10Dance

Quite curious about this. Let’s watch…

The story centers on two elite professional dancers who represent opposite worlds of dance. Shinya Suzuki (Suzuki) is the reigning Japanese champion of Latin dance—passionate, raw, and instinctive. Shinya Sugiki (Sugiki) is the Japanese champion and world number two in Standard (ballroom) dance—elegant, disciplined, and stoic.

Despite their rivalry, Sugiki one day proposes that they train each other to compete in the 10 Dance, a grueling competition that requires mastery of all ten disciplines (five Latin and five Standard).

Suzuki scoffs at first. He wants nothing to do with it. But Sugiki knows how to push his buttons. With a sharp, almost provocative attitude, he challenges Suzuki’s lack of ambition on the global stage—questioning whether he’s truly serious or just stuck in the spotlight of national fame. The challenge strikes a nerve and ignites Suzuki’s fierce competitive spirit.

And so begins grueling training—long hours, clashing styles, relentless tension. But as their bodies learn to move in sync, something shifts. The friction isn’t just professional anymore. It becomes electric—physical, emotional, undeniable.

So, will this intense connection grow into something more?
Or in the end, will they remain only rivals—dancing close, but never truly together?

That's pretty much the story without giving anymore spoilers. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ The intense dancing… Haha…
+ The chemistry between the couples…

What I don’t like:
- The ending… Ugh… I hate the ending
- The unclear relationship between them. Like Wing3dBean wrote; everything feels unfinished.

Overall, after watching this, I prefer this more in a drama setting. So we have more time to develop their relationship to the fullest.

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The Trailer Overpromised

The trailer promised more than it delivered.

Visual Beauty, Emotional Gaps

The film was visually stunning, sensual, and tender at times, but also underdeveloped and even cringey in others. I had so much faith in Machida Keita before the release, but I felt he transmitted very little when watching. I had no expectations of Takeuchi Ryoma, on the other hand, because I’d seen very little of him, but he was the one who pulled me in. And I’m not even talking about the waist scene. It was his eyes and the yearning he portrayed after a certain point.

Stereotypes and Weak Writing Choices

I was not a fan of the heavy-handed stereotypes about Latin people, but that wasn’t his fault. It was the writer’s and the showrunner’s choice. The writing focused far too much on telling and not enough on showing. There’s a scene where Suzuki tells his dance partner how he can feel Sugiki’s emotions when he dances with him, listing many of them, yet the only one that actually comes through from Sugiki is his need to control. Suzuki’s partner and the bartender then tell Sugiki that he’s in love so the train scene wouldn’t come out of nowhere, yet they were still jarring. I've seen countless of edits online fawning over this scene yet it barely left a mark on me because in my mind it was supposed to be a build up of their connection not just after a tense moment when Sugiki had accidentally revealed what a sociopath he was to his dance partner.

Underdeveloped Relationships

The characters, their motivations, and their growing emotional connection are severely underdeveloped. Instead, time was wasted on behind-the-scenes sponsor meetings and whatever that conversation was with the British lady, as well as those men gossiping about Sugiki and Liana.

Language Breaks Immersion

The English and Spanish dialogue was embarrassing to watch, delivered by Japanese and non-Japanese actors alike. The non-Asian actors seemed like randos picked up from the street. Their delivery was wooden and cringey.

Ryoma’s and Keita’s multilingual lines were painfully delivered. We’re supposed to believe Sugiki spent time with a British lady as a surrogate mother and had a girlfriend who doesn’t speak Japanese, yet he can barely say a few lines in English? Ryoma’s mom is supposedly Cuban, yet he struggles to speak Spanish to the bartender. This completely takes you out of the story.

Language Proficiency as a Production Responsibility

And don’t give the excuse that they’re Japanese and other languages are hard to learn. I’ve recently seen two BL short series where the actors have heavy accents and are clearly not native English speakers, yet they deliver their lines so clearly and confidently that it doesn’t even matter. Connor, the actor from Heated Rivalry, did an entire speech in Russian, doing justice to his character, yet nobody bothered to teach these guys how to say a few sentences in different languages when the characters were supposed to be speaking them. They spent an entire year learning the dances, but couldn’t learn to pronounce a few lines with confidence?

