Let's Dance a Waltz, Vol. 1

ワルツのお時間 [Waltz no Ojikan] #1

by Natsumi Andō

DESTINED TO DANCE

Homely and shy, Himé is burdened by the name her mother gave her, “Princess.” Wanting nothing more than to be unnoticed and live a modest life, Himé gets a jolt of inspiration when she tries a dance class where she meets Tango. Her teacher/dance partner, Tango happens to also be her classmate at school. Unfortunately, Tango is desperate to keep his ballroom dancing a secret, believing it will ruin his cool image if anyone at school finds out. Will Tango quit teaching Himé in order to keep his secret or will he be the partner Himé believes he’s destined to be?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo, Young Adult, Comics, Graphic Novels, Contemporary

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 5, 2013

About the author

安藤なつみ, Andō Natsumi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for Zodiac P.I. as well as Kitchen Princess, for which she won the Kodansha Manga Award for children's manga in 2006.

Favorites: Donald Duck
Favourite manga: Ossu! Ichijin and Kimagure Orange Road
Favourites: meats and fruits
Hobbies: shopping, reading and watching TV

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so stinking cute!! I should have known that I was going to enjoy this because it was written by Natsumi Ando

Let's Deance a Waltz made me realize how much I would love to read more manga about dancing. I absolutely love to dance and can hold my own, but this book really captured the beauty of ballroom dancing. It focuses on two characters Hime and Tango. Hime doesn't really fit in at school and she's been having a hard time since her mom passed away. She goes to learn ballroom dancing and ends up feeling like the princess her mom always told her she would be. Unfortunately, Tango wants to keep his ability to ballroom dance and his family's business a secret from the other kids at school. This is a manga that's about friendship, love, confidence, and following your passion. I do think that Tango was quite a jerk to Hime along the way, but I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he hasn't dealt with the emotions related to his last dance partner. The artwork is absolutely beautiful especially the full spreads of the characters dancing. If you haven't heard of this manga definitely check it out.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Our society is not the beautiful world she told me about"

Meh...2.5

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As much as I wanted to like this, I have to say, "Son, I'm disappoint." I have been trying to support the little genre known as shoujo manga after Kamisama Kiss literally slapped me for being too harsh on shoujo. Shoujo is a VERY good genre, if done right.

The good: Only 3 volumes, and by the mangaka of Kitchen Princess! The art is a huge improvement from Ando's Kitchen Princess, and the design of the cover is so cute. It's shoujo, and it's not very often new series are printed. The heroine is very likable and reminded me of Tsukimi from Princess Jellyfish. There's a lot to like in this volume, especially if you don't mind very overused shoujo tropes. The dance scenes are very well done and while the pacing of the story was very quick, there is a possibility for much needed character development. Which leads me to the bad parts of this manga. The passion our protagonist has for dancing is handled well and the bullying she goes through really gets to the reader as intended. The bad however almost tips the scales. Before, I just want to say I will be continuing to purchase the rest of the series, but there were a lot of drawbacks to this first volume.

The bad: If you are looking for a great shoujo series where the female main character develops and finds a man that also changes, I am not so certain that this is that manga right now. The main love interest, Tango-in Japan, Tango would be pronounced as "Tong-go" so while it is a pun, it should not be pronounced as "Tango."-can be a jerk. He helps his family with a dance studio they own and lures in many customers because of his good looks. He places so much pride in his looks and social status that he looks down on people who are not popular, attractive, etc. In fact, he is so caught up in his reputation that he will do anything to make sure no one at school discovers his family owns a ballroom dancing studio. Because formal dancing is so uncool, YO!


While Tango is not as rude as a lot of shoujo love interests, it is annoying to see him act the way he does. Thankfully, he has had some moments to help redeem himself. Hime, our heroine, is not our stick-thin protagonist found in almost all shoujo. She's on the chubby side, is insecure about her weight, and lots of the girls bully her because they don't like how she's getting attention from Tango, who is very popular at school. It's not just the girls that bully her though, as her whole class makes fun of her. While I liked that we had a heroine that wasn't thin for once, she loses 40 lbs in two weeks by the end of the volume....that is NOT healthy.



