10Dance

Memorable movie...even if the plot never fully reach destination

I truly loved this movie centred around 2 ballroom male dancers, one (Sugiki) being specialized in "standard dances" and the other (Suzuki) specialized in "latin dances", as their rivalry relationship evolved as they work teach each other. It is very much a characters-centric film with the main focus being on Suzuki and then Sugiki. I loved to see the ennemies-friends-to-lovers bond that formed in a very organic way, even if the reason for them to work together is a bit forced.

I loved the production value, there are some memorable and impactful scenes, with the chemistry being excellent between the two main actors. Overall, the cast did a great job at emoting and at dancing and showing proper dance stances and figures. The two secondary female roles were ultra interesting and it is a bit of a shame they are not put in a more central position in the movie.

My main regret regarding this movie that I truly enjoyed is that the main characters never reach the destination of their journey. The movie never got to the 10Dance event and the other competitions felt a bit like a letdown. I also had the feeling to always watch the same kind of dances rather than the full variety of each of the style. It is understandable as the cast are not professional dancers and might not have been able to carry more challenging moves or to cope with a lot of variety in addition of showing properly emotional luggage of their characters. Still, I would not have minded a bit more of variety in the dances themselves.

I would recommend this to people looking for a ennemies-to-lovers BL with a dance twist. Despite the fact I found some elements odd or contrived for scenario purposes, the payoff was worth it for the journey that the characters are going through... Even if the destination (with the goal of the story set up from the beginning) is never really reached.

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A Captivating Movie

Well, well, well... First of all, the two main actors were fantastic. I don't know their background but I fully believed they were professional dancers. Their emotional scenes were captivating. And the chemistry... Hard to make thing better. 10/10

The dance part. Like I said, I'm neophyte so I cannot say anything deep about it. But I can say it was a feast for the eyes. The choreography, the costume, the attitude of the actors themselves. I was rooting for them and was clapping like the audience in the movie. Again 10/10

The cinematography was beautiful & the music completely fit the theme. I was still hoping for something that would surprise me but it was somehow quite classic. 9/10

But something did bother me in the story itself. More specifically about the characters themselves. Sometime I really struggled to understand why they were reacting the way they did. Like I was missing a crucial piece. It could be the format or just me. 8/10

And then the ending... Imagine I was captivated & on cloud nine with their finale. 10 dance of pure happiness... And then they drop me with the end credit. I was literally stun for a minute. Was it been really already 2h ? I really didn't see the time passing... The drop was so sudden that I almost feel withdrawal syndrome. It was that violent. I cannot rate that ending. In one hand, I'm mad and in another, it was perfect. It's really hard to tell how I really feel about it. */10

Overall, I don't regret watching this as I completely enjoyed it. A must watch in my humble opinion. 9.5/10

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It’s just dance ?

I’m not going to lie, I probably wouldn’t have put this on my watch list if I hadn’t seen the trailer and thought it was going to be a BL.
If you have a strong appreciation for dance, you’ll likely enjoy this film. But if, like me, you were hoping for more romance, this will be a huge letdown. Part of my frustration comes from the fact that I expected better overall quality from a Netflix BL than I usually expect from Thai BLs, especially in terms of storytelling and structure.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good movie, BL or not. And to be fair, the cinematography was great, and the music was cool too, those were definite highlights. However, if I use the same standards I apply to other films, I’d still give this about three stars.
The story didn’t flow well and often felt in-cohesive. There was far more dancing than dialogue, which made it hard to follow the narrative. I also didn’t really understand what drew the two leads to each other; their connection felt underdeveloped and a bit one-sided. At times, it even felt like the more gloomy character was simply using the other.
On top of that, I was genuinely confused about the setting , were they supposed to be in Cuba or the UK? The location was never clear, which added to the overall sense of disconnection.

