Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You just set a rare Crunchyroll record

Jun 08, 2026 - 22:12

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Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You just set a rare Crunchyroll record

Published Jun 8, 2026, 1:08 PM EDT

Who knew a workplace rom-com could steal the hearts of so many anime fans on Crunchyroll?

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Tayama

Just a month ahead of its official debut in July, Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You has already made a name for itself on Crunchyroll, where it has swiftly become the highest-rated anime series on the platform. At the time of writing, the series holds a perfect 5.0 score, based on more than 20,000 user ratings.

It’s a mind-blowing statistic, one that becomes even more notable when you take into account its scale. Even some of Crunchyroll’s most widely watched and critically acclaimed anime — including titles such as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood — typically settle around 4.8 or 4.9, slightly below a perfect score once they accumulate large volumes of ratings over time. Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You has managed to maintain a flawless 5.0 rating despite already crossing a significant user threshold, and it’s doing it with 10-minute special episodes to boot.

Part of that early momentum appears to stem from Crunchyroll’s unconventional rollout strategy for the series. Rather than waiting for the July broadcast, the platform released an early version of the opening arc in the form of 12 short mini-episodes, each running at roughly 10 minutes in length. The format has allowed viewers to engage with the series before its seasonal debut, effectively accelerating word-of-mouth and audience feedback well before its traditional airing schedule.

Jinushi's manga originally began as a webcomic published on X before being picked up for serialization by Square Enix under its Monthly Big Gangan imprint. Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You follows an understated workplace romance centered around a weary salaryman and his quiet interactions with a convenience store cashier, gradually developing into a reflective slice-of-life narrative about routine, loneliness, and human connection.

Unlike many of the platform’s more action-heavy or fantasy-driven hits, the series sits firmly within a grounded romantic slice-of-life space, focusing on small, character-driven interactions rather than large-scale narrative stakes. That specific kind of contrast may be part of what has helped the series stand out in early audience reception, particularly among viewers looking for more subdued, character-focused storytelling.

With its official broadcast set to begin in July, the remaining question is whether the series can maintain its perfect rating once it reaches a wider weekly audience. For now, however, Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You has already achieved a rare milestone on Crunchyroll — one that places it in an unusual position even before its television run has properly begun.

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You will be released on July 2.