Romantic or Gag? Overpowering the Boundary with Coolness—A Sleep-Deprived Review of Netflix's '10DANCE' by a Fujoshi

First, let me say this: I am a fujoshi.
I love BL (Boys' Love).
I have also been an avid reader of Sato Inoue's original manga '10DANCE' for quite some time.
That is precisely why I felt both excitement and 'dread' regarding this live-action adaptation on Netflix.
The reason is simple: live-action BL adaptations don't have a very high success rate.
The reason is simple: 'men on paper' are overwhelmingly cooler than reality.
The men in manga are designed with the reader's 'ideal values' for bone structure, height, and facial features. It is an incredibly difficult task for a living, breathing human to surpass that.
Furthermore, when it comes to love scenes, it is not rare to find yourself looking away, thinking, 'I can't watch this...' due to the raw, visceral nature unique to live-action.
Honestly, I braced myself quite a bit before pressing the play button.

However, Netflix was serious.

Keita Machida as Shinya Sugiki: A 'Perfect Choice'

First, Keita Machida as Shinya Sugiki.
This is, without a doubt, the perfect casting.
The way he wears his hair slicked back, his sculpted profile, his cold smile. Everything is perfect.
In BL, having a 'good face' is a prerequisite, but what is even more important is the 'frame' (silhouette).
The silhouette when standing, the breadth of the shoulders, the dignified posture.
Keita Machida's very body was perfected as the 'ideal man'.
That gentlemanly, intellectual, yet somehow cold aura is walking around in three dimensions. That shock alone shattered my defenses.

Ryoma Takeuchi as the 'Wild Latino'

On the other hand, Ryoma Takeuchi as Shinya Suzuki.
Honestly, at first, I was thinking, 'I wonder?'
But as I watched, I realized, 'Ah, it had to be him.'
Takeuchi-kun's charm lies in that innocent expression and his friendly, bright personality. Yet, he has a sex appeal that overflows from his entire body. He has completely built a 'competitive dancer's body' for this role. The physical beauty he shows off by stripping so often is nothing but pure dedication to the audience.

And, as a fujoshi, what I couldn't overlook was the 'exquisite 4cm height difference'.

Keita Machida (183cm) and Ryoma Takeuchi (187cm).
Even though both are overwhelmingly tall, Takeuchi-kun is another 4cm taller. I wanted to shake hands with the Netflix casting director for the beauty of the 'power balance' created when these two stand side-by-side!

The kiss on the unmanned train—is that 'madness' or 'beauty'?

The most problematic scene in this movie.
An unmanned train in Tokyo at Christmas, and for some reason, there are blue snowflake decorations hanging everywhere. It's quite a forced BL fantasy.
Scenes like this can easily turn into a 'gag' if you're not careful. If the romance is too excessive, the audience will cool off and laugh.
But this movie attacked that fine line.

Before this scene, Machida talks about his dark past. Machida throws off his scarf and chases after Takeuchi at full speed, who is trying to distance himself by saying, 'I shouldn't have heard that story.'
He chases him to the station, pins him against the wall inside the train, and tells him, 'If you don't like it, I'll stop.'
Then comes the kiss. But it was Takeuchi who kissed first.

It was a kiss that was almost like a headbutt.
Thud.
It was manly and full of momentum! Haha.
It wasn't a stylish, erotic kiss that a romance-savvy Latino would do; it was a completely uninhibited kiss.
That wasn't about technique or anything.
The emotions came out first, and that made it incredibly special.

The two of them continue to switch between top and bottom, kissing and spinning around.
Halfway through, they get into a dance hold, becoming a state of 'dancing while kissing'.

It's truly on the fine line between romantic and gag.
Is it leaning a bit towards a gag?
But you know, I can't laugh.

Why is that?
Because the two of them are too cool!!!
They suppress any urge to make a snide remark with their sheer coolness.
Usually, scenes like this make the viewer feel embarrassed. You'd want to fast-forward.
But when men who are too cool do it for real, fiction overpowers reality!

As a result, I was completely swallowed up.
Whew, I'm exhausted.

The Top/Bottom issue, and 'respect that transcends gender'

In this work, the 'top' and 'bottom' are never determined until the end.
I basically like 'younger tops'. It's irresistible when a mature, stiff man is swept away by a cheerful younger man.
So, a 'Takeuchi top' is definitely a possibility!

But the development where that gentlemanly Keita Machida makes the sexually dominant Latino (Takeuchi) submit is also hard to discard.
Plus, Machida is slightly shorter. That, too, is good.
In the end, my conclusion was, 'I want to see both, but I don't want you to decide on either.'
This conflict is exactly why I keep rewatching '10DANCE'.
Actually, I don't want these two to have sex.
I want them to remain in an ultimate relationship that works even without sexual intercourse.
Standing on the same floor, having the same goal, and respecting each other more than anyone else in the world.
That alone makes this relationship as 'precious' as it could possibly be.
Well, they are both adults, so,whether they do it or not, it doesn't really matter. Maybe that's not the big issue.
...It's truly rare for a BL work to make you think that!

Finally, a request to Netflix

Keita Machida's guest dance in the climax.
Machida says to Takeuchi,'Won't you dance with me?'
Hey, hey, the two of them were dancing so happily that it blew away the trivial question of 'What about your original partner?'
Technical skill doesn't matter. They were equal, passionate, and above all, having fun.
And at the end, after a long kiss in public, Machida says casually,
'Then, let's meet at the 10DANCE finals.'
Followed by a light 'chu' farewell kiss.

...This lightness... this coolness!
I realized that I needed a story where hot, cool men clash their souls together!

Dear Netflix,
please, make a sequel to '10DANCE'.
I have already watched it three times. I will watch it for the fourth time tonight.
I am completely sleep-deprived, but I have no regrets.
If Keita Machida and Ryoma Takeuchi keep dancing on that floor, I am ready to stay up all night as many times as it takes.