YD 4

Right now there’s no hotter anime or video game franchise among kids than Yo-kai Watch. While we’re sure the high standards of quality at creator Level-5 are a huge factor in its success, at least some fans of the ostensibly for-kids series have said that part of the appeal is that grown-ups haven’t started horning in on tykes’ turf in the same way they have with other popular franchises.

The borders to their children’s paradise might be fading, though, as this video, showing a young lady dancing her heart out to the Yo-Kai Watch ending theme, proves that teens aren’t even remotely too old to get some enjoyment out of the show.

Yo-Kai Watch is about a group of kids who encounter youkai, a class of Japanese spirits, and team up with them to battle other, less benevolent monsters. There’s a certain light-hearted wackiness to all the unsupervised supernatural combat though, as you can tell from the anime adaptation’s ending theme.

YD 1

While some of those moves look like the Yo-Kai Watch cast is ripping off the “Thriller” video or doing the monkey, the whole thing is actually inspired by the Japanese custom of rajio taisou, or “radio exercises.” Originally broadcast over the radio, rajio taisou is a set of simple stretches, occasionally with some very light calisthenics mixed in. It’s primarily done by children and the elderly, often first thing in the morning. There are even video and TV versions.

As you can see, ordinary rajio taisou features far fewer monsters than the Yo-Kai Watch version. But while there’s nothing she can do about the lack of paranormal companionship, this sailor-suited fan named Manako has no problem bringing the anime’s manic energy level into the real world.

YD 3

Filmed in Yokohama’s Yamashita Park (perhaps at the same time rival series Pokémon’s Pikachu was parading nearby), not only does Manako recreate the rajio taisou routine, she’s get enough energy left over to lip synch the lyrics too!

YD 5

As expected, roughly half the comments Manako’s video has garnered contain some variation of the word kawaii (“cute”). We wouldn’t be surprised if she’s also inspired a few people to get up and dance along.

▼ Provided they’re not already worn out just from watching her, of course.

YD 6

Source: Curazy
Feature image: YouTube
Insert images: YouTube (1, 2, 3)