Tribe Cool Crew

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: トライブクルクル

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 50

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Sep 28, 2014 to Oct 4, 2015

Premiered: Fall 2014

Broadcast: Sundays at 07:00 (JST)

Producers: Asatsu DK, Bandai, Bandai Namco Games, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Avex Pictures, Nagoya Broadcasting Network

Licensors: Sentai Filmworks

Studios: Sunrise, Bandai Namco Pictures

Source: Original

Genre: Sports

Themes: Music, Performing Arts, School

Duration: 20 min. per ep.

Rating: PG - Children

Statistics

Score: 7.01¹ (scored by 1,969 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #4356²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #8404

Members: 5,106

Favorites: 33

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@tribecoolcrew

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Crunchyroll

7.01

Ranked #4356Popularity #8404Members 5,106

Fall 2014TVSunrise, Bandai Namco Pictures

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Episodes: /50

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Synopsis

Haneru Tobitatsu is a hyperactive middle schooler with a passion for dancing. Inspired by his idol Jey El, the hottest star in the world of dancing, Haneru practices outside Memorial Hall every day after school. Unbeknownst to him, his "secret" practice sessions are being watched by Kanon Otosaki—her true identity being the famous online dancer, Rhythm—who also frequents the same location for practice. When Haneru finds out about this, he shows an immediate interest in teaming up with her.

Slowly realizing the joy of performing with others, the duo makes their way into the world of street dancing, where they meet Kumonosuke, Mizuki, and Yuzuru, ultimately forming the dance group "Tribe Cool Crew." As they face off against tough competition, they strive to one day realize their dream of sharing the stage with Jey El.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

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Aoyama, Kouhei
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Fujimori, Masaya

Director

Kobayashi, Katsuyoshi

Sound Director

Murano, Yuuta

Episode Director, Storyboard

Andou, Naoya

Episode Director

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Opening Theme

"HEARTBEAT" by lol (eps 3-)

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Ending Theme

"HEARTBEAT" by lol (eps 1-2)

Reviews

Jan 27, 2016

Aines445

Recommended

Ah, yes. Tribe Cool Crew. That kid's show about dancing. Good times... Wait, what? "It looked stupidly cheesy and probably terrible so I didn't even give it a try?"

Well, in a way, you may be correct in your judgment, but I wouldn't write it off as such so quickly. Most things have their merits. And in this review of mine here, I'll try to give my own assessment of its clear, definitely existent strengths and its lower points.

In general, the plot is exactly as you'd expect it: it's about a group of people who set out to be good enough dancers to share stage with ...

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Oct 6, 2015

NavyCherub

Recommended

We should all feel some level of appreciation for Crunchyroll at this point. When I started really watching anime, the popular things were licensed, most of the late-night otaku shows were fansubbed (if not a little late sometimes), and more pertinently, if you were into kids shows, you could count on the big, long-running franchises - your Pretty Cures and Jewelpets - to be subtitled eventually, depending on the demand for such things. Nowadays though, while not everything will get picked up, Crunchyroll does seem to try their best to pick up as many things as possible to serve every possible audience they can every ... single week. Tribe Cool Crew is one of those weird little kids cartoons that probably would have never seen any exposure in the English-speaking (and Spanish-speaking, and Portuguese-speaking) world had it come out at a different time, but for the past year we have been thoroughly graced by the joy of this show almost every single week, and I couldn't be happier.

For most people, Tribe Cool Crew's premiere was mostly heralded by everyone watching and subsequently sharing the dancing scenes and music that seemed to be the main selling point of the show. Those scenes look like cell-shaded CG, and they are, but they are also a bit more than that. They are actually all made using motion capture using real dancers, as you can see on Sunrise's official channel. This has a whole bunch of advantages - namely, range of body movement and camera angles are essentially limitless thanks to this technique, and Tribe Cool Crew takes full advantage of both of these things. It does look a little cooler in real life, but that seems to come down more to the limitations of motion capture than anything else. I will admit that the number of songs and variety of dances used throughout the anime can feel small at times, especially the beginning, but as more groups are introduced and the plot becomes more involved, these problems become much less apparent.

