8 Eps of Pure Love?✨
Just finished I Cannot Reach You and lemme say, it's a solid 8.5/10 for me! 🙌 The acting and the chemistry btwn the leads were 🔥🔥, and omg Kakeru was just too cute & expressive 🥺💖. I also loved how Yamato was always so aware of Kakeru's feelings—he wasn’t pushy or overpowering at all.It’s based on a super cute manga and tbh, u can binge it in a day since it’s only 8 eps. 📺💨 But fr, I wish there were more eps and more moments of them being cute together. 😭 Big shoutout to Hosaka for being so mature and helping Yamato & Kakeru figure out their feelings. 🙌 Also, I totally wanted a side story with Hosaka & Mikoto—those two were lowkey so cute together too! 🥰 They had this icy vibe that weirdly worked.
Overall, defs recommend if u love soft BLs with great chemistry and a heartwarming friendship-to-lovers story. 💕
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yamato's eye are captivating!?
plot🗯️🗯️Yamato is a highschooler. since forever he has been in love with his childhood best friend but never felt confident to express his love fearing he would be rejected. as time goes on Yamato is no longer able to keep his secret. how will kakeru feel?
the drama:🗯️🗯️
this is a pretty standard BL highschool drama. I saw this plot many times but there is just something about it that keeps me coming back.
being gay is not easy anywhere (unfortunately) but especially in a society like Japan. through these drama we see a more "accepting" environment and maybe this is what makes these drama so sweet. there are a safe space.
I cannot say there is something special about this drama but the actors do a good enough job to keep you watching.
both Yamato and kakeru are good in their respective roles even though I must admit, I fell for yamato's actors. his eyes are so intense and I really liked his voice. it was warm, soothing. a delight.
kakeru was also a good match. his chaotic energy was entertaining.
the drama is pretty short and I don't feel like criticizing anything in particular.
it was sweet but not over the top. I liked that kakeru loved his friend so much that he took his time to really sort his feelings out. it must be a shock to receive a love confession from an old friend.
overall they did a good job at showing yamato's pain and kakeru though process.
just a note for you guys.
if you expect skin ship this is not the drama for you.
there is a kiss at the end of the show to signify they becoming a couple.
this is a sweet drama not a passionate one.
If I have to nitpick I'd say that the other characters are pretty irrelevant. the sister is just there and the friends are basically background.
I was kind of wondering if the blond guy was dating that other friend he always brought along but the drama doesn't give us an answer.
overall if you are looking for a low stake drama, short, without much of a plot, this is a decent choice.
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Sweet Playful Series
This series was adorable about childhood friendship growing into more. It was sweet to see the cuteness and shyness of the character. The actors did a great job. I enjoyed the friends helping support them and trying to help them understand one another. The girls were a bit annoying running around the guys all day long. It was sweet to see growth in the characters and see them shine and better understand their feelings for one another. The story takes you on a fast adventure, wish it was a bit longer but it tells the story about love, friendship, and understanding with a good acting. Loved the playful shyness they had with their special moments.Was this review helpful to you?
If you like high school BL, you'll like this
It's quite a slowburn, I almost died, LOL.. I really love the last 2 episodes though, if only the 1st 6 are as lighthearted and funny too! It was quite slowpaced and monotone for 1st half of the show, but enough to keep you curious to watch.It keeps me at 50/50 but I chose to continue, but I love the ending, so I'm glad I watched it
I love Ashiya, he is so funny in last 2 episodes, esp when he tried to confess. Oh my, so funny the things that happened.
Overall, it's pretty decent for a high school BL. It's like, a typical high school romance, fluffy and sweet, nothing special, if you may. Still a good watch, when you're in need of sth light.
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The feelings didn't quite get to me
Short review:I will preface this review by saying that their casual intimacy with the handholding and back hugs gives me more butterflies than straight-up kiss scenes and NC scenes in other series. The actors did so well in capturing that pining, hesitance, and anxiety that comes with first love. The missed chances, miscommunication, and inner angst is so on point for a high school series - high school kids are usually not emotionally well-adjusted so I am happy they captured that on screen while still making the characters likable.
However I do have an issue with how all their kiss scenes are dub-con at best. I understand the nuance of non-explicit consent but honestly it just seems like Ashiya did not want to be kissed in all of their scenes. It is so jarring when you compare the joy on his face when they hold hands or when he got back hugged to him getting kissed. Also I don't vibe with Ohara's bowl cut like if you're going to make him a heart throb maybe don't give him mushroom hair. But all in all this is a generally non-offensive series that should fill your high school romance quota.
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Classic love story of childhood friends
The characters in Kimi ni wa Todokanai capture the delightful tension that comes with falling in love with a friend. A flick of the hair, a touch on the wrist, the way the sunlight falls on their cheeks. The slightest of gestures that make your heart feel like it’s about to beat out of its chest.The show takes the viewers through the whole process of discovery, denial, awakening and finally, happily ever after.
