舞動青春 1

ボールルームへようこそ [Ballroom e Yōkoso] #1

by Tomo Takeuchi

踏出這一步，讓我的人生從此改變││
平凡的國中生‧富士田多多良對未來沒有特別的期望，每天過著無所事事的生活。
直到某一天，他與神秘的安全帽男相遇，還沒搞清楚狀況就被強行帶走。
而男人帶他前往的地點…竟然是社交舞教室。
踏上舞蹈世界之路的多多良，原本平淡的日常生活開始發生巨大的轉變││

Genres: Manga, Sports, Comics, Young Adult, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shonen

196 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2012

About the author

See also: 竹内友

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A kind of unremarkable kid gets beat up by bullies, who demand money from him. One day he gets rescued by a guy who just happens to be a ballroom dancer. He invites the kid in, and we are off. You might imagine it is difficult to convey the feel of dance in a black and white comic, but this manga does it. Deals early on with the whole "I'm holding hands with a hot girl!" aspect of his initial "curiosity" with the enterprise, but this is really seriously about ballroom dancing, and particularly competitive ballroom dancing.

Oh, there's so many great dance films, but reading this made me think of Strictly Ballroom:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jQ-e...

[Seth T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s late 1993 and I’m nearly two years out of high school. We, all of us, have just seen Swing Kids and there is something monumental welling up in us. We want to feel that excitement, that thrill, that passion—we want to feel whatever it was that made those kids dance in the face of the rise of Nazi fascism and shout out “Swing heil!” There was something in the music, contagious. Something in the moves. So we did everything we could to learn to dance. I mean, everything that didn’t involve actual lessons. We recorded out all the dance sequences from Swing Kids. I obtained footage from Hellzapoppin’. And we watched it over and over and over. Pause play pause play pause play rewind. And again. My friend and I practiced the moves with each other. I’d play the man, then he would. We got the spins, the flips, the twirls, the big air—we got it down, man. And then we spread the contagion among our friends. We taught everyone we new. We acquired the music. We hosted parties. Swing parties. Dancing, music, acrobatics, and occasionally even romance. But mostly dancing. Or our approximation of it anyway. I was great at the tricks. The throws, the flips, the twirls. I had no sense for the footwork though. Our videos didn’t teach that. Still, I won a contest (danced with my brother in a routine where we switched off the girl and guy roles) and had a lot of fun. I felt the fire. Haven’t danced in two decades now. But I kind of remember.



At first glance, Welcome To The Ballroom might seem like a niche read, something for fans of the craft. It’s ballroom dancing, right? and as the manga points out maybe at least once per volume, ballroom dancing is for upper-middle-class middle-aged people with nothing better to do. Fortunately Welcome To The Ballroom is much better than that and caters to a much wider audience.

[image error]

This is a sports story and one of those sports stories about the prodigy player who got a late start on the sport and is going to quickly make up for lost time because he’s that good. It’s a common enough formula, but Welcome To The Ballroom performs its steps very well. It’s graceful on the fundamentals while throwing in some delicious variations for a pizazz that serves to elevate the rest of the story. In the five vols I’ve read so far (I’m enamoured enough that I plan to continue with the series as new vols are released), fifteen-year-old Fujita moves from entirely inexperienced amateur to gifted would-be competitor. He begins the series aimless and struggling to find an interest as he is being pushed to choose a high school to attend. Accidentally, he finds himself in a dance studio with members devoted to competitive ballroom dance. While initially embarrassed and hoping nobody discovers him there (male dancers have about as great a reputation amongst other teens in Japan as they do here), Fujita sees a video of what competitive ballroom dance is actually like and in set alight. He has a direction now and will rocket toward it through the rest of the story, meeting obstacles and overcoming them or using his defeats by them to improve himself. (See? That sports story formula. AKA life story formula.)



