“We want our audience, the viewers, to feel the closeness of the dance,”
August 30, 2017 4:27 PM Subscribe
When Dancing Becomes a Battle “Welcome to the Ballroom” [YouTube] “Poor Tatara Fujita. He’s a junior high kid with no idea what he wants to do with his life. He’s smitten by Shizuku Hanaoka, a smart and attractive girl in his class but he’s too shy to approach her. He has no job and he’s flat broke. What’s the solution to his problem? Ballroom dancing. Ballroom dancing? Well, yes. Even Tatara is surprised, at first. But he learns its value after he’s saved by Kaname Sengoku, a dance instructor who repels a gang of bullies by sheer machismo. Sengoku introduces him to dancing as a professional sport, where competitors earn prestige through hard work and determination. Tatara discovers that dancing is his passion, and thus begins Welcome to the Ballroom. (Ballroom e Youkozo)” [via: Animation Scoop]
• How Welcome to the Ballroom Drags You into the World of Dance in Just One Episode [Anime Now!]
• How Welcome to the Ballroom Drags You into the World of Dance in Just One Episode [Anime Now!]
“The reason why the series makes us want to dance is that it shows us the best parts of competitive ballroom dance through charismatic personalities and letting us experience it the same way as Tatara. True, the first episode doesn’t give us much in terms of seeing the characters dance, but the spirit of competition is seen in one scene, when Tatara is watching the DVD the dance instructor Tamaki Tsuburaya snuck into his bookbag. We see a professional level ballroom dance completion and while the entrants are all regal, it’s the idea they all exude a “look at me” aura that captures Tatara and our attention. What makes this interesting is how, in order to create such an aura, the characters have to be exceptionally charismatic. The charisma doesn’t necessarily only come through their personality but also in how they carry themselves.”• Welcome to the Ballroom Is An Intense and Emotional Coming-of-Age Story [AniTAY]
“Welcome to the Ballroom at first appears to be a fairly standard sports coming of age story with a dab of romance, but what differentiates it is the utter intensity with which it portrays ballroom dancing. Far from being a casual hobby for the teenagers in this story, ballroom dancing is their singular pursuit as they practice their craft with a formidable intensity. The story takes a respectful tone, never cheapening achievement in the sport as Fujita slowly learns the ropes. However, it is wonderful to see how Fujita slowly finds himself in the thrill of the competition, and the intensity and preparation required to succeed in the sport is compellingly conveyed in his journey. We see incredible triumph, and crushing defeat, showing the whole range of emotions that perfectly complement the sheer intensity the story, and the art manages to convey this as well through dance. Trust me, I would never have thought that I would be writing this about ballroom dancing of all things, but this series won me over for those reasons.”
If you enjoyed Yuri!!! on Ice, this should be your jam. Lots of fun. And the music and animation are phenomenal. Worth finding and watching.
posted by Fizz at 4:35 PM on August 30, 2017
posted by Fizz at 4:35 PM on August 30, 2017
@Sokka shot first, I just made a high pitched squealing sound of joy upon reading your comment!! :)
I've only watched the anime thus far but I plan on picking up the Manga soon, probably once the first season has finished. I'll be MeMailing you later with some spoilery-commentary. I really love this series.
posted by Fizz at 4:42 PM on August 30, 2017
I've only watched the anime thus far but I plan on picking up the Manga soon, probably once the first season has finished. I'll be MeMailing you later with some spoilery-commentary. I really love this series.
posted by Fizz at 4:42 PM on August 30, 2017
I love ballroom dancing. This sounds great! Thanks.
posted by MovableBookLady at 4:42 PM on August 30, 2017
posted by MovableBookLady at 4:42 PM on August 30, 2017
Oh my god. As a former ballroom dancer, I so need this in my life.
posted by tobascodagama at 5:00 PM on August 30, 2017
posted by tobascodagama at 5:00 PM on August 30, 2017
It's Anime Strike, not regular Prime, which is a bit of an extra pain. The art style for this struck me as so weird at first, but grew on me pretty fast. I watched the first couple episodes then didn't get around to more immediately, but I'm meaning to go back and pick up a bit more of it soon. It lacked some of the queer appeal of Yuri on Ice, but apparently now and then The Straights are still intriguing.
posted by Sequence at 5:02 PM on August 30, 2017
posted by Sequence at 5:02 PM on August 30, 2017
@tobascodagama, it's been annoying me that this isn't as popular as Yuri was. It has a similar kind of vibe and I feel like more people need to be watching it. That being said, it isn't exactly like Yuri, it is not a yaoi-genre.
But it has its romance, soap-opera intrigue and it's filled with beautiful men and women in fancy clothing and the animation/music, it's so beautiful, it's hard to describe. I'm just rambling now. Just watch it.
posted by Fizz at 5:04 PM on August 30, 2017
But it has its romance, soap-opera intrigue and it's filled with beautiful men and women in fancy clothing and the animation/music, it's so beautiful, it's hard to describe. I'm just rambling now. Just watch it.
posted by Fizz at 5:04 PM on August 30, 2017
Somewhere in the same area, Shall We Dance (trailer), a cute Japanese movie from 1996, is on Youtube.
posted by carter at 5:30 PM on August 30, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by carter at 5:30 PM on August 30, 2017 [4 favorites]
That being said, it isn't exactly like Yuri, it is not a yaoi-genre.
