BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“Thank you for crying for me. I think it is like a dream. You’ve changed my pain into happiness.” – Quote from I Can’t Reach You
This is just an example of the dialogue from the astonishingly beautiful screenplay that you will hear in one of the most touching BLs I have ever seen. It is so well written and so well produced and has such adorable moments. I just wondered why I was not more moved by it. And ironically, who captured my heart were two individuals that were supporting characters – both showing more personality and more gravitas than the two main protagonists.
In addition, with the theme of this story having been done so frequently, it had lost its mojo, so to speak, because it just did not stand out enough. The friends-to-lovers-in-high-school is so overdone, that there is nothing creative about the premise anymore. Not even the fact that one was the class genius and the other near the bottom seemed to have worked. Nor the fact that one was socially way more adept while the other was standoffish and politely thought of as ‘shy’. Honestly, this series would have worked better as a mini-series with only the first and last episodes being shown with the rest being left on the cutting floor. It was all superfluous and filler.
Oharaha Yamato (Maeta Kentaro) is a tall, aloof, a bit standoffish high school boy but brilliant and considered handsome. No doubt enhanced because he is one of the smartest students in the school. His best friend since childhood, is a bit of a happy-go-lucky high schooler named Ashiya Kakeru (Kashiwagi Haru) who is academically challenged but makes up for that deficit by being socially adept and making friends. They have been close friends since they were children and are thought of as having a bromance, since they are so close.
However, lately as Yamato’s stirrings begin to invade his mind, he realizes that he thinks of Kakeru as more than a friend and is and undoubtedly has always been deeply in love with him. This story is his awkward attempt to display his love for him which consistently goes awry, of course.
While Yamato is sure of how he feels, Kakeru is not so sure. Or at least it has not yet reached the surface of recognition to what he wants to call love. He does know and acknowledges that he cannot live without Yamato but is really not sure why. While he dabbles in the idea of trying to find a girlfriend, the connection to Yamato is just too strong and he begins to realize and understand that the love that Yamato confessed to him, that he has for him is now what he feels for him as well. In that sense it is a cute coming-of-age story of two young men finding love that in essence is right in front of both.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Helping both these guys along their journey are two of the most interesting support characters I have seen in a BL in a very long time. They are also two of the most esoteric individuals ever written into a series that seem to ‘pop up’ out of nowhere at just the right time. One is the sister of Yamato, Ohara Mikoto (Konnno Ayaka) who seems odd but in reality, is an astute and focused individual who can see clearly what is going on between her brother and his life-long friend. While she interferes, it is not meddling. Dispassionately, she is merely providing direction both to her brother and Kakeru. Never imposing, she is seemingly right in her assessment of what is going on and how to move the relationship along. Her effect is somewhat mellow and flat at the same time she is stunningly dynamic and convincing. Saying no more than she must, then leaves. Yet Yamato’s presence is powerful. While her performance is low-key, she is so emotionally nurturing in her support for the two of them in her own quiet way. It is an astonishingly brilliant performance. Perhaps misunderstood as peculiar, she is provocatively fascinating. The other enchanting and sublimely nurturing advocate of theirs is a classmate of both Yamato and Kakeru named Hosuka Yul (Matsumato Leo), who also seems to pop up unexpectedly. He is an astonishing handsome young man that sees and analyzes from an intellectual perspective what is happening, more so with Yamato. He allows Yamato to perceive in his mind where he is going and how much Kakeru means to him, not so much emotionally, but on an intellectual basis but does so in a contemplative fashion. He made Yamato ‘see’ in his mind with intellectual arguments that he was in love with Kakeru and that it made sense for him to pursue Kakeru before it becomes too late. He was almost like a soothsayer, popping up when most needed to provide just the right amount of intellectual advice. I have never quite seen such a masterful approach by an intellectual genius in recognizing the cognitive dissonance needs of another intellectual person evaluating in his own mind how to deal with the person he loved. Hoksuka was there to provide that guidance and support and to essentially give him permission to do something Yamato already knew. All Hosuka did was to bring it to the forefront. It was a masterful performance that brought out the best in acting as you had to perform that role on an intellectual foundation. Your words were your acting. And his intonation, inflection, voice modulation and facial expressions gave the audience the sense that he was understanding what he was saying and doing so with complete conviction. Kudos to these two fine young performers who did outstanding jobs in these supporting roles.
Honestly, the last episode saved this series from being completely forgettable. I am not suggesting that it is badly acted; it obviously is not. The story is focused on Oharaha Yamato and Maeta Kentaro as him was just a bit too much. The age difference between real life actor and the character was just too great. I just could not see him as a high school student and that detracted me. He also, perhaps because of the direction, played this part so stoically, that he was almost lifeless. Too often to convey awkwardness, actors play the part as if they have rods up their backs and are incapable of feeling emotions. Sure, we saw some of it but not enough to make him even human. Kashiwagi Haru as Ashiya Kakeru, being younger, played the part with youthful exuberance. He was a bit more animated, and we could see him struggle with his feelings for Yamato. All of that made perfect sense since they were supposed to be high school boys.
Where it got problematic, is that it went on and on like that. There is no need to show the same repetitive feelings between the two of them being confused for the umpteenth time. We KNOW it. Get to the point! When it finally does, the acting becomes much better, and we are essentially rooting for the two of them.
Remember, these stories are not unique no matter how you might try and portray them as such. Therefore, if you take this endless overused story and do it again, do SOMETHING creative. Like having high school kids actually play the parts! Or have one of them realize that I can never think of you in that way ever and they drift apart, move on quietly, or break up in another way. Or undoubtedly in most cases, never really act on the feelings and it goes unrequited for the rest of their lives. Something different, something real.
I was only entertained at the beginning and at the end of this saga. I loved the two supporting characters the most as they gave this story a sense of purpose and direction and they filled the middle of this story. However, the theme of this story has become too trite to be interesting anymore.
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