Cherry Magic

If 30 years of virginity can make you a wizard, imagine how celibate you must need to be in order to become a summoner...

There's a word that's been making the rounds on social media the past few years that I've been a bit hung up on, and that word is "hornsome". A portmanteau of "horny" and "wholesome", it's used to describe any piece of media that depicts something of a romantic or sexual nature in a decidedly light-hearted or reserved way that makes it cute and approachable, appealing to a wider audience who might be put off by something more graphic or detailed. Cherry Magic is a great example of something being hornsome. I'll circle back to this point, but let's talk about the show a bit first.

Whether it's bubbly or flat, everyone likes to see a little ass every now and again.

Our protagonist (Adachi) is an ordinary salaryman - presumably in sales or accounting - who, upon turning 30 years old, has unlocked the magical ability to read people's thoughts whenever he comes in physical contact with them. Comically, he was granted this power by virtue of being a 30-year-old virgin. Trouble is, Adachi is a bit of a pessimist who lacks self-respect and sees this power as nothing more than a curse at first.

His serious and somewhat sullen demeanor is exacerbated in the face of one of his coworkers, the handsome and responsible Kurosawa. Also a salaryman working a generic and nondescript office job, Kurosawa is popular and well-respected for his confidence and work ethic. Adachi somewhat resents this, and in a bid to hear what Kurosawa is really like underneath that cheerful façade, accidentally-on-purpose bumps into him on the elevator, only to find out that Kurosawa is a flustered mess on the inside, and is harboring a major crush on one of his coworkers. If you've ever read a single yaoi or romance manga in your life, it shouldn't be hard to guess who it is.

Regardless of how predictable this show is, it still nails the panicky internal dialogue that nearly every gay person on the planet feels around the object of their affection.

From here, the show follows the simple format of having Adachi deftly navigate his way around the office knowing about Kurosawa's secret crush, and struggling over when and how to use his mind-reading powers responsibly. Ticking every single box on the list of yaoi tropes along the way, Adachi slowly accepts the possibility that he might be into men, and with Kurosawa's encouragement, eventually becomes confident enough to admit it and pursue a relationship with him.

Like any good romance, the show constantly walks a narrow line between cute and hot.

Due to the extremely narrow budget of most modern anime, Cherry Magic makes good use of limited animation over long stretches of inner dialogue, which makes sense given the whole plot is about reading people's minds. Like most slice of life shows, the stakes are kept pretty low and the action is minimal, with the bulk of the story being told through voice over and subtle body language. It's a delight for people like me who have an inner voice basically narrating their every waking thought to them 24/7 (I'm told this is not particularly common and most people can't "hear" themselves think like that - man, what's that like?), but action fans will probably find the show a bit boring.

Granted, that's not to say there isn't any action. Once things get moving and Adachi gets around to confessing not only his feelings but also revealing his secret wizard powers and how he's been using them to maintain the upper hand in the relationship, things get pretty steamy pretty quick. If you're into men, you will love this series' approach to sensuality. As with a lot of yaoi manga, there's a decidedly strong focus on little details - especially where hands are concerned - that are typically found in productions of a more adult nature.

I'm just saying, men deserve to be sexualized too!

Between the constant gay anguish dialogue and the sensual makeout scenes, it's easy to see how this show qualifies as hornsome. The smooching scenes are slow and drawn out with simple, sensual movements, and the music fades out, leaving you with nothing but the gentle sounds of hands rustling fabric and the soft grunts and moans of the two lovebirds. It's decidedly respectful in a way, but it also satisfies that same voyeuristic itch the way watching amateur porn does.

And that's more or less a textbook definition of hornsome.

Curse hands for being one of the most sensual yet difficult to animate parts of the human body!

