A workplace "friendship" with a secret at its core is coming to television. The TV anime adaptation of Enma Akiyama's manga Noa-senpai wa Tomodachi. — officially titled Noa Is My Senior, and My Friend. in English — will premiere in 2027, with the announcement arriving alongside the anime's first key visual and its two lead cast members on October 11.
Rina Kawaguchi will voice Noa Saotome, the high-powered art director at the center of the story, while Tomoya Itō plays Rihito Ōtsuka, her junior colleague at the game company where they both work. The casting confirms the adaptation's focus squarely on its central duo and their after-hours dynamic, with both actors taking on leading roles in a TV anime adaptation of a currently running manga.
The anime is produced by studio feel., with Shinsuke Yanagi directing. Yanagi's recent credits include Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki and Senpai is an Otokonoko, making him a natural fit for a character-driven romantic story. Series composition comes from Keiichirō Ōchi, known for The Quintessential Quintuplets and The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting, while Yumiko Yamamoto — whose work includes Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld — handles character design.
What is Noa Is My Senior, and My Friend. about?
The series is based on the manga by Enma Akiyama, serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump since 2023, with the 12th compiled volume set to publish on October 19, 2026. Akiyama is also known for the Killer in Love manga.
The story follows Rihito Ōtsuka, a second-year employee at a game company whose life motto is conserving energy, and Noa Saotome, his senior — an art director and quintessential career woman, trusted by her superiors and admired by her juniors. When Rihito accidentally witnesses a hidden side of Noa that she keeps strictly secret, the two begin an after-work "friends only" relationship. Whether the friendship between a "limit-breaking career woman" and a "lukewarm, energy-saving guy" can actually hold is the question at the heart of the series.
With the 2027 premiere window now set, the main cast in place, and an experienced rom-com-leaning staff assembled at feel., the adaptation is shaping up as one to watch for fans of adult workplace romance anime. Fans can follow further updates through the anime's official website and its official X account, @noasenpai_anime. Additional details — including the exact broadcast season and any further cast announcements — are expected in the months ahead.
Sources: Press release, official X account of Noa-senpai wa Tomodachi
