Cherry Magic (2023)

I am spellbound by their magic!!

"Cherry Magic" is a series that has captivated my heart from its opening scenes to the closing credits, weaving a spell that I simply can't resist. The characters, the office vibes, their chemistry, and that slight touch of magic – it's got everything that makes my heart skip a beat.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!!!

It is set up in an office premises. It starts with Achi talking about him turning 30 and how a standard life of 30 year old should be, only to confess that his life lacks all those elements. But to his surprise, he gains magical power of reading people's mind and that's where everything begins. Achi, he is clumsy, under confident and at the same time innocent, extremely adorable and kind but also relatable. Damn I can definitely see why Karan is so whipped for him- I mean who wouldn't be?

Then we have Karan, he is confident, achiever and has the standard 30 year old life according to Achi. But more than that he is whipped for Achi. He is a walking green flag. He has a secret crush on him and he finds everything that Achi does adorable and I don't blame him because I ain't any different. They both are adorable and so is their chemistry. Damn their interactions, subtle touches, glances, those inner monologues, those visions from Karan's imagination, those kisses, those moments, everything, I loved and enjoyed everything.

Let's talk about the real magic of "Cherry Magic" - those lines and moments that hit you right in the feels. Like the line, 'Sometimes I even feel relieved that in a world where I seem to fade into the background, Karan always sees me.' I mean, can we take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this!! And it's not just the words; it's the way they play it out. As Achi looks at Karan when Karan is passing by his seat in the bus, he remembers all the moments with Karan. More so the moment, in the retreat, when he thought no one would want to pair up with him and he just aimlessly, without looking backward, walks backward and collides with Karan's front. Their eyes lock, Karan smiles and the question, "Do you want to pair up with me?" unfolds like a fairytale. Sounds cliche I know but trust me, that moment felt so magical. I was legit smitten by this scene and it's not just a one time thing. I have so many favorite lines and moments- be it that rooftop moments or the beach moment or the pre Loi krathong festival moments or those read my mind moments or those absolutely heart melting video calls. This series is like my happy pill. I have so many favorite moments and whenever I go back to watching it, I am instantly happy.

Talking about the supporting characters, first and foremost I love Pai. She is so cute, charismatic and moreover I feel her. Aaaaahhhh my heart!!! Also, her chemistry with Rock is so adorable. Rock is kind of talkative, funny and cheerful guy and he is whipped for Pai and I am too. Moreover, their confession scene was so so cute. Moving on to Min and Jinta, I love them no less. Jinta, he is a really funny guy. He also gains the magical power of reading minds and the way he was freaking out about it and trying to avoid people's touch, it's hilarious. Moreover, the cat's thoughts really cracks me. And the confession scene of Min and Jinta, it had me rolling and blushing. They are so adorable.

Also, the ost Loudest love, oh my god I absolutely love it. I have been listening to it on loop. To top it, the ost 'Everything is magic' is Achi's pov and 'Voice within' is Karan's pov , both the mvs are connected and it's so adorable plus ear pleasing. I am absolutely smitten by them.

Highly Highly Highly Recommended!!!!

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adorable adaptation

Overall: the first episodes really wowed me with honoring the source material/Japanese series but putting its own Thai touch on it. There were a few items I wish had been done differently but a solid romcom that I enjoyed. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Airing on VIU with English subtitles (you need a VPN first set to Thailand and then click on the link) https://www.viu.com/ott/th/en/vod/2281332/Cherry-Magic-30-ยังซิง

Content Warnings: harassment, manhandling, body shaming, non con recording, vomiting, homophobia

What I Liked
- good reference to the manga
- sweet/cute moments
- funny parts
- good kissing/intimacy
- Achi and Karan had some solid communication and cleared up misunderstandings relatively quickly
- Achi's parents
- Karan's sister talking to their parents
- production value

Room For Improvement
- though I looked forward to the increased runtime, it ended up dragging a little at certain points
- happy they avoided the episode 11 curse but that was a stupid "plan"
- similar to the manga (but dissimilar to the Japanese live action) Karan was too grabby a few times with Achi
- space sound they sometimes had when Achi heard inner thoughts
- cat looked very well fed/taken care of for a stray cat
- did the dancer's hair change color at times? (continuity error?)
- disappointed with Pai's character, she gave an awesome empowerment speech towards the beginning of the series and then they had her go a very familiar route
- the m/m couple needed more screentime/development shown
- overt product placement is a negative as compared to the Japanese series but I didn't take off points for product placements as it funds series
- GMMTV should have released that statement right when they removed the first 2 episodes from YouTube at the end of December instead of 3 months later admitting that it was their fault for the lack of international release (did not take off points from my review)

(updated April 6th 2024 after GMMTV's official statement) https://twitter.com/GMMTV/status/1776414522393391494
International Release: on December 20th 2023 after 2 episodes aired on YouTube internationally, GMMTV stated that it could no longer air Cherry Magic internationally. It then aired on VIU to those in Thailand (had English subtitles). Finally 3 months later GMMTV release an official statement saying that due to their mistake with the contract they cannot air the series outside of Thailand and are working on copyright and licensing for every country. Let this be a lesson to all production companies to clearly state in your contract international streaming rights.

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