The World's Greatest First Love (2011) User Reviews

A truly heartfelt and beautiful show about same-sex couples

[bennyjayruss · 10/10 · 12 March 2013]

I'm not a huge fan of animated shows or mangas, I just stumble upon a few that I end up liking. Boy oh boy was I surprised at how much I enjoyed 'Sekaiichi Hatsukoi.' First of all, the music is absolutely amazing. It sets the scenes, and pulls at my heartstrings every time I hear it. The quality of animation is spectacular as well, with beautifully drawn characters and places.

What makes it so good is the unbelievably heartfelt romance. There are three couples throughout the show, and we get heaps of time to get to know each one. I became attached to every single character.

I couldn't stop watching this show if I tried... it may be cheesy and unrealistic, however, it's the most uplifting and beautiful show I've ever seen.

This is coming from someone who doesn't particularly like the genre, so that's got to count for something.

It's too cute!

[SongbirdCtTheKitty · 10/10 · 13 April 2015]

I love this anime. And i don't care how much people diss it. I think it really does a good job showing how hard a same-sex relationship is. I also like that they had the sex scenes muted here. Because as we all know...the sex is not the important thing here, its the relationship between the characters. I also love the message: it is possible to get over the past and rebuild a broken relationship. Takano and Ritsu have such chemistry towards each other and the fact that Takano never gives up no matter how angry Ritsu gets at him is heartwarming. It's romantic, it's hilarious (the faces in this anime are PRICELESS) and its just too damn cute!

wow

[BorisStudios · 10/10 · 7 June 2017]

This was an amazing master piece which is pure beauty between lovers.The English translation of 'world's greatest love story' truly lives up to its name as it is, in my opinion, the world's greatest love story. Truly fantastic and beautiful, my sad, tiny heart was emotional over this romance. Claps for the producers because i love it.

Watch Junjou Romantica Instead ...

[izibellz · 6/10 · 18 January 2013]

This anime's pretty much a lesser version of Junjou Romantica. It's less romantic, not as funny, and frankly kind of ... boring. Some of the Junjou characters do make cameo appearances, but I don't know whether this because both series are created by the same people, or what. At first, the shōjo manga department angle is funny, but after a while it becomes tedious. Why is Ritsu exhausted? Because he's overworked. Why does Kisa not have enough time for Yukina? Because he's overworked. Etcetera, etcetera, ETCETERA! You can see where I'm going with this ... o_o The various characters also spend a lot of time moping. And, my God, it takes Ritsu and Masamune FOREVER to get over their silly problems.

Otherwise, a lot of the characters really got on my last nerve, too. I liked Chiaki, Yuu, Kisa, Yukina, Isaka, and ... that was it. Everybody else seriously grated: Yokozawa, with all his nonsense; Ritsu, with his refusal to admit to anything just for the sake of it; An, with her apparent hearing impairment: HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU (!!); and Masamune and Hatori, who were so thoroughly uninteresting that I could barely keep my eyes open to read the subtitles when they were on-screen.

Yeah. Unless you're interested in mundane characters who just can't seem to get their cheesecake together in a timely fashion, I recommend Junjou Romantica.

I am so so in love with the series!

[Irishchatter · 10/10 · 13 February 2018]

It really has been a long time since I last saw a good animated series and boy, this made me look forward to watching more episodes online as I went along. The music is just amazing, the Japanese voice acting was good even if us English people couldnt live without subtitles but the emotions involved were quite touching!

Onodera and Takano were such brilliant characters that ever were invented. I like how they give them different personalities in a way that you would never think of them as a couple in the first place and when they did kiss, it blows your mind in a omigosh way! Takano was like this reserved, tough, abrupt guy and Onodera was like this sweet but unlucky guy who wants to fill in the weak spots he has done in his life. I even like how the series wants us to get to know the other guy characters too in the same office as Onodera and Takano. It was a clever way to not make the series too boring but in my opinion, Onodera and Takano are an interesting pair to hear what they need to say to one another. Regardless if it was about love, it's always sweet to see them stick together no matter if they grind each others nerves!

Best anime series out there, kudos to the soundtrack, actors and artists that made this series happen!

Simply beautiful

[Trixie_reviews · 10/10 · 15 December 2018]

I'm amazed at how wonderful Sekaiichi Hatsukoi is. Both anime and the manga. The artwork is beautiful, but what really stands out is the amazing storyline. The plot progresses nicely and the romance builds up slowly but steadily until it completely overwhelms you. This really is the world's greatest first love. For a romance, it's quite grounded (but in a good way) and much more realistic than Junjo Romantica. I actually prefer this one. And learning about the creating/editing/publishing manga process was pretty interesting, too. I highlly recommend.