The entertainment world moves fast, and The World Is Dancing ‒ Episode 9 is the latest development catching everyone's eye. From fans to industry insiders, the reaction has been immediate.
The Story So Far
Upon reflection, I think “Concealed Feelings” might be the first installment 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 installment that weren't directly caused by weird licensing issues or technical delays could be hand-waved easily enough.
Most anime have a lesser installment here and there, but the overall product remains the same. “Concealed Feelings” has successful me a bit different because it doesn't really have any significant 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 if 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 run.
Oniyasha is doing just fine, of course, but all of the supporting characters that should be fleshing out this narrative 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 be picking up the pace with 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 part development right now is because a table-setting installment 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 installment 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 surv…
What happens next is anyone's guess, but one thing is certain: this development has added a fresh chapter to an already fascinating entertainment saga. Stay tuned to TeraMovies for all the latest updates from the world of cinema.
