I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class

Maki Maehara has spent six months at high school without making a single friend. His solitary routine changes one day at a video store, where he runs into Umi Asanagi, the girl the boys call the second prettiest in class. She exists in a completely different social world, yet they discover a shared love for B-grade movies. When Asanagi asks Maki to be her friend, a relationship builds on genuine connection rather than dramatic misunderstandings. On Fridays, she regularly turns down her best friend Yuu Amami, the cutest girl in class, to hang out at Maki's house. The story focuses on small, meaningful moments as their friendship slowly grows into something more.

The light novel series began online in November 2020 on Kadokawa's Kakuyomu platform and concluded its web serialization in September 2024. Kadokawa Shoten published the first print volume under its Sneaker Bunko imprint on December 24, 2021. As of mid-2026, nine main volumes and one side story volume have been released, with a tenth and final volume announced. The first volume was illustrated by Tom Osabe, while Azuri Hyūga took over from volume two onward. A manga adaptation by Rin Ono launched on Media Factory's Comic Alive+ website in July 2022 and has been collected in seven tankōbon volumes. Yen Press publishes the English-language manga edition.

An anime television series produced by Connect premiered on April 7, 2026, directed by Hideki Tachibana with series composition by Keiichirō Ōchi and character designs by Shoko Takimoto. The anime is licensed by Crunchyroll and airs on Tokyo MX, Kansai TV, BS Asahi, and AT-X. It has 12 episodes total, with 11 aired as of mid-2026. The series has a dedicated fan community on Reddit and Twitter, where the shortened title Kuranika is commonly used. It holds an IMDb rating of 8.2/10 and has been praised for its wholesome, sincere approach to romance.[edit]