The Keyword is "Pure"! Voice Actors Takehiro Urao & Yū Serizawa Discuss the Charm of Tsundere Heroine Akari - [You Can't Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends! Interview]

The manga "You Can't Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!" (by Shinya Misu), currently serialized in Magazine Pocket, has been adapted into a TV anime that began airing in January 2026 and is currently broadcasting.

This work is a harem romantic comedy featuring the protagonist Yonosuke Sakai (Eiyū) and four childhood friend girls. However, while heroines such as Shio Minamo (Shio) and Akari Hiodoshi (Akari) try to catch Eiyū's attention, true to the title, there's a running gag where they fail every time and the story doesn't develop into a romantic comedy.

In this article, we interviewed Takehiro Urao, who plays Eiyū, and Yū Serizawa, who plays Akari, and heard about the charm of their unique interactions and relationship.

——"You Can't Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!" is appealing for its romantic comedy banter between Eiyū and each heroine. From Urao-san's perspective, what are Akari's charms?

Urao: While she's clearly described as tsundere, I think her purest aspect is the most adorable. Also, I'd say Akari and Eiyū are somewhat similar.

Serizawa: I know what you mean!

Urao: I feel like they're two of a kind, and that's exactly why they can't be honest with each other on the surface and clash, but there are aspects where they get along well. Akari in her monologues (regretting after clashing) is so cute that I think it's really wonderful.

——What points were you conscious of when playing such a character, Serizawa-san?

Serizawa: While I made a plan for the performance in my own mind, I valued the sense of improvisation. I made sure I could immediately reach the boiling point for each incident, rather than moving emotions gradually—like exploding in anger immediately at one word from Eiyū, or suddenly becoming embarrassed and turning bright red when seeing Shio and Eiyū together.

Because Akari is too pure, she gets twisted up, and she can't process all the information, so she ends up saying mean things verbally while thinking "I don't want to say this!" I was very conscious of that uncontrollable feeling while performing.

——Is "pure" a keyword for describing Akari?

Serizawa: That's right. Because she can't plan things out.

Urao: Yeah, yeah.