After watching a gripping performance by a male ballet dancer as a kid, Junpei Murao fell in love with dance. However, after being pressured into finding it effeminate, he took up more manly sports like Jeet Kune Do and soccer, particularly after his father’s death made him the man of his house. One day after a female classmate witnesses him do a kick with the earmarks of ballet to it, she asks him to join her mother’s ballet studio. Although he resists at first, Junpei finds himself willing to make endless sacrifices for the euphoria that ballet elicits.
Well, well! Aren’t you a lovely gem that is not only about a less covered sport in anime but fully acknowledges that masculinity issue around it. I love you for that. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Dance Dance Danseur, then head on down below.
Anime Like Dance Dance Danseur
For Fans of Men in Less Manly Sports
Welcome to the Ballroom
Tatara is rescued one day by a professional dancer and teacher named Sengoku. Ending up back at his dance studio, he meets a school mate that he had secretly come to idolize. From this moment, Tatara is thrust into the world of dance, aiming to improve as a dancer in order to be acknowledged by his peers and rivals while Sengoku nurtures his natural talent.
Most obviously, these series are both about dance, but in different forms. Regardless, the main characters both see the sport as a kind of effeminate pursuit, but simply can’t fight the feeling that captivates them.
Yuri on Ice
After a crushing defeat at the Grand Prix finale, Yuuri Katsuki returns home no longer as Japan’s most promising figure skater. With his window for skating success closing, he assesses his options. After a video of Yuuri performing a routine by five-time world champion Victor Nikiforov goes viral, he suddenly finds the champion on his doorstep, offering to be Yuuri’s mentor.
Both figure skating and ballet have a number of men that pursue them, but neither are very well advertised to audiences. Both Yuri on Ice and Dance Dance Danseur dare to give you a realistic look at these sports while also exploring real character drama instead of drama that is just phoned in for entertainment.
Cheer Boys
Disheartened by judo and ultimately using a shoulder injury as an excuse to quit, college student Haruki Bando is invited by his childhood friend to join an unprecedented all-male cheer team called the Breakers. Together, they start to make history in this previously predominantly female sport.
Both series are about boys entering the realm of a sport that is traditionally seen as something only girls would pursue. The characters both possess a strong physical ability fostered by martial arts, and they turn that towards a new passion that has captivated them.
For Fans of Passion-Driven Characters
Blue Period
In his second year of high school, Yatora Yaguchi goofs off with his friends and studies hard enough to make good grades. However, neither makes him happy. Bound by normal activities, he wonders if there is something more. One day, he discovers the joy of drawing after becoming enchanted by a painting made by an art club member. Deciding he wants to do art as a living, Yatora faces a number challenges including his own hesitation on how far art can take him.
Both series follow rather immature boys who are just walking down the most straightforward path that is expected of them. However, they are both captivated by a passion that is off that path and a much more difficult one to walk. Their passion can take them far, but natural talent requires hard work to foster in both series.
Kids on the Slope
After moving around his entire life, classical pianist Kaoru Nishimi has abandoned all hope of fitting in as he arrives in Kyushu for his final year of high school. However, that all changes when he meets the thuggish drummer, Sentaro Kawabuchi, a man with an immeasurable love for jazz. Over the music, they bond together and Kaoru learns that music should be something to bring joy to others, not something dictated by hundreds of years of technique.
While Kids on the Slope is a music show, it is a passionate one about a character whose whole life is classical music until they experience the frenetic revelry of jazz for the first time. While Dance Dance Danseur stays pretty focused on the craft, Kids on the Slope is really more about character growth as explored through a friendship born from a shared love of jazz.
Smile Down The Runway
Fujito Chiyuki has dreamed of being the star model for her father’s modeling agency since she was a girl. Unfortunately, she stopped growing and is considered too short to be a good model. Regardless, she kept pursuing her dream. Only did her resolve start to waiver in her last year of high school. However, after meeting Tsumura Ikuto, a classmate with a passion for designing clothes, does she join him on a seemingly impossible journey to achieve their dreams.
Both series feature characters that are captivated by a dream, but barred from that dream by various obstacles. Together with the help of another talented individual, they are given the push forward that they need to pursue that. Although it doesn’t really put any focus on it, Smile Down The Runway also has a man that wants to be a fashion designer, a career not typically seen as being for men.
Arte
16th century Florence is awash with cultural and creative contributions during the Renaissance. Arte is a young lady from an aristocratic family who wants to contribute to this unique time. However, after her father’s death, she is expected to marry rather than become an artist. While she defies her family and looks for a mentor, she faces many obstacles in her path, one being that she is a woman.
While Arte is definitely a different setting due to its time period, both series are ultimately about two people with a passion for something that seems widely locked off to them because of their gender. However, you can’t stop real passion.
For Fans of Competitive Arts
Opera Girl
After being forced out of her idol group due to a stalker fostering her discomfort with men, Ai Narata seeks to use her talents at the prestigious Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts. This school has gained renown for producing the best actresses, and Ai fits their criteria even if her demeanor alienates her from her classmates. Upon entering school, Ai meets the tall and eccentric Sasara Watanabe who causes friction of her own with her classmates. Together, these girls find that they will need more than just talent to succeed at the school and earn their prestige.
While Opera Girl has an all-female cast, it, too, dips its toes into gender issues through characters exploring an art form. This time, it is about girls playing male roles. However, the large bulk of the show is about ambitious girls all competing for limited stage space which leads to both rivalry and admiration.
Glass Mask
Maya seemed destined to toil in her family restaurant with her bitter and unstable mother. Ayumi has always had success guaranteed to her by her famous parents’ connections, but yearns to prove her own talent. Their paths collide when they decide to vie for the same part in a play. For one to succeed, the other must fall.
Both Glass Mask and Dance Dance Danseur feature a story about two people in a bit of a rivalry. In order for one to succeed at their goal, it means that the other will fail. However, despite this, both series do show how people can still come to respect each other and their efforts.
Idolish7
On her first day working for her father’s production agency, Tsumugi was certainly not expecting to become the manager of the agency’s new idol group. Making her job even more difficult, deeming the group too big, she is asked by her father to cut four boys from it. However, after hearing them perform, she declares she won’t cut anyone from the group and dedicates herself to making them stars.
While it may seem strange to include an idol series on here, male idols and male ballet dancers probably encounter a fair bit of a crossover when it comes to how society views them. While Idolish7 doesn’t go as deep, it also touches on the topic of masculinity in regards to performers as well. However, like Dance Dance Danseur, there is also an element of competition among the idols.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Dance Dance Danseur? Let fans know in the comments section below.
