ZUTOMAYO and imase Deliver Exclusive ABEMA Themes
The ABEMA-exclusive early streaming version of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You went live on June 3 at 8:30 PM JST, giving fans a first taste of the anime ahead of its full July TV run. This early cut takes episodes 1 through 6 from the TV broadcast and repackages them as roughly 10-minute short-format entries released in sequence.
The music is where things get interesting. ZUTOMAYO — the hugely popular Japanese music project — performs the ABEMA opening theme with a track titled "Kuzuri Nen." The newly released creditless OP footage follows overworked salaryman Sasaki through his daily grind, finding small comforts in supermarket cashier Yamada's smile and a cigarette break. Then Tayama beckons him to the smoking spot behind the store, and the footage tracks the pair through multiple seasons, set to ZUTOMAYO's signature moody sound.
The ABEMA ending theme lands even harder for international listeners: it's imase's "NIGHT DANCER," the viral J-pop smash that racked up over 340 million YouTube views and became the first J-pop song to crack South Korea's Melon Top 100 chart. The creditless ED footage flips to Yamada/Tayama's perspective, capturing quiet moments at work and the small ritual of meeting Sasaki at their usual spot behind the store.
Both tracks are exclusive to the ABEMA version. When the full TV broadcast starts in July, viewers will hear entirely different songs from the same two artists: ZUTOMAYO's "Ichijiku Kemuri" (literally "Fig Smoke") as the opening and imase's "Fiction" as the ending. A second main PV featuring the TV opening is expected to drop before the premiere.
What Is Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You?
For anyone not already following this one, it started as a manga by Jinushi (地主) posted to Twitter (now X) in March 2022. The first chapter pulled 280,000 likes, and the series took the top spot in the Web Manga category at the Next Manga Award 2022. It now runs in Square Enix's monthly Big Gangan magazine, with cumulative circulation topping 2.5 million copies as of July 2025.
The premise: Sasaki is a burned-out salaryman whose only comforts are his cigarettes and the warm smile of Yamada, a cashier at his regular supermarket. One exhausted night he heads to the store only to find Yamada gone and nowhere left to smoke. A woman in slightly eccentric clothes named Tayama calls out — "you can smoke here" — from behind the building. What follows is a quiet adult drama about two people connecting over shared cigarette breaks as the seasons turn.
Takuya Satō voices Sasaki, while Seena Hoshiki (星希成奏) takes on the dual role of Yamada and Tayama. The supporting cast features Yōko Hikasa (Mio Akiyama in K-On!, Rias Gremory in High School DxD) as Maezawa, Megumi Toyoguchi as Ōno, Toa Yukinari as Gotō, Rikuya Yasuda as Obata, and Shinya Takahashi as Suzuki. Co-directors Masato Suzuki and Aoi Mori lead the production at Asahi Production, with series composition by Mio Inoue.
Looking Ahead
The full TV broadcast of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You premieres in July 2026, airing every Thursday at 11:56 PM on TBS across all 28 affiliate stations. ABEMA and Netflix handle the fastest digital distribution in Japan, with additional platforms to follow. International viewers can look forward to the series on Crunchyroll.
The ABEMA early streaming version is available now for anyone who can't wait. And with the TV opening theme "Ichijiku Kemuri" still under wraps, a second main PV should surface before the July premiere. The source manga is published by Square Enix in Japan, though no official English-language release has been announced.