01x07 - Wanda's Pre-High School Days

[bunniefuu]

[Assay] Back when we started dancing,

the kids who danced were always

those edgy, fashionable types.

But now it's different.

Dance turned into

a sport focused only on winning

over the three years in high school.

Even the kids who can dance like crazy

quit once they graduate.

It just becomes another good memory.

I've seen stuff like that unfold

right in front of me.

[sighs] Sorry I'm late.

Something suddenly came up.

[door closes]

Well, then, let's discuss

the final results of the contest.

WANDANCE

[Kabo] After finishing their performances,

dance club members

from all 40 schools waited in the hall,

anxious for the results to be announced.

[groans]

Why's the judging taking so long?

It's making me nervous!

-On! We're gonna be okay, right?

-[chuckles]

We did good, right?

-[groaning]

-Calm down, calm down.

It's going to be okay.

My prediction is that

Tenno High School and Sakaya High School

will win something, just as expected.

Tenno nailed a routine that's designed to

tick all the boxes of a dance contest.

And Sakaya's performance felt effortless,

a minimalist style aimed

to be appreciated by dancers.

There may be a clash of opinion

between the ordinary judges

and the dancer judges.

And us? What about Ichirin?

Huh?

We were super ambitious

and aimed to please both crowds.

[Kabo] On always manages to stay

composed and calms everyone down.

She's always there to help everyone.

How did I do?

I wonder if I did enough

to meet her expectations.

It was just the music, Wanda and me.

Nothing else existed.

I could hear the music,

and yet it felt silent…

I managed to get into the zone

even on stage.

Actually, during the performance,

the moment Wanda grabbed my hand

and our eyes met,

the choreography

totally flew out of my head.

Since I could only remember

the accents of the music,

I improvised,

throwing everything I've got into it.

It was a strange experience.

[rousing music playing]

Thank you for waiting.

We will now announce the winning schools.

With all teams giving

such wonderful performances,

I'm sure you're excited

to hear the results!

Here are the winners.

At the High School Dance Convention,

third place goes to…

-[music stops]

-[drumroll playing]

…Sakaya High School.

[audience cheering, applauding]

Next, in second place…

[drumroll playing]

…Tenno High School.

[audience cheering, applauding]

And so the very well-deserved champion

taking first place is…

[drumroll playing]

…Ichirin High School!

[audience cheering applauding]

-[Kabo gasps]

-[Wanda gasps]

[chuckles]

[gasps]

We did it!

[Kabo] Incredible. We actually won.

[MC] Now it's time for the

personal awards, judged by the dancers.

First, the Assay Award goes to…

-[heart thumping]

-[gulps]

Ichirin High School's Hikari Wanda!

-[Wanda exclaims]

-[audience cheers]

[Aoi] Wanda, that's amazing!

[dancer] Wanda, that's insane!

[gulps]

Well done.

[MC] Next up, the Nao Award goes to…

[student 1 gasps]

You're still a first year?

Do you train at a studio or something?

[student 2]

Did you start dancing before high school?

[student 3] Do you do

individual dance projects and stuff?

Oh, I have a team.

[gasps] Do you perform at events?

We haven't yet…

Do you post videos online?

[Wanda] Uh… Well…

[Kabo] Wanda goes out into the spotlight,

and of course everyone sees

she's the real deal.

-[Hoto] Kabo!

-[Kabo grunts]

We saw you.

Yo.

You were incredible.

To be honest, I thought you'd be

a bit lost doing stuff without us…

Sorry. I gotta admit, you've changed.

Oh…

Thank you.

[Seiya] Why so serious?

[Hoto] What's with this guy? Lighten up!

[all chuckling]

[Kabo] It's amazing, right?

A first year enters their first contest

and takes the top prize.

I should quit being so gloomy.

[grunts]

Is that Wanda coming over here?

-[Assay] Huh?

-[gasps]

[Assay] Watching your dance today…

I realized that you're someone

who will dance for your whole life.

Someday, if you feel like it,

would you perform in one of my dances?

[stammers, breathes shakily]

Th… Thank you.

[Assay] Well, see ya.

[Kabo gulps] Excuse me.