Final Thoughts
I overall enjoyed the film. I’m just disappointed it was spoiled by such amateur work in certain aspects.

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Gorgeous but jarring in many ways

The costumes, the sets, the people themselves - everything was quite breathtaking. The four main actors and actresses fit their roles perfectly. All their interactions were natural, with a good mix of subtlety and drama. The dancing was also very impressive. The train scene as well as the training sequences (and even the final dance to some extent) left an impact on me both aesthetically and emotionally. Luckily, the whole icy ballroom dancer meets passionate Latin dancer dynamic just about landed on the right side of the enjoyable trope vs. offensive cliché coin and is a classic for the dance movie genre.

Everything else though? The plot: not enough and badly executed non-linearity. The side and background characters: a bunch of hackneyed stereotypes spouting even cringier lines. The music: almost comically unimaginative. The treatment of the female dance partners: definitely comically unimaginative (Thank God for the couple nuances they were granted despite everything!). While I'm glad that 10Dance got the budget it deserved, I hope we get a little more creative and pay appropriate attention to all aspects that make up a good movie next time. On more than one occasion, I thought I was watching one of those American musician biopics. Many BL shows and movies have a certain charm to them that acts as a buffer against criticism. When you remove that, well, I'm tempted to rate them the way I would more mainstream productions.

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Dance Challengers

The concept suggested by film trailer is two rival professional dancers falling for each other through teaching each other their respective dance genre specialties, but that's not what it delivers. The film is the most fascinating when exploring the psychology and athleticism of competitive dancers like when Suguki poses Suzuki in the female dancer positions to illustrate the grueling pain of dancing for hours and hours in heels in order to make him understand he needs to be supportive while leading his dance partner and the chilling scene where Suguki who everyone admires as the dancing gentleman cruelly puppets his near catatonic from ptsd shock dance partner by shouting instructions to get her through the competition. The movie fails to deliver on romantic tension or any feelings of yearning and longing outside of Suguki's yearning to finally be champion. Although Suguki is the one that initiates them working together and later to make out on the train, he never shows any kind of attraction or feeling for Suzuki aside from the flashback where it's revealed that he cried from the overwhelming feeling of inspiration when he first saw Suzuki dance. Suguki only loves dancing, he doesn't really care about any human being for themselves. Even his ex girlfriend that left him for another dancer, he just really liked how she danced with him. In the end he embraces his love of dancing for the sake of dancing rather than to be champion where he's not favored by the judges for whatever arbitrary reason by the slimmest margins though he's obviously at the top of the game, with Suzuki that he enjoys dancing with. Like how in Challengers everything is about tennis and tennis is about sex, here everything is about dance and dance is the sex. If this was how it was advertised, then perhaps it would be less disappointing in the romance department.

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A waste of chemistry and good actors!!

I really expected more than what I got. Be serious, who’s sitting through a 2-hour movie where 1 hour and 45 minutes is just dance routines, and the romance barely gets 10 minutes? The dancing was cool, sure, but that’s not why I showed up 🤣. I came for the romance and the chaos, and got neither!

The leads? Phenomenal actors with insane chemistry. But what’s the point of all that spark if they don’t actually use it?

Visually, the cinematography was solid. And after that train kiss, I genuinely thought we were about to dive into the real drama. But nope, it just fizzled out again 😭. This could’ve been one of the greats if they’d leaned into the romance instead of going full dance showcase.

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Ten dance? Tense dance.

A lavish banquet for the eyes, ears, touch, and senses—a fusion of light, melody, lines, color, and raw passion. 10Dance carries the searing heat of a Latin rhythm and the refined elegance of a Waltz’s fleeting touch, all layered over the underlying aches of possession, distance, and the icy chill of the Reaper.

