
World Is Dancing
ONA · Summer 2026 · 13 episodes · Finished
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Born into a life of acting and dance with a traveling theater troupe in 14th-century Japan, 12-year old Oniyasha has one problem—he doesn't know what the point of any of it is. "Why must I step with the left foot here instead of the right? Why is one performance good and another, bad? Why do people dance at all?" It all seems perfectly arbitrary, until a chance encounter in a run-down shack sets him down a path to revolutionizing the art form and influencing much of Japanese culture to come. A fictionalized account of the early life of Zeami Motokiyo (Oniyasha), the founder of modern Noh theater—the world's oldest surviving theater art—this coming-of-age artist's journey vividly brings to life a man far ahead of his time during one of Japan's most culturally and socially vibrant eras. (Source: Kodansha Comics) Note: World Is Dancing streamed 3 days in advance of the TV broadcast on Prime Video and HIDIVE beginning June 29th, 2026. Regular broadcasting began on July 2nd, 2026.
The verdict
Season picksMust watchSummer 2026Historical anime about Zeami Motokiyo, the 14th-century Noh actor and playwright, following him from reluctant heir to a troupe to an obsessive artist capturing the rhythm of the world in movement. An evocative mix of animation styles. It is one of 2026's most lustrous hidden gems, held back only by being a historical performing-arts show locked to HIDIVE.
OniyashaMainYumiri Hanamori, Nobunaga Shimazaki · Japanese voice
IshiyaSupportingShinba Tsuchiya · Japanese voice
KoganeSupportingMaaya Uchida · Japanese voice
ZojiroSupportingRomi Park · Japanese voice
Yoshimitsu AshikagaSupportingTakahiro Sakurai · Japanese voice
InuouSupportingYouji Matsuda · Japanese voice
JunigoroSupportingHaruki Ishiya · Japanese voice
Kan’amiSupportingKatsuyuki Konishi · Japanese voice