‘Ballroom e Youkoso’ Season 2 Release Date: ‘Welcome To The Ballroom’ Anime Passes Manga Story Already

Welcome To The Ballroom Season 2 may end up doing a slow waltz toward an eventual premiere date based on the progress of the source material. It turns out the Ballroom e Youkoso manga is already falling behind the story of the anime adaptation. Thankfully, the creator is already making plans to ensure that the series does not stumble by diverging completely, although there will be differences.

Mangaka Tomo Takeuchi first began publishing the Welcome To The Bathroom manga in 2011 through Monthly Shonen Magazine. As of this article’s publishing, the manga series is up to nine volumes and 49 chapters (or heats, if you go by the manga’s nomenclature). The last volume was released in June of 2017.

Kodansha Comics started releasing the English translation of the manga series in 2016. The English Volume Volume 9 came out on January 30, 2018. Although the Japanese language paperbacks have not come out yet, Volume 10 is scheduled to release on June 5, 2018, and Volume 11 is set for October 9, 2018.

Tomo Takeuchi’s Health Slows Down The Welcome To The Ballroom Manga

According to Anime News Network, the author has health issues which have affected her work. One of the recently released manga chapters was shorter than usual. In the past, Crunchyroll News reported that Takeuchi took a one-year hiatus for her health during 2016.

The Welcome To The Bathroom anime will end with Episode 24, with the finale scheduled to release on December 17, 2017. The official Twitter account for the series made the announcement that the anime’s story will pass the manga before Monthly Shonen Magazine has a chance to finish the Metropolitan Tournament arc.

In the note by Takeuchi, she thanked the voice cast and everyone in anime studio Production I.G. for creating the anime adaptation. She said the original plan for the anime and manga was for both to reach the Metropolitan Tournament story at the same pace, but her work fell behind. Although the manga is not finished, she has conveyed her plans to the anime studio, which means that the anime will not have a completely original ending.

However, although Takeuchi claims that both the Ballroom e Youkoso anime and manga will begin the same dance, she plans on spicing up the manga version with some different steps. In addition, she’ll be working on including elements that foreshadow plot developments which occur after the Metropolitan Tournament has ended.

The author did not say this, but the animation of certain scenes will likely differ. It’s common for anime directors to use manga or light novel illustrations as references for certain moments. Without having the visuals of the Ballroom e Youkoso manga, the anime will be a new take on the final dance competition. Takeuchi hopes fans will enjoy both the anime and the manga version.

Unfortunately, the manga artist was forced to take yet another hiatus beginning in December of 2017. The original plan was to return in March of 2018, but according to Anime News Network “Takeuchi’s health deteriorated while drawing the new chapter, and she could not make it in time for the magazine issue.” The current plan is for the next chapter to be released in April.

Welcome To The Ballroom Season 2 Release Date

As of this publishing, anime studio Production I.G. has not announced anything official about the Welcome To The Ballroom Season 2 release date, although this article will be updated as soon as the anime sequel’s premiere is confirmed. However, there can be reasonable speculation about when, or if, the Ballroom e Youkoso Season 2 air date may occur.

One of the determining factors is, of course, the Welcome To The Ballroom Blu-Ray and DVD sales. The first volume already came out, with the final volume releasing in the spring of 2018. Unfortunately, the sales for Volume 1 were not great, only selling 957 copies in Japan.

• Ballroom e Youkoso Anime Volume 1: November 29, 2017
• Ballroom e Youkoso Anime Volume 2: December 27, 2017
• Ballroom e Youkoso Anime Volume 3: January 24, 2018
• Ballroom e Youkoso Anime Volume 4: February 28, 2018
• Ballroom e Youkoso Anime Volume 5: March 28, 2018
• Ballroom e Youkoso Anime Volume 6: April 25, 2018

Even assuming financial success, it could be argued that the lack of manga source material will delay Welcome To The Ballroom Season 2. Unfortunately, the underlying issue is that the entire anime industry is already at max capacity. Anime studios are booked up for the next three years through 2020. Therefore, it’s very likely that Ballroom e Youkoso Season 2 won’t dance back into fans’ lives for years to come.

[Update March 5, 2018] Added news about the manga artist’s health. Updated release dates of manga based on the delay from the hiatus.