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Review: Cherry Magic (30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい) (2020)
This was pretty cute XD I would recommend it as a bite sized BL romance mini drama.
Spoilers.
Story
Adachi discovered that upon turning thirty years old and still being a virgin, he acquired the power to read minds by touching someone (through clothes works too). With this power, Adachi found himself getting close to his crush, among other friends in the office.
The runtime of the entire drama was quite short, so there wasn't really any filler. Most of the story was either about Adachi's relationship with his crush Kurosawa, or making new friends in the office, including Rokkaku and Fujisaki.
I liked that the drama didn't end with Adachi and Kurosawa getting together. We saw them dating for a bit and we saw how they interacted as a romantic couple. I also like that the powers were more of a tool to help Adachi and Tsuge understand the importance of communication. Though it was a tool that got them what they wanted, it was important that they realize that this could not go on.
Adachi and Kurosawa's relationship was all very cute, and I liked that it wasn't too overly cheesy/cringy. The dialogue had some cheesy moments, but it did not overdo it like I've seem in some other BL series.
I didn't enjoy the Tsuge/Minato story line as much though, mostly because we barely saw them interact. Tsuge's acting was also more along the lines of a comedy rather than a romance, so it was a bit difficult to see them as a serious couple.
Production
I think the actors were all very well cast, and they were able to act their characters in such a charming way.
I'm not sure what the budget was for this show, but regardless, I never thought that it looked cheap. There were only a handful of settings - the office, Adachi and Kurosawa's homes, the restaurant, etc. - but never did I feel like the story was limited.
So the way that everything came together felt very comfortable to me as the viewer whether it was the story, the dialogue, the acting, the costumes & props.
Characters
Adachi Kiyoshi
Within the first episode I was already marvelling about how cute Adachi was. He was very well cast as the shy 30 year old Adachi. While he was shy and a bit of a pushover, he also did feel like a 30 year old. And maybe it's because I'm nearly a 30 year old virgin myself, that I really related to Adachi.
At first, Adachi disliked his powers. They freaked him out, and he rearranged his schedule so that he would touch as few people as possible. But things changed when he found out that Kurosawa had feelings for him.
With the help of his powers, Adachi became close to several people in his life, whether it was Kurosawa, or his other friends. So his powers did help him in that regard, to remind him that the scary people around him are still just people who have the same worries and wants as him.
But by the end of the drama, as Tsuge advised him, he couldn't rely on his powers to do the talking for him. He had to learn to communicate with his words out loud to form connections. And the payoff for doing so were great. Now he had friends around him, and a very lovely boyfriend.
Kurosawa Yuichi
Kurosawa was the office heartthrob who also had a crush on Adachi. Kurosawa started crushing on Adachi after a company party in which Kurosawa messed up by rejecting a company higher up's advances. I think he liked that Adachi was sensitive and sympathetic to his struggles, unlike everybody else who thought that he just got by with his good looks.
Kurosawa's journey during the drama was pretty straightforward. He was just trying to get closer to the very shy Adachi. It took a while for Adachi to open up, but Kurosawa was pleased every time Adachi would give in a bit.
Even when Adachi revealed his powers, Kurosawa let Adachi make the decision of what would become of them. I guess Kurosawa felt that Adachi having powers wasn't manipulative because Kurosawa had already liked Adachi before he had his powers.
It was Adachi who sought out Kurosawa to make up, and then Kurosawa proposed to him with matching pens, which seemed a bit too rushed, since Kurosawa compared the pens to rings, but I will let them off the hook lol.
Tsuge Masato
Tsuge was Adachi's friend from college who was also an introverted virgin. He fell in love with the delivery boy, Minato.
There were things about Tsuge that I liked and disliked.
I really liked Tsuge and Adachi's relationship. They were both lonely and introverted, and I would argue that only they truly understood each other. They didn't even need their mind reading powers to understand each other because they were both in the same boat. And every time Adachi supported Tsuge was extremely cute.
As I mentioned above, I didn't really enjoy Tsuge and Minato's relationship because I couldn't really tell how Tsuge fell in love with Minato. Tsuge didn't say whether he thought Minato was cute, or what he enjoyed about Minato's visits. One day, he just realized he was in love with Minato, but I just didn't see it.
In addition, Tsuge definitely played a more comedic role compared to every other character in the drama. It worked because I think his actor was committed enough, but I'm just wondering why the writers made the decisions that they did with regards to what actions his character took.
Wataya Minato
Honestly, Minato didn't have much of a personality. He was just "cute boy," but we barely saw him to know what his personality was like. That was part of the reason I found his relationship with Tsuge not very believable.
Rokkaku Yuta
Rokkaku was an employee at the same company as Adachi and Kurosawa. At first, Adachi was annoyed that Rokkaku invited them to a party celebrating his success because that was going to be Adachi and Kurosawa's first date, but Adachi later realized that Rokkaku had his own share of struggles, which Adachi related to.
