English Dub Review: The World Is Dancing “Differing Scales of Progress”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
As the Kanze Troupe takes the stage at Imakumano, Oninyasha gains a new perspective on both his father and the shogun.

Our Take:
There’s a lot to learn about what it means to perform a “good” dance, but thanks to Inuo’s advice, one thing that matters is one’s own form.  That alone pushes Oniyasha to create his own type of performance, especially since he’s part of the Okina performance.  But even with that, a lot is still riding on the performance being perfect, leading Oniyasha to learn from the troupe’s elder that he should dance within his own limits and knowledge.  This moment also serves as a key lesson across many forms of media and performance, whether in art, acting, or, in this case, dance.  Even though striving for perfection is difficult, sometimes it’s best to limit what we can do with our own bodies, drawing attention to Sarugaku’s incompletion.
This episode is also where we start to see the friendship between Oniyasha and the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu blossom, with the latter seeing Oniyasha’s potential to heal the world of war.  I neglected to mention that the previous episode is when Oniyasha first encountered Yoshimitsu as they examined the rice-planting ritual.  I guess I was so busy laughing at how Oniyasha first learned about sex that I completely forgot about it.  But I did mention earlier that Oniyasha’s friendship with Yoshimitsu could play a role in the season, and it looks like “Differing Scales of Progress” proves that.  However, the anime seems to portray Yoshimitsu as childish beneath his usual shogun persona.  Thankfully, it isn’t annoying, though that may change as we delve further into this blossoming friendship.  It also continues to highlight its decent animation for the dance choreography, notably the Okina performance, which I agree is worthy of the shogun’s attention.