Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Japanese drama ‘Love Begins in the World of If’ follows an office worker’s journey into a parallel life, where he is far more successful on both the professional and personal fronts. Not because of any change in circumstances, but simply because his counterpart in this other life is less guarded, asocial, gloomy, and unapproachable.
Directed by Hariu Yuji, ‘Love Begins in the World of If’ spans six episodes and is based on the novel “If no Sekai de Koi ga Hajimaru” by Umino Sachi. Daigo Kotaro plays Kano Akihito, a diligent young man struggling to find his footing in a sales department after being transferred from the tech team. He admires his confident colleague Ogami Seiji (Nakagawa Daisuke) but finds it painfully difficult to connect with him. Crushed by work and his growing sense of insecurity, he makes a wish at a mysterious shrine, and wakes up in an alternate world where he and Ogami share warmth, familiarity, and the hint of something more.
‘Love Begins in the World of If’ opens by firmly establishing Kano’s suffocating work life: colleagues dismiss him as overly rigid and jargon-heavy, while clients remain unimpressed and distant. Rather than seeking advice or support from his peers, Kano internalises the pressure and takes everything upon himself. The office scenes are shot in cold blue and grey tones, with the cinematography visually reinforcing the bleakness of his work life.
The monotony of Kano’s colourless work life is broken by a touch of fantasy: an ancient magical mirror he encounters at a shrine. Through it, Kano is whisked into a brighter version of reality, where colleagues are warm to him, his sales performance is amazing, and his once-distant relationship with Ogami feels natural and effortless.
While the mirror is magical within the narrative, it functions primarily as a metaphorical “what if,” allowing Kano to glimpse how drastically his world could change if he simply let his guard down. It’s a small behavioural shift, yet it triggers a profound transformation: the once intimidating Ogami is suddenly within reach, and colleagues who previously ignored or gossiped about him are now casual drinking companions. The takeaway is clear, Kano doesn’t need a miracle, only the courage to take the first step.
Daigo Kotaro’s performance as Kano anchors ‘Love Begins in the World of If’, and personally, it took me back to Motojima Junsei’s sincere portrayal in the coming-of-age drama ‘Our Youth’. Actor Kotaro captures the exhaustion of a burned-out office worker so convincingly that you genuinely worry he might edge toward karōshi (Japan’s term for death by overwork). When the story shifts into its alternate reality, Kotaro effortlessly recalibrates, selling a lighter, more open version of Kano with equal conviction. His admiration for Ogami feels sincere and emotionally grounded.
Nakagawa Daisuke’s Ogami, however, is a trickier sell. While he consistently plays Ogami as considerate and thoughtful in both worlds, the romantic pull doesn’t fully land. At times, his expressions veer into anime-like exaggeration; at others, they feel underwritten. The issue is less with the actor and more with the script, which doesn’t convincingly build Ogami romantic intentions. The chemistry between the leads is lukewarm, and the romance could have benefited from at least a couple more episodes to truly simmer.
The last episode of ‘Love Begins in the World of If’ rushes to give viewers a convenient ‘happy ending’ between its leads. But oh well, despite its flaws, this six episode series is an engaging distraction.
Watch ‘Love Begins in the World of If’ on GagaOOOlala.
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