10 DANCE, vol. 3

10 DANCE #3

by Satoh Inoue, 井上 佐藤

Yaoi fans, dip into your new obsession! The beautifully-detailed, lithe bodies of the two “kings of the ballroom” fly across the dance floor as rivals build a volatile bond in this red-hot romance!

IT TAKES TWO

Shinya Sugiki, the dashing lord of Standard Ballroom, and Shinya Suzuki, passionate king of Latin Dance: The two share more than just a first name and a love of the sport. They each want to become champion of the 10-Dance Competition, which means they’ll need to learn the other’s specialty dances, and who better to learn from than the best? But old rivalries die hard, and things get complicated even further when they realize there might be more between them than an uneasy partnership…

Genres: Manga, Romance, LGBT, Queer, Yaoi, Sports, Boys Love

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2017

About the author

Satoh Inoue (井上 佐藤 [いのうえ さとう]) is BL (Boy's Love) manga artist of Japan.
First published work: 「エンドルフィンマシーン」2007.

Reviews

[Aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

the art 👌🏻
the characters 👌🏻
the dancing and the romance👌🏻

[Dani(elle) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This basically "Guys, is it gay to be turned on by someone of the same sex?"

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread: 2024 Sept 29

The train scene 😩


Original review:
Another great volume! I just love these 2 so much and I can’t remember the last time I was this invested in a romance 🥰

[XA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Las expectativas culturales siempre pesan en cómo vivimos y expresamos nuestra sexualidad. Ese primer descubrimiento y esa primera sensación a lo prohibido, pero al mismo tiempo, esa sensación tan natural y tan atrayente. Es como si nuestro cuerpo ya lo hubiera sabido desde antes de que nacieramos. Hay experiencias que las llevamos tatuadas en el cuerpo, incluso antes de que nos demos cuenta. Y eventualmente, las vivimos y nos atraviesan totalmente.

¿Qué hacer cuando realmente tu deseo ya no es un simple capricho? ¿Qué hacer cuando tus decisiones ya conllevan a consecuencias más profundas y significativas?

Pero sobre todo, ¿qué hacer cuando tu ideal es la antítesis de tu realidad?

[Rainy-Night-Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so in love with them... can't wait for the next book.

[Mere Rain]

WOW. This series is amazing for several things:

-Complex, layered characters.
-Ability to convey so much emotion with line drawing!
-Unbelievably sexy for a story where almost nothing of a sexual natural happens.

Here is a scene where Shinya is trying to get in character for seductive Latin dance by channeling a hero from a romance novel:


I continue to appreciate the author's openness to various shades of sexuality and attraction and sexual identification. I.e., no you don't have to identify as "gay" because you're sometimes attracted to someone with the same genitals. Maybe what attracts you has nothing to do with genitals.

Finally, a question I rarely see a fictional character asking: "I wonder what I'll think about my feeling now, looking back when this is over?"

Edit to add: Be sure sure to check out the music listings at the end, especially if, like myself, you don't have strong familiarity with Ye Olde Dance Tunes. Hahaha, "I Kiss Your Hand, Monsieur"! I Just got that joke.

[marcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Vol. 1 ★★☆☆☆
Vol. 2 ★★★☆☆

My problem with this series is that I don't care about what happens next. I've read manga centered around subjects I know nothing about, such as Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju with rakugo and March Comes in Like a Lion with shogi, and still felt deeply invested in their story. Whereas with 10 Dance, every chapter feels like a chore. The mangaka seems more invested in showing off the specialized knowledge they know about ballroom dancing than moving the story forward or building emotional resonance. This volume is stagnant and none of the development really lead to anything. A frustrating read.

[Knigoqdec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ех, че са ми сладички бонбони...

Махам една звезда, защото почувствах някои сцени като доста претрупани и на места много рязко се сменяше времето и действието на ситуацията. Авторката пише, че са издавали томчето дълго време, но все пак накрая може и да са пришпорили нещата повече от необходимото.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one didn't do it for me like the previous two.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so beautiful and sexy. I love the development!

[Julieta Belmonte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y ESE FINAL QUE FUE?

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art has definitely improved since the first volume.

