This review may contain spoilers
I am new to watching BL series even though I am gay but this was such a light-hearted drama, it's a cool way to start my ventures towards the sea of BL dramas with this. I like the acting, I think it suits them very well, the story was a bit straight-forward but it's good and I loved the drama. The ending was a bit empty for me, well not that empty but it feels incomplete? Maybe it's just me wanting more of them but I've watched the special episode already and it looks good. The story about Adachi's friend and the delivery man is what makes me feel off with the drama, although it's good, I always seem to skip parts whenever it's just about Adachi's friend love story, it felt creepy to me in some ways, maybe because of the casting of the guy but nonetheless it is a great drama to watch if you're starting to watch or new to BL series. The entire premise of the drama too is about virginity but they didn't have a full-on kissing scene or at least a light erotic scene relating to that which is underwhelming but it is what it is then.The highlights of the drama for me is Rokkaku's character, I love him so much, he doesn't feel like one of those annoying characters for me even though his characters acts like that, I think he played the character well and I love it. I also like the song and especially Adachi's and Kurosawa's acting.
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I rewatched this to prove myself wrong but Cherry Magic is still the gold standard for a reason
It might be late for a review, but I just recently rewatched Cherry Magic while carefully re-ranking my top 15 Japanese BLs. It’s been about 4 years, and I mainly revisited it to sort out my feelings between this and School Trip. For a long time, I thought Cherry Magic only held a special place because it was my first Japanese BL, so I ranked School Trip higher. Turns out, I was wrong lol. Rewatching it reminded me exactly why I fell in love with this series in the first placeStory
The premise still feels refreshing even years later. The show moves at a steady, confident pace and knows exactly when to lean into comedy and when to sit quietly with its emotional moments. Nothing feels dragged, nothing feels rushed. It’s restrained in a way other BLs don’t always manage.
Both protagonists are immediately likable without needing justification. Kurosawa is the textbook definition of a green flag, but what really anchors the show is Adachi. His low self-esteem and quiet awkwardness feel painfully real, especially as someone who’s been a corporate worker. Office dramas rarely focus on employees like him. I mean... the introverted, unconfident, overlooked ones who just blend into the background of an office and seeing that reflected made the character hit harder. For once, I could actually see myself on screen
The supporting cast is just as thoughtfully handled. Fujisaki stood out to me even more this time, an aro representation and a woman in a BL who isn’t villainized felt genuinely progressive, especially for its time. It’s also refreshing how the show never pits women against the romance. Rokkaku, meanwhile, is charming and funny without being annoying
I initially thought Tsuge’s storyline would function just as the secondary couple, and while I still feel that his relationship with Minato is underdeveloped, Masato’s role works thematically. He’s odd, a little uncomfortable, and clearly not meant to be easily digestible and I actually appreciate that this time. Cherry Magic isn’t afraid to introduce characters and tropes that feel awkward or offbeat, then gently humanize them instead of sanding off their rough edges. It trusts the audience to sit with that discomfort
Acting
There’s really no debate here. The performances are natural across the board. None of the exaggerated, anime or manga-coded acting that often plagues Japanese drama and everything feels lived-in and grounded
Music
It’s funny revisiting this now because I completely forgot this show was what got me into Omoinotake. It became a gateway for me to dig deeper into their music. The musical score used throughout the show is pretty good, and I honestly didn’t notice it much on my first watch
Rewatch Value
This might be the one area where the show doesn’t fully win for me. It’s not as instantly rewatchable as fluffier BLs, and I did feel myself getting tired during this revisit 3 years ago. That said, time works in its favor. Rewatching it years later made me appreciate it more deeply, almost like discovering it again for the first time
At the end of the day, Cherry Magic holds up not because of nostalgia but it’s just damn good storytelling. In a genre that usually tries way too hard to be loud or 'extra,' this show has the balls to be sincere. It’s not trying to sell you a fantasy but it’s showing you the terrifying, messy, and eventually beautiful process of letting someone actually see you. It’s confident, it’s kind, and it’s remarkably human. I came back to it thinking I’d grown out of it but it turns out I just finally grew into the person who could appreciate why it’s a masterpiece
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Sugar, spice and everything nice - Key secrets to a quaint midnight drama’s success
This review will be mainly about the main characters and actors.There is something about Cherry Magic that is definitely binge-watch and rewatch worthy. No villains, no fuss and minimal angst throughout. The opening and ending songs are nice, although the overall soundtrack wasn’t as memorable to me but somewhat fits with the drama’s quirks.
