The wait is finally over for fans of dark fantasy romance. The upcoming anime adaptation of the beloved yuri manga I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day dropped its first full trailer on February 18, 2026, and with it came a truckload of exciting new details. The trailer not only gives everyone a proper look at the story’s world but also confirms that the series will arrive in July 2026 .
For those who have been following Nachi Aono’s original manga since it started in 2018, this is the moment they have been waiting for. The new promotional video runs through the daily school life of the main characters while mixing in darker moments from the battlefield, giving viewers a clear idea of what tone to expect from this series. It is a story that blends innocent school days with the harsh reality of war .
What Is I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day About?
If you are new to this story, here is the setup. The series takes place in what looks like a regular orphanage, but it is actually a military training facility. Young girls are taken in and raised to become living weapons for a brutal war .
The main character is Sheena Totsuki, a 14-year-old girl who is different from the others. She does not have outstanding magical abilities or combat skills, but what sets her apart is her heart. Sheena hates war and hurting others. She struggles with the purpose of her school and questions everything she is being trained to do .
Everything changes for Sheena one night when she comes across a girl covered in blood. The girl is smiling despite her injuries, which confuses Sheena deeply. The next day, that same girl shows up in Sheena’s class as a new student. Her name is Mimi Kagari .
Rumors spread quickly through the orphanage that Mimi is actually the school’s secret weapon. She is said to be immortal, a soldier who cannot die no matter what happens on the battlefield. When Mimi becomes Sheena’s new roommate, their lives become tangled together in ways neither of them expected .
The story follows how these two very different girls grow closer. One wants the fighting to stop, while the other seems to welcome death. It is a romance that blossoms in the middle of violence and despair .
Main Cast and Characters Revealed
The trailer confirmed the voice cast that fans had been hoping for. All four main roles will be played by some of the biggest names in the anime industry right now .
Rie Takahashi will voice Sheena Totsuki. You might know her as Megumin from Konosuba or as Ai Hoshino from Oshi no Ko. She brings the right kind of emotional depth to a character who carries the weight of wanting peace in a world built for war .
Rina Hidaka takes on the role of Mimi Kagari. Hidaka is known for playing Milim Nava in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and will have to balance Mimi’s cheerful surface with the dark reality of who she really is .
The supporting cast is just as strong. Asami Seto will play Lizzy Seiran, one of Sheena’s classmates and friends. Seto’s previous roles include Mai Sakurajima from Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai and Mina Ashiro in Kaiju No. 8 .
Yui Ishikawa completes the main cast as Ali Maud. Ishikawa is famous for voicing Mikasa Ackerman in Attack on Titan, so she knows how to handle characters in dark, serious settings .
All four main cast members will appear together at a special stage event during AnimeJapan 2026 on March 28. They will be at the Kadokawa booth, and exclusive merchandise will also be on sale there .
Behind the Scenes: The Creative Team
The production team behind this anime is packed with experienced talent. Studio ROLL2 is handling the animation, and they have put together a crew that knows how to tell emotional stories .
There has been a recent change in the director’s position. Yasushi Tomoda, who was originally listed as assistant director, is now the main director. He previously worked on episodes of The Elusive Samurai and co-directed the pilot film for this very series. The original director, Takudai Kakuchi, has moved into a creative advisor role. The new assistant director is Nao Enomoto .
The series composition and scripts are being handled by Jukki Hanada. If that name sounds familiar, it is because Hanada has worked on major hits like Love Live!, Sound! Euphonium, and Girls Band Cry. He knows how to write character-driven stories that make people care deeply about the cast .
Character designs come from Kyoko Yufu, whose previous work includes Delicious Party Pretty Cure and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles. The character designs in the trailer stay true to the manga’s look while smoothing everything out for animation .
The music is being composed by Yukari Hashimoto, with assistance from MICHIRU. Hashimoto has worked on March Comes in Like a Lion, Toradora!, and the more recent Zenshu. Given the mix of sweet romance and dark warfare in this story, the soundtrack will have to cover a lot of ground emotionally .
Other key staff members include :
- Nana Nakayama as prop designer
- Junki Nakata as art director
- Ting Zhen Xu as compositing director of photography
- Jin Aketagawa as sound director
Production is being handled by Infinite, with EVOLROAR providing product support .
