The main cast of the TV anime "The Two Who Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You," based on the manga by Jinushi currently being serialized in the manga magazine "Big Gangan" (Square Enix), has been announced, with Takuya Sato playing Sasaki and Nao Hoshiki playing Yamada/Tayama. A promotional video featuring the characters' lines has been released on YouTube.
The story is about a middle-aged man, Sasaki, and a woman named Tayama, who is dressed in a slightly eccentric style and whom Sasaki meets at his favorite supermarket, and the two have a casual conversation in the smoking area behind the supermarket.
Sato, who plays Sasaki, commented, "For me, who can't smoke, the communication that takes place in the smoking area while surrounded by purple smoke is like another world, and the people who gather there make you feel like 'it looks like fun.' It's a place I long for. This story is woven around the smoking area behind a local supermarket, where unlikely yet unlikely relationships are born. When I read the original work, I often find myself impatient, saying 'Oh no!', at how cute the interactions between Sasaki and Tayama (Yamada) are. We are trying to express that unique atmosphere in the anime as well, so the cast and staff have all come together to deepen our love for the original work as we record, so I hope you will enjoy it."
Hoshi Nozomi, who plays Yamada, a female clerk at Sasaki's favorite supermarket, and Tayama, said, "They took their time to carefully consider every breath, and the recording site was packed with delicate expressions and a lot of attention to detail, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished product.I will do my best to make this a production that will allow everyone to drop in without any worries, like a smoking area, and where they can gently let their minds relax!"
The original author, Jinu, commented, "During the final stage of the auditions, I received audio data of the dialogue between Tayama Yamada and Sasaki, and I thought, wow, Sasaki and Tayama are really talking. After the audition, I listened to it while writing my manuscript, and it really helped me to get through it." Regarding the off-the-record situation, he said, "I'm grateful to be able to participate online every time as the original supervisor, and the interactions between the two of them, as well as the actors, director, and sound director, to create the anime version of Yanisuu, I feel the uncompromising respect and Yanisuu-like playfulness that I think fans will be happy to hear."
She sent a message to Sato and Hoshi Nozomi saying, "Thank you for meeting Sasaki and Tayama. The voices of the two people I'm hearing from my manuscript now are the voices of both Sato and Hoshi Nozomi. It would be my greatest honor as the author if you can get to know Yanisuu and grow to love him as you act out the characters. I look forward to your continued support."
The series began serialization on Jinushi's Twitter account (now X) in March 2022, with the first episode receiving a total of approximately 280,000 likes. It was also ranked first in the web manga category at the 2022 Next Manga Awards, and has sold over 2.5 million copies. The TV anime adaptation will air on TBS in 2026.
