Noa Is My Senior, and My Friend. Anime Airs in 2027, Reveals Rina Kawaguchi and Tomoya Ito as Leads

The TV anime adaptation of Noa Is My Senior, and My Friend. is officially scheduled to air in 2027. Its October 11, 2026 update also unveiled the first key visual and revealed the two actors leading the adaptation.

Based on Enma Akiyama's manga, the series takes place at a video game company and follows an unusual after-hours friendship between a highly capable art director and her laid-back junior, who accidentally discovers the side of her she keeps hidden at work.

Quick Summary

• Global title: Noa Is My Senior, and My Friend.
• Japanese title: のあ先輩はともだち。
• Romanization: Noa-senpai wa Tomodachi.
• Format: TV anime
• Status: in production
• Broadcast year: 2027
• Exact premiere date: unannounced
• Broadcast season: unannounced
• Japanese network: unannounced
• Streaming platforms: unannounced
• Episode count: unannounced
• Latest update: first key visual and lead cast
• Update date: October 11, 2026
• First key visual: released
• Characters in key visual: Noa Saotome
• Characters in key visual: Rihito Otsuka
• Noa Saotome: Rina Kawaguchi
• Rihito Otsuka: Tomoya Ito
• Character setting line art: revealed for both leads
• Original manga: by Enma Akiyama
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Magazine: Weekly Young Jump
• Serialization: began in 2023
• Debut: Weekly Young Jump 2023 Issue 32
• Story genre: office friendship comedy
• Setting: video game company
• Noa: art director
• Noa's age at the beginning of the manga: 27
• Noa's workplace image: highly capable career woman
• Noa: trusted by her boss
• Noa: admired by younger coworkers
• Rihito: second-year employee
• Rihito's age at the beginning of the manga: 23
• Rihito's motto: conserve energy in life
• Relationship catalyst: Rihito discovers Noa's hidden side
• Their relationship: after-hours “friends”
• Official concept: high-powered career woman × low-key young man
• Director: Shinsuke Yanagi
• Series composition: Keiichiro Ochi
• Character design: Yumiko Yamamoto
• Animation production: feel.
• Anime adaptation announced: July 13, 2026
• Initial teaser visual: released with the anime announcement
• Main PV: unannounced
• Teaser PV: unannounced
• Opening theme: unannounced
• Ending theme: unannounced
• Additional cast: unannounced
• Manga volumes released as of October 11: 11
• Volume 11: released July 17, 2026
• Volume 11: 194 pages
• Volume 11: ISBN 978-4-08-894273-5
• Volume 12: scheduled for October 19, 2026
• Manga milestone: reported to have passed one million copies in 2026
• Award: ranked eighth in the print category of the 10th Next Manga Awards
• Manga status: ongoing
• Anime status: awaiting further broadcast details

First Key Visual and Lead Duo

Rina Kawaguchi Voices Noa, Tomoya Ito Voices Rihito

Rina Kawaguchi voices Noa Saotome, the art director whose reputation at the game company is built around competence and reliability, even though her private life does not always match that polished image.

Tomoya Ito plays Rihito Otsuka, her more relaxed junior who prefers not to spend more energy than necessary. Their sharply different personalities sit at the center of the series' comedy.

An After-Hours Friendship at a Game Company

Rihito initially knows Noa as an almost flawless senior colleague. That changes when he accidentally witnesses the side of her that she has carefully kept away from the workplace.

The encounter starts their unusual after-hours “friendship.” The manga plays with the boundaries between senior and junior, friendship, emotional dependence and gradually changing feelings without abandoning its comedy foundation.

feel. Produces the Anime

The adaptation is directed by Shinsuke Yanagi, with Keiichiro Ochi handling series composition and Yumiko Yamamoto providing the character designs.

Animation production is handled by feel.. For now, the project has only confirmed its 2027 broadcast year and two principal cast members; broadcasters, international distribution, theme songs and an exact premiere date remain unannounced.

