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Ten Count
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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: 10 Count

Japanese: テンカウント

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 6

Chapters: 51

Status: Finished

Published: Jul 13, 2013 to Nov 14, 2017

Genres: Boys Love, Drama, Erotica

Serialization: Dear+

Authors: Takarai, Rihito (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.89¹ (scored by 26,218 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: N/A²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #285

Members: 57,372

Favorites: 2,662

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 34 / 35

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Apr 16, 2015

Noebell

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (19/51 chp)

This manga, even if it's not finished yet, has been a huge disappointment for me. I started reading it because Takarai Rihito's art style is beautiful and when I read the plot, I thought, "hey, this could be nice!" but since the very beginning, it wasn't what I was looking for.

My lowest scoring is for the characters. Both, Shirotani and Kurose are so flat and stereotyped that it's disgusting. Shirotani is the typical shy and insecure uke, and you can probably say that's because of his phobia, but I rather think it's the opposite – the mangaka seems to use his phobia to make him ...

Jun 23, 2014

ikasama-shoujo

Recommended

Preliminary (13/51 chp)

Takarai Rihito-sensei is known for her beautiful art in various series especially Seven Days and eventually made her own manga, Hana Series (Hana no Mizo Shiru + Hana no Miyako de) and not only she make beautiful art but her story is absolutely lovely too.

Now she brought another unique and lovely piece, Ten Count.

Story: 9/10

The story is really interesting the first time I read it. A guy who has Mysophobia (fear of contamination and germs) met this other guy who coincidentally works at a psychiatry clinic and is now trying to cure his phobia.

Just thinking about their situation really makes me (super) curious on what ...

Nov 12, 2018

KatieThairu33

Recommended

Let me start with a caveat. I read the reviews here first and then started reading Ten Count. So, I was initially not happy with the dominating seme and forcing...may be coercion is a better word for it...that is depicted in Ten Count. However, I couldn't get the story out of my mind. It really hits you in your heart. So, I wondered if I was missing something and I read it again.

And here's my opinion. A lot of the reviewers here focus on the BL trope and maybe they're sick of it. But in this story, I believe it truly was a part ... of their dynamic. I'm sure no modern-day 26 year-old would wait 6 months to have sex and even longer to kiss. The main character never advertised himself as a saint. But he showed extraordinary resolve in waiting as long as he did. If it was left up to the protagonist, they'd never touch. So, I think coaxing him to feel pleasure and trying to give him a different perspective because he truly loves his partner is miles away from the blatant disregard of consent shown in other BL manga.

I would implore any new reader to set aside any preconceived notions about the manga and truly try to experience the anticipation and angst that is depicted beautifully in this manga. I've read it 3 times and all 3 times, I ended up crying because of how beautifully they fit together. They need each other. It's almost painful to imagine how much.

Story: 10/10
As I said before, I didn't like the coercion the first time I read this manga, but after re-reading it, for the characters, it makes sense. Because from the first volume itself, Shirotani's heart races every time they meet. I think the author was trying to show that if he really didn't want to push his boundaries, he wouldn't be with someone who says he can't control himself around him. I also really enjoyed reading about their troubled pasts. It was messy, uncomfortable and very sad which is how life is. I found it very realistic.

Art: 10/10
This is the best art I've seen in yaoi manga. Especially the detail in their hands. It was so delicate and beautiful.

Character: 8/10
Although there are fleeting moments when the main characters actually have fun and show some spirit, like the aquarium scene with the penguins and meeting Ueda-san at the cafe, I feel like it could've been explored more. We don't see enough of it. Although the smut was great, it was too much compared to the little character development we see towards the end. So the last 2 volumes were a little out-of-balance for me. I do think it may be because the author was sick and produced very short chapters toward the end. However, I like that not everything was resolved and their relationship was still a work-in-progress at the end. It would be very unrealistic to see everything resolved for an OCD patient within a year of meeting someone new.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I read it 3 times. Every time I read it, I realize something new. It really is a poignant story. Not because of the porn. But because of the painful, ordinary conversations between people that make you cry. My favorite scenes are Kurose's past, the 'Please don't throw me away' scene, 'I guess your tears are contagious' scene, Nishigaki scene, and their beautiful first kiss.