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I'm speechless... it was just too good

I was halfway through the movie when i read spoilers saying it was a sad ending. I was like "shit if i knew i wouldn't have watched" but then thank god i watched. It was beautiful. Started with a playful banter then made me cry ugly and the ending couldn't wipe the smile off my face...
Now i get others when they said it was not a happy or sad or even open ending but a perfect ending. Especially when the manga is ongoing they've not stepped in and created an ending. I do hope Shiguki wins before he retires.. cz he is the most relatable character to me cz I'm exactly like him. I'd work hard even if it'd kill me and go by the rules. I can reject the person i love if i feel I'd love him too much and there's a chance that I'd get hurt. Everything he did was soo relatable. Like how he never gets his love cz he's perfect...

As for Suzuki he was gorgeous and seemed like a real professional dancer the whole movie... i could feel his playful side and the reason both of them fell for each other..

As for the ending i guess we'll have to wait for the manga to end to know what happens... i think it'll be a happy ending manga❤️

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the tension was unbelievable

"did you feel like a princess?"

oh my god. i seriously have no words. this movie was so incredibly well done. the sexual tension between the two of them - one that lingers all throughout the film, it's quite literally endless, they don't even have to be on-screen together because it's still there, burrowing itself within the story.

that train scene? fucking legendary. the camera movements, the colour and lighting. THEM. that whole scene was so beautiful and the way they both lost control and fell into the temptation and desire, the kisses back and forth along the train, the movements and their hands being connected together. MY JAW DROPPED?

the slow-burn in my personal opinion was also what fueled the film to its maximum, it was aided by the tension so well and you could just feel the yearning, almost through your veins istg. the way they looked at each other, that scene where sugiki was supposed to hold his hips and waist as he moved but he stared for one milli-second was golden.

i literally could not breathe when suzuki went "lick'em, eat'em and make'em come." THAT WAS SO CRAZY.

they were so sensual and so intimate and the technicality of the ballroom dance and latin american dance was just top tier. sugiki being the symbolism of a grim reaper and suzuki of an angel >>

in conclusion? THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF 2025 AND I NEED A PART 2.

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First movie about professional dancers

I loved it! There was not a single moment where I thought it's boring. The story and chemistry were superb. I really felt the raw emotions in the scene where they kissed in the hotel room. The actors were really handsome and actresses beautiful. It's the first movie I have watched about professional dancers. All the dances and dancers were really captivating. The music was good too. I really liked that they decided to add 'sway'. I saw a youtube edit about '10dance' with 'sway' some time ago and thought it fits perfectly.
I really hope there will be '10dance 2' where we get to see more of their relationship.

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Fantastic Dance Movie with BL flavor

This reviews contains major SPOILERS!

Before I begin, I should preface this by saying I love dance movies! Strictly Ballroom (1992) is one of my favorite movies ever, and I’ve watched it more times than I can count. After realizing the director of 10Dance made some references to it, I talked to someone about 10Dance and Strictly Ballroom. She reminded me of Shall We Dance? (1996), the iconic Japanese movie about falling in love with ballroom dance. So I bought it and rewatched it just now. Definite references to it as well, namely the dancing solo in the open square in the snow, as well as dancing on the train platform.

Two crucial messages from Strictly Ballroom and Shall We Dance are also present in 10Dance. From Strictly Ballroom, “dance is about love. If you cannot convey love and passion through the dance, it is inadequate.” From Shall We Dance?, “remember you are not dancing alone. Ballroom is about the connection between you and your partner.” (I am paraphrasing in both cases.) Both of these messages are crucial to understanding 10Dance and the relationship between Suzuki and Sugiki.

As such, I believe this is a dance movie more than a BL. If you do not enjoy watching dance, you will probably get bored. However, this is a superb dance movie. The actors did a phenomenal job training, and they truly look like professional ballroom dancers to me. (I’m not a trained ballroom dancer but I am a trained ballet dancer—or I once was. I can tell a really talented dancer when I see one.) It is not just that they are good dancers, though. They absolutely embody their characters through their different dance styles. Suzuki is passionate, wild, full to overflowing with love and desire for others and for life. Sugiki is controlled, disciplined, superbly trained and taught to act like an artistocrat. We see these character differences through how they move. We also see these differences in non-dance scenes as well, like when Sugiki takes Suzuki out to eat. (Quite a humorous scene yet also so insightful.) The restaurant is so button down and oozing wealth. On the flip side, when Suzuki takes Sugiki to see his home and “little Cuba” in Tokyo, we see the opposite side. Rundown surroundings, but joyful drinking, free-form dancing, wild behavior, and general abandonment. (The visit to “little Cuba” is also a direct reference to Strictly Ballroom, when the FL takes the ML to her poor neighborhood to meet her Spanish family and learn the true feel of Hispanic culture and ballroom dance.)

