After almost eight months of being kept in the vault due to licensing setbacks, it’s finally here! On July 12, GMMTV unveiled the pilot trailer for one of the most anticipated BLs of the year, Cherry Magic and it sure is exciting! The visuals are great. The spirit of the source material feels alive in it but adjusted to fit Thai culture. And TayNew’s chemistry is as potent as ever, if not more. And if we let the numbers do the talking, I think it’s safe to say the hype is real and I’m not alone here. #CherryMagicTH trended #1 worldwide upon release and the trailer garnered more than three million views in less than 24 hours, from fans of the genre and even casual viewers alike.

The Source Material

Cherry Magic is originally an 11-volume manga written by Yuu Toyota about an awkward, reclusive man named Adachi who, after turning 30 whilst remaining a virgin, gains the power to read people’s minds upon touch, and learns that the office’s it-boy, Kurosawa, has been harboring secret feelings for him.

Cherry Magic Thailand isn’t the first adaptation

Cherry Magic’s first live-action adaptation starring Eiji Akaso (Kamen Rider) and Keita Machida (Alice in Borderland) aired at the height of the pandemic back in 2020 and contributed to the explosion of the BL genre globally. It remains one of the most beloved and is deemed by many as one of the best Japanese BLs ever.

On June 14, the author of the manga announced that an anime adaptation is also in the works.

TayNew

Tay Tawan and New Thitipoom, known together as TayNew, are one of the most iconic and beloved couples of the BL genre not only for their past characters but for having lore that warrants a separate article, if not a book. Aside from their roles in the PeteKao trilogy, most notably in Dark Blue Kiss, their 10-year-long friendship and real-life screwball bickering dynamic have charmed millions, taking them to fan meets all over Asia, with one in Manila just last year.

In Cherry Magic Thailand, Thitipoom is playing the 30-year-old virgin Achi and Tawan plays the office heartthrob, Karan. Cherry Magic will be the first time they’re working together in a BL since 2019.

The director

At the helm of Cherry Magic Thailand is one of GMMTV’s hitmakers, director X Nattapong Mongkolsawas, who’s responsible for the 2019 friends-to-lovers hit, Theory of Love, starring TayNew’s close friends and contemporaries, OffGun. His most recent work is 2022’s multiverse-hopping hit, Vice Versa.

The cast

Aside from Tay and New, Thai entertainment fans are also excited for Sing Harit and Janhae Ployshompoo who’ll play Achi and Karan’s officemates (and whose real-life friendship has also inspired a lot of shippers, by the way). Meanwhile, Junior Panachai plays Adachi’s best friend, another 30-year-old virgin with the power to read minds, and Mark Jiruntanin plays the courier/dancer he’s smitten by.

Reservations

This project is an intersection of two strong BL narratives: the iconic couple who are due for a comeback, and two already-beloved characters getting a redo.

While some fans of the existing adaptation are excited to experience Adachi and Kurosawa’s story all over again, many fans of the Japanese series were displeased upon the announcement of the Thai version as they feel protective of the material. Tay and New fans, meanwhile, are excited to finally see their idols back on-screen as a romantic pair. And what would be a more fitting comeback for an iconic couple than playing iconic roles?

A case for another adaptation

While it may be understandable for fans to be protective of the Japanese TV adaptation, it is worth noting that people behind the Thai adaptation have repeatedly reassured that the upcoming series is not an adaptation of the TV series, but the manga which has had at least 16 new chapters since the Japanese series was broadcasted, so there sure are parts of the story that are yet to be explored.

Besides, wouldn’t it be fascinating to see how Thailand and Japan’s differences in culture, climate, and geography can impact the story? If we’re fans of the author’s work, shouldn’t we find joy that her characters are getting more recognition? And yeah, sure, you might have other actors in mind to play the part instead of TayNew. I get it. Because maybe this adaptation isn’t for you, and that’s fine. Because newsflash, not every piece of media out there is for us, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have an audience, right?

But the good news is, the Japanese adaptation is still out there for streaming. No one’s taking it away. The anime version is coming, too. Spare yourselves the stress and stream those all you want.

Release date

GMMTV has yet to announce the official release date of Cherry Magic Thailand, but the cast has recently just finished the table read of the script and is set to start filming in August. In an interview, Tay Tawan and New Thitipoom shared that we may expect the series at the tail-end of 2023 or the start of 2024.

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