In case you aren't familiar with what Tribe Cool Crew is actually about, though (and I don't blame you), the basic premise is as simple as you might expect from Sunday morning children's television. The fifty episode series follows our group of young street dancing friends who all admire an extremely talented foreign dancer. Named Jey El, this mysterious performer is world famous for his charitable acts and bringing happiness to the downtrodden through his dancing. Luckily for our protagonists, Jey El is looking to expand his influence by finding talented dancers all over the world to take under his wing via a series of challenges collectively titled Dance Road. The titular group, Tribe Cool Crew, spends essentially the entire show participating in this competition to find the dancers that will not only be able to finally perform alongside their hero but also help his long-term cause of bringing people together through their art.

Tribe Cool Crew isn't a group of idols, though, nor a bunch of geniuses like in many anime about music and the arts. Our protagonist is Haneru, a plucky and suitably tiny middle school boy whose main joy in life is dancing. He mostly does this alone, until meeting the much taller and insecure Kanon, who initially only dances under a mask and a pseudonym online until meeting Haneru. They are quickly introduced to the older and more experienced three members of their eventual dance group - Kumo, the break dancing tough boy with a heart of gold; Mizuki, a kind and rebellious girl with a surprising past; and Yuzuru, the portly and wise jack-of-all trades. They are pretty much nothing alike aside from all being really nice people, but their love of dance and what it means to them both individually and collectively slowly but surely brings them together

In fact, the diversity of this group in terms of age, body type, and even socioeconomic status is one of the most immediately apparent strengths of Tribe Cool Crew and what allows its narrative to branch out to explore so many ideas. The overarching narrative about Dance Road is the glue that holds everything together, but the dynamic between the members of the group and their individual problems are the wheels that keep the story spinning. The show isn't afraid of using episodes between major plot beats to delve into more personal subjects that flesh out the cast, push them forward, and eventually express a resounding empathy for their issues in a way that people of all ages can appreciate on different levels. In one instance we may suddenly be given an episode that talks about Kanon's wealthy and important parents not only pushing her away from expressing herself via dance, but from really growing as an individual at all. In another, we could see how Kumo's responsibility to helping his working-class family puts multiple barriers in front of his less profitable aspirations - physical, economic, and even mental. Thanks to the wide variety of characters, there are a whole plethora of interesting things to potentially discover, and Tribe Cool Crew is not only not afraid to address those things but also entirely eager to unpack them for all they are worth.

I also mentioned body type, and I really can't stress that enough: from the very beginning, Tribe Cool Crew never sets a standard for what a dancer should look like, and in fact embraces the possibilities that come with having so many different kinds of characters. Haneru's size is a sour point for him, but he learns how to stand out despite being so small; similarly, Kanon is frequently embarrassed about her height, and through her friends and dance finds acceptance and even appreciation for her body. Yuzuru is introduced as confident in his ability and never feels limited by his weight. The cast beyond the main group is similarly diverse - muscular, lanky, a certain character in a spider monster costume - and the show uses all of this to its advantage, giving us an abundance of dance styles that show off everything they have to offer and more.

Not that it is all so serious; another part of Tribe Cool Crew's appeal is that it is also entirely willing to be wonderfully silly when the mood calls for it. This comes up in both the one-off episodes and the Dance Road plot, too. For example, about halfway through the show, our heroes are introduced to a seemingly malevolent form of dance named "Crowd High", which proves to be an effective but worryingly mysterious way to win over audiences. Without even knowing the specifics of why this is, though, the show plays it up as the evil, antagonist dance in a variety of absurd yet fun to watch ways. Black and red circles dramatically burst from the dancers as they make big movements, you can repeatedly hear a voice say "what" exactly like Lil' Jon, and a main feature of the Crowd High songs is literal gun cocking and firing sounds that accentuate beats in what amounts to possibly the coolest but least subtle musical decision ever.

Luckily for everyone, the fun ridiculous bits also come in various other forms, usually to cool down between intense plot-relevant stories. Possibly the most talked about one is an episode that almost singularly involves a character named Master T having strange hallucinations about his least favorite food, pickles, and it is as bizarre and entertaining as it sounds. We are also introduced in the most straight-faced manner possible to a family of people who may or may not be actual tengu, and there are dance-offs against evil dancing robots on more than one occasion. There is even an assassination attempt and a conspiracy or two thrown in there for good measure, all carried with a delicate balance of heaviness and absurdity. The best thing about all of this, though, is that Tribe Cool Crew manages all of these things while paying close attention to its tone so that, at the end of the day, everything still feels like it came from the same quirky anime.

