Kiss Him, Not Me! Volume 2

I enjoyed Kiss Him, Not Me! volume 2 more than the first book, since the harem of guys are developing distinct, recognizable personalities.

Fangirl Kae has four admirers, and here, they go on a series of dates in expected manga situations. First, there’s the school festival, and due to the cosplay theme, Kae gets to make outfits for several of the guys (including one who’s playing princess). They get upset at spending all their time with her in a group, though, so they draw up an individual dating schedule.

That, and the way they all work together in preparation for the event, gave me more insight into how to distinguish the guys, which was a big help. Shinomiya is the young blond, aching to be seen as more mature, a real man. Igarashi is the caring, thoughtful nice guy who also wants to tell the truth. Nanashima is the pushy, flirty other blond. Mutsumi is the older, sensible one, a comforting presence.

Kiss Him, Not Me! is a light, breezy read that doesn’t make fun of its lead for her fannish interests. She doesn’t want to make a choice yet, enjoying finding out more about what she wants. Her nervousness in dealing with attractive men is both amusing and sympathetic, making for a dating manga I enjoy. Plus, whenever she gets the courage to say what she really wants, everyone says, “ok, sounds good”, a nice bit of validation. In a later Christmas story, she actually takes them all to Comiket, and they buy doujinshi for her. They know what she likes!