Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
krvpto
I wouldn't say this is the worst piece of romance media out there but it's definitely dissapointing. Before watching this I saw immense amounts of love and hype on different platforms, saying it was the best romance in a while and of 2026, but now I can confirm it definitely isn't.
If i could describe IMFWTSPGIMC in one word i would say "basic"
This anime is literally just your generic romcom manga that happened to get animated. The perspective is from this loner loser boy who miraculously pulls this pretty girl who has a wierd side, a very familiar trope. The plot is pretty basic with no unique arcs other than the family issues arc. the side cast has no depth or writing and essentially contributes very little to the actual story. The pacing is quite fast and most of the drama/problems wi…
Read at the sourceboofgal
2-banme is, I think, the best sort of "validation porn", one that doesn't just offer unrealistic empty platitudes but convincingly portrays separate characters with complicated personalities. Even though as a teenager I was an unpopular and socially isolated boy, watching this show from my current life perspective I related a lot more to the struggles of Umi, the "second-prettiest girl". Umi is smart, pretty, popular, athletic, outgoing - teenage me wasn't able to imagine that girls like her could possibly be interested in me, even when presented with direct evidence to the contrary (which I was). Looking at the show now, from the perspective of a smart, pretty, popular, and outgoing woman ("athletic" is not in the cards, I'm afraid) who's just finished puberty, I can relate a lot better t…
Read at the sourceStefan_Stefanov
It's really fine show, nothing special, but if you read the description, it is exactly what you expect. Nothing more, nothing less.
Even though I give it a somewhat low grade, I recommend this show.
It is not in any way bad.
I think this is good enough for a high school romance.
We all know this genre is not very original, you rarely see something you haven't seen before. Same with this show.
But it is just nice and positive and warm in every way.
No real drama and not much of a story, it is mostly about the relationship between the two main characters developing.
I'm going though some very stressful time in my life right now, and I needed to watch something that helps me relax and get my mind off my troubles. This show helped.
It is a bit unrealistic of course if you start analyzing it…
Read at the sourceRehan2000
An anime with a fairly cliché plot where a quiet guy grows close to a popular girl at school. Yep, once again, it's a high school fantasy where a quiet guy gets a pretty girl. and a fantasy for girls, too, featuring a boyfriend who can exercise selfcontrol even after being touched and teased repeatedly. On top of that, the main character is academically smart and a great cook. Isn't this a dream-come-true fantasy for high school girls?
As for the drama and conflict in the plot, I personally found it a bit cringey and weird.
Honestly, the show relies heavily on comfort-food tropes and wish fulfillment to carry its runtime. While it manages to deliver some cozy, low stakes romantic moments, the lack of genuine tension and the overly contrived drama make it hard to take seriously. It’s a ple…
Read at the sourcel_ucasis
PEAK Cinema, I went into watching this show as just another romance and thought nothing of it, turns out it was the best decision of my life to watch it. The main Plot is peak and the characters actually get together instead of delaying it, I PRAY FOR A SEASON 2 but watching the two MC who are both perfectly designed btw like Umi is such a good design get together and do all the cute stuff is just got me kicking my feet and i cant help but smile whenever i watch this show. I enjoyed every second of this show and think ill def rewatch it. The side characters were great aswell i like Nikka and i like Yuu's posiitve personality because they all bring contrast to each others personalities and are able to work so well together. 10/10 I HIGHLY RECOMEND. highk hope love like this will find me som…
Read at the source7boogie
"Sometimes the person you need most isn't the one everyone notices."
I'll be honest, when I first saw the title, I thought, "Here we go... another loner gets the popular girl for absolutely no reason." The "I'm a loser and hot girls magically fall for me" genre seriously needs to die, so I went into this expecting absolutely nothing.
What I love most is that it doesn't rely on the usual romance cliches. I do feel like it forced a bit of a love triangle between the side casts a bit to strong and it kinda makes you hate the blonde girl but oh well
The relationship between Maki and Umi feels natural. They become close because they genuinely enjoy spending time together, and as their relationship develops, so do they. Every conversation feels like it has a purpose, and every romantic moment…
Read at the sourceJuSanyk
Half of it was all right, half of it was completely dumb. Let's start with the base situation, the shut in nerd gets the best girl because secretaly she is also a shutin nerd. I hate it because its so unrealistic and clickbait for shutin nerds at the same time. But forget this for a second, just go with it for now.
