Smoking Behind the Supermarket Earns First-Ever Perfect 5-Star Rating on Crunchyroll

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You has become the first anime in Crunchyroll history to achieve a perfect 5.0 user rating, racking up more than 14,000 reviews within three days of its surprise early premiere on June 3, 2026.

A Shadow Drop That Broke Records

Crunchyroll quietly released the first twelve mini-episodes of the romantic comedy ahead of its scheduled Summer 2026 broadcast, catching the anime community off-guard. Each episode runs roughly ten minutes excluding the opening and ending sequences, giving viewers a substantial first taste of the series. The official television premiere is set for July 9, and the shadow drop appears to have been a deliberate strategy to build momentum heading into the summer season.

The gambit paid off spectacularly. Within 72 hours the show had amassed a perfect 5.0 out of 5.0 star average across more than 14,000 individual user ratings on the platform — a milestone no other anime has reached on Crunchyroll. The series has also performed well on other tracking platforms, logging an 8.50 score on MyAnimeList, placing it firmly among the season's most acclaimed titles before its broadcast run has even begun.

What Makes the Series Click

Based on the manga by Jinushi, Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You started life as a Twitter webcomic in March 2022 before being serialized in Square Enix's Monthly Big Gangan later that August. The story follows an overworked salaryman and a mischievous supermarket cashier with a dual personality who form an unexpected bond during shared cigarette breaks behind her workplace. The sweet-and-sour romantic comedy tone clearly struck a chord with viewers hungry for a grounded, character-driven love story.

Studio Asahi Production handles the anime adaptation under the joint direction of Tadato Suzuki and Aoi Mori, with series composition by Mio Inoue and character designs by Yasuka Otaki. The soundtrack is composed by Shin Kono and Sayaka Aoki. The opening theme, "Kuzuri Nen," is performed by Zutomayo, while imase provides the ending theme "NIGHT DANCER" — two artists with massive streaming followings that have likely helped amplify the show's visibility.

A Stacked Voice Cast

The cast features Takuya Sato as the lead salaryman Sasaki and Seena Hoshiki as Yamada, the cashier at the heart of the story. Supporting roles are filled by Shinya Takahashi as Suzuki, Toa Yukinari as Goto, Megumi Toyoguchi as Ono, Rikuya Yasuda as Obata, and Yoko Hikasa as Maezawa. The performances have drawn particular praise from early viewers, with many citing the naturalistic chemistry between the two leads as a key factor behind those perfect ratings.

Summer 2026's Sleeper Hit

The perfect Crunchyroll score and strong MyAnimeList reception position Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You as the breakout title of the summer anime season before weekly episodes have even begun airing. With the full broadcast kicking off on July 9, the series will face the real test of sustaining that enthusiasm across its complete run. For now, the numbers speak for themselves — no anime has ever debuted to this level of universal acclaim on Crunchyroll, and the show's blend of relatable characters, sharp comedy, and genuine romance appears to have found an eager global audience.