The Manga Heads Toward Volume 12

The original manga began serialization in Weekly Young Jump in 2023 and has reached 11 collected volumes as of October 2026.

Shueisha has scheduled Volume 12 for October 19, 2026, only days after the first key visual and lead cast reveal. The series has also passed the one-million-copy milestone and previously placed eighth in the print category of the 10th Next Manga Awards.

Why This Matters

1) The workplace is central to the comedy

Noa and Rihito are not students but coworkers at a game company with very different approaches to professional and personal life.

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2) “Friendship” is the core of the relationship

Rather than immediately becoming a conventional romance, the story repeatedly questions how far a bond between two adults can go while still being called friendship.

3) The manga's central pair finally has anime voices

Rina Kawaguchi and Tomoya Ito now become the faces and voices of the adaptation after the manga has been running since 2023.

Noa Is My Senior, and My Friend. Anime and Manga Information

For now, the additional important information currently known includes:

• the Japanese title is 『のあ先輩はともだち。』
• English anime materials use Noa Is My Senior, and My Friend.
• the commonly used romanization is Noa-senpai wa Tomodachi.
• the TV anime is scheduled for 2027
• its broadcast month has not been announced
• an exact premiere date has not been announced
• the broadcast season has not been announced
• Japanese networks have not been announced
• Japanese streaming platforms have not been announced
• international distribution has not been announced
• the episode count has not been announced
• the anime adaptation was first announced July 13, 2026
• a teaser visual accompanied the adaptation announcement
• the October 11 update confirmed a 2027 broadcast
• the first key visual was also released on October 11
• the visual centers on Noa and Rihito
• character setting line art for both characters has also been revealed
• Rina Kawaguchi voices Noa Saotome
• Tomoya Ito voices Rihito Otsuka
• additional cast remains unannounced
• Noa works as an art director at a video game company
• her work earns strong trust from her boss
• junior coworkers also admire Noa
• she hides a side of herself that differs from her workplace image
• Rihito is a second-year employee
• he prefers an energy-saving approach to life
• Rihito accidentally discovers Noa's hidden side
• this encounter starts their after-hours friendship
• the manga introduces Noa as 27 years old
• Rihito is 23 years old at the beginning
• Enma Akiyama writes and draws the original manga
• Shueisha publishes the manga
• serialization runs in Weekly Young Jump
• the series began in the magazine's 2023 Issue 32
• Shinsuke Yanagi directs the anime
• Keiichiro Ochi handles series composition
• Yumiko Yamamoto handles character design
• feel. handles animation production
• the anime composer has not been announced
• the opening artist has not been announced
• the ending artist has not been announced
• a main trailer has not been announced
• a teaser PV has not been announced
• manga Volume 1 was released October 19, 2023
• Volume 1 contains 188 pages
• Volume 1 ISBN is 978-4-08-892862-3
• Volume 11 was released July 17, 2026
• Volume 11 contains 194 pages
• Volume 11 ISBN is 978-4-08-894273-5
• Volume 12 is scheduled for October 19, 2026
• the manga remains ongoing as of the latest anime announcement
• no anime home-video release date has been announced
• Blu-ray/DVD information has not been announced
• anime-specific merchandise was not part of the latest announcement
• production committee details beyond the official copyright line have not been detailed
• the manga is available through supported official Shueisha platforms
• anime information is available through the Official Anime Website
• anime updates are available through Official X
• manga information is available through the Weekly Young Jump Official Manga Page
• book information is available through Shueisha Official Books

Closing

Noa Is My Senior, and My Friend. now has two major pieces in place for its 2027 broadcast: its anime identity through the first key visual and the voices of Noa and Rihito through Rina Kawaguchi and Tomoya Ito.

Major details remain open. The exact premiere date, broadcaster, streaming services, additional cast, theme songs and first trailer have yet to be announced.