And that is really the key to what makes Tribe Cool Crew succeed - it wears many hats, exchanging them as it sees fit and on whims, but it never betrays the positive and fun core that pulls it all together. This anime came as a huge surprise to me, but never stopped being appealing and finding new ways to improve, bringing me a short half hour of happiness every week for the past year. I'm sad to see it go, but I am equally glad that it exists as something that I can point to when people want something new, different, engaging, and memorable. I'm sure I'll be recommending it to people for years to come - including you.

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Oct 26, 2015

Trebassanime

Recommended

Don't be misled by the art style, thinking that the show is more directed towards a younger audience. The show starts off seeming like a kids show about street dancing, but as you get further and further into each episode you start to see the show itself steering into a slightly more mature tone. Granted, the show itself does not reach levels of maturity that are too violent or sexual for children, but rather it makes it more enjoyable for viewers who are older in age.

The dancing segments are extremely unique. As in, I myself have certainly never seen a show animate dancing quite ... like Sunrise or BN studios does in this show. The scenes involving dance appear quite slow at first, but as the story progresses we see each dancer character learn new techniques and trains more; choreographing more complex and appealing dances as a result. This gradual development of each characters adds to the enjoyment of the show overall.

The art style, like the rest of the show, is very unique. The different body types that are given to each character make it more interesting to see how they change their dances in accordance to their physique. The show make use of very vibrant colours, which are appealing to look at during the more lighthearted segments of the show. The art style also gives off a powerful and heavy feeling with darker colours during the more ominous and grave parts of the show. The studio also puts the effort into background and stock characters, which most shows do not. While you might see copy and pasted character models to fill an audience or a crowd in other shows, Tribe Cool Crew intricately designs a diverse cast of background characters as well. From ethnic diversity to individual fashion styles, the Tribe Cool Crew studio made sure that no two audience members were drawn or designed the same.

Each character is likeable in their own way, and each one gets their fair share of detail as well development. The cast is also very unique. I don't mean that as in each character is unique within the show, but rather there are very few characters in the show that fit into a traditional anime 'trope' or 'stereotype'. Truly, you never really know what to expect from these characters because of their uniqueness.

Personally, the soundtrack for Tribe Cool Crew is by far one of the best tracks I've ever heard in my life, this is no exaggeration. I absolutely loved each song that played in the show, and the dances fit each track almost perfectly each time. I never found myself feeling sick or tired of what might be one of the catchiest soundtracks I've ever heard.

Initially, I didn't expect much to come from the story of Tribe Cool Crew. As I proceeded further into the story, I saw it gradually becoming more dramatic and entering a slightly darker tone.

The show was amazing, from beginning to end; the strongest points in this show are its soundtrack and animation. I wouldn't say that this show has many weaker points, but if I had to I would say that story progression early into the first half of the show was rather slow. I absolutely loved the unique diversity of the characters and their growth throughout the show. The dance segments definitely had me tapping my foot and bobbing my head to each beat. The dances are extremely complex, but not impossible; making it a more interesting and interactive experience to a degree. The show has everything from comedy to drama and action. The lighthearted show is definitely a hidden gem amongst anime, and certainly one of the most underrated as well.

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Poll: Tribe Cool Crew Episode 9 Discussion Stark700 - Nov 29, 2014	6 replies	by FoxGodSwiper »» Aug 7, 2017 12:59 PM
Poll: Tribe Cool Crew Episode 42 Discussion Stark700 - Aug 8, 2015	5 replies	by CG »» Apr 2, 2017 11:46 AM
Poll: Tribe Cool Crew Episode 50 Discussion Stark700 - Oct 3, 2015	19 replies	by CG »» Mar 30, 2017 1:30 AM
Poll: Tribe Cool Crew Episode 45 Discussion Stark700 - Aug 29, 2015	11 replies	by JizzyHitler »» May 12, 2016 9:16 PM
Poll: Tribe Cool Crew Episode 31 Discussion Stark700 - May 16, 2015	7 replies	by JizzyHitler »» Apr 17, 2016 5:34 AM

Tribe Cool Crew

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Characters & Voice Actors

Otosaki, Kanon

Sakagami, Kumonosuke

Tenpouin, Yuzuru

Mashiro, Mizuki

Tobitatsu, Haneru

Shishidou, Yuuji

Master T

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Itou, Ayumu

Riki

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Tribe Cool Crew

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Information

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Synopsis

Background

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Reviews

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