Reviews

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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A door to a conversation we need to have

I think it’s hard, and it will only keep getting harder, to make a movie about Artificial Intelligence. So much has been said and done, the future has come and gone, it’s all moving at such a pace that it’s truly difficult to construct a story that has value and doesn’t feel already old or told. I think that was the value of this film.

The way the story approaches the human condition, trying to highlight what is desperately needed - humanity - for our kind to survive through trying times, was very touching. Having the story be told from the perspective of a mother (in progress), I thought was a great idea. The “end of the world” could simply be interpreted as any major crisis to humans. What keeps us alive is a wild combination of survival instinct and love. Anna, as the movie progresses, becomes increasingly protective, violent, but also deeply caring. All very core human emotions/reflexes. We are animals after all, not machines.

I don’t think this movie was really about what AI is made of, but what humans are made of. We are at a point where the difference starts to blur. Not just because of how human-like AI is, but mainly because of how machine-like we the humans are becoming. I can’t point out exactly what this movie is trying to tell us, because I think it’s not trying to tell us anything. It’s the kind of movie that poses a question, perhaps a different question for each viewer that is willing to engage. And so, a conversation starts.

It’s a shame it was received coldly, though I do think it’s not a Netflix-type film. It’s too complex for the average Netflix watcher who was waiting for a disaster action film. Wish I could’ve seen it at the cinema.

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"Dance is neither about technique nor stamina. Love is what makes it whole."

Sugiki fell first, but Suzuki fell harder!

Sugiki is all about Standard Ballroom dancing, while Suzuki slays in Latin Dance. But when Sugiki proposed to Suzuki to train each other in their respective styles and then compete in 10DANCE, it dissolved all the barriers. As a strict, meticulous waltz dancer, Sugiki followed the lead of Suzuki but the competitive spirit in him held him back. Later, when they blended their passion into dancing, the harmonious movements brought them closer.



🔥Impressed with:

The actors did a great job portraying the characters beautifully on screen. They amazed me with their brilliant dancing skills. Their floating smooth body movements are the result of relentless practice, and it shows. Hats off to them.

From the perspective of a non-dancer, this was alluring from the beginning. The dance's flawless steps, determination and passion was oozing out of the characters the way they portrayed the dancer's stamina. The muscle strength, control in body movements, that on-screen tension swayed me with its grandeur appeal. Their sensuality in their glances and body language, had me weak.

Let's not forget about the elegant and supportive dance partners Tajima and Yagami. Without their constant support and understanding, our leads wouldn't be here together. Shout out to the gorgeous ladies!



🚧Room for improvement:

I do understand that it's mostly about dancing rather than romance, as it felt sudden, rushed, with incomprehensible unexplored motives and incomplete.

I expected it to delve deeper into the emotions of the characters, their journey and meeting with each other, but they strictly (for obvious reasons) focused on the dance part. While watching Suzuki & Sugiki, I realized how immersed Takeuchi Ryoma and Machida Keita were into their respective characters that the outburst and breakdown of their characters needed more time, realization and understanding. But it ended and faded into a strict timeline like it didn't happen. Rivals to Lovers, it happened so fast that as an audience I felt detached from their dynamic. There's so much yet to be told.

The ending leaves room for another sequel, but tell me honestly, do you really think that's going to happen? I don't think so. It's pretty much evident they achieved what they wanted, but as an audience it frustrates me to think about how restless I felt when they ended the movie just like that.
It should have been a series, not a movie.

Overall, the gorgeous setting, enticing, insane chemistry is swoon-worthy. It wasn't without flaws, but it's only there if you realize it. Otherwise, this is a perfect Christmas treat that you can give yourself. Go for it!

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Aside from one thing, this is very sweet and wholesome. Other reviews have that covered well. Love is love at a boys' Catholic school. It's well-made and filled with lovely messages of acceptance of being gay.

And in that, a girl's happiness is necessarily sacrificed because the happy ending is for the boys. Technically that's a spoiler, but the movie's feet are so firmly planted in the pro-gay BL messaging it's a given and the girl is just a prop.

Yay for the boys, it's lovely that way. But I'm left wondering what this does to girls and young women, always rooting for the boys and always being the ones to lose out. The prominent, crystal clear positive messaging for gay boys is such a contrast with the but of course barely worth mentioning negative signal for girls' place in this. Some are more equal than others.

It's strange to finish a movie like this feeling unsettled, and many here will scold me from the other side of the screen, but that's where I am with this. Yay for the boys. What effect does watching a lot of BL have on girls and young women, always coming in second if they're there at all?

Aside from that, it's sweet, well-made and very wholesome. For the boys.

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Eventhough i only rated the story a 7.0, i think its a really cute movie.
Yes i know there is no huge plot to the story, but i still really enjoyed watching it because its just so loveley and cheesy.
The filming locations are really pretty and the movie overall gives off a nice and refreshing summer vibe.
I also don't think that the story is completly hollow, because there's still many things happening and going on - i don't remember it getting boring for me while watching .

I rated the music a 5.0 because i can't remember any of it

(don't be put off by the word cheesy - it's not that bad i promise)

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Was one boy truly worth it? No girl power in this movie.

The whole plot is teens bullying each other and breaking all the horror rules possible, but somehow too many of them stay alive. I did enjoy how layered the movie was despite the simple plot. Setting on the isolated island for female juvenile offenders (which alone sounds tragic), the supernatural components and well developed lore with interesting visuals, well done kills and even pacing made the movie an enjoyable journey. Yes, there was not one character to truly root for, and more likely than not you will want to see them all dead by the end, but the dynamics, even if annoying, were keeping my attention.

