Lessons from another world
This show tackles the subject of how our worldview can be so set in place but we may be closer to what we want than we think. So it's not solely romance-theme, which may throw some fans off the initial episodes but it is 100% worth watching till the end.I liked the acting a lot, it's sometimes difficult for actors in BL to act in a way that looks both realistic and sincere. But Kano and Ogami have great interactions together and you feel they care for each other. It's also of course fun to compare the overly doting parallel world Ogami with the tsundere original world Ogami. Every touch & look is given value by the acting.
Cinematic-wise there's a great variety of camera-angles & lighting and the atmosphere is truly represented in the shots. The isolation Kano feels in his job-environment represented by darker shots and the improvements to his life represented with much calmer colors and sometimes warmer lighting.
The ending delivers everything a fan could ask from a BL of this short-format. Absolutely a re-watcheable BL that stands out in the crowd of yearly released BLs as bringing a new format. It's a shame this show is currently very underrated/undiscovered because it deserves more attention. I do see however that not everyone likes the short-format of this show, so go into it knowing the limits of short-format.
Anyway to round off with the quote that summarizes the show: ''You're not cold anymore''
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was intrigued but I got bored by the end
This is such a shame of a series to me because I definitely did liked the first few episodes but as it continued I kept finding it boring. Especially after he went back to his own world. First of all, I don't like the colours in this series at all. Everything is so gray and dull. At first I though they were doing that on purpose to show that Kana life's was sad and depressing but as it continued they didn't changed it all? it felt like they always filmed this on a rainy day and the office was located in a basement. Next, the plot seems too simple and depended mostly on miscommunication for my taste? Both worlds the problem was that Kano never spoke up and both world Ogami was more or less the same and the only difference was how he supported Kano, Also because of the lack no of episodes I am assuming, I don't feel any growth from Kano's character. Even in the end, he didn't confess his feeling first and it was Ogami that took the lead. Like come on, it is getting exhausting, Finally that kiss scene, like we are almost in the big year of 2025. Stop giving us mediocre kiss scenes for crying out loud. Either do it properly or don't do it at all and the way they included a sex scene after giving that awful kiss scene just blew my mind, cuz it was also mid. Japan always either a hit or a miss with their intimacy scenes. This was really a shame tbh.Was this review helpful to you?
You really can never go wrong with Japanese cinematography or camerawork
This was beautifully shot and thoughtfully directed. The camerawork is quiet but intentional, and the color grading and overall color scheme are just really well done. Everything feels cohesive and purposeful, making even the simplest scenes feel emotionally rich without trying too hard.The storyline itself is simple, but that’s part of its strength. It doesn’t overcomplicate things and instead leans into subtle moments and gentle storytelling. I remember being a bit shocked when I first saw the ratings earlier, so I’m honestly glad they’ve gone up because this series deserves that recognition for how carefully and thoughtfully the story was told. This is just my interpretation, of course, but I absolutely loved it.
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The Series Begins Beautifully And Then Crashes....
The story flowed just so aptly, up to a point and then it – just crashed and burned to the ground. As a gay man and despite how it is marketed, it is a GAY story! We must demand more from production companies, directors, and ACTORS! Stop doing trickery. You took an astonishing brilliant premise and made a sham love story out of it because apparently the two actors were unwilling to represent they were in love with even a modicum of intimacy. I, for one, am tired of watching this over-and-over and making excuses for it. It is time for this to be called out for what it is. A ruse. This would have been an exceptionally good series, but it is again another insulting sham. And it has nothing to do with cultural sensitivities or norms. These are all conscious efforts to present half-stories to look whole, and I am tired of this trickery.Was this review helpful to you?
An Interesting twist on Office BL
I enjoyed this office BL about a technical salesman who falls into the world of his alter ego, who is handling the social side of his new job better then he is, and falling in love along the way. When he returns to his own world, he has to decide whether he liked his other self better or not. And change accordingly. There’s a little too much time spent in the alt-world and not enough time spent building the romance in the current one, even though that’s where we ended up. Ultimately this was an interesting and visually appealing BL with good performances and a nice main couple. But it let us down a little at the end.Was this review helpful to you?
One choice can change your whole world
I love that the parallel world depends on the ML choice and actions I stead of just being different people with different personalities.It means we all have a choice to change our lives and shape it as we want, and the fact that the ML stayed true to himself and went back to his world instead of being in this idealistic fantasy is great.
So the story is very touching and lovely, Japan can make some great office romance dramas.
Acting too was good, the two leads have some type of sexual tension between them, subtle but can be noticed, specially the kabedon scene 😂❣️
At the end I didn't even care if they don't kiss or touch or anything, actually this part was lacking, I would have loved it more if they pulled a "cherry magic" and the two leads didn't even kiss.
But it was ok to say at least.
