30Sai made Doteida to Mahotsukai ni Narerurashi (2020)

Emotional Depth and Beyond Expectations

It was very hot, enjoyable, and (especially in the first half) rich in passion. The BL series exceeded my expectations. The quality of Japanese BL series in recent times surprises me. I highly recommend it. It was emotional, but the pace was not slow. It had a very appropriate flow.

The lack of focus on the fantasy part was odd. I loved how Adachi's emotions and thoughts were portrayed so beautifully, realistically, and logically. At one point I could only watch Adachi; he could carry the story alone.

In fact, at the end of the series, it seemed like Adachi was with Kurosawa to spare himself from the sorrow of not being loved. After all, his exploration of his gay identity happened entirely because of Kurosawa's intense love for him. I wonder if Kurosawa were a woman, would Adachi have agreed? Probably yes :D. Again, Kurosawa won, and that didn't come as a surprise :)

I didn't like the storytelling of our second couple. It started with great potential but turned out to be empty and developed too quickly. There was no chemistry between them and our author's behaviour was too exaggerated for his age. While the writer's tough and mature side was excellent, falling in love in two days and the absurdities in their actions were very nonsensical. I couldn't feel the love.

Lastly, Adachi's decrease in confidence in the second half saddened me. Adachi should have been cool, silent, and aloof because Kurosawa was outgoing, talkative, and social. They were a beautiful contrast to each other. However, when Adachi became insecure towards the end, it made me wonder why the boy was so fixated on him.
And in my opinion, the reason they presented was insufficient for falling in love with someone lacking self-confidence. If Adachi were confident but cold, distant, and introverted, then the given reason would have been sufficient.

And please, I'll cry, but we NEVER GOT A SINGLE KISS. Well, even if we did, it probably would have been just a touch of lips, but I would have been okay with that, knowingly. 😣😫

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The best, hands down.

This is still so good, this is what I recommend to anyone wanting to ease into BL. This is BL done right, DONE HEALTHY TOO might I add without the toxic bs that is unfortunately rampant in so many still to this day.

I've rewatched this many times and realized I never gave a review. So, here it is. I've been reading and watching BL content for many years and like I said before, the genre is chalk full of shitty stories, shitty characters, and shitty so called "love stories" that is inhumane with little respect.

The cast is amazing, the music is perfect, the story is - well, the cherry on top. Gone are the days where you go "Oh no he's gonna force himself on him" and then be met with disappointment. Not one scene with non-con nor dub-con which is already pushing the bar higher than many and should be a standard already at this point. No more forcing oneself onto the other, it's all respect here between the two and it's refreshing. If you know, you *know* what I'm talking about. This is a world of sweet and caring love and I am here for it!

Give it a go, even if it's not your thing. There's nothing naughty to worry about either for those who don't prefer it (I honestly don't mind it).

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Soft and Communicative.

I had my reservations about watching 'Cherry Magic' due to mixed feelings about the acting and overall story, but I will say I was not let down and it definitely will go down as one of the better BLs I've seen to date.

The story isn't one that is necessarily extraordinary, but it definitely was a good one. I thoroughly enjoyed the composition of the scenes and the way the cinematography was done--light yet effective, not to mention the kind of music used. The acting was not as seamless as I would've preferred, but I'm positive that it was intentional, especially for Adachi's character, which was almost incel-like. (I've seen it being discussed that the book version of Adachi seems to be more like that.)

The psychological perspectives were excellently done--the internal battles on both ends, from Adachi not knowing how to express himself to Kurosawa and it being mirrored via Tsuge and Minato, to Kurosawa's internal fight about how to interact with Adachi. It communicated (no pun intended) the importance of thorough communication between lovers and the immense amount of patience a relationship requires. This drama did a pretty good job at portraying how an inexperienced person and an experienced person's relationship would appear normally--something that can be worked on regardless of it's imperfections and misunderstandings.

The one thing that stuck out to me was Kurosawa's soft character, patience and self-restraint. I admire it and really wish to be that patient one day, it really is commendable. Some may argue that he may have been pushy in some instances which I cannot disagree with, however over the course of the 12 eps, we can say that he's pretty decent. The actor also did a great job at expressing the kind of emotions through his eyes although his thoughts were being shown to us on screen.

