This review may contain spoilers
Expectations unfortunately not met
Dance is neither about technique nor stamina. Love is what makes it whole
🕺🏻OK. Let's start with the good🕺🏻
The acting - The guys killed it. I have seen Keita before in Cherry Magic & Alice in Borderland and was excited to see him back in the BL realm. I knew he was good and my man; he did not disappoint. No notes
Ryoma is a new face to me, but he was amazing too. He expresses emotions so freaking well. It just grabs you. I could feel how much he hated Sugiki in the beginning, when he started wanting him; I was there with him—in that desire, denial, and confusion. And when Sugiki broke his heart, I felt that too. When he cried, when he made the choice to go back to competing after the heartbreak, when he struggled to walk away from Sugiki's honor dance, when he finally faced him on that floor. I felt it all. Hat's off to the man
The chemistry - My God!! It was palpable. Everyone has mentioned it, but that scene in the train... *fans self*. And the kiss scene towards the end. Also, I was mesmerised every time they danced together
Their type of dance matched their personalities beautifully - Sugiki does ballroom. Idk much about dance, but from what I saw in this, it's a very controlled type of dancing. Beautiful to look at, but rigid in its execution.
On the other hand, Suzuki is a free spirit. He also walks, breaths, moves like sex, and so is his dance style. It's fun and sexy, while Suguki's is very restrained.
Suzuki wants to have fun in his life, but Sugiki is very controlled and by the book. He knows what he wants, sees the goal, and will stick by it, everything else be damned.
How they dance spills into their personalities. Or is it vice versa?
The cinematography and the grandeur of it all - Are we surprised though? It's a Netflix production. You know the production budget be budgeting
🕺🏻What I didn't like🕺🏻
The title says it all. The movie did not match the expectations set by the trailer
When you watch the trailer, you expect the movie to be very sensual, very sexy. You expect their relationship to be very emotionally charged. A love that stems from hate, passion (for dance and Suzuki's hatred for Sugiki), desire, and an unwitting respect for each other's craft. I was at the edge of my seat waiting for such a story
Unfortunately, when you get to the story, this all kinda... fades away? A lot of the story is told in silence (?). There are a lot of looks to the other person, facial expressions, but very little in the way of actual communication. As the audience, you kinda have to connect the dots and guess what they are feeling and thinking. That removes the 'punch' of what this story could be
Their romance — if you could even call it that — doesn't progress much, and so by the end, everything feels unfinished. They kissed on the train. I thought things would get steamier, but they went their separate ways. Only to meet 2(?) months later in the UK with Suzuki thinking about how he wants Sugiki's eyes on him.... And then they break up
Girl... What?? What happened in the 2 months??? I have read some comments by the Manga readers that allude to what happened after the train, leading up to the breakup, and after, but if you're going to make a movie, shouldn't you include what happens in the source material in the show? I feel like cutting out major details does a disservice not only to the viewers who may not have checked out the book, but also to the readers who may want a better portrayal of a story they love
The ending was also very.... Ugh. It's open-ended. Not a fan of those. I hear it's because the manga isn't complete. Perhaps the manga shall end n we'll get a sequel. Hopefully, a better installation than this one
🕺🏻OK. Let's start with the good🕺🏻
The acting - The guys killed it. I have seen Keita before in Cherry Magic & Alice in Borderland and was excited to see him back in the BL realm. I knew he was good and my man; he did not disappoint. No notes
Ryoma is a new face to me, but he was amazing too. He expresses emotions so freaking well. It just grabs you. I could feel how much he hated Sugiki in the beginning, when he started wanting him; I was there with him—in that desire, denial, and confusion. And when Sugiki broke his heart, I felt that too. When he cried, when he made the choice to go back to competing after the heartbreak, when he struggled to walk away from Sugiki's honor dance, when he finally faced him on that floor. I felt it all. Hat's off to the man
The chemistry - My God!! It was palpable. Everyone has mentioned it, but that scene in the train... *fans self*. And the kiss scene towards the end. Also, I was mesmerised every time they danced together
Their type of dance matched their personalities beautifully - Sugiki does ballroom. Idk much about dance, but from what I saw in this, it's a very controlled type of dancing. Beautiful to look at, but rigid in its execution.
On the other hand, Suzuki is a free spirit. He also walks, breaths, moves like sex, and so is his dance style. It's fun and sexy, while Suguki's is very restrained.
Suzuki wants to have fun in his life, but Sugiki is very controlled and by the book. He knows what he wants, sees the goal, and will stick by it, everything else be damned.
How they dance spills into their personalities. Or is it vice versa?
The cinematography and the grandeur of it all - Are we surprised though? It's a Netflix production. You know the production budget be budgeting
🕺🏻What I didn't like🕺🏻
The title says it all. The movie did not match the expectations set by the trailer
When you watch the trailer, you expect the movie to be very sensual, very sexy. You expect their relationship to be very emotionally charged. A love that stems from hate, passion (for dance and Suzuki's hatred for Sugiki), desire, and an unwitting respect for each other's craft. I was at the edge of my seat waiting for such a story
Unfortunately, when you get to the story, this all kinda... fades away? A lot of the story is told in silence (?). There are a lot of looks to the other person, facial expressions, but very little in the way of actual communication. As the audience, you kinda have to connect the dots and guess what they are feeling and thinking. That removes the 'punch' of what this story could be
Their romance — if you could even call it that — doesn't progress much, and so by the end, everything feels unfinished. They kissed on the train. I thought things would get steamier, but they went their separate ways. Only to meet 2(?) months later in the UK with Suzuki thinking about how he wants Sugiki's eyes on him.... And then they break up
Girl... What?? What happened in the 2 months??? I have read some comments by the Manga readers that allude to what happened after the train, leading up to the breakup, and after, but if you're going to make a movie, shouldn't you include what happens in the source material in the show? I feel like cutting out major details does a disservice not only to the viewers who may not have checked out the book, but also to the readers who may want a better portrayal of a story they love
The ending was also very.... Ugh. It's open-ended. Not a fan of those. I hear it's because the manga isn't complete. Perhaps the manga shall end n we'll get a sequel. Hopefully, a better installation than this one
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