A new rom-com series is making its way to your screens in 2026!
The official website and X (formerly Twitter) account for the upcoming anime series I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class (Kurasu de Ni-ban Me ni Kawaii Onna no Ko to Tomodachi ni Natta), shortened to 2nd in Class or Kuranika, has revealed a broadcast window set for 2026. The news came with a teaser visual, a promotional video, and cast announcements.
Kuranika cast
The male protagonist, Maki Maehara, is set to be performed by Haruki Ishiya. Ishiya is also taking on the lead role for the recently announced Mechanical Marie anime. In addition, Ishiya provided the voice for Maki Maehara in the videos and commercials released for the original novel and manga version.
To celebrate his casting, Ishiya released a statement, which, when machine-translated, reads:
I'm Ishiya Haruki, and I'll be voicing Maehara Maki. I'm very happy to be able to continue to be involved in this work.
The original novel and the manga are full of various elements that you can enjoy, such as frustration, the movements of the heart, the slowly progressing relationships, and life-sized worries.
I wish I could have had a youth like this, and I hope to be able to play the role of Maehara Maki, who grows while being pushed around by charming characters, without straining myself. Please look forward to the broadcast!
Manaka Iwami is set to voice Umi Asanagi, the titular second cutest girl in class. Similar to Ishiya, Iwami is reprising her role. In a comment she released celebrating the announcement, she states:
Congratulations on the TV anime adaptation of "Kuranika" ✨
It's amazing to think that it's already been about three years since I first played Asanagi Umi-chan. I truly enjoyed playing Umi-chan from the bottom of my heart, and when I heard that it was being adapted into an anime, I felt happy that they would entrust it to me again.
My wish has come true and I'm very happy ✨
I myself am looking forward to seeing everyone moving in the anime ✨
I will do my best to deliver an appealing Asanagi Umi-chan to all the fans of "Kuranika" and everyone I meet through the anime ✨ I look forward to your continued support!
Meanwhile Sayumi Suzushiro is reprising her role as Yu Amami, who is known as the cutest girl in class. Celebrating the announcement, she states:
The words "Second cutest in the class" in the title of this work are particularly memorable, but the Yu-chan I will be playing is what they call "the cutest girl in the class"...! Yu-chan is so cute, energetic, and honest that people around her call her an angel, and she is the kind of girl who can easily get into anyone's arms. I feel that she has a natural idol power that makes everyone naturally attracted to her. But honestly...everyone is cute regardless of order!!
I will do my best to play the role so that the sparkling atmosphere that Yu-chan exudes is not lost!! Please also look forward to her interactions with her best friends Umi-chan, Niina-chan, and Maehara-kun! Thank you!
Niina Nitta, who is a friend to both Umi and Yu, will be voiced by Ikumi Hasegawa. This will be the first time she has participated in Kuranika.
Kuranika staff, plot, and other details
Hideki Tachibana is helming the project as director at production studio CONNECT, with series composition and script done by Keiichiro Ochi. Sachiko Takimoto handles character design.
The anime is based on a series of light novels written by Takata, and illustrated by Azuri Hyuga. The series began serialisation in Kadokawa’s Kakuyomu in 2020, before being published by Kadokawa Shoten under their Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint in 2021. The series currently has seven volumes.
A manga adaptation with illustrations by Rin Ono has been in the works since 2022, and is being serialised online through Media Factory’s ComicAlive+ website. The manga currently has five tankobon volumes.
The official website for the anime describes the story as:
Maehara Maki, a loner in class, has just made his first friend, Asanagi Umi. She's always the center of attention, and the other boys secretly call her "the second cutest in class." She lives in a different world than the loner Maehara Maki , or so you might think, but...
