Tag Archives: Yuri

Manga Anime, News

WataNare Manga Part 2 Starts Early 2027 — New Artist Eru Kudō Takes Over

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The first part of the WataNare manga has wrapped — and the girls’ love comedy that won over Crunchyroll fans across Southeast Asia is getting a second act. Shueisha confirmed on 17 August that There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless… (わたなれ) will continue in 2027 with a brand-new artist and a fresh manga chapter starting on Young Jump+.

Manga Part 1 Completes on Young Jump+

WataNare anime title logo with main cast
Image courtesy of REMOW / WataNare Production Committee

The manga adaptation drawn by Musshu published its final chapter on Young Jump+ on 31 July 2026, closing out the story that had run on Shueisha’s digital platform. The collected run reached eight volumes under the Young Jump Comics label. For fans following in English, Seven Seas Entertainment handles the translated manga release.

Part 2 Brings a New Pencil — Eru Kudō Steps In

WataNare Next Shine theatrical sequel key visual — Road Show from 21 November 2025
Image courtesy of REMOW / WataNare Production Committee

Shueisha announced that illustrator Eru Kudō will take over art duties for the manga’s second part, officially titled Watashi ga Koibito ni Nareru Wake Naijan, Muri Muri! Muri Janakatta!? ~Second Season. The new series launches on Young Jump+ in January or February 2027. Eru Kudō brings a fresh visual approach to Renako and Mai’s story as it moves deeper into Teren Mikami’s original light novel source material.

The change in artist isn’t out of the ordinary for the franchise — original creator Teren Mikami writes the light novels with illustrations by Eku Takeshima, while Musshu drew the first manga arc. Eru Kudō becomes the third artist to contribute visuals to the WataNare world. For more manga and anime updates, head to the Manga Anime section.

Where the Franchise Stands

WataNare started as a Shueisha Dash X Bunko light novel before expanding into manga and anime. Studio Mother’s anime adaptation aired from July to September 2025 and streamed on Crunchyroll — Singapore included — making it one of the more accessible yuri titles for Southeast Asian viewers. The show follows awkward high schooler Renako Amaori as she gets tangled in a fake-dating arrangement with school superstar Mai Ouzuka, with predictably chaotic and heartfelt results.

The theatrical sequel WataNare ~Next Shine~ (covering episodes 13–17) opened in Japan cinemas from 21 November 2025. A proper anime Season 2 has also been confirmed for production, though no air date has been set. The franchise held a special fan event — Sweet Summer Memory — at Nissho Hall in Tokyo on 16 August 2026, just two days before this Part 2 announcement.

For Singapore Fans: What’s Available Now

WataNare Sweet Summer Memory special event visual, August 2026
Image courtesy of REMOW / WataNare Production Committee

The WataNare anime Season 1 (12 episodes) is streaming now on Crunchyroll Singapore. English manga volumes are available through online retailers that carry Seven Seas Entertainment titles. When Part 2 begins serialisation in early 2027, chapters will land on Young Jump+, accessible globally. No Singapore theatrical window for Next Shine has been confirmed, so streaming via Crunchyroll remains the most reliable way to keep up with the series.

Manga Anime, News

Green Yuri Anime: CloverWorks, Nirvana Opening Theme, January 2027

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Nirvana’s 1991 grunge anthem “Breed” is officially the opening theme for the anime adaptation of Sumiko Arai’s manga The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All — and Dave Grohl himself helped break the news. Announced at Crunchyroll’s Anime Expo 2026 showcase in Los Angeles, the series premieres in January 2027 on Crunchyroll worldwide, including Singapore.

Meet Green Yuri: The Manga That Sold 1.6 Million Copies

Nicknamed “Green Yuri” by fans for its unmistakeable lime-green colour palette, the series follows Aya Osawa — a fashionable high schooler with a deep love for Western rock — who develops a crush on the cool, enigmatic clerk at her local CD shop. The twist: that clerk is Mitsuki Koga, a girl who attends Aya’s school and has been hiding in plain sight all along. As the two circle each other through shared playlists and stolen glances, a case of mistaken identity slowly deepens into something real.

Originally a Twitter short story (2021), the manga graduated to Pixiv Comics serialisation before landing a print run through KADOKAWA’s Kitora label. It took first place in the web manga category at the Next Manga Award 2023 and has since sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide — numbers that made an anime feel not just possible but necessary.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy At All | Official Teaser — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

CloverWorks Takes the Helm

Aya Osawa in the Green Yuri anime by CloverWorks
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / CloverWorks

Studio CloverWorks — whose recent track record includes Oshi no Ko and The Dangers in My Heart — is handling animation. Anime News Network confirms Masashi Ishihama in the director’s chair, with Rino Yamazaki on series composition and Kanna Hirayama designing the characters. Voicing the leads are Mariya Ise as Mitsuki Koga and Akari Kito as Aya Osawa — both seasoned performers with strong track records in character-driven drama.

That Nirvana Moment

Green Yuri manga key visual at Anime Expo 2026
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / Sumiko Arai (KADOKAWA)

“Breed”, from Nirvana’s landmark 1991 album Nevermind, has been officially licensed as the opening theme — the first time a Nirvana track has been officially used in a Japanese animated production. The announcement drew an audible reaction from the Anime Expo crowd, made all the more striking when a pre-recorded video message from Dave Grohl played on the AX screens.

“[This series is] the same message and aesthetic… the vibe, you know? It’s cool,” Grohl said in the message, as reported by Red Bean Anime. That Nirvana’s surviving members would pick this series — a story about two girls finding each other through music — to carry the band’s legacy into anime says something about how far the medium has reached.

Singapore Fans: Mark Your January 2027 Calendar

Crunchyroll is streaming the series globally, which means Singapore fans will be able to watch from the January 2027 premiere date. Four volumes of the manga are already available in English from Yen Press, giving you plenty of time to catch up before episode one drops. For yuri and romance anime fans in Singapore, this is shaping up to be the stand-out pick of that winter season.