The Sardonic Hero: Adachi in Cherry Magic

Eiji Asaka to the left. Keita Machida to the right.

In previous posts, I discuss the alpha hero, sweet-natured hero, and--third possibility--the sardonic hero. I comment that the sardonic hero is relatively rare since "irony is difficult, and sarcasm--as the online teaching manuals tell us--is very difficult to convey without being misunderstood."

Interestingly enough, Adachi, played by Eiji Asaka, from Cherry Magic is a sardonic hero.

He doesn't initially appear that way since he is quite kind-- sweet-natured--and perceives himself as a misfit, the lucky recipient of the alpha male's attention. 

"Yup--a plant."

Adachi commenting on 

Kurosawa's perfect apartment.

In fact, however, his wry, self-effacing, and occasionally acerbic commentary runs both the manga and the series. He is even more sardonic in the manga. When he first gains his ability to read minds, at the age of 30, he refers to that ability as "hopelessly lame." He refers to lunch with Kurosawa as "fun...nothing weird about it."

Why was he worried? Because Kurosawa "is way too perfect." 

The same rueful thought by Adachi appears in the manga and the series: "Even though I know how he feels, I honestly have no idea what to do about it." 

Eiji Asako as Adachi conveys a great deal of Adachi's inner thoughts through superb physical acting along the same lines as Martin Freeman. He is a skilled actor and manages to capture many of the funniest moments in the manga through facial expressions adopted from his manga counterpart. (I love the one closed eye!)

The end result is not a masterful alpha paired with a demure lover but a hopeless-romantic paired with a straight-shooter, only the straight-shooter has to figure out that he is a straight-shooter. 

Adachi's gentle amusement at Kurosawa's thoughts goes a long way towards balancing the relationship. He knows what he has signed up for.