Reviews

"Don't ditch when I get serious"

Two hot guys sizzling as they Waltz and do the Cha Cha Cha while staring into each other’s eye? That’s pretty much the plot of 10 Dance and yet the actors made it next to impossible to look away.

Suzuki Shinya is the Japanese Latin dance champion while Sugiki Shinya is the Ballroom dancing champion. Both are competitive and seek to be the best. While Suzuki and his partner, Aki, are loose and have fun, Sugiki rigidly controls everything, never cracking a smile. Sugiki doesn’t hesitate to berate his partner, Fusako. “The Grim Reaper” puts forth a plan to Suzuki that they teach each other their different styles and compete in the 10 Dance that requires both Ballroom and Latin dance skills. Tentative at first, Suzuki agrees and the enemies become something a little more friendly.

I have not read the manga so I can only comment on what was shown on the screen. The plot was as thin as a sheet of music. I really wish we’d gotten to know more about the two characters than one was overtly rigid and the other enjoyed food, drink, and multiple women. Thankfully, the two actors were able to elevate their characters above the script. Takeuchi Ryoma gave a wonderful performance as the passionate Suzuki. He displayed a wide array of emotions, digging deep when he found himself falling for his cold rival. He also had a habit of taking his shirt off which I wasn’t mad about. Machida Keita as Sugiki had to work hard to convey his conflicted feelings in his character’s overtly disciplined body and mind. Just a shallow note, I miss his long hair from Glass Heart. Doi Shiori made the most of her screen time bringing the loyal Aki to life. Poor Ishii Anna’s character was mostly relegated to a pretty face.

I know nothing about ballroom dancing, but enjoyed the various dance styles and the rigorous training behind them. Most importantly, for a romantic dance film, Takeuchi and Machida’s chemistry was sensual and palpable. The ending seemed to leave room open for a sequel and I will certainly buy a ticket to watch these two dance again.

19 December 2025
Trigger warning: Nudity early in the film, nekkid buttocks and suggestive breast images

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Dry eyes from unblinking.

Wow, what a movie!
I am just gonna play some music and dance, waking up the whole neighbourhood at nearly 3 am.
I am a chemist and I should tell you all that we have the reaction but not enough reagents to satisfy us. Where is my 10 fk dance they worked so hard for? Where is the first champion title ? Where is the movie we waited so much for?
I felt like I am seeing a manga with audio. And we all know how manga can be Hella confusing.
It was a slow burn without the flame, it was an enemies to lovers without the ferocity.
I want to see some deeper connection after that making out scene like a different dynamic in thier dance, or even a smile, but they immediately introduced the ex.
The beginning was strong to the first half ( that scene when he switched the dance was so captivating), the shots, the scenario, the music, then it goes down, and then it keeps going down ( STAY forever) to the disappointment of an ending leaving so many things unresolved. I really wanted to know the lady's opinion in his dance with Suzuki, and there had to be some talking between the Ballroom couple. And of course the 10 dance competition.
The actors were good. that suzuki guy was amazing together with his girl.
Machida Keita was so tense.
But it was a 10. guys, you should definitely go see it.
Not very clean though, as it could have been.

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Unexpected but also FRUSTRATION?

The backstory of stumbling across this was thinking it was reality TV about dance competition...

Oh boy how wrong was I - but can't complain, of course.

I went into the trailer expecting reality tv > then assuming it was a trope of "let's use each other but we end up falling in love along the way"

To an extent, yes. But the story and characters ended up being so so much more than that. It was this aspect that had heavy influence on the final rating. And it's these kinds of stories that toss me in the unexpected end up being the most memorable.

I had to sit with my thoughts for a while before writing this review, and the last time I did this was Method (that itself is a rabbit hole).

The beauty of this movie is not solely for the romance that YES, we BL enthusiasts swarmed to like moths to light.

It was the subtle artistic choices by the director that couldn't be overlooked - such as for example, there were multiple shots of Sugiki being in the darkness when engaging in conversation with Suzuki, who remained in the light in some way (the studio, where he stood at the mezzanine, looking down at Suzuki).

Sugiki finally smiling at the end despite losing when he was stoic as a bamboo pole throughout the film.

The nuanced touches spoke volumes about their characters and particularly Sugiki's obsession with perfection, that everything else related to the human touch, is viewed as a distraction. Love is such the case for him, that he doesn't realise he remains in darkness, despite the prestige he has earned in the ballroom world.

To put it plainly, there is just overwhelming layers of depth that begs for a rewatch.

