Umeda Shuichiro and Akechi Riko Lead a Sweet Crime-Meets-Romance Setup
According to Comic Natalie, the anime pairs Akechi Riko (明智璃子) as Isshiki Rinna Milford with Umeda Shūichirō (梅田修一朗) as Rokutanda Meishi. Umeda — best known as Akira Tendo in Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead — takes on a very different energy here as Meishi, a well-meaning but hopelessly clumsy detective. Akechi, a rising voice actress with recent roles in Ponsuka and Yani Neko, voices the rigid, love-illiterate inspector at the show's center.
The newly released teaser PV on the KADOKAWAanime YouTube channel offers the first look at actual anime footage. It introduces Rinna — a prodigy who made inspector at 17 and earned the nickname "Steel" — and the moment her ironclad composure cracks: mysterious heart palpitations that only happen around Meishi. Her solution, naturally, is to treat it like a case. The two begin "dating" as a diagnostic experiment, which is exactly the kind of premise that sells rom-com manga by the truckload.
What's Isshiki-san About?
Isshiki-san Wants to Know About Love. is a romantic comedy manga by Araragi Ayune, serialized in KADOKAWA's Monthly Shonen Ace. The setup flips the usual detective-romance formula: Rinna isn't cold because of trauma or stoicism — she's a genuine workaholic who simply never encountered the concept of romantic love. Meishi isn't suave — he's a disaster. The comedy runs on the gap between Rinna's total competence as a cop and her total helplessness in the face of feelings she can't arrest or file paperwork on.
The Comic Natalie report includes comments from both leads. Akechi said recording sessions have helped her discover new sides of herself, drawing a parallel to Rinna's own growth through her connection with Meishi. She also noted that the role fulfills a personal dream of playing a title character. Umeda, meanwhile, said the cast chemistry clicked from day one — he described the recording atmosphere as feeling like they'd already spent an entire season together, which he credits to the warmth of the source material.
The Production Team Behind the Adaptation
Komai Kazuya directs at Sakura Create, a smaller studio stepping up to what appears to be its first full-length TV anime as lead production house. Komai himself is a veteran animator with key animation credits stretching back to Hajime no Ippo and Revolutionary Girl Utena — this marks a transition into a series director chair.
Series composition goes to Akao Deko, whose biggest credit is Komi Can't Communicate — a solid match for a show built around a socially stunted protagonist learning to connect with people. Hamaguchi Shōhei handles character design.
Looking Ahead
Isshiki-san Wants to Know About Love. premieres in January 2027. No specific broadcast day or streaming partners have been announced yet for international markets. Given KADOKAWA's involvement as publisher and the teaser PV debuting on the KADOKAWAanime channel, Crunchyroll — which has a broad licensing relationship with KADOKAWA titles — is a reasonable candidate for international distribution, though nothing is confirmed.
The source manga is published by KADOKAWA under the Monthly Shonen Ace label. No English-language publisher has been announced for the manga as of this writing.
With the teaser PV out and the leads locked in, expect additional cast announcements and a full PV in the months ahead as the January 2027 premiere approaches.