the ultimate sweet comfort watch
there are various genres in bl and this is one of the dominators in cutesy, soft for sure, i watched it a few years ago with two of my best friends and couldn't take the smile off my face, it's honestly a pretty generalised recommendation for anyone who is just feeling a bit low and wants a sweet watch. the fact that it explores love in your 30's is something lacking in a lot of bls, who tend to focus on high school/college/straight out of college ages. It's important to explore because experiencing difficulties with identity, sexuality, and love in general is expanded to any age.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A super sweet show about adults
This show was such a surprise! Yeah, I had heard a lot about how it was amazing and entered many people’s favorite shows from 2020, but still. The concept is a bit weird at first, but I think the show explores it very well.Since it’s part of the show that the main character is 30, it’s so nice to see adults living adult lives in a BL story, no school, no university. Besides, the office scenes are great because all the characters there are interesting in their own way, like Rokkaku and Fujisaki. I love Adachi and Kurosawa, and how their relationship develops. Yes, in some ways it’s a bit uncomfortable that Adachi knows exactly what Kurosawa is thinking on fantasizing about, but he never takes advantage of that. In a way, knowing all that makes Adachi more open to new things and more comfortable with himself. I think the construction of Kurosawa as the perfect guy on the outside was done very well.
Unfortunately, I didn’t like the Tsuge and Minato stuff all that much. Both actors are great, but the relationship felt a bit forced. It was all so quick, there’s not much development, there’s no romance. It’s the polar opposite to the Adachi/Kurosawa relationship, and that’s probably the intent. I understand that Goto Yutaro looks younger than he is, and that Asaka Kodai might look a bit older, but I feel like the pushed it too far on making Tsuge look middle aged, even though he’s supposed to be 30. In the end, I feel like we lost too much time with a romance that is not fulfilling, while we could have had more time with Adachi/Kurosawa or with the office characters.
Was this review helpful to you?
Crazy premise, magical story.
I was quite worried when picking up this drama. I had the misconception that it was going to be cringy and full of slow-accidentally-dropping myself on top of my crush moments.While it had that, it also had caring, funny, loving moments from all of these characters. With amazing delivery from all of these actors, none of it feels over-the-top or exaggerated.
Recommend it for the people that are looking for a fun & romantic show to watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Almost Perfect!
In re-assessing my review on this one, I'm reducing the story score a bit. While I was wildly enthusiastic after finishing the last episode, it has since occurred to me that we never really get a payoff for this drama. Among the major BL drama producers, Thailand, Philippines, China, Korea and Japan, the Japanese shows seem to be the most timid about showing same gender intimacy and, indeed, the final scene has the elevator doors closing just before our two heroes kiss. Nevertheless, this was a highly enjoyable show and I loved the chemistry between the two leads. I hope to someday see the movie edit where they may show a little more realistic relationship. The story is also a bit old fashioned compared to, say, the Thai BL dramas that have mostly moved away from well-worn gay relationship cliches.Was this review helpful to you?
A poignant drama full of heart!
'Cherry Magic' is an earnest look into how important communication and empathy is to human relationships. I really liked how despite the setting and age of the characters (working adults in a corporate environment), the series still managed to portray the puppy love of the main couple in a sweet yet believable manner. Despite its over-the-top (yet hilarious, let's be honest) moments, it's surprisingly quite grounded and consistent with its message and themes. The entire cast is endearing and everyone fit their roles perfectly! I haven't read the source material but after this I definitely will be checking it out.It's by far my favorite Japanese BL drama, and probably one of my favorite dramas period.
(Also this is the first time I've ever left a review on any show so I hope that's enough to express how much I enjoyed this.)
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Is this what happiness feels like?
First of all, I am biased when it comes to this drama. I am only gonna sing raises.How do you even make something so precious? I never read the manga which I probably should. Adachi, a meek office worker about to step into his 30th year, suddenly acquires the ability to read peoples mind upon touch alone. Anyone would be scared, seek help, but Adachi decides its just another curve ball life decided to throw at him and he is going to do his ABSOLUTE best to avoid human contact to survive this curse or gift.
He doesn't plan on finding out one of his colleague has feelings for him, but when he does find out circumstances keep bringing them together and Adachi starts seeing the world in a new view.
I have watched this so many times I lost count.
Was this review helpful to you?
So sweet that my teeth are rotting!