What’s important about the interaction between these characters is what they have to offer each other. They are both aware they are using each other, but also greatly admire each other, and may even be developing feelings of love for each other. Yes, the tension between them is palpable, but it isn’t only sexual. They are both searching the other for what they are missing in themselves. Sugiki is told by his mentor that there is no “love” when he dances. He later describes to Suzuki his compulsive need to keep dancing at when he was previously at Blackpool, even when his partner was falling apart. He calls himself “the grim reaper.” At first I didn’t understand this description, but I now believe he was thinking of how he killed any feelings—feelings he and his partner were experiencing in the past, in order to keep dancing. He sees himself as devoid of feeling. When Suzuki dismisses his story (the English subtitle was that’s “lame,” which I hate, but we get the gist.) Sugiki realizes in that moment that Suzuki is the key to unlocking feelings in himself, both through passion for each other and for the dance. (Again, back to Shall We Dance?, where the main characters are both the key to unlocking each other’s love for and devotion to dance.) After Sugiki’s realization, we get the iconic Japanese BL running scene, before a passionate kiss. This mislead me into thinking this would be more of a typical romance BL. Instead of becoming lovers, however, when we next see the two kissing and heading towards more, Sugiki says no. He is afraid if he gives in to passion he will lose his self-control. That self-control has brought him this far, and he relies on it. He is not ready to let it go. This was so disappointing as a romance viewer, but satisfying for the story because it shows Sugiki’s ultimate motivation and goal: to win above all else. Suzuki, ever emotional, however, cries.

When we are finally reunited with both Suzuki and Sugiki in Blackpool after 6 months, they compete in their respective categories as if nothing has changed between them. But then the demonstration or honor dance arrives, and shockingly (ok, maybe not that shocking), Sugiki picks Suzuki as his dance partner. They then dance like we have never seen them dance before, with restraint on Suzuki’s side, abandon on Sugiki’s, joy in their faces, and a new level of overall mastery. We see what they can achieve as a couple, as partners. Then we are left with the lovely kiss and that (heartbreaking) line “until 10Dance,” leaving us drooling and wishing for more as dance fans and as romantics. But I guess we can’t have it all. Yet, I hope.

Besides this wonderful story, we have a film with two truly phenomenal actors who convey this story almost exclusively through movement and facial expressions, while making us believe they are in fact Suzuki and Sugiki. We also have a director who knows how to film dance. He gives us full-body views to show off the choreography, facial close-ups to convey the emotions, and overhead shots to enhance the beauty of the movement. The cinematography in general is beautiful, with so many atmospheric shots of the different locations and their accompanying emotional beats. The music, while largely traditional ballroom music, was also perfect.

So while I am desperate for a sequel, I cannot really find much fault with this film. It delivered two of my favorite things, dance and romance, in an exquisite package. I really hope others can see what I see here. And I hope for a sequel, of course.

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"Don't ditch when I get serious"

Two hot guys sizzling as they Waltz and do the Cha Cha Cha while staring into each other’s eye? That’s pretty much the plot of 10 Dance and yet the actors made it next to impossible to look away.

Suzuki Shinya is the Japanese Latin dance champion while Sugiki Shinya is the Ballroom dancing champion. Both are competitive and seek to be the best. While Suzuki and his partner, Aki, are loose and have fun, Sugiki rigidly controls everything, never cracking a smile. Sugiki doesn’t hesitate to berate his partner, Fusako. “The Grim Reaper” puts forth a plan to Suzuki that they teach each other their different styles and compete in the 10 Dance that requires both Ballroom and Latin dance skills. Tentative at first, Suzuki agrees and the enemies become something a little more friendly.