Overall: 9/10
There is coercion in this manga, yes. But it fits with the premise of the manga. Even after they have sex, Kurose shows incredible consideration for Shirotani's condition. He does wait for 6 months. He stops being his doctor within 3 weeks of meeting him. There are reviewers who misrepresent him by saying he's a psychopath, unethical and a stalker *rolling my eyes*. Every time he met Shirotani was either a coincidence or previously agreed upon. He stops talking to him for months on end to give him space sometimes or because he didn't want to take advantage of his trust. And within a month, he tells his true feelings and is very straight-forward. So if Shirotani really didn't want to pursue the relationship, all he had to do was cut ties with him and not show up to their next meeting. I really don't understand the reviewers who say it's borderline rape. Because they assume that a 31 year-old male is somehow a helpless damsel in distress. -_- Anyway, I just wanted to write about my experience because this manga is bashed on many unwarranted grounds. I love it and I'm sure many more people will love this delicate little world too.

Mar 13, 2015

blushjoy

Recommended

Preliminary (18/51 chp)

I don't normally put up a review for yaoi manga unless they really strike a chord with me. At a mere 3 volumes, Ten Count is not normally a series I would review, however, something about it stands out from the crowd.

The manga is about the relationship between a mysophobic secretary, Shirotane (whose condition is so out of hand he can't ride on the train, eat in a restaurant or pick up something someone else has touched) and a child psychiatrist, Kurose. As someone who has struggled with a disorder, I found Shirotane to be represented really well - being both reluctant to change (there's ...

Aug 6, 2019

Tovabeeru

Not Recommended

My friend made me read this... Now, I'm gonna say - yaoi isn't my cup of tea. But it started really nice. I liked the concept!

Then it went downhill from there... The relationship between main characters could be so much better. Instead, the author just made a huge mess halfway through the story. Really. It started as really heartwarming and interesting story. Then it became porn
I really wish that characters would be more fleshed out too.. Shirotani is your typical uke, just blushing and being submissive. I really doubt a real person would act like he did. I really wish he'd stand his ground. Instead ...

Jan 29, 2020

deadoptimist

Mixed Feelings

Well-written

Oh, Ten Count. I stumble on it in every second list, and seeing it always reminds me of my disappointment. It made me feel lost. Why build such an enticing premise only to dissolve it in stereotypes later? Truly, the thing that is the most violated in this manga is probably not uke’s ass, but the hope for good story built in the early chapters.

But first I’ll get over the art quick. You see the amazing covers? Elegant, clean, and enticing, these images indeed sell. But the manga itself isn’t like that. Sure, airy and emotional, its art has personality and shines in sex scenes. ... It’s hard to describe it, but sex scenes in Ten Count are memorable and poignant, easy to follow, arousing and fittingly disturbing. They carry the atmosphere of the manga. But overall, while the art has its sexy moments, it’s not that stable or clean. The author struggles to cope with humans having noses, characters are often “off-model”, and the bottom partner contorts unrealistically, displaying a worrying case of gynecomastia.

The beginning of Ten Count sets ground for a great psychological yaoi playspace. Shirotani, the “uke” main character, is older, put together, but traumatized; he is a client for the therapist “seme”, which puts him in a protected position. The whole situation is ambiguous, it’s unclear whether the goal is to help him or to groom him, which adds to the thrill. Though, by the way, I would also call this the most questionable part of the manga. Rapey yaoi, which Ten Count also belongs to, is many and habitual, but problematizing therapy is new and dangerous. This is porn, but it's important to talk about mental health with care.

