'Welcome to the Ballroom' Episode 4 Spoilers: Hyodo Officially Challenges Tatara; MBS to Broadcast 2 Episodes on July 29

By Emmanuelle Espiritu, Christian Post Contributor Monday, July 24, 2017

The world championship qualification tournament known as the Prince Mikasa Cup is currently underway. What breathtaking techniques will Hyodo show now that Tatara has proven himself to be a worthy rival on the next episode of Japanese sports anime series, "Welcome to the Ballroom"?

After Hyodo failed to show up in time for the Standard Division qualifying round, Sengoku made the quick decision to dress ballroom newbie in Hyodo's tailcoat before literally throwing him into the dance floor.

And although Tatara's routine was not at all impressive for a competitive level Waltz, he still managed to amaze Sengoku, his trainers, and Shizuku with a combination of the steps he copied from Hyodo, and the basic ones he has been repeating for a million times to make it to the end of the music. He may be an ultimate newbie, but he also has promise. After the routine, Sengoku was sure of this now.

Hyodo, on the other hand, was also impressed. But the fact that Tatara has just used some of his choreography, danced with his partner, and wore his tail coat to boot did not really sit well with the amateur champion. How will Sengoku calm things down after Hyodo violently grabbed Tatara by the lapels of his own coat? Has the impending rivalry between the two young ballroom dancers officially begun?

The preview for the next episode strongly hints that it has. Now that he's back, he will be taking over for the next round, which will have the competing couples dance the Tango. And although he has injured his left knee, he seems to still be in his full element, glancing at Tatara with a challenge at each turn.

What could this all mean for a previously dreamless guy who is just starting to discover his own element on the dance floor? Will the challenge of catching up to Hyodo's level finally awaken his competitive spirit? Or will this instead serve as a wake-up call for him to stop pursuing dance altogether?

There is also the matter of Hyodo's injury and his toughest competitor, Iwakuma's potential involvement in aggravating it. What really happened on that staircase between Iwakuma and Hyodo? And what made Iwakuma eventually tell his partner that he might win first place this time around?

Due to a special program airing on Aug. 4, MBS will be broadcasting two back-to-back episodes of "Welcome to the Ballroom" on Saturday, July 29, late night at 2:38 a.m. JST. Other scheduling information and online resources are available on the series' official site. Episodes are also available for regions outside Japan via Amazon Prime's Anime Strike service.