Writer: Lai Swee Wei

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Effects: NA
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Watch this if you liked: "Dance Of The Dragon”

With Hollywood churning out dance flicks usually revolving around street dancing like "Step Up" and "Make It Happen," Asia on the other hand delivers something different and classy, in the form of ballet and the classic Swan. "Dance, Subaru!" is a beautiful story that will inspire you, touch you, cheer you up, and above all motivate you. It is a tale about the self-realisation of a young ballerina under adversity.

Subaru (Meisa Kuroki) and her twin brother Kazuma share a passion for dance but they do not have the money to undergo formal training. Unfortunately, Kazuma soon dies from a hereditary illness at the age of 10 without a chance of becoming a dancer. After his death, dancing became Subaru's only happiness. She then comes across cabaret owner Isuzu, who is a retired ballerina herself. Isuzu, recognising the talent in Subaru, takes the kid under her wing and trains her. However, she is discouraged by her widower father who expects her to have a more conventional education.

The film is brilliantly sequenced, easy to understand, entertaining and bears a clear message. Moreover, each scene will leave you wanting to know what's next. There is no true antagonist in this film as it focuses on the everyday struggles of an aspiring dancer. However, the narration does have a number of subplots thrown around and is never fully developed, such as the romance between Subaru and Kohei (Yuta Hiraoka) and also the relationship between father and daughter. But that doesn't stop it from being an entertaining movie.

Focusing on dance, there are plenty of ballet and contemporary dances to keep you on your toes, if you pardon the pun. The gorgeous Kuroki controls her movements well and it doesn't take a lot of effort to pay attention to Kuroki's lean body as she dances. Awkwardly enough, there is an out-of-place scene involving hip-hop dancers battling amongst themselves, soon is interrupted by Subaru's confidence. At this scene, this reviewer is just itching to ruffle up Subaru's perfectly side-parted hair as she tries to learn the dance. Interestingly, Korean pretty boy group TVFXQ had their cameo performance on stage, much to fan delight.

The characters in the story are terribly adorable, especially queer ballet performer Mr. Sada, overconfident Teacher Amano and the gung-ho cabaret owner Isuzu. Overall, "Dance, Subaru!" is the kind of movie that's simply waiting to put smiles and maybe even a tear or two on your face.

Cinema Online, 18 June 2009