If you’ve read sports manga before, you’re probably familiar with the story beats, but where Welcome To The Ballroom shines is in its visual depictions of athleticism. In Polina , Bastien Vivès ably depicted his ballet dancers in spare, minimalist gestures, giving the dance a quiet fluidity emphasizing the grace and beauty of the form. Welcome To The Ballroom doesn’t remotely attempt this. Takeuchi’s dancers are vibrant, bursting with frenetic energy. They are electric and exciting and Takeuchi draws flourishes to highlight some of the emotional energy exploding beneath the skin. Fire will crackle off the clasped hands of a couple as they waltz. A character will be engulfed in flame to express his rage or passion. The skin of another will bristle and steam as their waning strength rejuvenates to pull out one last showstopper. And the sweat.



Takeuchi does one thing I’ve never seen in a comic about active characters before. They are drenched in sweat. Rivers of it pour from their hairline down their faces as they exert themselves. It’s an incredibly small detail but it goes so very far in selling the world of these competitions. The beautiful, gorgeous women in this book do not glisten. They sweat. Buckets. It’s perfect and real.



So far at least, Welcome To The Ballroom doesn’t escape its tropes or formulae, but it’s not trying to. Instead, the book is playing entirely within the established realm and doing so with verve. It’s nailing all the steps and avoiding many of the pitfalls. It’s sweeping across the floor getting it done and showing how to do it. Welcome To the Ballroom doesn’t have the emotional range or sweep of Cross Game but does make its sport thrilling even for those, like me, who don’t have much actual interest in the activity depicted.
___

[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad.]

[atmatos · Rating 5 out of 5]

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

ANIME IN JULY...


...is it July yet?

*cries*

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three volumes into this young adult manga and I am still loving it. Tatara is sort of a directionless kid when he accidentally ends up in a ballroom dance studio. Originally he doesn't seem likely to succeed, and tbh he's a little too motivated by the presence of a pretty girl who dances there, but then as he practices he starts to realize dance really speaks to him. After that, sheer determination uncovers his hidden gift - which sounds cheesy as all get out, and it is, but it also works because he's just such a nice kid. Toss in some zany side characters, somewhat improbable (but fun) events, and I'm looking forward to the next volume.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was fun! I love dance and seeing it portrayed here was so enjoyable. It's impressive to see how a static image on a page can still feel like movement. Storyline wise, the newbie to dance who wants to learn and become pro is fun. The ultra competitiveness at such a young age is always a bit rough. It does feel like they are older than they are. Really enjoyed it. Will absolutely be reading the next volume

[Mahdiye HajiHosseini · Rating 4 out of 5]

من انیمه رو فصلی میدیدم و یه روزی همینطوری بی دلیل دراپش کردم ولی همیشه فکر میکردم بشینم باز ببینمش.
و همینطوری بی دلیل - اگه اصرار های فاطمه رو در نظر نگیریم- دلم خواست برگردم و بخونمش.
برای من یه حس لذت بخش خوبی داره. شایدبه خاطر شخصیت تاتاراست که خیلی باهاش همذات‌پنداری میکنم یا شاید به خاطر کلیت ماجراست.
و چقدر سنگکو شخصیت زیبایی داره. این حجم از رک بودن و خباثتش واقعا لذت بخشه.

[Soñadora · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 en realidad. Ha sido un manga divertido, que trata del tema del baile, y que tiene unos personajes que pueden dar mucho juego. Se lee muy rápido y el dibujo no está mal.

[Mercedez · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fiery first volume! Between the sweeping, engaging lines and the weather heartfelt story, I easily found myself swept up in the first volume of Welcome to the Ballroom. I can already tell that I'm invested: I'm sure that I'll follow this series to the very end.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves dance, whether as a hobby, as exercise, as a sport, or as a craft. I think you'll find yourself just as swept up as I was! (And if you're like me, you'll be wishing you could take a dance class again!)

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a GREAT first volume! I've already seen the first episode, I can't wait for the rest to air!

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read up to chapter 30. An interesting enough series with a typically low tier protagonist with a hidden ability for a shounen manga. I liked and at the same time disliked the artwork, especially when it came to the dramatic action dance sequences, where it simply looks likes lines writhing in the page. It did not give me a sense of fluid, graceful or ferocious ballroom dancing. But it was interesting to read and learn about the aspects of it as a sport.

