Childhood Friends Rom-Com Anime Drops Key Visual and Trailer Ahead of January 2026 Premiere

The highly anticipated television anime adaptation of the beloved manga, You Can't Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends! (known in Japan as Osananajimi to wa LoveCom ni Naranai), has significantly heightened fan anticipation with the release of its official key visual and a brand-new trailer. This series is confirmed to debut in January 2026, positioning it as a key title for the upcoming winter anime season.

Spearheaded by the established studio Tezuka Productions, the show is scheduled for broadcast across major Japanese networks, including TV Tokyo, AT-X, and BS NTV. Furthermore, global audiences will have exclusive access to stream the romantic comedy via Crunchyroll, ensuring widespread availability for fans eager to follow the unfolding narrative.

The narrative centers on Eeyuu, a high school student whose life is complicated by his close relationship with two charming childhood friends, Shio and Akari. While their dynamic has historically been platonic, the core premise explores the transition when deep friendship encounters nascent romantic feelings. Eeyuu finds himself navigating a delicate love triangle, struggling to reconcile his long-standing familiarity with his friends against the realization that his feelings are evolving as they mature. The story effectively blends sweet moments, teenage impatience, and the emotional turbulence characteristic of first love, capturing the bittersweet essence of youthful connection.

The production quality demonstrated in the newly released trailer is notable, featuring high-fidelity animation and character designs that remain faithful to the source material. These visuals were meticulously overseen by the team responsible for the cover art, led by Hisashi Senomoto, ensuring the aesthetic charm that made the manga a sensation is maintained. The series' widespread popularity was previously recognized by its nomination for the web category of the ninth Next Manga Awards.

In a significant pre-release event, the world premiere episode was screened exclusively for attendees at Crunchyroll’s Premieres Round 2 panel during New York Comic Con back in October 2025, generating substantial positive reception months prior to its official broadcast. With the recent announcements regarding the main voice cast and the unveiling of the series' new ending theme, all production elements are now aligned. You Can't Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends! is strongly positioned to be a definitive hit of the Winter 2026 lineup, supported by the combined strengths of Tezuka Productions' skilled execution and Crunchyroll's extensive distribution network.