K-Drama 
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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Started so good, but rushed ending ?
This has so much potential! The leads are fabulous in their roles, the story and the pacing is well-done, especially the build-up. No one does the loner/loser x popular sunshine trope better than Japan and this one being set in an office was chef's kiss! The chemistry, subtle glances and, obviously, the insane height difference is so so good.But the finale is almost enough to never watch it again (I probably will rewatch tho). I really don't mind bad/no kissing (Have loved dramas like Unintentional Love Story, My Love Mix-Up, Where Your Eyes Linger) but there was so much desire expressed by the leads that the dead fish kissing felt off.
Not to mention the finale? The whole resolution takes place in the last 10 minutes and bam, we're done. This definitely needed one more episode at the very least.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great couple
A story about office workers and jumping through parallel realities leads to love. Kano and Ogami are a great match and I was curious to see what the two would do every time they interacted. For me this drama was easy to watch from start to finish.The drama is quite short, at only 6 episodes of 20 minutes. I definitely could have watched 3-4 episodes more of the two and I think it would have been a better build-up for the climax.
The best part about this drama is the visual pairing. Ogami is tall and broad, and Kano is much smaller in comparison. They are a charming couple, and the hotel scene and final kissing scene being the best part of the drama by far.
As for cons, I wish there was less talk about work between the two. The bond between the two seemed to be based on the fact that Kano takes on a lot of work by himself and Ogami worries about Kano, but stretched over 6 episodes it got kind of redundant. Its not too bothersome but I felt it was unnecessary.
Overall I recommend this drama. It is an interesting watch and the couple is really cute together. The reality -jumping aspect definitely made the characters seem much more dynamic, and it is an interesting premise. It teaches viewers that your beliefs and actions affect how people interact with you. Good job to the team on this one.
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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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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?
Wish it was longer!
This show was pretty cute! I liked that he had to go to the other world to figure out what exactly he wanted in the real world. I honestly wish the show was longer, so we got more time in the real world once he came back. I would have loved to see their relationship more! I thought the chemistry between the main two was pretty good. The kissing definitely could've used some work, but it wasn't the worst.Was this review helpful to you?
Felt a bit hollow. Didn't have anything intriguing
the story had a really great concept with the entire plot they were going for. I was expecting more than we actually saw, but they did good for the amount of episodes they actually had. Good chemistry but I feel like they could've done more. The ending just felt a bit empty overall, if this got a season 2 where we explore the characters themselves individually and their development i'd really like it.Was this review helpful to you?
simple and worth the watch
The size difference here is just so delectable. I have to get that off my chest first and foremost lol. Kano is so smol and Ogami is so god damn big, it's literally perfect.I really enjoyed this show. I have to say I'm a sucker for rivals or hate-to-love type stories so this was right up my alley. Although that sentiment didn't stay true throughout the entire show, I still enjoyed the dynamic changes. I really liked how the story explores Kano's internal struggle and how he overcame that. A good portion of this show is about Kano and who he wants to be, the romance is rather secondary, but that wasn't a bad thing. I think this allows the story to have more layers. This wasn't much of a Ogami story so we don't know much about him, but we do know that he's quite attentive when it comes to Kano. The way their relationship developed was also very nice, as there's a lot of subtlety rather than overt actions and reactions. I'm just a sucker for quiet yearning and this fed me very well. I love the camera shots where one of them is in the front and the other is in the background just watching intently.
In my opinion, the parallel world aspect of this show was just a catalyst to push Kano forward so I didn't really have any lingering feelings for the Parallel Ogami. It felt more like a little sneak peak at what could be of Kano and Ogami, which was later fulfilled toward the end.
The show is very short at just 6episodes and you end up wanting more. This is the first time I went and read on the original source, in this case the novel, because I wanted to know more about these characters and their story. It was very much worth it because we got a nice nsfw chapter that couldn't be shown in the show.
One slight improvement would have to be the kisses. One word to describe those kisses would be: inadequate. They were very simple and delicate, which didn't fit the passionate mood. There should have been just a little bit more oomph.
Overall, this was still one of the better Jbl's I've watched. If you enjoy shows that explore characters, I think you'll enjoy this show.
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So much potential, sadly no chemistry
I came for the intriguing drama name but only stayed because it was so short and I had run out of chores to do.The BL story is simple, a lonely man makes a wish at a shrine and suddenly he finds himself in a parallel world - the perfect version of his own life. Here he is a valued member of the sales team that in his previous life he’d only stood at the periphery of. The man he has feelings for returns them and his customers respect his knowledge and understanding. However, it doesn’t take him too long to realise that he misses the life he had before and that with a little mindset change he could have exactly what he wants if he returned. But can he return? Will he step up and be the man he needs to be to get what he wants?
The concept is excellent but the shortness of this series prevents any real plot development or depth to the characters. The acting is fairly ok, but there is absolutely no chemistry between the two main male leads and the kissing is so poorly executed that even if they director had used clever camera angles and lighting it would still have looked like a young man greeting a favourite uncle.
Would I watch this again? It’s a no from me.
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solid recommendation
Loved it!!!“what if.” What if you took more time, made different choices, showed up as a more realized version of yourself? The alternate world gives us that polished outcome with more success, smoother love, and fewer mistakes.
But the beauty is that it does not romanticize it. That version feels unfamiliar, almost unearned. In the end, the series reminds us that hardship is not something to erase. It is what shapes growth, reflection, and authentic love.
The ending if somewhat lacking but overall its a solid recommended series. its short and engaging
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ASKING FOR HELP DOES NOT MAKE YOU A BURDEN
I love a show where I can learn a good lesson from - it feels like a fresh new perspective. Personally, I really enjoyed watching this. Though I do agree that it was way too short.I mean with a story like this we could have had hour long episodes but then again maybe that might have felt like a drag. I like that this was short and sweet - just about the length of a movie even but it was a good watch.
It does not have a lot of lovely dovey scenes between the two main characters because most of the attention is directed towards the story and the details of the plot development but I think it is still worth a watch.
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