It goes without saying the chemistry between the two leads just sparked upon the first practice session. The tension in the struggles between ego, power, and control is so palpable it could drive one mad sitting through it. What started as a cutthroat masterclass became almost bregrudingly, a waltz of flowering emotions both are so adamant to NOT admit but continued to partake. The power dynamic, facial expressions of yearning and reluctance were delightful to watch.

I think what was surprising (as someone who hadn't read the manga) was the reasoning behind the romance. It was more than the bond through partnership that was expected reading the premise. It was Suzuki seeing Sugiki's pain and obsession for the one thing he believed would be his salvation, the need for perfection that was crippling him inside out. It was Sugiki watching Suzuki dance and realised the latter had something he yearned but couldn't understand.

10Dance just felt like watching a variation of Sherlock and Watson, ruthless machine and a compassionate doctor, both filling in the gaps where the other lacked, but ultimately, it was acceptance and understanding without dialogue, that truly made me realise how beautifully executed this movie is.

Honestly BLs are just getting better. This is no exception. But the ending is surely a perfect opening for a sequel...? TT

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A shame

I saw the trailer for this movie and got so hyped. I literally couldn't wait for it, so I read the entire manga beforehand. I loved the manga and was excited to see it as a series....oh, wait, a movie? Ok movie it is then. In my opinion making a series out of the initial story would've been a better fit, but I digress.

There are both negative and positive points about this movie, which I will get into shortly. But if you'd like a short answer, if it's worth watching: It depends. I could see someone absolutely falling in love with this movie, so at least give it a shot. But, to be honest, it could also be a bit confusing.

As for what I disliked:
- Storytelling & Character depth: hhhh, not to be a hater, but I think with this movie adaption they kinda missed the whole point. What I especially liked about the manga was, ofc, the dynamic between the two leads. Both, respectively, have some fierceness to them. They are both used to being a leader. What happens when two people in charge clash? Conflicting feelings, passion and lot's of emotion. I just didn't see that in this movie from a story telling perspective. (The actors themselves were actually great, more later). That's actually why I was so confused to see this as a movie instead of a series. The lead's feelings built up over a long time and many dance parctises, time you don't have in a movie. I get if they wanted to put the focus more on the dancing itself, but for me it is so closely tied to all of their complicated feelings. They said it themselves in the movie: Only love makes the dance complete. But imo there was no time for love.

HOWEVER, there were some absolute beautiful things about this movie. Namely, cinematography and acting.
- Cinematography: Istg just visually, the whole movie was absolutely stunning. The locations, the costumes, the camera work, the coloring - chef's kiss.
- Dancing: Again, visually, so nicely done. There's always a chance of movies coming of as pretentious when depicting difficult technical skills like dancing, but it was so beautifully done. I believed that they were dance champions.
- Acting: Probably my favorite part. The acting was beyond everything else!! Both of the ML's were amazing portraying the characters, but especially the guy playing Suzuki had me on the floor. I loved everything from his facial to his body expression. Small but: This at the same time saddens me. Because you have actors who deliver, yet because of the story telling, pacing, directing or idk what the issue was, I just didn't feel it. Their chemistry could've been deadly, but somehow it wasn't.

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English and Portuguese Review

𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 (No spoilers for the ending)
From the very beginning, The Merciless already grabs your attention with its concept. An undercover cop who gets too involved with the criminal he’s supposed to watch and ends up stuck between two sides. That alone creates a really strong sense of tension.

The movie takes a bit of time to fully get going. The plans take a while to unfold, and at times it feels like the story is moving slower than it should. We follow the protagonist deliberately getting himself arrested to get close to a certain character, and that relationship starts to go beyond just work. He forms a real bond there, and that begins to completely mess with his choices.

The timeline can be a little confusing, so it’s worth paying attention so you don’t miss important details. But once things start connecting, the impact hits much harder. The plot twists are great and genuinely surprising, constantly making you change how you see the characters. You can really feel the protagonist’s inner conflict, and it’s impossible not to empathize with him.

The atmosphere is heavy and tense from start to finish. The ending makes sense within the film’s proposal and does what it needs to do, but the way it wraps up left me feeling like it could have been better. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but that feeling is still there.

Overall, it’s a dense film, full of tension, betrayal, and difficult choices. It’s not fast or easy, but if you’re into this kind of story, it’s definitely worth watching.

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𝐔𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 (Sem spoilers do final)
Desde o começo, The Merciless já chama atenção pela ideia. Um policial infiltrado que acaba se envolvendo demais com o criminoso que deveria observar e fica preso entre dois lados. Só isso já cria uma tensão muito boa.

