Fall Anime Wandansu’s Dance is Incredible! Viewers Exclaim ‘The Smooth Feeling is Great’, ‘More Realistic’ & Praise In-Show Music as ‘Groundbreaking’ [Episode 1 Spoilers & Reactions Roundup]

Autumn Anime Wandance Kicks Off with High-Quality Dance Scenes and Rave Reviews!

The highly anticipated autumn anime series, `Wandance`, premiered on October 8, 2025, at 11:45 PM. Its first episode, “Wanda-san’s Dance,” immediately captivated audiences, with the internet buzzing with comments like, “The dance quality is incredible for an anime!” and “The dance scenes are so beautiful, you just can’t look away.”

About Wandance: A Story of Dance and Self-Expression

`Wandance` is a captivating “street dance x romance” manga serialized in Koudansha’s “Afternoon” monthly comic magazine by Kohii. The story follows Kotani Kaboku, a high school student who struggles with stuttering (吃音症 – kitsuonshou) and finds it difficult to speak in front of others. His life takes a turn when he is drawn to his classmate, Wanda Hikari, who dances with exceptional talent and flair. Inspired by her, Kaboku embarks on a journey to express himself through “freestyle” dance, a form where words are unnecessary.

The Creative Minds Behind the Animation

The anime adaptation is brought to life by the creative vision of Katou Michiya, who serves as director, scriptwriter, and VFX supervisor. Animation production is a collaborative effort between the renowned studios Madhouse and Cyclon Graphics, promising a visually stunning experience.

Meet the Talented Cast and Dance Performers

The series features a stellar voice cast bringing the characters to life:

For the mesmerizing dance sequences, motion capture technology was employed, featuring professional dancers:

The autumn anime `Wandance` began broadcasting on October 8, 2025, at 11:45 PM. Episode 1, “Wanda-san’s Dance,” led to a huge buzz online, with comments such as “The dance quality is amazing for an anime!” and “The dance scenes are so beautiful, I can’t take my eyes off them.”

`Wandance` is a “street dance x romance” manga serialized by Kohii in Koudansha’s “Afternoon” monthly comic magazine. It tells the coming-of-age story of Kotani Kaboku, a high school student who has a stutter and struggles to speak in front of others. He becomes captivated by his classmate, Wanda Hikari, who dances with outstanding talent, and challenges himself to express his emotions through “freestyle” dance, where words are not needed.

Katou Michiya is responsible for the direction, script, and VFX, while Madhouse and Cyclon Graphics handle the animation production. Uchiyama Kouki plays the role of the protagonist, Kabo, whose real name is Kotani Kaboku, and Youmiya Hina voices Wanda, or Wanda Hikari. For the dance sequences, KAITA performed the motion capture for Kaboku, and KANATA for Wanda.

TV Anime `Wandance` Key Visual

The moment `Wandance`’s opening started, the internet immediately erupted in excitement. “The OP is already so good,” “The opening is stylish, I’m curious about the dance scenes,” and “BE:FIRST’s song is just too cool!!” were some of the comments. The opening theme is “Stare In Wonder” by the seven-member dance and vocal group BE:FIRST.

A dance PV has also been released, and the original author, Kohii, posted on their SNS: “I’ve watched the BE:FIRST + KAITA-san and ReiNa-san dance PV countless times, and it’s absolutely incredible. The playfulness in trying to cover all genres and the tremendous passion that builds up towards the end — it feels like they’re dancing with their lives on the line, it’s so cool. Please give it a watch.”

In Episode 1, Kotani Kaboku, referred to as “Kabo” by his friends, enrolls in high school. One day, he sees a female student dancing in a corner of the school building. The girl’s name is Wanda Hikari, and she becomes his neighbor in their combined modern literature class.

Kabo, with his stutter, nervously asks, “W-w-wanda-san, d-d-do you like d-dance?” He then explains with difficulty, “I-i-it’s j-j-just how I talk, it’s n-n-not because I’m n-nervous, s-s-so d-don’t mind it.” Wanda simply replies, “Hmm, I don’t mind at all.”

Episode 1 Scene Cut

After a physical education class, while tidying up, Wanda asks Kabo, “Kotani-kun, are you interested in dance?” Kabo replies, “N-not really…” He carried a trauma from middle school. During a dance class, the teacher recorded their performance, and “there I was, moving unbelievably awkwardly.” He felt as if his classmates were laughing at him, and ever since, he’s felt embarrassed even watching others dance. “It takes courage to dance in front of people, so it can’t be helped,” Wanda says.

Episode 1 Scene Cut

Wanda joins the dance club. When Kabo asks her, “W-why dance, then? W-why do you want to dance?” she replies, “Because I like it,” but then muses, “But, if you ask me why, I guess… ‘not having to speak’ is a good reason. I’m not very good at expressing myself with words either.” Kabo’s eyes widen at her words.