TBF, I don't think it's possible to underrate how big a factor the yaoi angle is in Yuri's popularity.
Also, ballroom dancing -- some of the faster Latin styles aside, maybe? -- still has a smack of old-timey sexism and heteronormativity in a way that figure skating -- even couple's skating -- doesn't really? I'm sure a lot of folks who like Yuri are put off a bit by that.
posted by tobascodagama at 6:06 PM on August 30, 2017
TBF, I don't think it's possible to underrate how big a factor the yaoi angle is in Yuri's popularity.
Also, ballroom dancing -- some of the faster Latin styles aside, maybe? -- still has a smack of old-timey sexism and heteronormativity in a way that figure skating -- even couple's skating -- doesn't really? I'm sure a lot of folks who like Yuri are put off a bit by that.
posted by tobascodagama at 6:06 PM on August 30, 2017
A very fair point @tobascodagama. Thanks for the clarification.
posted by Fizz at 6:08 PM on August 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Fizz at 6:08 PM on August 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
It has a similar kind of vibe and I feel like more people need to be watching it.
Blame Amazon picking it up and hiding it behind the double Prime/Strike paywall in the US. (One of the few times living outside the US is an advantage for watching anime).
Though I also think it's just not as good as Yuri on Ice was. Most of the dancing is shown as stills, rather than fully animated, it is more 'anime' in its plot (newbie is forced to stand in for a pro dancer at a major competition frex) and there's no real romance, gay or otherwise.
The manga though is amazing and should be read by everybody even if it is published by Kodansha and therefore twice as expensive as any other manga. At least it keeps a fellow MeFite gainfully employed.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:06 PM on August 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Blame Amazon picking it up and hiding it behind the double Prime/Strike paywall in the US. (One of the few times living outside the US is an advantage for watching anime).
Though I also think it's just not as good as Yuri on Ice was. Most of the dancing is shown as stills, rather than fully animated, it is more 'anime' in its plot (newbie is forced to stand in for a pro dancer at a major competition frex) and there's no real romance, gay or otherwise.
The manga though is amazing and should be read by everybody even if it is published by Kodansha and therefore twice as expensive as any other manga. At least it keeps a fellow MeFite gainfully employed.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:06 PM on August 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Somewhere in the same area, Shall We Dance, a cute Japanese movie from 1996, is on Youtube.
And it features Blackpool! Watching a film where Japanese dancers speak in awed tones about Blackpool (a rather faded old northern seaside resort in the UK) was strange and a good reminder about how people can see places very differently depending on context.
posted by BinaryApe at 11:56 PM on August 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
And it features Blackpool! Watching a film where Japanese dancers speak in awed tones about Blackpool (a rather faded old northern seaside resort in the UK) was strange and a good reminder about how people can see places very differently depending on context.
posted by BinaryApe at 11:56 PM on August 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Just swinging by to gripe about art as competition. Dance is poetry in motion, the momentary swipe of a paint stroke in the air, music for the eyes. But folks get all interested if it's who does the biggest jete or most spins or wildest kick. Brings em in, builds excitement, get's the crowd cheering, debases the true spirit, er sorry, grouchy gotta go do some plié's.
posted by sammyo at 4:14 AM on August 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 4:14 AM on August 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
But folks get all interested if it's who does the biggest jete or most spins or wildest kick
There's a video of a tango competition, where the woman is determined to do the sharpest head turn to profile. She snaps her head around so fast she knocks herself out cold.
posted by StickyCarpet at 6:15 AM on August 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
There's a video of a tango competition, where the woman is determined to do the sharpest head turn to profile. She snaps her head around so fast she knocks herself out cold.
posted by StickyCarpet at 6:15 AM on August 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
LOL! Oh, thanks StickyCarpet, best full on belly laugh out loud post ever, wow can not make this stuff up, art/life is wackier!
posted by sammyo at 6:42 AM on August 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 6:42 AM on August 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just swinging by to gripe about art as competition.
I feel like this is a legit question for actual real life, but one of the things I like about sports anime and other things in that general vein is that kind of competition is real, but also so low-stakes. When I'm looking for escapism, I like escapism in which people really have something they're fighting for, but at the same time, nobody's going to die or have their lives completely ruined. Non-competitive art purely for the sake of art doesn't leave you with much of a plot for a show.
posted by Sequence at 9:43 AM on August 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
I feel like this is a legit question for actual real life, but one of the things I like about sports anime and other things in that general vein is that kind of competition is real, but also so low-stakes. When I'm looking for escapism, I like escapism in which people really have something they're fighting for, but at the same time, nobody's going to die or have their lives completely ruined. Non-competitive art purely for the sake of art doesn't leave you with much of a plot for a show.
posted by Sequence at 9:43 AM on August 31, 2017 [2 favorites]
« Older FOUND PERSONS | Benevolence Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Fizz at 4:30 PM on August 30, 2017 [2 favorites]