Senpai, This Can't Be Love! (Japanese: 先輩、断じて恋では!, Hepburn: Senpai, Danjite Koi de wa!) is a Japanese manga series by Shinta Harekawa. It is serialized in Kadokawa's boys' love manga website, Comic Fleur, since January 2019. A live-action television drama adaptation was broadcast from June 17, 2022, to August 12, 2022, for Drama Shower, a programming block created MBS in collaboration with Tunku, Kadokawa Corporation's label for live-action boys' love television dramas.
| Senpai, This Can't Be Love! | |
 Cover of vol. 1 of the Japanese version, released on July 16, 2019 | |
| 先輩、断じて恋では! (Senpai, Danjite Koi de wa!) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic comedy,[1] boys' love[2] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Shinta Harekawa |
| Published by | Kadokawa |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Fleur Comics |
| Magazine | Comic Fleur |
| Demographic | Josei |
| Original run | January 2019 – present |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Television drama | |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | |
| Original run | June 17, 2022 – August 12, 2022 |
| Episodes | 8 |
Plot
editAtsushi Yanase is a senior CG animator working at a company specializing in CG animation. Having just returned from the United States, Yanase is assigned to look after Yuki Kaneda, a junior employee. Kaneda is a competent worker, but he remains cold to Yanase. Yanase is under the impression that Kaneda hates him, but, to his surprise, Kaneda actually idolizes him and is secretly shy about his feelings towards him.
Characters
edit- Atsushi Yanase (柳瀬 淳, Yanase Atsushi)
- Voiced by: Takeo Otsuka[3]
- Portrayed by: Shuichiro Naito[2]
- Yanase is a senior CG animator who has a "flirtatious" personality.[1]
- Yuki Kaneda (金田 優希, Kaneda Yūki)
- Voiced by: Junya Enoki[3]
- Portrayed by: Toshiki Seto[2]
- Kaneda is a junior CG animator who has a "pure" personality and cannot show his emotions easily.[1]
Media
editManga
editSenpai, This Can't Be Love! is written and illustrated by Shinta Harekawa.[1] It is serialized in the boys' love manga website Comic Fleur since January 2019.[1] After its initial end, Harekawa continued the series with Senpai, This Can't Be Love! Brush Up.[1] The chapters were later released in three bound volumes by Kadokawa under the Fleur Comics imprint. Harekawa interviewed several people working in the CG industry while creating the series.[4]
On September 8, 2022, a voice drama adaptation of the manga was posted on Ciel Fleur's YouTube channel, starring Takeo Otsuka as Yanase and Junya Enoki as Kaneda.[3] On January 5, 2024, Yen Press announced that it had licensed the manga for English-language publication.[5]
| No. | Title | Original release date | English release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! Senpai, Danjite Koi de wa! (先輩、断じて恋では！) | July 16, 2019[6] 978-4-04-065846-9 | June 18, 2024[7] 978-1-97-538008-3 |
| 2 | Senpai, This Can't Be Love! Brush up Senpai, Danjite Koi de wa! Brush up (先輩、断じて恋では！Brush up) | September 17, 2020[8] 978-4-04-064858-3 | December 10, 2024[9] 978-1-97-538010-6 |
| 3 | Senpai, This Can't Be Love! Brush Up, Vol. 2 Senpai, Danjite Koi de wa! Brush up 2 (先輩、断じて恋では！Brush up 2) | May 17, 2023[10] 978-4-04-682436-3 | April 22, 2025[11] 979-8-85-540201-8 |
Television drama
editOn May 17, 2022, a live-action television drama series adaptation was announced.[2] The series was broadcast from June 17, 2022,[a] to August 12, 2022, on Drama Shower, a programming block created by MBS and Tunku (a label of Kadokawa Corporation specializing in live-action boys' love television dramas).[2][12] In addition to MBS, the series was also broadcast on TV Kanagawa, Gunma TV, Tochigi TV, TV Saitama, and Chiba TV.[12] It was streamed internationally with English subtitles on GagaOOLala and Viki.[13]