It is no secret that the entire film revolves around a single central theme: the dance. The characters are dancers; the soundtrack is a medley of waltzes and Latin beats. Yet, dance here transcends its objective definition. We do not watch this as a documentary on technique, nor do we merely see two performers moving to a beat on stage. We see two people in love. A viewer might not grasp the mechanics of a routine, but they can feel the music and the movement, getting swept away in every sequence. It is simple, really: dance is the vessel for love. Like the interlacing of fingers, the sway of a hip, the drive of a step, or the locking of eyes, the dance pulls them into a world of passion and affection. Music becomes the catalyst that turns humans into a fuse, where skin-to-skin contact transcends to become the most primal of longings—a burning heat ready to consume these entranced dancers, even when they are performing a gentle waltz meant for the most refined gentlemen.

To be honest, I have always adored the metaphor of love as a dance. A performance requires two people, and within that space, they truly inhabit a world meant only for themselves. There might be couples crowding the stage, or just two souls dancing in a back alley; they might be under a blinding spotlight or shrouded in total darkness. Some dance with a partner; others embrace an imaginary silhouette to take their long, sweeping strides. To complete the dance, all one needs is emotion and the courage to follow the heartbeat. A dancer has the right to invite a partner, and the moment they extend a hand to take another’s—stepping together into the light—that is the moment most akin to love. It is an invitation: Step into my dance, and we shall move in rhythm until the music ends. Because, quite simply: love is an intertwining.

Sugiki and Suzuki are far from a conventional pair. One is the embodiment of Standard perfection; the other is the raw, sun-drenched fire of Latin dance. One moves by the book through rigorous discipline; the other dances like a sudden eruption of heat from a desert wasteland. It is as if while the Queen of England is being served Coronation Chicken, Castro is igniting a revolution in Cuba. The distance between an International Standard runner-up and a Japanese Latin champion is not just the distance between two sides of the globe—it is a spiritual chasm. And yet, ultimately, no heart can beat only as it wishes, no body can defy the music, and no soul can resist love. Just as the opulence of a royal coronation differs fundamentally from a revolution blooming in a colonized land, who is to say the frantic thrum in the chests of those two men is any different? At this point, these two strangers surrender their bodies to the heart's command, to the notes, and to the dance.

10Dance is beautiful because it cherishes the most exquisite aspects of being human: both carnal desire and deep emotion, the sensory vibrations existing in every muscle fiber, every sound heard, every touch felt, every gaze, and every breath. Love here doesn't just spring from sentiment and head straight for the soul; it is grounded in these very "human" facets. These two strangers are drawn to each other before they even realize it, and from start to finish, every opportunity for contact is placed on a high-tension wire, vibrating as if it might snap at any moment. That tension feels like an electric current charging the air between them; they are unconsciously pulled together, yet neither speaks of it. Indeed, neither Sugiki nor Suzuki says "I love you" even once. We only know their love through their eyes (often dark and searching in the dim light), their locked kisses, their gestures, and most explosively, through their dancing. The film offers no definitive conclusion to the feverish love hidden beneath the distance of these parallel universes—perhaps because the original manga is ongoing—but as a standalone piece, this open ending feels like the perfect answer. It is an invitation for an honorary dance, sweeping Sugiki and Suzuki into an embrace across every rhythm—noisy, melodic, vibrant, and intoxicated. Finally, they have truly merged. When the dance concludes with a fleeting kiss, their final words are a promise to meet again in a competition where both are at their best—loving the way they love, dancing as their bodies tell the story. They have found their own answer.

If forced to choose between the Latin and Standard styles, I find 10Dance leans slightly more toward the color of a Standard dance. The passion and noise of the Latin influence feel like blood pumping beneath a detached exterior—the silent suffering and yearning one often finds in a soft melody. Instead of letting the heart speak, the love in the film is expressed through high-wire nervous tension (sexual tension). The primal instincts of the Latin dance are guided by steps that are sophisticated, slow, and noble, carrying the manipulative and terrifying aura of a Reaper rather than a gentleman. The production is incredibly polished, making the film as poetic and artistic as intended: the fierce, wild fire of the Americas; the noble, romantic elegance of the West; and the reserved, thoughtful sentimentality of the East. Whoever conceived the idea of two dancers falling in love through the dance itself is, quite frankly, a genius.

