Earlier this month I read the first volume of Akira Falling In Love from Viz Media. I didn’t care too much for the first few chapters, but I was having so much fun by the end. You can read my review of the first volume here. I liked that volume so much that I immediately wanted to jump right back in, and I thought the second volume was even better.
The story is mostly the same. Hajime and Akira like each other a lot, but they’re too dumb to make any progress. Don’t get me wrong, they’re both trying, but they just fail miserably every time. But these failures make their attempts and interactions so much sweeter. They’re so goofy together, and I love them for that. No matter how cringe some of the outcomes are, their chemistry is always so wholesome.
I loved their dynamic, but I also thought the humor itself was way better in the second volume. For example, there’s a chapter early on where Hajime is teacher Akira how to ride a bike. But she crashes four times in ridiculous fashion. The context itself is hilarious, but the artwork brings out so much extra life and humor. This volume has more humor like that, and way more stupidity, and I loved every second of it.
This volume also does a deeper dive into some of the other characters. We learn how Akira met her two friends from the first volume, and a chaotic gremlin named Urara is introduced. The manga is about the shenanigans of Akira and Hajime as the foundation, but all the characters around them are goofy and loveable.
The final few chapters of the first volume built up a lot of momentum, and the second volume used that momentum to its advantage. I’m excited to see where this story goes because we’re too volumes in and it’s already borderline a top five manga for me.
10/10