I watch a lot of BL, but this one... This one right here is so freaking wholesome! Very few dramas (BL, GL or straight) can pull off emotions without being physical, but this is one of them. There are no kissing scenes, but you can feel the love that they have for each other.I think the message of you don't need magic powers to read someone's mind to get their attention. Adachi just needed to be himself and Kurosawa was ready to accept it all. I re-watch this a lot just to watch Kurosawa smile. It's so dang adorable!
Was this review helpful to you?
Loved it!!
Super cute! I love this show so much and will definitely be rewatching it in the future. I honestly don't remember how I found this show but so glad I did. Adachi was so awkwardly adorable and as a fellow introvert I couldn't help but relate with him and his reactions to certain situations. I also loved the way the relationship between him and Kurosawa grew. The second couple was cute as well. They had their cringy moments although I believe that was the intention. It brought some more humor into the show. The other characters also grow on you especially Rokkaku and Fujisaki. Give this show a chance. As I said before the show is super cute and you won't regret it!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
No payoff. Seriously.
I understand everyone giving this 10/10 and all that but I have one major beef with this series, and it is a big one that I cannot get past.The ENTIRE PREMISE of this revolves around sex. It’s in the TITLE, for gods sake. And much as there are plenty of cutesy moments between the two male leads, we get virtually no payoff. Not even a Big Damn Kiss at the end. There are 12 episodes of this thing, are you not allowed to show even a whisper of them being intimate?? At least the Thai remake, for all its faults, had the usual “let’s get our tops off and do the horizontal mambo” scene; I felt it could have been better but it was something.
So take this for what it’s worth: I personally finished this series and immediately felt that I had wasted my time with it. It was a huge letdown and I bounced off it hard. Definitely not on the rewatch list. Read the other reviews and decide if it’s your thing or not. If you, like me, expect something resembling sex in a series that is literally based on whether a guy has had sex, then you are gonna be disappointed.
Was this review helpful to you?
Must Watch Breath of Fresh Air!
Long review ahead! You have been warned.TLDR: Cherry Magic is a must-watch BL that emphasizes the importance of communication while avoiding harmful BL stereotypes. Kurosawa respects Adachi immensely, which leads to the avoidance of some pretty toxic tropes commonly found in BLs. Adachi slowly falls for Kurosawa through his kind actions instead of through physical advances made. If you want a wholesome romance driven by respect featuring an adorable protagonist and an even more adorable love interest, Cherry Magic is for you!
– SYNOPSIS –
It's hard to come by a show that is original, cute, and moving. Despite its long and rather strange title, Cherry Magic has it all. The show follows anxious and work-oriented Adashi Kiyoshi, who has never had an interest for – or more specifically, confidence for – romance and has remained a virgin his entire life. On the morning of his 30th birthday, however, he finds he is granted the ability to read the minds of whoever he touches. And thus, through these powers, he discovers that the perfect, office prince Kurosawa Yuichi has an intense and fluffy crush on him.
- CHARACTERS -
Adachi is a lovable protagonist who I couldn't help but fall in love with myself. He is constantly losing his mind over what he hears in other people's heads, especially Kurosawa's. Adachi is kind, considerate, and genuine beyond belief, doing everything in his power to make life easier for others. He is a nervous wreck without tapping into the annoying, can't-help-himself whiney stereotype of a protagonist. His development throughout the show is fluid, genuine, and heartwarming. His character arc shows the importance of loving oneself as well as loving those around you fully and wholeheartedly in order to lead a more fulfilling life.
There are many love interests in similar situations as Kurosawa, where they already have feelings for the protagonist before the show began. Kurosawa, however, is unique. I was nervous at first whenever Adachi came into contact with Kurosawa, as I expected coarse and sex-driven thoughts to overpower the show. This could not be further from the truth. Kurosawa is immensely respectful of Adachi's boundaries and shows time and time again just how much he cares for him. His thoughts are filled with nothing but the fluffiest, giddiest and heartwarming feelings for Adachi. There were countless moments in the show where I expected the typical borderline dubcon "stolen kiss" scene when Adachi was asleep, but Kurosawa impressed me time and time again through his care for Adachi. The thought to do anything without Adachi's consent never crosses his mind, and not once did he do anything without Adachi explicitly and enthusiastically agreeing to it. He always has Adachi's well-being at the forefront of his mind when making decisions and advancements in their relationship. I don't think I can fully put across how much I adore Kurosawa, and how great the juxtaposition between his prince-like exterior and his giddy interior is. Genuinely, I believe he is my favorite love interest out of any BL I've seen.
Both actors are both incredibly talented and deserve a lot of love for this production, especially since I've seen the other works that Adachi's actor, Akaso Eiji, took a part in. The man has range!
