The World's Greatest First Love

- Season 1

(2011)

Onodera Ritsu leaves his family's book business, where his co-workers thought his stature there was due to nepotism. He joins Marukawa Publishing in the hope of making an independent success for himself as a book editor. Instead, he is put in the shoujo manga (girl's comics) division. Onodera is appalled by the working methods of the department and the tyrannical behavior of the editor-in-chief, Takano Masamune. Takano has a feeling that he and Onodera have met before...

Rookie editor Onodera Ritsu gets a crash course in manga production when he and Takano work all night to help a frazzled artist meet her deadline. The next morning Takano reveals that he was Onodera's high school boyfriend 10 years earlier, and vows to make Onodera love him again. Shocked by these events, Onodera is in for another surprise when he finds out that his next-door neighbor is...Takano!

While denying his feelings for Takano, Onodera nevertheless worries that his boss seems too close with Marukawa's sales chief Yokozawa Takafumi. Trying to avoid Takano, Onodera is forced to bring a storyboard to his apartment for approval. Once there, Takano makes romantic overtures to Onodera, who resists them. Escaping from the apartment, Onodera finds a suspicious Yokozawa standing in the doorway.

Onodera gains points from Takano by flying from Tokyo to Hokkaido and back again in a single day to retrieve an overdue manuscript. Alone in the company washroom, Onodera is confronted by Yokozawa who tells him him to stay away from Takano. Returning to their apartment building by train, Onodera falls asleep on Takano's shoulder only to wake up the next morning in his boss' bed. A shocked Onodera convinces himself that nothing sexual could have happened between them.

Editor Hatori Yoshiyuki is secretly in love with his childhood friend, manga artist Yoshino Chiaki. One day Yoshino sees his assistant Yanase Yuu and Hatori from a distance and thinks they are kissing, when in fact Hatori was threatening Yanase. Yoshino agonizes over their imaginary relationship and wonders why Hatori doesn't love him instead. During a fireworks display, Hatori confesses his love to Yoshino but tells him he will have to change editors as his lack of objectivity resulted in Yoshino's manuscript being late. Yoshino refuses the offer and asks Hatori to ...

Hatori is jealous that his boyfriend Yoshino prefers spending time with his assistant Yanase than he does with him. Hatori informs Yoshino that he will have to attend a party celebrating one of his manga being turned into an anime, which Yoshino agrees to only if Yanase attends as well. During the party, Yoshino is relieved to hear Yanase has no interest in Hatori, but Yanase plants doubts in Yoshino's mind, pointing out Hatori's popularity with women at the party. Later at Yoshino's apartment, he flies into a jealous rage at Hatori for smelling of women's perfume. ...

Onodera is assigned a book proposal for the manga he is editing, which is turned down by Takano. Takano kisses Onodera while helping him draft a new version of the proposal, a move Onodera rejects. Onodera has an unpleasant encounter with Yokozawa, who says that Takano belongs to him. Onodera bumps into a former colleague named Saiki and both go out for drinks. In the bar, Onodera runs into Takano who is accompanied by a woman; Takano likewise sees Onodera with his female friend and both of them become jealous. Later that night, Takano confesses his love to Onodera, ...

Manga editor Kisa Shouta becomes infatuated with Marimo Books' clerk Yukina Kou. Although 30 years old, Kisa has never known love and feels he has no chance with the younger and dazzling Yukina. While observing Yukina in the bookstore, Kisa runs into Marukawa's sales chief Yokozawa Takafumi, who introduces him to Yukina. Kisa is accosted by a former lover who has been stalking him but Yukina intervenes and Kisa flees the store. Later in a café, Kisa is thinking about the day's events when Yukina enters. The two converse until Yukina surreptitiously kisses Kisa, ...

Kisa obsesses over his kiss with Yukina in the café. While he admits that Yukina is his type, he thinks of every excuse as to why a relationship with him couldn't work out. Annoyed by constant text messages from Yukina, Kisa nevertheless goes to the bookstore where he is confronted by his stalker and Yukina once again comes to his rescue. At Yukina's apartment, Kisa is fearful that Yukina may have overheard Kisa and his ex-lover's spat. Yukina says that he already knew Kisa was gay as he had seen him staring at him several times in the store. Yukina confesses his love...

Hatori becomes jealous when he discovers Yoshino being tickled by Yanase. Yoshino explains it was only horseplay between friends but makes matters worse when he announces he and Yanase are taking a vacation to a hot spring. At he spring, Yoshino reflects on Hatori's kindnesses to him and wonders why he was opposed to the trip. When Yanase has a cake brought to their table, Yoshino is surprised to find out it's his birthday and now realizes why Hatori didn't want him to leave. As Yanase prepares to tell Yoshino who his secret love is, Hatori calls, ostensibly to talk ...

After leaving a contentious book proposal meeting, Onodera encounters author Sumi Ryuchi and literature department member Hasegawa. Onodera had once been Sumi's editor at his father's firm and is ashamed to admit he now works editing manga. Sumi encourages Onodera to get back into literature. When Hasegawa invites Onodera for a drink, Takano tells him not to bother his employee, which embarrasses Onodera. That night, Takano and Onodera have a chance meeting outside a library and the two argue. Leaving, Onodera slips on the stairs but is caught by Takano, who embraces ...

Yokozawa continues threatening Onodera in the apartment hallway. Takano arrives and Onodera flees to his own apartment. Once inside, he reflects on how confused he is whenever he and Takano are together and considers transferring to the literature department. Takano returns some papers that Onodera left behind and tells him about his relationship with Yokozawa. Takano kisses Onodera, who wants to resist but can't. They are interrupted by a phone call from manga artist Mutou, who praises Onodera for his hard work as her editor, and Takano likewise compliments him. ...