The TV anime Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You (スーパーの裏でヤニ吸うふたり) is currently airing nationwide in Japan on TBS and its 28 affiliated stations. Sound director Kohei Yoshida and composers Shin Kawano and Sayaka Aoki have shared their behind-the-scenes approach to crafting the series’ distinctive audio world.

From Viral Manga to the Small Screen

The original manga by Jishu began serialization on Twitter (now X) on March 9, 2022, quickly becoming a major talking point. Compiled volumes have now surpassed a cumulative 3 million copies, and the long-awaited TV anime adaptation premiered on July 9 to an enthusiastic reception.

Giving the Invisible World a Temperature

Sound director Kohei Yoshida — known for original TV anime Lycoris Recoil and Dungeon Meshi — described what drew him to the project:

I felt a strong affinity with the two contrasting spaces: the invisible exhaustion carried by people working hard in modern society, and the quiet relief of being able to exhale it all in that spot behind the supermarket. The delicate, vivid portrayal of distance and word choice resonated with me deeply.

His central challenge was translating that “temperature of an invisible world” into sound — paying close attention to the distance at which lines are delivered, the warmth of tone, the rhythm of breathing, and the atmosphere created by the silences between words.

Music That Drifts Like Cigarette Smoke

The score is shared between Shin Kawano — whose credits include the Ossan’s Love series and the TV drama Sekai no Chushin de, Ai wo Sakebu — and Sayaka Aoki, known for Lion no Kakurega and the anime Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei Shite Shimatta…X.

Kawano explained his approach:

What I wanted to preserve was the time and atmosphere the two share in that smoking area behind the supermarket. I hoped the music could drift alongside the subtle nuances of their casual conversation — the way cigarette smoke gently lingers and floats.

To achieve this, Kawano deliberately chose live acoustic instruments over synthesizers, aiming to capture the quiet calm of an after-work evening and the bittersweet frustration of a distance that never quite closes.

Aoki, who handled the score for the more comedic scenes between Sasaki and Tayama, shared her own priorities:

I was conscious of preserving the unique atmosphere that Sasaki-san and Tayama-san carry from the original manga. At the same time, since many of the pieces I wrote were meant to express character, I focused on drawing out each person’s individuality and charm through the music — making their interactions feel even more endearing.

Voice Actors Who Became Their Characters

The two leads are voiced by Takuya Sato (Sasaki) and Kinaru Hoshi (Yamada/Tayama). Sato is a seasoned performer with major roles in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series and IDOLiSH7, while Hoshi is a rising young talent who has appeared in Hanaori-san wa Tensei Shite mo Kenka ga Shitai and NEEDY GIRL OVERDOSE.

Yoshida praised Sato’s performance:

It had been a long time since we worked together, and I was struck by something almost fearsome — it felt as though he had completely rebuilt his acting style into something entirely different. Sasaki has a lot of beautiful lines, so there’s a risk of him coming across as a straightforward “cool older guy,” but Sato-san threaded in an incredibly delicate performance alongside a natural charm that makes you smile, letting the character quietly seep into the viewer’s heart.

On Hoshi, who was a first-time collaborator, Yoshida was equally effusive:

I was genuinely surprised by the Tayama that emerged from Hoshi-san. That manner of seeming to look down on people while not actually sounding harsh, and still being charming — it’s extremely difficult to pull off. Hoshi-san went beyond performing the role; she inhabited it completely.

Yoshida also highlighted Hoshi’s nuanced dual portrayal of “Tayama” and “Yamada” — and the subtle in-between states — calling the differentiation remarkable. He added that during recording sessions, the team made a point of having all relevant cast members present together whenever possible, so that each actor could receive and respond to the other’s live delivery in the moment. That approach, he said, is what allowed the warmth and temperature of the performances to truly carry through to the final film.

Anime Information

• Title: 『スーパーの裏でヤニ吸うふたり』 (Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You)
• Cast: Sasaki — Takuya Sato / Yamada・Tayama — Kinaru Hoshi / Goto — Toa Yukinari / Ono — Megumi Toyoguchi / Obata — Rikuya Yasuda / Maezawa — Yoko Hikasa / Suzuki — Nobuyuki Takahashi
• Directors: Masato Suzuki, Aoi Mori
• Series Composition: Mio Inoue
• Character Design: Naka Otaki
• Sound Director: Kohei Yoshida
• Music: Shin Kawano, Sayaka Aoki
• Music Producer: Retsu Kuze
• Music Production: Nichion
• Animation Producer: Masahiro Watanabe
• Studio: Asahi Production
• TV OP Theme: ZUTOMAYO – “Ichijiku Kemuri”
• TV ED Theme: imase – “Fiction”
• ABEMA OP Theme: ZUTOMAYO – “Kuzuri Nen”
• ABEMA ED Theme: imase – “NIGHT DANCER”
• Broadcast: Every Thursday at 23:56 on TBS and 28 affiliated stations / Streaming on ABEMA and Netflix