“KOI WA FUTAGO DE WARIKIRENAI”: Overview, Characters, Trivia

KOI WA FUTAGO DE WARIKIRENAI is a light novel by Shihon Takamura, published under Dengeki Bunko since 2021, and an anime adaptation. It is a romantic comedy depicting a love triangle between a subculture-loving boy and twin sisters who are his childhood friends. The TV anime is set to air in 2024. The story begins with Jun Shirosaki, a subculture-loving boy, and his twin childhood friends, Rumi Jinguji and Naori Jinguji. Their complicated love relationship starts when Rumi, before breaking up with Jun, tells him to date her sister Naori.

Overview of “KOI WA FUTAGO DE WARIKIRENAI”

KOI WA FUTAGO DE WARIKIRENAI is a light novel by Shihon Takamura, published under Dengeki Bunko since 2021, and an anime adaptation. This romantic comedy centers on the love triangle between the protagonist Jun Shirosaki and his twin childhood friends. The catchphrase is “first love complicated twin romance,” and the abbreviated title is “Futakire.” The original novel alternates perspectives between the male high school protagonist and the contrasting twin sisters, highlighting psychological portrayals and unique storytelling. In 2022, the manga adaptation began serialization in “Comic Dengeki Daiohji,” and the TV anime adaptation was announced in 2023, set to air in July 2024. The anime is directed by Motoki Nakanishi, written by Michiko Yokote, and produced by ROLL2.

Jun Shirosaki, a subculture-loving boy, has twin childhood friends, Rumi Jinguji and Naori Jinguji. Although he harbored feelings for Naori, thinking he wasn’t good enough for her, he dated her sister Rumi to divert his feelings. One day, Rumi breaks up with Jun but encourages him to date Naori, sparking their complex love triangle.

Plot and Story of “KOI WA FUTAGO DE WARIKIRENAI”

The Love Triangle with the Twins

Jun Shirosaki has had twin neighbors, Rumi Jinguji and Naori Jinguji, since childhood. Rumi is bright and energetic, while Naori is an indoor type and intellectually gifted. Jun, who developed feelings for Naori due to their rivalry, maintained top grades to match her. Believing he wasn’t good enough for her, Jun dated Rumi when she confessed during spring break of their third year in middle school. However, a year into their relationship, Rumi breaks up with Jun, revealing she knew about his feelings for Naori and had confessed to compete with her. She tells Jun that Naori also has feelings for him and asks him to confess to Naori.

Upon entering high school, Jun follows Rumi’s request and confesses to Naori, starting their relationship. Although now dating his first love, Jun struggles to forget Rumi. Rumi also still has feelings for Jun. On a date with Naori, Jun can’t stop thinking about Rumi. Realizing he can’t prioritize his feelings, Jun decides to end his relationship with Naori. However, Naori, aware of Jun’s lingering feelings for Rumi, tells him she never considered them a couple. Naori had pretended to date him to see if he could start over with her or reconcile with Rumi. She declares a love triangle, challenging Rumi to compete for Jun as equals.

Establishing Naori’s Club

One day, after their relationships return to square one, popular girl Iena Amamiya asks Jun for study help. Naori feels conflicted seeing Iena close to Jun. However, Iena, a friend of Naori’s best friend Riris Kamedake, befriends Naori. Learning Iena is a secret otaku, Naori bonds with her and decides to start a club, inspired by Rumi’s basketball success. Naori establishes the Modern Culture Research Club with Iena and Riris.

Though Naori’s club is approved, they lack a club room. To secure one, she challenges Raito Furuma of the Gaming Club to a chess match, training with Jun. Meanwhile, Rumi is asked out by Mizuma Sakaguchi, a male basketball player she saw only as a friend. Though Rumi initially declines, she agrees to a date out of guilt, knowing Mizuma was rejected by her junior Mai because of her. Learning of the date, Jun receives a message from Mizuma declaring his seriousness. Realizing his own feelings, Jun confesses his continued love for Rumi and the importance of Naori, asking for time to sort out his emotions. On the same day, Naori wins the chess match, securing the club room, but is jealous of Jun’s absence during the match to see Rumi. Naori visits Jun alone that night, staying over and actively approaching him. However, Jun, still torn between the sisters, cannot respond to her feelings.

Confessing to Naori

Jun intended to keep Naori’s overnight stay a secret, but it was revealed to his family when she deliberately left her underwear behind. Naori’s increasingly bold advances at school also made the Modern Culture Research Club members aware of the situation. Naori decided to take serious action to push Rumi out of Jun’s mind. It didn’t take long for Rumi to hear about Naori’s actions. Realizing Jun’s feelings during her date with Mizuma, Rumi declared her intention to win Jun back, becoming more aggressive in her pursuit. She began to meet Jun in more public places and even kissed him in front of his mother. Jun felt pressured by the trouble his indecisiveness was causing but was too afraid to make a decision, fearing it would irreparably damage their relationships.

