Love Begins in the World of If Episode 1
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Episode 1 immediately sets the tone: quiet, a little melancholic, and deeply character-driven. We meet Akihito Kano a year after shifting from engineering to sales, and honestly? He’s the definition of someone who’s good at his job but absolutely terrible at being visible. He has the skills, the brains, the work ethic — but zero confidence in speaking up. And the show doesn’t exaggerate it; it portrays that kind of workplace loneliness in a painfully realistic way. You can feel how isolating it is for him to exist in a room full of coworkers yet still feel like he’s on the outside looking in.The tension with Seiji Ookami is introduced beautifully. They’re not enemies, but they’re definitely not what they used to be. Once close peers, now separated by an unspoken incident and Kano’s lingering insecurity. The writing does a great job showing that admiration and resentment can coexist. Kano looks at Ookami like he’s the sun — warm, bright, unreachable — and that gap between them is the emotional hook of this episode.The shrine scene is where everything shifts.After a draining day dealing with client problems, Akihito stumbling into the shrine feels like a metaphor for how lost he is — physically, emotionally, mentally. The mirror that shows your “ideal self” is such a simple fantasy device, yet it works because Akihito’s wish is so human:He doesn’t want fame, success, or power. He just wants to stand beside Ookami — not beneath him, not behind him — but as an equal.That’s what makes the magic hit harder.The fog, the blackout, and then… “Kano!”Ookami is the one who wakes Kano up after he faints at the shrine, and he looks genuinely worried. From there, everything feels different — this Ookami isn’t the one he usually knows. His eyes, his gestures, his attitude, even the way he carries Kano…This ending twist is executed so delicately. It’s not loud or dramatic. It’s intimate. Confusing. Tender in a way that immediately makes you ask:Is this a dream? A parallel world? His subconscious? Or something supernatural?The episode closes not with answers, but with emotional mystery — the best kind. Overall, Episode 1 is a strong opener — soft fantasy layered with workplace loneliness and unresolved tension. It’s slow, but intentionally slow, building a fragile emotional atmosphere that sets up the central question of the story: What happens when the version of someone you wished for finally appears — and they treat you like you’ve always wanted?A beautiful, tender start to a story about longing, regret, and the ache of wanting to be someone better.
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