English Dub Review: The World Is Dancing “You Have a Body”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Fascinated by the woman’s haunting performance, Oniyasha seeks her out and requests to watch her dance again.

Our Take:
Apparently, the only thing that’s able to ignite Oniyasha’s knowledge of dance is watching the shirabyoshi perform it.  As a result, he ends up seeking her guidance on what makes a dance “good”.  Based on the first episode, I can easily admit that the animation for the dance sequences has been surprisingly impressive so far.  It’s not just the smooth choreography, but also the distinct art style, with the shirabyoshi’s dance expressing her misery from poverty.  As for the story, it undoubtedly has some tropes we’re familiar with, especially in the biopic space, notably Oniyasha’s estranged relationship with his demanding father, Kan’ami, who seemingly cares more about the art than his own son.  From the moment he confronted Oniyasha, I can tell this character is designed to be loathed by viewers for how he treats Oniyasha, even if what he did to the shirabyoshi was questionable.
If the first episode isn’t enough to convince you what a terrible father Kan’ami is, then “You Have a Body” will definitely make you want to climb onto the screen and break his legs.  With Kan’ami secretly paying the shirabyoshi and locking up Oniyasha, this is the moment I grow to hate the guy.  It’s fine that he admires the passion of dance, but using it to treat his own son harshly is where I draw the line.  “You Have a Body” did a good job of showing the heartache in this father/son relationship and Oniyasha’s consequences for his unintentionally selfish actions.  However, I feel like Kan’ami’s strictness towards Oniyasha will become too frustrating to the point of him being beyond redemption.  Hopefully, that won’t be the case in later episodes since this is a solid continuation that emphasized the show’s themes through its presentation.