Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
2 people found this review helpful
by Jero
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 place
Story
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
Story
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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