I understand insecure feelings about weight. While I am not overweight or chubby, I am very insecure, so I could relate to Hime. However, losing 40 lbs in two weeks all for the sake of a guy is not only very depressing-seeing how rude he is to her-but harmful to your body. I don't understand what she sees in Tango to consider him a love interest so quickly! It was like Ando was trying to make a Kimi ni Todoke scenario since no one cared about Hime except for Tango. Even then, he didn't really care much. I hope, I really do, that this changes quickly. There were moments where he started to show a nicer side to Hime, and I really hope he becomes a better person soon. Since this is by Ando, I am expecting great things from this short series, but right now, I was left kind of torn as to whether or not I liked this first volume. I wanted to watch Hime lose weight in a healthy way and learn to love herself and teach Tango to man up and stop being such a jerk, but what I got was a vapid shoujo.


Being a "princess" in this shoujo meant dresses, makeup and looking cute. I understand that Japanese culture is very different to American culture, but to tackle a topic such as insecurity over one's weight, bullying, etc. was difficult to read since it was handled poorly. This is not something younger girls should read and take to heart. Being a princess or a beautiful girl or woman is not solely about your looks. It is how you handle yourself, how you treat others, and how you live your life. Looks fade as you get older, but your personality will not.

I am glad Kodansha published this as it can be seen as something to look at and talk about things such as dealing with insecurity, weight, bullying, and romance. However, it's very fast paced and riddled with shoujo tropes. Because of this, when Hime declares to the reader that she is already in love with Tango, it seems way too fast. If you are looking for a shoujo with a strong, intelligent and likable heroine and a very good story, art and VERY good romance, I recommend you check out Kamisama Kiss instead, by Julietta Suzuki. There is an anime and a manga, but I cannot recommend the manga enough.

(Edited version on my Amazon)

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. The love interest wasn't as offensive as in many shoujo boys, but I wish the heroine hadn't been so spineless. Maybe she'll develop more personality later, but I doubt I'll be around to find out.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review only for volume 1

Hime feels she doesn't live up to her name - Princess. She feels plain and chubby and largely gets ignored at school. When she comes upon a dance school, she discovers a new passion and a will to do something for herself. As it happens, her classmate Tango is the son of the dance school owner and also gives lessons. Hime and Tango have great dancing chemistry and yet he is reluctant to take her as his dance partner.

This is cute but underwhelming. Hime could make for a cute main character but I find her a little oblivious. It's great that she finds new passions but she absolutely can't read the room when people are obviously mean or rejective toward her. Bullying is wrong but Hime's reactions don't stem from confidence, it's like she doesn't even understand what is happening around her. I also felt that the romance developed way too fast. The art is cute but then there is an unrealistic weight loss journey that I found quite jarring and it takes away from one of this series' more unique elements namely having a chubby main character.

I was also quite confused about the accent notes - I have never seen the names written as Himé and Sumiré, it felt like a really strange translation choice, especially as I am pretty sure it's more of a dull E in both names. Nitpicking aside, I was originally going to still complete this 3-volume series, partially also because I generally like Natsumi Andou's works... but this one was, art aside, largely a disappointing read and I feel zero motivation to finish it. It's not bad and it's got cute elements, but it's also not want I would warmly recommend.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it isn't Kitchen Princess, but what is? I liked the art, of course, but the story is very rushed. This is just a three volume series, and it shows. Hime is "in love" with Tango by the end of the second chapter, and I'm really not sure why. Tango is slightly obnoxious, particularly with his phobia that the other students at school will discover his family owns a ballroom dancing studio. There's some weird body image crap, too. Towards the end of the book, Hime mentions having lost more than 40 pounds as if it just sort of happened. But that's over a very short span of time (like a few weeks) and I would have so much rather seen a shoujo heroine who isn't willowy like in every other book. I'm going to keep reading, because I like the art and because it is just three volumes, but I don't think I could recommend it at this point.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty standard romance series, though the author kept it quite short with only three books (kind of a nice change from the series that go on for 20+ volumes). The ending is left oddly vague, as well. We know that Hime & Tango have achieved their dream of reaching blackpool together, but we're never shown what the status of their relationship is - if Tango's begun to return Hime's feelings, or if things have become platonic between them... Overall, it's pretty cute, and a good book if you just want something light & fluffy to read. I did think that it's a neat idea to have a series based on ballroom dancing.

[Dani(elle) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll probably lower this later but this adorable story about a chubby girl feeling like a princess when she dances hit me in the feels! The only problem was the very end when she shows up in the ball gown. Keep her chubby coward!

