I was mostly just desperate to find a new sports anime when I found Welcome to the Ballroom, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.
Story: 7/10
In terms of storyline, this show followed the stereotypical sports anime plot. Someone who is not the best at the sport finds their unique talent, which allows them to flourish and amaze everyone around them. The season was basically split into two arcs, changing to the new arc at episode 12. I definitely enjoyed the first half more than the second. You really got to watch the main character, Fujita, come to understand himself and the world of dance. It was
...
adorable watching him be so passionate about something, but in a realistic war. The second half definitely felt a little more rushed. I feel like I didn't get to understand the new characters all that well, and I was uninterested in the ones that were given a background. You could definitely tell the first half was for character development, and the second half was to show the growth in dance, both on the floor and behind the scenes. I won't spoil competition results, but I must mention they felt very skewed to me. You wouldn't expect the results that come based off of the reactions of viewers. And while the audience is not the same as the judges, I feel like they should give a better insight to how the competition is going in general, but they felt generally unrelated.
Art: 7/10
The artists for this show definitely knew what would be catchy to the eyes. While the characters were dancing, there was a nice fluidity to their movements. And the dresses during competitions flowed beautifully with motion. But in the end, I will only give it a 7 because I felt most of the beautiful art was just meant to be show. Like how a real dancer wears beautiful clothing to accentuate their dance, it does not mean much when the art itself is not that amazing. What really drew down my score for the art in this show was the way they drew the body. One of the major things they emphasize in this show is posture, and the posture was God awful throughout the entire show. I am not sure how much the artists knew about proper posturing, but most of the time the characters were arching back, which is the complete opposite of slouching forward. There is a common misconception that this is better posturing, but it demonstrates equally poor form. The body proportions were also a little too off for me during some dances. The characters limbs were all ridiculously slim and long. While I understand most dancers have bodies like this, even the short Fujita had surprisingly long limbs that I felt did not belong on his body. The characters also all had giraffe necks. No matter how much you stretch your neck, it really shouldn't be almost the same length as your head.
Sound: 8/10
I absolutely loved the intros to this show. Every time they came on, I wanted to get up and dance. The outros, in my opinion, were not quite as catchy, but they were very lyrical. I think it suits the show since there are quick tempo songs and slow tempo songs. Being able to have the balance is important. Even though I personally enjoy quick tempos better, I can appreciate the way the intro and outro were so cohesive to this idea. Something that is all important in the sound of a show is being able to make viewers forget there was any sound at all. And this show did a great job of that. The sounds were simple and subtle, but so well-suited for the action going on. The heel clicks, the foot steps, etc. They were subtle noises but made a world of a difference in bringing you into the dance.
Characters: 7/10
I really appreciated at round and dynamic the characters were in this show. You initially get the feeling that Fujita is a scrawny coward, but as the show progresses, you see many more facets to his personality. I would say that most of the characters in general felt well-developed and very realistic. There is a quote in the show about how you can act like you understand someone, but in the end it's only acting and you can never truly know the person. I thought it fit the show very well because you truly couldn't understand some of the characters' decisions. And yet the decisions didn't feel out-of-character for them. One thing that I struggled with was the age of the characters in the show. They're all supposed to be in late middle school or early high school, but they felt like they were late high school or older to me. Even with interactions with adults, I felt like they were at the same mental and maturity level. Which a child that age could never be, no matter how mature they are for their age. It didn't help that most of the adults treated the dancers like they were the same age. Like, a rivalry between someone out of college and a freshman in high school? The adult needs to show some restraint.
Enjoyment: 9/10
Well, I am such a sucker for a sports anime. I must admit. But this show was extremely cute. Everyone was so passionate about the sport, but not in a creepy war. Like I said before, it was realistic. Like when you have something you do out of love, not because it is the only thing that matters in the whole world. Fujitia's adorable character in the beginning, also drew me in so well. There were definitely some moments while I was watching the show were I thought, "Ah, yes. This is an older anime." I was somewhat surprised when I found out it was released in 2017. The nose bleeds and overly awkward reactions to girls is something I haven't seen in a while in the anime I watch. It gave me late 2000s ecchi vibes, but not necessarily in a lewd way.
Overall: 8/10
Mar 15, 2020
Ballroom e Youkoso
(Anime)
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I was mostly just desperate to find a new sports anime when I found Welcome to the Ballroom, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.
Story: 7/10 In terms of storyline, this show followed the stereotypical sports anime plot. Someone who is not the best at the sport finds their unique talent, which allows them to flourish and amaze everyone around them. The season was basically split into two arcs, changing to the new arc at episode 12. I definitely enjoyed the first half more than the second. You really got to watch the main character, Fujita, come to understand himself and the world of dance. It was ... 
Jan 8, 2020
Fruits Basket 1st Season
(Anime)
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Ahh, I don't usually write reviews, but this anime is close to my heart since the original run of Fruits Basket was pretty much my introduction to anime.
Story: 3/10 Honestly, I was really excited to see how this version of the anime would differ from the original run, and... wow I was so disappointed. It's like a more boring version of the same storyline. The story followed the typical pacing for most anime where the beginning is slower than the ending. The only problem is that the end of this season is still basically the introduction to the show. For god's sake, we are still meeting ... |