One day, Jun rejected Naori’s advances, which shocked her, causing her to avoid him. Both wanting to apologize but unable to find the right moment, Jun and Naori grew distant. With Rumi’s help, who noticed the deteriorating relationship, Jun finally managed to apologize to Naori during a rare moment of the three of them walking to school together, mending their relationship. Jun realized that being with Naori felt the most natural. Amidst this, Rumi proposed a date with Naori and Jun together. Jun decided to use this date to make his final decision on whom to be with.

On July 24, his birthday, Jun went on a date with Rumi and Naori. At Rumi’s suggestion, they visited Yokohama, a place Jun and Rumi had frequented during their previous relationship. They revisited memorable spots together as a trio. At the end of the date, Jun confessed his feelings to Naori, saying, “I love you,” and apologized to Rumi, breaking up with her. While Naori was happy to hear Jun’s confession, she could only respond with a simple “Thank you.” Although pleased, Naori needed to understand why Jun chose her before she could date him. Consulting with Kamedake, Naori realized she felt inferior and defeated compared to Rumi, who had confessed first. Wanting to hear a stronger declaration of Jun’s feelings, Naori wished for him to confess to her alone.

With the help of Kamedake and Amamiya, the Modern Culture Research Club went to the beach for a summer camp. On the night of the camp, Jun and Naori found themselves alone, and Jun confessed again, asking her to be his girlfriend. This time, they became a couple.

Characters of “KOI WA FUTAGO DE WARIKIRENAI”

Main Characters

Jun Shirosaki

CV: Shogo Sakata
The protagonist of the story, a first-year high school student, born on July 24. He moved next to the Jinguji twins when he was in the first grade, and their families have been close ever since. He has worn glasses since childhood, is slightly poor at sports but excels academically and loves reading. Although he initially had a rivalry with Naori due to their similar personalities, he realized it was his first love in the sixth grade. Feeling that he was not “someone better than her,” which was Naori’s type, he kept his feelings to himself and dated Rumi, who later broke up with him a year later. Subsequently, he started dating Naori at Rumi’s request but remains torn between his feelings for both sisters.

Rumi Jinguji

CV: Moeka Sakuragi / Konomi Kohara (ASMR version)
The older twin sister in the Jinguji family. In contrast to her sister, she is active and cheerful, a sports enthusiast who belongs to the basketball club and has many friends. As a child, she had long hair like Naori and was often mistaken for her, but she cut it short in the upper grades of elementary school. Although she had feelings for Jun, she knew his heart was inclined toward Naori. Feeling insecure about their relationship, she confessed to Jun in their third year of middle school and started dating him, but later initiated a breakup due to her inferiority complex towards Naori. She still has feelings for Jun.

Naori Jinguji

CV: Maaya Uchida / Aoi Koga (ASMR version)
The younger twin sister in the Jinguji family. Unlike her sister, she is rational and somewhat cynical. She is not good at sports and prefers to spend her weekends in her room, reading or watching movies. She has few friends and only opens up to a select few, including Kamedake. She shares similar interests with Jun and has always been close to him. Knowing Jun liked her, she felt secure until her sister confessed to him first.

Modern Culture Research Club

Toyoshige Moriwaki

CV: Katsumi Fukuhara
Jun’s mischievous friend and long-time classmate. A movie enthusiast, he gets along well with Jun and Naori, earning him the nickname “Professor.” Despite being good-looking when quiet, his frivolous and easy-going personality makes him unpopular with girls. In middle school, he had a crush on Naori and once confessed to her but was spectacularly rejected.

Riris Kamedake

CV: Yutoko Ohno
Naori’s close friend, a petite girl with glasses. She dislikes being called by her first name and is referred to as “Bucho” (President) by Naori. Although they didn’t get along initially, they gradually became close, and now she is one of Naori’s few confidants. She serves as the president of the Modern Culture Research Club both in name and in fact. She has been friends with Iena Amamiya through online gaming.

Iena Amamiya

A first-year student in the English Department with a gyaru (gal) appearance and blonde hair. Her parents are both famous fashion brand designers, and she usually lives alone in a high-rise apartment. Influenced by her father, she is a secret otaku with extensive knowledge of sci-fi anime and military topics. Her favorite anime is “Cowboy Bebop,” and she named her cat Ein after a character from the show.

Miki Yoshida

The modern literature teacher and advisor for the tea ceremony club. She is quiet and strict but perceptive about her students’ true nature and dependable when needed.

