What the Main PV Shows
The newly released main PV for Kimi Ai opens on a lavish wedding scene — and immediately undercuts the romance with Julius's declaration: "I married you, but I have absolutely no intention of loving you." From there, the trailer traces the couple's initially transactional arrangement as it quietly unravels. Elsa's straightforward kindness chips away at Julius's emotional walls, and the PV captures those small moments where his composure visibly cracks.
The back half shifts tone. Jarmo, a former classmate of Julius, appears to be scheming behind the scenes, while Seraphina — who harbors feelings for Julius — openly directs her jealousy at Elsa. The second key visual reinforces this dynamic, centering Elsa and Julius surrounded by sunflowers with Jarmo, Seraphina, and Elsa's supportive younger brother Hannes positioned around them.
For the unfamiliar, Kimi Ai is a "frustratingly sweet" romance about a fallen noble's daughter who keeps her chin up despite poverty and an elite, emotionally constipated duke-to-be. They marry on the spot out of mutual convenience — a contract arrangement that, naturally, doesn't stay contractual for long. The manga by Mizuno Natsu (art) and Misawa Kei (story) is serialized in FlexComics' COMIC Polaris and has surpassed 2 million copies in circulation.
Yui Ishikawa (Mikasa Ackerman in Attack on Titan, Violet Evergarden in Violet Evergarden) leads the cast as Elsa, opposite Sōma Saitō (Tadashi Yamaguchi in Haikyu!!, William James Moriarty in Moriarty the Patriot) as Julius. Junya Enoki (Yuji Itadori in Jujutsu Kaisen) rounds out the family side as Hannes. The supporting cast spans 13 named roles, including Kaito Ishikawa as Jarmo, Chika Anzai as Seraphina, and Daisuke Namikawa and Mariko Kōda as Elsa's parents.
Direction comes from Hitoyuki Matsui (Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, Tekken: Bloodline), with Tomoko Konparu (NANA, Nodame Cantabile) on series composition — a pairing that suggests confidence in both the fantasy setting and the character-driven emotional core. Animation is handled jointly by Zero-G (Grand Blue Dreaming, My Roommate Is a Cat) and GRASS.
Riria. and sorato Handle the Music
The opening theme is "Itsuka Chanto." (roughly: "Someday, Properly.") by Riria., the singer-songwriter who previously performed opening themes for both seasons of My Happy Marriage. In a statement via Comic Natalie, Riria. said she poured her feelings about Elsa and Julius's relationship into the track, hoping it would "nestle close to the story that listeners picture for these two."
The ending theme, "Saishūkai" ("Final Episode"), comes from sorato, a newer artist whose previous anime credit was the ending theme for The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows. Sorato's comment was more personal — he noted a long fascination with the unwritten parts of fairy-tale endings, the "happily ever after" that never gets explored. Reading the source material, he found himself relating to Julius's tangled inner life and moved by Elsa's sincerity, and the song grew from that.
Both tracks can be heard in the main PV.
Looking Ahead
Kimi Ai premieres Friday, July 4, 2026 (technically Saturday at 1:30 AM) on TV Asahi's NUMAnimation programming block, broadcast across 24 affiliated stations nationwide. BS Asahi carries the series on Mondays at 11:24 PM.
No international streaming partner has been announced yet. Given that the series airs on TV Asahi's NUMAnimation slot — which has previously fed titles to Crunchyroll — a simulcast announcement may come closer to the premiere date, but nothing is confirmed.
The source manga is published by FlexComics. No English-language publisher has been announced for the series as of this writing. Fans interested in the original can find it on FlexComics' COMIC Polaris platform.