Thanks to apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels, people have been into dancing a lot lately. In fact, the rise of K-pop also has a big role to play here. With the rise of K-pop, which includes dancing as one of the main aspects of their art, the anime world too has been producing many dance anime that include idols or superhero dancers. This article contains 10 Dance Anime that you can watch and enjoy.
Dance anime not only give us interesting dance concepts but also songs that are very catchy. It also lets us in on the world of dancers and the problems they face. Since the anime world is also very creative, we get stories that blend themes of dance and music with action and adventure. It also has a reputation for helping people pursue their passion in the field of dance. Hopefully, these recommendations will give you dancy feet!
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Princess Tutu
We are starting the list with a cute and wholesome anime named Princess Tutu. Princess Tutu is created by the studio Hal Film Maker. It has 38 episodes that started its journey on 16th August 2002 and ended on 23rd May 2003. Princess Tutu belongs to the Shoujou genre that focuses on fantasy and magical themes.
It tells us the story of an Ahiru, a duck. Like most of the animals in their magical world, Ahiru is not any ordinary duck. Thanks to Drosselmeyer, she is turned into a human girl who is good at dancing ballet. With her new ability, she dances to help people to take a break from their everyday battles. However, her story does not stop here. By dancing Ballet, she tries to collect the pieces of her prince’s heart that were destroyed in a battle against an evil Raven.
Love Live! School Idol Project
Multimedia idol projects are an interesting aspect of anime. An interesting anime from this niche is Love Live! School Idol Project. Love Live! School Idol Project was first released on 6th January 2013. The anime ended on 31st March 2013. However, this was not the end for the series, as in April 2022, the second season of the anime was released.
It tells us the story of the high school girls from Otonokizaka High School. Unfortunately, because of low admissions, the school is about to shut down. However, the main protagonist Honoka Kousaka tries her best to come up with ways to prevent this from happening. Fortunately, she comes across a school idol group and decides to form her own group. The main group, called “Muse,” consists of her and her childhood friends Kotori Minami and Umi Sonoda. Still, her troubles do not go away as the student council president, Eri tries her best to prevent this group from succeeding. Not only this, but to attract more students, these girls also have to compete against other idol schools in competitions.
The iDOLM@STER
Another anime that introduces us to idols is The iDOLM@STER. It is produced by A-1 Pictures. The anime first came out on 8th July 2011 and ended on 23rd December 2011, with 25 episodes. It is an anime that blends comedy well with drama.
Here there are 13 professional idols trying to be perfect idols under the agency 765 Production Studio. Together they work hard to get to the top and also watch out for their rivals. However, fame comes with a price. After being famous, their relationship with each other faces many troublesome moments. The anime, thus, shows us how these girls try to enhance their careers as idols as well as maintain their relationships and bonds with each other.
IDOLiSH7
The most popular new generation anime when it comes to idols is IDOLiSH7. The anime was produced by Bandai Namco and created by the studio TROYCA. It was first released as a game, followed by a manga and then an anime. The anime premiered on 7th January 2018. It has three seasons so far.
It focuses on the main character Tsumugi Takanashi. Her father owns a small production agency. Her life takes a turn when she is made the manager of a new idol boy group in the agency. This group consists of 7 boys that come from very different backgrounds yet have the same goal. The group is named IDOLiSH7, and their new manager has to help them become perfect idols. Together they sing and dance and enjoy the journey while facing many troublesome events in the industry.
Hanayamata
The next anime has the ‘Cute Girls Doing Cute Things’ theme. Hanayamata is another dance anime that has a manga, an anime as well as a game. It is adapted from a manga written and illustrated by Sou Hamayumiba in 2011. On 8th July 2014, the anime series was released by Madhouse Studio. The same year, a game by Bandai Namco Games was released. Hanayamata is a blend of comedy with slice-of-life aspects that tells us an interesting story about performing arts students and their passions. Not only this, but it also gives off a calm feeling to its audience, making it a “healing” anime.
