The Duke's Son Claims He Won't Love Me Yet Anime Reveals July 4 Premiere, Theme Songs
The July 4 premiere date and theme song reveals complete the anime's production lineup, positioning it as a summer 2026 entry in TV Asahi's NUMAnimation block, a slot that has hosted several recent romance adaptations.
Key Facts
- The anime adaptation of 'The Duke's Son Claims He Won't Love Me Yet Showers Me with Adoration' premieres on July 4.
- The opening theme song is 'Itsuka Chanto.' by Riria., and the ending theme song is 'Saishūkai' by sorato.
- The anime airs in the NUMAnimation block on TV Asahi and 23 affiliated channels at 25:30 (effectively July 5 at 1:20 a.m.).
- The story follows Elsa, a fallen noble's daughter, who enters a contract marriage with Julius, an elite duke's son who initially declares he has no intention of loving her.
- The series is directed by Hitoyuki Matsui at studios Zero-G and Grass, with series composition by Tomoko Konparu and character design by Yūko Yahiro.
Reporting from 3 sources: Anime News Network, Comic Natalie, Anime Anime.
The television anime adaptation of Kei Misawa and Natsu Mizuno's manga "The Duke's Son Claims He Won't Love Me Yet Showers Me with Adoration" ("Kimi o Koi Suru Ki wa Nai" to Itta Jiki Kōshaku-sama ga Nazeka Dekiai Shitekimasu) will premiere on July 4. The announcement came with a main promotional video and a new key visual. The opening theme song is "Itsuka Chanto." by Riria., and the ending theme song is "Saishūkai" by sorato. The anime will air in the NUMAnimation programming block on TV Asahi and 23 affiliated channels at 25:30 (effectively July 5 at 1:20 a.m.), followed by broadcasts on BS Asahi. The story follows Elsa, a fallen noble's daughter, who enters a contract marriage with Julius, an elite duke's son who initially declares he has no intention of loving her. The series is directed by Hitoyuki Matsui at studios Zero-G and Grass, with series composition by Tomoko Konparu and character design by Yūko Yahiro. The cast includes Yui Ishikawa as Elsa and Sōma Saitō as Julius, with additional cast members announced previously.
The main promotional video opens with a lavish wedding scene before cutting to Julius's cold line, "I married you, but I have no intention of loving you." It then tracks how Elsa's straightforward kindness begins to shift his heart. The latter half shows Julius's classmate Jarmo scheming in the shadows and Serafina, who has feelings for Julius, showing jealousy toward Elsa. The video also previews portions of both theme songs.
The second key visual centers on Elsa and Julius with a sunflower on Elsa's chest, joined by Jarmo, Serafina, and Elsa's younger brother Hannes. The sunflower motif ties to the Sun Festival, an annual event in the kingdom of Ralto where the pair's relationship takes a step forward, and also evokes the July broadcast start. The background shows a palace courtyard.
Riria. said of the opening theme "Itsuka Chanto.": "I wrote it with my image of Elsa and Julius. I hope this song accompanies the story you all envision for them." sorato, who sings the ending "Saishūkai," said: "I usually sing about how eternity doesn't exist, but after reading the original work, I sympathized with Julius's complicated inner self and was touched by Elsa's purity. I feel like I was able to create 'Saishūkai' while reading their story, and we can move forward together."
Newly announced staff include sub-character designers Sachiko Sugimoto, Toshie Kawamura, and Miori Suzuki; art director Shinobu Takahashi (Studio Acanthus); art setter Junichirō Nishikawa; prop designer Taisei Sonoda; color key artist Makiko Kojima; compositing director of photography Motohiro Kunishige; and editor Shun Tokuda. MICHIRU composes the music. Saber Links handles sound production. The manga debuted on BookLive in February 2021 and Flex Comix shipped the fifth volume on March 13.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.