Though Rokkaku was extremely energetic, he was happy and easygoing, and Adachi warmed up to him quickly.
Fujisaki Nozomi
Fujisaki was an employee at the same company as Adachi and Kurosawa. Other coworkers seemed to pair them together since they were both single. Urabe thought Adachi had a crush on Fujisaki, and some female coworkers had suggested Adachi posing as Fujisaki's boyfriend in front of her parents.
Fujisaki herself seemed very happy and kindhearted, which probably intimidated Adachi quite a bit. Through his mind reading powers, Adachi realized that Fujisaki had a crush on him, but that she respected his relationship with Kurosawa. In addition, Adachi discovered that Fujisaki was also dealing with problems of loneliness herself, which made her seem less intimidating.
Fujisaki sensed that things were going on between Adachi and Kurosawa, and had even tried to help Kurosawa plan a date. When she realized that they weren't going to have fireworks for their date, she decided to set some fireworks off for the couple, with Rokkaku's help.
Urabe Kengo
Urabe was a coworker of Adachi's. At the beginning of the drama, he would keep piling his work onto Adachi's. But over the course of the drama, he seemed to become kinder, looking out for hiim when Adachi seemed busy. I'm not sure what caused his change of heart though. It seemed to kind of have come out of nowhere.
Themes
Communication
I really liked that the mind reading powers were portrayed as a temporary boost and not something that was sustainable long term.
Tsuge told Adachi that it wasn't that he missed his powers, but that he understood how important it was to say the things that he needed to say out loud.
Adachi's idea of paperclips with messages didn't make the final cut, but I think it was kind of a sign to him that the paperclips can't do the talking for him. Things have to come out of his own mouth if he wants to express them.
Friendship
I liked that the show didn't only focus on how Adachi and Kurosawa got together. I mean, I won't lie, this was why I watched the drama. But the inclusion of meaningful friendships enhanced the atmosphere of the drama so much, and made it feel so much more friendly.
Adachi and Tsuge's relationship was cute and I like how they were each other's moral support when they had no one.
It was also really fun how Adachi made friends with Rokkaku and Fujisaki. Since Adachi probably spent so much time at work, it was important that it was as friendly of an atmosphere as possible.
Overall
I expected a fun little romcom, and this drama delivered. The script was actually quite well done. It was cute and slightly cheesy and not overly dramatic. The cast did really well. The costumes and sets suited the story. Everything came together well and I had a good time watching this.
Spoilers.
Story
Adachi discovered that upon turning thirty years old and still being a virgin, he acquired the power to read minds by touching someone (through clothes works too). With this power, Adachi found himself getting close to his crush, among other friends in the office.
The runtime of the entire drama was quite short, so there wasn't really any filler. Most of the story was either about Adachi's relationship with his crush Kurosawa, or making new friends in the office, including Rokkaku and Fujisaki.
I liked that the drama didn't end with Adachi and Kurosawa getting together. We saw them dating for a bit and we saw how they interacted as a romantic couple. I also like that the powers were more of a tool to help Adachi and Tsuge understand the importance of communication. Though it was a tool that got them what they wanted, it was important that they realize that this could not go on.
Adachi and Kurosawa's relationship was all very cute, and I liked that it wasn't too overly cheesy/cringy. The dialogue had some cheesy moments, but it did not overdo it like I've seem in some other BL series.
I didn't enjoy the Tsuge/Minato story line as much though, mostly because we barely saw them interact. Tsuge's acting was also more along the lines of a comedy rather than a romance, so it was a bit difficult to see them as a serious couple.
Production
I think the actors were all very well cast, and they were able to act their characters in such a charming way.
I'm not sure what the budget was for this show, but regardless, I never thought that it looked cheap. There were only a handful of settings - the office, Adachi and Kurosawa's homes, the restaurant, etc. - but never did I feel like the story was limited.
So the way that everything came together felt very comfortable to me as the viewer whether it was the story, the dialogue, the acting, the costumes & props.
Characters
Adachi Kiyoshi
Within the first episode I was already marvelling about how cute Adachi was. He was very well cast as the shy 30 year old Adachi. While he was shy and a bit of a pushover, he also did feel like a 30 year old. And maybe it's because I'm nearly a 30 year old virgin myself, that I really related to Adachi.
At first, Adachi disliked his powers. They freaked him out, and he rearranged his schedule so that he would touch as few people as possible. But things changed when he found out that Kurosawa had feelings for him.
With the help of his powers, Adachi became close to several people in his life, whether it was Kurosawa, or his other friends. So his powers did help him in that regard, to remind him that the scary people around him are still just people who have the same worries and wants as him.
But by the end of the drama, as Tsuge advised him, he couldn't rely on his powers to do the talking for him. He had to learn to communicate with his words out loud to form connections. And the payoff for doing so were great. Now he had friends around him, and a very lovely boyfriend.
