times, longer than normal legs, arms, and necks. I was personally not bothered by it at but it can be a turn off for people who do not care for these type of over exaggerated body designs. Similarly, it continues to reinforce the dominant ballet body type without any sort of challenge to this standard.
With its attempt to tackle the very pertinent but often overlooked topic of toxic masculinity, DDD provides a new avenue for audiences to critique their own perceptions of gender expectations and roles. It makes this difficult subject a lot easier to process with its excellent animation and great character dynamics, albeit primarily among the male cast.
Maffy
Dance Dance Danseur is a mixture of overdone stereotypes and fresh details, so it can make you both feel frustrated and eager to see what happens next. The art and sound are mesmerising, but the characters tend to be annoying at important scenes, because adults are missing and middle school kids act like adults. The premise itself is an interesting one as works about ballet are not many and the artistic part of this is stunning throughout the series. I think many expected or waited to see when the quality would drop, but it really stood its ground and gave a lot of detail in thedancing scenes and generally when things were intense. Albeit having no knowledge of ballet, the choreography and direction made me swallow any kind of complaints I had and I watched until the end. There is something magical watching Ruou acting as villainous Rothbart and Junpei as a naive prince. You really cannot take your eyes off of them. The only thing I did not like in the art department was the eyes. THOSE EYES. I needed at least 2 episodes to stop looking at them because of that line in the middle. That design just put me off, but I got used to it.
Story-wise, it is mainly an underdog story and that is where the overdone stereotypes start. It has some very nice parts of exploring your individuality, especially at this young age and coming to terms not only with what you want, but how you fit in the society. There is bravery in able to stand on your own 2 feet and follow the path that makes you happy, despite the misconceptions. But then, it also has the part in which our underdog, Junpei, has to have hidden talent and can shine from almost day 1. Of course, he also gets to be in the same place and level as other dancers who have spent YEARS on training, but he is good so we can forgive that, can't we? *rolls eyes* I will admit though, that his joy in what he is doing does make me want to cheer him on.
Then, there is the part with Ruou and Miyako. At this tender age of teenhood, hormones are rampant for all of them. Liking someone while finding yourself is not easy and it is not depicted as easy. It is realistic, with the second-hand embarrassment being strong and generally being "kids". Yet... Ruou does not act like a kid. Of course, we also needed the stereotype of a character with a traumatic past and while, it is well done for the most part, I can't help thinking... where did all the responsible adults go? You have a kid that is holed up in a room and you try to get through to him by bringing another innocent soul in this to challenge him. Yes, I know it is an anime and all, but it reached a point where those kids act like they were adults and I do not want to spoil, but their behavior just hit a nerve. Get the kid in therapy for his issues and do not expect that only dancing will somehow make him a functional human, while sacrificing others like they are just pawns.
Would you enjoy it? Yes is my answer. If nothing else, the dancing parts will hook you on with how well made they often are, while the story can sometimes surprise you despite its flaws.
bergars
Came in not knowing what the hell ballet is about. Came out after finding a masterpiece in the wild. One of the best, most hype first episodes I've seen in a long time. After that, nothing could top it, except when episode two came along. Every episode topped the previous one, at every corner there was a moment that made me gasp, almost scream, having to pause and then come back. I could not get enough of this series, and after writing this, I'm going straight to the manga. I need more of this. Passion. Many stories tend to focus on the perfection of a craft. Artis something that contains many variations in stories. The crazy teachers, the unending pain, constant torture to achieve perfection, and some of them exploring the decline in mental health due to the pursuit. Yet, "Dance Dance Danseur" injected the key word to what art truly should be, passion. The battle between talent and effort, the gymnastics of romance, of how people come to be in a world full of competing passions. The clash of love and hate against that which you can't stop doing. So many themes, controlled, and moved in such a fantastic, engaging way. You can't stop when you watch one episode, oh no, you gotta watch it all.
