There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless...

Light novel

Written by Teren Mikami and illustrated by Eku Takeshima, ''There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless...'' began publication under Shueisha's Dash X Bunko imprint. The series has been collected in eight volumes as of September 25, 2025. Two short story collections were released between July and August 2025.

The light novel has been licensed for English release in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment.[7]

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Musshu began serialization on Shueisha's Dash X Comic section of the Niconico Seiga website on May 15, 2020.[20] The series has been collected in eight volumes as of June 18, 2025.

The manga has also been licensed for English release in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment.[7]

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on November 19, 2024. It is produced by Studio Mother and directed by Natsumi Uchinuma, with Naruhisa Arakawa handling series composition and scripts, Kojikoji designing the characters, and Yoshiaki Fujisawa composing the music. The series aired from July 8 to September 23, 2025, on Tokyo MX and other networks.[31][32][33] The opening theme song is "Muri Muri Evolution", performed by Akari Nanawo, while the ending theme song is "Mayocchauwa" (迷っちゃうわ), performed by The Dance for Philosophy.[34] Remow licensed the series for streaming on the It's Anime YouTube channel.[35][36]

On September 23, 2025, after the anime's finale, a sequel was announced. It was first released theatrically on November 21 of the same year under the title ''There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless... ~Next Shine~''.[37] The sequel then also aired on television in five episodes on January 1, 2026.[38]

Episodes

Light novel

The novel series ranked third in the Next Light Novel Award 2021, and won first place in the original work category.[53] Sean Gaffney of Manga Bookshelf gave the first light novel a mixed review, saying that although he could "understand the appeal", he was put off by Mai disregarding Renako's lack of consent to her advances and the "very, very panicky teenager" tone of Renako's narration. Gaffney additionally was disinterested in the harem premise of the series, saying he would prefer that the series focus on Renako and Mai's relationship development. He concluded his review by saying, "this isn't bad. It just has a lot of things I personally dislike."[54]

Manga

The manga adaptation was nominated for the 2021 and 2022 Next Manga Award in the web manga category.[55][56]

Reviewing the first six volumes of the manga adaptation for Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman gave it a positive review, praising the art, humor, character arcs, and complexity of the harem romance dynamics. However, she expressed discomfort with Mai's lack of concern for Renako's consent in several scenes, despite acknowledging it was "clearly being done in a spirit of humor". Silverman said that readers looking for a yuri harem story would likely enjoy the series.[57]

Anime

The first episode of the anime adaptation received mixed responses in ANN's Summer 2025 seasonal previews, with reviewers generally praising the visual presentation and animation, but divided on the premise. Caitlin Moore praised the color palette of the series, calling it "bright in a pleasing way", but was put off by Mai's characterization, describing her as "a creep". Despite this, Moore acknowledged that fans of the source material would almost certainly enjoy the "energetic" anime adaptation. Christopher Farris felt similarly about Mai, saying she was "all but pressuring", but described Renako as a relatable protagonist and expressed interest in further episodes. "Bolts (MrAJCosplay)" expressed similar sentiments, saying that they were "a bit conflicted" on the romance plot, and that they felt the episode abandoned the relatable plot thread of Renako's social anxiety in the second half. James Beckett gave the most positive review, praising the first-person perspective scene showing Renako's social anxiety at the episode's start, and called the story "a cute premise for an adorable show", saying that although it risked portraying Mai as predatory, "she and Renako would make a superstar couple".[58]

The second episode also received a mixed response in ANN. Farris enjoyed the story's exploration of the "blurry lines" between friendship and romantic relationships, but disliked the episode's kissing scene on account of Mai continuing to further push Renako's boundaries. "Bolts (MrAJCosplay)" expressed a similar opinion. James Beckett, in contrast, acknowledged that Mai's behavior would constitute "big red flags" in reality, but opined that this was not an issue "in the universe of a cartoon rom-com".[58]

Vrai Kaiser of Anime Feminist gave the first episode a positive review, praising the "neon edge" of the visual presentation and the premise, but commented that some viewers might not enjoy the fast pace of the series.[59]