The Summer 2025 yuri romance is set to continue with a sequel film.
Right after its finale aired, the yuri romance anime “There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless…” (Watashi ga Koibito ni Nareru Wake Naijan, Muri…) has revealed that a sequel film is now in production!
A special teaser trailer also unveiled the title for the theatrical film, which is “There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… ~Next Shine~”. The film will have a limited run in Japanese theatres, although a timeframe for its premiere is yet to be revealed.
“There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… ~Next Shine~” details and more
The staff for the anime series is set to reprise their roles for the sequel film, with Natsumi Uchinuma as director at studio MOTHER. Naruhisa Arakawa is once again writing the script and handling series composition. The rest of the staff includes:
- Character Design: kojikoji
- Chief Animation Director: Misaki Kaneko / Haruki Moriya / Takashi Shiokawa / Kino Tokino Keinosuke Ami
- Color Setting: Mitsuko Sekimoto
- Art Director: Yuri Takagi / Keito Watanabe
- Director of Photography: Takuma Morooka
- Editing: Ichiro Chaen
- Sound Director: Takayuki Yamaguchi
- Music: Yoshiaki Fujisawa
The main cast includes:
- Rena Amaori: Kanna Nakamura
- Mai Oduka: Saori Onishi
- Ajisai Sena: Yukari Anzai
- Satsuki Koto: Kana Ichinose
- Kaho Koyanagi: Takako Tanaka
The story for the sequel is described as:
"I want to learn to love myself—just the way I am!"
Renako Amaori, a former gloomy and socially awkward girl, reinvented herself for high school and successfully made her debut. She even managed to join the top-tier popular group... only to be suddenly confessed to by two of its brightest stars?! One is the school’s ultimate prince, Mai Oduka. The other, the beloved angel of the campus, Ajisai Sena.
There’s no way she can handle both their affections—no freaking way!
While still struggling to give them an answer, Renako agrees to help her friend Kaho by joining a cosplay event. It’s the perfect excuse to delay her reply… or so she thought. But as she witnesses Kaho's passion firsthand, something begins to stir inside her.
What is it that she truly wants? What is she truly searching for?
Can she really not become someone’s lover?
Or has that "no freaking way"... not been so impossible after all?
The original light novel series is written by Teren Mikami and illustrated by Eku Takeshima. A manga adaptation by Musshu has also been released. Seven Seas Entertainment publishes both the light novel and manga in English. The website describes the story of the novel as:
Awkward, introverted Amaori Renako is leaving her lonely middle school life behind, determined to become an outgoing and popular high schooler. Glamorous, confident Oduka Mai is Renako’s total opposite: wealthy, carefree, and a literal fashion model. Against the odds, the two girls form an immediate connection. Renako thinks she may have found the best friend of her dreams…until Mai’s love confession sends her feelings into a tailspin. Renako wants to prove to Mai that being BFFs is better than being girlfriends, but Mai is dead set on convincing Renako that they’re destined to be lovers!
