When I covered the first two episodes of The World Is Dancing for this summer’s Preview Guide, I was absolutely blown away by the show’s unity of character, theme, and visual execution. Here we have the fictionalized biography of one of Japan’s most famous and influential playwrights, Zeami Motokiyo (aka “Oniyasha”), realized in stunning detail through a production that emphasizes vibrant colors, expressive animation, and sequences of emotional power. It is difficult to imagine a better way to tell a story about the transformative power of art and how the most impactful performances are intrinsically rooted in the resonances born of the human experience.

Oniyasha has been on a journey of discovery. His desperate attempt to understand how to truly feel the emotions and experiences necessary to create compelling art first led him to the shack of the recluse Shirabyōshi, whose private dances exploded with all of the pent up fury and sadness that comes from a lifetime of disappointment and neglect by the society she once dedicated herself to serving. As a naïve child, Oniyasha took from the Shirabyōshi’s story the lesson that great art requires the artist to suffer and reject material gains. Her art was good because she had nothing. When the woman dies alone in the dark shadows of her tiny shack, it is easy to begrudge Oniyasha this shortsighted and selfish view of her life, but I think The World Is Dancing wants us to linger in that tension on purpose. Oniyasha is a boy who has not had enough time to endure the ups and downs of life to grasp what someone like the Shirabyōshi imbues into her art. He gets a taste of it when he is forced to confront the death of this woman that he barely knew, but that won’t be enough to shape him into an artist who can genuinely express the complexities of the human experience in his work.

This third episode begins on a decidedly odd note, wherein a traveling nobleman sees Oniyasha performing on the street and responds with what can only be described as an orgiastic breakdown. The World Is Dancing has made a habit of blending over-the-top cartoon gags with its more naturalistic storytelling, and while I’m not entirely sure this moment lands, at least the creepy old man’s interest in Oniyasha lands the troupe a new job. It is, in fact, an incredibly prestigious opportunity to perform the classic Okina for the shogun himself. What’s more, Oniyasha has been chosen by his father to perform the Senzai dance. Talk about cranking up the pressure.

Naturally, Oniyasha starts to crack and runs off, which leads him to that mysterious white-haired man who originally pointed him in the direction of the Shirabyōshi. This time, he leads Oniyasha to a local village where another stranger, Yoshimitsu, explains that the townsfolk are putting on a theatrical display of pantomimed sex meant to serve as a rice harvesting ritual. The episode’s showcase of lush, fluid animation comes when Oniyasha draws a connection between human procreation and the sustenance of that holy grain, a lovely sequence, though not as immediately inspiring as the Shirabyōshi’s performances.

While it is compelling to have Oniyasha find the spark of inspiration by learning a little about the birds and the bees, there’s only so much that the kid can (or should) learn from watching two actors pretending to go at it from a hundred yards away. Even Yoshimitsu acknowledges that, while the boy is nothing if not enthusiastic, Oniuasha is not what he was looking for. Not yet, at least. If that name sounds familiar, by the way, well, it means you’re either a fan of Muromachi-era Japanese history or you just know who the best Tekken character is (aside from King, of course).

The more interesting drama comes at the end of the episode when Junigoro, the troupe’s kotsuzumi player, takes out his frustrations on Oniyasha’s lackadaisical attitude by pounding the snot out of the boy until Samanosuke comes to calm him down and prevent any further damage from being done. Junigori makes for an interesting foil to Oniyasha, since the war orphan seems to know (and be affected by) more of life’s troubles than the young son of Kan’nami. The recurring theme of understanding the self, even when it comes to the painful parts, comes back around when Samanosuke reminds Junigoro that “Those who know their own shame become strong.” Even if “You Have Your Own Sense of ‘Good’” didn’t reach the same emotional peaks as those first two episodes, the show is clearly still using its keen characterization and expression to tell some fascinating stories.

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James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.

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