The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend (Light Novel), Vol. 2

痴漢されそうになっているＳ級美少女を助けたら隣の席の幼馴染だった #2

by Kennoji

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT? After Ryou Takamori saved his estranged childhood friend Hina Fushimi from harassment on a train, the two have slowly reforged their bond. The only They have completely different perspectives on their relationship! Ryou just can’t seem to wrap his head around why Hina is so clingy, while Hina thinks his cluelessness about her assertive flirting is evidence of a one-sided crush. Can anything get them on the same page?

Genres: Light Novel, Romance, Japan, Comedy, Slice Of Life, Manga

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 6, 2020

Reviews

[Mimiisthename · Rating 1 out of 5]

Attitude of the main female character is horribly childlike. I couldn’t stand it. The rest is good but she ruined it for me

[Noah Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, the second volume is not as good as the first volume, and Hina’s attitude plays a significant part. Most of the major conflicts and essential points of the first volume continue in the second, such as Ryou feeling inferior to Hina and the “promises” the two made when they were younger. However, while Hina’s conflict remains with her wearing a mask and how people perceive her, she does not do much to change that. She claims she does not want to be put on a pedestal by others, specifically Ryou, but tends to act in a way that contradicts that. A primary example is when she gets upset about Ryou hanging out with another girl like Shizuka or being with another girl in the past, like Minami Shinohara. She tends to act like she owns Ryou and sort of uses him to get what she wants.

Regardless, Hina and Ryou continue to spend more time together. However, after confessing her feelings to Ryou and being rejected, Shizuka also spends a lot more time with Ryou. Leading to a lot of conflict between Hina and Shizuka. Ryou’s former classmate and ex, Minami Shinohara, also shows up. Despite Minami showing up, Hina and Shizuka are the prominent characters outside of Ryou as they fight for his attention.

As previously mentioned, Ryou’s conflict of feeling inferior remains the core conflict for the second volume, as well as wanting to know what it means to be “in love.” After finding out what Hina’s dream is and what she wants to pursue in the future, his inferiority complex kind of grows as he struggles to figure out what he wants to do. Notably, he also continues to be a mix of oblivious and aware of the girl’s advances.

Shizuku’s character development at the end of the first volume pays off, as she becomes a much more prominent and interesting character in the second volume. She and Ryou spend a lot more time together outside of school. Despite Ryou rejecting her confession, she is still in love with him and, despite feeling guilty about getting in between him and Hina, wants to be with him. Because of this, Hina and Shizuku are frequently passive-aggressive to one another and end up arguing.

Speaking of Hina, she is the worst part of the second volume. As alluded to earlier, she has a bit of a superiority complex. Even though she claims she is not the protagonist and wants Ryou to treat her like an ordinary girl, she gets upset when he does. She also gets upset when he spends time with another girl like Shizuku or Minami, even if it was in the past. She is essentially using the childhood friend label as a means to prevent other girls from getting close to Ryou while not fully confessing herself, even though it is clear that she likes him.

Ultimately, disappointed with the second volume, as while the first volume was not anything remarkable, it was enjoyable. Hopefully, the third volume resolves many of these issues, especially with Hina. Because right now, Shizuku is the best of the three potential love interests.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

How clueless can a boy be? Maybe Ryou Takamori does need to read those manga that a friend dropped off for him. It is great that he managed to save his former friend from a harasser on a train, but how could he not have connected with her in high school before now? And I know that Kennoji has written him this way, but still Ryou, get a clue - Hina Fushimi has plans for your future wheter you know it or not! And what were you thinking when you rescued another girl on the train? Are you trying to make your life a battleground? It will be interesting to see what fireworks ignite in the next volume!

[Craig Schorling · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was more of a 2.5. It reads very fast and there isn't a lot of meat to it. It follows all the usual tropes and the cliffhanger ending wasn't all that exciting nor original. It uses the same hook as the start of book 1. We have two girls competing for our MC's affections and he is both oblivious and aware of it. I hope volume 3 moves in a better direction. This was a let down.

[Alex Guerrero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating would be 2.5⭐️. I wish I'd enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the first one, but there were some things that jarred me a bit (and some others just left me perplexed). If you liked the first one, you will probably like this one as well. Still, I think the first volume was far better (even if things are starting to take a firm direction). I think this volume makes even more use of tropes than the first volume does.

Also, I'm somewhat dissatisfied with the "plot twist" of the last chapter. Let's just say things might get a little "repetitive" in the next volume. I hope the writer can make it work though.