English Dub Review: The World Is Dancing “A Budding Throb”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Two rival troupes hold a competition, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.  The losing troupe must forfeit the shogun’s patronage and disband.

Our Take:
Oniyasha has gained a new friend in the form of the well-renowned shogun, who seems more active and goofy than an ordinary shogun usually is. Because Yoshimitsu saw potential in Oniyasha’s form, he let him stay at his residence, where his training will be put to the test by another dance troupe.  This group, known as the Shinza, doesn’t take Oniyasha’s presence in Yoshimitsu’s home kindly, including Chiharu, whose jealousy of Oniyasha leads to a brawl.  This incident also led the rival troupes to hold a lion dance competition to prove which dance style is superior.
This episode introduces viewers to another ceremonial form in Japanese culture: Dengaku, which has different meanings.  It serves as a musical accompaniment to rice planting rituals, and it’s also a form of dance that would eventually be overshadowed by sarugaku at the end of the Muromachi period.  But we’re not at that point yet, as the episode focuses on the troupes going head-to-head in a Japanese version of a “dance-off”.  Unsurprisingly, Oniyasha still has a long way to go, as he questions his own form amid tradition.  While Oniyasha’s cat-like dance is truly different, audiences would rather see the old ways of dance, like Zojiro’s lion dance.  However, a few people enjoyed Oniyasha’s unusual routine, such as Chiharu, so I’d say it’s a start.
“A Budding Throb” offers a solid exploration of the Dengaku through the Shinza troupe, as well as their rivalry against Oniyasha’s Kanze troupe.  More importantly, it highlights the show’s themes involving tradition, showcasing an era where people see the old ways as “perfect” while fearing something new, like Oniyasha’s dance.  However, its exaggerated slapstick gets in the way of its representation more than in previous episodes.  I wasn’t expecting the show to rely so heavily on light-hearted comedy amid the drama, given its concept as a fact-based story of Oniyasha’s coming-of-age journey.  While it may get a laugh or two from other viewers, I still find its tone a tad messy.