Basketball Club Members

Reira Asano

CV: Misaki Ikeda
Rumi’s close friend and a member of the basketball club. They have been friends since middle school, and Reira is Rumi’s primary confidante. With considerable experience in romantic relationships, she often advises Rumi, who is troubled by her relationship with Jun and Naori. Although she is in the same class as Naori, she feels uneasy around her and doesn’t interact much.

Kanako Sakurada

A member of the basketball club. She is a mood maker who gets along well with everyone, including Rumi and Iena.

Mizuma Sakaguchi

A friend of Jun and Moriwaki, and a member of the boys’ basketball club. He is called “Ango” by Jun and others because his surname matches that of the writer Ango Sakaguchi. Unlike Moriwaki, he is popular among girls and teachers and has served as student council president. He confesses his feelings to Rumi but steps back when he realizes her heart remains with Jun.

Yuzuki Furuma

A third-year middle school student and Furuma’s younger sister. She is a member of the girls’ basketball club. Yuzuki is friendly and endearing, beloved by everyone. She dislikes her brother, who has a completely opposite personality, and avoids talking about him.

Gaming Club

Reito Furuma

A second-year student in the advanced class and a member of the Gaming Club. He challenges Naori to a chess match over the use of the clubroom. Reito is calm, logical, and always speaks in a rational manner. According to Rumi, he is similar to Jun.

Jun’s Parents

Mr. Shirosaki

Jun’s father, who has a close relationship with the Jinguji family. He works as a car engineer.

Mrs. Shirosaki

Jun’s mother, who has a warm personality and is also close to Naori and Rumi. She works as a nurse and is often away from home due to night shifts. She has a vague awareness of Jun’s complicated relationship with the twins.

Rumi and Naori’s Parents

Mr. Jinguji

Rumi and Naori’s father. He works at a bank and met his wife, Hinata, through work. He shares an interest in subculture topics like novels and movies, and he gets along well with Jun.

Hinata Jinguji (née Aino)

Rumi and Naori’s mother. She worked at a bank before getting married. In her youth, she had a rebellious personality, and Naori suspects she might have been a delinquent.

Others

Chinatsu Furuse

A girl who was the leader of Naori’s fifth-grade class. She isolated Naori from the class but later reconciled with her thanks to Jun’s help. Currently studying abroad in Canada, she keeps in touch with Naori through social media.

Saika Momoi

A junior colleague of Rumi and Naori’s mother. She is a surfer with a hippie-like appearance. She hosts Naori and her friends at her guesthouse during their summer camp.

Memorable Quotes and Scenes from “KOI WA FUTAGO DE WARIKIRENAI”

Rumi: “This is probably the last time I’ll make this request… okay?”

In middle school, Rumi confessed to Jun, becoming his girlfriend, preempting her sister Naori. However, knowing that Jun’s heart was inclined toward Naori, Rumi initiated a breakup after a year, asking Jun to date Naori instead. A month later, when Jun still hadn’t confessed to Naori, Rumi visited him again to urge him to confess, saying, “This is probably the last time I’ll make this request… okay?” as she hugged him. This scene reflects Rumi’s complicated feelings, torn between caring for her sister and her own lingering love for Jun, marking the beginning of a twisted romantic comedy.

Naori: “Sorry. I messed up your uniform.”

To push Rumi out of Jun’s mind, Naori becomes more aggressive in her advances toward him. However, fearing further developments, Jun accidentally pushes Naori away. This trivial incident leads to a rift between them. Wanting to reconcile but unable to be honest, Naori confides in Kamedake, crying in her arms. After crying her heart out, Naori thanks her by saying, “Sorry. I messed up your uniform,” and resolves to face Jun. This scene highlights the trust between Naori and one of her few confidants, Kamedake.

Jun: “Naori, I love you.”

Torn between his feelings for both sisters, Jun rejects Naori, fearing that their relationship might become irreparable. Shocked, Naori distances herself from Jun, but with Rumi’s help, he manages to clear up the misunderstanding. During a casual conversation with Naori, Jun realizes that being with her feels the most natural and decides to confess his feelings. Rumi, sensing this, invites Jun and Naori on a date together. On the way back, Jun expresses his gratitude to Rumi and apologizes, saying he can’t return her feelings, then tells Naori, “I love you.”

Behind-the-Scenes, Trivia, and Fun Facts about “KOI WA FUTAGO DE WARIKIRENAI”

Special PV at Akihabara Radio Kaikan

To commemorate the TV anime adaptation, a special video was broadcast on the Radio Kaikan Vision in Akihabara. This video featured completely new voice recordings supervised by the original author, Shihon Takamura. The conversation in the video references the game “STEINS;GATE,” which is set in Akihabara.

Check the official website for detailed information about “KOI WA FUTAGO DE WARIKIRENAI.”
Here→https://futakire.com/