Should You Read 10Dance? The Manga Behind the Popular Netflix Hit

Everyone is raving about 10Dance, which recently debuted on Netflix. Since its December 18th debut, the sultry romance between two rival ballroom dancers has received millions of views. The answer is complex, though, if you like the film and are unsure if the manga is worthwhile.

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The Positive: Magnificent Chemistry and Art

10Dance's manga adaptation is stunning. Satou Inoue is a skilled artist who can depict movement in a way that gives the impression that you are watching real dancers move across the page. Every panel shows the chemistry between Shinya Sugiki and Shinya Suzuki. Their antagonism, tension, and slow attraction feel genuine and well-deserved.

What about the dancing? Chef's kiss. The manga offers both technical correctness and emotional depth, whether you're interested in ballroom culture or simply enjoy athletic narrative. The manga takes its time to explain these individuals' obsession with honing their profession. You understand that the film just couldn't fit everything within its allotted time.

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The Truth: It's Not Done

This is the main issue with 10Dance that the majority of fans will tell you right away. Since 2011, the manga has been ongoing, and it is still unfinished. The story hasn't yet made it to the actual 10Dance competition because Volume 8 was released in 2023.

In fact, a good portion of what is available is covered in the film. You will, therefore, be let down if you were expecting a satisfying conclusion or closure from the manga. The two Shinyas' relationship is still annoyingly lacking. Even after all these volumes, they still haven't formally gotten together, despite their obvious love for one another.

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The Controversy: Some Difficult Moments

10Dance's handling of some themes has drawn criticism from readers. Compared to the film, which has already drawn criticism for its clichéd depictions of Latino culture, the manga has more of them. The treatment of the female dance partners is another issue. In the men's emotional journey, they frequently feel ignored or utilized as props.

The thread of internalized homophobia that permeates 10Dance is another. It is natural that both of the major characters find it difficult to accept their attraction to one another, but it becomes tiresome when it goes on for a long time. After a certain storyline development in volume 7 that seemed needless and out of character, some viewers completely stopped reading the manga.

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What Makes 10Dance Different

The manga examines an intriguing topic in spite of its shortcomings. In areas that most BL stories avoid, the narrative delves deeply into masculinity, control, and vulnerability. Because of their strong personalities, neither of them knows how to show vulnerability to the other. Not simply their rivalry or the competitiveness, but that is the true conflict in 10Dance.

Additionally, the manga takes dance just as seriously as romance. You discover the distinctions between Latin and Standard ballroom, the standards for judging, and the requirements for competing at the highest level. If you liked the dance scenes in the film, the manga greatly expands on that world.

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Conclusion

If you want more of the Netflix movie's story, the manga will give you that. You'll get deeper character development, more dancing, and a better understanding of what drives Sugiki and Suzuki. But going into 10Dance knowing it's incomplete will save you frustration.

Think of it like getting invested in a TV show that's on permanent hiatus. The journey is beautiful, and the art is worth experiencing. Just don't expect the destination anytime soon. The manga has been praised for its technical accuracy and emotional storytelling, winning awards and building a dedicated fanbase.

For fans who fell in love with the yearning and tension between the two leads, 10Dance offers plenty more of that. Just manage your expectations about resolution. And if Netflix greenlights a sequel, maybe that'll be the conclusion we're all waiting for instead.