The characters are something to marvel at too. Art doesn't have black and white people. The complexity of life, the age of the characters, their past, their traumas, it leads to what they all want in the present, as well as what they don't. I hated the characters sometimes, even the protagonist. Indecision, holding back, the lack of bombastic retribution. The clichés were abandoned in search for a hopeful realism that fills every character to the brim. Every action they took felt on character, and every fight they had was equally earned. I wish there was a hole to touch upon, but this is greatness. And the animation, we gotta talk about it.
Probably rotoscoped at times. I don't know anything about ballet, not a single thing the series didn't teach me. However, I know good animation when I see it. The fluidity and energy to every dance move. You can feel the grace, the anger, the hatred, or a calculated nature when somebody displays their abilities. This is a story that couldn't have happened in another medium. The expression, heightened by the sound design, the decoration on the frame to exclaim how somebody feels, how somebody speaks. Every cut, the editing, has such value. I noticed so many aspects, thinking how purposeful everything was at every second. Diverse camera shots, and the focus on a dancer from afar. There was love put into every shot, so much passion, the art style was unique and beautiful. I can go on and on, but gotta give this review an ending.
Overall, I recon this is a gem. Something I haven't seen anybody touch upon. The shocks, the bad moments, the series doesn't shy away from making the viewer uncomfortable. You feel for every character, and wish every single one of them good, but we can only have one protagonist.
10/10, there's no doubt in my mind about how masterful the series is. There was perfectly masked CG, even. BANGER.
tenntenn
Dance Dance Danseur is a hidden gem that I stumbled upon, and boy am I glad I did! The anime is a stunning showcase of dance and features some of the most beautiful and emotional choreography I've ever seen. Ruou is one of the main characters and stole my heart right from the start. He's a complex character with a lot of depth, and his passion for dance is truly inspiring. Watching him dance is a feast for the eyes and the soul - it's so beautiful that it almost brings tears to my eyes. Overall, Dance Dance Danseur is an anime that I would highly recommendto anyone who loves dance or just wants to be moved by an incredible story. If anyone knows of any other anime like this, please don't hesitate to hit me up!
_coffee_jelly_
Has your heart ever been moved by something? Perhaps it has been moved by a singer's soulful singing or an artist's heartful painting. Expression of such emotions or expression of a message, that is art. And in this anime, we shall explore the art of ballet. Dance Dance Danseur mainly follows Junpei in the start of his journey to become a top class ballet dancer. In doing so, it tackles themes such as gender norms and expectations like the misconception that ballet is meant for girls. The anime adaptation also reveals the harsh realities of seriously pursuing ballet, a performing arts that is heavily dependent onphysical build and talent. The anime does a beautiful job of getting these points across to viewers, but I'd argue that the pacing as well as the character development in the latter half may feel like an itch that doesn't go away even if you scratch it.
[ Story : 7 ]
The story is well-executed overall. Like most anime that are about passions such as sports or art, the story expounds on more technical terms and general knowledge about ballet. There is a good ratio of drama and ballet so it does not feel overly technical nor is it overly dramatic. However, the latter half may not be the same. I'd argue that the latter half of the anime has a lot more drama injected into it for better or for worse. The way the conflict was presented seemed a bit messy and rushed. I recall a scene with a transition that abruptly cuts the next scene. I would say that it interrupted the flow of the story as I was left wondering if I had skipped through the episode by accident.
[ Character : 8 ]
We have Junpei, a closet ballet simp who worries about appearing manly to his peers. We also have Ruou, a former shut-in who has dedicated his entire life to ballet. Lastly, we have Miyako, who is the main female character of the show. Junpei and Ruou make for very interesting characters with Junpei being a fast learner and a talented guy who is messy but artful in expression, and Ruou being rigid and technical in how he approaches ballet. In contrast, Miyako falls short as a main character as she doesn't make as much appearances as the other two main characters. Miyako is mostly shown as a love interest and a lot less is revealed about her struggles and motivations compared to the other two which is why she can come off as more bland as a character. Nonetheless, all of the characters are generally charming. You can get a feel for their personalities and they aren't 2-dimensional, though the story may focus more on Junpei and Ruou.
