2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class… I Don’t Think I can Take This…

Article at a glance:

• I Made Friends with the 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class kicks off with a surprisingly sweet and wholesome first episode that’ll have you smiling like an idiot, a great sign for the season.
• The main duo’s dynamic is the real highlight here, an introverted weeb and a socially adept girl bonding over shared nerdy interests is simple, but executed really well so far.
• Spring 2026 is genuinely spoiling romance anime fans, and this show looks like yet another strong addition to an already stacked season.

I think my biggest mistake was watching this right after watching The Angel Next Door Season 2. I probably shouldn’t consume that much sugar in a single day. Either way, I Made Friends with the 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class seems to be another promising romance anime prospect. The first episode was really sweet and wholesome and had me smiling ear to ear like an idiot. I don’t know anything about the source material, so I am going blind into this one. This better not let me down because we just had such a crazy good first episode.

So yeah, welcome back to another first impressions article for Spring 2026. Today, we are talking about I Made Friends with the 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class. So let’s get right into it.

What did I think of I Made Friends with the 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class Episode 1?

Once again, the title pretty much gives away the whole plot of the show. But how the main duo meets is pretty interesting. Maehara is a rather typical weeb who’s a bit of an introvert and hence struggles socially. He writes some pretty funny stuff in his class introduction form, and that gets the attention of Asanagi Umi, the “second prettiest girl” in their class. And as it turns out, Asanagi is also interested in cheesy shark movies and games, so they quickly become friends over their shared interests.

Their dynamic really is the highlight of the show, with Maehara being the veteran nerd and Asanagi being the more “socially adept” one. It very much is the personification of the “introverts don’t make friends, an extrovert adopts them” meme, and their easygoing dynamic is really fun to watch. Asanagi finds solace in the fact that she can talk about her real interests with Maehara. Yes, I know it is pretty basic, but it has been written pretty well so far. I can only hope that this natural relationship growth continues.

As far as the production goes, the animations do look nice. A little too bright for my taste, but aside from that, the art and animations look good. The voice performances have been really good so far. I absolutely love Iwani Manaka’s (Asanagi’s VA) teasing tone, and Ishiya Haruki (Maehara) plays a convincing introvert as well.

That is all for now

But yeah, it makes me happy seeing so many good and wholesome romance anime in the same season. This is coming right off of You, and I are Polar Opposites and In The Clear Moonlit Dusk as well, so we romance fans have been eating well. Don’t worry, reviews for those two are coming soon as well. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out my detailed review for Hell’s Paradise here!