I didn't like the show, but the movie...

The drama didn't feel more special than other dramas to me, personally. It didn't feel complete, I found Kurosawa to be plain, I liked the side couple a lot more, etcetera etcetera... but I liked the movie. Others seem to be saying it doesn't have the magic that the show had, and that this movie wasn't necessary. I feel the opposite.

Instead of Adachi being all, "whoops, I lost my magic. Well, that's fine, I guess. There's nothing else I can do besides accept that..." I was relieved that they both learned the consequences of not trusting each other and failing to communicate before the magic was gone. It finally felt like they were standing on the same step.

I actually appreciated the arc with Adachi transferring and getting injured on the job more than anything else in the movie, because they were able to show the viewers a real issue that gay people have to face: not being able to be each other's emergency contact without marriage. I can understand why some viewers dislike that Adachi and Kurosawa got married in the end. Japan doesn't have gay marriage, so it could seem like they were just trying to pander to the fans... but I personally chose to see this as them showing why marriage is important to gay couples, without all the angst and heaviness that I know I'm tired of seeing in LGBTQ+ media - because why can't they just be happy? There are tens of hundreds of movies and shows that address homophobia and the hardships of being queer. While that media has helped spread awareness, gay people themselves already understand all of that. They live it everyday. Can't they just see themselves being happy now, or having more nuanced plots?

And while Cherry Magic the Movie still acknowledged that those hardships exist, they took a more uplifting approach. It might have been more simple than what fans wished for, but it felt warm to see how determined Kurosawa and Adachi were to include their family and friends in their love. They could have been content with just having each other, but they allowed themselves more than that. They refused to be alone, so from there they carved out their way to happiness. Good for them.

I do wish we got to see more of their coworkers. I was glad to see that Rokkaku has a new resolve and he values himself more now, but I wish we could have seen him learning about Kurosawa and Adachi's relationship as well. I think he would be happier for them than anyone. And Fujisaki was able to express her feelings in her own vague and private way, but as someone who's also aroace, I wished to see her confidently say out loud that she has no intentions of getting married and that her happiness lies within herself. I'm happy with what we saw of Tsuge and Minato though, since I felt that their spin-off was already a good conclusion, and now they're marginally more happy than before.

It was a good watch. It's not something extraordinary that has never been done before, but I'm glad that this movie exists as the ending of Cherry Magic.

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