Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up 2

楠木さんは高校デビューに失敗している [Kusunoki-san wa Koukou Debut ni Shippaishiteiru] #2

by Mitsuki Mii, みいみつき

Two ex-ugly ducklings struggle towards swandom in this cute and funny rom-com manga from the editorial team that brought you Life Lessons With Uramichi Oniisan. Two strivers debut their "new yous," but will their dread--or feelings for each other--drag them back down?! Perfect for fans of Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible and True Beauty.

Keisuke Shizuki's peaceful, average high school life is under constant threat. The cutest girl in his grade, Shizuka Kusunoki, won't leave him alone and, as it turns out, the very source of his pretty-girl-phobia, Ririsa Hebikawa, is attending this same high school, too! Between helping Kusunoki remedy her failed glow-up and dodging the unwanted attention their friendship brings, Shizuki's already got his hands full--Hebikawa issue aside. Hebikawa reaches out to Kusunoki, but is her offer of friendship genuine...or is she hiding some other ulterior motive?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Contemporary

192 pages, Paperback

Published October 22, 2024

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

hmm. I am now thinking this series might not be for me. I am very confused as to where this is going, and I'm not seeing any growth or even any satisfactory/cute scenes between the two leads. this volume had so much focus on this mysterious second character and we still have no idea what her deal is (what is her fascination with them? is she a terrible person? does she recognize them or why not?)

I am just not loving this and I think I will stop picking these up.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this volume too! I’m intrigued as to why Ririsa is taking an interest in Kusunoki and Shizuki, does she recognize them? Or does she only want to know why Kusunoki is friends with Shizuki? I felt sad for Kusunoki when Ririsa purposely let her friends go with her and then they started ignoring Kusunoki :(
But I still liked the way Shizuki handled it and told Kusunoki to not feel bad! Now what will happen when they’re studying all alone?

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

And I cannot tell if Ririsa is being genuine or not, so I don't trust her. But this is still so cute, Kusunoki going shopping is adorable and honestly, I didn't mind the outfit with the plaid pants! Can't wait for more from this series.

[Paige Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a romance in a traditional way. They barely know they like each other yet. So a slow burn, but not boring. She accidentally befriended his female bully, who now seems almost nice. Him getting sick and silent around girls reminds me of Raj from Big Bang Theory.

[Jourdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hebikawa ewwwwwwww. I wonder why her name changed though, and why she dislikes it.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 i liked this one more than the first. I still don’t like the male lead.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh no—we don’t need this weird rivalry. Ugh.

[Sheepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some intrueging dynamics building up here

[Lucy Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first volume more, so I don't think I'll continue reading this series.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, and probably a book that MS and HS students would enjoy.

[Ray Rappisi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cat eyed girl gets a lot of the spotlight in this volume creating stress for our main characters, otherwise this is very much like volume one, boring. I’m hoping things improve next volume.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series the story is very entertaining and the conflict is on fire I can't wait to read the rest of the series.