O filme demora um pouco para engrenar. Os planos levam tempo para acontecer e, em alguns momentos, dá a sensação de que a história está andando mais devagar do que deveria. Acompanhamos o protagonista sendo preso de propósito pra se aproximar de um certo personagem, e essa relação começa a ir além do trabalho. Ele cria um vínculo real ali, e isso começa a bagunçar completamente as escolhas dele.

A linha do tempo é um pouco confusa, então é bom prestar atenção pra não perder detalhes importantes. Mas quando as coisas começam a se conectar, o impacto é bem maior. Os plot twists são ótimos e realmente pegam de surpresa, fazendo você mudar de opinião sobre os personagens o tempo todo. Dá pra sentir o conflito interno do protagonista, e é impossível não criar empatia por ele.

O clima do filme é pesado e tenso do começo ao fim. O final faz sentido dentro da proposta e entrega o que precisava entregar, mas a forma como termina acabou me deixando com um gostinho de que poderia ter sido melhor. Não chega a estragar, mas deixa essa sensação.

No geral, é um filme denso, cheio de tensão, traições e escolhas difíceis. Não é rápido nem fácil, mas se você curte esse tipo de história, vale muito a pena.

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An episode feeler!

Don’t worry, even if you do not watch it, you are not missing out on anything grand!🥺, it is enough to watch as an episode feeler. If you are patient enough the storyline is okayish to keep you watching till the end but not great enough to rewatch!

I found the editing a bit awkward at some points. It felt as if some scenes were cut probably leading to absence of smooth transitions but you can look past these if you are more interested in the plot.

I would recommend this movie if you are up for something light. Do not watch this if you are up for a deep/ intense or nerve wracking type of natural disaster plot! Moreover, the flood and how deeply it impacted everything as a natural disaster was not the intense type. I mean you wouldn’t say, “ Wow, indeed that was the great flood” after watching the drama!😂😭It felt so dry therefore you may easily feel bored or triggered to drop it.

At some point we do get the message they wanted to convey but it ended up as a miss.😭

However, Dami and Park Hae-soo nailed their roles and that can’t be overlooked!

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Difficulty level. 10

I like that this movie reminds viewers of the biblical story of Noah and the Flood, in which life on Earth was saved in the ark. God promised never to send the Great Flood again, but here we are—and this time there is no Noah, no Ark, no animals, and no God. The fate of earthly life lies on the shoulders of a troubled mother with a special mission.

Her endeavor reminded me of video games, where there are different difficulty levels depending on how hard it is to win. The movie raises the bar to the maximum—level 10. I would certainly give up halfway through.

The first part of the movie serves as a reference point and carries a strong sense of suspense and urgency. The second part has a completely different feel, with more confusion and exhaustion than enjoyment, but it ultimately leads to a satisfying ending that offers a lot to think about and discuss. The movie is quite relevant to our time, even though it is still science fiction.

There were some inconsistent details that bothered me, such as fish suddenly appearing and fire appearing and disappearing between shots. Still, these flaws are redeemed by strong human moments, and overall this is a memorable movie that I can recommend to everyone.

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I've seen this plot way too many times

Honestly, I was loving the movie until the ML confessed, but then jokingly, I remembered movies I'd seen before, where after a confession something tragic inevitably happens, one of the leads has to leave (which 90% is the ML from my own watching experience), then the one left is all like I never loved you, I hate you, whatever, they cut contact. Cue a few years pass, they reunite in the last 5 mins of movie, and Happily Ever After. I wish they didn't have to do this exact formula to bring issues in the plot, It just feels monotonous, as soon as this exact thing started happening, my mind disconnected from the movie, and I just couldn't enjoy the last 25 minutes of movie, I skipped a few frames till I reached the ending, as expected, the same thing. It's not that I don't like clichés or anything like that, often I'm the first to support them, but it feels a bit lazy for these movies to always do this (clearly, it's not all movies, but I've seen enough with this formula to recognize a pattern), with no true meaning behind it, not character development, closure of existing problems, or introspection. It's just for te closure of the movie, with nothing important in it to make it relevant to the characters. I don't know, the movie that had me excited and even gushing for the characters at the start, left a bitter taste in my mouth, which drastically impacted my overall view of the movie.

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When marimbas start to play....

I never watch movies, but as soon I saw even the tiniest snippet of this, I knew I had to watch. This is sexy, dangerous, and full of yearning almost too much to bare. 10Dance, what a beautiful story you are.