The true treasure is, of course, the topic of mysophobia. Not only it is rare in manga, which can attract many sympathetic readers, it’s also a perfect fetish for yaoi with poor consent standards, because a mysophobe is necessary mindful of touch, follows a set of rituals, and there’s the possibility of increased sensitivity, explored in Ten Count in form of Shirotani’s skin being damaged from overwashing. Basically, you get a character who remembers where and when he is touched with ridiculous scrupulousness and meltdowns because of it. It’s a lot to play with!

Ten Count indeed starts with this delicious mixture. An older high class corporate servant man gives in completely when touched by an attractive dominant stranger in a suspicious treatment deal. He's scared, yet hopeful, lustful, yet crying prettily. It’s so very intriguing and hot. But quickly all of this is forgotten in favor of cheap drama. Even the perverse motive of touch being arousing, but distressful is dropped to make space for simpler run of the mill sexual scenarios.

The additional offense is misogyny. The main reveal of the series is that everything is the fault of a pubic-hair-twirling evil rotten woman our pure heroes need and will punish. The whole event is so unrealistic and weird, that it is clearly just an excuse for a bogeyman, who also happens to be the only major female character. And revenge feels like a cheap and unfitting solution for a manga about therapy with pretense of psychologism.

At the same time, ironically, the MC in later half acts like a bad flighty woman stereotype. Unwilling to self-reflect, he provokes his partner, then shifts responsibility and breaks down in hysteria in an endless annoying cycle. The dark brooding top remains largely a non-personality. Medical and ethical issues are forgotten in favor of love insecurities on the level of “I want to be with him or I don’t”, “I may hurt him”, even though, as many readers point out, it’s unclear at which moment this love even emerges. They tend to ignore it in porn, but still it’s 50+ chapters of a romantic relationship which started as a turbulent doctor-patient gig, the shift must have happened somewhere. Basically it's "they wanted to count to ten, but forgot about it at six" type of plot.

Yet I have to admit that seeing a half-naked bishounen in dimmed light in a medical setting still makes my blood quicken. And there is a reason I am writing this review, despite my extensive criticism, the fact that I read Ten Count a while back, and a wealth of reviews written by others. Ten Count would inevitably attract my attention since I am a mild mysophobe myself. And despite the many flaws in the execution, the initial concept in it is stellar, brimming with a delicious dark mood – alluring, visceral, intoxicating, and transgressive. Ten Count is flawed, soiled, overhyped to death, yet still a gift, which I don't accept its entirety, but can't not appreciate as an idea. I cannot in good faith advice completing it either, but I recommend making acquaintance to the curious inclined readers.

Dec 3, 2014

170life

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/51 chp)

Ten Count is a really unique yaoi manga in my opinion. I have never seen a yaoi manga placed in this kind of setting before. Granted, maybe i have not read alot of yaoi manga, BUT, it truly surprised me.

STORY: 8/10
As i believe you read the summary, i will not elaborate much on its setting. Like ive said in the beginning, i have never seen a yaoi couple where one of them is Mysophobic. This is what makes this story so much different than from others. At first when i found out that Shirotani is mysophobic, i was like "wait. since most yaoi manga ...

Jun 14, 2016

guety

Not Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/51 chp)

I started reading this manga because it's popular, the art is nice and the story seemed interesting, so I thought it was woth a shot. I was very dissappointed.

I guess whether you will enjoy this manga or not depends on what you're looking for in a yaoi comic. If you simply want well drawn porn and don't mind huge amounts of creepiness and borderline rape with stereotypical characters, fantastic, Ten Count is for you. If you want something more, though, run away from this as fast as you can.

For the record, I do enjoy porn without plot. I also like more serious stories. ...

Dec 3, 2018

Spindleglass

Not Recommended

Preliminary (20/51 chp)

Ok, good things out of the way first:

The art is pretty gorgeous, I'll give it that. The beginning had some nice vibes, and even though the characters didn't make it seem they were incredibly fleshed out (Looking at you Shirotani, one chapter he's indifferent the other he can't maintain eye contact without crumbling into a blushing mess.), the story seemed better than most. Shirotani's gripe with germs made the bland story catch a semblance of some type of conflict.