Kurosawa Yuichi
Kurosawa was the office heartthrob who also had a crush on Adachi. Kurosawa started crushing on Adachi after a company party in which Kurosawa messed up by rejecting a company higher up's advances. I think he liked that Adachi was sensitive and sympathetic to his struggles, unlike everybody else who thought that he just got by with his good looks.
Kurosawa's journey during the drama was pretty straightforward. He was just trying to get closer to the very shy Adachi. It took a while for Adachi to open up, but Kurosawa was pleased every time Adachi would give in a bit.
Even when Adachi revealed his powers, Kurosawa let Adachi make the decision of what would become of them. I guess Kurosawa felt that Adachi having powers wasn't manipulative because Kurosawa had already liked Adachi before he had his powers.
It was Adachi who sought out Kurosawa to make up, and then Kurosawa proposed to him with matching pens, which seemed a bit too rushed, since Kurosawa compared the pens to rings, but I will let them off the hook lol.
Tsuge Masato
Tsuge was Adachi's friend from college who was also an introverted virgin. He fell in love with the delivery boy, Minato.
There were things about Tsuge that I liked and disliked.
I really liked Tsuge and Adachi's relationship. They were both lonely and introverted, and I would argue that only they truly understood each other. They didn't even need their mind reading powers to understand each other because they were both in the same boat. And every time Adachi supported Tsuge was extremely cute.
As I mentioned above, I didn't really enjoy Tsuge and Minato's relationship because I couldn't really tell how Tsuge fell in love with Minato. Tsuge didn't say whether he thought Minato was cute, or what he enjoyed about Minato's visits. One day, he just realized he was in love with Minato, but I just didn't see it.
In addition, Tsuge definitely played a more comedic role compared to every other character in the drama. It worked because I think his actor was committed enough, but I'm just wondering why the writers made the decisions that they did with regards to what actions his character took.
Wataya Minato
Honestly, Minato didn't have much of a personality. He was just "cute boy," but we barely saw him to know what his personality was like. That was part of the reason I found his relationship with Tsuge not very believable.
Rokkaku Yuta
Rokkaku was an employee at the same company as Adachi and Kurosawa. At first, Adachi was annoyed that Rokkaku invited them to a party celebrating his success because that was going to be Adachi and Kurosawa's first date, but Adachi later realized that Rokkaku had his own share of struggles, which Adachi related to.
Though Rokkaku was extremely energetic, he was happy and easygoing, and Adachi warmed up to him quickly.
Fujisaki Nozomi
Fujisaki was an employee at the same company as Adachi and Kurosawa. Other coworkers seemed to pair them together since they were both single. Urabe thought Adachi had a crush on Fujisaki, and some female coworkers had suggested Adachi posing as Fujisaki's boyfriend in front of her parents.
Fujisaki herself seemed very happy and kindhearted, which probably intimidated Adachi quite a bit. Through his mind reading powers, Adachi realized that Fujisaki had a crush on him, but that she respected his relationship with Kurosawa. In addition, Adachi discovered that Fujisaki was also dealing with problems of loneliness herself, which made her seem less intimidating.
Fujisaki sensed that things were going on between Adachi and Kurosawa, and had even tried to help Kurosawa plan a date. When she realized that they weren't going to have fireworks for their date, she decided to set some fireworks off for the couple, with Rokkaku's help.
Urabe Kengo
Urabe was a coworker of Adachi's. At the beginning of the drama, he would keep piling his work onto Adachi's. But over the course of the drama, he seemed to become kinder, looking out for hiim when Adachi seemed busy. I'm not sure what caused his change of heart though. It seemed to kind of have come out of nowhere.
Themes
Communication
I really liked that the mind reading powers were portrayed as a temporary boost and not something that was sustainable long term.
Tsuge told Adachi that it wasn't that he missed his powers, but that he understood how important it was to say the things that he needed to say out loud.
Adachi's idea of paperclips with messages didn't make the final cut, but I think it was kind of a sign to him that the paperclips can't do the talking for him. Things have to come out of his own mouth if he wants to express them.
Friendship
I liked that the show didn't only focus on how Adachi and Kurosawa got together. I mean, I won't lie, this was why I watched the drama. But the inclusion of meaningful friendships enhanced the atmosphere of the drama so much, and made it feel so much more friendly.
Adachi and Tsuge's relationship was cute and I like how they were each other's moral support when they had no one.
It was also really fun how Adachi made friends with Rokkaku and Fujisaki. Since Adachi probably spent so much time at work, it was important that it was as friendly of an atmosphere as possible.
Overall
I expected a fun little romcom, and this drama delivered. The script was actually quite well done. It was cute and slightly cheesy and not overly dramatic. The cast did really well. The costumes and sets suited the story. Everything came together well and I had a good time watching this.