The World Is Dancing

Episode 5

It's a nearly universal law of anime storytelling: If a hero must rise above their own limitations and transcend to the next level of greatness, they will inevitably encounter a rival who pushes them to become better and stronger than they ever thought possible. Oniyasha has been given the sacred mission of uniting Japan with the power of art, and the kid isn't even old enough to order off the Big Boy menu at Applebee's, so he's going to have plenty of transcending that needs doing. As it so happens, this week's episode of The World Is Dancing introduces Oniyasha to a lesser-known but equally fundamental law of nature: No rival in this universe will inspire more terror and tension than a pissed-off theater kid.

Oniyasha is not the only performer recruited by Lord Yoshimitsu. The Shinza troupe of Dengaku performers has been on the shogun's retainer for years, and among them is Chiharu, an ambitious young dancer who is determined to become the protege of Yoshimitsu's charming wife, Nariko. So, naturally, when Nariko ends up cooing over Oniyasha and Ishiya for being literate enough to appreciate poetry, it can only mean war. Here, we have a couple of interesting new developments for Oniyasha's story. For one, Chihiro makes for a good foil and a compelling rival, and her petty, childish anger over Oniyasha being spoiled by Nariko is balanced by her willingness to apologize and make up for the mistake of breaking the mistress' comb. Also, Nariko is the first person to mention the wonderful potential of incorporating poetry into his theatrical dance performances. I'm sure we will want to put a massive pin in that one for later.

As an episode, “A Budding Throb” consists mostly of hijinks and table setting for Oniyasha's new status quo, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything to sink our teeth into. We get the requisite cut of stylish, abstract animation when Chiharu stumbles upon Oniyasha as he tries to find a routine to beat the Shinza troupe representative at the upcoming lion-dance-off. Sure, it's absolutely ridiculous to see our hero prancing naked through the woods and meowing like a cat, but it speaks to the kid's childlike intuition to find new fonts of inspiration in sources that are as unorthodox as they are utterly obvious.

Granted, this doesn't actually work for young Oniyasha, which is the other interesting wrinkle that the show puts into his development. He's got moxie and fresh ideas to spare, but a performer still has to think of their audience, and all of the avant-garde cat choreography in the world won't help Oniyasha find the true spirit of dance if the audience can't make sense of what the hell they're looking at. I like how the discordant music of Oniyasha's failed performance emphasizes the bewilderment of the people in the crowd who end up reacting much more favorably to Zojiro's shockingly safe and traditional show. It's as if these ancient Japanese folks just witnessed their very own Rites of Spring. While the records of history assure us that Oniyasha is fated to find success and glory eventually, it remains to be seen exactly how he will get there, which is what makes the story of The World Is Dancing such a rewarding one to follow, even when we get relatively lightweight episodes like this one.

Episode Rating:

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.

The World Is Dancing is currently streaming on HIDIVE.