While the film successfully stimulated my sensory nerves and left me in awe of its "purely cinematic" camera work—and while I was mesmerized by the acting (I sighed more than once at their expressions, especially Ryoma’s magnetic presence)—I still felt a slight void in the overall experience. Aesthetically, it is flawless; every frame could be a still photograph, rich in classical style. But emotionally, the fragility and lack of commitment in the relationship occasionally left me feeling restless. The dialogue requires too much "reading between the lines," creating a sense of ambiguity and drifting reminiscent of Hong Kong romance films—distinctive, but at times suffocating, because the viewer can never quite grasp the emotional current. Everything hangs in a state of tension that affects not just the characters, but the audience as well—a feeling of being adrift, unanchored, and fumbling in the dark. The lack of words equals a lack of communication; it seems the film cares less for that and more for how bodies speak. Yet, I still loved the narration and the characters' brief inner monologues. The actors’ eyes know how to tell a story, guiding the viewer so we aren't left lost for too long. The presence of refined language—saying only what is necessary and filtering the rest through a gaze—is an art form in itself.

In short, despite the occasional suffocating psychological tension, 10Dance is a complete, deeply aesthetic, and artistic work. It is slow yet seething, as if stepping right off the pages of a Japanese manga—lingering, nostalgic, and profoundly deep in both beauty and soul.

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I'm gonna have to disagree with reddit on this

Alright, who decided on that ending?
I really, really, really love this. Like, the ending was just infuriating. See you at 10 dance. Die. Give me 10 dance. Show me 10 dance. Show me the sweat and the struggle and all the practice. BUT, that first practice was insane. The first practice with them together was genuinely... It was so sensual and intimate. 'If ballroom is first courtship, then Latin American is raw eroticism.' Like, it was just too... I can't even put into words. But it was like, the way he was watching him his every move and you couldn't really tell if it was just to learn or more. Suzuki was constantly ripping off his shirt genuinely just baring his soul to this guy being so vulnerable it's so clear the way he loves hot and fast and passionate. And this uptight, cold, reserved Suguki waltzes in and taunts him with the 10dance.

When I saw the trailer, it was just so sensual. They were so passionate in completely different ways, Suzuki flaunted his entire being for the world to see while Suguki showed his passion in his unrelenting obsession with dance and the art of it all . And I don't know anything about Latin American dance nor Latin America full stop so this is probably coming from a lot of uneducatedness from my part and the fact that I didn't know nothing about the dancing either means i don't really have a say on the representation nor the accuracy but also means i have nothing to nitpick either.

The actor for Suzuki was just insane. He's so sexy as well. Dear god. One review said 'he just lives, breathes, and walks like sex' and i genuinely couldn't agree more. The confidence that just oozes from this guy needs to be studied .And I just don't know the complete difference in characters. They both have undeniable confidence but the way they present themselves, how Suguki walks with the air that he KNOWS what he's doing and the self assurance of his clockwork abilities whatever happens HE will be the one to control it and Suguki just gives off the air of couldn't give a fuck, and I am obsessed with the contrast.

But the thing is, I kind of hoped he would have seen Suguki the same way Suzuki saw him when he was dancing just imagining him there, i wish we saw more of what he was thinking and how he felt about Susuki. The fact that he was fully clothed at all times shows nearly the fear he has to be vulnerable. The last dance the way they both just entirely threw themselves into it and you could feel how much they were enjoying it you could see why they dance, there was no more control or lead it was 'love that made it whole'. It was just sensual, and sexy and erotic and seductive and just so fucking passionate.

Give me the sequel like yesterday hun

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Excellent acting

I enjoyed this so much. Both main leads did a fantastic job in their respective roles. Ryoma absolutely slayed his role as the passionate dancer in every scene. His expressions and movements portrayed Suzuki perfectly. And Keita Machida as the restrained and disciplined ballroom dancer portrayed his character well too. The dances were fantastic in themselves too.

