I really did not plan on watching Cherry Magic. It sort of just happened BUT I am SO GLAD THAT I AM WATCHING!! It is one of my happy places during the week FOR SURE! I will explain more in my "FIRST IMPRESSIONS" for this drama but that sentence should give you a preview and the reason why I am writing this post about Cherry Magic.
As I said in my "FIRST IMPRESSIONS" for Hikaru No Go, once I finish the dramas highlighted in my "FIRST IMPRESSIONS" posts, I will update my thoughts and feelings about the drama with a final review. If they change, my new feelings and opinions will be expressed in that final review but I sort of predict with Cherry Magic that they won't change with how much I am LOVING this drama so far.
A QUICK SYNOPSIS OF CHERRY MAGIC - (based off a Manga) Adachi Kiyoshi turns 30 years old and because he is still virgin gains a special power. That special power allows him to read other people's minds if he is touching them. At first, he doesn't like that he has gained this power and it isn't very helpful for him. One day he accidently touches his coworker Kurosawa Yuichi and learns that he has feelings for him. Now Adachi has to decide to come to terms with what he has learned and deal with his awkwardness, eventually developing feelings for Kurosawa as well. This is a 12-episode drama and I have watch 6 episodes.
WHAT I AM LOVING:
-ACTING: I am SUPER impressed with the acting. I have seen the actor who plays Adachi in another drama which I loved as well. Adachi is such a different character for him and I have become EVEN MORE of a fan of this actor. One of the quirks of this drama is that the actors have act out their thoughts without saying their lines because Adachi can read minds. So, there are a lot of scenes where someone is acting out facial expressions for the "lines" they are thinking. The actor playing Adachi is doing this SO WELL but the entire cast is doing this aspect very well too. I can't imagine that is very easy to do. The micro-expressions in this drama is REALLY SOMETHING ELSE! These actors can also act really well with their eyes - I mean Kurosawa looking at Adachi the way he does just says a lot with JUST HIS EYES!
-OSTS: I enjoy both of the songs that are the OSTs for this drama. I think both songs fit the feel of the drama and suits it quite well. I always like finding new songs through dramas to listen and both of the OSTs for Cherry Magic are on my playlists FOR SURE! Below is the song that plays at the end of each episode.
-RELATIONSHIP(S): One thing I think this drama is doing well are the relationships within the drama AND not just the romantic relationships. Obviously the first relationship to talk about is Adachi and Kurosawa's relationship. It all starts because Adachi gains this ability and learns of Kurosawa's feelings for him. What I love about this relationship that even though Adachi knows of Kurosawa's feelings, the relationship still seems very organic. I mean Kurosawa likes Adachi for him and did before Adachi gaining this ability. Adachi just knows about it now. They are both learning about each other and learning how to express their thoughts and feelings for one another. Their relationship is very heartwarming and well built. Adachi, with the help of his ability, is gaining self-confidence and also helping Kurosawa do the same. I like this part of this relationship because it is relatable - wanting to be more confident in life and wishing there were people around to help and lift you up. Adachi has learned that Kurosawa has some of the same anxieties and doubts as him through this ability and thus has helped Kurosawa with confidence as well. I can't wait to see how their relationship prospers and develops even more in the second half of this drama.
Then you also have the work/colleague relationships. I am sure we will see more of these relationships as the drama goes on. I love that through his ability that Adachi is learning more about his coworkers. This allows him to change his first impressions of them and thus change his relationships with them. Can we also say how this drama was some positive female representation as well WHICH IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING!
-STORY: As I said in my "Why I Like Jdramas" post, I like that Japanese dramas talk about social and life issues. They use their dramas as a way to broach these topics and start a conversation. Their dramas are social commentary. Cherry Magic is the same. I like that one of the main messages of this drama is you can't judge a book by its cover which Adachi is learning by gaining this ability. It brings up topics of how people should act in society or at least how society thinks they should act and what they should be like when they hit 30 years old (both men AND women). For example - The line that Adachi says "Even if I don't have love or romance, every day is fun in its own way" - I interpreted that as society telling people that you need love/romance to be fulfilled in life or to be happy and here is Cherry Magic contradicting that thought with 1 line.
This drama also brings up workplace social issues such as coworkers who use their authority for their own interests and employees who overwork themselves/have no confidence in their work. I always love Jdramas because they can still squeeze in this type of commentary into most of their dramas. It makes their dramas more relatable and have more depth.
RIGHT NOW, I have nothing that I dislike about Cherry Magic. Now, that could change in the last 6 episodes of the drama BUT right now I am quite happy with how this drama has played out so far.
SO THESE ARE MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF CHERRY MAGIC!
What do you think? Are you watching this Jdrama? Are you liking it? Will you start it after reading my FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
LET ME KNOW ON TWITTER OR INSTAGRAM OR IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
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