AsianGL · Japan · Series Guide
AYAKA is in LOVE with HIROKO
A bright workplace comedy built on one irresistible misunderstanding: Ayaka is openly trying to win over her senior Hiroko, while Hiroko is working just as hard to hide that she is attracted to Ayaka too.
At a glance
- Country
- Japan
- Language
- Japanese
- Season 1
- 2024 · 8 episodes
- Season 2
- 2025 · 6 episodes
- Genre
- GL, romance, comedy
- Original broadcaster
- MBS
- Lead pairing
- Shiho Kato × Kanna Mori
- Based on
- Sal Jiang’s manga
Why the setup works
Ayaka is not subtle about her crush. She changes her style, creates opportunities to be near Hiroko, and repeatedly pushes the relationship beyond ordinary coworker territory. Hiroko’s problem is not lack of interest. It is that she keeps interpreting Ayaka through the assumptions and caution she has learned from her own experience.
That makes the first season a romantic comedy about mixed signals, but it also gives the story more weight than a simple office farce. Hiroko’s hesitation comes from a workplace history that taught her to protect herself, while Ayaka’s persistence gradually forces the possibility of being seen honestly into the open.
The second season follows the relationship after the original chase, shifting the comedy toward what happens when two people who spent so long misunderstanding each other have to learn how to actually be a couple.
Lead cast
Shiho Kato
Character: Ayaka Usagida, the determined junior colleague who refuses to give up on Hiroko.
Country: Japan
Kanna Mori
Character: Hiroko Kano, Ayaka’s admired senior whose confidence at work hides a much more complicated romantic history.
Country: Japan
AsianGL Verdict
This is one of the easiest Japanese GL dramas to recommend to viewers who want something funny without treating queer identity as a punchline. The comedy comes from personality, timing, and spectacularly bad assumptions rather than from the fact that two women like each other.
Start here if you like office romance, mutual pining, determined heroines, and a story that becomes more emotionally grounded as Hiroko’s past comes into focus.
Where to watch
GagaOOLala carries the series internationally and lists both the 2024 first season and the 2025 second season. MBS is the original Japanese broadcaster and maintains the official drama pages.
Streaming availability can vary by country. Use the official platform pages above for current regional access.
Continue exploring
Browse the Asian GL by country section for more Japanese, Taiwanese, Filipino, and Korean GL, or visit the Actresses directory to follow performers across series.
Sources and credits
Series facts and cast were verified against MBS and GagaOOLala. AsianGL’s story description and editorial commentary are original. AsianGL is an independent fan-created website.