Huh?

If you have some advice or something…

Advice?

Hmm.

[grunts]

You have a habit

of dancing a bit too wildly.

Huh?

[Assay] It's fine though. Adrenaline

kicks in like that when you're dancing.

But dancers can easily hurt their necks

and knees and so on.

Building your range of motion gradually

will lengthen your career as a dancer.

See you.

[sighs]

-[Wanda chuckles]

-[Kabo] Uh…

-Wanda!

-There you are!

Let's take a photo! [chuckles]

[pensive music playing]

[Kabo] Wanda…

[no audible dialogue]

…I thought we'd become so close,

but somehow you feel so distant again.

-[Iori] Aren't you getting on?

-[sighs]

I'm going back on my bike.

-[students laughing]

-Oh.

It's Usen.

I thought it was you.

Oh, Iori.

-[gasps] They know each other?

-[music stops]

How come you didn't dance today?

Man, your hair's so long.

I can't be bothered to get it cut.

[laughs] Seriously?

[gasps]

You smashed it today.

Huh?

He's still upset you said his dancing

looked lame before the show.

[Kabo gasps]

[both] Huh?

Oh!

Wait, does he mean that?

We were just messing around with

our own dance moves like we always do.

It's a game where we try

to make it look more and more stupid.

[laughs] That's such a lame dance move.

[Kabo grunts]

That's so stupid of me.

I totally took it the wrong way.

Let's dance together again sometime,

in a battle or something.

-[Iori] See you around.

-Yeah.

A battle…

-I reckon you'd be good in a dance battle.

-Huh?

You're probably a bit like me.

Rather than follow someone else's

fixed choreography,

you feel way more free and alive

when you get to improvise.

That's why even though you won today,

you don't feel much sense

of accomplishment.

It's not like that…

Today, I came to check

if what On said is right.

She said there's someone in this year's

dance club who's insanely good.

That's Hikari Wanda.

But you're different.

It's a waste.

Those deep sounds that

even intermediate dancers can't catch,

you pick them up so easily.

If there's one area

where you can surpass Hikari Wanda,

-it's in a battle.

-[gasps]

[sighs]

Oh!

-[gasps]

-Oh, Kabo!

[gulps] I…

Here…

No, I just… I was worried

you might get left behind.

Huh?

-[pensive music playing]

-[Kabo] She came looking for me?

Thank goodness

we didn't leave without you.

For a moment,

I almost got jealous of Wanda.

But I just need to catch up. That's all.

Hey… Could I get a photo?

-For the memory? [chuckles]

-[music stops]

Of course!

[Kabo] Wanda is mysterious.

She doesn't just support me

with my dancing

but also cares about my well-being.

People don't usually do that much

for someone else.

Most people don't understand stuttering,

and they don't care either.

I wonder why

Wanda would do so much for me.

[chime echoes]

07 WANDA'S PRE-HIGH SCHOOL DAYS

Hmm?

[sighs]

[chips crunching]

MANAGER TAKEDA

Hmm. [gasps]

What's she doing?

[grunting]

[Takeda] Wanda.

-What are you doing?

-[gasps]

Oh, I'm sorry!

I was just doing some isolation exercises.

They're just dance drills.

Isolation? Dance drills?

[sniffles, sobs] Goodness, really?

-Growing up in a single-parent family…

-Yes.

Trying to cover even a little

of your tuition yourself…

Yes.

-Hang in there.

-Yes.

I've more or less finished cleaning, so…

By the way, what do you think?

Are my shoulders moving too much?

[Takeda] I hired a weird kid.

[Wanda] What? Sorry.

ALCOHOL - CIGARETTES

Boss, could you check if I cleaned

the coffee machine properly please?

Yes, I'll come now.

By the way, Wanda, have you seen this?

[Wanda] MJ?

Yes, so you know him.

[chuckles]

Pow!

So, Wanda, are you going to join

a dance club when you start high school?

Yes, that's what I'm thinking.

Oh, to be young…

Maybe you'll even end up with a boyfriend?

Uh… [stammers]

…I hadn't really thought about that.

Really?

What type of guys do you like?

