Ten Dance

 Ten Dance, a Japanese movie on Netflix is a BL movie which had made waves and still stirs up the interest of many audiences across the globe, is a compelling watch for the efforts put in both acting and dance by the lead pair. As a newbie in watching the homo genre movies/shows, this movie felt raw, loose in plot, and yet captivating for the lead performance of the pair, Ryoma Takeuchi and Keita Machida, who start off being rivals and come together to later fall apart because of their twisted reasons for love, and finally their passion for dance brings them together in the 10 dance format.

The movie was a demonstration for amateur audiences who may not be aware what ten dance competitions look like and kudos to both actors for putting their best foot forward, literally, as they dance to the five International Standard and five international Latin styles which tests the dancers endurance and versatility. 

Ryoma Takeuchi embodies the latin styles of dancing with such carefree spirit and fluidity that it made it a watcher's delight and his performance as much as his looks are a treat to watch. Keita Machida is the other cherry on this bl cake and he's simply kawai and cool and sophistication personified as the world dancing champion in the International Standard format who wants to move up to the first position and constantly pitted against many competent dancers and critics from other regional nationalities.

The chemistry between these actors seemed magnetic and beautiful and even if the story didn't come together as much as their chemistry did, and even for those uninitiated like me in watching bl shows or movies, this movie needs a closure in the sequel, a more nuanced one I hope, which would help audiences understand the unique space they wish to create as characters and not simply exaggerated versions of ambition and unrequited love in an unblended whole.

Opposites do attract, whether they be the opposite sexes or the same, but when motives behind why they(in this movie) behave, react, comply, compete, conflict, empathize and so on the way they do is not clearly outlined in connecting plots of the story narrative, then audiences are only left with absorbing the visual dynamics and unspoken love language which by itself is not enough. Complicated relationships cannot be explained perhaps but bringing together ambition and love as the leading heroes is unique and a space to watch out for.