Assuming I'm not an underwater skeleton by this point, I suspect I'll still be smiling at cute romance anime when I'm 90 years old. But with age, I have admittedly become less tolerant of high school rom-com protagonists who redden like steamed lobsters at the mere thought of holding hands. We have series like Wotakoi and A Sign of Affection, but adult romance anime are in short supply. The good news is that the supply is about to get bigger: the Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You manga is getting an anime adaptation in 2026.
As Anime News Network reports, the Square Enix-published series by creator Jinushi will air next year. That is... basically all we know right now. But that's enough for me.
Even in an era of light novel titles that could pass for summaries, Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is one of the most precisely named series out there. Protagonist Sasaki is rejuvenated by the company of cute supermarket worker Yamada, his visits between office shifts acting as an oasis in a corporate desert. He also spends some smoke breaks outside the store with the punkish woman Tayama, who doesn't seem to mind Sasaki's age in her flirtatious barrages.
The kicker is that Tayama and Yamada are the same mischievous woman, separated only by a dramatic shift in look and demeanor that Sasaki is powerless to perceive. So begins the relaxed but endearing tale of two tired adults commiserating about life, and occasionally stoking embers of romance when Sasaki can stop fretting about being, in his eyes, way too old to be doing this. (The age gap really isn't that big.)
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is very much a slow burn, but its themes and dialogue distinguish it from the mainstay youth romance anime that can get mired in will they, won't they drudgery or tortured misunderstandings. Granted, the whole series is couched in one big misunderstanding, but it colors the story without stalling it.
If you've ever collapsed into a heap after a hard day's work or you're tired of anime about people who've never had to wrestle with insurance premiums, this is worth a look. The manga was one of our top 10 manga of 2024, and with a solid adaptation, I reckon it'll be one of my favorite anime of 2026.
By some miracle one of my favorite niche novel series has an amazing anime adaptation competing with My Dress-Up Darling, Gachiakuta, and Kaiju No. 8 for best summer 2025 anime.
