Reviews for Welcome to the Ballroom

My first Manga review so go easy on me please :) As a fellow Ballroom Dancer-anime lover I naturally decided to look for a ballroom anime and this manga is the little gem that came up. I was not expecting much since the Japanese Wikipedia doesn't even contain a page for Swing so i just quickly skimmed the first chapter until I landed on page 20. At that moment I realized, damn this manga is actually pretty funny. At first glance everything about the main character, Tatara, just seems like a robotic version of Touma from A Certain Magical Index. However as the story went on andthe main character actually gets better at each of the dancesport dances he slowly grew on me and eventually even had me cheering in my mind as I read through the competitions. And yes he's a bit overpowered but man does he fit the mold of a good lead.

I guess what impressed me the most is that it actually included and introduces other ballroom and latin dances, not just the waltz! from all my years watching anime I've never even seen the characters do anything but the waltz, almost as if the Japanese people have never even heard of anything but the waltz! Which I'm sure is wrong, pardon my generalization.

For those interested in Ballroom dancing I highly recommend this series. The main leads are all a bit supernaturally talented and you can't actually see a partner's mirage when you watch a guy practice alone but all the technicalities of each individual dance and all the teaching, practicing, are highly accurate. Takeuchi-san's done his research. I'd even venture to say he's quite the ballroom enthusiast himself to make such a great manga.

I'd highly recommend this Manga to anyone even with the slightest interest in Ballroom Dancing and what it really is.

Note: I have had literally no interest in "Ballroom Dancing", which is what the manga focuses on, before reading this. The work isn't complete. Ballroom e Youkoso is a work that for all intents and purposes, shouldn't excite any sort of interest within most people. While I'm sure there are some enthusiast ballroom dancers around, the premise itself doesn't lure anyone in. However, as I stumbled into the room of Ballroom, I found myself hooked and craving for more. STORY: 7/10 Of all the categories, the story is the weakest link, however that isn't to say that it is bad. The story follows a formula that is prettymuch been set by many before it. Boy X struggles to find a goal in his life, but somehow finds himself in the world of activity Y and slowly falls in love with it.

While it may be cliché, it does work and was more than enough for what was needed.

With that said, the story so far has been quite enticing and captivating and unless the curve suddenly twists, the score will only go up and not down.

ART: 10/10

The art is simply amazing, it switches between some standard art and a more artistic and raw style of drawing with great care. Nothing feels out of place and instead, the art makes some rather deep scenes feel even more impressive.

CHARACTERS: 9/10

It's really hard to rate characters in general, while it does feel somewhat standard, the story's characters fill the roles perfectly. The most captivating part is the presentation of each character's thirst for competition, which is actually harder to find in most other sport-oriented works. The expressions and feelings given out feel realistic and well-done, all while not overdoing it.

Additionally, the look of the characters in "standard mode" and "competition mode" is one of the most artistically impressive elements I've found in any sort of manga in recent times.

ENJOYMENT: 10/10

Like I've said, I've never really cared much for dance. However, this work has given me a new outlook on this otherwise foreign physical activity. It has an interesting mix of character growth, competition and admiration. What is released so far made time pass too quickly than I desired and that is the mark of an enjoyable work.

OVERALL: 10/10

While math would otherwise not be able to give it a 10/10 score, I do feel that this is an overall amazing work and I suggest that you give it a try even if you, like me, have no interest in Ballroom Dancing.

Although this sports-manga was interesting from the very beginning, it only really started catching my interest to the fullest from approximately chapter ten onwards. The story takes some time to unfold, but once it did you'll be glad to have had a little patience. Of course the plot seems to follow the usual shounen-pace to a certain extend, since having a main character (Fujita Tatara) who starts from zero and keeps practicing to become a full-fledged dancer. But this doesn't mean the story is flat. On the contrary it's full of exciting ups and downs, getting more exciting chapter by chapter. This is thanks to the realisticcharacters we are introduced to and we can easily symphathize with right away. We get to know Fujita's feelings as he desperately tries to set foot in the world of dancing, struggles through competitions, makes important acquaintances and has to face qruel truths concerning dancing but also himself.

However, this story certainly isn't pure drama. In fact, humor plays a key role here. May it be due to hilarious situations or to the naive but innocent behavior of Fujita itself, the manga often make me laugh like an idiot. At he same time there are countless sensitive moments, when I could really relate to the characters sadness. As the story moves on you can't help but taking the characters, who are all individuals without exception, into your heart.