[ Art, Animation & Sound : 9 ]
The music in the anime and the voice acting were superb. It really added to the atmosphere of each scene, especially the more dramatic scenes. The opening and ending themes also suited the anime fairly well.
As for the art and animation, there was no issue it other than the fact that is was blindingly beautiful. Okay, that may have been an exaggeration. But the ballet animations are definitely worth praise. They were convincing, smooth, and beautiful. The sparkles, the evil miasma like art, and all of that that they incorporated in the ballet scenes all contributed to the immersion of the performance. Even in scenes where characters are interacting, each detail (eyes glistening, a forced smile, etc.) makes the viewer feel what the character is feeling or take a glimpse at their motives. That being said, it was absolutely beautiful.
[ Enjoyment : 7 ]
This part is not as objective but I think it may help you determine whether you'll enjoy this anime. I was expecting the vibe of a sports anime and I did get that in the first half. I liked watching them plan for performances and such, but that kind of fell off along the way. But there isn't sports in the anime genre so I guess I can't really complain.
As I mentioned in this review, the second half had a lot more drama. The love triangle and sudden change of feelings and relationships seemed too abrupt for me. That took away some enjoyment for me. The genre of this anime is drama, but I couldn't help but find the latter half a bit jarring. The drama was a bit too much for me. But I genuinely enjoyed all the ballet performances in the anime and the preparation for such. The introduction of Ruou was also very interesting. For that, I've decided on a 7 for my enjoyment.
Overall, I find this anime to be one that most people will enjoy (unless you're not into drama). Even if one isn't into ballet, the topic of passions, talent, societal norms, and such are still interesting to watch. It does have a few flaws, but that doesn't take away most of the enjoyment.
PietroMario
I've never thoght i would see a anime about bale in my life, but because of the influence of "ballroom and youkoso" i decided to give a shot, and that worthy every second! The anime is awesome, they introduce you into the world of bale so wel, that even people like me who never had a contact with the dance get to know the fellings behind the movements. Everything is good about it, story is great, the soundtrack is awesome it gets you really imersive with the anime, the development of each character is so real, ireally love each episode you shouldgive it a try.
I just won't give it a 10 score because i don't like to get carried away of the felling of end a anime.
Please forgive any grammatic error i'm don't have english as the main language.
brillante
Okay look, I have almost 15 years of experience in classical ballet, so of course, I was going to watch this. I am a huge fan of Princess Tutu, so to see that there was going to be a “sports anime” take on it with MAPPA at the helm? Oh yeah, sign me up. And now I’ve completed it. And it was good. Flawed, but good. So good that I will never emotionally recover from what it has done to me. To start off, Dance Dance Danseur is the most realistic portrayal of the modern ballet world I have ever seen and the attention to detail wasflawless. The joys and the magic of dance were captured in every frame and no expense was spared to put this all together. The animation, the music, the historical lore, and the current culture all came together to create an atmosphere that entrapped me. I have waited so, so, so long to see the art form that I devoted the majority of my life to be used in this way, and I am so happy that this show exists.
However, this realistic portrayal means that the toxic sides of the ballet world all converge at once, and no punch was missed. Body-shaming, racism, gender expression, the bullying of male dancers by peers, destructive teaching, the battle between classic and contemporary, and the financial weight of the art are all here. I will likely never be able to watch this show again because I have experienced a lot of what was shown on screen, and there were weeks that I delayed my viewing because I was unsure of what to expect in the upcoming episode. Although I may not be able to rewatch this like I can with Princess Tutu, this show is still great because it makes the effort to show that ballet is not a fairytale art form. It has its problems, and these problems need to be shared.
While I have nothing but praise for the setting and themes, the story and characters that use them as a backdrop have issues. The story isn’t too unique, as it’s a story of a prodigy who dreams of living up to his potential while being embroiled in a love triangle. I honestly think that this formula would have worked for this series, so I wouldn’t have had a big issue, but only if it had been done correctly. The drawback was the three main characters. I know a lot of people don’t like Junpei or Luou because of their temperaments, but I thought they were overall good, and I didn’t really have an issue with the personalities of the characters. It was their love triangle with Misako I didn’t like.
