Kodansha’s K Manga platform has officially added Shinya Misu’s romantic comedy manga series, “You Can’t Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!” (Japanese: Osananajimi to wa Rabu Kome ni Naranai), to its growing digital catalog. Fans can now access the official English edition of the series, with the initial chapters available to read for free.
Diving into the Rom-Com Dilemma
“You Can’t Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!” centers on high school protagonist Eeyuu (or Yonosuke Saskai), who finds himself in a complicated situation. He has two incredibly cute childhood friends, Shio Minamo and Akari Hiodoshi, who attend the same school. Despite his growing attraction to them, Eeyuu is desperate to maintain their platonic friendship, fearing the embarrassment if his true feelings were ever discovered. However, the narrative takes a twist as it reveals that both Shio and Akari harbor secrets of their own, making the “love triangle” far more intricate than Eeyuu initially perceives. The series delivers a blend of sweet, awkward, and vexing romantic comedy as the characters navigate the blurred lines between friendship and burgeoning love.
Manga Serialization and Volumes
Written and illustrated by Shinya Misu, the manga began its serialization on Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket website on March 22, 2022. As of November 2025, the series has been collected into eighteen tankōbon volumes in Japan.
Upcoming Anime Adaptation
The popularity of the manga has led to an upcoming anime television series adaptation. An announcement was made on April 3, 2025, confirming that Tezuka Productions will produce the anime. Directed by Satoshi Kuwabara, with Mitsutaka Hirota handling series composition and co-writing scripts with Mayumi Morita, and Reina Iwasaki designing the characters, the anime is slated to premiere in January 2026. Crunchyroll has also confirmed that it will stream the series. The ending theme song, “Amanojaku” (lit. ‘Contrarian’), will be performed by Hikari Kodama. Initial voice cast members include Takehiro Urao as Yonosuke Sakai, Rin Kusumi as Shio Minamo, Yu Serizawa as Akari Hiodoshi, and Sae Hiratsuka as Runa Tsukimi, with Yuki Yamamoto also joining as Haru Hinata.
About K Manga
K Manga is Kodansha’s official manga distribution service, launched to provide greater accessibility for American manga fans. The platform debuted in the U.S. on May 10, 2023, initially as a smartphone app, with a website version planned for later release. K Manga aims to simultaneously release the latest chapters of original serialized manga from Kodansha’s weekly and monthly magazines, often offering exclusive early access to popular series.
The platform features a vast digital catalog, including around 400 titles at launch, with approximately 70 ongoing series. It covers a wide array of genres, such as action, thriller, isekai, romance, and fantasy. K Manga offers users the ability to read a limited number of free manga chapters daily. For additional chapters, readers can use either limited-time tickets or purchase coins, which permanently unlock chapters. The service prides itself on delivering official, high-quality translations managed directly by Kodansha’s editorial team. In October 2024, K Manga expanded its service to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, offering over 500 titles, including about 100 ongoing series updated simultaneously with their Japanese release.
