After a long wait, there’s finally an update on the much-anticipated Ten Count anime adaptation of the eponymous yaoi manga series by Rihito Takarai.
More precisely, there’s a hint of an update, which will be revealed at a later date… presumably when the countdown that popped up on the anime’s official website on October 18, 2022 ends — which will happen in less than 8 days now.
It is highly likely that the Ten Count anime adaptation will be converted from yaoi (BL with explicit content) to shounen-ai (BL without explicit content), given that it will receive a commercial release.
Shounen-ai fans need not be reminded that anime in this genre are precious few, so the hint is more than welcome.
The Ten Count anime timeline
A Ten Count anime adaptation was originally announced on the manga’s final volume’s wraparound band on March 26, 2018. A teaser trailer — which has since been removed from official channels but is still circulating on fans’ private YouTube accounts, was released on March 23, 2019.
Why the trailer PV has gone missing is not difficult to guess. Namely, it advertised that the Ten Count anime would premiere in 2020!
A key visual that surfaced around the same time is still around, and you can see it immediately below:
On December 28, 2020, the Ten Count production committee communicated that the anime would be postponed to an unspecified date due to them reconsidering its format.
If it sounds like Yuri!!! On Ice the Movie: Ice Adolescence, your gut feeling is spot-on. Fortunately, we know that the Ten Count anime — in some format — will be seeing the light of day, which cannot be said with certainty about the former.
The Ten Count anime Twitter explicitly states that a “Ten Count animation adaptation (is) coming,” not leaving any doubt about what the manga fans are counting down to.
About time!
About the Ten Count manga series
The manga by Rihito Takarai was serialized in Shinshokan’s monthly BL manga magazine Dear+ from 2013 to 2017, amounting to six tankōbon volumes. It was extremely successful, too, having ranked first in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees’ Recommended BL Comics twice: once in 2014 and again in 2015.
Viz Media has licensed Ten Count for an English-language release and has published all six volumes under its SuBLime boys-love imprint. The title is also available digitally.
In addition to the upcoming anime adaptation, Ten Count also inspired two video games in the past:
- Ten Count: Another Days (not a typo!) for Ameba (a social network game) — launched on March 22, 2018, for Ameba users and ended services on November 29, 2019
- Ten Count for App React (a puzzle game for iOS/Android) — launched on January 7, 2019, and ended services on June 30, 2020
Unlike many yaoi titles, Ten Count is graced with a complex plot, which makes it so much more than a mere feast for fujoshi’s eyes.
The story focuses on Tadaomi Shirotani, who suffers from OCD that manifests as severe mysophobia. Upon meeting psychotherapist Riku Kurose, Tadaomi begins a therapy that will see him listing ten actions he is unable to perform. Riku claims that Tadaomi will be cured once he manages to complete the items on the list.
However, Kurose finds himself falling in love with his patient and decides to suspend their counseling sessions. Upon Shirotani’s insistence, the two reunite, initiating a BL relationship to top it off.
There are many ups and downs for the pair, which is not surprising given these complicated circumstances.
It remains to be seen how the anime adaptation will deal with sensitive parts of the plot but, for the time being, let’s just rejoice at the fact that it won’t get canceled!
Stay tuned for further announcements; there’s just over a week left until the revelation!