Subaru

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Dance! Subaru

Japanese: 昴 -すばる-

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 11

Chapters: 123

Status: Finished

Published: Dec 13, 1999 to Nov 2, 2002

Genre: Drama

Themes: Performing Arts, Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Big Comic Spirits

Authors: Soda, Masahito (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.91¹ (scored by 1,726 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #957²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #3453

Members: 6,270

Favorites: 108

Resources

Wikipedia

7.91

Ranked #957Popularity #3453Members 6,270

MangaBig Comic SpiritsSoda, Masahito (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /11

Chapters: /123

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Synopsis

A small five-year-old girl named Subaru no longer has time for friends and play. Why is this? Her twin brother Kazuma is dying...and gradually forgetting everything. Even Subaru. And so the girl visits him every day, talking with him and dancing for him, trying to make him remember her. And he always does by the end of the day. Encouraged by a friend to join ballet classes, the girl does so and falls in love with the dance.

(Source: Aerie Scans)

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Background

Subaru was adapted as a live-action film in 2009.

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Miyamoto, Subaru

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Jasper, Zack

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Kureha, Mana

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Hibino, Isuzu

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Singh, Alexander

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Gorky, Ivan

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Kureha, Mako

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Sunohara, Takako

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Miyamoto, Kazuma

Supporting

von Rolle, Katya

Supporting

Reviews

Mar 16, 2011

KayeChii

Recommended

I'm amazed there is only one review for this series!

It's march break, and i have been going through series like mad, and stumbled on this. And wow, am i ever glad i did! This series made me cry, throw things at the wall and smile, and i enjoyed every minute of it. This is a series with so many messages, i think it should be a must read on everyone's list.

Story-9/10. The story is amazing, flows well and draws you in. You get hooked on what will happen next, and it's never what you expect. The only reason it's not a 10/10 is because the ...

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Sep 29, 2012

tlne

Recommended

A little girl can only communicate to her dying brother through dance.
Surprisingly powerful and enjoyable: this is Dance! Subaru.

I don’t know why, but I had this preconceived idea about Dance! Subaru. Maybe it was the fact it was a sports seinen, or that it’s cover art appeared to be very old, or even because it was about a girly sport called ‘ballet’. So imagine my surprise after I finished the first chapter: I did not expect it to be like this. It wasn’t just about ballet. It was about artistic expression with the body as a medium. Chapter after chapter, I soon found that I ... wasn’t just trudging through it for my own experience --I was hooked.

The story begins with a heartbreaking tragedy, showing you that Dance! Subaru is going to be one hell of a ride. The chapters literally fly by; the pacing and plot were just so intriguing! After one mini-arc finishes, there is nothing stopping you from immediately starting the next one. It stays on track, and it has a purpose. This story is about human expression, but it is also about metaphysics and transcending the nature of dance. It was extremely powerful, and in the way it was narrated captured the essence perfectly.

This manga isn't going to be about some prodigy Mary-Sue making her way to the top. In fact, Subaru is such an interesting character. She’s a bitch, she’s a narcissist, she’s antisocial... she could even be called arrogant. I wouldn't want to be her friend. In fact, Subaru doesn't even make it to the top in this manga; she only has a purpose: to express all she can through dance, and bring the audience with her into the “other side”. Concerning the support characters: at first, the mangaka scrapped them here and there to advance the story, but I really appreciated it when they were brought back for further development. They never fall into stereotypical cliches. All of them are unique with their own purposes (maybe some admire Subaru, some want to use her, and maybe even some like her --which I doubt, because Subaru isn’t very likable). In this story, the character development of Subaru was the strongest point.

The setting in Dance! Subaru isn't static --meaning that it constantly changes. It doesn't really bring the whole story together, but it doesn't weigh it down either. However, during the most important moments (which are on stage) you know exactly where the characters are, and what kind of atmosphere they are in.

In fact, the whole atmosphere of Dance! Subaru is nice and airy, probably because of the sketchy lines and big eyes. During it’s more powerful moments, those sketchy lines are exaggerated, hard, thick, and really pronounce the atmosphere. So if you couldn’t notice: the atmosphere of Dance! Subaru is really dependent on it’s setting and art.

To sum it all up, Dance! Subaru was a great read with some powerful moments. It’s creativity was extremely high (who has ever read a compelling, palpable ballet manga?) that literally went far beyond all expectations. I would have reached a 9.0, or maybe even higher if it wasn’t for one thing: the ending. While it wasn’t bad (it was actually kind of interesting), it was really sloppy, with no planning whatsoever. It really butchered the greatness this manga achieved, probably the biggest disappointment ever. That brought my final scoring to an 8.0, a fair enough rating for this.

You really get absorbed into this story, and like dance, it’s all up to interpretation. If you get absorbed into it too much, you’ll definitely take something with you once it’s finished.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

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Aug 8, 2024

Mo_justexisting

Mixed Feelings

I read this after finishing another ballet manga and it was a good story to pass the time. It of course has its problems like some of Subaru's choices can be repetitive at times but I always wanted to know what she'd do afterwards. The art is nice, it's always a joy to see her dance so passionately, watching her improve her weaknesses are enjoyable.
Rivalries are great as they feature someone with a different attitude towards ballet than the main character Subaru. As many other reviews said the ending and the short last arc is pretty weird and bad but the story continues in ...

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Poll: Dance! Subaru Chapter 123 Discussion TeARsFade - Nov 24, 2010	7 replies	by EGOIST »» Jun 29, 2023 2:38 AM
Poll: Dance! Subaru Chapter 86 Discussion jacobpaige - Apr 24, 2010	3 replies	by adriannrod »» Oct 16, 2010 12:24 PM
Poll: Dance! Subaru Chapter 82 Discussion jacobpaige - Apr 9, 2010	0 replies	by jacobpaige »» Apr 9, 2010 4:40 PM
Poll: Dance! Subaru Chapter 81 Discussion jacobpaige - Apr 9, 2010	0 replies	by jacobpaige »» Apr 9, 2010 4:38 PM
Poll: Dance! Subaru Chapter 78 Discussion jacobpaige - Apr 9, 2010	0 replies	by jacobpaige »» Apr 9, 2010 11:16 AM

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