Crunchyroll has quietly added 12 mini-episodes of Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You to its platform, giving viewers a sizeable early look at the romance adaptation ahead of the series' planned July start.
Each mini-episode runs roughly 10 to 15 minutes, so the early batch is more than a teaser: it amounts to about two to three hours of material that sketches the show's tone and characters. The shorts introduce overworked salaryman Sasaki and the small orbit that steadies him — the clerk Yamada and a pierced young woman named Tamaya, who prompts one of the series' plainest invitations: "You can smoke here." The official synopsis frames Sasaki as sustained by cigarettes and by Yamada's cheerful service and smile, and the minis replay that setup in short, episodic beats.
The adaptation began life as a webcomic and is presented as a slice-of-life romance in Crunchyroll’s summer anime lineup. The platform has said the show will begin airing in July and will follow a weekly schedule, but it has not given an exact premiere date; the 12 mini-episodes are the only scheduled material available now.
That mismatch — a show listed for a July rollout while a dozen mini-episodes are already public — is the story's friction. The early availability changes how fans and casual viewers can approach the series: rather than deciding on a single first episode when the weekly run begins, audiences can sample a compact arc now and either commit or step away before the formal debut. The lack of an announced air date keeps the full schedule ambiguous even as the minis establish the series' rhythm.
For readers wondering what to expect from the shorts, they serve as mood pieces rather than full narrative leaps. Scenes center on small rituals: smoke breaks behind the store where Yamada works, quiet conversations, and the tiny social mechanics that make a slice-of-life romance land. Tamaya's invitation to Sasaki to join her behind the supermarket appears as a connective moment that threads the minis together; the episodes use that repeated setting to map how the characters orbit one another.
Practically, the early rollout means viewers can watch the minis now on Crunchyroll and judge whether to follow the weekly series when it begins in July. Because each installment is only 10–15 minutes, finishing all 12 is an easy commitment for anyone curious about the show's mood and pacing. The minis are likely to shape first impressions — and, for a series that originated as a webcomic, those first impressions matter when translating episodic web strips into serialized animation.
What comes next is straightforward: the series is scheduled to start airing weekly in July on Crunchyroll as part of its summer slate, but an official release date has not been announced. The mini-episodes are effectively a preview window — substantial, public, and available now — while the platform prepares the formal premiere. If you want to test the show before the weekly rollout, the short answer is to watch the minis now; if you prefer to begin with the series' official episode one, you'll need to wait for Crunchyroll to publish the exact July air date.