Unfortunately, this is where things turn worse.

There is a serious consent problem in yaoi manga, I know I know, it's to be expected but ...

Feb 19, 2016

rorcual

Not Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/51 chp)

Takarai Rihito is well know for her delicate art and as a BL reader you can't avoid her work However, this title has almost nothing to do with her previous works, both in art and story.

If you are used to weird BL plots when they show horrible things like rape as a 'romantic situation', this may be something for you, but if you don't, please don't waste your time.

This manga is a bad representation of what having a TOC is and also a bad representation of what having a relationship is. If this story where a mature one or even a horror one, (since ...

Feb 9, 2018

kumorinohi

Recommended

I'm thinking I might pick this up again in the future when it's been completed because the art is just too beautiful, but I felt the story + characters were really lacking, especially after volume 2. I loved the first two volumes and was expecting that, if it continued the way it was going, it'd become a new favorite. But Kurose's behavior from volume 3 on really turned me off, and I felt that Shirotani was a really flat character that had far too many stereotypes.

But, like I said, the art was beautiful and I'm a sucker for that, so I might pick this up ...

Feb 27, 2021

starshape

Not Recommended

Preliminary (12/51 chp)

I didn't ever plan on writing any reviews, but this manga disgusted me so thoroughly that I felt I needed to write one. I cannot recommend this to anyone, and I especially don't recommend it if you're LGBT and/or have any mental illnesses.

As a person who also has mental compulsions, I was interested in this because of the main character, Shirotani, despite the fact that I feel he's depicted somewhat stereotypically. It would have been nice to read a manga about a character with realistic OCD and their journey as they heal, but this turned out to be… not that. At best, it's fetishistic, and ... at worst, it's actively harmful. I couldn't read more than the first two volumes before I had to stop.

Going in, I was a little concerned about the dynamic between Kurose and Shirotani, and I was glad they decide to just meet each other casually outside the clinic. I really had hopes at first to see him help Shirotani get better! And yet, Kurose starts to overstep boundaries. The complete lack of respect he seems to actually have for Shirotani and his condition is appalling, and seeing it culminate in him sexually assaulting Shirotani because he “loves him” was absolutely reprehensible.

What makes it all worse is the way it's fetishized. Shirotani says so many times that he hates Kurose touching him, that he's disgusted and feels contaminated, and yet the story goes on to insist “oh, but he actually did like it and can't stop thinking about it! ;)”. It's gross. If someone, especially someone who was helping me with one of my illnesses, ever took advantage of me and treated me in such a way, I would feel violated. I would ensure I never saw them again. No actual mentally ill person would react this way to being mistreated and having their trust betrayed like that.

If it were framed as Shirotani having an unhealthy dependence on Kurose, it would be different. If this were a story about Shirotani being dependent on Kurose and making bad decisions, and then having to learn from them and be better, it would be different. However, it's not. It's just a terribly unhealthy relationship that's fetishized and romanticized. And as someone who also has mental disorders, someone who saw myself in Shirotani, I felt really hurt by this manga and the way his character is ultimately handled.

I do not recommend it, not even if you don't care about the plot and just want to read it for the sexual content. I think it dangerously fetishizes mental illness, and romanticizes abuse from mental healthcare providers.

Thank you for reading, and please treat this manga with caution.

Mar 2, 2021

Jupiter20

Mixed Feelings

Ten Count is a great example of how to ruin a good idea with stereotypical yaoi stuff.
Story
The topic discussed at the beginning is quite original, because it gives a field for showing off and developing the topic well, but well not in this life.
The first two volumes are quite neat, because we have psychological motives here, including work with a psychologist i.t.d. The subject is well developed and then it flies down at the speed of light. Yes, the typical yaoi pwp starts. Plot what plot? The next two volumes are typical bad yaoi porn, in which seme looks like he has no emotions ...