The relationships between Junpei, Luou, and Miyako felt haphazard and forced. Originally, it was set up pretty well, but everything after that got messy, and we got drama for the sake of making drama rather than really letting the characters grow into the drama. The climax does fix this (yes, I think the ending for their arc was fitting and realistic to ballet), but everything in the middle was frustrating. I think the main issue for this was that the first half uses ballet to build up their relationships, but by the second half it tries to expand them outside of the studio and stage spaces, and it felt awkward. These issues with the characters led me to drop the series from a contender to MY best of the year to just ONE of the best of the year.
Despite my gripes with the characters, I was mesmerized by how the show uses its classical music so well. Swan Lake is used so much in ballet-themed media, but the animation direction takes the music and tells the audience why we still need Swan Lake to be retold again and again. You just need to watch episodes 5 and 11 to see what I’m talking about. Look, it may just be your public domain classical music, but the show uses it in a way that I was often moved to tears by what I was watching. With my bias and my criticisms of the show aside, I truly believe that seeing what the show does with the music may be enough to show people why there are people who love classical ballet, despite all its problems.
Even with the issues with its story and characters, it gets this wannabe ballerina’s stamp of approval for how it portrays all sides of the ballet world and creates art out of it that is only possible through the medium of animation. I have gone through such highs and such lows, and it was such a great trip. I’m not sure if I would ever rewatch it because of how intense it was, but it is absolutely worth at least one watch. If you are looking for a good drama or just want to try exploring something new, this is your show.
The_Namer
This show caught me off guard in several ways. For starters, the key art made me assume this ballet story was shojo with a female protagonist, but it turns out to be seinen with a male protagonist, essentially making it Billy Elliot: The Anime. While that was a misunderstanding on my part, the story itself continued to confound my expectations. The setup is a familiar one typical for arts and sports anime, but the execution and development of the story played with the familiar tropes, tilting genre-standard conflicts in subtle ways to ratchet up the tension. It's by turns beautiful and horrifying, hilarious and heart-breaking. Bythe mid-point I thought I could guess how the rest of the series would play out, but as the later episodes developed I found the balance of conflicts teetering back and forth, undermining my assumptions, until the final episode had me breathlessly anticipating a conclusion I couldn't predict. Despite being a mere 11 episodes, and clearly just a fraction of the source manga, it carves out a story arc that covers a surprising amount of ground in some ways, and works as a satisfying self-contained story if there's never another season.
The art and animation caught me off guard too. The figure drawing has an exceptional attention to detail, especially for hands and feet that convey so much during the dance sequences. There's a masterful command of the human form that you just don't see in most TV anime. When I thought I'd acclimatised to the quality of the artwork, the performance of Swan Lake halfway through blew me away. I'd call it movie quality, but honestly there are only a handful of anime movies that can match up to the jaw-dropping artistry this TV series shows in places.
I worry that this will be one of those shows like Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu that flies under people's radar and never gets a western blu-ray release. That would be a tragedy because I can see this sitting high on people's lists of the best shows of the decade for those who give it a chance. It will take an exceptionally strong slate of shows to come out in the next several years for this not to be one of my top ten favourites of the 2020s.
superwolfkin
The animation is great. It's just beautiful to look at. I can't imagine how difficult it is to draw ballet that looks so engrossing but they do it. MAPPA did great working making an absolutely gorgeous anime from start to finish. DDD also has a very strong pilot episode. Where as for an anime this length I'd normally give it 2 episodes to get you sucked in. I was instead sucked in like I was 5 episodes deep at the end of the first. The storyline is strong and emotional and compelling. The characters are interesting. I'm not a fan of the character design. Specificallythe eye design because it makes it look like the characters are crying which ordinarily wouldn't be a problem but this is a pretty emotional series and the viewer might tear up at any moment much less the characters.