I have not read the manga so I can only comment on what was shown on the screen. The plot was as thin as a sheet of music. I really wish we’d gotten to know more about the two characters than one was overtly rigid and the other enjoyed food, drink, and multiple women. Thankfully, the two actors were able to elevate their characters above the script. Takeuchi Ryoma gave a wonderful performance as the passionate Suzuki. He displayed a wide array of emotions, digging deep when he found himself falling for his cold rival. He also had a habit of taking his shirt off which I wasn’t mad about. Machida Keita as Sugiki had to work hard to convey his conflicted feelings in his character’s overtly disciplined body and mind. Just a shallow note, I miss his long hair from Glass Heart. Doi Shiori made the most of her screen time bringing the loyal Aki to life. Poor Ishii Anna’s character was mostly relegated to a pretty face.

I know nothing about ballroom dancing, but enjoyed the various dance styles and the rigorous training behind them. Most importantly, for a romantic dance film, Takeuchi and Machida’s chemistry was sensual and palpable. The ending seemed to leave room open for a sequel and I will certainly buy a ticket to watch these two dance again.

19 December 2025
Trigger warning: Nudity early in the film, nekkid buttocks and suggestive breast images

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So you think you can just make a dance movie and call it BL?! HAH!

Before this came out, people were hopeful that a prestige BL movie had finally been made. Hoping that this could give the genre a boost in the market and provide better quality BL with better investment and high-profile actors attached to them. This is not a prestige BL movie, I'm sorry. This is a prestige dance movie, which is great, but it was not gay enough for that label to be its selling point. There are two steamy scenes and very little active romance in between, and all that was already spoiled in the trailer. Yeah, what you already saw was literally it.
They just wasted all that passion, desire, and built-up tension and it all went nowhere. Or it went somewhere but it was like a volcano erupted into a teacup! The potential was forced into a form that was smaller than its force...you know?!
I was expecting them to really dig their nails into the flesh of this and give us something raw, hot, and passionate. Don't get me wrong, there is sexual tension. There is chemistry, there is romance...but they didn't commit to the bit. They chickened out, I feel. Or maybe not chickened out per se, they just put most of their attention on a different part of the plot, instead.
If we talk about the dance, though, they committed 150%. The actors did such a great job with the dance; they all worked so hard, and the main plot does the dance justice. My knowledge of dance is limited to SYTYCD, okay? So I'm not an expert but to my unprofessional eyes, they looked good! They even pulled faces like real ballroom dancers do and there was so much detail to the dance parts that were executed so well. There is even a blink and you'll miss it nod to the racism that Asian dancers have to bear and I loved that they acknowledged it, although subtly.
But for the romance part...
So this movie is mainly dedicated to the dichotomy of these two dancers who do not simply dance different dance styles but also live by completely contrasting philosophies. It's like a clash of class, culture, philosophy, body, and mind. And yes, the passion and push and pull they maintain throughout their interactions is all there, both in the dance and as a catalyst for the romance. However, I feel like there was a bit of a disconnect between the establishment of these differences (and conveying the seduction that exists by playing with these dichotomies) and actually textualising that with a romantic or sexual relationship coming to fruition. It's two hours of slowly shoving you to the edge and then no payoff. It was like the notes of a chord left unfinished. And I'm not referring to the "open" ending. What I mean is that as they give in to the temptations of each other, the plot pulls all the way back, and the final third of the film just doesn't deliver the sort of conclusion that was set up in the beginning.
Overall, it was a nice movie to watch but I had expected a lot more romance and passion and I felt like this was more a technical dance movie and less about using the dance as a way to show these characters interact and fall for each other. It was like the means became the end. I had expected the dance to be a tool for the romance but it seems like this was "a dance for dance and romance for dance too", sort of stroy.
I also felt some elements, like the journalists and other dancers to be a bit awkwardly developed.
I did, however, love the female partners. They were so sweet and I was rooting for the girls.
Takeuchi Ryoma's acting was a standout, too. He embodies this free-spirited, violently passionate dancer so well. I didn't hate Machida Keita's acting either but it was slightly stiff. He had amazing moments of micro-acting but some moments felt too dettached. And I thought the two had such a sizzling chemistry; they did so much with just their eyes. The film sort of wasted their potential. The actors gave them so much ammunition but the movie itself didn't kindle the fire.
Still, this is a stylized movie with great acting and an engaging plot so I think it's definitely worth a watch.

