🌊Even a Replica Can Fall in Love — Anime Adaptation Explained, Story, Cast & 2026 Release Updates

Looking for the next big romance anime that blends sci-fi mystery with raw, emotional teenage drama? Even a Replica Can Fall in Love is already being hailed as 2026’s most anticipated romance, and fans of bittersweet youth stories are about to get fed well.

This heart-tugging tale—winner of Reading Meter OF THE YEAR (2023–2024) and a top pick at the Shizuoka Bookstore Awards—finally comes to life as a TV anime in 2026, produced by studio Voil.

Let’s break down everything you need to know: the story, the characters, the themes, and when the anime officially drops.

💔 What Is Even a Replica Can Fall in Love About?

A seaside town. A girl who isn’t entirely human. And a love that was never supposed to exist.

At its core, the story follows Nao, a “Replica” created to stand in for Aikawa Sunao, the original girl whose life she imitates. When Sunao doesn’t want to go to school, Nao goes instead. When Sunao can’t deal with life, Nao handles it for her.

Nao was built to serve, not feel. But everything unravels the moment she does the forbidden:

Nao falls in love.

And not just with anyone — she falls for Shuya Sanada, the troubled, quiet boy who joins the literature club after leaving the basketball team.

What follows is a beautifully painful tale where:

• Two identical girls exist

• Only one has the right to live her own life

• But both want the same boy

• And the same dreams

Nao’s days of pretending now twist into days of longing, jealousy, and guilt as she starts wanting things—feelings—belonging to Sunao.

⭐ Anime Staff, Studio & Cast (2026)

🎬 Staff

• Director: Ryuichi Kimura (known for emotional storytelling)

• Series Composition & Script: Tomoko Shinozuka, Misaki Morie

• Studio: Voil

• Character Design: Eiji Abiko

• Original Work: Harunadon

• Character Art: raemz

🎙️ Cast

• Nao / Sunao Aikawa – Sumire Morohoshi

• Shuya Sanada – Ryōta Suzuki

• Ritsuko Hironaka – supporting cast

The dual performance by Sumire Morohoshi is already generating buzz—playing both Nao and Sunao is a psychological challenge that fans can’t wait to see animated.

🌅 Themes That Make This One Special

This is not your typical high-school romance. It blends:

• Identity vs. existence

• Clone-human emotional conflict

• Unrequited love

• Youth drama with a supernatural edge

• A slow-burn mystery around Sunao’s past

Nao’s love might be fake — or is it?

Sunao’s identity might be real — but is she losing it?

Shuya can feel the difference — but he doesn’t know why.

This creates a constant tension that hits deeply:

“If the feelings were copied… do they still count as real?”

📖 Story Breakdown (Spoiler-Free)

• Nao replaces Sunao in daily life whenever Sunao wants to disappear.

• She carries Sunao’s most recent memories like data files.

• But emotional gaps remain — moments she wasn’t "alive" for.

• Shuya notices these gaps.

• Their friendship turns into gentle affection, then something more.

• Nao begins to wish for a life that isn’t hers.

• Sunao begins to sense Nao’s emotional “glitches.”

• The fragile equilibrium collapses.

Expect:

• whispered confessions on the beach

• jealousy quietly growing

• identity crisis

• the question of who deserves to be loved

📺 Even a Replica Can Fall in Love — Anime Release Date (2026)

Here’s what’s confirmed:

• Anime adaptation was announced: February 16, 2025

• Studio: Voil

• Season 1 Release: 2026

• Exact premiere date: Not yet revealed

• Streaming: Expected on Netflix, following the global license of other Dengeki Bunko adaptations (to be confirmed)

Given standard anime pipelines, fans can expect:

🔮 Predicted Release Window

July–October 2026 (Summer or Fall anime season)T his aligns with other Voil animation schedules and the adaptation timeline.

🤔 Will There Be Season 2?

The manga is still ongoing (7 volumes as of 2025), and the first season will likely adapt only the early arc.

Because:

• the novel is award-winning

• the fanbase is massive

• the story has long-term arcs

Season 2 is extremely likely, but it depends on the anime’s reception. Expect an update shortly after Season 1 finishes airing.

🎥 Trailer Breakdown (Teaser Highlights)

The teaser shows:

• Nao and Sunao are mirroring each other in the same room

• Shuya quietly observes Nao during club activities

• A seaside classroom with melancholic lighting

• The soft, distant soundtrack hints at a love that hurts

• A moment where Nao hesitates… as if remembering something she shouldn’t

It already screams pure emotion.

❤️ Final Thoughts — This Anime Is Going to Break People (In a Good Way)

If you love:

• Your Lie in April

• A Silent Voice

• Plastic Memories

• Horimiya with a supernatural edge

…then Even a Replica Can Fall in Love is about to become your next obsession.

Prepare for tears

.Prepare for softness.

Prepare for heartbreak with a sci-fi twist.

And prepare for Nao — one of the most beautifully tragic heroines anime has introduced in years.