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

There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless... (Japanese: わたしが恋人になれるわけないじゃん、ムリムリ！（※ムリじゃなかった!?）, Hepburn: Watashi ga Koibito ni Nareru Wakenaijan, Muri Muri! (*Muri Janakatta!?)), also known as WataNare (わたなれ) for short, is a Japanese yuri light novel series written by Teren Mikami and illustrated by Eku Takeshima. Shueisha has released seven volumes since February 2020 under their Dash X Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Musshu was launched on Shueisha's Dash X Comic section of the Niconico Seiga website in May 2020. Both the light novel and manga are licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Mother is set to premiere in July 2025.

There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless...
First light novel English volume cover
わたしが恋人になれるわけないじゃん、ムリムリ！（※ムリじゃなかった!?） (Watashi ga Koibito ni Nareru Wakenaijan, Muri Muri! (*Muri Janakatta!?))
Genre	Romantic comedy[1] Slice of life[1] Yuri[1]
Light novel
Written by	Teren Mikami
Illustrated by	Eku Takeshima
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	Dash X Bunko
Demographic	Male
Original run	February 21, 2020 – present
Volumes	7
Manga
Written by	Teren Mikami
Illustrated by	Musshu
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	Young Jump Comics
Magazine	Dash X Comic
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	May 15, 2020 – present
Volumes	7
Anime television series
Directed by	Natsumi Uchinuma
Written by	Naruhisa Arakawa
Music by	Yoshiaki Fujisawa
Studio	Studio Mother
Licensed by	Remow
Original run	July 2025 – scheduled

Plot

Renako Amaori, who had spent her middle school years as a non-attending student with no friends, is committed to getting the most out of her time in high school. To accomplish this, she approaches the most popular girl in school, Mai Oduka, as soon as the school year begins and is successful in joining her group of friends. However, pretending to be one of the popular girls when she has always been a loner is mentally taxing, and so as Renako walks alone to the school's rooftop one day to unwind, Mai discovers her and believes she is preparing to end her life. The miscommunication actually ends with both of them opening up to each other, and Renako returns home ecstatic that she has finally met someone to call her best friend. At least until Mai confesses her love the following day and asks her out. Renako is puzzled by the sudden confession, but Mai suggests that they play a game to see which relationship is more suitable for them: "best friend" or "lover".

Characters

Renako Amaori (甘織 れな子, Amaori Renako)

Voiced by: Ayaka Ōhashi (PV),^[2] Kanna Nakamura (anime)^[3]

Mai Oduka (王塚 真唯, Oduka Mai)

Voiced by: Azusa Tadokoro (PV),^[2] Saori Ōnishi (anime)^[3]

Ajisai Sena (瀬名 紫陽花, Sena Ajisai)

Voiced by: Manaka Iwami (PV),^[4] Yukari Anzai (anime)^[3]

Satsuki Koto (琴 紗月, Koto Satsuki)

Voiced by: Kana Ichinose^[5]

Kaho Koyanagi (小柳 香穂, Koyanagi Kaho)

Voiced by: Takako Tanaka^[5]

Media

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 seven volumes as of December 25, 2024.^[6]

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

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	February 21, 2020[8]	978-4-08-631356-8	May 30, 2023[1]	978-1-68579-626-6
2	August 25, 2020[9]	978-4-08-631379-7	September 5, 2023[1]	978-1-68579-646-4
3	April 23, 2021[10]	978-4-08-631412-1	December 5, 2023[1]	978-1-68579-948-9
4	October 25, 2021[11]	978-4-08-631439-8	May 7, 2024[1]	979-8-88843-443-7
5	February 24, 2023[12]	978-4-08-631480-0	September 10, 2024[1]	979-8-88843-873-2
6	November 24, 2023[13]	978-4-08-631528-9	February 11, 2025[1]	979-8-89160-878-8
7	December 25, 2024[6]	978-4-08-631568-5	September 16, 2025[1]	979-8-89561-728-1

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.^[14] The series has been collected in seven tankōbon volumes as of September 19, 2024.^[15]

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

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	October 16, 2020[16]	978-4-08-891719-1	April 11, 2023[17]	978-1-68579-463-7
2	April 19, 2021[18]	978-4-08-891891-4	June 27, 2023[17]	978-1-68579-590-0
3	October 19, 2021[19]	978-4-08-892126-6	October 3, 2023[17]	978-1-68579-931-1
4	April 19, 2022[20]	978-4-08-892321-5	February 6, 2024[17]	979-8-88843-400-0
5	March 17, 2023[21]	978-4-08-892654-4	June 18, 2024[17]	979-8-88843-650-9
6	December 19, 2023[22]	978-4-08-893110-4	October 22, 2024[17]	979-8-89160-506-0
7	September 19, 2024[15]	978-4-08-893432-7	June 24, 2025[17]	979-8-89373-323-5
8	June 18, 2025[23]	978-4-08-893790-8	—	—

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on November 19, 2024. It will be 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 is set to premiere in July 2025.^[3][24][25] Remow licensed the series.^[26]

Reception

The manga adaptation was nominated for the 2021 and 2022 Next Manga Award in the web manga category.^[27][28]

See also

• Whisper Me a Love Song, a manga series written and illustrated by Eku Takeshima
• Flower and Asura, a manga series illustrated by Musshu