Aniplex unveiled a teaser trailer and visual for the anime adaptation of Sumiko Arai’s The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All (Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta) manga on Saturday. The trailer reveals the anime’s cast, staff, and January 2027 debut date, and also reveals and previews the anime’s opening theme song, the 1991 song “Breed” by grunge band Nirvana. Crunchyroll announced at its panel at Anime Expo on Friday that it will stream the anime, and it also revealed an English-subtitled version of the trailer.
Image courtesy of Aniplex
©新井すみこ/KADOKAWA/きにおと製作委員会
Arai drew the below illustration to celebrate the anime.
Image courtesy of Aniplex
©新井すみこ/KADOKAWA/きにおと製作委員会
The anime’s director Masashi Ishihama also drew the below illustration for the anime.
Image courtesy of Aniplex
©新井すみこ/KADOKAWA/きにおと製作委員会
The cast includes Akari Kitō as Aya Ōsawa, and Mariya Ise as Mitsuki Koga.
As stated above, Masashi Ishihama (From the New World, Garakowa -Restore the World-, Horimiya) is directing the anime. CloverWorks will animate the series. Rino Yamazaki (Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity, Spy×Family season 3) is in charge of series composition. Kanna Hirayama (Rent-A-Girlfriend, Oshi no Ko) is designing the characters.
Image via Amazon Japan
© Sumiko Arai, Kadokawa
Yen Press licensed the manga and released the third volume in December 2025. Yen Press describes the manga’s story:
Fashionable and upbeat high schooler Aya falls head over heels for an employee at a local CD shop. He’s got an air of mystery about him, great style, and an impeccable music taste. Little does she know—this supposedly male employee is actually her female classmate Mitsuki! Mitsuki generally keeps to herself, but since her seat is right next to Aya’s, she can’t help but be extremely aware of the other’s crush. Revealing the truth is out of the question for Mitsuki—but perhaps getting closer to Aya wouldn’t be so bad…
Arai launched the series as a manga on Twitter (later known as X) in April 2022 before serializing on pixiv Comic in April 2023. Kadokawa Shoten publishes the series in print and shipped the fourth compiled book volume on February 19
The series ranked #2 on the 23rd annual Da Vinci “Book of the Year” list and #2 for top manga for female readers on the 2024 edition of Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (This Manga Is Amazing!) guidebook.
Source: Press release
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.
