I'm gonna ramble.
I really love that the drama in Cherry Magic is mostly derived from Adachi's self-esteem issues. I feel like the show itself serves as a good reminder that a lot of our worries about how we are perceived, are mostly from our own heads and don't reflect the reality of what others actually think about ourselves.
It's hard to remember that people genuinely don't know what we're insecure about without saying anything about them in the first place, we just assume they know from the very start; which is what Adachi did plenty of times through out the show. His anxiety is painfully relatable but that's what makes him such an endearing and impactful character.
Kurosawa also did the same, but in his own flavour. Before Kurosawa started talking to Adachi more frequently, he always masked his true emotions as he went about his day getting taken advantage of by higher-ups at Toyokawa and getting unwanted attention from women who only liked him for his looks.
Because of how long Kurosawa has masked himself and how well he hides his true personality (being kind of a goofball and a closet nerd), Kurosawa constantly worries about Adachi thinking that he's not good enough to be worth having as a romantic partner. When Kurosawa's facade of a perfect businessman falls by the wayside, he's extremely ashamed of his mistakes and mentally berates himself for merely being a flawed human who has hobbies.
I know this stuff isn't a really big deal—I'm just a fan who won't shut up about CM—but it truly is comforting to see a show that explores themes that aren't talked a lot about despite how common of a problem it is for people to experience. Insecurity hurts! Constantly walking on eggshells to avoid potentially getting hurt by others for being yourself, is suffocating! The idea of getting getting kicked out of social circles for being different can ruin a person's sense of self-worth!
Cherry Magic commentates on all these things while delivering a heartfelt and funny story about really awkward, gay salarymen. It's so sweet and adorable and makes me all uwu mushy, but also TAT devastated when I think about how deeply ingrained Kurosawa's and Adachi's insecurity issues are that they lasted into their 30s.
Being human is hard, but it is possible to find people who do want to stick with you regardless of how hard you think you are to love. It's possible. I've done it, my favorite fictional characters have done it, and you can do it too. You just gotta put yourself out there, make your existence known, get perceived.