The love between colleagues, friends and partners presented in this drama is as universal as it gets. It lets the viewers know it is okay to have no romantic attachment to anyone as long as you valued and be content with yourself. It lets the viewers know it is okay to shamelessly chasing your dreams as well as abandoning your past dreams in pursuit of something new and exciting. It lets the viewers know the importance of mutual consent, patience, understanding and good communication when it comes to loving someone who valued less of themselves.
As the actors of Kurosawa and Adachi, Machida Keita and Akaso Eiji put a lot of thoughts into how their actions correspond with each other whether those scenes are improv or not. Most of the scenes were delivered well non-verbally and voiceovers were added in later to showcase Adachi’s mind reading ability. Viewers who rewatch would definitely notice the slight touches added to the characters throughout the episodes.
Kurosawa is the character that some viewers could easily relate to if they have yearned and loved someone the same way Kurosawa did. Machida’s rendition of Kurosawa did bore some resemblance from Oliver in “Call Me By Your Name” - both characters possessed the same gentlemanly charms, the earnest to love wholeheartedly and the unfortunately good facade to maintain people’s expectations. It seems Machida might have drew some inspiration from CMBYN. Be rest assured that Cherry Magic’s screenwriter didn’t pull out an Oliver move in the end, or else the viewers would have gone full Elio mode.
Machida did micro-expression quite well and delivered his scenes with proper tension and impeccable chemistry when it comes to Akaso. It was a joy to see Machida’s soft and courteous mannerism after seeing many of his aggressive roles in other LDH-produced films or series.
Kurosawa could have easily become many viewers’ favourite and could have completely overshadow Adachi in this drama.
That’s what I have predicted initially and luckily that didn’t happened.
Akaso’s rendition of Adachi at first seemed to be a bit overly comical in first few episodes but gradually improving as Adachi gets closer with his peers. Some of Adachi’s comical scenes reminded me of Haruta from “Ossan’s Love” - as it turns out both actors are from the same talent agency.
Nonetheless there seemed to be some bits of Akaso in Adachi. In contrast with some of Akaso’s past acting roles, his other roles didn’t feel the same way as Adachi did. It felt as if Akaso has fully immersed himself in the role of Adachi, delivering Adachi’s vulnerability in a way that shines most during these crucial scenes with Machida (Note: confession scene in Episode 7; breakdown scene in Episode 11; rooftop scene in Episode 12).
Akaso’s innate boyish flairs and doe-like eyes emote awkwardly shy Adachi adorably despite being dressed less fashionable than his peers. Seeing how Adachi wavers emotionally and gradually becoming more braver and livelier because of the people around him is what made this drama worthwhile til the end.
Here’s my 2 cents to wrap up this review, there are some things that screenwriter, director or producer have to take note of when it comes to maintaining their viewers’ expectation. Teasing viewers with certain scenes that didn’t end up being delivered in the end could easily hampered with viewers’ overall experience of the drama. It is better not to tease at something that was never intended to be shown or included in script in the end.
Being able to show Adachi’s bit of validation towards Kurosawa like a peck on the forehead would have been a full circle to this story. Plus it could easily make my queer heart weak and this drama could have been an easy 10.
Special thanks to everyone who were involved in the making of this drama in the amidst of pandemic. It was enjoyable to have something endearing to look forward to every week.
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This review may contain spoilers
Worth rewatching
I am biased because I have completely fallen for Eiji Akaso. He is too adorable and acts so well in this drama. I like the fact that unlike other BL that can sometimes be too physical (not that I’m complaining), this plot is more about the inner thoughts and the journey to self awakening. Some will say it is for those still in the closet, or for highly introverted. For me this is very engaging because it was like taking a walk down memory lane to my 1st relationship. I like the scripting of the show very much. Very refreshing indeed.Was this review helpful to you?