And now I realize I like the cover because with his hair slicked back, the protagonist looks like young Ging from HunterxHunter....

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never thought ballroom dancing could be so interesting! I'm in love with this series!

21/01/16: read all 8 volumes in one day.

——

07/01/2021

Rereading a fave of mine! Tatara is such a sweet character, I love seeing him finally finding something to be passionate about!

[Emi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es divertido y entretenido. El prota es genial. Pero me reafirmo en que los bailes de salón, corrijo, las competiciones de bailes de salón no son lo mío.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to the Ballroom is a manga series written and illustrated by Tomo Takeuchi and tells the prototypical story of an aimless Japanese youth named Tatara Fujita, who, after a chance encounter, is plunged into the world of competitive dancing. This tankōbon collects the first three chapters, named heats, of the on-going series.

Third-year middle school student Tatara Fujita is a guy who has no plans for his future or dreams, but tries to find something he can pursue with his whole life. With him being bullied and extorted, he is saved from delinquents by a man named Kaname Sengoku, a motorcycle-riding dance instructor. Tatara is entered into the Ogasawara Dance Studio in which he is shown the ropes of the world of Competitive Ballroom Dancing.

This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Tomo Takeuchi. For the most part, this is the typical introduction for a sports manga – an underdog student with no direction in life finds a purpose in a sport – ballroom dancing. Tatara Fujita not only falls in love with competitive ballroom dancing, but wants to become a professional and made Kiyoharu Hyōdō, a prodigy dancer, his goal.

All in all, Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 1 is a wonderful beginning to a new series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.

[Irene ➰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Good start to this sporty manga series.
I had a good/hate relationship with the art that sometimes I found good and sometimes just ok. I don’t know, I wasn’t fully convinced, especially with the dancing one.

Regarding the plot I really liked all the atmosphere and competitions but found it a little disconnected in some parts. It looked like it wasn’t very clear where it wanted to go or exactly what its main purpose was.
Luckily, all this kinda changed with the last chapter (there are only three in the entire volume) where maybe we are starting to understand the path this series wants to take.
This could also be because it’s the main character who is confused as hell on what’s is happening, doesn’t really know what sometimes is doing or where all this is taking him.

It definitely deserves more time to get into it, but as I said it’s a good start!

[Dani(elle) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third ballroom dance themed manga I've read and it is right in the middle for quality. No points for guessing it, but I prefer 10 Dance and not just because it's gay.

It hits all the right beats for a sports manga, but what I find most interesting is the rival bait and switch, because in my opinion Hyodo is not the rival.

The art style sometimes made the motions confusing and I'm sure I got the correct impressions of certain movements but this was infrequent.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's weird that this kid is still such an idiot by the end of this volume, but I like how he's grown. He has ambition now, and the instincts that make him a natural are interesting. I'm curious to see where this goes.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it because I love dance

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

What even. Will keep reading.

[mkhare · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was way too juvenile for me, and I'm so sick of females in manga being treated like they are in this volume. I'm sure the series gets less juvenile as it goes on, but I don't like the characters or the sport enough to continue, and the ending unfortunately just made me roll my eyes. 2.5 stars

[Roglin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was unsure of this one when I started. But the ending was interesting. It reminds me of Free! meets Yuri on Ice, but dancing.

[Noor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Après avoir vu l'anime 5 fois je me devais d'aller lire le manga et c'est génial

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young man, feeling lost about his direction in life, is introduced to ballroom dance and finds his passion.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHATISTHISDELIGHTFULMAGIC?!!!

[Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bailes de salón, que interesante ver eso en un manga. Me atrapó por completo la historia y los personajes.
El dibujo es único y hermoso, aunque esos cuellos de jirafa son HO RRI BLES~

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love dancing, and I love reading book about dancing and about dance contests. I haven't yet found a manga or a book about ballroom dancing, well until today that is. It is a really fun manga, but the art.....

