The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All Reveals New Mitsuki and Aya Visuals for January 2027

The TV anime adaptation of The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All has revealed new visuals for its two leads, Mitsuki Koga and Aya Osawa. Released on September 12, 2026, the artwork preserves the striking fluorescent-green identity closely associated with Sumiko Arai's manga while translating both characters into their anime designs ahead of the January 2027 premiere.

Mariya Ise will once again voice Mitsuki, with Akari Kito returning as Aya. Both previously played the same characters in the drama CD, while the television adaptation brings together director Masashi Ishihama, series composer Rino Yamasaki, character designer Kanna Hirayama and animation studio CloverWorks.

Quick Summary

• Official English title: The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All
• Japanese title: 気になってる人が男じゃなかった
• Format: TV anime
• Source material: manga by Sumiko Arai
• Manga publisher: KADOKAWA
• Label: KITORA
• Latest update: new Mitsuki Koga and Aya Osawa visuals
• Visual reveal date: September 12, 2026
• Lead character: Mitsuki Koga
• Japanese name: 古賀美月
• Mitsuki voice: Mariya Ise
• Lead character: Aya Osawa
• Japanese name: 大沢 綾
• Aya voice: Akari Kito
• Cast continuity: both return from the drama CD
• Director: Masashi Ishihama
• Series Composition: Rino Yamasaki
• Character Design: Kanna Hirayama
• Animation Production: CloverWorks
• Opening Theme: Breed
• Opening artist: Nirvana
• Music label: Universal Music
• Premiere window: January 2027
• Specific premiere date: unannounced
• Japanese TV network: not announced in the verified official information
• International streaming: Crunchyroll has announced streaming plans
• Core premise: Aya becomes interested in a mysterious record-store employee she believes is male
• Employee's identity: Mitsuki, Aya's female classmate
• Primary connection: their shared love of Western rock
• Mitsuki visual: dark styling tied to her record-store persona
• Aya visual: brighter and more expressive fashion
• Series visual identity: fluorescent / acid green
• Teaser PV: available
• PV music: intro of Nirvana's Breed
• Global manga circulation: over 2.25 million copies including digital
• Related social following: more than 2 million
• Japanese Manga Volume 5: scheduled for January 13, 2027
• Anime episode count: unannounced
• Episode runtime: unannounced
• Ending theme: unannounced
• Additional cast: unannounced
• Current status: in production for a January 2027 broadcast

New Mitsuki and Aya Visuals and Anime Teaser

The Two New Visuals Emphasize Mitsuki and Aya's Contrast

The new artwork maintains a graphic approach immediately recognizable from Sumiko Arai's manga.

Mitsuki Koga appears through the darker side of her presentation associated with working at the record store. Her hoodie, music accessories and more guarded pose reinforce the cool, mysterious image that initially leads Aya to assume the clerk is a boy.

Aya Osawa, by comparison, receives a much brighter and more expressive visual. Her warmer hair color, hoop earrings and fashionable school outfit immediately distinguish her personality even before dialogue enters the picture.

The fluorescent-green background and oversized typography preserve the visual language that helped make the original manga so recognizable across social media.

Rather than flattening those elements into a more conventional anime presentation, the newest material suggests the adaptation intends to carry that graphic energy forward.

Mariya Ise and Akari Kito Return as the Main Pair

The anime is not introducing entirely new voices for Mitsuki and Aya.

Mariya Ise previously portrayed Mitsuki in the drama CD. In her anime comment, Ise said she was happy to play Mitsuki again, this time in a medium where the world she had previously imagined through sound can move visually on screen.

Akari Kito likewise returns as Aya after voicing her in the drama CD.

Kito has highlighted Aya's combination of a bright, natural high-school personality with a comparatively old-school taste in Western rock as part of the character's appeal.

That continuity means the Mitsuki-Aya vocal chemistry already has a foundation, even as CloverWorks builds an entirely new animated adaptation around them.

No additional anime cast members have yet been detailed on the official site.

Music Is the Core of Their Relationship, Not Background Decoration

The central premise has always been built around music.

Aya is a high-school student who loves Western rock but struggles to find people around her who share the same taste. When she discovers an all-black record-store employee with seemingly perfect musical taste, that admiration quickly becomes attraction.

The problem is that the “guy” she likes is actually Mitsuki, her own female classmate.

At school, Mitsuki presents herself far more quietly and actively avoids standing out, preventing Aya from connecting the two identities.

What begins as conversation over music gradually becomes the foundation of their changing relationship.

That is why the anime's official tagline frames music as something capable of “connecting worlds that would otherwise never meet.”

Nirvana's Breed Is the Opening Theme

One of the adaptation's most striking announcements is Nirvana's “Breed” as the opening theme.

The song comes from the band's 1991 album Nevermind, and its intro is already featured in the anime's teaser PV.

Universal Music Japan has also described the placement as the first official use of a Nirvana song in a Japanese audiovisual production.

