Against All Odds, I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class

Maki Maehara and Umi Asanagi appear to be polar opposites. Maki is a quiet loner who enjoys B-tier movies, while Umi is a popular, outgoing girl who draws attention wherever she goes. Her smile positively lights up a room. The two have a fateful meeting at a local movie store a few months after school begins. It becomes apparent that they have a lot more in common than others might expect. We’ll see where their meeting takes them when I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class (Class de 2-banme ni Kawaii Onnanoko to Tomodachi ni Natta or Kuranika) premieres sometime in April 2026.

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Takata released the original I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class novel series to Kakuyomu on November 30th, 2020. Tom Osabe, and later Azuri Hyuga, provided the art for the light novel adaptation, which debuted on December 24th, 2021. Kadokawa Shoten has since published eight volumes and one side story in the Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint. Rin Ono provided the art for the manga adaptation, which debuted on July 27th, 2022. Media Factory has since published seven volumes in Comic Alive+.

I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class Cast

The two secret friends, and the first prettiest girl in class, are as follows:

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Maki Maehara — Haruki Ishiya (Masato Oosuki from Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?). Maki is a loner who spends his free time watching B-tier movies and eating pizza.
Umi Asanagi — Manaka Iwami (Aqua from Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 3: Bonus Stage). Umi secretly shares Maki’s same hobbies.
Yu Amami — Sayumi Suzushiro (Nijika Ijichi from Bocchi the Rock!). Yu is Umi’s best friend.

Studio Connect has maintained a home page and a Twitter (X) page to promote I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class. You can find more information about the series and the key visuals over there.

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I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class. We Spent Time Watching Movies at My Place.

Maki Maehara is a shy loner who spends his free time watching B-tier movies while eating pizza. He’ll play some video games whenever he’s not watching sharks eating people like fast-moving pizzas. Maki’s hope for a new social standing as the new school year began was dashed when the teacher called on him to introduce himself. There was one person whose interest was piqued when he mentioned his appreciation for B-tier movies and snacks.

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Umi Asanagi and Yu Amami all but “won” the new term introductions. Two cute girls said and did cute things, drawing all eyes to them. Maki accepts his social standing in the shadows while Umi and Yu enjoy their time in the light. His loner life starts to crumble when he meets Umi at his favorite movie store. She reveals that she shares his same appreciation for B-tier movies, snacks, and video games. Umi then asks him to be her friend and fulfill her goal of finding a friend who shares her interests.

Will you brave the rain showers when you watch the premiere of I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class in April? Do you like B-tier movies? Are you a loner who wants a friend with shared interests? Let us know in the comments below.

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