Is the hockey world cup on or something?… Because I’ve been seeing way more lads pucking on my TL recently. Wait, no. It’s just an endless barrage of clips from Heated Rivalry , the gay Canadian drama that came out of nowhere and suddenly changed our lives forever. Well, everyone except long-suffering gays stuck in the UK.
While the show now has a confirmed UK release date of 10 January on Sky, it still means you’ll be iced out of the Heated Rivalry hype until next year. All we have are GIFs online that are somehow four hours long? That said, a heated rivalry of a different kind is on hand to keep us going.
Based on Inouesatoh’s acclaimed manga, Netflix’s 10DANCE follows the story of two unbearably attractive men who clash in the cutthroat world of competitive dancing. But with this clash also comes plenty of sparks…
Shinya Sugiki is Japan’s Ballroom champion and he ranks second in the world, but still, he often gets mistaken for Shinya Suzuki, Japan’s greatest Latin dance champion. Similar names aren’t all they end up sharing though after Sugiki asks Suzuki to join the 10-Dance competition where both of their styles will be tested.
As such, the pair must train together. A lot.
Being a perfectionist, Sugiki resents Suzuki’s loose approach to dance. Precision is key for him, so it’s hard to let go. But that’s not the only thing that gets hard if all those lingering stares are anything to go by.
If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll have already spotted the scene where Sugiki wraps his hands around Suzuki’s bare naked hips as they dance together shirtless. Not since Brad Pitt fought in Fight Club have I seen a V line that sharp. Suzuki needs to watch out because he could cut someone with those pelvic thrusts if he’s not careful.
What the trailer doesn’t show you, however, is the moment before that when Suzuki pulls back and complains that Sugiki “rubbed his dick” on him. Still, that doesn’t stop Sugiki from unbuttoning the front of his trousers soon after for reasons that aren’t entirely clear.
Except, the reasons are all-too-clear for anyone with eyes to see them.
There’s only so many times you can hold hands and lock eyes and press your hips up close to an undeniable hottie before something begins to take hold. Without spoiling too much, the moment this all comes together is by far one of the hottest, most erotic scenes of the year. Take it from someone who’s lost entire nights to those four-hour-long GIFs ripped from Heated Rivalry.
In short, 10Dance might be a BL (Boy Love) story, but honey, these boys are men.
The actual men in question, actors Ryoma Takeuchi and Keita Machida, reunite here on screen for the first time in nearly eight years. Because remember, they are actors, no matter how convincing their chemistry might appear on screen. And therein lies the rub (so to speak).
Netflix
Takeuchi and Machida are just as in sync as the stars of Heated Rivalry, if not more so, because they’re physically acting as one both in and out of the bedroom. Director Keishi Otomo taps into this beautifully, playing with dance as a metaphor for sex, and gay sex in particular, through the blurring of gender roles in their dominance over each other.
In theory, that’s nothing new when it comes to Yaoi storytelling. This specifically Japanese form of male-to-male eroticism has spawned an entire industry of its own, encompassing live-action films like this but also manga, anime, and movies too.
But it’s important to note that Yaoi is short for “yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi,” which translates to “no climax, no fall, no meaning”. Essentially, that means early examples of Yaoi hinted at queerness and teased it without going all-in.
What’s uniquely special about the central relationship in 10Dance is that it moves beyond suggestion into something physical and even visceral in its intensity. Are the sex scenes here quite as explicit as those in Heated Rivalry? No. But do they go far beyond what you’d typically see in queer Japanese storytelling? In the words of Suzuki when he’s naked in bed with Sugiki, “Yes, yes, yes!”
Throw in some melodramatic flair, a few sexy dance numbers, and all the bisexual lighting you can handle, what you’re left with is a thrilling new heated rivalry to shape your whole personality around. And that’s true regardless of whether you’ve even watched the gay hockey show or not. Plus, there’s plenty more manga instalments left to be adapted still, so if enough people keep watching and rewatching, a 20Dance and even a 30Dance might just be a quick two-step away.
10Dance is out now on Netflix , while Heated Rivalry is rolling out episodes on HBO Max in the US only.
Author: David Opie, Contributor, Tech Advisor
David Opie is an entertainment journalist who writes about gay and geeky stuff across a range of publications including IndieWire, Empire, Radio Times and more. Specialties include horror, superheroes, and LGBTQ+ storytelling, which is why he longs to see a Buffy-themed Rusical on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Find him at @DavidOpie on X.
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