An emotional finale cements it as a hidden spring 2022 gem
The following article contains spoilers for Dance Dance Dancer Episode 11, “Oh, I Think I Love Classical Ballet,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Studio MAPPA shook the anime world when Yuri!!! on the ice was released in 2016, and it can definitely be said that the studio was no wonder when it came to sports anime. With stunning animation, intricate character arcs, and a balanced exploration of ballet that explains the sport without getting too technical, Dance Dance Dancer may have been eclipsed by Spy x Family and Kaguya-sama: Love is war but deserves just as much attention and praise, with a finale that concluded the story with a perfect arc.
With Mori Luou unstable and alone in a country where he is not fluent in the language, and Murao Jumpei and Godai Miyako desperately pursuing him, the last two episodes were crucial to see if Dance Dance Dancer would live up to its potential. Themes of toxic masculinity are present throughout the show as Jumpei tries to decide between what he is supposed to love and what he actually loves, and the Godai family drama which deals with extreme child abuse. ties into Jumpei’s arc in unexpected ways, making him a surprisingly nuanced protagonist. Although the series seems set to have Jumpei and Luou as rivals, Jumpei’s fervent desire to rescue Luou from her tragic past elevates the series beyond childish love triangles to a place where the characters truly care for each other. others above their own desires, making their fate eventual. feel won.
The final episode is packed with beautifully animated dances from both Luou and Jumpei, and done in subtly different ways to focus on what this character needs for a completed character arc. More specifically, they need to learn from each other and take each other’s place. Luou’s dance is full of emotion, splashing in the ocean near her grandmother’s nursing home, letting loose and demanding for her to see him as an individual as he shows her a frantic ballet a far cry from anything she pierced him with as a child. It’s like Jumpei dancing in the halls or during their production of Swan Lake: uninhibited.
Luou dances as Rothbart, claiming a “mass of hatred that exists for no reason”, before taking her grandmother’s shawl and asking for wings, eventually smiling as she plays. It’s not a mass of hate, just a boy who wants to be seen as he is. When he finally breaks down, it is to the applause of his grandmother and her family who run to him and promise that they will stay together. It is only after revealing her true self through this performance that Luou finds her place – a self that her grandmother taught her to repress for so long.
Jumpei, on the other hand, learned from Luou to appreciate the basics while maintaining his individuality. When he arrives to audition for the Oikawa Scholarship, he makes mistakes such as not bending his wrist enough. At one point, he even slips into the water on the ground and begins to invent the choreography from various videos he has watched. However, it is not the Jumpei of the Swan Lake performance. He loves classical ballet and wants to do more of it, and the pure love he has for what he performs manages to win over audiences.
Jumpei will cut ties with the Godai studio and work exclusively with Oikawa, while Luou and Miyako will learn at Godai. As Jumpei sacrifices being the prince of Miyako, it means he works with Oikawa Natsuki as his partner. Each character is shown as content with where they are now, with the potential to grow even more. Jumpei made his father proud, chasing his ballet dreams while being the true kind of man who would drop everything to help someone in need.
The themes of masculinity, individuality, and reclamation played out throughout the series are wrapped up perfectly with the character arcs, and the relationships between Jumpei, Luou, and Miyako reflect the confusion and intensity of being a teenager navigating such confusing feelings for the first time. The continued use of Swan Lake throughout the anime is a clever way to borrow themes from the ballet to help emphasize those same themes in the show, especially the struggle around the character of Prince Siegfried and the wizard Rothbart.
After all, in the end, Luou reconciles with himself by accepting the role of Rothbart, while Jumpei succeeds by incorporating the role of the black swan, Odette, into his audition dance with Siegfried. Rothbart is the one who is able to break his own curse, and Jumpei’s role mix emphasizes his skills as a dancer who can think on his feet with an appreciation for all roles. It’s a happy ending – one that could easily continue or stay as it is. The narration, animation and soundtrack make Dance Dance Dancer stand out in the spring 2022 lineup and possibly one of the best sports anime in years. It’s definitely worth adding to the watchlist, and any sports anime from MAPPA in the future will be highly anticipated.