The main guy is really annoying. He basically gets everything one day without doing enything differently. The main girl is nice as an art piece, but as a character she is just as annoying.
Base plot aside, the first half was kinda interesting (weirdly that part has nothing to do with the main guy), but the second was like a lame slice of life thing. Stuff happened but for what reason...
I wrote this review because this was not worth my time, especially the second half. And I…
Read at the sourceDaijizaiten
Not gonna lie, this one actually hurts to write. I was genuinely hyping up this anime before it aired. The premise looked different, so the title, it's kinda catchy, and it felt like we were finally getting a unique spin on the school rom-com genre. The first episode is absolute banger tho. I'm invested.
But as the episodes kept rolling, the harsh reality set in: this show is vanilla as hell. If you are brand new to the romance genre, or if you’re a shonen-only fan dipping your toes into rom-coms for the first time, you will probably love this. But if you’ve actually watched a decent amount of romance? This is bland.
What annoys me the most is that the story literally sits on a goldmine of interesting conflict potential. Like, think about it, you are a quite really selfish girl (as seen…
Read at the sourcekrautnelson
don't let yourself get deceived into thinking that this is a rom-com. it's a low-stakes drama about a 15 year old boy acting like a 5 year old because his parents divorced.
the show starts off promising. there is a lot of potential for conflict: how does it affect you if you are always the number 2 girl? are you willing to risk a safe friendship for a chance at romance? where are the lines between the two? how does it affect your relationship with others?
unfortunately, every conflict between the main characters gets resolved almost immediatly the moment it comes up. it never builds up and boils over as you would normally expect from a drama.
the second half of the show then focuses almost entirely on the MC's family situation. any scene with his friends and his romantic interest become c…
Read at the sourceDnTizzet
watched the gigguk video about romance anime and can confirm that this is basically a generic power fantasy isekai with a self-insert protagonist but is romance instead of being transported to another world. i didnt mind the first half, but towards the end i found myself just clicking through the episode because it started to be too much. i think what would have made it better in my opinion is if there was like an actual tension/conflict between the two, no matter how small or easily resolved, instead of Maki's backstory. thinking about it semi critically that was when it lost be because i couldnt self insert into that situation. the relationship was also too free, but hey maybe thats what season 2 is for
Read at the sourceaku_mado
this is gonna be spoiler free review!!
so i tried to watch Kuranika weekly when it started airing thought it has no potential then dropped it, after it finished some friends told me to give it another shot (and i wish i didn't) this show is so corny and cliche that made me happy whenever an episode finishes, the drama felt so forced and the show failed to make me care less about any character, but there's still a chance that this could be the adaptation's miss, extremely slow pacing, bad character design (Connect should've used the manga/light novel's original design) and overall forced relationships.
Characters: 4/10
Story: 5/10
Animation: 7/10
Music: 3/10
Character Design: 2/10
Overall "4/10"
Read at the sourceAnotherSaberFace
If I could sum up this show in one word, it would be pointless. I'm utterly baffled how this has nearly a 8/10 rating score, it's nowhere near that good, everything about this show besides the animation, (which is also nothing special, but decent enough I will admit, which is why I'm not giving it a lower rating) is painfully below average.
There is absolutely nothing interesting about the story, the characters are so bland, boring, and generic, I could not get invested at all. The story goes nowhere, there's no point to it, other than maybe appealing to loner types. The writing isn't good, the story in general is uninspired, cliche, and predicable. The dialogue is cringe, the story doesn't make you care about a single character, and it was just genuinely hard to watch.
I know to fans…
Read at the sourceChika1017
A loser who attracts one of the prettiest girls. This trope is usually trash and badly done. This time, it is actually not that bad.
I feel the biggest reason why this anime is kinda good is only because the MC, although he’s a loser, doesn’t have an entirely basic personality. He has family problems and we go through them with him which is very rare in an anime of this type. As for the main girl, Umi, she’s just a great character. Likeable, cute, also has social issues, so we get attached to her pretty quick.
I love the fact that it wasn’t even close to become some type of love triangle with Yuu, the other girl. Usually, we give the guys options because it’s way more fun and realistic for a loser to have a bunch of pretty women attracted to them… but in this case, the main love interes…
Read at the sourceR-a-h-u-l
If I had to describe this anime in one sentence, I'd say it just feels good to watch. It's the kind of show you put on after a long day, and before you know it, you're smiling for no reason.
