Now that I'm done I don't feel ready to write a review. My thoughts are still all over the place. But I want to write it while my memories are still fresh so here we go.

Short version because no one will read the long one: It was great. I joined the fun at episode 7 and for every new episode from then on, every Thursday evening I bought tons of snacks and then celebrated and indulged in the new episode with all my heart. For a few days or weeks it really lifted me up, kept me going and made my days bright in a time where I didn't have many happy moments in my life. I will be thankful for this drama for a long time. Kurosawa and Adachi were such a sweet and heartwarming couple. Today I ordered some printed photos of those two that I will stuck to my wall like the hopeless fangirl I am T_T

Long version: Okay so where do I start. I normally never re-watch anything. If there is a super great series, once every two years or so, I maybe re-watch something once or twice tops. This drama? At six times I stopped counting lol.

I don't think I have to add more about the acting. Machidas acting skills almost seemed too good to be true for such a small niche production. And Akaso is newer to acting but he did a great job as well. He managed to portray Adachis awkward moments just as well as his braver sides.

The soundtrack wasn't anything outstanding (well, the angel choir... lol), however I loved the opening and ending songs so much. They were a perfect fit for the atmosphere of the show. I listened to them each *checks last.fm* over 240 times since I started the show.

Now to the story and the characterization, which can't really be looked at seperatly in CM's case, since the plot is so character-driven.
The story overall progressed very well. Especially the first seven episodes where perfect in balancing pacing, tension, fun and serious moments, successes and failures. There were some cliche plot points you see often in BL but if executed well, don't we love most of them anyways? In its basic premise the show isn't doing anything exceptional, but the magic aspect was woven into the story perfectly and everything was well crafted with a lot of thoughts going into every detail.

After episode seven they are technically together which is a dangerous moment for every romance story, since the tension always stems from the question: How and when are they finally going to get together? After this question gets answered I usually lose interest. Scriptwriters often tend to throw in some random relationship problems then, which sometimes works but often doesn't. In CM too this effect is noticable a little bit - the big tension is gone. But thanks to our main couple the episodes stay enjoyable, and very much so. Adachi is still struggeling with his insecurity, the problem with his magic is not yet solved and we're blessed with tons of cute moments. Watching Kurosawa in love is pure therapy. He is so giddy and happy and basically radiates warmth and happiness through you're screen right in your face.

In the last two episodes the show also decides to drop the bomb, so just when one might get too relaxed the show takes the audience on one last wild ride and proves, apart from fluff and cuteness it also can do heavy and intense moments. For some this last turn in the plot worked better than for others. It's true that the last episode is a little rushed and doesn't get deep enough. In episode 11 Adachi has an extreme personal crisis and everything seems lost. But then in episode 12 it is wrapped up relatively quickly in a way we already saw in some previous episodes so the effect wasn't as strong anymore. But it still worked for me. Adachi scrambling his courage together after retreating into his shell for a few days and Kurosawa being so fond of Adachi to understand him completely and forgiving him quickly fits their characterizations very well after all.
Overall I found the ending super cute and satisfying. But I do admit that they could have make it just a tad better with maybe some more time and giving more depth to Adachi's inner conflict.

Maybe a short comment explicitly about the heart of the story, their relationship. Another reason why CM is so beloved is because it makes its audience happy and smiling like idiots on their screens just by seeing those two guys together. The relationship is super cute and absolutely non-toxic. There is a lot of stress on the healthy communication between them, talking about their needs, true feelings and problems that come up. Kurosawa treasures Adachi with all his heart and Adachi fights his insecurities for Kurosawa in turn. The show also tries to be respectful to the LGBT+ community. One side character is portrayed as not being interested in relationships, which was such a great representation as well. I will however say since I'm not myself part of the LGBT+ community I won't attempt to judge if they completely managed to be respectful. There was criticism that the show shied away from labeling itself as BL and from showing more explicit contact between the leads because they tried to appeal to a broad audience that might still have problems with that, which seems a fair critizism.

For the most part this is not a series attempting to portray a realistic relationship. I personally was completely satisfied with the amount of teasing, intimacy and skinship but I admit that a shown kiss would have been a nice-to-have even though I'm not sure if it would have fitted in the pacing of the last episode. At the end, even being non-explicit the two actors created a chemistry and intimacy that is hard to match.

For the end I'll shortly go into the weaknesses of the drama. This show is an easy 10/10 for me but of course like no drama, this one is not perfect as well. I personally didn't like the second couple that much. Adachi's friend Tsuge was somewhat likable but too over the top at many points. His weird noises and this one time where he had stalkerish tendencies made it uncomfortable for me to watch some of his scenes. His later boyfriend is cute but there is not enough depth to his character to make the whole thing work. Funny enough, I still ended up being fond of them at the end but they were definitly nothing great.
Then there is the discussion around the last episode that I already wrote about. I still would give this episode around 9/10 points? But I admit that I probably watched it through rose-colored glasses just because I'm always overwhelmed with Adachi's cuteness and Kurosawa's smile lol.
And ... this is already all the critizism I can think of. Overall the show was super satisfing and just wonderful. It is extremely rare if not unpreceded that a show made me feel so many things.

This is already much too long and I still feel that I didn't even get into the details yet. So for the end, just a few words what this show meant for me personally.

I used to be super insecure and thought lowly of myself, just like Adachi. While I overcame much of it during the past years, there are still parts that I have to work on and where I can see myself in Adachi. Thinking things like: "That's not something 'people like me' can do." Being envious of people who actually have dreams because "I'm just living in a daze".
It was very comforting hearing Kurosawas warm and supportive words to Adachi every time, it was heartwarming to see his unwavering love for Adachi and his determined, unchanging reassurance. It was inspiring and encouraging to see Adachi grow thanks to him, to have him overcome his fears and starting to take the initiative and to communicate because it became so important to him to make the relationship work and Kurosawa happy. I really hope I can take something from this for my future. I think I grew a little bit myself thanks to Cherry Magic. It was a wonderful journey and you can bet I will re-watch this show many times more.