
This review may contain spoilers
Problematic
This was a pleasantly good show.. but the lack of kissing at all threw me off.... If there was no kissing scene in the show I would understand it more... but the side couple kissed which leads me to believe the actors of the main couple did not want to do the same. I respect people's right to not do this but it made me story feel empty.. How can you propose to someone in the final scene and not have even shared a kiss with them ? If the actors did not feel comfortable to do so they should have found those who could. No one is asking for sex scenes but I think if we are being realistic the idea of them never having one kiss and ''spending the rest of their lives together'' is a bit farfetched.Was this review helpful to you?

Cherry Magic! I Hope 30 Years of Virginity Makes ME a Wizard?!
Cherry Magic is my favourite show. I watched it for the first time quite a while ago but is something I know I'll never forget.This the sweetest, nicest and warmest show I have ever seen. If you want to feel good then this is it. The innocence to it is one of the reasons why I love it so much.
I also like how this story doesn't focus just on love, but also the growth and development of Adachi as a person aswell as partner. He is a humble and quiet worker who's confidence and maturity progressively strengthens throughout the show with the help of not just Kurosawa but by himself which is really lovely to see.
The side plots are awesome too, Tsuge and Minato are really adorable, it's hard not to like such a cute relationship between the two.
The cast is amazing. I know Yuu Toyota, the creator, had doubts about letting such a pretty boy like Akaso Eiji play Adachi but now that I've watched it, I can't think of anyone better. His expressions, actions and emotions are on point and the best I've seen from a drama in this genre.
For Keita Machida, it's the same. His acting completely sold it to me and his talent (in both the acting and face department :P) is why he's my favourite actor.
The chemistry between Adachi and Kurosawa played by these two incredible actors is something I'll never get over. Even if there is *SPOOOOIIILLEERRR* no kiss scene, I don't care. Some people are really bothered by this but it really doesn't matter. This pair have managed to portray such a deep and beautiful relationship even with the lack of physical affection and it's incredible.
The music? Immaculate. The intro '産声' means 'first cry'. The song, performed by a band called Omoinotake, is written in the perspective of the main character himself and really highlights his growth and desire to be a better person. Adachi's development is like a rebirth as he is becoming his newest, truest self. The lyrics, man! I could read them and listen to them for days, I'll be totally honest - this is my favourite song.
The outro is amazing too! The song 'Good Love Your Love' is performed by a group called DEEP SQUAD and is now from the perspective of Kurosawa. This is an actual banger, I swear! It talks about the overwhelming feelings Kurosawa has for Adachi and how much he wants to be with him. It's really accurate and if Kurosawa was a song, it'd be this one.
I've watched this show over four times. Yes, I'm the type to rewatch shows I love - and it never gets old! Everytime I watch Cherry Magic or read an article about it or save a post about it on Pinterest, I still get the same wave of love and excitement everytime.
If I never saw a video about Cherry Magic four years ago, forgotten about it after that, but then stumbled across it on a streaming app and remembered it for its weird name, then I can't begin to imagine everything I'd have missed out on.
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Japanese BL (supreme acting)
Honestly, i've been watching alot of BL dramas and they can get tiring sometimes when the acting is too cliche or too forced.I'm seriously surprised (happy way), that this story had such an amazing storyline.
a) it's not predictable
b) Never been done before
c) the acting was great
i know Thai BL is "King of BL" but somehow the acting still lacks in comparison to our jap/korean counterparts due to the fact that they cast alot of young talents (which certainly need grooming).
Everyone needs to give this title a try because it has so much potential and i'm looking forward to more episodes.
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SUPERB ✔✔✔
I love the freaking chemistryyy, they are so freaking cute. Specially when Adachi is confused. The story concept is so unique and so cute. I hope we will have 2nd season cuz as it should. I can't wait for the next episode. Looking forward on the last 3 episode... Was this review helpful to you?
A Kdrama if it were Boys Love
The format of this drama is exactly like that of an office romance kdrama if it were a boys love. This follows the same bland setting, some office with the exact cubicles. Yes there has to be two couples, the main couple and the side couple.I actually liked maybe the first two episodes, especially the pilot. It started off grounded. He wakes up and realizes when he comes into physical contact with another person, he is able to read their thoughts. I wished it'd take the double edged sword further. When he bumps into strangers in a crowded street, and when he bumps into his coworker who frankly thinks Adachi is nice because he does his work for him, but looks grumpy again. Or that onigiri street vendor who says Mayo onigiri again.