Like a celebrity, or someone like that…

[Wanda chuckles] Let me think.

Probably someone kind, I guess.

[Takeda] Hmm. Ah…

[Wanda] Like someone who helps other

people even when no one else is watching.

Someone who stands up for a person

even when they're not around.

I guess someone like that.

[Takeda] What is that?

A line from a romantic drama or something?

Okay, then, so for now, it's dance

once you get to high school, huh?

What kind of dancing do you do?

What kind of dancing…

[stammers]

[Takeda] Oh, come to think of it,

I have a DVD of MJ.

Want me to lend it to you?

[Wanda gasps] I'd love to watch it!

SANSAN MOVING CENTER

[sighing]

Oh, yeah. I said I'd lend her that DVD.

TOKYO LOVE STORY

[gasps] How nostalgic.

We did that at the school festival.

I remember now.

When I look back,

I was really at my peak back then.

[chuckling]

['80s pop music playing on speakers]

[sniffles, sobs]

MJ…

-[uplifting music playing]

-[Wanda humming]

MAGAZINE DELIVERY SERVICE

NOW AVAILABLE!

[Takeda] Thanks for your hard work today.

Here, this is that MJ DVD.

Wow! Thank you so much!

Hmm. Have a watch of that,

and good luck with your dancing.

Yes. I'm going to practice

right away after this too.

Huh? At this time?

[music fades]

Are you sure it's okay? Did you tell

your dad you're out practicing late?

Sorry you had to close the shop

just to see me off safely.

[Takeda] I was worried!

You practice in a place like this?

Can't you train at home?

[Wanda] My dad gets angry

if I make noise in the house.

I see. How do you practice exactly?

Practice…

How do I do it?

I guess I just try out

whatever comes to mind that day.

Mmm…

I taught myself how to dance,

so I just keep trying

anything I think might work.

But I guess, when the steps I couldn't do

or something I imagined suddenly works out

I feel so happy and emotionally lifted.

-Mind if I watch a little?

-[Wanda] Huh?

I'd love to see you dance properly,

just once.

I'll head home after that.

[stammers]

Okay.

[Takeda] Oh. She's fearless.

[mellow pop music playing]

YAFFLE FEAT. YUJIN ARAMAKI

[gasps]

-[music stops]

-[panting]

Oh.

How was that?

Huh? Well, well.

I mean… Honestly, I can't tell if someone

is good or bad at dancing. [chuckles]

Oh, right.

[Takeda] But somehow,

I get the feeling she's a rising star.

Watching Wanda reminded me

that I used to think

I could become someone special.

But now that I think about it,

all I've done is mimic everyone else.

Just like back then,

thanks to her dancing,

my heart is getting fired up again.

No customers, huh?

[Wanda] Yeah. And when it gets busy,

it gets packed all at once.

Hmm.

-[gasps]

-['80s pop music playing]

[chuckles]

[grunting]

-Pow!

-[gasps]

Watch this! I'm gonna do the moonwalk!

The moonwalk is a move

where you use tiptoe footwork

to seemingly move forward

but actually slide backward.

Pow!

-[ankles crack]

-[music stops]

-[Takeda] Ow!

-[Wanda] Boss!

[Takeda] Ouch…

How embarrassing of me, on your last day

working here over spring break.

No, it's fine. I was really moved.

My dad can't hear very well, so…

Huh?

So do you use sign language at home?

Oh, no! Actually, only about 20%

of people with hearing loss

can use sign language.

My dad can't use it either.

He practices pronunciation and speaking.

[Takeda] I see.

This might be the wrong thing to say,

but couldn't you play music

without him noticing?

No, he seems to notice

from the vibrations.

I see.

But he seems to be

supportive of my dancing.

-[inspirational music playing]

-The other day,

you asked me

what kind of dancing I do, right?

I really think that

if I can master dancing,

a dancer can become

"music that you can see."

Even if someone can't hear,

even without sound, with dance,

I think you can get someone

to "feel" the music instead.

[Takeda] What she said

was really something.

It'll be summer break soon enough.

I wonder if Wanda will come

and work here again.

And maybe she'll bring that boy

she came in with the other day.