Like many shows about school aged children they often neglect one or more aspects of life. Some might call this unrealistic. I consider it creative license. A show about ballet focuses on the characters dancing ballet. Whoda thunk it. There are also aspects specific to Japanese culture that might feel unusual to those new to anime. But nothing so while or frequent or frustrating that it breaks verisimilitude. You get sucked in and you'll be sucked in till the very last episode.
shayed__
Man oh man.. I did not think that this anime would reach such heights. I've only seen bits and pieces of the trailer before I went into this anime, I never read the source material. And besides watching movies like Black Swan, I never really gotten too close with ballet. But the trailer intrigued me, the art style looked very good, and I just really love sports anime in general. I still went into this show with somewhat low expectations. I've watched a lot of generic anime in the past couple of years. Sometimes I wondered if it were just me that had lost a bitof interest in anime over the recent times, or if most anime were really just that generic. These thoughts wandered my mind even more after I've been disappointed with recent popular anime like SpyFamily and the recent Kaguya season. Every single person in the anime community seemed to absolutely love those shows, I mean kaguya is currently sitting a rank1 of myanimelist. Not saying these shows were bad by any means. Quite the contrary, I can see why they're so loved, but I just couldn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would be. So with these thoughts in the back of my mind, I kept my expectations to the minimum and went in. It's like a certain someone would say, "Keep your expectations low, and you will never be disappointed". Man was I happy to be proven wrong!
The story started out with some interesting ideas, which I haven't seen in other sports anime so far. This time the sport was ballet. The dynamic of Jumpei's character, where he struggled to commit to ballet because of the expectations that were thrown onto him with the martial arts and the "struggle" of not being ashamed of doing ballet was really interesting to watch. Besides that dynamic, the approach was more typical of a sports anime. The usual starting, the training, main character shows a lot of talent for the said sport. I do think the pacing was quite fast in the beginning, it didn't take a lot of episodes for the first big performance. None of the characters really felt clichee or over the top. Luou felt that way in the beginning, he felt a bit one-dimensional, always saying the same, always doing the same things. But later episodes when we got to witness his origin story, and why he became the way he did, really managed to sell his character. In general, I thought that most characters felt more or less grounded. The dynamic between the main trio was also quite interesting to watch. I really enjoy the mix of romance and sports.
The anime truly picked up when the first big performance arrived. Earlier episodes relied quite a bit on cg in dancing sequences which is fine and was of course expected. I mean a sport anime always requires a lot of movement, but an anime about ballet seemed to be much more difficult to handle. The dancing has to be very detailed and intricate, so a lot of precise movement is required. That is handled much much easier with the help of CG of course. The production can be compared to the anime "ballroom" both are dancing anime and both require a flip ton of movement. That show also had some very well-animated scenes, but relied much more on CG and unfortunately wasn't handled as well as Danseur in terms of directing. I mean the anime was also twice as long as Danseur which probably took part in the killing of the production. The rothbard performance was breathtaking, even when a lot of the sequences were CG. The CG was definitely good looking, but cannot be compared to the hand drawn parts. What really made this performance shine was the directorial vision of the director Sakai Munehisa. It cannot be understated how well this anime was directed, especially in later episodes.
The last few episodes had been absolute top notch. Less and less cg was being used and so many highlight sequences were being presented. But oh man the final episode crushed it all. That beach sequence was absolutely magnificent. Seriously one of the most gripping anime moments I've seen in recent years. It was a breathtaking reminder of why I love anime. So much personality, so much love poured into it. The drawing count of the last episode was unfathomable, and not just that but the quality in the art was truly mindblowing. I don't know how mappa has done it. They've got so many prolific anime in production and they somehow manage to squeeze a more lowkey adaptation like danseur with exceptional quality out. Sakai Munehisa had a clear vision of how to handle this source material. The anime industry is a mess, and mappa is very much a part of it.. Animators are being paid far too little and also being overworked a crap ton. But you still have to give credit where credit is due. Huge probs for the team involved in this project. Thank you.
the soundtrack felt very fitting. Not too many standout tracks that absolutely captivated me, but the music did a perfect job of capturing the feel of each and every performance.
All in all I'm very surprised at how much I enjoyed this show. I would love a second season, but I do think that is extremely unlikely.
