Manga
I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class
- First chapter
- Status
- Ongoing
- Volumes
- 8
Other names: Kurasu de Ni-ban Me ni Kawaii Onna no Ko to Tomodachi ni Natta · I Became Friends with the Second Cutest Girl in My Class · Kuranika
Description
At a high school in present-day Japan, lonely Maki Maehara discovers that popular classmate Umi Asanagi shares his taste in B movies. The boys call her the second-prettiest girl in class, behind her best friend, Yuu Amami. Maki and Umi keep their new friendship secret, spending Friday afternoons watching movies, playing games, and eating junk food together.
Their easygoing friendship gradually turns romantic, while Umi’s bond with Yuu matters in its own right. The tone is mostly warm and funny, with flirtatious teasing and sadder stretches about jealousy, self-worth, and family troubles. The story takes time to explore those feelings; graphic violence is not a focus.
Pros
- Shared hobbies make the leads’ friendship feel natural.
- Friendship and family conflicts give the romance emotional weight.
- Expressive faces and playful chibi panels bring small moments to life.
Cons
- The popular-girl/quiet-boy setup can feel familiar and predictable.
- Some character designs look similar enough to be hard to tell apart.
Main characters
-
Maki Maehara
前原真樹
-
Umi Asanagi
朝凪海
-
Yuu Amami
天海夕
-
Nina Nitta
新田新奈
