Hello, my darlings! First, please accept my apologies for the delayed review of this short and sweet drama that had me squealing in delight. The chemistry, the looks, and oh boy, the acting! I must also apologize, though. I tried to express all my thoughts in a non-repetitive way, but alas, I am still quite new to writing reviews of shows that make me feel this good. So, this is what I can remember about my viewing experience while watching "I Cannot Reach You.”
My initial reaction to the series was one of excitement because I liked the appearance of the main characters. I also think that the fact that it was set in high school made me look forward to it, something I didn't think I liked at all before. I think "Takara Kun to Amagi Kun" is to thank for this change in attitude.
"I Can't Reach You" certainly met my expectations - with two attractive male leads and a sweet enough plot. I am not ashamed to admit that how cute the leads are is extremely important to me.
"I Cannot Reach You," also known as "Kimi ni wa Todokanai," follows childhood best friends Kakeru and Yamato. Kakeru is the cute, lovable clown of their friend group, and Yamato is the smart, handsome, and sullen one. The plot follows their struggle and journey through falling in love with each other and the struggle to convey their romantic feelings to each other in order to take their relationship to the next level.
The visual appeal of the show for me lies in the hue, which reminds me ever so slightly of 70s films. This made every episode feel like a film of its own, and coupled with well-done framing (how each shot is set up), my focus was held at length, and thus, I enjoyed the story that much more.
The scenes that stood out the most to me were, of course, based on scenes where Kakeru and Yamato were alone and slowly getting closer to revealing their changed feelings to one another.
In Episode 1 - Over a weekend, Kakeru and Yamato are out with friends from their schools and girls from a neighboring school. For this arc, they all go to the town for arcade games and bowling. This is meant to be their chance at possibly securing girlfriends. Of course, Yamato being smart, popular, and good-looking, is the most popular among the girls in the group. Kakeru, being cute in his own way, garners the pointed attention of one of the girls from the neighboring school. Her name is Akane. And yes, Yamato noticed.
In these scenes, you can tell that they are both acutely aware of each other and are always checking to see how the other is getting on within the group. On the sly, of course. This is where my favorite scenes start. As Kakeru walks past Yamato talking to two girls from the group, he overhears them asking Yamato what his ideal type is. Kakeru is taken aback to hear Yamato confidently say "my childhood best friend." This leaves Kakeru flustered and confused. As Kakeru is sitting away from the rest, going over what he had just overheard, Yamato walks over to him to ask if he is okay. Yamato, noticing Kakeru's flushed face, leans over and places his palm under Kakeru's fringe to check his temperature. This brings him too close, so of course, Kakeru panics, pushes his palm away, and rushes off to the toilet. The sexual tension, on Kakeru's part, is palpable.
In Episode 2 - Kakeru is in gym class thinking over whether Yamato likes him while recalling moments they had gotten a little too close. I really enjoyed Kakeru's expression at the start of this scene because he really nailed it. The scene hit the hardest when he thought to himself, "Does Yamato like me?... I immediately erased it from my head. I'm afraid to think about it beyond that." This is such a realistic portrayal, both in expression and dialogue. And Kakeru’s mannerisms are extremely endearing and Haru Kashiwagi’s natural manner in portraying this made this moment that much more poignant.
Another scene that struck me while watching the show was during the scene that came after Yamato saw Kakeru out shopping with Akane (the girl competing against him for Kakeru’s affections). Overcome with jealousy, Yamato finds a moment to grab Kakeru by the hand and drag him to a secluded stairwell, where he proceeds to draw Kakeru into a tight embrace. You could tell, from the fierceness of the hug, that he is trying his best to convey his feelings for Kakeru. Kakeru is confused at first because he’s also not quite sure about what’s going on, but after a little while, he gets pulled into it and picks up on Yamato’s whirlwind of emotions. At one point, he even reaches out with his hand as if to cup Yamato’s face, but the moment is interrupted by the appearance of Kakeru’s mother and little brother.
Now, the best part: Yamato's confession and the first kiss. It happened on a bridge, and by gosh, Kakeru looking up at Yamato in this scene is so enthralling - and in pretty much every scene, for crying out loud! Seriously, Haru has such an expressive face, and I think we can all agree that he probably excels at aegyo. They kept it cute and PG with the kiss, which I didn't mind at all. Yamato looked absolutely fraught with his love for Kakeru and collapsed shortly after kissing him. Probably from having to endure angst over a very long period of time.
All in all, this was a cute little series that I will most certainly be watching again in the future. I am so happy to see that the really attractive side character in one of my favorite BLs, My Beautiful Man: Eternal, turned out to be Kentaro Maeda, who played Kiriya Keisuke, Anna-San's idol boyfriend. I even saw him again in another Jdrama, Mr. Bride; mind you, this drama is a heteronormative one, but in it, he portrayed his versatility as an actor really well. But as always, I much prefer broody characters over extremely cheerful ones.
You can watch "I Cannot Reach You" on Netflix UK, and remember to pop over to our Instagram (@oldgal_fangal) to watch fan edits I cooked up featuring my favorite scenes.
*AI was only used for the purpose of improving spelling and grammar.