Aug 7, 2017

piepmachientje

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (18/51 chp)

*sigh* This manga was a bit of disappointment for me. Honestly, BL isn't really my cup of tea, but as a queer person I sometimes try to venture out and after receiving a recommendation from a friend I decided to give it a try. I read 18 chapters (3 volumes) in one night, because the first volume got me hooked. I liked the premise, I liked the main character, and I saw a lot of potential there to write an interesting character development centric story. The pretty art certainly also helped. The love interest seemed like a nice enough guy, considerate too.
But alas, by ...

Jan 10, 2017

Taekbin

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (37/51 chp)

This manga has gone from an absolute 10 to and absolute nightmare.

It starts off great, with a unique plot and is nothing like the typical BL manga's I've read so far. But what started out as a cute but still heavy plotline quickly spiralled into the typical and romanticized abusive relationship.

Kurose seems like a stable and helpful guy at first, but due to his backstory, turns out to be damaged as well, using manipulative ways to force Shirotani into having intercourse with him; which is interesting, don't get me wrong. That is not what is turning me off.

My biggest irritation is that the ...

Feb 25, 2015

SetsunaPlus

Recommended

Preliminary (18/51 chp)

Well, I started reading Ten Count because it was a new work of Takarai Rihito and I'm a big fan of her, but i got a little... surprised.

Story:
For me, it is really interesting story. I'm not really used to read mangas with doctor/patient, so I already found it something different and cool. And when I discovered that Shirotani was mysophobic I got really... happy at all. Not because of that, but of the author doing a story of something not usual. So, for me, the story is great.

Art:
As always, her art is amazing. It's clear and calm. You get calm just looking at ...

Jul 2, 2018

Kang-Yuna

Recommended

I have to say that I did not dislike the manga, but it’s not exactly my personal choice of storyline. On the other hand though, I almost immediately developed a liking for the two main characters. Especially what drawer me into the storyline, is the fact that both Shirotani and Kurose, have such opposite characters, and I believe that’s what makes it great. Regardless of the fact that, it has a few sexual scenes, it does not heavily base it on that, instead it really focuses on the character development, and how Shirotani and Kurose develop their relationship. It’s just a bit of a shame, ...

May 27, 2023

moshikarin

Recommended

I almost dropped it before the 10th chapter because I thought it was your typical BL story with the crying uke and the dominant seme. Nothing against it, but to be honest I just find it boring most of times (maybe I'm too old for that...). But then I made myself read the rest of it, since it's a short story, and now I don't regret finishing it. In fact, I love how it ended.

I think that in this particular story the dubious consent worked for the plot. It makes sense for Shirotani to feel divided between the urge to not be touched and the ...

Feb 3, 2015

micael40616

Recommended

Preliminary (10/51 chp)

Shirotani Tadaomi was your regular young man, with a loving heart and fit body although drinking tea and eating takes up 80% of his life. This young man, does however have an yet uncureable sickness known as Mysophobia, fear for bacteria and unpleasant microscopic beings. This hinders our loved boy's freetime and adaptment to the city.
After many twisted turns of fate, he finds himself facing a doctor known as Kurose, whom belives he may cure his fear. With step-for-step-progress, everything goes well, and a close relation is building within our heroes. However, sometimes you need to take the hard way to cure things, in which ...

Jun 29, 2017

sansensun

Recommended

Preliminary (41/51 chp)

You’re a fujoshi/fudanshi? You should look at this one.
You prefer a love story with slow pace? You’re gonna like this one, perhaps.

I just started read this manga yesterday and now I'm finish read ch 41 and I'm just like "wait...where’s next chapter? Argghhhh….I need next chapter!” So, yeah…I think this is one of the best yaoi manga I’ve ever read.

Story: 8/10
Actually this isn’t the first time I’ve read manga about OCD, so I’m not gonna say this manga is unique or something but this is the first time I’ve read yaoi manga with slow pace. I mean…how can be they have first real sex ...