REVIEW: ‘Cherry Magic!’ Episode 5

It’s happening! Cherry Magic Episode 5 is when audiences finally get the confession they’ve been waiting for after all these episodes. Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard (Sanjusai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii) has been moving at a slow pace but last episode, Kiyoshi Adachi (Chiaki Kobayashi) and his co-worker Yuichi Kurosawa (Ryôta Suzuki) started living together. Sure, it wasn’t necessarily their choice, but they are getting closer because of it.

Right before Adachi made a confession reciprocating Kurosawa’s crush—which the latter hadn’t vocalized yet—he was interrupted. Being able to read Kurosawa’s thoughts and feelings of love has made Adachi consider his own. Instead of pushing Kurosawa away or treating him badly, Adachi has sincerely thought about it all. But the messiness of reading someone’s innermost thoughts is hard to parse through, and the series has captured that.

After their first night together as platonic roommates, the duo takes the train to work, and Adachi is at peace. A packed train car used to be a frustrating jumble of noise from the people around him. But with Kurosawa shielding Adachi with his body from the crowd, all Adachi hears is him. It’s a cute moment that speaks volumes about how much weight Adachi has begun to put on Kurosawa.

But Cherry Magic Episode 5 makes everything messier when Adachi impulsively invites Rokkaku over to put a buffer between himself and Kurosawa. As the three drink and hang out, Adachi catches a glimpse of Kurosawa’s jealousy and emotions thicken for both. The next day, however, Adachi catches a glimpse of Fujisaki’s inner thoughts while at work. But a glimpse is all he gets and instead of Fujisaki’s fujjoshi shipping of her coworkers, he only hears that Kurosawa is her ideal type.

All of the little miscommunications in this episode push our romantic leads to a truth-telling point. It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for the confession. Only instead of Adachi sharing his feelings, Kurosawa does. Only this doesn’t result in the “kiss kiss fall in love” kind of reaction. No. Instead, it’s more realistic. The episode closes with Adachi in a panic. When Kurosawa’s emotions are no longer internal, Adachi has to process it. Not because he doesn’t want to be with Kurosawa but because he wants to respect him. It essentially boils down to Adachi investigating his feelings for about the umpteenth time this season.

While Adachi’s uncertainty may be frustrating to some, his sincerity makes this a quality that is to be praised not chided. Adachi is unsure of what to do, and instead of jumping head first, he tries his best to be thoughtful. Every time he questions reciprocating Kurosawa’s feelings, he does so in different ways. This time, it boils down to asking himself: Do I love Kurosawa? Or do I love that Kurosawa loves me?

Adachi’s kindness in Cherry Magic Episode 5 doesn’t yield to a kiss on a bridge and the boyfriends becoming official. Instead, this narrative choice is more awkward and more real. It captures the confusion that panic causes and also Adachi’s inexperience with romance in any form. Kurosawa’s sweetness in giving Adachi the space to process it may seem cold, but it’s necessary.

Cherry Magic Episode 5 is great romantic storytelling in every way. It uses the tropes of anime romances well and does so with a sincerity that pays off for its male leads. There is yearning in this anime, as you would expect from some of the best series, but there is also a truthfulness to the interactions that mean a lot as one of the few gay love stories that have been adapted into an anime. I still wish the pace was faster, but the wholesome care that Adachi and Kurosawa is perfect.

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard Episode 5 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.