Wandance Episode 7: The real reason Wanda wants to become the best dancer

Wandance Episode 7 doesn't mess around with showcasing the bittersweet nature of shared success. Ichirin High School took home first in the dance competition, but the party's happy vibe fell apart the moment only one dancer was recognized for individual achievements. What started as a celebration of success turned into an examination of inadequacy, the distance between the partners, and a collaboration that questions the worth of whether or not they can win together.

The episode splits its runtime between all of Kaboku's subtle jealousy and then Wanda's backstory at a convenience store, sparked by her manager, Takeya, who jumped into an understanding of why she ridiculously pushes herself so hard. The truth of her hearing-impaired father changes everything people thought they knew about her competitive spirit.

---

Dance Competition Results

Wandance Episode 7 started with the judges talking it over about their scores in the competition. Assay, the dancer judge, showed his prowess to be able to tell which students would continue to dance as a life journey and which would be students who took dance in high school for a short chapter in their lives. His knowledge was valuable in judging the performances that took place in the competition.

Eventually, they announced the results, and Ichirin High had stalked the competition and taken the overall position. The two other schools showed well and could be listed as winning while under Ichirin, but they ultimately took the 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Wanda's exceptional performance earned her the standout dancer award, triggering complicated feelings for Kaboku.

---

Kaboku's Internal Struggle in Wandance Episode 7

Wandance Episode 7 depicted Kaboku dealing with feelings of jealousy as crowds formed around Wanda. Even though he put a ton of work into their winning routine together, Kaboku recognized Wanda more than Kaboku. Even though his two easy-going friends offered support and complimented Kaboku for improving as a dancer, nothing they said could totally silence his insecurity.

It all got worse when Assay reached out to Wanda about opportunities to dance professionally, along with giving Kaboku some technical advice about injury prevention. Kaboku took this as reaffirmation that his dancing and technique were not cutting it. Kaboku began asking whether he met expectations, particularly.

Iori offered some pivotal insight during this moment of vulnerability. Iori suggested that Kaboku has natural talent as a battle dancer and is not going to be able to dance in the usual or traditional choreographed fashion.

---

Wanda's Touching Backstory in Wandance Episode 7

In the second half of the episode, we learn more about Wanda's history. Before high school, she had a job in a convenience store to help her single parent pay for her school tuition. Takeya had hired Wanda out of pity at first, but quickly learned she had an odd obsession with dance.

Wanda practiced isolations and movements, even on shifts. Takeya began to rethink hiring her. When Wanda told him she was trying to learn dance styles, he lent her a DVD of Michael Jackson's work.

Wandance Episode 7 disclosed that Takeya had dreams about dance in high school. Pictures in Takeya's apartment suggested that he no longer had a family, due to divorce or loss. Although Takeya's life had not turned out how he had planned, watching Wanda revived Takeya's own passion for dance he had put away.

In a memorable scene, Takeya wore a Michael Jackson outfit and attempted some of Michael's signature moves, including the moonwalk. He was very good until he opted for a more difficult toe position, which sprained his ankle.

---

The Heart of Wanda's Dream

The most profound insight was Wanda's reason behind her father's hearing loss; he has an extremely hard time hearing music, yet fully supports his daughter dancing. The detail made sense of Wanda's patience with Kaboku stuttering; she anticipates that she needs to carefully communicate with her father and help him with conversation focused on speechreading when they do not use sign language.

Wandance Episode 7 conveyed Wanda's ultimate intention in dancing, to learn dancing well enough so that people can feel the music through dance on the move, not through hearing the music. She wants her dance to be a visual translation of the sound for her father and others who cannot hear. This altruistic intention situates her desire to check boxes of perfection in context.

Wandance Episode 7 hinted, possibly dialectically, that Kaboku may learn about battle dancing through Iori's suggestion; this would allow Kaboku to find moments on his own while he still partners with Wanda for choreographed routines.