Episode 1 – “There’s No Way I’m Doing That Ballet Thing” – April 9, 2022
Episode Summary
When he was a boy, Jumpei Murao witnessed a breathtaking ballet recital. Afterward, he vowed to become a ballet dancer. Sadly, following the sudden death of his father, Jumpei gave up his passion to pursue more “manly” activities. Still, he sometimes can’t stop his body from moving, and these occurrences have become more frequent since Miyako Kodai transferred into his class.
To his immense shock, Miyako shows up at Jumpei’s house one day. She mentions how she has been watching Jumpei for a while because many of the “martial arts” moves he does are really ballet. Although he denies it fiercely, Miyako suspects Jumpei truly loves to dance. Therefore, she brings him to her mother’s Godai Ballet Studio.
While Miyako is giving a clearly excited Jumpei a tour, Miyako’s mother, Chizuru, arrives. Despite Miyako’s insistence, Chizuru highly doubts Jumpei has either the talent or the desire for ballet. This comment annoys Jumpei greatly, so he demonstrates what he can do. Once he finishes, Jumpei realizes what he has been doing and quickly runs off. However, Miyako and her mother were taken aback by how much talent Jumpei possesses.
Then, like fate, Jumpei continues to return to the studio for lessons. And yet, Jumpei insists that he does not care for ballet in the slightest. The blunt Chizuru calls out Jumpei’s bluff and makes him realize how much he cares for dancing.
Episode Impressions
To be fully honest with you, I’m still not sure how I feel about Dance Dance Danseur.
On the one hand, I am delighted to see that this series is nowhere near as melodramatic as I thought it would be (the art style made me feel that). Perhaps we are going to get a far more expressive story that won’t be afraid to be silly from time to time. It can still have powerful moments, but if everything were ultra-deep and serious, that would make for a rough watch.
On the other hand, I don’t have enough to go on to get a real sense of what this show will be like.
But I can say this; so far, this isn’t bad.
