The World Is Dancing

Episode 9

Upon reflection, I think “Concealed Feelings” might be the first episode of The World Is Dancing that has caused my enthusiasm for the series to slip. Yes, there was the debacle of the missing subtitles from a couple of weeks ago, but even the flaws of that episode that weren't directly caused by weird licensing issues or technical delays could be hand-waved easily enough. Most anime have a lesser episode here and there, but the overall product remains the same. “Concealed Feelings” has hit me a bit different because it doesn't really have any major issues or failings that are easy to pin down (well, except for one distracting degenerate that we'll get to soon enough). Rather, I simply found myself feeling rather cold and distant about the entire experience, which suggests The World Is Dancing may be suffering from a problem that lies deeper in its roots.

I first began to feel this unease of apathy right around when everyone was gathered around to see what kind of plan Oniyasha and Zojiro might cook up now that they've decided to work together. It's the first time that we've really seen our protagonist, Zojiro, Ishiya, and Chihara all playing off of each other as allies, and the scene is filled with plenty of bickering and banter as you'd expect. All I could think of, though, was how little we've truly come to be invested in these characters after nine whole episodes of a season. Oniyasha is doing just fine, of course, but all of the supporting characters that should be fleshing out this story feel like they're missing…I don't know, some specific spark of personality. Chiharu is fun but increasingly one-note, and even with her deciding to improve her literacy, it doesn't look like we're going to pick up the pace of her development anytime soon. Ishiya, meanwhile, I almost feel bad for criticizing, since the kid is clearly doing his best to serve Oniyasha's needs. I have to be honest, though: If it weren't for my notes from previous episodes, I would have a hard time even remembering Ishiya's name.

To be clear, I know that there is still plenty of opportunity for these characters to grow and prove themselves, even if it comes in the material that won't be adapted by this anime, but the reason I'm harping on the somewhat thin character development right now is because a table-setting episode like “Concealed Feelings” relies on the strength of its cast and it's more subtle writing skills to be properly entertaining. As is, the only way I can describe the first half of this episode is that it was frankly a bit boring. My biggest fear right now is that this sense of underlying dullness may spread to affect the remaining episodes of the show, regardless of how well-intentioned and earnest they may be.

Unfortunately, I cannot describe the proper introduction of Yoshimoto, the freaky-ass old pervert that we caught a glimpse of many weeks ago. To hell with the statute of limitations. If there are any surviving descendants of Nijo Yoshimoto still kicking around in Japan, they ought to sue this show for slander and defamation. Everything about the guy's characterization just feels so wrong, and not just because we're forced to watch this sex pest suckle on a pubescent boy's fingertips. Such broad, sleazy humor feels very outside the realm of this show's usual tone, and I'm honestly not sure why The World Is Dancing has so fiercely committed to this bit when it isn't even very funny. Maybe I'm just too ignorant of the finer points of Zeami Motokiyo's biography, but even if the real-world Motokiyo and Yoshimitsu had a relationship that crossed the boundaries of mentor and protege, is this really the best way to go about including it in The World Is Dancing's story?

To top it all off, we even have another instance of the subtitles getting botched at the end of the episode. Granted, nothing about the scant couple of bars of this new piece that Chiharu and Ishiya sing feels so critical to the narrative as “Komachi at the Gravepost,” but I remain irritated on principle. If anything, what really irked me was that, after complaining before that we were robbed of getting to see the creative process that brought Oniyasha to his success, I got exactly what I asked for this time around, and I just feel disappointed. Those first few episodes of The World Is Dancing contained such infectious, fiery passion, but I am wondering if the flame of this anime's candle is beginning to flicker out already, and with so much of its story left to tell.

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.