Review by Bethany Redrobe, edited by Lucy Wilson

When the cast for 10 Dance was announced, I was extremely pleased to hear that Keita Machida (Cherry Magic, Alice in Borderland) had been cast in one of the main roles in this BL (Boys Love) ballroom dancing movie.

All the advertisements I have seen portray this as a romance between a ballroom and Latin dancer (played by Ryoma Takeuchi, Kamen Rider Drive, The Girl who Leapt Through Time live action). Both men excel in their fields of dance but neither are champions. Sugiki’s (Machida) main discipline is ballroom and, inspired to keep dancing after watching Suzuki (Takeuchi), he suggests they team up to improve in both fields. Together with their dance partners, they are to train in each others’ disciplines to compete both internationally and at the 10 Dance Championships, a real-world international dance championship in which competitors dance both Latin and ballroom in up to 40 dances a day. The dance partners who perform best across both disciplines being crowned the sole winners. 

So, with all this in mind, I expected an angsty queer romance, along the lines of Yuri on Ice, set in the ballroom dancing world. This is not what I got. What 10 Dance ended up being (for me) was a film about psychological torture via the medium of ballroom dance. If you’re in the mood for a look into the lives of Japanese ballroom and Latin dancers who come from very different backgrounds, the darker sides and psychological elements employed to succeed, with some romance between the leads, watch it without reading further. 

I am well aware that the world of ballroom and Latin dancing can be as brutal as any other physical profession, be it dance, theatre or sport, but there is a line – a line that Sugiki is ashamed to cross but not ashamed enough not to do it again. To clarify, Suzuki relentlessly bullied his dance partner until he broke her mind and could “control her completely like a marionette”, an event she cannot remember and believes happened to someone else. She herself admits that she is only his partner because no one else survived his brutal demands. Suzuki may well be horrified by Sugiki’s behaviour and attitude but that doesn’t stop him from pursuing a romantic situationship with him – even after Sugiki chokes him and not in a safe, sane and consensual way.

Don’t get me wrong, I would have watched this even if I’d known what to expect ahead of time; I just would have appreciated a more honest trailer and description. I hadn’t heard of the manga this is based on before the cast announcement and I haven’t read it in the interim.

10 Dance’s acting is fantastic, the dancing is superb and Blackpool has never looked so majestic. It’s easy to see how much dedication has gone into this film from the actors and trainers involved. They were all believable professionals. The English speaking could have done with more work, especially when a character is stated to have lived in the UK for a while and allegedly speaks it fluently. This is nowhere near the worst I have heard (those who remember the Free! episodes in Australia know what I mean) but it was an issue that broke the immersion.

Suzuki’s friendship with his dance partner, Aki (Shiori Doi), was refreshing to see and added an extra layer to this and the world it was in. She and Sugiki’s partner, Fusako (Anna Ishii), also have a warm friendship and I would have loved a side story with the two of them becoming close friends or falling in love.

Storyline-wise, even with its 2 hour (approx.) running time, some parts felt rushed and disjointed, which is only natural when it’s a condensed part of a longer plot. The ending in particular was open-ended, erring on the side of hopeful but we do not, in fact, get to see the 10 Dance competition the movie is named after. Whether this means they’re threatening us with another movie to finish the story off or they’d packed too much into it already, I don’t know. As already stated I will, of course, watch a sequel but I’m not in any desperate need for it.

All in all, would I recommend this film? Only if you know what you’re getting into or, like me, you’ll watch anything Keita Machida does. If you’re a fan of great ballroom and Latin dancing or want to see Blackpool look seriously pretty, also yes. But if you wanted something with dancing and less psychological damage, I’d watch Yuri on Ice (Crunchyroll and physical media) instead. For a gentle, thoughtful BL (although any dancing within is awful), I’d recommend the live action Cherry Magic (Crunchy Roll and Gagaoolala), also starring Keita Machida in one of the leading roles alongside Eiji Akaso (Kamen Rider Build, Zom100 live action). 

My editor tells me its not good etiquette to end a review of something with a recommendation to watch something else instead and suggested giving it a score. I therefore award 10 Dance an overall 6/10 with a 3/10 for it’s marketing. 

Bethany

Bethany Redrobe got into anime when a childhood love of ancient Egypt introduced her to Yu-Gi-Oh!. An avid reader and writer, she also cosplays, learns Japanese and makes custom dolls.