EDIT: I totally did lower it!

[Niina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Söpö manga pari- ja kilpatanssin maailmasta. En tosin tykkännyt, kun päähenkilöä sanottiin pyöräkkääksi, ihan normaalivartaloinen hän oli.

[Ella Gilzean · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a cute book! I will be sure to buy the other volumes in this series as well. :D Highly recommended if you like cute boys, lovely dresses, lots of dancing and a really awesome main girl.

[Pastels Passions · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was sweet. girl is such a sweet potato and boy number two was cuter but i loved this

[Utha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pinjem punya Ummi. Uda lama ga baca manga Natsumi Ando.
Dulu yg gue inget cuma 12 Signs of Zodiac. Di Nakayoshi. Wk.

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm…

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I've wanted to read this for such a long time, but I feel after recent conversations on Twitter/X about the lack of positive "plus-sized" characters in English-published manga, Hime's story didn't sit well with me?

She is beautiful from start to finish, and while I get that she would naturally lose weight from dancing so much, somehow I feel it was more so she could look prettier? At least that was the angle I got and it left me feeling disappointed because I loved so many panels of her.

I have the next two volumes and will keep reading, but I think I might be sad about Hime's journey as it continues, despite that I think I should be happier for her in feeling like a princess...

[lottareadsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tää oli ihan söpö! Mutta ei noussut lemppariksi. Katsotaan paraneeko toisessa osassa.

[Simran · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love natsumi andō

[mangacaptor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this. It’s awful. The main character loses over 40 pounds in 2 weeks!?!?!? And they act like that’s normal!?!? A healthy amount of weight loss is 4-8 pounds per MONTH. This is 🗑️ and I’m not sorry for saying that 💅🏽

Young girls already have to deal with so much bs from magazines and tv telling them what they should look like and this just adds to that.

[Skjam! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tango Minami’s mother runs a ballroom dance school, where he helps out as a dance instructor (he’s tall for a junior high student.) But due to a disastrous mistake in his childhood, Tango has decided never to take another full-time partner, and thus not qualify for ballrooom competitions. Besides, these days he’s much more into hip-hop dancing, which he can perform solo and skill at which makes him popular at school. Indeed, he hides his ballroom dancing from his schoolmates to avoid being seen as dorky.

Himé Makimura is a shy, withdrawn girl. Despite her name meaning “princess”, Himé is plain, clumsy and rather pudgy. Most of her classmates don’t notice her except to be mean, as when a boy notices her looking at him and delivers an excessively strident speech about how he could never be attracted to her. It surprises our young woman when Ms. Minami spots that under her chubbiness, Himé has the right muscle and skeletal structure to be good at ballroom dancing.

Himé turns out to like dancing very much, especially with her instructor Tango–and everyone around can see that they’re excellent partners. Except Tango. While he notes that he finds her unattractive, that’s not the point for him. He does not want a partner, especially one that goes to the same school as him and could expose his secret ballroom life. Himé, meanwhile, is falling in love with Tango.

This is a shoujo (girls’) romance manga aimed at the junior high market, so the emphasis is on innocent emotions. Tango is less meaning to be cruel, and more selfishly immature, and bad at asking for guidance. His mother seems overbearing, but might be more supportive of his choices if he explained himself better. There’s almost no dubious content aside from some fat-shaming by Himé’s classmates.

The creator spent time taking ballroom lessons herself to give some authenticity to the poses and training–she mentions that her instructor originally got into dancing to improve his posture.

Contrasting our main pair are the stars of the Minami school, Yuusei and Sumiré. They’re excellent dancing partners, and good friends, but not a romantic couple. Indeed, there are hints that Sumiré has feelings for Tango that she’s never acted on. She’s a good sport, though, and is a consistent help to Himé on dance matters. Yuusei is a serious sort and wants to be a rival to Tango on the dance floor–he’s the most set against Tango’s refusal to do competitive ballroom.

Late in the volume, Himé gets a makeover; the intensive exercise of dance practice has turned some of her fat to toned muscle, and extensive dolling up with Sumiré’s help for a competition has made our heroine look unrecognizably pretty. (Presumably, she will still be dowdy at school.) Tango may change his mind yet! I know some of my readers are not keen on makeover sequences, but they are common to this sort of plotline.