The Trailer: What Did We See?
The first full promotional video runs for about 90 seconds and sets the mood perfectly. It opens with soft, gentle scenes of school life. We see Sheena and Mimi walking through hallways, eating together, and spending time with their friends Lizzy and Ali .
But the peaceful tone does not last. The trailer shifts to show darker moments. We see blood on the battlefield, characters looking scared and determined, and hints of the violence that waits outside the school gates. The contrast between the cute character designs and the serious subject matter is striking .
The trailer also gives us our first real look at Mimi’s abilities. There are quick flashes of combat, and the voiceover hints at her immortal nature. She can be injured, even hurt badly, but she always comes back .
Fans of the manga will recognize key moments from the early chapters, including the first meeting between Sheena and Mimi on that bloody night. The animation quality looks solid, and the voice acting in the trailer matches what readers imagined while reading the manga .
The Original Manga: Where It All Started
For those who cannot wait until July, the original manga is available right now. Nachi Aono launched I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day in Ichijinsha’s Comic Yuri Hime magazine back in August 2018. It ran there until December 2019 before moving to online serialization on PixivYurihime and Ichijin Plus .
The series has released eight collected volumes so far in Japan, with the most recent volume shipping in March 2025. A volume of side stories came out in January 2026, giving fans even more content from this world .
English-speaking readers can also get the manga. Kodansha USA licensed the series for release in North America. The first volume came out in February 2025, with later volumes scheduled throughout 2025. The English releases include volumes 1 through 5, with volume 5 expected in October 2025 .
The manga has received critical praise since its debut. It was nominated for the 2019 Next Manga Award in the print manga category. More recently, it was featured in MyAnimeList’s 2024 “You Should Read This Manga” list, specifically in the Unique Art/Story category .
What Makes This Series Special?
At first glance, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day might look like another school story with cute girls. But readers and now future viewers know it is something much deeper .
The series falls into the dark fantasy yuri genre. That means it combines romance between female characters with themes of death, war, and survival. The girls at the orphanage are not there to get an education. They are being raised to die on the battlefield .
What makes the story stand out is how it handles its central relationship. Sheena represents life and hope. She wants the fighting to stop, even though she is surrounded by violence. Mimi, on the other hand, cannot die. She has survived horrors that would kill anyone else. Their romance grows out of this fundamental difference .
The question at the heart of the series is simple but powerful. How can someone who cherishes every moment of life love someone who cannot wait to throw hers away? The manga explores this beautifully, and the anime looks ready to do the same .
What to Expect from the Anime
With a July 2026 premiere date locked in, production is moving forward steadily. The fact that a full trailer is already out several months before the premiere suggests the team is confident in their progress .
The series will likely run for one cour, which is about 12 to 13 episodes, though official episode counts have not been announced yet. Given the amount of source material available, the anime should be able to adapt a satisfying chunk of the story .
For viewers in different regions, streaming details have not been finalized yet. However, given Kadokawa’s involvement and the popularity of the source material, the anime will almost certainly be available on major platforms like Crunchyroll or Netflix for global audiences. Updates on international streaming rights will probably come closer to the premiere date .
Fans attending AnimeJapan 2026 on March 28 will get the first real treat. The cast panel at the Kadokawa booth will likely show more footage and possibly announce additional cast members or streaming partners. If you are in Tokyo around that time, it is worth checking out .
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Why Fans Are Excited
Social media reaction to the trailer has been overwhelmingly positive. Longtime readers of the manga are thrilled to see their favorite scenes brought to life with high-quality animation and a dream voice cast .
The combination of Rie Takahashi and Rina Hidaka as the lead duo has people especially excited. Both actresses have proven they can handle emotional, complex roles. Seeing them bring Sheena and Mimi to the screen is a major draw .
The yuri genre has been gaining more mainstream attention in recent years, with series like The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady and I’m in Love with the Villainess finding audiences worldwide. I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day brings something different to the table with its dark fantasy war setting, which should help it stand out .
For now, fans have a few months to catch up on the manga before the anime arrives. With eight volumes available in Japanese and five in English, there is plenty of material to get through. The anime will likely cover the early parts of the story, so starting from volume one is the way to go .
For more updates on I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day and other upcoming anime releases, keep checking back with VvipTimes for the latest trailers, cast announcements, and streaming details.
