Over time, Toyotarō's feelings towards Elise become more romantic and she becomes pregnant. Eventually he is fired from his post but gets another job through his friend Aizawa Kenkichi. One night on his way home, Toyotarō stumbles upon a crying Elise and immediately is interested in helping her. Upon arriving to Germany, Toyotarō feels isolated from his peers as he did not party like they did. Toyotarō comes to Germany after coasting through his college work standing at the top of his class. The story is the account of the star-crossed romance between a German dancing girl, Elise, and the protagonist, Ōta Toyotarō, a Japanese exchange student who must choose between his career and his feelings for the dancer. It was also adapted into an OVA (Original Video Animation) by Toei Animation in 2006. The short story was adapted into an episode of Animated Classics of Japanese Literature, which was released in North America by Central Park Media.
In some ways, this tale foreshadows Puccini's Madama Butterfly, which deals with a similar theme but with a slight role reversal: in Madama Butterfly, a Western man abandons a Japanese woman, while in The Dancing Girl a Japanese man leaves a Western woman.
The story first appeared in Kokumin no Tomo (People's Friend, 国民之友) in 1890, and is based on Mori's own experiences as a medical student in Germany. " The Dancing Girl" ( 舞姫, Maihime) was the first published short story by the Japanese writer Mori Ōgai.
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