The feelings of a person are very well expressed through the art here. Just taking a look at their face let's you know how they feel. The most important part of this manga, the dancing-scenes, also gives us a clear idea of how the characters 'sweep over the ballroom', though sometimes their moves aren't fully understandable due to too many speedlines.

Also striking as negative to me, from time to time when dancing is described, several technical terms are used without having previously been introduced to the reader. Sadly these often won't further explained to us as the story continues. So those who haven't dealt with dancing before probably can't experience these scenes to the fullest. However, this fact doesn't pull down the manga at all, since the overall dancemoves actually aren't that complicated and can easily interpreted without further knowledge of dance.

I recommend this sports-manga to everyone who is willing to give a chance to a story about ballroom dancing that is both funny and serious. The plot just unfolds slowly, but those who are patient will be rewarded for sure. Even if you don't know anything about dancing, just like me.

______________________________________________________________ Intro: (THIS REVIEW WILL NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS) Never in my entire life did I ever have the slightest, most minuscule interest in ballroom dance. Like many others, I thought it was for "old people," where the closest thing I've ever gotten to was when I'd watch "Dancing With the Stars." I didn't respect the art behind it and the effort and passion people really put into it. Finally, after reading Ballroom e Youkoso, I can say that I still don't really care about dance. Despite, I can respect people who do dance and what it standsfor, where the main reason I'm not interested is because I know I'm not talented enough to do it.

After reading, I found myself looking up "How to: Tango" on YouTube and finally understanding the difficulty behind each of these dances. With that, I can proudly say that Ballroom e Youkoso is one of my favorite mangas, among the likes of Oyasumi Punpun, Akira, Berserk, and Koe no Katachi. There's a lot to say, so let me explain.

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Synopsis:

Ballroom e Youkoso is a story about a middle school boy named Tatara Fujita, who has no particular direction in life, and doesn't know where he wants to go or what he wants to do beyond middle school. He found himself lured in a dance studio unknowingly by a world famous Japanese dancer, Kaname Sengoku. He then found out he had a great affinity to dance, while still being inexperienced, and declared he'd be a dancer just as great, if not better, than Kaname.

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Story:

If I were to summarize the entire manga with one sentence it would be, "If Haikyuu was about dancing." The story, while being a moving and inspirational, is really nothing and lacks depth plot wise. Most arcs center around a particular competition, involving a particular dancer that Tatara has to overcome, where he then is able to gain experience from. Just as I say that, the story is far from boring. The integration of timely and balanced drama and comedy makes for a hell of a ride and keeps you interested in the events taking place and the characters involved. You can feel the rush Tatara gets during each an every dance and is just as intense, if not more, than Haikyuu. The story sends off the themes of hard work overcoming talent and many other shounen-like themes.

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Art:

Art is usually one of my favorite categories in manga and anime alike as much more can be portrayed through art than a paragraph of words. Likewise, Ballroom e Youkoso art shows the artists great knowledge of good paneling techniques, human anatomy, and character choreography. As I said previously, the art only increases the intensity of certain scenes. The art makes it easy to follow each of the dances and are drawn extravagantly. While there isn't much to say about character design, I found their designs fitting for each character's personality. The only thing I found slightly disappointing were the somewhat lackluster facial expressions and backgrounds.

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Character:

You can tell a good story from a bad one depending on how good a story can portray and develop its characters. Characters with depth go hand in hand with an entertaining story and I must say, I LOVE the characters in Ballroom. Each of them have their own defining quirks, giving them a more realistic appearance. Each character has depth to their actions whether it be Tatara and his struggle to find what he wants to do, or Kiyoharu and Shizuku. (OPINION) I think that Chinatsu is a better character than Shizuku. Fight me

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Conclusion:

If you're on the border about reading Ballroom e Youkoso I STRONGLY encourage you to read. With an upcoming anime adaptation, I assume people will overlook the manga which is a great composition of an underdog tale. Hopefully if you haven't read it yet and were skeptical, I hope this would've changed your mind. If you're looking for a good manga reader site to read it, I recommend Mangakakalot.

“Ballroom e Youkoso” is a manga that will get an anime adaptation soon, so I wanted to give it a chance. When I first found this manga, I thought it was just an ordinary drama with dancers. But no. It IS more. The story is a bit pathetic in the first chapters, but it gets better around chapter 6. Some may find this manga being a cliche, but it isn't. The story deserves a 10. The art is absolutely gorgeous and the author knows how to draw detailed facial expressions. When the dancing begins, prepare to be amazed. As a manga, it doesn'tillustrate every little detail from a choreography, but it is still very enjoyable.

