Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (2020)

A-DO-RABLES (⁠◕⁠દ⁠◕⁠)

C'est la relation la plus saine que je n'ai jamais vu ! ( Dans un drama j'entends, que ce soit BL ou romance hétérosexuelle )
Les deux personnages sont respectueux, à l'écoute et profondément amoureux ! Un bonheur ! Ils sont très beaux et mignons ensemble !
Adachi est hyper attachant car on s'identifie à son côté " Je pense trop ", et lui et Kurosawa sont vraiment adorables (⁠´⁠ε⁠｀⁠ ⁠)
Le couple secondaire est aussi profondément génial et mignon, ainsi que tous les personnages secondaires !

SPOIL : L'histoire est originale et le moment où ils se réconcilient dans le dernier épisode est magnifique, surtout la déclaration de Kurosawa sur le fait que sans la Magie ils ne seraient jamais sorti ensemble ! J'adore Kurosawa, il est si compréhensif et à l'écoute ! La déclaration ( la demande en " mariage " ) est aussi très touchante. Non, franchement, rien à dire, j'aime beaucoup !

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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.

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Cherry Magic es una dulce historia sobre un joven tímido, con poca confianza en sí mismo, al que le es difícil interactuar con otros, por lo que nunca ha intentado tener una relación romántica con alguien. Le tomé mucho cariño a Adachi, es un poco torpe y con el corazón muy noble. Al inicio no quiere tener la habilidad de leer la mente, pero al no poder evitarlo, usa lo que aprende de las personas para ayudarles y brindarles confort, si está en sus manos.

Kurosawa se ganó mi cariño de la misma forma. Es el tipo de persona que desea darle el cielo y las estrellas a quien ama, incluso si no están en una relación. El amor que siente por Adachi nunca falló en poner una sonrisa en mi rostro.

Kurosawa y Adachi son la pareja más adorable que he visto hasta ahora en el mundo del bl. La forma en que ambos desean hacer feliz al otro, la construcción de su relación, con todo y los miedos de arruinarla, las escenas domésticas, las citas, abrazos, toques...

Kurosawa quiere ayudar a Adachi para que se dé cuenta de lo asombro que es, encuentre sus objetivos y los persiga, mientras Adachi quiere estar junto a Kurosawa para reconfortarlo y corresponder a todos los gestos llenos de amor que éste le da.

Hay una pareja secundaria formada por Tsuge Masato, un escritor de novelas de romance, y Wataya Minato, un repartidor y apasionado bailarín. Aunque no me sentí tan apegada a ellos, era divertido ver al pobre Tsuge sin saber qué hacer respecto a su crush con Minato.

Fujisaki merece una mención especial porque fue un toque agradable, no sólo por ser muy linda e inteligente, también porque pone en la mesa el hecho de que no todas las personas quieren o necesitan una relación para ser felices.

Sin duda, Cherry Magic se ha posicionado en mi top de BLs favoritos y estoy lista para recomendarlo por todas partes porque merece mucho cariño. Espero encontrarme más historias con personajes tan entrañables y divertidos como Adachi y Kurosawa.

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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!

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Un buen producto en un momento erróneo

Por azares del destino, llegué primero a la adaptación tailandesa que a esta y, de manera inequívoca, esto ha tenido una gran influencia en mi percepción de la obra. Donde la tailandesa sobresale, esta se queda corta. Y es comprensible, por un lado, porque el tiempo de duración prácticamente se duplica en Tailandia. Por otro, porque el hecho de centrar la historia en TayNew hizo que el personaje que aquí es Kurosawa ganase en riqueza y profundidad.
He estado reflexionando si me importa la falta de intimidad entre los personajes y, después de darle unas cuantas vueltas, creo que no es la problemática más importante. No tener ni un beso, a sabiendas de que han tenido relaciones, no me importa. Es más la sensación de que Adachi no llega a estar conectado emocionalmente con Kurosawa ni en los momentos más avanzados de la relación. Y es curioso, porque pensaba que Achi, la versión de New, era un personaje naif, pero veo que los guionistas hicieron maravillas con el contenido del que partían, que asumo tampoco es cien por cien este, al no tratarse directamente del manga.
Probablemente, me acabe viendo la adaptación animada también, porque considero que la obra está llena de green flags y eso me basta, pero me hubiera hecho muy feliz que Cherry Magic me gustase tanto como lo hizo Cherry Magic TH. Y siento que un buen producto llegase a mí en un momento erróneo.

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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!

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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.

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Simple fluffy cute romance

I love this coz this drama is simple n cute without too many unwanted twists🙃..the actors did a great job in portraying their character. I hate dramas with complicated love triangle so i felt happy as this drama was simple loveline bw the male leads.🥰.If u look 4 intimate scenes then you wont get 🤗but for a fluffy romance go 4 this 😉
I hope it had music ..thats disappointing. For one watch this drama is ok but for rewatch i don't think so..personal opinion 😇
I hope they have another drama together..
And for the second couple..i really love their character..i felt that they had less scenes and i was anticipating 4 their scenes..but no luck .i also felt that female support role was unnecessary. Atleast she should have given more clear storyline
Altogether it was an ok drama

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Maravilhosa

Ao contrário da grande maioria, eu sou fã incondicional dos BL's japoneses, apesar de reconhecer que eles normalmente tem um humor meio exagerado e personagens caricatos, com atuações extravagantes. Por muito tempo me perguntei se era assim que eles agiam na vida real, já que os dramas eram assim.