Highly recommended ~~
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A Good Storyline With a Somewhat Dull Romance Line
Let me start by saying that I genuinely enjoyed the overall concept of this drama. It tackles burnout from work, how even small, everyday situations can spiral into overthinking, and highlights the importance of communication and mental health. Those themes felt realand relatable, which is something I really appreciated.PROS
1. Unique Storyline - If you’re in the mood for something that isn’t cutesy and instead leans into more realistic, adult issues, this drama is worth checking out. It doesn’t shy away from showing emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and the messiness of navigating life when you’re already worn down. That alone makes this stand out.
2. Acting - While I wouldn’t say the acting across the board was perfect, credit definitely needs to be given where it’s due. Kano’s actor did a very strong job portraying grief, anxiety, stress, and relief. His performance was very good, and it made it easy to empathize with his character and understand where he was coming from at every stage.
CONS
1. Romance and Intimacy - Sigh… I really thought we were past the era of dead-fish kisses and painfully awkward NC scenes in JBLs, but unfortunately, this drama proved otherwise. Even during their supposed intimate scene, it felt like someone physically pushed their lips together and called it a kiss. Ogami’s actor clearly tried to sell the chemistry and intimacy, but the issue is that scenes like this require both actors to be equally engaged. Kano’s actor was stiff and uncomfortable the entire time. It was obvious there were no proper workshops or rehearsals to help improve this, and as a result, the scene came off less like mutual affection and more like Kano was being coerced into it. It had no chemistry whatsoever. That completely killed the romantic impact any of the previous scenes had. Honestly, I would've just preferred seeing a forehead kiss. That could've still kept up the romantic vibe for me.
2. Lack of Character Depth for One of the Main Leads - Kano, as a character, had fantastic depth. I understood who he was, what motivated him, and why he reacted the way he did. His journey was clear and well-developed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Ogami. We barely got anything about him aside from a small POV toward the end. Because of that, I honestly don’t understand why he likes Kano in the first place. The lack of development made his feelings feel a bit unconvincing.
OVERALL - Love Begins in the Word of If is excellent as a character-driven drama that explores mental health and emotional burnout, but it fails when it comes to romance. The strong themes of the drama carry the show. However, the weak chemistry and lack of character depth for one of the MLs . I still really enjoyed this for the main theme of the drama. If you're expecting something super romantic, then this is not for you. However, if you're interested in watching something that's focused more on the character growth with a side of BL, then I would highly recommend giving this drama a go.
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This review may contain spoilers
Something new and different
Love Begins in the World of If follows Kano, a former technician turned salesman who struggles with anxiety. Whenever he becomes overwhelmed, his anemia acts up, forcing him to eat something sweet to stabilize himself. This small but telling detail immediately grounds his character and sets the tone for the story, one rooted in vulnerability and quiet struggle.Ogami, Kano’s batchmate, initially tries to help him after Kano transfers to a new workplace. However, after a certain incident, Ogami comes to believe that Kano doesn’t want his support. Respecting what he assumes are Kano’s boundaries, Ogami distances himself and lets Kano handle things alone.
One night, everything comes crashing down. Kano is about to lose an important client, so he stays late at the office trying to fix things by himself. That same night, Ogami returns from a work trip and finds Kano still working. Wanting to quietly support him, Ogami gives him a special chocolate he brought back and offers advice that quietly changes everything: “Don’t shoulder everything by yourself, it will only drag you down.”
Later that night, under a full moon, Kano’s condition flares up as he walks home. Thankfully, he still has the chocolate Ogami gave him. He stumbles upon a small shrine tucked away on a quiet street and decides to rest for a moment. What he doesn’t know is that the shrine houses a magical mirror, one that claims, “Those who gaze into this mirror will see the person they wish to become, and one day, they will truly reach that form.” Feeling hopeless and worn down, Kano makes a wish. Unexpectedly, he is transported to another world! An alternate universe where the version of himself he’s always envisioned is finally thriving.
This raises the main question of the drama: Will this world truly give Kano what he’s been longing for, especially when it comes to love?
This drama is a refreshing take on fantasy within the BL genre. At first, I was unsure how the story would unfold, but everything came together surprisingly well!! It felt new and different from most BLs I’ve watched before, it's memorable in a way that lingers after watching it.
I’ll admit, I hesitated during the first two episodes. I assumed it would follow the same tropes, and once Kano was transported to the alternate universe, I thought I could predict where the story was going. To my surprise, none of my predictions came true lmaoo. The plot consistently took turns I didn’t expect, which made the experience far more engaging.
The acting was top notch! which wasn’t surprising given that both leads have appeared in well known projects before. Special mention goes to Kotaro, who played Kano. He portrayed Kano’s self doubt and low self-esteem with incredible nuance. Every emotion felt genuine,, you could truly feel his anxiety, his internal battles, and his quiet desperation, almost as if you were standing in his place.