Hanayamata introduces us to an average protagonist named Naru Sekiya, who does not have anything special about her. However, she hopes to turn her life around with the new beginning her new high school would offer. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned as she could not break out of her shell. Luckily for her, she meets a transfer student named Hana. Hana is an American who is inspired by Yasokoi, a Japanese Dance Style. She wishes to start a dance club, and she asks Naru to join. However, Naru being timid declines at first but eventually joins the dance club. This helps Naru overcome her average and shy persona.
Welcome To The Ballroom
The next anime introduces us to another shy character that is inspired by the art of ballroom dancing. Welcome to the Ballroom is adapted from a manga written and illustrated by Tomo Takeuchi in 2011. The anime adaptation was released on the 8th of July 2017.
The aforementioned shy character, Tatara Fujita, tries to live a life without any trouble-free life by keeping to himself and staying away from the crowd. However, this also makes him a target for bullies who try to steal his money. During this confrontation, Kaname Sengoku comes to his rescue and takes him to his dance studio. Among all the students learning under Sengoku is Shizuku Hanaoka, Fujita’s classmate. When he dances with her for the first time, he feels things he has never felt before. However, he still has anxiety about dancing in front of people. To overcome this, he visits the studio almost every day to learn dancing.
Tribe Cool Crew
The next anime on the list is definitely something more dancers would love to watch. Tribe Cool Crew is probably the coolest dance anime out there. It is an original anime series produced by the studio Sunrise. The first episode of the anime aired on the 28th of September 2014.
Inspired by the idol Jey El, Haneru Tobitatsu decides to pursue dancing and is passionate about it. He uses the area outside a Memorial Hall to practice every day. Haneru meets Kanon Otosaki, also known as Rhythm, a famous online dancer. Since she uses the area outside the Memorial Hall to practice dance as well, they decide to team up as a duo. Getting the thrill of dancing together, they participate in street dance competitions and also end up meeting more people to join their crew called “Tribe Cool Crew”. Together, they all participate in many street dance competitions, paving their way to the top.
Brave Beats
The next anime mixes dance with some mecha-action. Brave Beats is an original anime series produced by the studio BN Pictures. The anime first aired on TV on 11th October 2015.
It introduces us to Hibiki Kazaguruma, who comes across an interesting robot named Bureikin. The latter then reveals that he is from a dance world and is a dancer that has challenged the dance king for the throne. Sadly, he lost and lost his dance stones, the source of his dancing powers. Bureikin then teams up with Hibiki, and together, they become the dancing hero Flash Beat and go on an adventure to collect these dance stones that are scattered around the world.
Yuri!!! on Ice
Yuri!!! on Ice is a Figure Skating anime from the sports genre and dance is one of its themes. The anime portrays this dancing sport in a beautiful way. In fact, fans are very eager for another season of this anime. This anime was created by the studio MAPPA. Its first episode was released on the 6th of October 2016.
The anime opens up with the introduction of the main character Yuuri Katsuki who has just lost the Grand Prix Finals. Being one of the most promising figure skaters in Japan, winning this competition was something important, but he decided to return home. Once home, he puts on weight and almost thinks of quitting figure skating, Victor Nikiforov, one of the best figure skaters, comes across one of Yuuri’s viral dance routines and decides to visit him in Japan to coach him. Since Yuuri is one of Victor’s biggest fans, he cannot decline the offer and starts training from scratch.
Wake Up, Girls!
Finally, the next anime comes closer to the reality of idols in general. Wake Up, Girls! is an anime produced by a collaboration between Ordet and Tatsunoko Production. It was first released as an anime film on 10th January 2014.
The anime introduces us to a small girl group called Wake Up, Girls from Green Leaves Entertainment. They sing and dance their debut song in front of a small audience. Although the crowd was small, they were happy. However, things take an ugly turn when their manager runs away with the money on the same night, causing a threat to the entertainment agency’s future. Thanks to an anonymous person and contract, they were able to get another chance. The anime then follows their struggles of being a small group in a huge industry, as well as the struggles of their own personal lives.
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