The story is really great, Tatara who is our main character is dragged to a dance studio by someone who totally misunderstood his intentions. Tatara quickly falls in love with dancing, and through the first volume we see him go from stiff and robotic to a guy who is motivated and will dance whenever he wants. And he can dance pretty decent near the end of this volume. Of course, he does need the right partner to be able to dance even better.
Apparently he also has a strange way to learn stuff. It was really interesting to see him being able to imitate and copy people's moves almost flawlessly. Though I am sure that his ability can grow so that he can copy/imitate things even better and in turn become even better himself with dancing.

Tatara is a truly interesting character, he is (especially at the beginning) pretty weak, he gets all flustered when thinking of girls or getting close to them. Never mind to how he reacts when a girl touches him when they need to dance. He is also super dedicated and I see a bright future for him. If he can go on like this, dedicating his time to dance, to take any chance to dance, for him to see competitions and for him to be able to practice, I am sure he will reach the top really fast.
It was kind of funny to see him go from robotic and stiff, to slowly getting better and better. I had quite a few laughs when he made a stupid move, or tried to be faster and faster and then ended up kicking himself, or hurting his hip or his head and rolling around on the ground and curl up in a ball in the end.
I am curious as to what the cliffhanger at the last page of this volume will entail for Tatara. Will he be able to dance, or will he give in to the pressure and break? It will depend. Tatara is dedicated, but he is also quite a chicken about things. I hope he will make a good decisions and dance till he drops.

Then we have various other fun characters. The teachers, Sengoku (who is a top dancer, but also someone who is quick to bop/hit someone on the head if they do anything funny), Shizuku (the girl that Tatara likes and who is an amazing dancer). I really loved them all (ok, with the exception of the bullies), and I can't wait to see how they will continue to be in the story and how they will support or help Tatara. Of course for Shizuku I hope she can be happy, that people will stop judging her and that she will become pro.

The art, that is the only thing that I didn't like. At times the art was absolutely gorgeous and I loved it, but other times it felt like I was in some lame action/comedy manga, and then the dancing happened and people looked like they were in a horror manga. Ugly drawn, exaggerated faces and bodies that defy any anatomy and instead of being amazed with the dances, I was horrified by how ugly and deformed it looked. Really a shame, the biggest and most important part of the manga and it looks like people were thrown in a blender. :\
It is a shame. I wish the artist had picked one art style and kept to it. My preference would be the pretty art that we see when we have close-ups.

Would I recommend this manga? If you like dancing, if you like a good story with a great protagonist, then this might be a manga you will enjoy. :) And me? I will be sure to read the rest of this manga and I will continue to cheer for Tatara.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Marianna Rainolter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sentito parlare di questo manga perché quest'estate verrà trasmesso l'anime. Mi incuriosiva perché il ballo era un tema che non avevo mai letto, non nelle forme di protagonista della storia. Fujita Tatara non sa che fare della sua vita e per puro caso entra in una scuola di ballo dove incontra il ballerino professionista Sengoku e la bella Shizuku, ragazza della sua età ma che partecipa a campionati di ballo da anni. Fujita si trova attratto da questo mondo e sente di volerci dare una chance, di metterci tutto il suo impegno e di ballare. Ma come dice Sengoku quando si entra nella pista da ballo "si entra in una giungla". Una storia intrigante e bellissima, molto toccante perché i sentimenti del protagonista sono comuni a tutti durante l'adolescenza ed è facile identificarsi con lui. Inoltre i disegni hanno un tratto particolare ma molto bello, e sopratutto nelle scene dove si balla trasmettono molta potenza e anche l'idea del movimento è ben resa. Adesso sono pronta a vedere l'anime!

[María · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely and wholeheartedly loved this manga, I read all 38 chapters in one go! stayed until 5 am but so worth it. The art is incredibly beautiful, the characters are amazing and the story too. I can't wait for more chapters!

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is going to be a very interesting story. There is one thing that bugs me in the art style. When the group dancing shots come up, they are overly busy to me. Outside of that, I quite enjoy the art style. Will be picking up more soon.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaaaaaaaaaa!

I like this manga!

I love to watch ballroom dancing more than ballet!

The tension, the rhythm, the music, the dances.

And this is a manga about it.

[Denisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

ballroom shounen. competitive ballroom dancing. absolutely beautiful art style. KIYOHARU!!! need i say more?