High school student Sakai Yonosuke is a fan of rom-coms. Aren’t we all? And our boy thinks that the whole “childhood friends to lovers” trope is the best—however, he is of the firm belief that in the real world, that kind of thing doesn’t happen. After all, life isn’t like an anime, right? RIGHT? However, truth is stranger than this anime, as it seems like Sakai has several female childhood friends who would love to go to that next level—whether it’s the rambunctious Shio, who seemingly has no problem throwing herself at Sakai, including breaking into his room to wake him up in the mornings and planning situations where her skirt flips up; or the tsundere Akari who goes hard with her act even though her feelings are clear to anyone with any common sense and social awareness. Which girl will find a way to break themselves out of the friend zone and win over Sakai’s heart and prove that maybe a childhood friend is all the lover you need? Cue the Awkward Shenanigans!
This is NOT the way I wanted to start the new year. See, I had hope that the first anime season of 2026 would be an easy coast. A couple recurring shows, maybe some good new shows, and we call it a day. Oh, how wrong I was. I was as wrong as anyone who predicted the Chiefs would go to the Super Bowl this season. I should’ve known better than to take on this one when our dear boss TWWK dropped it after a few minutes. Last night, I sat down and watched the WW2 animated movie Barefoot Gen with my online friends, and honestly, THAT was more enjoyable than watching this foolishness. While I did make it through the entire premiere episode, heaven knows I wish I hadn’t. This show is just a mess, guys. While some could argue this is a riff on the “childhood friends to lovers” trope often used in anime, the execution just isn’t there, and this comes off as another poorly done harem series, once again trying to be something bigger and brighter than it really is. It’s just as frustrating as Girlfriend, Girlfriend…which, considering who made this one, is not surprising. We’ll touch on this later.
While I have nothing against the harem genre, one of the key things that makes a harem stand out and be good is a likable, endearing main character. If we’re going to enjoy the shenanigans of watching this guy become the object of desire for one or more love interests, we need to see what it is about him that lights these girls’ proverbial fire. Heck, Rintaro in The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You established himself as a likeable and respectable guy in the first episode, and you could see exactly what the girls liked in him. For better or worse, he earned the harem. Was it a romp? Yes. But it was a fun, likeable romp. With regards to Sakai, he’s…there. We see nothing about this guy that makes us like him. He doesn’t really do anything for the girls, and in many cases, actually considers their exploits annoyances more than anything, all under the guise of “I don’t wanna be in a rom-com with my childhood friend, so I’m gonna just suppress my feelings!” This is basically Friendzone: The Animation. Also, I’m not sure what the deal is with his name—in all the promotional material and the show, he’s called “Eiyu,” but in the research material I used, he’s called “Sakai.” Which is it?! Come on, show! At least give us one solid name to go with! Or at least explain why everyone in the show calls him “Eiyu” vs “Sakai.”
The girls themselves, at least the ones we’re introduced to, are just stereotypical harem anime tropes with the added trait that they just so happen to be childhood friends with Sakai. We have the bubbly friend, the abusive tsundere, and, if the opening credits are to be believed, a tanned tomboy and, later, what appears to be a little-sister trope. These girls are just varying levels of annoying. Whether it’s Shio’s frequent attempts to get a rise out of Sakai through pathetic means (seriously, baby girl, have some self-respect) or Akari’s tsundere “I hate you, but I really love you” act, these girls are only there to be love interests of Sakai and NOTHING ELSE. Watching them throw themselves at Sakai for over 20 minutes was prodigiously painful—and all for a guy who seemingly doesn’t want anything beyond a friendship. Also, I have to take points off for Akari’s “HAHA, Let’s Laugh at the Virgin” joke—but if we’re being real, this show didn’t have that many points to take, anyway.
You Can’t Be in a Rom-Com With Your Childhood Friends was animated by Tezuka Productions. We’ve discussed several of their productions in the past, like 2021’s Girlfriend, Girlfriend, and 2024’s My Wife Has No Emotion—and honestly, this one looks the worst out of all of them. Tezuka has a particular style that, in some cases, looks good, but in this case, with the soft, hazy look in many scenes, it’s just not something I wanna spend twelve episodes watching. The OP “I Love You♡” by HoneyWorks, ft. Rin Kusumi, Yū Serizawa, Sae Hiratsuka, & Yūki Yamamoto (the voice actresses for the main female characters) is just as stereotypical, overly bubbly, and boring as the rest of the show. At the same time, the ED, “Amanojaku” (Contrarian) by Hikari Codama, is bland and forgettable.
So, where does that leave us with You Can’t Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends? HARD, EPIC PASS for me. It’s rare for me to find absolutely nothing endearing about any aspect of an anime, but this one is the exception. The characters are frustrating on multiple levels, the overall plot is boring, the fan service moments are just facepalm-inducing, and the production is prodigiously lackluster. This show really found a way to make a harem plot even more stereotypical and boring! Once again, if you are fond of pure harem romps with gags, panty shots, and stereotypical “Oops, I fell face-first in your breasts!” moments, then by all means, have at this one, and I genuinely hope you enjoy it. But if you’re looking for anything more than just your bog-standard foolishness that seems to be Tezuka Productions’ bread and butter as of late, then pass on it and pass quickly.
You Can’t Be in a Rom-Com With Your Childhood Friends is available to stream on Crunchyroll…unfortunately.
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