There are translation notes in the back; perhaps the most important is that while “Tango” isn’t a common boy’s name in Japan, it’s a plausible one that wouldn’t be as much of a giveaway as it is in English.

This is a sweet story that should do well with its target audience; boys who are brave enough to get past all the pink on the cover would also enjoy it.

[Laura Martinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I picked this up in the last month because I clearly don’t have enough manga series that I need to read. (April and May were bad months because I think I got like a dozen volumes in April alone (thank you Tekko’s dealer room) and then in May “OH HEY five new volumes of series you follow dropped.” You know, even though I can actually afford them all, I don’t have that much room.)

This was actually a really cute first volume and I’m really interested in seeing where the story’s going to go from here. I really haven’t read much of Ando Natsumi’s work, although I had heard that her stuff is overly cutesy. (I was going to say that I haven’t read anything by Ando Natsumi, but checking her GR page, I did read Zodiac P.I. from a friend in college. Then again, that was at least seven years ago.) I think that this strikes the right balance between cuteness and telling a good story, and hopefully it won’t edge too far into being overly saccharine. I really like how Ando gets into the world of competitive ballroom dancing, especially in Japan, and how Tango views it as not being as great a career as his family does.

I also really liked it because of Hime. First of all, her character design at the beginning—I do think she is a little off between her body and head (I do not have an art degree, and I can’t draw at all) in some parts, but what I like is that she’s big for a lot of the book and is actually portrayed as such. And I really liked that Ando doesn’t make her clumsy for her size; Hime is naturally graceful and can keep up with the steps. Plus, Hime’s appearance isn’t ignored or she suddenly loses a ton of weight between chapters 1 and 2. She eventually does, but I at least like that she says “I’ve been dancing ten hours a week, of course I lost weight” at the end. I would have preferred her to still carry the weight, but I can live with it. I really want to see how her character is going to develop in future volumes, and especially her relationship with Tango. (I also really liked her friendship with Sumire and Yuusei, and especially since it wasn’t on “Who do you think you are, thinking you could dance?” and more “PRECIOUS CINNAMON ROLL WHO MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS.” I really hope that stays the same throughout the series, because I really like Sumire.)

I’m not so much a fan of Tango—while I get his reasons for not liking ballroom dancing (even though he’s natural at it, mark your Anime/Manga Trope Bingo card), it just felt like his reasons are there for the initial conflict of having to deal with Hime at school and that his “terrible secret” was going to be revealed. I kind of expect how his character will develop in upcoming volumes, and I’m really hoping that Ando ends up doing a better job of fleshing out his reasons for not liking ballroom dancing aside from “Oh, it’s just not cool.”

It’s a very cute first volume, and I’m curious to see where the series will go on in future volumes. There’s potential for this to go to really interesting places, and I’m looking forward to reading more.

[Judyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3/5

I’m not sure what to think of this series.

Ando has made good and bad series before, and I’m trying to be a continued supporter of her work, but I’d been warned about this one.

Hime is sensitive about her body, and the way people think of her. No one notices her, and when they do, it’s for a bad reason. But she gets pushed into dancing, and she loves it. She starts dancing with Tango, and she loves it. Tango, however, doesn’t want anyone to know.

I am intrigued by the characters. Hime seems all right, but I’m surprised by my interest in Tango. He’s a bit of a jerk right now, but I feel like he could be a really nice guy, if he wanted to. His dancer friends seem nice, too.

I have two main problems with this, though. Firstly, Tango’s fright of people knowing he dances. I don’t understand why that is such an embarrassing thing, or why people make fun of him for doing it. Dancing is amazing, and people shouldn’t be ashamed about something they’re good at and enjoy doing.

Then, there’s the body shape trope. Hime is not small, and people don’t like her because of it. She’s insecure about it. And at the end of the book, after two weeks of dance practice, she’s miraculously tiny-waisted. I’m disappointed in this, that she has to be small to be pretty, and that it happened so fast. It would make sense for her to get in shape after working out and dancing, but not that fast. That’s ridiculous.

I really want to like this, and I really want to support Kodansha’s shojo series, and I love dance books. I’m going to read a couple more, but I’m a little iffy at this point.

[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This three-volume series is a fun glimpse into the world of dancesport. Our heroine not only discovers a love for dance, but she also learns more about herself through the process.

