3.5/5

Review by Michele E. Hawkins.

Since childhood, Yuka Higuchi (Fuka Koshiba) has dreamed of becoming a professional tap dancer, but when her dreams aren’t quite working out and she receives bad news, Yuka returns to her hometown of Kaga.  There she finds both welcome and censure and discovers that she feels lost regarding her future.  Not really knowing what to do, she makes a rash decision to abandon tapdance and, following in the footsteps of her mother, Harumi (Rei Dan), train to be an okami, a traditional manager of a Japanese inn.

But Yuka isn’t the only one with problems.  Her home town is facing a financial crisis, so the local authorities decide to mount a campaign to attract visitors to the area.  Enter marketing guru Joji Hanazawa (Win Morisaki), with flashy manners and juddering inspirations.  Slavishly following him around are the local council members, including Kohei Matsumura (Ryo Aoki), with whom Yuka has history.

Coinciding with Hanazawa Joji’s lack of true inspiration and Yuka’s sudden vision of bringing together okami traditional practice with tap-dance, the stage is set, but it will take a miracle for the willing but untrained okami students to create a dancing extravaganza in the two weeks left before the visitors pour into town.  And if Yuka and the others somehow manage to put on a show to remember, will it be remembered for the right reasons?

The excellent performances by all cast members, along with the lavish costumes, lush landscapes, and fascinating indoor spaces largely make up for the story’s lack of credibility.  But it doesn’t really matter that the audience is asked to suspend disbelief, because the film is really about friendship, trust, belief in one another, and the rewards that dedication and vision can bring, along with the joy of music and dance.

The Dancing Okami is sheer light entertainment and, as such, a pleasure to spend time with.

Screening at Palace cinemas.