You Can't Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends Episode 1 Preview Released!

The Winter 2026 anime "You Can't Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!" is about to premiere! The official release today unveiled preview screenshots and a plot summary for Episode 1, kicking off this love triangle comedy.

Episode 1 Plot: Not Even an Indirect Kiss Can Make It a Rom-Com?

The title of Episode 1 is "Even on the School Commute, Even with Indirect Kissing, Even Sitting on My Lap, It Won't Be a Rom-Com."

Plot Summary

The protagonist, "Eiyuu" (Real name: Sakai Yonosuke), has just started his first year of high school. His biggest worry is that his two childhood friends—"Shio" (Shio Minamo) and "Akari" (Akari Hiodoshi)—are just too cute!

Eiyuu is terrified of being caught looking at the girls with "lustful eyes." However, reality is harsh:

• Shio: Climbs into his futon every morning for a zero-distance attack.
• Akari: Always finds some inexplicable reason to pick a fight and ambush him.

These scenarios are textbook rom-com developments, but Eiyuu insists: "Reality is different from manga. We're just simple childhood friends."

Little does he know, the feelings these two girls have for him are already...!?

Series Introduction: A Pincer Attack from a Raven-Haired Beauty and a Blonde Tsundere

"You Can't Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!" is adapted from the popular manga of the same name. It features the setting "All Heroines are Childhood Friends," taking the anxious feeling of "more than friends, less than lovers" to the extreme.

Character Introductions

• Eiyuu: A first-year high school boy obsessed with rom-com manga, who firmly believes "childhood friends don't become rom-coms in reality."
• Shio Minamo: A generous and completely unguarded childhood friend.
• Akari Hiodoshi: A competitive yet shy childhood friend.

On one side, Eiyuu struggles to suppress his delusions; on the other, the two girls launch clumsy but direct attacks. This series unfolds with the male protagonist's constant self-deprecation and heart-pounding moments!

A Must-Watch for Winter 2026

Do you love the anxious feeling of "mutual pining that can't come to fruition"? Want to see the male protagonist struggling on the verge of losing his sanity? "You Can't Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!" is definitely a rom-com you can't miss in the Winter 2026 anime season.

Tune in for Episode 1 to see if Eiyuu can maintain the "boundaries of reality"!