The series stars Shuichiro Naito as Atsushi Yanase and Toshiki Seto as Yuki Kaneda.[14] Kaoru Azuma, the creator of Tunku, stated that Naito was cast because he could portray a "charming" character like Yanase, while Seto was cast because he was able to express emotion well through his "moody gaze".[4] In addition to this, both actors had a strong relationship off-camera.[4] Additional cast members included Satoshi Matsuda as Shunsuke Imaizumi, Shu Watanabe as Hayato Ichikawa, Rikako Sakata as Chise Ōmura, Taisuke Niihara as Haruki Iguchi, Junya Asada as Kōhei Nakamura, and Hitomi uneda as Sakura Tanimoto.[13] The opening theme song is "Follow Your Heart" by Kagami Hayato and Kaida Haru, two members of the Nijisanji VTuber group ROF-MAO, and the ending theme song is "Ato Sū Senchi" by Hilcrhyme.[15]
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" Transliteration: "Dai-ichi-wa" (Japanese: 第1話) | June 17, 2022[a] |
| 2 | "Episode 2" Transliteration: "Dai-ni-wa" (Japanese: 第2話) | June 24, 2022 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" Transliteration: "Dai-san-wa" (Japanese: 第3話) | July 8, 2022 |
| 4 | "Episode 4" Transliteration: "Dai-yon-wa" (Japanese: 第4話) | July 15, 2022 |
| 5 | "Episode 5" Transliteration: "Dai-go-wa" (Japanese: 第5話) | July 22, 2022 |
| 6 | "Episode 6" Transliteration: "Dai-roku-wa" (Japanese: 第6話) | July 29, 2022 |
| 7 | "Episode 7" Transliteration: "Dai-nana-wa" (Japanese: 第7話) | August 5, 2022 |
| 8 | "Episode 8" Transliteration: "Dai-hachi-wa" (Japanese: 第8話) | August 12, 2022 |
See also
edit- Three Exorcism Siblings, another manga series by the same author
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "先輩×後輩のオフィスBL「先輩、断じて恋では！」内藤秀一郎＆瀬戸利樹でドラマ化" [Senpai, This Can't Be Love! to be adapted into drama starring Shuichiro Naito and Toshiki Seto]. Natalie (in Japanese). May 17, 2022. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Komatsu, Mikikazu (May 17, 2022). "Shinta Harekawa's BL Manga Senpai, Danjite Koi Deha! Gets Live-action Drama Adaptation in June". Crunchyroll. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c "ボイスドラマ『先輩、断じて恋では！』キャストフリートーク付き（出演声優：大塚剛央 榎木淳弥 他）が「ポケットドラマCD」にて配信中！". Animate (in Japanese). September 8, 2022. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c Harada, Ichibo (July 15, 2022). "Giving Back to the BL Genre! Behind the Scenes of KADOKAWA's Live-action BL Drama Studio "Tunku"". Pixivision. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (January 5, 2024). "Yen Press Licenses 7 Manga, 1 Light Novel Series for June 2024 Release". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "【7月16日付】本日発売の単行本リスト" [(July 16) List of tankōbon released today]. Natalie (in Japanese). July 16, 2019. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "Senpai, This Can't Be Love!". Yen Press. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ "【9月17日付】本日発売の単行本リスト" [(September 17) List of tankōbon released today]. Natalie (in Japanese). September 17, 2020. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "Senpai, This Can't Be Love! Brush Up". Yen Press. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
- ^ "【5月17日付】本日発売の単行本リスト" [(May 17) List of tankōbon released today]. Natalie (in Japanese). May 17, 2023. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "Senpai, This Can't Be Love! Brush Up, Vol. 2". Yen Press. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Pineda, Rafael Antonio (May 17, 2022). "Shinta Harekawa's Sempai! Danjite Koi de wa! BL Manga Gets Live-Action Show". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ a b Hazra, Adriana (June 7, 2022). "Live-Action Sempai! Danjite Koi de wa! Series Reveals New Short Video, Streaming on Viki". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (May 30, 2022). "Two Men Begin to Fall in Love in Senpai, Danjite Koi Deha! Live-action Drama Trailer". Crunchyroll. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (May 23, 2022). "Live-Action Sempai! Danjite Koi de wa! Show Reveals Theme Song Artists". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
External links
edit- Official website (in Japanese)
- Senpai, This Can't Be Love! (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia