10 Dance, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese BL (boys’ love) manga by Inouesatoh, has arrived on Netflix with excellent choreography, the same level of yearning, slightly less racism, and a story just as incomplete as the manga. Because yes, this movie is called 10 Dance. No, we don’t actually get to the 10 Dance competition.
Netflix is obviously banking on a sequel, because the decision to end the film at what feels like the beginning is a clear strategy to make us beg for more. And we are begging. We want more. More dancing, yes, but also more yearning. More romance. In fact, the only thing we don’t want more of is the stereotypes! They can keep those.
Director: Keishi Otomo
Writers: Satoh Inoue, Keishi Otomo, Tomoko Yoshida
Stars: Ryoma Takeuchi, Keita Machida, Shiori Doi
Let’s start there. The biggest problem with 10 Dance is that, as a Latina, I felt insulted every time Cuba was mentioned and Latino stereotypes were reinforced, whether in Japanese or terrible Spanish. To be fair to this adaptation, the manga is far more racist. So, yes, they improved it. However, they could have removed the racism entirely. That would have been my preference.
Aside from that, the series adapts the manga quite well, focusing on two rival dancers, Latin dance champion Shinya Suzuki and ballroom dance champion Shinya Sugiki, who team up to learn each other’s styles for a competition. Pretty straightforward. Rivals to lovers is a cliché, and one we love. Rivals to lovers in the world of competitive dance? We’re in.
Much of the film is about the dancing, and that part of 10 Dance works perfectly. The choreography is incredible, the way the dance sequences are filmed, from the slow motion when the two rivals start practicing together, to the subtle shifts you notice when different people are paired up, works wonderfully. If you like dancing, you’ll be thrilled. If you don’t, it still works very well. But if you're not here for the stereotypes (and you shouldn't be!), or for the dancing, but for the BL (Boys' Love), then the experience is bittersweet.
There could be so much more romantic tension, but the film seems to rush too quickly from hating each other to dancing together, then to passionately kissing on a train, and finally to a dramatic breakup for… reasons. The chemistry between Ryoma Takeuchi and Keita Machida is excellent when they have the chance to be together, whether dancing or talking, but the film still needs a touch more longing. And by a touch, I mean a lot.
Even so, the romantic parts of the film are mostly enjoyable, and Takeuchi and Machida's best on-screen moment comes at the very end. This fits perfectly with Netflix's plans to continue creating content in this universe, because now that we've glimpsed what could be, we need these two men to keep competing after having essentially come out by kissing in the middle of the dance floor.
For now, there are no consequences. Nothing to worry about. The movie is over, and everyone is smiling. In fact, they're looking forward to the next competition. And so are we. Will we see it? Probably, if Netflix is smart. Hopefully, when it arrives, we can amp up the romantic tension, have many more scenes of these two dancing together, even if we have to invent contrived reasons for them to do so, and, of course, eliminate the stereotypes. That would be great.
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