● This is a spoiler-free review.
● 80+ in my rating means very good.
● I started to read this work after watching the anime, which I reviewed. You can check it out by clicking here.
● As this work is still being released, I would like to start off by saying that at the time that I'm writing, we are at chapter 165. If things change drastically with time, I will come back and rewrite or edit this review.
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The Story ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ Junpei was fascinated by ballet as a kid. Yet, when he tries to practice it, he faces a lot of prejudice from his friends. After the death of his father, he has to be the "man of the house" and decides to learn martial arts. Junpei now meets a transfer student, Miyako. She finds out about his love for ballet and resurrects his childhood memories and passions.The story of Dance Dance Danseur is really good. As Junpei is a beginner, there's a lot of explanation about the world of ballet. Training, stretches, performances, movement names and many other elements appear during the entirety of the work. The pacing of the story is really nice, with dramatic moments, romantic moments, and even plot twists.One comment in regards to the story. Sometimes, especially in the beginning volumes, there are some perverted moments in which the characters are around 14 years old. It's really weird and creepy. Luckily, as the story progresses, that eases a lot. At the top of my mind, I can think of four moments. So that's not a point that ruins the manga for me.
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The Art Style ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The art in this manga is pretty good; there's a lot of play with dark and light to expose black and white thoughts. Great angles, a lot of textures on the speech balloons, and great choreography.
One point that I would like to raise and that I feel is one that was greatly different if compared to the anime is about posture. As the manga deals with static frames, it's really easy to spot the right movement of hands, the aligned spine, and the right angle of legs and feet. I felt that there was something really positive about the work.
Character designs are nice; hairs, eyes, and faces are well done. I didn't feel like a copy paste of character traits. The background can be a bit lacking at times, but the art is overall good.
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The Characters ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ There are a good number of characters in this anime. Junpei, Miyako, their family, school friends, teachers, and other dancers. Every character brings something different to the story, be it a different personality or a different drama. In the core of the characters, there's a really good depth of personality, frequently going back to the past so you can truly understand their current motivations and mentality.As I always like to talk about the main character, Junpei is a really good main character. His behavioral changes towards the work and his growth are amazing to see.
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The adaptation ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ The manga isn't really popular, with the majority getting to know the work through the anime (me included). I'll spare a few words for those who aim to read this manga.The manga has a different vibe if compared to the anime. There's more drama, and I recommend that you start from chapter 1 so you can understand themes that aren't really developed in depth in the anime. There are also all the points that I mentioned above in regards to posture and explanations that are done better in the manga.════ ⋆★⋆ ════
Conclusion ════ ⋆★⋆ ════ If you're like me, you skip everything and read only the conclusion because you don't want to get spoiled with other themes. So I will try to be brief on this point:Read it. Dance Dance Danseur is a great manga, having really good art, characters, and story. It addresses a variety of misconceptions and themes, including prejudice, manliness, and much more.I've said this on my anime review but this work holds a dear place in my heart as it's the one that made me change many ideas in regards to ballet and was able to show me the art, elegance, and beauty of ballet. Making me watch many real life performances so far.