The second relationship got a lot less screen time and thus is a lot less developed. Things move pretty quickly, but there really is nothing wrong with it otherwise. While there appears to be an age gap, both characters are adults and consent to the relationship so whatever. Tsuge Masato, Adachi's friend, is a hilarious character whose reactions to Minato, his love interest, made me laugh out loud nearly every time. While his over-enthusiastic reactions can be seen as irritating to some viewers, I found them endearing. If their relationship bothers you that much, they take up about 3 minutes of screen time per episode, so skipping over their scenes doesn't take away much. Minato doesn't get much development either, but his blunt and cool personality is a good contrast with Tsuge's nervousness, which creates an interesting dynamic for the time that they are on screen.
- STORY -
Overall, the story was extremely well executed. The progression was smooth, the jokes were funny, and nothing felt too forced or out of place. While there were some annoying tropes that can be found in nearly every BL if you look hard enough, they were nothing major and didn't detract from the story or mood for more than half an episode. Many other irritating tropes and stereotypes were completely broken or ignored completely. Both Adachi and Kurosawa's queerness is never treated as something special, different, or something that should be "othered". They are both queer men and that is it, end of discussion: no "but I've liked girls before I can't possibly be gay!" or "I don't like men... I only like you!" in sight. Additionally, while the number of female characters is limited, their purposes are neither the toxic love rival/drama queen nor the annoying fujoshi. Instead, there is a strong female member of the supporting cast who, while appearing to be a love rival at first, proves to be an independent queen who cheers her friends on in a way that shows she cares about Adachi and Kurosawa beyond the fact that they are in a queer relationship.
Mind-reading tropes can be pretty hit or miss when it comes to romance, as they have the potential to lead to some pretty invading scenes if done incorrectly. Adachi, however, treats his mind-reading powers nobly, using them in situations to help others. While he does use them to gain – for the lack of a better word– an "upper hand" in some tricky social situations, his powers are never used manipulatively or maliciously, and his intentions are always pure if a little misguided at times. Not only is the mind-reading in Cherry Magic an interesting and unique concept, but it also pushes the message that two-way communication in relationships is beyond important. People in real life cannot read minds. The only way for people to know how other's truly feel is if they take the time to communicate their feelings. Adachi knows Kurosawa cannot read people's minds as he can, the only way for Kurosawa to learn about how Adachi feels during the progression of the relationship is through Adachi's words themselves. This message alone is an incredible addition to any romance, but particularly BLs where a frustrating lack of communication appears to be a genre staple.
– CONCLUSION –
Overall, Cherry Magic blew me away, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I finished it. Usually, I find BLs that I can finish in under a day (which is most of the time) forgettable, or nothing too special. For Cherry Magic to only be around 4.5 hours in length and still leave this much of an impression on me is quite the feat, as I am notoriously hard to please. When I sit down and think about it, there is nothing wrong with this show, as any of the few annoying tropes found within are just that: vaguely irritating for around 15 minutes before they are resolved. Something that may irk some people more than it irks me is the fact that the two characters never fully kiss on-screen, or rather, it's all camera angles and well-timed cuts. While this doesn't bother me, since you can tell through literally everything else that happens that the characters love each other, I understand that that can be frustrating to some viewers. Thus: you have been warned.
If you've read this far, thank you, I just needed to get my thoughts out about this phenomenal show!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I am grateful to the spell, as it brought us together.
I'm sorry, it may be a little long, but thanks for reading and writing to it. I apologize in advance for any misspellings.Well, you guys! Our beloved series Cherry Magic has come to an end. Kurosawa and Adachi's story of happy ending - ended.. What can I say. As I see it, opinions are divided over the final episode. Some people are satisfied, and some people expected more than that.
My opinion, when I watched it all, I was a little disappointed, because a lot of people were waiting for the long-awaited kiss, weren't we? Furthermore, I thought the episode was a little premature, perhaps because of the limited playing time and too quickly they moved beyond the questions of 11.ep.. which still hurts. And what was the guarantee that they'd run into each other on top of the Anton building when they didn't talk after the breakup? ... It's a little confusing. Maybe I got a little disillusioned at first and disappointed... This episode was not thoroughly built.. I asked myself: Is that all?! Meg what it is that the side couple gives two weak visible kisses, our main couple gives a barely A kiss at the last minute.. And the elevator closes. And then I slept, and I thought...