Cherry Magic!
"Cherry Magic" is a unique and heartwarming Japanese series that follows Adachi, a shy 30-year-old man who has never been in a relationship. On his 30th birthday, he magically gains the ability to read people's thoughts through touch. This power turns his life upside down, especially when he accidentally touches his co-worker, Kurosawa, who harbors romantic feelings for him.The series blends humor, romance, and fantasy in a light yet emotional way. Adachi’s innocence and Kurosawa’s caring nature create a sweet dynamic that makes the story even more touching. Viewers will be moved by Adachi’s journey.Was this review helpful to you?
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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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A disappointment. And yes, my rating is lower because of the cat.
I heard a lot of positive opinions about CM and couldn't wait to watch it but instead of a beautiful love story, I got one of the most weird and unbalanced relationships in my BL history. All Adachi does throughout the show is being awkward, nervous and tense around the person he is supposedly falling for. It's absolutely understandable at the beginning, but I really hoped that he would be very very slowly opening to Kurosawa. But no. Nothing changes when he admits that he likes him too. Nothing changes when they are in a relationship. Nothing changes when they finally have sex, which should theoretically bring them closer, make him feel more comfortable. I mean, he doesn't even want to hold Kurosawa's hand. To cuddle. To be close. Nothing. It seems to me that he didn't really fall in love, he just knew that Kurosawa truly loves him and would never hurt him and decided that being who he is, his chances to find a better, safer person are close to zero.Kurosawa in turn is loving, patient, noble, handsome, hard-working, sensitive, smart, kind... put any positive characteristic here and yes, he has it all. He's been pining for Adachi for years, had his heart broken a number of times and he never wavers. Like seriously, is he even human? Why wasn't he even a little angry when Adachi chose his gift (which he wanted to get rid of anyway) over him? Why didn't he get even a little bit frustrated when he showered Adachi with love and affection and got absolutely nothing in return? I cannot say that his love is entirely healthy, because he is willing to sacrifice anything for Adachi, to the point where he actually loses himself and any remains of self-esteem he could have had.
I liked Tsuge as a character, he was perhaps a little too expressive, but overall him being a confined, awkward virgin was portrayed quite well. I don't really understand why Minato looked like a 15 year old, the actor himself is much older so I guess it was intentional, but it made Tsuge look exactly like a creepy uncle he didn't want to be.
And the last straw, Udon the cat. I felt so uncomfortable watching episode 5, I mean the scene when Minato visits Tsuge and plays with the cat. There is a moment when he holds Udon in his arms and the cat is twisting and squirming to get free, but Minato just grips it tighter. For a few moments the cat ends up hanging in the air, while Minato only holds it by one leg, and it looked really painful. I don't even want to think what happened to that poor animal behind the scenes.
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Awkwardly sweet
I think this is THE best Japanese BL out there. I've seen many LGBTQ dramas and all those dramas have similar aspects. Yet this drama is so refreshing. Something not done before. (I will spare you a detailed explanation of the story)In this story there are two male (lead) characters. One of the guys can read minds and discovers that his colleague (aka the other lead) likes him. The best part is that he is totally nonjudgmental against his colleague being gay or even himself being potentially being gay. This makes the story just really sweet and a light-hearted watch.
The contrast between the two male leads, one of them being shy and one of them being confident, is reallyy cute and it is really well portrayed.
I really liked the side couple too. It made the story a whole lot funnier. Just seeing the male's best friend struggling with life and in his love life.. in my country (The NL) we call it "leedvermaak" (enjoying someone's pain-ish and struggles haha)
Overall, I'd recommend this drama. I'd recommend it more as a light watch than a really deep story (though it is about learning how to be confident and speaking up for yourself; so it has some deep subjects).
If you want to enjoy yourself and feel your heart flutter, than I'd say: "Watch this story!"
Spoiler!:
There are no kisses but the tension between the male leads makes it unnecessary. It's sweet enough! It was so sweet that I didn't even notice that there was no kiss!