The characters are well-drawn and their unique personalities make them stand out of the crowd. A good thing about the characters is that the protagonist isn’t suddenly talented at dancing and it takes time for him to dance properly. The main character's relationship with the other characters is still developing and I think it is a good idea because otherwise, it would be boring. Yes, the characters are special, but I feel that they don't deserve a 10, so I'll give a 9.

Overall, “Ballroom e Youkoso” is a very good manga and it deserves more than just a 10.

Note: This is my first review, so I'm sorry for it being short.

I haven't done ballroom dancing, only ballet. But it's nice to see something about dance that focuses on the hardships, not the whole "dreams come true!" type of thing. We get to see the main character struggle. And it's not as unrealistic as I'd expect: Tatara makes it into not 1st, or even 2nd, at his first competition, but 7th. And he acknowledges the it was unlikely to even have landed there in the first place. The Story, I give an 8. It's pretty typical, but ballroom, I think, is a first. I haven't seen any manga that focuses on ballroom dancing. I love theart, and I give it a 10. The details in some of these places are so... amazing. Perhaps it's because I haven't seen much of anything but Shojo (for reasons unknown...), but there's a special quality to it. I like it.

The characters, I can't say much about, but I like them all. 8 from me.

My enjoyment was a 10. Like I said, I don't get to read much about dancing that relates to any actual dancers. After finding out many of the facts and pursuing ballet, I find that this, which has little of "we can do it!" and more of "work until you're sore all over!". Everything else portrays dance as something that just about anyone can do.

Overall, I say 10 (although math wouldn't add up to that). I loved it, couldn't stop reading.

First of all it's my first review and english it's not my strong point, so be easy on me. Ballroom e Youkoso it's a refreshing manga where it introduce the ballroom dance as sport, if you enjoy the artistics sports such as ice skating, rhythmic gymnastic , etc, this is your manga. Story: The story flow at beginning seems a little at rush, but then it seattle, it's no predictable at all, you might think in some events that Tatara (protagonist) would be top notch at have his dreams fulfilled, but no. Even Tatara doesn't know what he want, but the path he choice ( competitivedance) let him discover himself and his real dreams.

Art:

Art it´s great, the author really make a good effort to know how dancers muscles seems like, the line, and the movement, the design of the attire , everything it's good.

I recommend in this watch competitive ballroom videos on youtube, to know how good the author express this events.

Character:

The characters are so good made, it's no mary sues or something like that. All characters have their own personality and mysteries to resolve. This manga don't have good guy or bad guy, is purest competition, everyone wants to win or to be acknowledged for their talent and effort.

All character have strong personality, where they are serious at the competitions. Even the ones that no seems as strong became stronger later on.

The interaction between characters are what in this manga shines a lot, relationship between partners , companions and rivals are fully interesting. hate, love, admiration and power are the strongest bounds in this manga.Even the competition between partners are great.

Enjoyment:

It's a good work, some parts got me in tension and other can't help it but laugh a lot. It's really a good manga if you enjoy relationships dynamic, it got you and make you want to know more about the characters. The passion that transmite this manga it's contagious.

Overall:

I really recommend it!

Don't think Just Read it because it's amazing! how the main character is not a born genius and after some he realises that time has come to decide the his future and this manga so realistic and how the situation develops the plots become more interesting. So this manga is for everyone who has become bored from reading the same stories again and again because it feels little bit unique and it hooks most of the time art is good, characters are well written and there are very important side characters which makes it more engaging. it gives you a little bit of inspiration that you arenever late to do anything in the life or basic knowledge of how dance works or some realistic problems that are pro has to face in his career while chasing his dream. how to difficult is to find a partner that can improve your growth.

Ballroom e Youkoso or Welcome to the Ballroom is the definition of sports/slice of life manga done right. Story, Art, Characters, Development, Pacing and simply Dancing is perfect in this manga. You'll find an awesome story with unlimited development and improving potential. Tomo Takeuchi is a genius, her drawings, her story and the amount of emotion she's able to transmit is unmeasurable. Usually this type of manga is pretty straight forward, with all the power of friendship and weird "Powerups", here everything is set perfectly and it's not always happy, our protagonist has a loooot of troubles and things to improve. Throughout the story, he changes drasticallyas a person and as a dancer.