But like I mentioned earlier, there's something about that word that's got me a bit hung up. Now, I don't have a problem with light-hearted or reserved depictions of romance. But a major part of the "wholesome" aspect of hornsome is focused on pushing sexual content toward being a more "acceptable" version of itself that people don't have to feel quite as icky about. And the idea that there is an "acceptable" version of horniness - as opposed to something explicit, graphic or kinky - does kind of bother me.

For all the conservative people out there who aim to ban all forms of sexual content in media and in art (yes, even on the internet), there is not - and will NEVER be - an "acceptable" level of horniness. In America, our deeply puritanical history that we can never escape demands that we be forever ashamed of our sexual desires, and punished for engaging in them. And that goes for any type of media that conservatives decide to label as sexual, whether it's wholesome or not.

And what do conservatives famously label all queer media as?

Let's be honest, if even something as innocuous as this scene ever aired on network TV in America, Republicans and Concerned Mothers across the nation would break their fingers dialing the station to complain.

Cherry Magic will definitely appeal to people who are uncomfortable watching anything explicit, and that's fine. Heck, it's even a good thing. But the hornsomeness of it shouldn't be championed as superior or more pure than any other type of gay romance media. After all, it's ALL deviant in the eyes of those who would silence our stories, so I feel it's important to celebrate this win without condemning other, more explicit works in the process. You're free to experience horniness in whatever way works best for you, but we're all in this fight together, so it's important not to forsake your fellow perverts in the name of some false air of righteousness.

Homophobic people are just jealous of how well written gay romances can be.

One more point I want to make here. I can't say I've watched a lot of yaoi anime over the years (I partly blame long-term internalized homophobia and mid-00s internet culture for that). I'm more open and honest with myself than I've ever been, and I've actively been seeking to undo my old aversion to the Boys' Love genre, but I've noticed that despite being one of the most popular and best-selling genres of manga and doujin on the planet, there's a distinct dearth of gay anime being produced. That's been changing a bit in recent years, or at least since I've started going out of my way to look for it, but damn if they aren't few and far between.

And no, shit like Sk8 The Infinity does NOT count. I know you see it, I know we're all thinking it, but there is no actual on-screen gay content to be found between Langa and Reki. It's all tacit subtext. That's actually quite a sore point with me because of how frequently people will elevate shows like Sk8 as the ultimate in gay representation, even over shows with blatant on-screen confessions and smooching and whatnot. I'm genuinely surprised that more people aren't screaming from the rooftops about how great Cherry Magic is, given it's basically the most openly gay anime I've ever seen.

(Oh, and I should note, I'm only talking specifically about men-loving-men gay here).

There is nothing subtextual about Cherry Magic's homosexual agenda, and we would all do well to respect that!

Anyway, Cherry Magic is the ultimate office rom-com anime of 2024 for me. This is a strangely specific subgenre that has quite suddenly surged in popularity over the past few years, presumably with the rise of generic office jobs in Japan and the average age of people watching anime in 2024. With that in mind, here are some similar titles you might also like.

If you liked Cherry Magic for its openly gay vibes, Yuri On Ice is an easy one to follow it up with. I would also recommend Dance Dance Danseur for its bold approach to masculinity, alongside some gorgeous animation. If you just like cute office rom-coms regardless of any specific sexuality, check out the cavity-inducingly sweet Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague, or something with a bit more jiggle like My Tiny Senpai. If you want something like Cherry Magic but for lesbians, I haven't seen an ANIME like that yet, but there is a manga out there called Black and White: Tough Love At The Office that fits the bill, but is tonally very different.

I'm not kidding when I say this show loves hands. Look at how lovingly rendered this little moment is.

I'm making a genuine, concerted effort to find and watch more MLM anime going forward, and I hope I can find more shows like this one. No matter what "anti-woke" conspiracists continue preaching, we absolutely do not live in a society that caters to the gays, and finding such a show that allows its two dude characters to kiss - much less in a normal or meaningful way - is still frustratingly rare. But I'll be out there watching and waiting for more. And when it happens, I'll be happy to report my findings here!