I think it’s technically fair to classify this as a sports anime since competitive dance is a sport in a sense. The best sports anime to me are those where the MCs journey feels believable. It’s not just a straight shot to the top, but one where they face adversity, two steps forward, one step back. Improvement at your craft is rarely a straight line, it’s full of ups and downs and setbacks and requires you to stay focused and committed. Seeing Kabo go from having basically no experience in organized dance to one of the best in his age category feels satisfying because we get to see him putting the work in, having success, failing, learning from those failures and growing as a dancer. The connections he makes enable him to improve and see things from others’ perspectives, picking up on various techniques from the people he comes across. Kabo in general feels like an MC you want to root for. The way he uses dance to help him deal with his speech impediment and express himself in a way he’s always wanted to is really cool as well. I love a good underdog story and this ticks all my boxes.
Kabo’s relationship with Wanda is another big thing for me. Wanda is such a cool and beautiful character, but the way she develops this rapport on and off the dance floor with Kabo is really heartwarming. She is someone who seemingly has everything going for her and he’s the shy awkward kid with a stutter, but she ends up learning just as much from Kabo as he does from her, not to mention all the encouragement and inspiration he ends up giving her just by leading with his example. As dance partners, you can see them unlocking each other’s full potential in several performances throughout the season. “Soulmates” is kind of cliche, but it really does feel like these two were born to meet and dance with each other. Being around each other is the only time they’re ever truly 100 percent comfortable and able to be themselves. There’s obvious romantic undertones, but the show doesn’t prioritize that. For now, the biggest thing is seeing them both improve as dancers and as individuals during this pivotal moment in their lives. PLUS, Wanda is one of the most beautiful characters of the year. I will miss her.
The elephant in the room is again the CGI. It’s awful and it’s very apparent. Around episode 3-4 I just started getting used to it so it didn’t faze me as much, but there’s a few scenes even later on where I kept thinking “there’s no way madhouse did this” and apparently I’m right, because they did outsource the 3DCGI. It’s really a shame that a series so heavily reliant on CGI for its subject matter couldn’t get halfway decent CGI. The 2D art looks great, I love the art style, it’s so bright and full of life, the 2D direction is good, the voice acting is good, the music bangs, although a few songs were reused to DEATH, generally speaking the OST slaps. It’s really a solid show other than the CGI and that’s why the score is what it is.
Even with the technical issues, the positives far outweigh the negatives with Wandance for me. I had a blast watching this show and enjoyed learning about dance fundamentals and the level of completion within the medium. It was an eye opening inspirational journey. It’s never too late to pick up a new hobby or challenge yourself to apply a new skill. I’ll be rooting for Kabo for as long as this series goes on and can’t wait to start reading the manga. I’m also looking forward to the live action adaptation which should be PERFECT for this series. Wanda, you’ll always be famous too.
Wandance gets 8 out of 10