Morale, the drama was quite nice. It isn't one I'll speak of much, but I don't have many negative things to say about it. For first time BL watchers it has been deemed a staple and I now understand why. If you're contemplating watching 'Cherry Magic', I'd say to give it a watch, it does have some adorably soft moments.

- Z

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Dare I say, THE best live-action BL series? Yes, I said it.

I didn't really have any expectations when I went into watching "Cherry Magic"—I've sadly been disappointed by manga-to-live-action adaptations before and I didn't want to get my hopes up that this was going to be a good one, either. But I'm so glad that it was way better than I could've ever expected. This series is almost nothing but feel good. When I say "almost", I'm referring to a few moments that made my heart ache a little, but in the end it's overshadowed by the immense amount of good, positive vibes. Exactly what we need in these times, honestly.

The acting is absolutely stellar in "Cherry Magic", for the most part. I must admit that I think Masato Tsuge's acting was a bit over the top for my taste, but otherwise I have no complaints. My favourite moment that really showcased the good acting in this series, where I went "okay, that was NOT acting- this is him straight up just talking from the heart", is in the last episode where Adachi tells Kurosawa that he'll try again and again if he screws up after losing his magic. The way Adachi/Akaso's voice breaks in that moment broke my heart in half and I FELT the emotion there. Wow.

"Cherry Magic" not only changed how I now view live-action adaptations and also dramas in general, but it's also a series I can say, without a shred of shame, that I will continue re-watching every now and then just because of how feel-good it is. I'm very glad I stumbled upon this series.

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Dos euros y un sueño. Spoiler: Sale bien.

Es una de esas historias que en un principio piensas: una más. Sabes que es un clásico y que te va a gustar, así que no vas con grandes expectativas. Eso ayuda a que todo mejor conforme van pasando los capítulos.

Es más que obvio que quien fuese que produjo esta película, lo hizo con un presupuesto limitado. Los escenarios no son bonitos, ni tiene paisajes abrumadores: son escenarios cotidianos y banales, lo que lo hace todo mucho mejor. Es como inmiscuirse en la vida real de los personajes, los cuales suben en ascensores llenos de gente, comen en restaurantes por los que parece que no ha pasado el tiempo y viven en monoambientes como cualquier otro treintañero en un país en el que trabajar cuarenta horas a la semana no te garantiza poder pagar una hipoteca. Y en ese mundo tan real, conocemos a dos personajes tan dispares y diferentes que se enamoran de una de las maneras más bonitas que he visto en un BL.

No necesitas besos, no necesitas palabras implícitas; son los gestos, las situaciones y los pensamientos del propio Kurosawa. La realización lenta pero segura de Adachi de sus sentimientos, esa progresión y esas escenas donde él asume ciertas cosas y el pensamiento de Kurosawa le hace saber lo contrario. Son las caricias, el entendimiento mutuo, el cariño, el cuidado con el que tratan los sentimientos del otro casi como si se fuesen a rompen... Todos y cada uno de los minutos viendo esta historia merecen la pena.

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It's just so cute!

My headline says it all. This is a very cute series with the ideal actors in place and a very simple premise by which to bring together our OTP.

Not to spoil it too much but our main character has his 30th birthday and can suddenly hear what people are thinking if he touches them. He obtains this 'magic' because he turned 30... and was still a virgin.

He notices a colleague of his who is always kind to him and when he touches him by accident, he 'hears' that this colleague actually has a little crush on him. When the colleague starts encouraging him and he becomes more confident in many aspects of his life, he realises that he is also attracted to his colleague and so their romance begins.

It's also sweet that his friend ends up in the same boat as him (hearing the internal monologue of others when he touches them because he celebrates his 30th birthday whilst still a virgin) and he embarks on his own romance with a street-dancing delivery man.

It's such an easy, non-controversial watch that will have you grinning from ear to ear.