I actually forget how good the pilot was.
Then I realized how shallow and underdeveloped the characters are. The pilot relied on comedy, but then it gets stale. I actually found the pacing to be sluggish. By episode 6 I still know nothing about the characters. All I know is Kurosawa only thinks about Adachi when they are together and how his actions may affect Adachi. I mean having a love interest who is consenting and respectful is hardly plot or characterization. Hello anyone seen Banana Fish? Adachi I still know nothing about, other than he likes Kurosawa back. The plot solely relies on the will-they-wont-they that frankly gets dragged out too long for the majority of the series. I mean Adachi knows Kurosawa likes him from the pilot.
There isn't a plot. I wished that it'd at least take advantage of the comedy where whenever Adachi touched someone's hand, he realizes they were secretly in love with him. Like I wish it'd take the fantasy elements even further.
I couldn't relate to any of the characters. I could relate maybe just to the pilot where when he first hears the thoughts of strangers.
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This review may contain spoilers
Full of stereotypes
Cherry Magic came to the BL stage in a year where BL series have diversified a lot. In 2020 we saw many different BLs from Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, etc. Unfortunately, quantity is different from quality. Every year we still get too many repetitive and boring engineering series coming from Thailand, specially from that channel number 25 that we all know.When I heard about CM, I was excited since it seemed to be a refreshing plot set in Japan, very different from the series we are used to. I watched the first episode and I felt ok. It was promising. But then my expectations didn't match the reality. The fact is that CM is a very classical and traditional BL series. It looks like refreshing to some people because we are used to Thai BLs for a long time, so anything that is not set in a warm university campus in Southeast Asia looks like a genius thing. But if you are already used to Japanese Yaoi animes or mangas, you probably have already seen several stories like CM. Everything is excessive fluffy and unrealistic. Some situations that work very well in animation cannot be transported to the series without causing cringe and embarrassing feelings for a more mature and demanding audience. One example is when Kurosawa's boss is angry at him for some unknown reason. Instead of explaining the motives for his angriness, the man keeps grumbling "Hum" for several minutes. Adachi needs to use his reading mind powers to discover that their boss only wanted a different cake flavor. Well, who is the person who would keep mumbling "Hum" - just like a cow - for 10 minutes instead of asking directly for a new cake? It is a funny scene for animations, but quite odd when we see it in live-action.
Just like a traditional Japanese Yaoi, the couple tend to be excessively stereotyped. We have in this BL the clear gender roles division between a seme and an uke. Gender roles, different from what many people think, are not simply sexual position (top x bottom). It is more like stereotyped men and women's roles in a relationship. These stereotypes tend to be annoying even in straight couple stories, but they become even worse when they force it into gay relationships. Kurosawa has excessive good masculine attributes: hard worker, charming, protective, strong, independent and confident. He looks like a prince riding a white horse. Adachi, in turn, is imaginative, sweet, gentle, jumbled, insecure and more likely to need help.
This old-fashioned duality is generally criticized by many BL fans, but I have the feeling most of them like this uke/seme dynamics and fetishize about it. There is a general understanding in the West that BL series are Fujoshi things, but the reality is that many gays watch it and became an integral part of the audience. And many gays love the same things in a BL that a Straight girl likes.
I personally don't appreciate this kind of stereotypes since they make me feel embarrassed all the time. There is a scene in particular that I really couldn't bear. In episode 5, Adachi and his female friend are attacked by some gangsters on the streets. Adachi (as a good uke; and his friend, as a good woman) doesn't react and accept being humiliated by the assaulting men. So, the "man of the relationship" (Kurosawa) needs to come to protect both the the innocent uke and the woman. The scene is already cringe because the fight between Kurosawa and the gangsters is quite fake, and on top of that, they gave us a scene that reinforces the ideia that gays who play the supposedly feminine part of a relationship are weak people who cannot save their own asses, but need a "man" to do that for them. Most BL fans might think that this kind of scene is cute, but I cannot help but thinking: "WTF!".
CM is a type of series for an audience who likes fetish. Fetish is not only about sex. We can have fetishes related to cute and fluffy situations and this series is all about that. For the ones like me who love a more realistic approach where the LGBTQ community is positively addressed, this shows is a huge disappointment.
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AMAZING!
