Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
First of all, Sasaki the protagonist looks more like an exhausted serial-killer than an average over-worked white collar office worker. There’s something slightly intimidating about him, but the moment he opens his mouth and interacts with somebody, the serial killer aura vanishes, and he emerges as a kind, regular guy.
Adapted from the manga series written and illustrated by Jinushi, ‘Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You’ follows Sasaki (voiced by Takuya Satō), a single, perpetually exhausted office worker whose only bright spot is visiting the supermarket to see Yamada, a cute cashier who always greets him with a smile. Sasaki expects nothing more than that small moment of kindness to brighten his bleak workdays. But things take an unexpected turn when Tayama (Seena Hoshiki), a young woman, invites him for a smoke, and the two become unlikely smoking buddies. But Tayama isn’t who she seems to be.
Aptly enough, episode one of ‘Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You’ opens with Sasaki quietly smoking alone on his office terrace until a colleague comes looking for him. At first, it’s easy to assume he’s simply lonely. But the colleague remarks that he’d already checked the smoking room, subtly revealing that Sasaki deliberately chose the off-limits terrace instead. It’s a small but telling detail that suggests he actively seeks solitude, with smoke breaks offering him that space.
The animation by Asahi Production transforms Jinushi’s manga into a glossy, colorful slice-of-life anime while remaining faithful to the original character designs. One small change from the manga actually works in the anime’s favor. Rather than opening immediately with Sasaki’s encounters with Yamada and Tayama, the adaptation first shows his dreary office life. As a result, the contrast between his monotonous routine and the simple joy he finds in seeing Yamada at the supermarket becomes much more effective.
It’s both hilarious and refreshing how completely antithetical the dynamic between Sasaki and Tayama is. Despite being the taller, older, and more intimidating-looking stranger, Sasaki is the one who’s nervous, flustered, and practically frightened when Tayama invites him over for a smoke. Their first interaction is casual, comical, and driven almost entirely by Tayama, who effortlessly dictates the flow of the conversation. And even though she isn’t the woman on Sasaki’s mind, their smoke breaks together already feel like they’re going to become a regular part of his life.
As far as first impressions go, episode one of ‘Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You’ offers an entertaining start to a story about two very different people gradually building a connection over a shared smoke. It’s a slice-of-life tale that finds meaning in ordinary moments, reminding us that sometimes a simple smile from a stranger is enough to make life feel a little less overbearing.
Watch Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is on Netflix/ Crunchyroll.
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