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NÃO ENTENDO O POR QUÊ DE GOSTAREM TANTO DISSO

Cherry Magic parece um clássico para o público mas eu realmente não entendo o motivo.
Não me entenda mal, é realmente um romance leve e é interessante a premissa de poder ler mentes por ainda ser virgem aos 30 anos, mas parece mais a ideia de algo do que algo bem feito.
Gosto da química entre os protagonistas mas foi um relacionamento irritante de se acompanhar por conta da baixa auto estima do Adachi.
Em nenhum momento a gente entende o porquê dessa personalidade do Adachi e por conta dela ele acaba tomando decisões infantis e bobas o tempo todo, o que acaba machucando o Kurosawa e mesmo assim o Kurosawa parece estar sempre bem com tudo e aceita tudo, o que é completamente irrealista, é como se a todo momento o roteiro negligenciasse seus sentimentos, ele nunca está irritado, frustrado, magoado ou chateado, o construíram para ser perfeito e aceitar qualquer migalha do Adachi.
Visto a classificação indicativa já era esperado que o quesito romance seria fraco, mas conseguiu ser ainda pior porque a todo momento o Adachi estava se esquivando do Kurosawa, tanto emocionalmente quanto fisicamente, não ter nem mesmo um selinho entre eles é loucura e a intimidade não foi construída, parece mais um bromance a maior parte do tempo e não era isso que eu estava procurando, eu queria um romance entre dois homens adultos.
E eu não vou começar a falar do quão bobo é ele poder ler mentes e mesmo assim só ouvir coisas boas, ele nunca ouve nada que o frustre.
Enfim, é uma trama original e ok para passar o tempo mas nada além disso e você acaba passando muita raiva.

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Fellow “Virgin Wizard” Approves!

instantly fell for the style of which this series was filmed/edited. the filter alone was enough to convince me to binge watch all episodes in one afternoon (though my witty heart said “nah, let’s savor this!” and thus extended the binge to an entire week). the genuine nature of both Adachi and Kurosawa made for a great onscreen chemistry and partnership. Adachi’s anxieties most of which were due to his own inexperience in love that pop up throughout the show were relatable. as a twenty-something virgin (in all areas of physical or romantic intimacy) it’s almost bittersweet to hear a character whom i deeply resonate with working towards something they’ve been weary of (i.e. falling in love or being in a relationship). and seeing Kurosawa’s seemingly one-sided crush gradually grow into a sincere connection between the two colleagues was enough to push me to read/buy the manga. all in all, though the side couple story was worked in a bit to fast for my taste, it was still great to see the healthy and practical emotions/interactions between different characters.
honorable mentions go to Udon for being a cute cat with a dope name and Fujisaki for being a comforting smile in the face of suffocating familial/societal expectations (i am also uninterested in love atm. you do you!)

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One of the sweetest BL'S !!

The Storyline was so unique that ive enjoyed watching it so much! The Episodes always had a great Ending and made you crazy waiting for the next few episodes!!
The Cast was great! The chemistry between the main couple was so natural and totally not over done they seemed actually so close and the way Eiji looked at Kurosawa!!
I also really enjoyed watching the Side Couple! They had such a cute and pure Love!
The Plot was literally so not predictable! I would have never thought thats gonna happen and it was so lovely to see the character handle those things with their own characteristics.
Eiji was such a complex Character since he had a lot of insecurities still worked hard and good.
All in All 10/10. Its such a nice drama its just awesome if you want to watch a true love develop.

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Very heartwarming!

I watched this series because of the plot I read, but I stayed because of the actors and characters. I just love how wholesome all of them are. Although I have to admit that I really don't like Tsuge since he is having this kind of weird vibe, but yeah, I enjoyed this series! This is the first JBL I have watched and I had a hard time searching for shows that are as good as this. Also, I love the office woman Fujisaki(?) because she is so awesomeeeee. I really like the fact that she has a character and not just someone who likes the Protagonist. She knows what she wants, and she is so nice! Also, Rokkaku my love, I can't help but laugh every time I see you. You've grown so much and now you have a laundromat (lol).

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Classic Japan BL that you need to watch at least once

For me, watching Adachi and his friend Tsuge navigate their newfound power and their growing feelings for another person was an absolute joy. Who cares if some moments were a little awkward and even ‘out there’? I was inhaling the episodes.

I appreciated how character development constantly propelled the series: The point of the show is that it is not enough to know what someone is thinking if you want to be in a meaningful and stable relationship with them. Basically, there are limits to how much your relationship can benefit from mind-reading.

With a great premise and likeable characters, Cherry Magic is one of the most entertaining BL shows with moments that are equal parts funny and sweet. It’s the kind of show that you will return to rewatch on a shitty day just because it will make you smile.

Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/02/06/cherry-magic-2020-review/

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