I'm a little disappointed because I know adachi has a first in his life: relationship, love, kiss, sex. The question of the latter two things could have been addressed more carefully in how Adachi lives it, because it is a milestone in a person's life. Furthermore, kurosawa's (7!) year-old unbroken love is ripe.. It could have been a little more emotional after being together, the mood or they could have started "sex" the night before and had the kiss or the "engagement" the night before. How romantic it would have been. Anyway, i'm sorry.
But all in all, I'm not completely dissatisfied, since we got sweet moments during the series (forehead kisses, hugs, almost kissing, love look, smile, tears, happiness, confession, lap-carrying, caring, respect, hand-holding walking) and a lot of lessons and a sincere pure love, beautiful character development, especially from Adachi, who finally decides what's important to him. And, of course, a lot of nice happy scenes. It's a great friendship between Adachi and Tsuge to support each other back and forth. I appreciate that, as Tsuge put Adachi in his place. I loved this series also because there was no negative character (maybe only Keita, Minato's ex-lover). Everyone supported each other at some level.
We got finally a cute bed scene as well. (adachi, Kurosawa). And.. Adachi eventually lost his magic and virginity. And an "elevator" - KISS, which finally happens, but they don't let us look deeper, they left it to our imaginations. .. That it was arranged this way on purpose or the strict rules, agency, contract, respect, who knows. I don't think the reason really matters, because as I watched the Tsuge and Minato couple, they even though they give me two weak kisses, it's also essentially worthless, at least to me, because I haven't seen much progress in their relationship. They were cute, but that's all, but they got through it too fast. And they almost didn't attract my attention.. (but I liked Tsuge very much by himself, very fain and funny, I laughed about it a lot). So.. I figured it out. Any way you look at it. Even if episode 12 is a little hasty and incomplete and doesn't meet everyone's needs, I'm finally satisfied because this series warmed my heart, and the boys (Adachi-Eiji Akaso, Kurosawa - Keita Machida) really gave it their all, the chemistry was amazing. And as you can see, they loved working together. And I also realized that they didn't really need a "fulfilled" kiss and romantic "sex" and excessive intimacy (bed scene) because that's how it was nice how they closed it, as they finally kissed each other with the door closing, and they both proved to me that their love was huge and unforgettable! This series teaches you that you can't be in a shell for the rest of your life, especially when a person who loves you because you're you, and you do have to trust yourself, even if you don't succeed at first. I trust season two because there's not enough of them. I'd like to see more Kurodachi! Adachi and Kurosawa be happy!
I wish you all a happy holiday! Thank you if you've read it all along. I want your opinion.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Quiet Rewatch That Belongs to Machida Keita Alone
I came back to this series on a rewatch, and funny enough, it landed a bit differently the second time around. A couple of years ago it barely registered — no “wow” factor, very sweet, almost too sweet, and honestly a bit forgettable. Part of that is probably on me: BL as a genre isn’t really my natural habitat. I tend to lean more towards bromance with some narrative backbone — crime, legal, office politics — something with a bit more grit. Pure romance, especially when it tips into the saccharine, can feel slightly artificial to me.That said, the rewatch had a clear agenda: Machida Keita. And here the series absolutely delivers. What struck me most is how understated his acting is. There’s a particular softness in his gaze — a kind of quiet, attentive tenderness you usually associate with how people look at someone they genuinely care about. It never feels forced. If anything, he carries the emotional credibility of the whole story on his shoulders, and makes it look effortless.
The issue, for me, lies elsewhere — I found myself struggling with Akaso Eiji’s performance. He’s clearly a good-looking actor, very easy on the eye, and there’s nothing overtly “wrong” with what he’s doing — and yet something feels slightly off. A bit stiff, a bit overly constructed. It might be an acting choice, or even a directing decision about how “shyness” should read on screen, but the body language and facial expressions didn’t quite ring true for me. I had a similar reaction to him in Super Rich, so perhaps it’s just a mismatch with my personal viewing preferences.
As for the chemistry — interestingly uneven. Machida seems capable of generating chemistry with just about anyone; he’s that kind of actor. Here, though, it felt somewhat one-sided. I wasn’t fully convinced by the dynamic as a whole, even if individual moments worked.
Still, I wouldn’t dismiss the series. What it does rather well is portray a surprisingly healthy emotional dynamic. Machida’s character is composed, emotionally regulated, respectful of boundaries — in short, an adult. There’s a grounded quality to the relationship that’s actually quite refreshing, especially within a genre that often leans into heightened emotions and idealisation.
So, if you’re in the mood for a quiet, low-stakes romance and, more importantly, if you appreciate Machida Keita’s brand of subtle, introspective acting, this is an easy, pleasant watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