This is the first drama I have been hooked to and wanted a new Episode, before watching this drama I would want Thai and South Korean BL dramas but I got bored of it, and I watched all dramas for Thai to. So I decided to try Japanese, I saw this drama and I was like okay let’s give it to. AND omg I got hooked just by the first episode!!! Even though I’ve seen 4 episodes ( 5th episode is still being subbed ) I just want to watch more and I know this drama is gonna turn out really good! I’m in love with the star male ( anikho) I love his character! :DWas this review helpful to you?

Wholesome
Cherry Magic: 30 Years Of Virginity can Make You A Wizard is one of the most beautiful and wholesome series I've ever seen. Every single character was wonderful and unique in their own way. Green flags everywhere. Its one of those series that don't need sex scenes or kissing, the chemistry was enough. Also I love the workplace setting.since the review needs to be 500 characters long I will just finish by mentioning the Thai adaptation because I have no idea what else to say. There's not enough words to compliment or show my love and appreciation for this series.
My understanding that there will be a Thai adaptation which will drop this Saturday (9.12
23) and I just know Newwie will bring so much Justice to Adachi and I just know Sing, Jan, Tay and the rest will bring so much Justice.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Sweet Realistic Wizardry Romance Drama
Okay let's start! First off, I'm new to JBL dramas (Japanese BLs). Cherry Magic was the second JBL i watched after I Can't Reach You. I watched the anime before that and i watched the drama for my BL undergrad thesis ;). And honestly, this makes the anime look underwhelming 😭The lead actors are Akaso Eiji and Machida Keita, and this was their first (and only so far) drama I watched. The synopsis follows Adachi Kiyoshi (Akaso) who, as per the myth of attaining wizardry after turning 30 and still a virgin, develops the power of reading minds upon physical contact, since he has been a virgin till 30, and hence recieves these powers on his 30th birthday. Through this, he discovers that the most popular Mr. Perfect colleague of his, Kurosawa Yuichi (Machida) is in love with him, much to his disbelief.
Honestly, I'm so glad i watched the jdrama after someone basically gushed over it. Honestly even though i watched the anime first (I'm still yet to watch the Thai version), this drama is so much better by so many levels, and it also has less misogynistic undertones. I'll mostly compare the anime and the jdrama since these are the only cherry magics i watched 😭 and of course I'll gush over Kurodachi a loooot.
The most endearing thing about the drama IS THE MAIN LEADS. Literally i love their every scene! And yeah Kurosawa is a lot more family friendly here even in his "creepy" thoughts about Adachi. It was so healthy! It isn't for those who love toxic BLs lol (but ngl I'm not gonna accept if you call this pair bad I mean LOOK AT THEM but okay). Akaso and Machida share great chemistry together, and Kurosawa is a walking green flag and the scene when he first falls in love with Adachi almost got me in tears, and Machida shines in portraying Kurosawa as feeling pressurised to be a Mr. Perfect as he didn't just want to be known for his good looks and wanted to be more than just that, even though he is quite an overachiever. Machida's natural acting makes me drawn for the portrayal of Kurosawa. He raised my standards for men or my potential future partner because he ticks all the checkboxes on how to be a good partner. He cares so much for Adachi, cooks for him, doesn't miss a chance to (internally) complement him and is greatful for his existence. I also find it so cute that he constantly takes Adachi's pictures while teasing him, and even in his "creepy" thoughts he was very respectful of Adachi's boundaries throughout and never forced him, and continuously supported him in his choices and stood up for him, which the anime didn't fully show. Initially when Adachi's boss discredited him after guessing and learning that Kurosawa worked with him (honestly it was quite a workload), he stood up for him by saying that he does his work very well, which the anime or manga didn't show as far as I know. I love that! The flashback of him falling in love with Adachi had me in tears, and also when he thinks that he can't be with Adachi in a relationship, without knowing that Adachi always knew he liked him 😭
And Adachi!!! Man Akaso makes him so relatable!! Especially when he feels insecure about himself and thinks he is no match for the Mr. Perfect Kurosawa and that...EVERYTIME HE FLINCHES! OH MY GOD I COULD ACTUALLY RELATE AS SOMEONE WHO FLINCHES A LOT EVEN IN SMALL SOUNDS! He is so me on so many levels, especially him being single till 30 as I'm 21 and I saw people my age get into relationships earlier than me, though I don't want to lose my virginity at this age lol. Akaso's performance brought out the awkwardness in Adachi so well! He was very expressive and shined in the comedic and cute scenes but got me on the emotional scenes.
