JJ-Chi

I found this short series on Netflix by accident and really enjoyed it. I didn't know what to expect and didn't know it was LGBTQ genre - kinda reminded me of "Heart Stopper" ...but set in Japan. I give this show a solid 7 (a "10" rating is only for something exceptional & special). This is not a "must-see masterpiece," but was actually VERY ENJOYABLE.

The show offers an interesting glimpse into Japanese society: eg. How girls "confess" their love for boys and how some things (high school courtship) differ from the West. It's something different from the usual Hollywood offering that makes me dislike certain kids these days. ;-)

Story told well, no boring slow drawn-out moments The acting was not great (perhaps a bit cheezy at times ...they're kids) ...but overall believable and decent. Production is good with some beautiful Japanese scenery. The series goes by quickly (watched the whole thing in one evening) since each episode is only 20 minutes.

The title, "I Cannot Reach You" didn't really make sense to me ...but maybe this is something that was "lost in transation." Note: unlike most shows, the series is NOT dubbed into English ...so at times, you need to be quick on the subtitles; I had to rewind several times to catch the dialogue.

Overall ...I thought it was really cute and even a bit touching.

Come for the "Cocaine" ...stay for the "Bear." I am certain this will be a HUGE hit. They may already be working on sequels. Allow me to suggest:

• Cocaine Bear 2: Mushroom Bear (Trippin' on psilocybin)
• Cocaine Bear 3: Molly Bear (Luvs everybody)
• Cocaine Bear 4: Cannabis Bear (Uncontrollable munchies)
• Cocaine Bear 5: Viagra Bear (self-explanatory)

The title pretty much tells you what kind of movie to expect and delivers as promised. If you expect too much ...then you may be disappointed, but I don't think anyone who is going to see this film is expecting an Oscar-worthy meaningful masterpiece. Yeah, I guess the movie could have been better (definitely not a 10-star film), but compared to other things in this category; I think it's above average and effort was made to produce something entertaining.

I predict the "Cocaine Bear" films will become quite a successful franchise. I'm actually kicking myself right now and thinking: "Why didn't I come up with this first?!"

This isn't completely awful and somewhat engaging in the beginning, but it quickly fizzles and becomes repetitive and boring after a couple episodes. The entire series ends up being barely "average."

The show relies too much on a handful of "eye candy" to carry the entire series. The supporting cast is a complete polar opposite and quite uninteresting The plot is very simple and doesn't evolve, neither do any of the characters. Little effort was spent on the writing and on finding a suitable supporting cast.

The gratuitous nudity is welcome and makes the show bearable and easier to watch. But even the hookup scenes make little sense; the sex comes out of nowhere, is rushed and very superficial. While it may be fun to watch, you really don't feel anything! You can find more emotional depth in most porn.

The main characters are charismatic enough and do a decent job, but even they become tiresome over time due to bad writing and poor character development. Georgina's (female lead) character becomes downright annoying and her actions make little sense! It' feels like watching "Groundhog Day" ...she keeps making the same mistakes over and over again. The supporting cast is all over the place and it's difficult to take anything seriously. In the end, I didn't care about what happens to anyone.

Finally, the time jumps are poorly executed and completely ridiculous. The story begins in 2004 and jumps 18 years into the future; but characters look EXACTLY the same, with a slight hairstyle change and they use smartphones instead of flip phones. This huge time jump is completely unnecessary to the plot; the same could have been accomplished with a more realistic (believable) 5-6 year time jump. Plus, we are expected to believe that (after nearly two decades) the characters have ZERO growth and have exactly the same feelings, problems, emotions and issues (not to mention looks).

In summary; I regret spending (ie, wasting) my time on this.