K Manga, Kodansha’s digital manga platform, has announced the addition of Shinya Misu’s popular romantic comedy series, “You Can’t Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!” (Japanese: Osananajimi to wa Rabu Kome ni Naranai), to its growing library. Fans can now dive into the complex love triangle, with the initial chapters available to read for free.
The Premise: A Childhood Friend Dilemma
The manga centers around Yonosuke Saskai (also referred to as Eiyuu in some synopses), a high school student who finds himself in a tricky situation with his two close childhood friends, Shio Minamo and Akari Hiodoshi. As they’ve matured, Yonosuke begins to view them in a romantic light, much to his internal conflict, as he wishes to maintain their long-standing platonic relationships. A captivating love triangle ensues, as Yonosuke struggles to navigate his blossoming feelings while both Shio and Akari also harbor their own secrets. The series delves into the sweet, impatient, and often twisted dynamics of romantic comedy.
About the Manga Creator and Serialization
“You Can’t Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!” is written and illustrated by Shinya Misu. The series began its serialization on Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket website on March 22, 2022. As of November 2025, the manga has been collected into eighteen tankōbon volumes in Japan.
The Anticipated Anime Adaptation
Adding to the manga’s popularity, an anime television series adaptation produced by Tezuka Productions is set to premiere in January 2026. The anime adaptation was announced on April 3, 2025. Satoshi Kuwabara is directing the series, with Mitsutaka Hirota handling the series composition and co-writing scripts with Mayumi Morita. Reina Iwasaki is designing the characters. Crunchyroll has confirmed that it will stream the anime globally, excluding Asia, and even premiered the first episode at New York Comic Con 2025 on October 12, 2025. The ending theme song, “Amanojaku” (lit. ‘Contrarian’), will be performed by Hikari Kodama.
The main voice cast for the anime includes Takehiro Urao as Yonosuke Sakai, Rin Kusumi as Shio Minamo, and Yu Serizawa as Akari Hiodoshi.
K Manga’s Growing Library of Digital Titles
K Manga continues to expand its catalog, offering a diverse range of manga titles directly to global readers. The platform aims to provide official English editions of popular Japanese manga, often with the first chapters available for free, allowing readers to sample new series before committing. The addition of “You Can’t Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!” further solidifies K Manga’s position as a key destination for fans of romantic comedy and other genres.