One complaint I had was that there are no kissing scenes between Adachi and Kurosawa. There were kissing scenes in the anime. That's okay as I understand that the actors may not have been comfortable with it and also the romantic chemistry and the feelings between them made up for it.
Apart from this, Asaka Kodai's Tsuge Masato stands out to me so much, from the scenes where he discovers that he has the same powers as Adachi as he turned 30 and still a virgin to going absolutely crazy for Minato, it felt like he was a completely different person from the anime Tsuge! Anime Tsuge was much calmer imo. Live-action Tsuge was so chaotic and I live for that! I liked Yutaro's portrayal of Minato, from having not so nice opinions on him to later coming to admire him. Tsuge and Minato have like i think a 10 year age gap with Tsuge being the older one, but their relationship didn't feel creepy at all, plus Minato is an adult.
Apart from these, my favorite side characters are Rokkaku and Fujisaki! I love Rokkaku's vibrant and comedic personality that charmes me a lot, and as much as I love how much of a fujoshi Fujisaki is in the anime, I love drama Fujisaki more. She isn't a fujoshi, but instead she's seen as an asexual an aromantic female character. I wish it was fleshed out more in the drama as it may be interesting as to how she navigates as an aroace and pretending to like a person or so but I think it may be too risky (that's another complaint i have). She still roots for Adachi and Kurosawa and is more mature than the anime and doesn't fetishise their relationship and only see it as a BL ship. That stereotype, imo, is a huge generalization and pretty harmful for fujoshis, generally it's misogynistic, tho yeah irl fujoshis can be like that. Sato Ryo's acting is very natural here. She didn't feel exaggerated as the character isn't written like that, and there was nothing off about her. She was neither portrayed as someone who gets in between Adachi and Kurosawa's relationship, neither does she actually become a BL fangirl for them. But roots for them.
I literally can't get over that the live action characters of Cherry Magic are more animated than the anime characters themselves. I watched the anime way before the drama but man this drama made me ship Kurodachi real hard! I felt the butterflies and the romance between them.
The OSTs: Ubugoe by Omoinotake and Good Love Your Love by Deep Squad became my absolute favorites. I'd listen to them while strolling and they never get old. Especially Ubugoe. I don't understand the words but man this song HITS!! I hope to do a cover of it asap.
As to how they deal with Adachi's powers, both the drama and the anime deal with it differently. It was a lot more dramatic in the drama than the anime, which was comparatively chill. Overall I'd recommend the drama over the anime anytime. The adaptation from the manga is a lot more mature imo.
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I really loved it.........
At first I thought that I'm going to watch this after watching TayNew version of Cherry Magic. But when I watch the 1st episode of thai version it urged me to watch the japanese series and it turn out I'm really hooked with this.If we talk about their acting skills everyone gave their best to this. When we talk about Kurasowa he is the greenest flag among green flags I must say that. and Adachi is really cute I really love his clumsy behaviour. and everytime when I'm watching their moments I'm having butterflies in my stomach. Seriously Kurasowa made my standards go even high.
So this is a must watch series and I must say that I can see Taynew is giving their best for this. and I really love watching both Japanese and Thai series.
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This review may contain spoilers
The cutest and the wholesomest!!
This is probably the most wholesome and adorable BL you'll ever see. There will not be another BL that exists in this universe that can compare to the pure joy that this one radiates. J-dramas just know how to create that cutesy feeling while making you kick your feet and squealing from how precious the characters are. Fair warning it is censored and there is no kiss. if you liked the dramas of "My Love Mix-up (Kieta Hatsukoi)", and "Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss" this one is right up your alley. This is a classic BL that everyone needs to see at least once.Was this review helpful to you?

Absolutely beautiful
No words. This is bloody hell good. Didn't really expect much but I left wanting for more. Kurosawa's smile melts my heart and Adachi makes my heart itch. The whole show is so sweet, AND there's actual character development!??!? WOW.The scenes are also heart melting. I really really want to cry now that I've finished it. Last time I've been so so so hooked on a drama was like, last year ago. I cannot forget their smile and interaction. Just remembering it makes me want to re-watch it again.
OST bloody fucking good. Acting?? Absolutely. Story? Yes. Rewatch Value? Does that need to be asked?
15/10, this is a whole ass masterpiece.
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