The choice is unusually well matched to the source material because Mitsuki and Aya's shared interest in Western rock is one of the story's fundamental building blocks.

Rather than commissioning a track designed merely to resemble early-1990s grunge, the adaptation is directly using music from one of the bands that represents the world the characters love.

An ending theme has not yet been announced.

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CloverWorks Brings Together Masashi Ishihama, Rino Yamasaki and Kanna Hirayama

The television adaptation is directed by Masashi Ishihama.

Rino Yamasaki handles series composition, while Kanna Hirayama serves as character designer. Animation production is handled by CloverWorks.

Yamasaki has emphasized that music is essential to a story about two people whose worlds would otherwise never intersect.

Sumiko Arai similarly noted that music has been central to the manga from its first chapter, making animation particularly meaningful because audiences can finally experience that element through actual sound.

With Hirayama on character design and CloverWorks producing the animation, the adaptation's challenge is not simply to make Arai's drawings move, but to preserve the fashion, facial expression, typography and green-heavy presentation that define the original work.

January 2027 Premiere Confirmed, Specific Date Still Pending

The official broadcast window remains January 2027.

A specific first-episode date, broadcast time and Japanese network have not yet been listed in the verified official material.

For international viewers, Crunchyroll has announced that it will stream the series when it premieres.

The official website also launched a new campaign on September 12. Three winners will receive a B2 teaser-visual poster signed by Mariya Ise and Akari Kito, with entries open until September 27, 2026 at 11:59 PM JST.

The source manga is also moving into a new phase at roughly the same time. KADOKAWA has scheduled Volume 5 for January 13, 2027, the same month as the anime premiere.

Why This Matters

1) The anime is preserving the manga's signature green aesthetic

The fluorescent palette and graphic composition remain central to how Mitsuki and Aya are presented.

2) Both drama-CD leads return for television

Mariya Ise and Akari Kito already have experience performing the Mitsuki-Aya relationship before the TV adaptation.

3) The opening really is a Nirvana song

Breed is not a Nirvana-inspired anime song—it is an actual Nirvana track serving as the opening theme.

4) Music and fashion can now expand into a fuller medium

The manga already built a strong identity through color and music references; animation can add voice performance, movement, timing and the actual sound of the music itself.

Anime and Manga Information

For now, the additional important information currently known includes:

• the TV anime adapts Sumiko Arai's manga
• the manga originally grew through publication on X before collected KADOKAWA releases
• Japanese collected editions are published under KITORA
• the official English title is The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All
• the anime is scheduled to begin in January 2027
• a specific broadcast date has not been announced
• the episode count has not been announced
• episode runtime has not been announced
• a Japanese broadcast network has not been listed in the verified official material
• Crunchyroll has announced international streaming
• Mariya Ise voices Mitsuki Koga
• Akari Kito voices Aya Osawa
• both previously played the same roles in the drama CD
• Masashi Ishihama is directing
• Rino Yamasaki handles series composition
• Kanna Hirayama is the character designer
• CloverWorks handles animation production
• the opening theme is Breed
• Breed is performed by Nirvana
• the song originally appeared on Nevermind
• the teaser PV uses the intro of Breed
• the ending theme remains unannounced
• additional cast remains unannounced
• the new Mitsuki and Aya visuals were published on September 12, 2026
• Mitsuki's visual emphasizes her darker record-store persona
• Aya's visual emphasizes brighter and more expressive fashion
• the manga's signature green palette remains part of the anime marketing
• the story begins with Aya becoming attracted to a record-store employee
• Aya initially believes the employee is male
• the employee is actually Mitsuki Koga
• Mitsuki is Aya's classmate
• Western rock becomes the starting point of their connection
• global manga circulation has surpassed 2.25 million copies including digital
• the work's related social following has surpassed 2 million
• Japanese Volume 5 is scheduled for January 13, 2027
• regular Volume 5 is planned at 176 pages
• its Japanese retail price is ¥1,485
• regular Volume 5 ISBN is 9784043302710
• a merchandise special edition of Volume 5 has also been announced
• the September 12 anime campaign runs through September 27, 2026 at 11:59 PM JST
• the campaign prize is a B2 teaser-visual poster
• the poster is signed by Mariya Ise and Akari Kito
• three winners will receive the poster
• official anime information is available through the Anime Official Website
• the latest visuals are available through the Official X Post
• the anime teaser is available through the Official Teaser PV
• opening information is available through Aniplex Official News
• the latest campaign is available through the Official September 12 Campaign News
• latest manga information is available through the KADOKAWA Volume 5 Announcement

Closing

The new Mitsuki and Aya visuals offer a clearer look at how CloverWorks is translating the manga's graphic identity into animation. Their contrasting fashion and personas remain at the center of the presentation, while the music receives equal weight through the use of Nirvana's Breed.

The anime is set to begin in January 2027, but its exact premiere date, Japanese network, episode count, ending theme and additional cast members remain unannounced.