I am a casual fan of Dancing with the Stars, so this idea of taking people who have never danced before and teaching them not only how to dance, but preparing them to compete, is a fairly realistic concept for me to accept. Even the dramatic weight-loss of Hime is not that hard for me to swallow, though I have seen it viewed as a detraction by other reviewers. Hime's story about learning to dance is somewhat akin to a transformation of an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan.

Let's Dance a Waltz is a sweet series that I think could have developed into a much longer story, but for some reason was kept to just three volumes.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a 2.5. I'm still not sure whether to round up or down. My biggest pet peeve is how quickly more current mangas are moving the love stories. There shouldn't be an I love him or her line in the first volume. Skip-beat or Kimi Ni Todoke have mastered the pacing and tension of a relationship. I'm not sure this one will succeed.

[Ribbon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chubby girl with glasses is some kind of untrained dance genius. Immediately loses the glasses for most scenes and drops 40 lbs by the end of the book.

Generic is one thing (and to be expected) but this is just insulting.

[Vi · Rating 3 out of 5]

helpless girl, obsessed with dance. a little instalove. cute.

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable manga!!! I love Hime, and I am excited to see what happens with her in the next volume!!!

[Jenifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute - this one seems appropriate for my niece (a mature 9 year old).

[Snail · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's interesting to read this concurrently with Welcome to the Ballroom and to note the similarities in plot and the differences in execution and genre.

[Melissa See · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series so far! Can't wait for the next volume! :)

[Sakura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of Kitchen Princess, so I had high hopes for this one! Of course, Kitchen Princess was only illustrated by Natsumi, so I shouldn’t have expected a similar story- what did I get out of reading this, however?

Well, to start, let me explain the story a little. Hime is a middle school girl with big confidence issues. She’s overweight and sees herself as ‘ugly’. I recently read a newer series with a female lead like this, ‘April Showers Bring May Flowers’ and absolutely HATED it- but this one handled it a lot better. Yes, Hime doesn’t think she is pretty, but everything she says and does isn’t themed around that, and she tries to improve her self confidence very early on. Tango is a boy who clearly has some sort of troubled past- and now spends his life helping his mom out at her dance school, putting on the role of a playboy dance teacher of sorts. The two meet when a boy is yelling at Hime because he finds her creepy, as she has been sometimes stealing glances at him at school. The boy the tells her ‘Just drop dead.’ Tango had happened upon this conversation and stayed in the shadows, he suddenly can’t take it anymore-

And rescues Hime, like a true prince!

But, to his dismay, she shows up at his dance class shortly after! He wants to keep his ballroom dancing a secret from his middle school classmates, as he is known by his peers as an amazing hip-hop dancer. He’s sure that being found out as a ballroom dancer would drop him from admired to dork- and wants to avoid it at all costs! He still has to dance with her anyway, and his dance friends witness the two of them dancing- and see the making of perfect partners.

Tango doesn’t care about a ‘perfect parter’ anyway, because he never wants to go back to competitive dance again. However, Hime inspired by her late mother, doesn’t want to give up this chance to feel like a princess- and keeps pressing on anyway. Who is going to win this tug of war?

A handful of mishaps later, Tango spills a little more of his heart to Hime unwittingly, and she works harder to become worthy of him. No matter what she does, though, he just won’t pair up with her…
So when another boy asks her to be his partner for a competition, she-

Well! I won’t spoil any more, haha! For my summary of the book, I thought the art was pretty- perfectly shojo sparkly and adorable, the dancing was also very well done, and as for the plot- well, there were ups and downs.
First off, I liked how it was kind of more from the boy’s POV than the girl’s. I loved the characters overall, and found Tango’s two friends very endearing. I liked seeing Hime try her best, and that she realizes that she likes the spotlight. Tango’s secrets were interesting and I just really enjoyed how he clearly isn’t a bad person, but did make mistakes and sometimes unintentionally did the wrong thing.

The main downs for me were how quickly she fell in love with Tango (it was very quick and a little forced), how she’s chubby and somehow loses an impossible amount of weight for such a short period of time. Besides that, though, the story is definitely good. I did enjoy the romance parts, even if her speed of falling for him was unrealistic. As I said, I really like the best friends, particularly Yusei. I just like the way he acted and found him fun.

