Love doesn’t choose an ideal place or time to happen. It comes out of nowhere, even amidst the most impossible of circumstances. And that’s exactly what happens in The Journey to Killing You, a Japanese BL adapted from Asai Sai’s manga Anata wo Korosu Tabi.

The story follows Kataoka Kinji (Wada Masanari), a young yakuza boss whose compassion and warmth make him beloved by those under his care. When political turmoil threatens his life, he’s ordered into hiding under the protection of Odajima Ren (Takahashi Hiroto), his quiet, stoic driver who harbors a secret mission of his own. Odajima isn’t there simply to protect him. He’s been sent to kill him.

The series wastes no time drawing viewers into this dangerous intimacy, balancing life on the run with revealing flashbacks that show the grief and betrayal Odajima carries. What begins as an assignment steeped in vengeance slowly complicates itself as he’s pulled closer to Kataoka, a man whose warmth stands in stark contrast to the world they inhabit. The first episodes made it clear that this wasn’t just going to be a violent tale, it was also setting up to be an emotional, poetic exploration of loyalty, regret, and unexpected love.

And it delivers on that promise.

The Journey to Killing You is exactly what its title suggests: one man’s path to kill the yakuza boss he blames for his greatest loss, only to fall in love with him instead. It’s violent. It’s blunt. At times, it’s even unsettling. But within that world of betrayal and bloodshed lies a strangely beautiful love story, one about facing your past, acknowledging your regrets, and allowing yourself to move forward.

Kataoka is a beacon in the darkness, a lighter-hearted spirit whose kindness makes him impossible not to root for. It’s easy to see why the younger members of the yakuza follow him with loyalty, and even easier to see how Odajima, despite himself, fell for him. Odajima is his opposite: reserved, brooding, hiding behind a mask of detachment. And yet, it’s Kataoka who sees through that mask, who draws him out little by little, even as Odajima struggles with the knowledge that he was sent to end Kataoka’s life.

Together, they walk a razor’s edge between duty and desire, between the yakuza world that raised them and the possibility of something different beyond it.

I didn’t expect this series to hand me a happy ending, but I was glad it did. Darkly poetic, the finale mirrored everything that came before: brutal, tender, and bittersweet. Like the bird in Odajima’s dream who flew in circles until it finally found its place, Odajima and Kataoka found theirs in each other, a man who hid his true self behind charm, and a man who hid his behind silence.

And they weren’t alone. Along their journey, they picked up others, an old man and a loyal young yakuza, human reminders that not every choice they made was in vain, and not all of their paths ended in ruin.

I’m honestly sad to see The Journey to Killing You end. The chemistry between Wada Masanari and Takahashi Hiroto was outstanding; their ability to communicate entire conversations with just a look or a kiss was mesmerizing. The series gave space for interpretation, left room for imagining a future that’s as uncertain as the present they’re left in. Any day could bring them face to face with the new boss. Any day could change everything.

But that delicate balance between danger and love, right and wrong, death and devotion is what makes Kataoka and Odajima unforgettable.

For a series as unsettling as it is endearing, check out The Journey to Killing You on GagaOOLala. It’s a story that sneaks up on you and steals your heart before you even realize it’s gone.

TW: Due to the subject matter, this series includes violence, murder, and unconsensual sexual moments.

Rating- 4 out of 5