REVIEW: ‘The World is Dancing’ Episode 1 – “Why Do People Dance?”

Produced by Cypic, the studio that brought us the excellent The Summer Hikaru Died, it should come as little surprise that The World is Dancing Episode 1 disarms you. And yet, here we are, disarmed. In part because that link of studios wasn’t as apparent, and the release has been somewhat unceremoniously dumped at the end of June, rather than premiering with the rest of the deluge of new summer anime series. But also because, while the entire premiere of “Why Do People Dance?” is well-crafted with superb storyboarding and animation, there’s a singular sequence that absolutely wrenches your breath from your chest. 

And this is why animation is such a delightful medium. Because even when we presume to know what a series is going to deliver, there’s this stratospheric ability to shock you. Between the explosive, jaw-dropping animation that captures the euphoria of endurance testing as your body expresses your innermost desires and your threshold of pain, and the mini-movie that is the OP, which encapsulates the totality of a lived experience in 90 seconds, The World is Dancing Episode 1 establishes itself as a must-watch series. 

Sure, there’s a chance that the quality dips after the premiere. But again, look no further than The Summer Hikaru Died, which wasn’t just a faithful adaptation but an adaptation that took liberties with the pacing of the source material to elevate it to its greatest animated potential. 

The World is Dancing introduces our protagonist, Oniyasha, who questions the art of dance.

Based on the manga series written and illustrated by Kazuto Mihara, The World is Dancing introduces us to the 11-year-old, Oniyasha (Yumiri Hanamori). Based on the real life of Oniyasha, who would go on to be known as Zeami Motokiyo, an actor and playwright pivotal in advancing Noh (classical Japanese dance-drama). Taking place in the Muromachi period in 1374, we watch as Oniyasha meanders through his days, unaffected by the art of dance surrounding him. 

This is largely due, at first, to his own childhood naivety. Birds can fly because their bones are light. Horses are fast because of their thin, strong legs. These are physical attributes that make it clear to him why a being is as it is. However, he doesn’t believe that dance, as done by his father, Kan’ami (Katsuyuki Konishi), is natural to humans. He doesn’t understand the appeal, often bereft even on stage as his father performs. 

The World is Dancing Episode 1 delights in marrying historical context and art forms with the energetic kineticism of modern animation. The tone shifts from scene to scene, from languishing in fields of molten hues to coming-of-age, light-on-its-feet humor when Oniyasha visits with his friend, Kogane (Maaya Uchida).

And yet, like the development of the art form at its center, it never feels like whiplash. Instead, it captures the magnitude of the world through the eyes of an adolescent who is trying to understand the motives of those around him and who finds the most freedom in the company of friends. 

The premiere, “Why Do People Dance?” plays with style and tone. 

It’s just one of many face value similarities between it and the series The Elusive Samurai. Both take place during parts of the Muromachi period. Both are based on the real lives of notable history shakers. Given the time and era, and their similar ages, both protagonists wear outfits that seem identical.

There’s even the whisper of the same kind of chaotic energy that flows throughout both. But while The Elusive Samurai found that freedom of expression through bloodshed, The World is Dancing Episode 1 suggests a more refined, artful means of finding that same sense of airborne escape. 

The historical touchpoints are fascinating, especially in how they show the progression from Kan’ami’s Sarugaku troupe to Noh theater. We see it in how Sarugaku, in Oniyasha’s eyes, is awkward, with stilted movements and an apathetic disposition. And still, Oniyasha mopes over the fact that his father believes he can’t dance. Because it’s meant to be unifying art, one that builds on a need for hope and cultural preservation.

The story transforms and becomes a must-see due to a cathartic, central performance. 

It allows people like his friend, Ishiya (Shimba Tsuchiya), to participate despite a leg condition that keeps him from dancing. Dancing, in this world and in any other, is a means to process the enormity of our emotions, be it the suffering of an entire group or the joy of expression and art itself. 

This is best depicted in the climactic moment of The World is Dancing Episode 1. By chance, he witnessed the emotional, ferocious, solitary performance by a shirabyoshi. And this is where The World is Dancing transforms from a solid exploration of a moment in time with expressive animation and charismatic character acting into a tour de force deconstruction of one medium that highlights the vivacious, spellbinding nature of another. As Oniyasha’s eyes become transfixed on the dancer, his world ripples and reforms. 

The physicality of the dancing maintains its form and sense of musculature while the animation itself all but drips from the screen, becoming a flurry of desperate motions. This isn’t a performance for mere preservation, but an act of catharsis. For what, we don’t know.

The World is Dancing Episode 1 is immediately confident, refusing to let us look away.

But it hardly matters, as the sequence reverberates with the desire to leap out of one’s skin, an effort to express what can’t be articulated in words. It’s a gorgeous, haunting display that makes Oniyasha’s pivot all the more telling. Because of this, depicted in under two minutes, is why people dance. To say what words can’t. 

In an abbreviated tag, we learn that Oniyasha decides to adopt the dance style he witnessed, becoming a popular actor and dancer because of that influence. “Why Do People Dance” ends on a note of suspended curiosity. Both for the story itself and where it goes now that so much of the premise is established, the main crux of our protagonist’s inner dilemma is set into motion. But also, for the nature of the art form and its limitless possibilities. 

This may be the series at its peak. Regardless, The World is Dancing Episode 1 is a thunderous premiere anchored by a scene of such vivid artistry that it’s impossible to tear your eyes away. Art about the process of making art is hardly new. And yet, Cypic delivers such a gorgeous rendition of this familiar tune that it begs viewers to return and see how our expectations might be challenged next. For each clumsy transition and flighty personality quirk, the series shows tremendous confidence worth investing in. 

The World is Dancing Episode 1 is streaming now on HiDive.