But something that struck me while watching this and made me pause is where Ryoma describes what it takes to participate in these 10Dance competitions- it may look glamorous on the surface but it takes tremendous discipline and endurance to dance in 40 dances of different types and styles during the competition day. And when Machida describes how the lady dancing the ballroom dancing has to dance elegantly while wearing her high heels. Somehow these two points left a tremendous impression on me. In fact, this very well describes what all artist, dancers, actors, and so on must truly be experiencing - everything might look glamorous on the surface, but level of practice and discipline needed for it….

Takeuchi Ryoma and Keita Machida also do a phenomenal job of dancing. It must surely have taken them many days and hours of practice to be this good! And of course, the chemistry between these two was very visible every moment of the movie.

The time flew by so quickly as I was watching this. I can imagine that we would likely get a sequel for this (here’s me trying to manifest this🤣). I mean, I would like to see them participating in the actual 10Dance competition! And there is so much potential for further expanding this story anyway, that it would be such a waste to not explore this further in a sequel.

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English and Portuguese Review

𝐀 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
The story of 10Dance is basically about two dancers who want to step out of their comfort zones and learn styles different from the ones they already master in order to compete in 10Dance. Throughout this process of exchanging techniques, training together, and competing, the two end up forming a connection that keeps growing and goes beyond dance itself.

The film focuses much more on the dances, rehearsals, and competitions than on the emotional development of the romance. The intimacy between the protagonists grows a lot through dance, training, and physical closeness, and their chemistry is very strong. Still, the relationship ends up moving forward in a somewhat rushed way, without them really talking about what they feel. One moment they are just training partners and friends, and suddenly they are intensely kissing, which left me a bit confused due to the lack of that emotional transition.

On the other hand, the dance scenes are incredible. It truly feels like you are watching professional dancers, everything is very well executed. The acting is also great and helps keep you engaged. The soundtrack, for me, was one of the strongest points of the film. There were several moments when I was literally dancing along in my bed while watching.

Another thing I really liked and that stood out to me was the presence of multiple languages in the original audio, such as English and Spanish, in addition to Japanese. The Latin representation was something I genuinely enjoyed, speaking as a Latino myself.

As for the ending, I can’t say I loved it, but it leaves things very open, clearly hinting at a continuation. It gives the feeling that, in a possible second film, they might deepen the protagonists’ feelings and relationship, which is something I felt was missing here.

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𝐔𝐦𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜̧𝐚
A história de 10Dance é basicamente sobre dois dançarinos que querem sair da zona de conforto e aprender estilos diferentes dos que já dominam para competir no 10Dance. No meio desse processo de troca, treinos e competições, os dois acabam criando uma conexão cada vez mais próxima, que vai além da dança.

O filme foca muito mais nas danças, nos ensaios e nas competições do que no desenvolvimento emocional do romance. A intimidade entre os protagonistas cresce bastante através da dança, dos treinos e da proximidade física, e a química entre eles é muito forte. Ainda assim, o relacionamento acaba avançando de forma meio apressada, sem que eles realmente falem sobre o que sentem. Em um momento são parceiros de treino e amigos, e de repente já estão se beijando de forma intensa, o que me deixou um pouco confuso pela falta dessa transição emocional.

Por outro lado, as cenas de dança são incríveis. Dá realmente a sensação de que são dançarinos profissionais ali, tudo muito bem executado. A atuação também é ótima e ajuda bastante a manter o interesse. A trilha sonora, pra mim, foi um dos pontos mais fortes do filme. Teve vários momentos em que eu estava literalmente dançando junto na cama enquanto assistia.

Uma coisa que eu gostei bastante e que me chamou atenção foi a presença de vários idiomas no áudio original, como inglês e espanhol, além do japonês. A representatividade latina foi algo que eu curti muito, falando aqui como latino mesmo.

Sobre o final, não posso dizer que amei, mas ele deixa tudo bem aberto, claramente com cara de continuação. Então fica a sensação de que, em um possível segundo filme, eles possam aprofundar melhor os sentimentos e o relacionamento dos protagonistas, coisa que senti falta aqui.

