#10dance thoughts

[cocopines]

Oh I need to talk abt how much i love this moment in the beginning of the last 10dance sequence, when the colour is in cool blue at first, then changes to warm yellow when Suzuki smiles at Sugiki. Reminding you once again that yes, Suzuki is the light that warm Sugiki's life.

No matter how many times I rewatch this bit, the colour change always bodies me with how it pairs up so well with the first time Sugiki first saw Suzuki, bathed in such blinding light. 🥹

[cocopines]

Rewatching the Besame Mucho dance and losing my breath at how the camera is focusing on their hands gripping each other so tightly. It's taking everything in Sugiki and Suzuki to not kiss each other deeply as if it were their last (would you look at that, it matches the lyrics).

This entire dance scene is really the most erotic thing without being an actual sex scene nor any kiss I've seen on visual media in a long long time.

[cocopines]

Literally Sugiki Shinya the first time he saw Suzuki. The ray of sunlight enveloping Suzuki and Suzuki himself is the light at the end of the dark tunnel he's been in for so long.

On that note, I am forever obsessed with the use of colours and light in these two scenes.

The cool and depressive blue when Liana broke up with Sugiki vs the warm and cheerful yellow when Sugiki saw Suzuki for the first time.

From being left in the cold with only the pieces of his broken heart and being stagnant in his career to receiving warmth and inspiration for the first time in a long time.

It's no wonder that Sugiki is so fixated on Suzuki. When the cracks in your cold dead heart is finally filled with so much warmth and inspiration. You would, too, if you suddenly find that maybe you can still go on, that you can still strive to be no 1 no matter what other people say.

The movie shows us more of Suzuki but I think the characterisation for Sugiki is really shown in much more subtler way. It's really exciting to actually dig deeper with every rewatch!

[cocopines]

Being absolutely emotionally distraught with how REAPER AND ANGEL track is first used in the scene where they come together in the train and then later on when they break apart in Blackpool.

In the first scene, you see Sugiki first decided to chase after Suzuki. While in the second, Sugiki was breaking it to Suzuki that they could not be together.

When Sugiki found Suzuki in the train and tell him no and he'd stop, at the same time, Sugiki left, closed the door and left Suzuki alone.

In the train while they were kissing and dancing, not being able to be apart for too long, the morning after in the hotel room, Suzuki was left alone with only the pieces of his broken heart at his feet.

At the end, Sugiki and Suzuki were together in the train, while in the hotel room, Suzuki was only accompanied by his own reflection.

It's the Reaper who decided to find the Angel first, but it's also the Reaper who left the Angel alone.

Play these two scenes at the same time and you will see that aside from the couple of seconds difference in the middle, each shot in one scene tells you the opposite of what's happening in the other. Just like the title of the track, REAPER and ANGEL, two opposing entities.

The use of this track for both scene is absolutely a genius move and I would like to kiss the music director or whoever decided to score the scenes this way right on the mouth.

[cocopines]

One of my top 3 scenes from 10dance is the mirror scene where Suzuki is dancing alone in his studio after the breakup.

The longing, the way Suzuki is taking the lead position just like when Sugiki was teaching him, the pained look on his face and even the on illusion Sugiki's face as well.

A heartbreak shown to you without telling you in words it's a heartbreak.

10dance movie is a masterclass in the art of "showing and not telling". It doesn't treat you like you're stupid and need everything to be told to you in words, to the movie's benefit AND detriment as well (which is actually the one of the main contributor to the movie's flaws).

One of the best examples of "showing and not telling" is the way they show the connection between Sugiki and Suzuki through their hand holding.

My fav is this scene that begins with the shadows of their hands connecting first, signifying the unseen connections between them that met.

The way it keeps refocusing on the handhold through out? *chef's kiss*

It's a much subtler, also much more beautiful way to show you their connection than in the manga since the movie has the benefit of movement and sound. They aren't saying a single line, but everything comes together to relay to you what Suzuki is telling Aki in previous scene.

[cocopines]

Suzuki having his shirt all buttoned up at the fancy restaurant vs unbuttoned at the Prado bar is so funny to me. Safe to assume it was unbuttoned at first and Sugiki prob glared him to button up before and Suzuki immediately just unbuttoned it again on the way to Prado 😭

The way Suzuki is dressed really puts an emphasis in their difference in this entire sequence. And I am absolutely in love with the many ways they show the contrast between Suzuki and Sugiki.

The black and white clothing, the restaurants, the food, the quiet vs the ruckus, the column separating the two vs no physical objects separating them. Pure art 💯

One of my fave shots in the movie is actually this one with the column separating Sugiki who's sitting upright and proper dressed in black from Suzuki who's leaning back on the chair all relaxed dressed in white. Still so obsessed with the framing 😭

[cocopines]

Every time I rewatch 10d opening scene, I always marvel over how much of a visual feast it is within just the half a minute. The panning shot showing you the reflections of the characters from THREE mirrors giving such a mysterious and surrealistic feel.

The moment it shows Sugiki doing Fusako's makeup and Fusako's black dress, I knew it was gonna be good. Having read the manga first, I thought it was such a bold choice putting this in the opening. Bold choice and a genius move because it would pique non-manga reader's interest.

Honestly that opening scene has all the ingredients for a great hook: from the Aristotle quote, the music, the cinematography, the narration. *chef's kiss* one of my most favourite opening scenes in movies I've ever watched.

[cocopines]

I want to talk abt the sound design in this one particular scene in 10DANCE. The sudden silence for 5 seconds after Sugiki hears what Suzuki calls him really mimics the actual physical reaction someone may experience when receiving a shock.

When the sound returns, it's gradually amplified and again it mimics the aftermath of a shock where you can probably hear the sound of your own heartbeat getting louder and louder. In this scene, it's represented by the sound of the train approaching.

The sound design work combined with the expression he has is great in showing what Sugiki is feeling. The sound of train approaching being used again in the mirror scene with Suzuki is also great in reminding you that the train is probably a very special place for him.

10DANCE is a visual feast that much is true. I also think what makes this movie so good is also in the way sound is used, not just in the soundtrack or in the dance music, but in the sound design. It can actually tell you so much story even in the absence of it.

We've seen articles/comments/interviews from costume design, production & set design, and camera/lighting/DIT crews, I hope we can see interviews from the sound department as well bcs I really would love to know more about the behind the scene work in this movie.