On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, it was officially announced that the television adaptation of the popular Wandance anime was in production. The announcement also confirmed that the project was scheduled for a general release in 2025. Although no trailer or key visual was released with the news, the author and illustrator of the original hip-hop dance manga did create a celebratory illustration to mark the occasion.
The announcement for the Wandance anime has confirmed that Madhouse Studios and Cyclone Graphics Inc. will spearhead the production, with other individuals also playing key roles. Based on the timing of this announcement and the available information, it can be assumed that the Wandance anime will air in the Summer 2025 season or beyond.
Wandance Anime Adaptation to Bring Mangaka Coffee’s Original Hip-Hop Dance Manga to Screens in 2025
As previously stated, the initial announcement of the Wandance anime’s production revealed that Madhouse Studios and Cyclone Graphics Inc. would not be the only parties involved. RIEHATA, a dancer, choreographer, and singer known for her work with Japanese groups EXILE and KAT-TUN and Korean groups BTS, EXO, and Red Velvet, has been named as the anime’s dance producer. Currently, no additional information about the rest of the staff is available.
Nevertheless, it is anticipated that the upcoming announcement for the anime will disclose the core team behind the series as well as the main cast members. The key positions, including director, character designer, animation director, and others, will most likely be announced as part of the former. As for the latter, it is probable that only the lead characters Kaboku Kotani and Hikari Wanda will be revealed initially, with any additional cast being announced at a later time.
The Wandance anime is based on the manga series of the same name created by author and illustrator Coffee. The manga was first serialized in Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon magazine in 2019 and is also available on their Magazine Pocket app. It has been licensed by Kodansha USA Publishing and is described as follows in English:
“A boy named Kaboku sees a girl named Wanda dance, and suddenly burns with a need to join in. With its thrilling scenes of Japanese hip-hop dance and quirky, charming characters, this is a new, inspirational manga for fans of coming-of-age stories like Blue Period and Your Lie in April. Get up and join the Wandance!
Kaboku has always just gone with the flow, marching in step to the drumbeat of the expectations of those around him: parents, school, plans for the future. It feels predictable, safe, and… empty. But one night, Kaboku’s at school late, and he happens on a girl alone, moving wildly, turning a blank space of concrete into a canvas. This is Hikari Wanda, a member of the hip-hop dance club. Kaboku is immediately smitten, but the road to stepping out of his shell is a long one. The club is almost entirely girls, and they’re all, well, way better than him. What’s ahead is unknown, and that’s terrifying, but it also means, for the first time in Kaboku’s life… a taste of freedom.”
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