Let's Dive In.

A stunningly produced movie. It was great to see Machida Keita on my screen again and the lovely Takeuchi Ryoma. These two together created absolute MAGIC on the screen. Through dance, they were about to breed sexual tension like none other. It's the biggest highlight of the movie.

Suzuki is an interesting character. A free-spirited dancer troubled with the idea of being compared to Sugiki. When approached by the latter with the invitation to learn 10 Dance, he is initially disinterested until pure anger and distaste leads him to agreeing. It's another hour thirty minutes of complete angst, yearning, tension, and suspense. The only part lacking is the romance.

This story is about two straight men opening up doors they have yet to explore. Sugiki does it out of his own greed of needing to be number one while Suzuki has harboring selfishness until it turns into something else completely. This movie is not romantic. It is lustful. And that's okay too. I don't believe the movie aims to show that these men have love for one another that is anything but dance. They are trapped by the desire to be like the other, and because of it, it turns libidinous. Even with the passion between them, it is dwindled by Sugiki and later completely eliminated until a time jump shows that in six months, that same sensual affection is there.

This is left slightly ambiguous, but as the audience, it's our job to interpret that ending as we see fit. Personally, I think nothing comes out of it. They both know the kind of person they are and the kind of lives they live, and that's enough. They'll dance, they might kiss, and then move on until it recycles all over again.

Obsessed with the women in this series. While given the back burner, they outshine with their own conflict perfectly accomplished by the incredible acting of Doi Shiori and Ishii Anna. In some odd way, I felt their characters together had more underlying romance than the leads.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - It's less plot, more dance. Isn't a bad thing, but I wish they would sharpened some of the dialogue and story between the characters. A beautifully shot train kiss, probably one of the best climax kisses I've seen. Odd editing decisions that take you out of the story.

Acting: 9.5/10 - Incredible acting. Everyone is brilliant. My only gripe is that with most non-native english speakers, some of the english dialogue doesn't come off as poignant as it could've.

Music: 8.5/10 - Lots of great music. I forgot Sway by Michael Bublé existed, so thank you for that.

Recommendation Value: 9/10 - it's a great movie regardless of my critiques. Watch it! Plus, Ryoma is an ethereal being when shirtless, and I am hear to testify that his hips seriously don't lie.

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Teacher, do you love me?

I like viewing old movies and most times they are more interesting when we watch them in context. The constructs are different as well as the production style. I went into this thinking that the ending would be full of pain and frustration, and unresolved. Most teacher - student relationships end either badly or ambiguously. I was suprised that this was not the case and was handled with the only outcome that best suit their situation.

The greatest asset of this film was that the players that were introduced were used effectively. Amakami entered the school as a new student and both recognized each other immediately, tho with different responses. Amakami with intrigue and pleasure. Aoi, the teacher, with fright and horror at the thought that he slept with a student. Amakami game of toying with him began.

Here we insert the other characters worth mentioning. Ichiyo and Riku. One spinless and the other ruthless. Ichiyo, Amakami's room mate, immediately was drawn to him while Riku, the school's bully, only felt disgust and jealousy. Amakami's aloofness and popularity irritated him. Coupled with the fact that Amakami refused to sleep with him, this set in motion events that change the lives of both Amakami's and Aoi.

Whatever business you enter, there must be a goal and a time to achieve it. Amakami's side gig as a prostitute wasn't any different but like any plan, it came with the unexpected. He didn't expect that one of his clients would be his soon to be teacher and the main reason for doing this, would no longer exist. The home he puchased would not be for his lost family. His brother had already forgotten him.

I hold no sympathies for anyone else other than Amakami. Aoi, constantly acting from a position of fear, could do nothing that would help Amakami. Ichiyo's actions proved how desolate he was and Riku's proved how depravity can thrive off of wealth and power.

What I didn't like were the quotes directing the audience on how to feel on the given scenes. Let the work speak for itself. What I liked at the end were the words spoken by Aoi to Amakami.

Amakami: Teacher, do you love me?
Aoi: Maybe
Amakami: Then would you kill me? Living like this will be a burden on us. I like this moment, I want to end it now.
Aoi: Is that so?
Aoi kisses him.
Aoi: Let's go home.

Later
Amakami: Are you going to kiss me again if I say I want to die?
Aoi: That kiss wasn't for a guy who wants to die.

Decent watch. If this is your type of film, I recommend viewing Suddenly Last Summer.

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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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