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The actors played their roles very well. I like the lead couple better mainly because they weren't as chaotic as the second couple. I also like the fact that there was asexual character, which I think is rare in East Asian productions.
In my opinion, having magic like mind reading, the problems and positive things associated with it, is a good metaphor of how important communication is in relationships.
I really love this drama. It was cute but emotional.
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The journey of a first love, but most of all, the joy of loving and being loved
I can't believe I put this show off for so long. It's truly one of the greats among BL dramas but I think just in general with romance (Japanese) dramas, it's incredibly well done in such a short amount of time. This drama is only 10 episodes (with 2 extras) and about 23 minutes. The progression of their relationship still felt very natural.I watched all the episodes in one go and it gave me the fullest enjoyment: I cried when there was heartbreak and fear, I laughed at Adachi's panics but also just the awkward but sincere attempts to meet each other halfway, and I smiled so much during all the sweet and cathartic moments.
Cherry Magic is about the fumbles to first love, in which Adachi Kiyoshi, a thirty-year-old virgin--who has never been in a relationship--gains the magical ability to hear people's thoughts through touch and tries to figure out himself and how he feels about his handsome and cool co-worker Kurosawa Yuichi--who is in love with him.
Adachi Kiyoshi's growth from his shell to becoming more confident & his consideration and gradual intimacy with Kurosawa Yuichi is so satisfying. Also, to see that Kurosawa Yuichi is such a wholesome and thoughtful man toward Adachi, wanting the best for Adachi--it's so wonderful to see.
There isn't angst as in a lot of bitter and angry fighting or dumb jealousies & misunderstands but more of a lot of internal struggles and overcoming one's own insecurities, especially on Adachi's part who hasn't been in a relationship before and thus feels insecure about the right thing to say or do.
This drama has everything and is so delightful. It's emotional and uplifting.
I really wish I could see these actors in another production again--with the same crew and director as well. I'm so grateful to the whole production: the great directing, the fantastic acting, and of course, much love to the creator of the manga and also the writers that adapted it to this live adaptation. This whole drama is perfect.
An additional note: BL dramas sometimes lean too heavily on their own tropes or feels a bit too cliché but this drama was able to feel very natural and, when it does have a cliché, it's still refreshing. Also, what I'm saying is that in BL drama world, sometimes there's an expectation that the couples will face backlash from the homophobic society. I get it. That's a realistic part of society. However, I also enjoy BL dramas that say "nah. we're not going to let homophobes have a chance in this story" and just doesn't put our characters through that. Good for them.
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Must watch! (Not so helpful review, but you might find it entertaining to read... maybe)
As I was an avid fan of Thai BL, I completed most that were accessible to me. Although I must say, I was getting quite bored of the same plot being reused repeatedly. Therefore I had to find new BL, this search led me to Japanese BL. I have only completed a few, but I can say that I am truly satisfied. After a few Youtube searches and a couple Instagram scrolls later, I found this. Cherry Magic! Now, I won't lie, at first I was not interested in this BL at all. From the content I saw based on the drama and my desperate needs of a new show, I gave it a try. I absolutely fell in love. I have never been the type to watch this type of BL, so it was a new experience for me. I found it so unique. The whole 12 episodes made me laugh and smile, exception given to episode 11 & 12 though haha. I could not imagine this drama with different actors, and yes, it is most likely because I'm attached to them but putting that fact aside, the actors suit the characters and portrayed them so well! This drama was so worth the 6 hours I spent watching it today. My review might not be very helpful, but I like writing them anyways because if I didn't write my thoughts down I might just explode hahaha. So overall, Cherry Magic!, was refreshing to watch and definitely raised my standards.Was this review helpful to you?
The idea of the story itself is different than others BL series that released in 2020, but with a great execution this series become greater and get a line with another top 5 series of that year. This is also because of the supported from the acting of the main players who are quite capable of their characters,
Through the first 3 episodes I always got a hype of 2gether, even the smiley face that I made was the same when I watched that one.
I think for this year, I will trying to watch more series from East Asian Countries.
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