I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class anime announces 2026 release, main cast and staff with PV and visual

On Friday, April 25, 2025, the official staff unveiled a teaser promotional video and visual to announce that I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class anime will premiere in 2026. Additionally, the details concerning the anime's main cast and staff members were also revealed.

I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class anime serves as an adaptation of the eponymous Japanese rom-com light novel series, written by Takata and illustrated by Tom Osobe (only the first volume) and Azuri Hyuga (from the second volume).

Takata originally launched the series as a web novel on Kadokawa's Kakuyomu site. Kadokawa Shoten has been serializing the light novels since December 2021, under the Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint. The series also has a manga adaptation on Media Factory's Comic Alive+ site with Rin Ono's illustrations.

---

I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class anime's teaser PV confirms the 2026 release window, cast, and staff

On Friday, April 25, 2025, the official website and X handle for the I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class anime revealed a promotional video featuring the teaser visual for the series.

The PV included character voices of Umi, Yu, and others chatting in the classroom. Moreover, the clip confirmed that the television anime will be released in 2026. A narrower release date will be disclosed in the future.

The teaser visual for the I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class anime highlights Umi Asanagi, the second prettiest girl in her class, looking at the audience. It also features her friend, Yuu Amami, regarded as the prettiest girl in the class, and their close friend, Nina Nitta.

Interestingly, the illustration captures the moment when Yuu's eyes meet the male protagonist, Maki Maehara. The teaser visual also has a catchphrase in Japanese, which reads the following when translated into English:

"Suddenly, we noticed that our eyes met."

The main cast members announced for the I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class anime are:

• Haruki Ishiya as Maki Maehara
• Manaka Iwami as Umi Asanagi
• Sayumi Suzushiro as Yuu Amami
• Ikumi Hasegawa as Niina Nitta

The anime's website also features comments from the voice actors, who expressed their excitement about being part of the franchise. Moreover, the website shared a comment from the original author, Tanaka, who urged fans to "prepare" for the anime's release by reading the light novels and the manga adaptation.

Additionally, the anime's X handle shared commemorative illustrations from the light novel illustrator, Azuri Hyuga, and the manga adaptation artist, Rin Ono.

---

Staff and the plot of I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class anime

Hideki Tachibana, known for his contributions to the Danmachi franchise, is directing the rom-com anime at Studio CONNECT. Keiichiro Oochi is in charge of the series scripts and composition. Tom Osabe has joined the main staff as the original character designer, while Shoko Takimoto is the character designer.

I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class anime centers on Maki Maehaa, who struggles to connect with anyone during his high school life. One day, he meets Umi Asanagi, the second prettiest girl in her class.

Interestingly, she chooses to spend her time on Fridays with Maki instead of her best friend, Amami, who is regarded as the "cutest girl" in her class. The series revolves around Maki and Umi's rom-com story.

---