I'll give this manga a 10/10 in every aspect, since everythimg is set perfectly.

I even started dancing as a result and I've never been happier...

To conclude, read it, you won't regret it.

Please just send the best energies to the author so she remains healthy and we are able to witness the end of this marvelous story :)

I didn't know I'd love this manga that much. This manga is a top-tier sports manga. The theme of Ballroom Dancing and how it is used in the development of the characters and the story are really well-crafted. The art is exceptional! I took so many screenshots of so many panels. I can see the author and I can see how much he studied the body movements. It is really fascinating. It pains me that this is affecting his health, but health comes first. I am really glad I had the chance to read it. So dazzling. Get well soon, sensei. Can't wait to read therest of your story & art.

Spoilers ahead! This will always be one of my top favourites of mine. One of the many things I loved about this manga, aside from my obvious adoration in its magnificent art (especially its motion art) is how it explores the intricacies of finding your own dreams for yourself. Tatara is on a constant pursuit of understanding himself as he digs into ballroom on a deeper lens; the becoming of a pair with Chinatsu being the fire that ignited Tatara’s self-discovery, how his realizations in staying in the ballroom world & encountering more people- especially Bres arc- is foisting him to ruminate on his dreams, purpose,motivation, and the courage to keep up despite it being a place that is still so enigmatic & distant from his own grasp. There are lots of chapters that have been introspective & I really love ALL of the characters (they’re all so beautiful) I can’t wait to see how Tatara’s experiences in ballroom will mould his growth as a dancer & as himself. I still don’t understand why they cut a certain scene from the manga in the anime considering Tatara’s feelings & admiration for Shizuku is imperative for his quest in entering ballroom dancing. esp. how he views his own motivation as asinine (and acknowledges it as part of his self discovery).

One of my favourite chapters includes the one with Chinatsu- Tatara on his quest for the essence of dancing, confronting his qualms about himself leading up to a harmonious moment with Chinatsu and becoming one with her. Their growth as a dynamic has been wonderful, I love them so much (and before everything has been said and done, I am a platonic!chitara admirer). I also love the way Tatara has been recognizing ballroom as a bridge that connects him to the people he admires until he met these people who provoke his convictions to himself… now that he’s gained awareness, he HAS to fundamentally think about his own dreams for himself.

After Bres, Tatara’s growth is discernible as seen through different lenses (Chinatsu, Kiyoharu, Marisa). His ruminations about his motivations in ballroom and seeking what’s beyond it allowed him to flourish & I can’t wait to see how it’ll pan out for him. Also side note, I just wanna reiterate how much I appreciate Tatara & Kurauchi’s relationship. They met not too long ago but the influence they’ve had on each other through their conversations alone have been so meaningful, and how much of their multifaceted layers of themselves are being constantly uncovered.

I want to see Tatara face his love for Shizuku & realize it’s fine that his feelings for her, wherever it might come from, is his reason why he dances! That after all, ballroom is the pathway that makes way for him to reach the people he admires. So happy that he always has convos with Kurauchi that hinders him from running away from his feelings & finally confront it. Tatara's feelings for Shizuku, I think, whether it comes from a place of profound admiration or romantic love, is a lot deeper (doesn't mean it's romantic, it also doesn't necessarily have to be, but it's definitely an immense feeling that is significant to him). I’d love to see how Tatara will address these feelings & if this will bloom into a new approach with dancing.

Tatara has been building his self-confidence through dancing, & to me he is constantly learning to love ballroom through the people he started it for & the people he dance with. Which is so interesting!!! I’d love to see more of his growth as a leader too, and Tatara who has his own sense of pride as a dancer.

I hope we get to see more from Takeuchi-sensei, as it really has been a great manga on passion. Wishing the author sound health and well-being!

Battle shounen disguised as dance! Most protagonists in sports anime operate like this: “I want to be the best”, “I want to beat someone” or “I want to prove my talent”. Not Tatara. In the beginning, he has something much more basic: he wants a place where he can exist without being a burden. He's the kind of teenager who has no apparent talent, has no social group and no dreams. Is always apologizing for taking up space but when he enters the dance studio, it's almost a portal to another world and this is where this mangá shines. The art speak for itself, it's marvelous. Anothervery strong point: the manga avoids that common shounen problem where everyone exists only for the protagonist but not here, even the side characters has personal ambitions and insecurities.

Its only flaw is being on hiatus.