All in all, if you’re looking for a cute and nice romance manga read, go for it! It’s certainly not perfection, but it would make a lovely light manga read. It’s not too heavy on plot, emotion, or anything, so it’s easy to just pick up and enjoy. I’ll be reading the next one soon!

(This book contains romance, talk of ‘killing’ (nothing happens), and also blisters on a foot. I would give this book an age rating of like 10+, but… it’ll probably be 13+ later in the series? Not sure yet, but for this one, I’d have to go with that!)

[Katja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars. I liked the dance theme a lot (I've read and liked Welcome to the Ballroom and 10 Dance is on my to-be-read list too) and the main character too, but there are some painfully rushed stuff here.

Hime Makimura feels like she's a nobody even though her late mother assured she can be whatever she wants to be. One day she passes by a dance studio and gets scouted for a try out lesson. She decides to go and finds dancing amazing. She is taught by her schoolmate, Tango, who's the son of the dance studio owner. They dance together really well but Tango doesn't want to dance anymore and drama is ready to roll.

So, I liked how passionate Hime became about dancing. It gives her a lot of confidence and something fun in her life. I also liked that even though she was at times unsure how she should deal with Tango's erratic behaviour, in the end she kept her head and wanted to continue dancing and remind Tango how fun it is. You see, Tango has some bad memories that made him drop dancing outside teaching at the studio. He's often kinda jerk but it seems to be a defense mechanism, and he did do a nice thing for Hime during the PE class. And we all know he's gonna come over his problems. ;)

However, because Tango is a grump, Yuusei looks really nice guy in comparison. He wants Tango to return to dance too and while helping to achieve that, he also teaches Hime. Fourth important character is Yuusei's dance partner Sumire (who both are childhood friends with Tango), who at first had signs of being kinda cold and even nasty but then she said and did nice things too. I think there'll be some drama later though.

But the thing that annoyed me most: it was only chapter three that Hime declared (just in her mind though) that she loves Tango. I mean, it's obvious they will become a pair and that's not my problem at all, but at that point it just felt silly. She had danced a few times with him and while they were really compatible at that, there wasn't much else why she should feel that. It would've worked soooo much better if she had done what she did in the end of that chapter and then it would've been left at that, and the love stuff had been moved for later. Even though this is short series, it was way too early in my opinion.

The competition thing was also a bit hard to suspend my disbelief for, even if it seemed like a very minor one, two weeks felt stretching it too thin.

Art looks nice, I liked Hime and I will read the rest.

[Gita Karmani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dulu kepengen koleksi ini tp karena susah yaudah deh 🥲

Ttg Hime Makimura, anak SMA yg berharap bisa ngerasa diperlakukan kyk putri (karena namanya berarti putri, juga motivasi dr Ibunya yg sudah meninggal). Hime terkenal di sekolah sbg anak kuper dan pny fisik yg gemuk, sbg gak ada lelaki yg suka sama dia. Bahkan siswa perempuan pun mengolok-olok dia.

Suatu hari dia melihat sebuah studio dance dan bertemu dgn Tango Minami, seorang instruktur dance yg ternyata seumuran dan satu sekolahan dgn Hime. Pertama kali belajar dance dgn Tango, Hime merasa spt diperlakukan kyk putri juga Tango yg salut karena Hime bisa follow dance dia, mengingatkannya dgn asiknya masa lalunya yg dulu adlh atlet dance ballroom.

Karena fisik Hime, Tango bersikap pura2 gak kenal tp gak tahan ketika Hime dibully di suruh nari di depan temen2nya pas pelajaran olahraga. Hime dgn bodohnya menari yg bikin Tango ikut nari berpasangan sama dia, yg bikin temen2 sekelasnya gak berani lagi ngebully Hime. Selain itu Tango juga semacam pny trauma utk kembali jd atlet dance ballroom stlh dia melukai partner dance nya. Temen2 Tango Yusei dan Sumire, berusaha membujuk tp ternyata ttp kekeuh. Yusei mencoba utk memprovokasi Tango dgn melatih Hime utk berpasangan dgnnya di kompetisi, yg didukung Sumire (sampai bela2in kasih dressnya utk tanding) walaupun sebetulnya Sumire ada sesuatu yg mencurigakan.

Kagetnya saat hari H kompetisi, Hime berubah jd kurus dan cantik bgt. Kyk upik abu terus tau2 jd Cinderella 🤣