Wandance Episode 1 Review: What Is Up With The Animation?!

Wandance Episode 1 Review: Today’s episode was good but flawed as an introductory piece for this new anime. Let’s see how this episode of Wandance turned out.

Wandance Overview

Wandance (Japanese: ワンダンス) is a critically acclaimed seinen manga created by Coffee, which began serialization in Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon magazine in January 2019. Known for its fluid art style and emotional storytelling centered on the world of dance, the manga has resonated with readers for its grounded tone. As of September 2025, the series has been compiled into 14 tankōbon volumes. It is officially available in English through Kodansha USA.

An anime adaptation of Wandance was announced in August 2024 and later premiered in October 2025. The adaptation is a collaboration between Madhouse and Cyclone Graphics, with Michiya Kato serving as the director, screenwriter, and VFX supervisor. Satoshi Tasaki and Taiki Imamura are credited as both the character designers and chief animation directors, while renowned dancer Riehata brings authenticity to the choreography as the dance producer.

The anime showcases an impressive musical lineup, featuring original insert tracks such as “Kujira” by Yaffle featuring Sahnya, along with contributions from numerous talented artists, including Yujin Aramaki, Black Boboi, Daigo Sakuragi, Jazztronik, and many more. The opening theme, “Stare In Wonder”, is performed by the popular J-pop group Be:First, while the ending theme, “Wondrous”, is sung by Elsee, perfectly complementing the show’s reflective atmosphere.

The series airs on TV Asahi’s IMAnimation W programming block and is available for global streaming on Disney+, with Hulu hosting it in the United States, making it accessible to audiences worldwide.

Wandance Episode 1 Review

A new sports anime is in town, and it could have been the best thing ever, which sadly it is not. The anime opens with Kaboku, who is an anxious and shy high schooler with a peculiar relationship with dancing. There was once a time in middle school when he decided to participate in a dancing performance and fumbled very badly in it. That experience traumatised him so much that he refuses to dance ever again or even look at someone dancing in front of him.

This, however, becomes difficult when he comes across Wanda, a girl in his class who charms him right away. He becomes a bumbling mess in front of her, yet he remains curious about her love for dancing, something that he is deeply afraid of.  

Rather than just being about dancing, this anime is also about personal struggles and social anxiety. Kaboku is painfully introverted, but what makes things worse for him is the fact that he stutters. His class friends are aware of his condition, yet they are too insensitive to consider his feelings before talking about it or mocking him. The only time he actually felt seen was when Wanda started to interact with him.

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When Wanda tells him how one does not need to speak while dancing, Kaboku gets some epiphany about the whole situation. Thanks to her, Kaboku gets enough confidence to finally stand up to his so-called friends, who were not even decent human beings in the first place. And while confronting them, for the first time ever, Kaboku actually speaks without a stutter.

Verdict

This anime could have been a really good show, as it had all the materials to make it great. It showcases the personalities of the characters very well, along with their internal struggles and anxieties. However, where things fall off entirely is the animation, which heavily relies on CGI.

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