LuxuriousHeart
Dance Dance Danseur is an anime that challenges toxic masculinity getting in the way of pursuing dreams. Junpei is a kid that watched his sister's ballet recital, and fell in love with it when a particularly talented dancer came out. Sparks went off for Junpei, and he fell in love. Unfortunately, ballet isn't considered very masculine, so Junpei feels pressured into taking Jeet Kune Do (martial arts) as a way to show off his masculinity. Eventually, he decides that the most masculine thing that a man can do is not give a flying F about what other think, and to followhis dreams.
As I said before, it really puts a light on toxic masculinity and how it affects others. Junpei saw his friends laughing at ballet, and so he decided to follow the pack and join the soccer club and take Jeet Kune Do. Even his dad says, "ballet? but don't you want to do something more manly? Especially since your long hair makes others think you're a girl." His uncle even tells Junpei that he's the man of the house, when Junpei's father dies. All of that beats the image of masculinity into boys, and they feel like they have to outwardly portray their masculinity. The fear of liking anything that isn't traditionally masculine, or else they'll be ostracized. It even prevents him from stopping a kid from being bullied. The fear of stepping in and going against the pack. Peer pressure.
Dance Dance Danseur also explores talent vs hard work and charisma vs technique. For the untrained eye, the main character is a great dancer because he's charismatic and expressive. For the trained eye, they just see the mistakes he's making. DDD also explores the dedication to the craft, and the history of the craft. It explores the subtle racism in ballet, and how it can be exclusive. Characters killing themselves to make it far in this craft, and the expectations that parents place on their kids. It also shows how parents ruin the self esteem of their kids by placing goals on them, and the inevitable breakdown when they're unable to reach those goals and/or make their parents happy.
I'd highly recommend Dance Dance Danseur because there's something that's appealing to everyone. If you're a guy that doesn't like traditionally masculine things, then you can relate to the main character. If you're someone who has been hurt by parents, simply because you don't meet their expectations, then you can relate to the characters. If you're someone who has to deal with racism in your hobby, then you can relate to this. If you're someone who has a dedication to anything, then you can relate to this.
PurpleMagic
Jumpei is an brash, manly obsessed dance protagonist that finds that he's most true to himself when he's doing the on thing he's missed most, ballet. If you ever watched Ballroom e Youkoso, he is literally the opposite of that protagonist. If someone talks down to Jumpei he is going to talk down to them harder. I actually really respect a protagonist that's got guts from the start. He's really bold and brash but gives respect when its due. The story is fine, not anything too out of the ordinary for a Shonen dance show, but done well. His rival Ruou is the complete opposite ofhim and without a doubt the better dancer. The love interest is most prominent in the first few episodes and then forgotten about for the Jumpei/Ruou rivalry and and dance academy arc.
I would definitely recommend this show to anyone who loves dance, especially ballet.
KinoEcho
11/10, rewatched with a friend very shortly after I saw it the first time and enjoyed every second of it. Definitely off the beaten path compared to other anime's, but this anime is gripping!!! You can easily binge this as each episode leaves you hanging and wanting to know more. I truly can't wait for the next season to come out! It's beautifully written, choregraphed, unique animation style, and has a very poetic nature relating to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. You get really inspired throughout the whole anime going through the clumsiness and awkwardness of learning curves of both being a young teenager and figuring out thepath they want to take for their future. Additional icing on the cake is that they weave in all characters' growths, flashbacks and histories, pain points and more very organically and realistically. So you get really attached to all the characters easily! I have gone back and forth many times on "man, I really dislike this character" to "omg they're the best!".
It balances aspirations, romance, and slice of life perfectly. If you've ever seen the 2002 Princess Tutu anime (6.5/10 rating imo) it's a way better version with a wider more realistic viewpoint and goal (becoming best Japan/world). Princess Tutu was more fantasy based so there is that difference, but they both have a similar feel in the poetic and romantic ways.
I will probably rewatch this many times over my lifetime. It's an instant classic go-to anime in my book.