That night, as Kabo practices a vocal exercise to overcome his stutter, he pauses and starts watching a video of singer Scatman John. Scatman John, despite his own stutter, never gave up on self-expression, achieving global success with his iconic “ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bop.”

Kabo’s inner monologue, “(I heard that all the performers in this PV also have a stutter),” resonated strongly with netizens.
“It’s Scatman! So nostalgic!”, “I didn’t know Scatman had a stutter…”, “I knew the artist himself had a stutter, but it’s the first time I heard that all the MV performers also had one.”
The fact that the actual PV played in the episode also delighted viewers, who commented: “It’s so cool that the real Scatman MV is playing!”, “They’re showing live-action scenes!”, “It’s great that they weave in music like this, not just dance parts.”

Episode 1 Scene Cut

Another day, Kabo witnesses Wanda dancing in the school hallway. This scene, featuring Yaffle feat. Aramaki Yuujin’s “Get Something Out of Your Mind,” was partially revealed in `Wandance`’s first PV.

The stunning dance performances in `Wandance` are achieved through sophisticated motion capture technology. Dancers’ movements are recorded and meticulously transferred to the animation, resulting in incredibly fluid and lifelike character movements.

This advanced animation technique garnered immense praise online: “Wanda-san’s dance is incredible, the anime’s quality is amazing!”, “They really captured the motion capture movements perfectly, that smooth and fluid (nurunuru) feeling is so good!”, “So this is what motion capture looks like when used in anime!”, “The dancing is so much more realistic!”, “It’s such a great era where anime can achieve such detailed and authentic expressions.” Viewers were also impressed by how the series integrates real-world music, with one comment noting, “It’s truly groundbreaking how they feature existing songs within the show.”

Watching Wanda’s dance, Kabo was completely captivated. “Even without words, it conveys everything. It feels so… free,” he thought. Filled with newfound determination, he declared, “I-I want to join the dance club!” — demonstrating a rather shaky “Running Man” dance move as he spoke.

Kabo’s decision, inspired by Wanda, sparked excitement among netizens: “I’m looking forward to Kabo-kun’s growth!”, “I was really drawn in! Go, Kabo-kun!”, “I’m excited to see how the protagonist changes, and the girl is uniquely cute!”, “I was mesmerized by Wanda-san’s dance scene along with Hanaki-kun…”, “I felt the respect for music when the songs used in the show were introduced.”, “The dance scenes are so beautiful, you just can’t look away.” Expectations for Kabo and appreciation for the music flooded the comments.

Youmiya Hina, the voice actress for Wanda Hikari, also shared her thoughts after the broadcast: “The wonderful music and cool dance scenes filled me with such emotion and excitement, I just wanted to keep watching more. The words woven by Wanda-chan are also incredibly captivating… I hope everyone will continue to watch over Kabo-kun and the others until the very end.”

Kabo’s “Running Man” at the episode’s end ties into the ending theme, “Wondrous,” performed by the five-member dance and vocal group ELSEE. KARIN from ELSEE has even released a video showcasing the technique behind the “Running Man” dance move.

Furthermore, a “Wonderful” Special Edition of the ending theme “Wondrous” has also been released.

The music used within the anime is drawing as much attention as the animation itself. Approximately 30 songs were featured in the first episode alone, with distribution already underway.

`Wandance` has also partnered with the Japan Sports Agency, and we eagerly await future developments from this exciting collaboration.

`Wandance` airs every Wednesday at 11:45 PM on TV Asahi’s nationwide “IMAnimation W” block and other channels. Streaming begins every Thursday at 12:15 AM, with exclusive all-you-can-watch access on Disney+. Other streaming platforms will start distribution sequentially from October 10 at 12:00 AM.

Written by hidegomi

Full Staff and Cast List

Staff

Cast

Opening Theme

• “Stare In Wonder” by BE:FIRST (B-ME)

Ending Theme

• “Wondrous” by ELSEE (Epic Records Japan)

In-Show Song Providing Artists (Alphabetical Order)

• Aramaki Yuujin
• Alisa
• Black Boboi
• Daigo Sakuragi
• FUNI
• GZO
• Hidetake Takayama
• Jazztronik
• JiN, Seann Bowe
• Jua
• Kaztake Takeuchi
• Marcello Jonno
• Michael Yano a.k.a ARK
• MONJOE
• RIEHATA
• RIKKI
• Sahnya
• Scatman John
• Shinichi Oosawa
• Shinichirou Murayama
• Tooru Ishikawa
• URU
• Weauxmaque
• Wez Atlas
• Yaffle

(C) Kohii・Koudansha／Wandance Production Committee