“I Cannot Reach You is the most heartwarming BL of the year. It’s a sweet and touching story about first love. Kentaro Maeda and Haru Kashiwagi both deliver heartfelt performances. They have a truly wonderful on-screen chemistry.”
I Cannot Reach You (君には届かない。Kimi Ni Wa Todokanai) is TBS’ latest Boy’s Love series. It is based of the manga series of the same name by Mika. In Japan, it aired from September to November and is now available worldwide on Netflix. The series is composed of 8 episodes of 20 minutes each.
TOGETHER BUT APART
I Cannot Reach You tells the story of two childhood best friends – Yamato Ohara (Kentaro Maeda), the one who is good at almost everything and Kakeru Ashiya (Haru Kashiwagi), the one who struggles to do anything right. They are always by each other’s side. However, they’re not together in the way that Yamato would like. In fact, Yamato is in love with Kakeru but he doesn’t tell him, too afraid of how their relationship would change. Instead, he suffers on his own, trying to repress his feelings while also acting jealous when Kakeru gets closer to Akane Toyama (Tomo Nakai), a girl from high school. This sends contradictory messages to Kakeru who doesn’t know what to do anymore.
This series is an absolute delight to watch. It is incredibly sweet to see these two characters trying to reach each other but not knowing how. There are a lot of cute moments. Undoubtedly, this is a memorable story of first love. Honestly, I am glad that for us the international audience, we just get to watch all the episodes in one go. It would have definitely been difficult to wait each week for a new episode. Each episode really ends in a way that makes you immediately want to see what happens next. I did binge-watch the series yesterday, with 8 episodes of 20 minutes it’s easy to do.
The first five episodes are lot of back-and-forth for Yamato who is too afraid to express his feelings. He sometimes behaves in a way that shows there is more to it than friendship and then he just acts cold. He hurts a lot but he also hurts Kakeru in doing so as Kakeru is confused by all of this. Yamato thinks he chooses the easy way by keeping their relationship the way it is but instead it is self-destructing as their relationship cannot stay the way it is because of their feelings.
However, Yamato is not alone on his journey to confess his love to Kakeru. Indeed, he receives support from his sister Mikoto (Ayaka Konno) and schoolmate/friend Yui Hosaka (Leo Matsumoto). These two characters act as guides for Yamato on this journey. It’s beautiful to see how little by little Yamato changes and finally decides to express his feelings. The turning point happens at the end of episode 5 with an unforgettable kiss on the Togetsukyo bridge in Kyoto.
REACH YOU
The last three episodes are about the consequences of that kiss and how Kakeru decides to react to it. Obviously, at the beginning it is confusing for him but he does feel something for his childhood friend more than just friendship. So, in these final episodes, Kakeru embraces his feelings for Yamato as the two go on dates and spend more time together. There are several moments where they actually feel like a couple. But because Kakeru struggles to do anything right, he also doesn’t himself as worthy. It is difficult for him to truly accept Yamato’s love and his feelings. After Yamato’s change, we see Kakeru change too. He realizes that he is worthy and he can do things right.
The last step in Kakeru’s change is to confess in return his love for Yamato. That one gets tricky and it doesn’t go as planned but the end result is beautiful. The final episode is a celebration of their love. It is an open-ending so if it ends there, it’s satisfying as Yamato and Kakeru are finally a couple but there is still more story to tell. Only time will tell if the creators of the series decide to go for a second season. This story is a moving and heartwarming at the same time. All in all, I Cannot Reach You is the most heartwarming BL of the year. It hits all the right notes.
CAST
Furthermore, the on-screen chemistry between Kentaro Maeda and Haru Kashiwagi is truly wonderful. They go so well together. Their chemistry is the heart of the series. Both deliver heartfelt performances. Kentaro skilfully plays the two sides of Yamato, the one that suffers repressing his feelings and the one who shows his love. Haru is excellent at playing confused Kakeru, his facial expressions are priceless. Kakeru is a cheerful character who at first doesn’t seem to be good at anything but Haru beautifully shows through his performance the depth of his character. There is more than meets the eye with Kakeru.
Leo Matsumoto once again plays a supporting character in a BL. He delivers a sweet performance as Yui Hosaka. He previously appeared in Jack o’ Frost. Leo is a talented actor and I do hope that next time, he will get his own BL series.
VISUALS & SOUNDTRACK
The cinematography beautifully captures the simple moments between the characters in a natural light while also showcasing the beauty of the scenery. It fully immerses you into the story. On top of that, the tender moments between Yamato and Kakeru really have the perfect romantic atmosphere. The kiss on the Togetsukyo bridge in Kyoto is an excellent example of that. It alternates between wide shots and close-up shots of the characters. The wide shots set the scene while the close-up shots really allow the camera to capture the best of the actors’ performance and creates an intimate atmosphere. In fact, the series heavily uses close-up shots. I think it is great for BL stories because it really gives focus to the characters and their feelings.
The music score is a delightful one that uses the piano a lot. It’s something you often see in slice of life. I love the simplicity of it. The opening title is a sweet one featuring the main theme of the series. It’s short but it directly gets to the point, it’s a metaphor for this series. Indeed, it sums up what the story is – Yamato trying to reach Kakeru. The end credits play as scenes still happen but you can hear in the background the theme song ‘U & I’ by Hi-Fi Unicorn, a Korean boy band. This song is not only played during the credits but can be heard in different tender scenes between Yamato and Kakeru throughout the series. This song is one that will stay in your head. I have listened to it several times while writing this review. ‘U & I’ remarkably captures what this series is about, the lyrics are so meaningful.
VERDICT
I Cannot Reach You is the most heartwarming BL of the year. It’s a sweet and touching story about first love. Kentaro Maeda and Haru Kashiwagi both deliver heartfelt performances. They have a truly wonderful on-screen chemistry.
I Cannot Reach You is now streaming on Netflix.
Collectables and Anime Editor for Future Of The Force.
Star Wars expert and Japan connoisseur.
