English Dub Review: Wandance “The Style Wall”

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Overview:

Wandance returns with its latest episode, “The Style Wall,” which sees Kabo and Wanda meet up with Gaku and the B-Boys, all while showing off their own break-dancing moves.

Our Take:

Viewers got their first look at Gaku Kabeya during the last episode. This time, they’ll get to see his moves, as the episode opens up with him competing in a dance battle. For all the complaints about the 3D dancing animation, it seems that the series is saving it to make it count, as he quickly shows off his skills with his break-dancing style. Granted, his black face mask probably helps, since it makes him look less doll-like in the moment than the other 3D dancers.

Break-dancing becomes a big theme throughout the episode and the animation actually lends itself to it. After all, this is also the episode where Kabo and Wanda meet the B-Boys and it’s their dancing that impresses the team.

Wandance has often found creative ways to illustrate the dancing and this episode gives a new one when Kabo gets so into the music that it creates a color contrast. After all, there was only so much to be done with underwater scenes.

Funnily enough, the 3D animation might have come in handy in one scene when it wasn’t utilized. At one point, Wanda appears to fall down in the middle of a dance, only for it to be part of the steps. Having her fall down like a lifeless doll could have worked, but Wanda appears in 2D when this happens.

The episode actually hints at some ongoing themes in the series, like the contrast in styles between freestyles and dancing with a set routine. Iori values the former, comparing routine dancers to novelty dancing toys, with Gaku, and to some extent On, representing the latter. This also explains why the club contest was handled so early: it’s set up to contrast the dance battles. In fact, the episode ends with the hint that this could turn into a full-on rivalry, especially on Gaku’s end.

Another aspect of the episode done well is the music, especially with all the new break-dance music. If there is an episode of Wandance that fans want to leave on in the background, even after they watched it, this is a top contender. Just remember to watch it the first time around.