Anime Review: “I Have a Crush at Work” (2025).

I just finished this 2025 romance anime and wanted to share my thoughts. This was a refreshing watch because it skips the usual tropes and starts with the main characters are already deep in a relationship. It treats their intimacy as a normal, established part of their lives, which is a welcome change of pace for the genre.

The couple works at the same company but in different departments, which creates a unique set of problems. Because they know their colleagues love to speculate and gossip about office romances, they’ve decided to keep their relationship a complete secret. This means that whenever they are at work, they have to act like they aren't together at all.

Maintaining this "double life" takes a significant toll on them. It is genuinely difficult to balance two contradicting roles; while they want to hug or hold hands, they have to force themselves to remain indifferent to one another until the clock hits five. The show does a great job of portraying how much energy it actually takes to hide your feelings in a professional setting.

While the main story unfolds, we also see a secondary romance developing between their colleagues, Shizuno and Keisuke. Shizuno’s journey adds a lot of depth to the show, as she is constantly suppressing her feelings due to a failed workplace romance in her past. She is still living in those negative memories, making her afraid to take another leap of faith.

Additionally, Shizuno is worried about their significant age gap, as Keisuke is only 24 while she is 32 and much higher in her career. Women intuitively prefer older men for evolutionary reasons, as they typically have more resources, better education, and an established reputation in society. However, this isn't always the case depending on how well-off the woman is. If she is already successful and established like Shizuno, those factors become less relevant, and other qualities like looks and character take over in importance.

Overall, this is a simple and grounded workplace romance. While it didn't quite make it onto my list of all-time favorites, it was a very enjoyable watch that felt honest about the realities of dating as an adult.