All that said, the movie is too long for such an unsatisfying ending. If I have to sit through over two hours of teens bullying each other, I want some cathartic conclusion, not whatever this was. It was for sure a more interesting ending, but it just left me annoyed. I think they either should have made it more simple, or even more complex with just one more twist as a cherry on top.

Baipor and Perth delivered great performances. Both Ing and Aim were annoying for different reasons, but they played off of each other's characteristics well. The way Ing was slowly breaking more and more, while Aim started to lose her control and confidence - a game in which there are no winners.

The production value was nice. I wish some scenes were better lit, but it was not bad enough where I could not see anything. The design for the supernatural was decent, but not scary. Some kills were better than others.

Overall, it is too long to be called a simple afternoon quick watch, but it is interesting enough to actually sit down and see. Nothing groundbreaking. Simple, but well executed.

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Dance Is Love

“Dance is love”. That pretty much sums up this movie. The dancing and the palpable chemistry between the two male leads take center stage, and their story is told through the waltz, the cha cha, and the tango as they lead each other on a journey of self-discovery, strife, and love. Yes, there is love, though not the tangible kind that some people might expect from a BL movie such as this. This is a tale about two rivals that despise and obsess about each other for years until the moment they hold hands and decide to dance together. These same two men who have never really opened their hearts to another nor probably even considered being with another man, suddenly find themselves gravitating towards each other in a maddening and feverish attraction they cannot explain, but only becomes fathomable when they dance together. It's like poetry, there are underlying meanings to every word spoken, every gesture, every glance.

I didn't read the manga so I had no pre-existing expectations or biases going into this. I just knew that this was adapted by Yoshida Tomoko (My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday) from a popular BL manga, directed by Otomo Keishi (Rurouni Kenshin), and led by two of the brightest stars in Japan right now, so I kinda knew that this was going to be a poignant tale of love and woe as Yoshida is known for that type of writing. While I agree that the writing could've used a bit more work, especially that ambiguous ending, I think this was the best they could do within the limitations of a two-hour run time. This would've worked better as a mini series, to be honest. It would've afforded them more time to flesh out these characters more and give certain plot points room to breathe. An extra 30 minutes could've given the narrative a better flow with more scenes to iron out the kinks in the script. I don't think this was lazy writing, though. I believe the writers were just hindered by the time constraints. If only there was director cut somewhere and that they'd be willing to release it.

But everything else from the production value to the acting was marvelous. Machida Keita and Takeuchi Ryoma certainly delivered and are even dead ringers for their manga counterparts. They slaved for months to perfect their dancing skills for this, and for that, I thank them. I truly enjoyed the dancing parts in this. Their chemistry is undeniable that I could practically taste the sexual tension in the air between them. Their titillating scenes, though few and far between, are executed well. Suffice to say, I bought their growing attraction and fondness for each other. I felt their longing and pain. Sugiki tearing up as he watched Suzuki dance, proud and happy for the latter's accomplishments and also realizing they cannot be together encapsulates his complicated feelings for him.

In a nutshell, this was a great watch. I loved every minute of it and this will probably be even better on a second watch. Is it perfect? No, of course not. It needs a sequel and that is the only reason why I won't give it a rating higher than 9. I hope this does well enough to warrant a sequel.

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the concept of replacing humanity with IA

at first i did think it was gonna be a natural disaster type movie but man i thought the plot twist was gonna be good, instead all i got was an underwhelming feeling seeing it as propaganda for the low birth rate, not only in South Korea but also the rest of the world; the irony of it being a child made with artificial intelligence, i'm afraid this didn't awake some maternal instinct but that's just me i guess.
With the use of IA on the rise i'm afraid there won't be enough water to flood us all to extinction. I can see the irony of using IA to replace humanity but the water flooding being the main plot feels like a joke that didn't land.

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56 minutes in and I got mad with the subs…

the show was actually pretty good… the translations not so much. So at one point (56 minutes in roughly) the Latin American dancer, who also appears in Alison in borderland of my memory, serves correct is speaking Spanish to the bartenders and the bartender says roughly what’s printed on the subtitles. His response is not “no way”, as translated…. His response is to sarcastically curse at the guy. The more that I watch/rewatch Netflix shows lately. I’m getting mad with their translations because they’re so incorrect. Now I grew up with Castilian Spanish as my second language, English was my first. I’m part Cuban so for me that language is second nature. I learned Japanese in high school on a whim, but I still watch all my shows with subtitles just out of habit. And I have noticed a lot of the translations from a lot of the dramas where the original language is not English are incorrect in quite a few areas. And I understand that English is primarily what is spoken in the US, but Netflix is an international company. They have Netflix in other countries that don’t speak English and my question now is are those subtitles the same for other countries?

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I wished this movie was actually about a great flood....

I don't really know what this movie was trying to do. It just feels like a movie trying to promote AI or something, and they were developing AI by putting them in the most unrealistic situations? Idk man I just found it all stupid. I know they were also trying to be touching with the "mother and child" thing but all I felt was that I'm annoyed and confused, I don't know what they were trying to do with that. I went into this movie without actually watching trailers or reading the synopsis so I expected that it will be about a natural disaster but nah, they suddenly threw in this AI crap or whatnot.

Conclusion: I hate AI and kids.

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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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