Ogami’s actor also delivered a strong performance really. He embodied Ogami exactly as Kano perceives him: charismatic, smooth talking, and occasionally distant. What impressed me most was how clearly he differentiated between the two versions of Ogami. In scenes involving the alternate universe,, especially when Ogami appears at the shrine, you can immediately tell whether you’re seeing the real world Ogami or his AU counterpart. That distinction was handled remarkably well. While some flirty scenes felt a bit artificial, and the chemistry occasionally fell short, it didn’t completely undermine their performances.
As for the ending, this is where the drama faltered for me. The final episode felt too rushed and, honestly, a little disappointing. After carefully building tension through jealousy and misunderstandings, I expected more emotional development. Instead, the conflict was resolved almost immediately in episode 6, followed by an intimate scene that felt unearned. (which personally, I skipped, not because it was bad, but because I didn’t feel the emotional connection had fully matured yet, but maybe it's just the hopeless romantic side of me lolll). But timing matters everyonee!!
I appreciated getting Ogami’s point of view in the final episode though, but I wish the drama had been given more room to breathe :( With better pacing during the falling action and resolution, the ending could have been far more satisfying.
Overall, Love Begins in the World of If is a refreshing addition to the BL genre. While it may not be the strongest drama due to its rushed ending, the actors’ performances more than make up for it. Their portrayal of emotionally complex characters elevates the entire experience, making this drama well worth watching.
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Ideals can make people evolve into a better version of themselves
A fantasy-romance that depicts reality versus ideals that work out as a key determinant of one’s life realization and progress. It started with a serious tone of a corporate work set-up, but eventually turned out to be a twist of mystery at the end of the first EP. It’s good that they established the MC’s reality and then later on jumped to the world where he lived as an ideal version of himself.At first, I felt that something was lacking in the alternate universe concept. And then, the plot twist from EP04 happened, and I was hooked. It turned out that the Ogami from the alternate universe loves the MC because he is beneficial to his work. While the Ogami from the MC's real world seems to have a cold personality, but genuinely cares for him the most.
It was a good storyline that covers how people's ideals can transform them into a better version of themselves. Kano realizes that being gloomy and avoiding people will not help him to be happy, but after experiencing life in an alternate universe, he decides to take the big step of communicating and hanging out with his colleague.
The couple’s size difference is so cute. At the finale, we can clearly see how small Kano is compared to the big bad wolf, Ogami. The bed scenes are so adorable. But Ogami being jealous of the other Ogami is the cutest among all of these. Love to see a nice portrayal of fantasy elements in BL with a clear justification of its purpose.
My only problem is that it wasn’t as impactful as I expected it to be. This is more on the subjective side of the review and does not take away the good rating of the show. At least for me, it was above average. Nice show overall.
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Around i - take me forever to review this title
Alright, I was in episode 4 when I realized that Ogami was the failed guy in More Than Words (2022) whose coldness destroyed Maki by siding with the failed Maki friendship: Mieko.In this series, I am assuming he will not go in the same direction as the previous title, where viewers (me) felt devastated by the outcome.
The most perfect thing about this series is the opening sequence with the 36 km/hour song titled “Around I”; the vibe, the visual mood, and the scoring background are definitely high art. I cannot get over it.
This series is my type. I eat it happily.
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Beautifully underrated & A MUST-WATCH for any working adult!!
Maybe it's because I'm a Gen Z introvert. Maybe it's because I work in corporate. Maybe it's because mundane interactions with anyone are super difficult for me to navigate.But my goodness, this show hit me HARD!!
Few series ever show realistically cold workplace environments, the burnout, or interactions that slowly chip away at your spirit, let alone weave in an interesting supernatural element. But this BL does.
Akihito's character arc is so genuine and beautiful that it makes me see a lot of myself in him. A lot of my generation is now entering the corporate workplace. Throughout this process, I still ask myself: How do I make myself seem capable? How should I speak with my colleagues? How do I handle the mistakes I've made? Even people who have decades of corporate experience may be in a similar boat. Feeling like they're barely surviving in a world built for the naturally charismatic. I found myself being comforted by this short series, even taking some communication inspo.
I'd describe it as being like Cherry Magic but removing the fluff and comedy, and replacing it with a cold ambiance, existential crisis, and realistic improvements to navigate your work life. Overall, good chemistry, but amazing writing, plot, acting, soundtrack, editing, and cinematography. Definitely recommend to anyone needing something comforting and relatable.
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One of those series which makes your chest warm
Such a beautifully touching, human drama. The physical aspects of the relationship were fairly minimal but I absolutely adored seeing Kano grow emotionally and build his connection with Ogami. I would say that it excels at what it tries to be - a fairly minimal yet touching drama about two individuals who grow to adore each other. Definitely has the makings of a comfort show I will come back to.Was this review helpful to you?
