10DANCE Review: Adapted from Inouesatoh’s award-winning manga, the film dives into the lives of two elite dancers who live and breathe competitive ballroom. The movie reunites Ryoma Takeuchi and Keita Machida on-screen for the first time in almost a decade.
They aren’t alone on the floor. Shiori Doi appears as Aki Tajima, Suzuki’s fiery Latin partner, while Anna Ishii plays Fusako Yagami, Sugiki’s poised Ballroom partner. After months of intense training, Takeuchi and Machida’s performances carry technical polish and a closeness that hints at more than professional respect.
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10DANCE Netflix Cast
Ryoma Takeuchi, Keita Machida, Shiori Doi, Anna Ishii, Shinya Hamada, Oshiro Maeda, Nadiya Bychkova, Susie Trayling, Pasquale La Rocca
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10DANCE Movie Director
Keishi Otomo
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Another Title
テンダンス
10DANCE begins streaming December 18, 2025, exclusively on Netflix.
The runtime of 10DANCE is 2h 8m approx.
10DANCE Review
10DANCE is a beautifully shot and glamorously depicted dancing movie that is based on a BL manga of the same name. The manga in itself features gorgeous men doing fabulous things, but I must agree, the movie does a really good job of showing that chemistry on screen. The story follows the classic enemies-to-lovers trope where two acclaimed dancers come together to compete against each other and fall in love instead.
Shinya Suzuki and Shinya Sugiki excel at what they do, as both are excellent dancers but in different styles. Their names might sound similar, but in personality, they are very different. Sugiki is Japan’s Ballroom champion with a disciplined and calm persona. On the other hand, Suzuki is Japan’s Latin Dance champion, who is eccentric and boisterous, and, at first, swears he hates Sugiki’s guts.
Their interaction begins in the known trajectory, with clashing personalities and opposing hearts. The two Shinyas are so polarising even in their discipline when it comes to dance, that it is natural that it is natural for them to resist. However, the moment they start dancing together, the chemistry comes alive, and the audience just ends up remaining a spectator to their silent but very apparent courtship.
As a dancing movie, 10DANCE is really good because the actors are not gimmicky in the art form. Every actor, specifically the main leads, Ryoma Takeuchi and Keita Machida, is great as professional dancers, making the audience acknowledge their craft. But it is not just the dancing where they excel; you also believe in them slowly falling for each other through their explicit body language. Their journey to understanding each other stems from them taking a peek into each other’s lives.
They discover that there is more to both of them than what the exterior provides. Suzuki comes out as more of a gentle and submissive character with Sugiki, the more dominant and authoritative partner. Needless to say, the passion that follows suit is sensual and explosive, and the audience gets to witness it all. However, do not get your hopes up, as save for a couple of kissing scenes, 10DANCE remains largely devoid of many intimate moments. But the film does include nude scenes featuring both male and female bodies.
The movie works where it should, and it is the quiet intimacy that we get between Sugiki and Suzuki. You feel an apparent sexual tension between them, and it resonates beautifully in their final dance. The one thing that stands out the most for me in this film is its high quality, not only visually but also musically and story-wise. My only criticism is that you do not really get a very satisfying conclusion if we take the development of the relationship into account.
Verdict
I really like this movie as someone who has not read the manga. The manga obviously showcases the story in a much better way, but as a film with the responsibility to tell the entire story within two hours, 10DANCE is quite good. The actors need special credit for not only pulling off the extremely difficult dancing sequences but also exuding charisma with every step they take. They are the ones who make you believe in their desire, devotion towards dance, and love for each other.
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