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Hot Hot hot....but missing proper storytelling

​10Dance is a movie that looks absolutely stunning on screen, but unfortunately, it doesn't quite reach the emotional heights of the source material. It feels like a beautiful shell that’s missing a bit of the soul that makes a great BL story.
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​If you’re here for the visuals, you won’t be disappointed. The dance sequences are incredible—stylish, high-energy, and shot with a lot of flair. You can tell the actors put in massive work to make those ballroom and Latin moves look authentic.

​Also, can we talk about the Male Lead? (Whether you’re team Suzuki/Ryoma Takeuchi or Sugiki/Keita Machida). The "hot" factor is definitely there. The physical tension during the practice scenes is the strongest part of the film; that "silent" chemistry while they are dancing is way more powerful than the actual dialogue.
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​The biggest issue is the storyline. Because it’s a movie and not a series, the plot feels rushed and, at times, totally flat. We see them dance, and we see them "being hot," but we don't get enough of those quiet, intimate moments that make you actually care about them as a couple.
​In other BLs, you're rooting for the leads to be together because you feel their struggle. Here, it feels like the movie relies too much on the fact that they are attractive and good at dancing, rather than building a proper emotional bridge. By the end, I wasn't as invested in their relationship as I wanted to be.
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​Watch it if you want a stylish, "sexy" movie with great choreography and handsome leads. But if you’re looking for a deep, emotional story that will stay with you, 10Dance might feel a little bit empty.

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Unexpected but also FRUSTRATION?

The backstory of stumbling across this was thinking it was reality TV about dance competition...

Oh boy how wrong was I - but can't complain, of course.

I went into the trailer expecting reality tv > then assuming it was a trope of "let's use each other but we end up falling in love along the way"

To an extent, yes. But the story and characters ended up being so so much more than that. It was this aspect that had heavy influence on the final rating. And it's these kinds of stories that toss me in the unexpected end up being the most memorable.

I had to sit with my thoughts for a while before writing this review, and the last time I did this was Method (that itself is a rabbit hole).

The beauty of this movie is not solely for the romance that YES, we BL enthusiasts swarmed to like moths to light.

It was the subtle artistic choices by the director that couldn't be overlooked - such as for example, there were multiple shots of Sugiki being in the darkness when engaging in conversation with Suzuki, who remained in the light in some way (the studio, where he stood at the mezzanine, looking down at Suzuki).

Sugiki finally smiling at the end despite losing when he was stoic as a bamboo pole throughout the film.

The nuanced touches spoke volumes about their characters and particularly Sugiki's obsession with perfection, that everything else related to the human touch, is viewed as a distraction. Love is such the case for him, that he doesn't realise he remains in darkness, despite the prestige he has earned in the ballroom world.

To put it plainly, there is just overwhelming layers of depth that begs for a rewatch.

It goes without saying the chemistry between the two leads just sparked upon the first practice session. The tension in the struggles between ego, power, and control is so palpable it could drive one mad sitting through it. What started as a cutthroat masterclass became almost bregrudingly, a waltz of flowering emotions both are so adamant to NOT admit but continued to partake. The power dynamic, facial expressions of yearning and reluctance were delightful to watch.

I think what was surprising (as someone who hadn't read the manga) was the reasoning behind the romance. It was more than the bond through partnership that was expected reading the premise. It was Suzuki seeing Sugiki's pain and obsession for the one thing he believed would be his salvation, the need for perfection that was crippling him inside out. It was Sugiki watching Suzuki dance and realised the latter had something he yearned but couldn't understand.

10Dance just felt like watching a variation of Sherlock and Watson, ruthless machine and a compassionate doctor, both filling in the gaps where the other lacked, but ultimately, it was acceptance and understanding without dialogue, that truly made me realise how beautifully executed this movie is.

Honestly BLs are just getting better. This is no exception. But the ending is surely a perfect opening for a sequel...? TT

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