After reading more Ballroom e Youkoso, I can say that it does get much more interesting after it breaks out of that initially typical beginning. Once it starts adding other dancers, it stops feeling like it's following a sports manga blueprint. It's a dynamic cast of characters, as well, without obvious relationship lines, which makes it feel more realistic. Three girls have been introduced and I'm not sure if any of them are going to be "the one".
Another thing I liked is that, even though the main character gets good quickly because of his ability to learn, it also reaches that point where it slaps him back down to reality when he's faced with dancers who are at the top of the amature scene. There is a moment when I'm starting to get a bit annoyed because he's being praised and I'm thinking that he's going to finish at the top even though he just started but then, nope, the judges were also noticing his mistakes and scored his performance in a way that made sense. I like that a lot more than a miracle rise to stardom overnight.
Also, Mako-chan is adorable.
And Shizuku is hot.
