The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All Anime Debuts in January 2027
The use of a Nirvana song as the opening theme signals a deliberate musical identity for an adaptation of a manga built around rock music and a CD shop setting, a rare licensing choice for an anime.
Key Facts
- The anime adaptation of The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All premieres in January 2027.
- CloverWorks animates the series, with Masashi Ishihama directing and Rino Yamazaki on series composition.
- Akari Kitō voices Aya Ōsawa and Mariya Ise voices Mitsuki Koga.
- The opening theme song is the 1991 Nirvana track "Breed."
- Crunchyroll will stream the anime.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime News Network, Anime Corner.
The anime adaptation of Sumiko Arai's manga The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All will premiere in January 2027, as revealed in a teaser trailer unveiled at Anime Expo 2026. CloverWorks is producing the series, with Masashi Ishihama directing. The cast includes Akari Kitō as Aya Ōsawa and Mariya Ise as Mitsuki Koga. Rino Yamazaki handles series composition, and Kanna Hirayama is the character designer. The opening theme song is the 1991 Nirvana track "Breed." Crunchyroll will stream the anime. The manga follows high schooler Aya, who develops a crush on a cool CD shop employee, unaware that the employee is actually her quiet female classmate Mitsuki. Arai began the manga on Twitter in April 2022 before moving to pixiv Comic in April 2023. Kadokawa Shoten publishes the print volumes, with the fourth volume released on February 19. The series ranked second on the 2024 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook for top manga for female readers and second on the 23rd Da Vinci "Book of the Year" list.
Director Masashi Ishihama drew a commemorative illustration for the announcement, and manga creator Sumiko Arai also contributed a celebratory drawing. Aniplex unveiled both the teaser trailer and a key visual at Anime Expo 2026 during the Crunchyroll showcase.
The opening theme is the 1991 Nirvana song "Breed," a rare licensing choice for an anime. The grunge band's catalog is not commonly used in Japanese animation, and the selection ties directly to the story's setting in a CD shop and its focus on rock music.
Ishihama previously directed From the New World, Garakowa -Restore the World-, and Horimiya. Rino Yamazaki, who handles series composition, worked on Akebi's Sailor Uniform, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity, and Spy×Family season 3. Character designer Kanna Hirayama's credits include Rent-A-Girlfriend and Oshi no Ko.
Yen Press licensed the manga in English and released the third volume in December 2025. The publisher describes the story as a high school romance where fashion-forward Aya falls for a mysterious CD shop employee who is actually her quiet female classmate Mitsuki.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.