Airing season: Winter 2024
Number of episodes: 12
Viewed on: Crunchyroll
Translator: ?
Genre: Romance, comedy
Thoughts: Cherry Magic! Thirty years of virginity can turn you into a witch?! It may sound like a silly title, but it cannot be overstated how much the story impacted audiences. With its original adaptation as a critically acclaimed Japanese television series, winning numerous awards and launching the acting career of its lead actor, this same-sex love story is a favorite. and was so popular that it was also adapted into other television series — most famously from outside the United States. Japan in Thailand. Now, this story has been adapted into an anime and like the previous adaptations, the series makes sure to bring something new to the story.
In Cherry Magic, Adachi is an office worker with no romantic prospects. After passing his 30th birthday as a virgin, he awakens to discover he has magical powers. By touching others, he can read their thoughts. Through this power he never wanted, Adachi learns that Kurosawa—the most popular, handsome, and successful colleague at his office—has the deepest feelings for him. Suddenly, life is no longer simple and lonely.
Read Kurosawa's mind
I am an extremely devoted fan. As in, I've seen every Cherry Magic adaptation and while I still think the original Japanese live action TV series has the upper hand, that doesn't mean the anime lacks its strengths. First of all, I actually like the supporting couple in the anime more than in the live-action. Focusing on Adachi's best friend, who despite being a successful romance author also becomes a mind-reading witch at the age of 30 while still a virgin, Tsuge and his relationship with Minato it feels more natural and less exaggerated. I don't mind at all that they take up airtime, compared to other stories where I either want the story to focus entirely on the support ship or wish the story ignores it entirely.
Even so Being the main couple and taking up most of the attention, Adachi and Kurosawa's relationship was rocky from the beginning. There's a certain bit of internalized heterosexuality that anime insists on having whenever the show features a gay couple. The excuses remained consistent such as Adachi always liked girls, he was said to have a “type of girl” and he did not have feelings for Kurosawa. In short, he only got carried away because he was lonely and “needed” a girl. As always, there was also never any mention of bisexuality. These excuses don't appear in the live-action adaptations, but they're used a lot as unnecessary conflicts in the first place.
The love confession scene is very good
It negatively affected the love that blossomed between them because the episode in which Adachi responded to Kurosawa's feelings was extremely organic. After being apart for a few days, Adachi realized that all he could think about was missing Kurosawa's presence, and whenever he felt depressed, he thought about Kurosawa's adorable moments. . All those previous “I can't be attracted to a man” thoughts only serve to drag down the true love epiphany. Luckily, it's after he confesses his feelings to Kurosawa that the anime really starts to take on a life of its own.
The series makes some creative choices in using Adachi's powers. During their first date, the episode temporarily turns into a musical episode when Adachi accidentally reads Kurosawa's mind, revealing the man's longing for Adachi through an entire song. and dance. Text fills the screen as Kurosawa cannot control his fanboyish nature towards his boyfriend, and during intimate moments, we do not hear Kurosawa's thoughts at all. Instead, Adachi explains what it feels like to hear Kurosawa's love through his body, preserving the intimacy between the two and just sharing the joy with the audience.
Unfortunately, as common as it is now, Cherry Magic falls into the trap of mediocre production values. The opening theme song sequence offers more direction, color, and animation than the actual series itself, which is often grayscale and muddy, lacking lighting and movements that are almost impossible to traverse. The soundtrack also doesn't stand out in any scene, to the point where I wouldn't even recognize a piece of music if it played outside of the anime.
A truly modern wedding
Maybe it's not the treatment you'd expect to see in such a game-changing story, but a decade ago you'd have seen it was probably just a dream. Cherry Magic's romance isn't perfect, and its anime probably won't last as long as the TV series due to its production values and previous story pacing, but it made history. Officially, Kurosawa and Adachi were married in the final episode—with a kiss to mark the union. And although the Japanese national government has yet to legalize gay marriage, the anime pledges to end it, making Cherry Magic one of the first anime to show a gay couple officially marrying in Japan. .
Rating
Plot: 7 (Coefficient 3)
Characters: 7 (Coefficient 3)
Art/Animation: 6 (Factor 2)
Voice acting: 7
Soundtrack: 6
FINAL SCORE: 67