Sobre Cherry Magic, foi uma união perfeita de um roteiro apaixonante, uma direção excelente, e atores que muito além da química, conseguiram incorporar os personagens de tal forma que é difícil imaginar outras pessoas interpretando-os.

A história tinha tudo pra ser um clichê de escritório, que tinha o único diferencial da magia. Magia só funciona em BL's se o roteiro for magnífico, e foi assim... De início percebi que minhas percepções iniciais iriam por água abaixo, e que seria difícil prever o fim da série. A personalidade de Adashi era muito simplória. Alguém que não se tem em alta conta, inseguro, que não percebe as próprias qualidades, tem pouquíssimos amigos, sempre acha que os outros são melhores e vive apenas um dia de cada vez, sempre achando que nada vai mudar. Já Kurosawa, é o homem mais cobiçado do escritório, todos sentem inveja dele, é incrivelmente seguro, competente e sabe de suas qualidades, apesar de não se achar superior a ninguém. Um ponto bem interessante, é que Kurosawa entende que é gay e se aceita, sem maiores dramas... Ele não se declara para Adachi de imediato apenas por medo de não ser correspondido.

Aqui temos um paradoxo: Kurosawa, que é o aparentemente mais corajoso, não tem coragem de se expôr de imediato. Já Adachi, medroso por natureza, ao descobrir seus poderes, apesar do susto inicial, recebe bem a dádiva, e a usa para se aproximar de Adachi ao saber dos sentimentos dele, num ato de muita coragem.

A série tem muito humor, claro. O casal secundário é bem fofo e quebra padrões, quando mostra um casal com diferença de idade perceptível. Amei esse detalhe. Assim como também amei a colega de escritório, que a princípio pensei que seria uma pedra no sapato. Sem falar nos virgens pedindo conselhos um ao outro.

Quando eles ficam juntos é algo surreal de lindo... a série tem uma química tão grande que não teve necessidade de beijos e cenas quentes.

Algo que achei estranho foi a falta de mostrar as famílias, mas não acho isso um grande problema. A única coisa que não gostei foi o fato deles serem tão bem resolvidos e manterem seu amor escondido, como se fosse errado.

Sobre aspectos técnicos, apenas elogios. A única coisa que eu não gostei muito foi da ost, de resto, tudo maravilhoso.

A série teve dois especiais, cada um focado num casal. Nada de novo, apenas um pequeno spin- off de como eles estavam felizes. O filme que se seguiu é super interessante. Mostra a vida deles depois de um tempo juntos, superando os desafios comuns da vida a dois. A série fez um sucesso tão grande, que esse ano (2023) a Tailândia está fazendo sua própria versão.

Enfim, amei a série, os especiais, o filme. Recomendo muito. Os episódios não são muito longos e vc pode maratonar em um dia.

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More than a BL Fantasy series

Honestly, I dropped this series after 2 episodes 2 years ago. I felt exhausted with Adachi character. Rewatching it this time taught me a huge lesson: It will not always be fireworks at first but given the opportunity and time, it may not just be fireworks but dancing beautiful colors along with it.
Best part I love about this series is how it didn't end in just their romance story but it included dealing with their filial responsibilities. I love the bravenes of Adachi of wanting their parents' blessings and fighting for it.
The animation for this is slightly different in few areas but I like it the same. Still turned out satisfying to watch. I did flinch a bit couple of times for the overreaction in some scenes that is typical of Japanese series.
Overall, I will recommend this series and don't stop there. Watch the movie because it has a lot more to offer.

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More than meets the eye

I had 0 expectations with this one. The title isn't really helping and the premise is a bit...strange. However, I was, for the most part, pleasantly surprised.

I don't know the manga this was based on, but this adaptation really smoothed a lot of edges of what "regular BL content" is mostly like. They took a story that could have been yet another one of those, and gave it a lot of heart, polishing some (not all) of the problematic aspects of storylines that play in the edge between representation and fanservice.

The main relationship is devoid of a lot of the toxic tropes you normally get, not only in BL content, but in romantic dramas in general. The premise of the lead being able to read thoughts makes it so that the situation could have gone into a serious dub-con territory and it never did. The relationship progresses in a natural, interesting way and the mind-reading assists in telling the story, rather than provoke unnecessary complications.

The absolute gem for me in this one was the first ever canon aroace character I've seen in a jdrama. I've found ace and aroace characters in manga before (few and far between) but this is the first time that, not only I see one in a jdrama, they are also confirmed by the writing team. I won't spoil which character this is, so I'll remain ambiguous with my description, but it's not one of the two mains, it's a side-character. Not only are they iconic, they're also depicted as loving, caring and a fantastic friend, and that's the kind of aroace representation I want.

My only issue with the drama was the side couple. It made me kinda uncomfortable, I'm not gonna lie. Minato (Goto Yutaro) looked incredibly young and Masato (Asaka Kodai) looked even older than he is. I'm glad Minato wasn't supposed to be a teen, and that at least the actor was older than he seemed, but I couldn't help feeling pretty uncomfortable with their development, especially since they had more physical scenes than the lead couple, albeit nothing major.

All in all, I wanted to leave a review because 1) I was super close to not watching this at all, based on the marketing and title and 2) it has an aroace character and pretty good handle of relationships, for the most part. I'm glad I gave it a chance.

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