I tend not to be drawn to films described as 'heartwarming'. 'life enhancing' or 'magical' but as this is a Japanese film, I had no need to worry. No chance that, whilst being all of that the film would not also be realistic. True there is much sentiment but not false sentiment and the heartwarming moments are genuinely touching, nobody is tugging at the heart strings, we simply feel for the characters because they are so well drawn and we have become involved. Simple enough story describing a normal Japanese salaryman's gradual involvement in ballroom dancing but so well photographed and written that we find ourselves both laughing at and with the participants. Fairly slow build and no dramatic finale, just one beautifully told tale that will involve and amuse even the most hardened yakuza movie fan, or anyone else for that matter.

Shohei Sugiyama (Kôji Yakusho) is a guy that works way too much. I understand that is typical in Japan. He is lonely, but that is not what attracts him to a dance studio.On the train home, he sees Mai Kishikawa (Tamiyo Kusakari) in the window. The next night she is there again. He is intrigued as to why she is so unhappy.He manages to overcome his shyness and joins in at the dance studio where Mai works as a teacher. Soon his life changes dramatically.Kôji Yakusho is an outstanding Japanese actor who was in Babel and 13 Assassins. Tamiyo Kusakari won a Best Actress award for this film and was up for another at this years Japanese Film Academy for The Terminal Trust.Comic moments are provided by Hiromasa Taguchi and Yu Tokui, and a very big surprise comes from Naoto Takenaka, who won a Best Supporting Actor award for this film.I cannot comprehend why anyone would think this film needed a remake.

Dancing: The vertical expression of a horizontal desire legalised by music. This quote may have been in the mind of middle aged salaryman Shohei (Kaji Yakusho) who realises that his life is unfulfilled as he watches dance instructor Mai (Tamiyo Kusakari) every night from his commuter train. In a moment of impulsiveness, he signs up for dance lessons to be near the sphinx like Mai. This might have been a movie about the budding romance between the somewhat improbably beautiful leads. Instead director Masayuki Suo focuses more on the excitement and passion of the ballroom than the attraction between Shohei and Mai, and makes a better, less predictable movie for it. Both the lead and supporting roles are played to near perfection, though Naoto Takenaka as the troll like Latin wannabe Mr. Aoki, shamelessly steals every scene he is in.Will Shoheis horizontal aspirations be fulfilled? Will his irredeemably dull wife discover his guilty secret? Will he go to the ball? You can be reassured that these questions will be answered to your satisfaction by the end of this endearingly sweet movie.

First caught this movie during it's initial USA run in the mid-90s and remember finding it more comedic. Upon recent viewing, I find it downright charming more so than comedic although it certainly has several funny and amusing moments - mostly with the Mr. Aoki character, Shall we Dansu is charming in it's purest form. The movie seems to have a chance to stray into relationship and infidelity dramatic territory but nicely skirts the sleaze and takes the high road rather focusing on the job of dancing and the amusement involved with the Japanese reception or dissatisfaction of it. I enjoyed all the main characters, and the whole studio/dance development was very well conjured. Only the family scenes seemed run-of-the-mill, but this was intended to begin with. Mr. Sugiyama is especially well played as Koji Yakusho as stoic yet bumbling. The music adds to the class and atmosphere - this movie has a feel of throwback but manages modern charm. It's aged just fine in over a decade, and I enjoyed more on 2nd viewing than 1st I think. Recommended.