Welcome back everyone, to another episode of Dance Dance Danseur. This week continues Jumpei’s journey of learning what ballet really is while Luou figures out the power of friendship! Or rivalry. Unsure which yet, to be honest. Regardless, lets jump into the episode!
Starting off I want to say that this was a very good looking episode. It didn’t have any big, flashy, explosive sequences like episode 5, true. However it did have a lot of incredibly solid character acting. Especially the Russian dancer! It’s very rare that an anime describes someone as “graceful” and then the animation actually backs that up. The way this guy moved was so smooth, it’s like he was animated on 1s rather than 2s. He certainly stood out compared to everyone else, that’s for sure. On top of that the scene of everyone doing pirouettes looked great as well. Obviously not to the same degree, aside from Luou who continues to be beautiful, but good nonetheless. I especially liked the focus on posture and axis for Jumpei, who has been struggling with the basics. More than anything though, I think this episode was directed beautifully.
Lets take a look at an example.
My favorite scene from the episode was, easily, the final one of the episode where they are balancing on wooden posts in the park. United in purpose, able to distinguish them just by their feet and how stable they were, Each one of the 5 describing their dreams and aspirations, why they got into ballet, only to then fall off the post. With Luou and Jumpei being pushed off, as if to say they won’t fail because of their own actions but the actions of another. The order they fall perhaps representing the order we will see them fail out of the class, falling out of ballet entirely, until only Misaki is left standing at the end. That triumphant, knowing grin on his face. Silently confident. Will he become a villain? A tragic figure? I don’t know. But it was an absolutely stunning scene all around.
Speaking of Jumpei and Luou, I like how their friendship, or rivalry (?), continues to grow. Danseur is doing a great job on the “will they won’t they” of friendship here. Even taking what was a very standard Shounen trope, the “If you lose you have to leave” competition, and turning into an affirmation of each other. Luou wasn’t competing with Yamato or Misaki. He was competing with Jumpei. He saw how far Jumpei had progressed, how he had stepped back and focused on the basics, and was determined to show him just how far he had to go. At the same time putting Yamato and Misaki in their place with his perfect axis and spins. On top of all that though? I think this might be the first time we’ve seen Luou smile. Even at the gym, he seemed more relieved than happy. It’s like he’s finally breaking free.
And as for Jumpei? I like how far he has come, reinventing himself from the ground up. It’s not often that you see a character take a challenge like this, fighting back against Oikawa and denying her words, only to admit they were wrong and that maybe the highly skilled Oikawa knows what she is talking about. So to see that in Danseur has been a pleasant surprise. And the way the coach supports him? Giving him feedback, taking an active hand, not looking down on him just because he has only trained for 3 months? It’s great! He sees the talent, sees that Jumpei is listening, and gives just as much back as he receives. Even supporting his desire to learn the history and pointing him in the right direction. It’s like the guy is good at his job! Shocker.
Anyways, the point is that I really like what Danseur is doing with Jumpei. I said last week I wasn’t sure which direction this would go. Would Jumpei prove his natural athleticism and raw talent would be enough, striking out on his own school of ballet with Godai? Or would be see “true” ballet and be tempted by Oikawa? More and more it’s looking like the latter. Like he is only staying with Godai out of loyalty for discovering and nurturing him and not because he actually wants to learn from her. And how will Oikawa respond to this? Will she let him into the SS class, will he take first? Or will it be a joint thing with Jumpei and one other getting in? Either would fit with her mention of “poaching” them. If I had to make a prediction though? I would wager on Misaki.
That’s right, I would wager right now that Misaki and Jumpei will both get into the SS class. Why them and not Luou, why not just one? Simple: I think that Luou has more to learn from Godai about dancing emotionally, about learning to enjoy ballet and dance freely, than he does from Oikawa. And that the inverse holds true for Jumpei, who is lacking in basics, technique and more structured learning. At the same time this would help fuel Luou’s rivalry with Jumpei if Jumpei got to dance on stage while Luou was forced to watch. All the while Misaki becomes a sort of inner-school conflict for Jumpei whenever Luou is off doing his own thing. Could I be wrong? Sure. But only about Misaki. I honestly think Jumpei joining Oikawa is the only direction for his character at this point. And I like it.
So yeah, all in all I would call this another good episode of Danseur. It’s making great use of Shounen tropes while letting the Shoujo style of character development make them feel fresh and impactful. At the same time, the production isn’t slouching much at all. The CGI of episode 5 was off sure, and sometimes it keeps things simple. But even when the animation isn’t on full display the direction does a great job of making up for it. And when the animation is on? Well its just beautiful. Basically what I’m saying is that, after 7 episodes, I would be very surprised for anything to top Danseur as my Anime of the Season. I absolutely cannot wait to see how it ends.
