English Dub Review: Wandance “Feeling”

Overview:

Wandance returns with the fifth episode, “Feeling.” As the title suggests, “Feeling” is the theme of this episode, with both Kabo and Wanda getting advice on what it means. At least, when it comes to hitting the dance floor…

Our Take:

Iori starts the episode chatting with Kabo, seemingly giving him a new mentor when it comes to dancing. The former “ghost” explains dance battles to him. Kabo seems nervous about the whole idea, but Iori actually reassures him: On, the club’s president, already knows that he’s got this “feeling.”

For her part, On, while speaking with Wanda and another club member, talks about what “feeling” means to her. As she notes, a song can make someone feel nostalgic or sad. However, as she explains, when people get upset, they don’t express their emotions with words, but what they feel reads on their bodies.

On has been such a friendly character so far, it can be tempting to think that this is just a front. Viewers get to hear On’s honest thoughts on Kabo in a quick aside: to her, at least, he doesn’t have the skills, but she believes he’ll get there someday.

Meanwhile, Kabo has an idea: he’ll challenge Iori to a dance battle. If Kabo wins, he’ll stop ghosting the club, causing Iori to think that he’s been waiting for a challenge like this. Soon, other students are taking a peek at the in-classroom dance battle, with a few even admitting they’re impressed.

The dance battle’s animation, and its segue into three dimensions, is slightly better than usual, especially Iori’s moves as he is decorated in shadows. Kabo’s dancing, on the other hand, almost makes him look like he’s about to fall to pieces. A brief clip where he’s seen dancing in the show’s usual style will also have some viewers wishing the show kept that style throughout.

That said, this might be intentional. Kabo feels intimidated and starts imagining himself underwater. The kids watching the whole scene aren’t too impressed, either. When it’s all over, one classmate even gives Iori a congratulatory fist-bump, clearly marking him the narrative winner.

In one emotional moment, Kabo tries to talk to Iori after this, even asking him how he could learn to dance like him. To himself, however, Iori admits that, while Kabo unquestionably messed up during the second round, he actually impressed him in the first round. Of course, if someone like Kabo can impress him, that means there’s someone else in the club who can really put on a show.

Kabo actually starts to become more confident in spite of this. Of course, he soon finds himself intimidated again when he tries to talk to On and gets a bit of teasing from her friends.

The episode is really great study-in-contrast. Viewers would expect parallel stories between Kabo and Wanda. However, they actually get to see him play off three different characters: Iori, On, and, in the final act, Wanda.

Another impressive aspect about the episode is that it references quite a bit of pop culture. On admits that Ne-Yo inspired her to become a dancer and Wanda admits to being a fan of “MJ.” She even gets a DVD of his dance moves for her and Kabo to watch together. The series has brought up real pop culture before, such as the memetic “Scatman” in the first episode, and it is always a welcome surprise to see more. After all, references to the real world just make any series seem relatable.

The episode can be introspective at times, often looking into what the characters are thinking. Of course, the scene with On’s friends also gives the series one of its funniest moments so far.

On a brief aside, On notes that, in his everyday life, Iori is actually pretty nerdy and is something of an anime otaku. Fans always like to see a bit of themselves in anime, so let’s certainly hope that this isn’t just some one-off joke.