But as far as stories of childhood first loves go, it doesn't quite hit the perfect combination of sexual tension, jealousy and anticipation.
Nevertheless, it's a decently well-paced show with relatable characters and an easy-to-follow storyline. It's just that nothing stands out in particular... perhaps that’s my biggest criticism of the show – the fact that it’s rather forgettable.
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/12/28/kimi-ni-wa-todokanai-bl-review/
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No Cat... 0 Stars
Okay, I guess it's still good without the cat, but I feel cheated.As a long-time fan of the manga, I was worried about this because adaptions of your favourites are never good enough, but I was pretty happy with this one. There were lots of small changes, but the story and characters stayed pretty true. I do feel like it was slightly rushed, and if I hadn't already read the manga several times, I think I would've been a bit confused about some characters and events.
For a newcomer, this might not be the best series, but I highly recommend it if you've read the manga. (I also just recommend reading the manga in general as it's one of my favourites. And the manga has the cat). The drama covers volumes 1-7, but skips a lot of volume 6. There are some characters I wish had more screen time and some scenes I wish were included, but there's only so much that can fit in 8 20-minute episodes.
Overall, it's a fairly good adaption (but it would be better if the cat was in it).
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Like why all the low ratings? This is seriously adorable
Yamato and Kakeru’s relationship is so adorable not to mention that both are seriously cute (Kentaro’s eyes are stunning) The story progresses really well I mean I could’ve done without the NC scene but it did set up a good obstacle for Yamato to learn to deal with without hurting the one he loves the most.I think all the characters and the actors did they’re rolls really well although I would’ve loved to see some of side pairings or if there were ones to be slightly more obvious (eg Hosaka x guy who he is always with or even Hosaka x Mikoto)
In all beautiful series just wished it was longer that the standard eight episodes maybe even a second season (but by most BL series sis rare happens but is still a rare occurrence)
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The Only Childhood Friends Story I've Enjoyed
As my headline says, the childhood friends trope never really does it for me. But in this story, I actually liked it a lot. Maybe it's because they're still pretty young or because the actors really sell it, but I was hooked. Cute little story with great performances from everyone :)Also, now I feel like every drama based around miscommunications needs a gay friend who will tell the MC's to get their shit together and talk to each other.
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Absolute cringefest
This drama was a huge letdown considering how much I adore the original source material. They managed to turn a fluffy wholesome BL story into a cringey melodrama - complete with slow-motion camera panning and bad special effects. And don't even get me started on the acting 🙄 The romance between the main leads was about as believable as the Easter bunny. It may just be that I've outgrown Japanese romcom tropes but I found myself fighting back the urge to roll my eyes every five seconds. The only positive I can think of is the short episode lengths, but even then, I don't think it's worth your time. Read the manga instead - 100% more enjoyable experience guaranteed.Was this review helpful to you?
Its just so wholesome
It was my first JBL and honestly i did watch it like 8 times (not kidding). It such a warm, comforting, cute, emotional, awesome tvshow. I cannot just express how much this meant to be. If youre considering watching this, please give it. a try!!! As said, this was my first jdrama and first bl, ive watched 5 more shows thank to this and basically im obsssed with everything right now.Was this review helpful to you?
Best romance show I've watched in my entire life.
I usually don't write reviews but here I am writing one because of how amazing this show was!! I absolutely loved how well-written the story was from the plot, setting, flow, characters, and everything else.PLOT: I LOVED the tropes included in this show as they were all my favourites (childhood friends to lovers, height difference, sunshine and sunshine protector, introvert and extrovert, etc.) and I truly believe it was all written perfectly. There were no "pointless" scenes whatsoever and everything felt like there was meaning and development included.
SETTING: I liked where each episode was placed, especially the episode where they went to Kyoto because of how beautiful everything looked. I feel like it emphasized their feelings and made the story more deep.
FLOW: I loved the flow of this show a ton and it's one of the main reasons this is my favourite romance show of all time. It wasn't rushed, yet it wasn't too slow and it progressed at the perfect speed all the way to the very end. Not rushing the story let us understand what the characters were feeling and it felt like the creators put a lot of effort into bringing the reality of how people feel when having a crush on someone into this show with care.
CHARACTERS: Last but not least, the characters of this show were awesome! Every single one of them from the main characters, best friends, family, and girl characters were lovable and unique in their own way. I believe there were many moments where you could relate to them (eg. Kakeru and his lack of self-confidence) and even if you haven't experienced their situations before, it lets you empathize with them and feel the same emotions (eg. Yamato having a one-sided crush on Kakeru for more than half his life).
At first, I thought I wouldn't enjoy this show as much when I watched the first episode but the more I kept watching, the more and more I became obsessed with this show and couldn't wait for the next episode to release. Until I watched this, Bad Buddy Series was my favourite romance show and I thought nothing could ever surpass it but Kimi Ni Wa Todokanai (I can't reach you) got to the same level as it for me!!
Please please please try watching this show if you haven't as I promise you you'll have the best time of your life!
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