[Marker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hubo unas partes en que mi mente divagaba , lo que me hacía la lectura cansada pero creo que solo me pasó eso a mí.

Quiero ver más del romance entre esos dos tipos.

[Ester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poco a poco la relación personal y profesional de los Shinyas va evolucionando. En este tomo conocemos más cosas de ambos y como cada vez están más unidos. Hay momentazos impagables en donde la heterosexualidad brilla por su ausencia y vemos la bisexualidad se ambos. Y es que la atracción cada vez es más grande a la vez que su compenetración. Pero, así y con todo, las cosas no van a ser fáciles. Añadir que al final del tomo hay una historia extra en la que descubrimos más cosas del pasado de Sugiki y como su pareja Liana lo abandona por Giulio.

[Vivian Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is amazingly expressive and gorgeous. The story is progressing with the romantic line (still slow burn) and professional dancing aspect. I’m excited for both. We get a more inside look inside the head of Sugiki, and I’m loving it because although I love both Shinya’s, I think I might prefer Sugiki a little more. Watching that rigid barrier crack is entertaining. I’m looking forward to seeing Suzuki compete and most likely dominate. There’s a little back door politics and I’m intrigued.

[Teeyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My bois can do no wrong.
CANON I TELL YOU, they kiss kiss fall in love FOR REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL, I TELL YOU.
The spice and tension can only rise amiright ladies and gentleweebs. The cool Evian waters of Sugiki 1 and the sullen spice of Sugiki 2 HAS ME THIRSTY FOR MORE.

Them dancing in the park together casually, has me rolling like broooooooooooo. Especially everyone watching like---- 👀

The hand holding on the trainnnnnnnnnn I LOVE TRAINS

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the biggest fan of the way they’ve finally gotten together being because one of them was like “I mentally and emotionally tortured my dance partner 💕” and the other guy being like “time for sloppy make-outs”.

[Kaden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the most interesting volume so far.
There's a fascinating exploration of the psychology of the characters here, especially Sugiki. He is aware that he is not a good person, he has repressed so much of his sense of self in order to be the best that he has dehumanised himself. In his dehumanisation of himself he does the same to his partners, he is controlling and cruel, letting himself believe that the less human he and his partner are the better dancers they are. He is aware of this and ashamed of it, which is shown quite clearly. I am fascinated by the character arc being opened up with this detail.
Suzuki is no better, he exagerates himself, pushes an image of himself that matches what he thinks people want to see and it has led to a surprising repression of identity. Both men have lost themselves in trying to be the best at what they do. It is only with eachother that the real Suzuki and Sugiki seem to shine through.
The manga is also taking an interesting turn in its exploration of repressed sexuality, something BL/Yaoi manga rarely does well. Sugiki is trying to rationalise his feelings, trying to explain them away while avoiding the genuine possibility that he is not heterosexual. Suzuki runs from his feelings, he allows himself a moment of indulgence and then flees as the moment fades and he is forced to think about the meaning behind his actions. These are very real experiences LGBTQ+ people face and I am surprised that these moments do not seem to follow the typical BL/Yaoi trope of "But guys only like girls???", there's more realism to it in places. I do take issue with how this manga depicts Achillean men at times but it is a somewhat refreshing change from the usual tropes of the genre. Both characters being adult men who have clearly spent their whole lives believing themselves to be heterosexual being suddenly confronted by the very real possibility that their sexuality is not what they thought it was is a great opportunity to explore the complications of sexuality and romance in heteronormative societies. I don't necesserily think a BL manga is going to get quite deep but it would be interesting to see.
I also enjoy how sexy this manga can be without being explicit. Dance can be an incredibly intimate and suggestive form of expression and the illustrations beautifully depict that. There's a beautiful fluidity in the movements despite being only drawings. There's just the right amount of eroticism in the way scenes are laid out which wonderfully fits the themes.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Japanese BL manga about the world of dance.

Honestly, the story so far has been pretty homophobic, but this issue, things got a little gayer. One of the guys is sort of realizing he has feelings, maybe for the other guy. It's moving at a very slow pace. I don't know if they will ever date the way it's going.