It doesn't rely on unnecessary drama or over-the-top romantic moments to keep you interested. Instead, it lets the little things do all the work. Watching Maki and Umi spend time together feels incredibly genuine. Whether they're talking, teasing each other, or simply sharing a quiet moment, their chemistry is so effortless that it's impossible not to root for them.
What I loved most is how comfortable they are around each other. Umi doesn't have to pretend to be the perfect, popular girl, and Maki never tries to become someone he's not. They bring out each other's best sides naturally, making every in…
Read at the sourceSSJester
No one in the world captures the essence of youth quite like the Japanese. That is why anime features so many romance stories about school years, portraying the feelings of teenagers on their path to first love with such precision that we can't help but experience those emotions ourselves. For some, these feelings will be entirely new, while others will recall something they once lived through. The same struggles, the same emotions.
This is exactly what the anime "I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class" has to offer. Some might find it a bit too cliche, and others might feel it lacks intense conflict. For me, however, it was a pure pleasure to watch a cozy romance with likable characters, completely free of toxic events or people.
This season stayed away from tired lov…
Read at the sourceGwynbleidd_Alan
Maybe I am the problem, but "I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class" is one of those titles that gave me a bad first impression. In my mind, this would be another one of those stereotypical love triangle romance anime that every anime season seems to spawn five of. But this anime completely surpassed my expectations and ended up being one of the strongest romance anime of Spring 2026. Not only does the anime make it very clear which direction it wants to take without turning the story into a love triangle, but the way the characters interact and communicate feels incredibly mature. They are actually able to put their feelings into words, which, funnily enough, is something that many romance anime completely fail at. Rather than relying on endless misunderstandings to mov…
Read at the sourceTharr
Ctrl C Ctrl V "I made up my mind to call this Spring Season the Disappointing Season."
Yep. Another add to that list. It started quite decent. Nothing earth-shattering, but it was enough to warrant a second look (see what I did there? ...Thats me coping, give me a break).
Btw, I read the source but I forgot most of it and I had no idea why. Then episode 6 happened and I remembered more :))
Visuals. Similar art style you might've seen before. Maybe somewhat cute designs. After all, its what made me check it out. Some interesting traits. But thats all there is to it. The ML looks bland, very generic. Someone you might even confuse this with another title. The girls are all cutely. The parents also look ok. Basically, just him is like that, just to accentuate his mental "traits".
**While tal…
Read at the sourcetripleaamin
As the title mentions the premise is basically "I Made Friends With the 2nd Prettiest Girl in Class". Despite the setup of this premise it doesn't dive too much into the shared interests of Maki and Umi. It is something that would have made use of the premise. Rather this goes down the typical Wish Fullillment route that Ln RomComs go down.
It is similiar to Angel Next Door with the exception here the main couple has a very fun dynamic and are very likable unlike that show. This show is at its best when it's fun and wholesome.
Sadly the series tries to be serious with its 2 drama arcs. The first with Umi was not good and very silly. The one surrounding Maki and regards to his parents divorce was better, but still felt like it missed its potential. Ultimately both don't feel they truly ma…
Read at the sourceMarinate1016
I know the loner high school dude attracts the pretty cool girl trope has been done ad nauseam in anime, but I do think you have to evaluate all of these on their own individual merits and in an insanely stacked seasonal romance lineup, Kuranika is arguably the best of the bunch thanks to its very strong writing and realistic depiction of adolescence. Yes, it’s unquestionably male wish fulfilment, but it’s not one of those offensively bad examples where the MC has no business being anywhere near the female lead. Maki is genuinely a good catch in his own right and a sweetheart, the thing is, in real life he probably doesn’t attract Umi’s attention the way it happens in the anime. BUT it’s very believable in the context of the story and at least the kid feels like he deserves someone like he…
Read at the sourceZeroMajor12
I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in my Class or in short, Kuranika, is not a good show. I did have fun watching the anime. I just want to point out some glaring issues that I think Kuranika suffered from being a full-fledged anime that had a promising premise going ahead right until the end of the cour.
While it does use a very long title describing the main heroine pretty accurately, it is also the anime's strongest aspect overall. Umi Asanagi's personality and dialogue were very good, paired with Manaka Iwami's voice, amplifying the special charm Umi Asanagi had when I first read the manga for a couple of chapters. I still feel the main protagonist, Maki, is a bit bland and stale as the show went on, but it was able to provide more character and perspective over a doomed tr…
Read at the source