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The trailer made it seem like it was more than it was

TW: There was a SA scene and not going to lie with such an aggressive character like Latin I was honestly shocked it didn’t come earlier. The Ballroom guy did push him off. Even tho all SA is bad SA it definitely wasn’t graphic or anything. It doesn’t go far besides kissing and Ballroom doesn’t really have a major reaction to it.
I felt like I should mention it cus nobody does.


Review:

Normally BLs make me die of cringe and it takes me like 5 hours to watch a 1 hour film. But I was able to watch it all in one sitting. The trailer is VERY misleading, I thought it was gonna be a raunchy, very high tension film and it really wasn’t. But honestly I could tell it wasn’t going to be half way through so I wasn’t that disappointed.

They really fumbled with the romance aspect. They weren’t lovers or even friends with benefits because they never f*cked. They just gave rivals with a little tension. There’s a scene where Ballroom guy tells him abt how he wasn’t like the nicest guy in the past. And then Latin guy calls him lame and goes to the train. But for some reason Latin calling ballroom lame compelled Ballroom to run to the train to kiss Latin… like there was nice build up on Latin’s part but this was genuinely out of nowhere for Ballroom and it doesn’t even make sense. Also at first I thought the kiss scene was a*s but after watching that part a second time it wasn’t that bad. It’s just the build up (or the lack thereof ) that made it meh to me.

One thing I will applaud it for is the scene at the end. It was nice but then they just kept on dancing and Ik that’s how it works (they explained it a thousand times) but I got a little bored.

Overall:
It feels so empty it’s missing a lot but I lowkey don’t even want a part 2 lmao. Also I wish the side girls got together. It had potential and they fumbled but it was still a nice movie. Latin guys fine ahh makes it worth it.

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Dance in the movie

I love how in 10dance love is shown with a forms of dance. I personaly love to watch people dance in every style possible. Their feelings are expressed throught dancing like touch, connection, emotions and passion. I think the movie shows the real meaning of dance. Both of the mains characters are bonded together with two different styles, but they get a chance to practise dancing together for 10Dance and actually dance at Asian Cup.

While i was watching i thought the directors brought a bit of homophobia into the film by making Sugiki think that two guys cant dance together as because their dancing styles need a gentleman AND a lady.
Also the statement "dance is neither about technique nor stamina. Love is what makes it whole." could have made Sugiki think that he can and should dance with Suzuki.

Sugiki made viewers feel the emotions he had while dancing, we can see the happiness the excitement or the love he showed while they were in the subway. Lets not forget Suzuki's feelings while they didnt meet (not gonna lie my eyes were wet at one moment), the movie showed us emotions without using words.

Actors build a strong tension between themselves while they were learning from eachother the dancing moves. The film made us more and more believe they got feelings without them having to say it.

The music obviously makes a lot, as in dancing we need to have music. The music was not only in parts when they were dancing, which made the movie in my opinion more calming and understandable.

In the end the music was fire and the tension while dancing oml im obsessed, both with their dancing their relationship their moves, everything. I will definitely rewatch (i literally watched it in one sitting not being able to take my eyes away and after it ended i lit didnt know what now, wanted to watch again..). Im giving it 10/10 loved it very very much ones of my favorite films probably.

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I Don't Know, I Just Wanted it to be better

Basically gay Strictly Ballroom about 2 different competitive dancers who must work together to win a world championship… or something (that bit didn't happen). Despite the fact that this was decently shot and acted, script and director let it down. It felt like it owed a lot to 90s Australian cinema as well as darker JBL (read stylistically old fashioned) but also this was a very self aware movie. Too self aware. I get that the filming style was designed to reflect the respective dancers' attitudes, but also, it kinda beat us over the head with the metonymy of it all. We get it. We got it within the first 10 minutes. Surprise us, please. The dialogue was cliche and online complaints around casually racist stereotypes well earned. The voice over was a bit much MUCH (and I'm not as opposed to VO on principle like many are). In the end, the movie felt as full of itself as the characters. The fact of the matter is, I wanted this to be better. A better story, a better romance, a better resolution, better engagement resulting in better discourse. It was moody and pretty and not a great deal more than that. And I really like dance movies.

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