The dancing was awesome in this story. The two of them are dancing outside at night to practice. It's great. There are competitions and new competitors going on. There is a little more backstory.

I'm ready for some romance. So far, there is only some flirting, sort of. It seems pretty hidden to me.

I love dancers, ballroom and BL, so this is a great manga, I'm just waiting for it to get into the relationship. I want to know if they will dance together or just with their partners. I'm up for another volume.

[Marureviere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 3 of cranks up the intensity, and I am so here for it. The sexual tension is thicker than ever, and it’s clear these two are falling for each other—though they’re still holding back. Their chemistry is off the charts, and every dance scene is practically sizzling with heat; honestly, it feels like the dancing is hotter than sex itself. The push and pull between them is killing me, especially as they try to navigate their feelings while pretending like they’re not completely obsessed with each other. It's that perfect blend of longing and restraint that makes everything feel even more intense.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was kind of a confusing volume. It was kind of hard to pin down everyone's feelings. It seems that Sugiki is developing feelings for Suzuki but doesn't really understand that that's what's happening and Suzuki is kind of a wild card. It seems like he's well aware of his feelings, but also not trying to act on them? But sometimes he is? I don't know I'm a little confused especially because the ending really just went into it. After the way it ended I wonder how they're going to deal with what happened on the train. That was wild and also kind of out of nowhere? Idk!! I'm confused.

[Sara Roseberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, this is everything a queer manga should be, imo! I love that both men are supposedly "straight" and so having to navigate what they're feeling for each other and the little snippets we get of in-the-future! I'm here for it all! Not to mention all the sexy dancing and make out sessions happening.

But also, I keep waiting for the volume that will disappoint me or make me angry...but 3 volumes in is already getting my hopes up that maybe it won't happen and we'll just continue to get these get back and forths and mutual pining from the guys.

[Rosemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally it feels like the story is progressing somewhat. They are both still idiots, but maybe less so. I did not like the degrading language used in the first chapter, I understood what the author was going for, but it is a recurring issue in the series, them calling each women based slurs. That aside, it does feel like they are both starting to explore their feelings. The run to subway train in the last chapter was great, a wonderful moment where you just shouted "finally!".

[YonnoMaus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like how much more busy the panels were. I could keep up, that’s not the issue; but they were close to overwhelmingly too much at times. Some stuff they say is ridiculous, and I’m not sure it’s always in a good way. The story is still moving along a bit too slowly for my liking, but it finally looks like it will not be too long for the main romantic story to actually start going somewhere.

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amb l'anunci de la pel·lícula a Netflix em vaig animar a llegir uns quants volums d'aquesta cèlebre sèrie. Tot i que l'estil de dibuix no em cridava gaire l'atenció, estava encuriosida per la temàtica de balls de saló i la dualitat entre elegància i sensualitat dels protagonistes. Val a dir que és amena, però que avança molt lentament i almenys en els 3 primers volums amb força ambigüitat pel que fa als sentiments. Encara no he vist l'adaptació live action, però en tinc moltes ganes!

[B. Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a good story. The description makes me cringe though.
The characters are well done, the art is gorgeous, and the story is engaging. I love learning about all the dancing, and you can tell the mangaka studied dancers quite a bit to be able to draw it all so convincingly.

Next book is to be published August 6 and I can't wait.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two continue to fight and deny their feelings, bringing some real nice tension. The women are getting sidelined in the story now, which I guess makes sense since it’s a boy love manga but is disappointing. It would be nice to see their progression as well. I’m very curious to see where this whole story takes us.

[bow down to our ace king victor vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

these two idiots sigh (affectionate)
when he came running back to suzuki on the train :,). and ofc they ended up falling asleep after the whole ordeal lmao. im liking the development of these two, both as individuals and as a pair together.

[Jordan MacKinnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh we are getting somewhere! Slowly but surely things are coming together! We are all on board a train .... as were they !! Because the train scene !! The train scene people !!! Fan---fucking tastic!! It what we like to see !!!

[Michal Badowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
better than the first two volumes. I like how the story develops into something deeper than a cheap boys’ love romance, and the non-romance elements have been expanded. The final chapters actually made me look forward to what comes next.