Having read volume 1 in this series, volume 2 may just be even better! The first volume was, as many are, bogged down somewhat by establishing characters and the world (even in a contemporary story). With that knowledge obtained, the series begins to elaborate on old plot points and bring in new ones. We learn more about the characters, and the relationships begin to change and grow as the two childhood friends start building relationships and interests outside of their previous, tight-knit (one might even say codependent) relationship. I am looking forward to seeing where the characters go from here!

This was a cute LGBTQ coming of age manga. A lot of self reflection occurred in this singular volume which was great. I was unfamiliar with the series but connected and resonated with the characters and their feelings.

Volume 2 of I Wanna Be Your Girl was just as informative and cozy as the first volume. There once again was fantastic representation and the way tough topics were handled was fantastic. I can wait to see where the story leads from here!

This was going to be a 5 star for me, but the ending turned into very much tell not show in a way that felt unrealistic and long-winded. Which is not at all to say I don't like the story as a whole, and I really appreciated the messaging, I just would have liked to see it conveyed differently. Overall, I'm really liking the explorations of gender identity and sexuality, and I'm invested in our major characters. I'm particularly excited about a new character that is introduced in this album, and getting to know them more and see how they factor into our overarching story. I'm definitely planning to read the next volume, and hoping that one will be back up to five stars for me.

Not often I like volume 2 of a series more than the 1st but this one warmed my heart into a puddle. I loved the way the story is progressing. Were seeing a lot of character development with both Akira and Hime. Seeing them navigate their way in finding who they truly are has been such a pleasure to read. Were being introduced to more characters which has been great. I cannot wait to read vol 3 since vol 2 ended on a cliff hanger. The art is beautiful I'm really loving this series so far!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Random House Graphic, and Umi Takase for the opportunity to read this manga in exchange for an honest review.

Akira and Hime have been friends since childhood, but when they were twelve, Akira shared her identity as "she" with her best friend. Now in high school, Akira wants to openly be herself, not wanting to feel like she needs to hide. When Hime gets compliments for being cute from a guy Akira likes, Akira is not only jealous, but struggles with wanting to be who she is in conflict with what she was born as. Hime, on the other hand, has her own understandings to come to. When she meets someone new who feels similar to her and her reasonings for dressing in the buy's uniform, a doorway of thought opens. The two friends will surely find a way to understand each other.

This is a wholesome manga that explores key themes of identity, such as finding oneself and exploring who one is. This seems to go for not only the main characters, but secondary characters as well. This manga offers a great way for teens to understand what transitioning and identity might be like for someone who doesn't fit the gender they were assigned, and fully explores key aspects of being oneself and understanding not only oneself, but others who are aiming to be themselves too.

A great manga for teens!

The second volume delves into sexual harassment and the spectrum of gender. It also shows how unsupportive parents look. If a parent only allows the child to dress as they wish but not fully socially transition they're harming the child. It also shows how schools that allows trans students to be open about it but don't educate students are just creating a dangerous and hostile situation for trans kids. The school tricked unsuspecting trans kids into going to a place filled with ignorant, transphobic, and dangerous people. Akira is still naive about how dangerous the people around her are and Hime didn't even warn her about what she overheard the soccer club say. Hime had the opportunity to tell her parents and get adults involved to help Akira but she passed up that opportunity.

They really do like to make us suffer, don’t they? Ending volume 2 on a cliffhanger where they aren’t speaking is kinda mean, because I really just want to know that they make up and are friends still.

In the second volume, we get to know the people who are around and friends with Akira more. Why are they there for her without thought or reason when everyone else acts like she’s a boy wearing girls clothing, instead of the girl they know she is. We also get to see a little more of the personality of the boy she likes from the soccer club… here’s a hint: he’s not so great.

I really appreciate that there is a manga that tackles a young trans girl in school. Making her story and what she deals with easily accessible for anyone who wants to read it.

I am really enjoying this series a lot and hope we get a lot of volumes with these characters. I think there is still so much to explore and learn.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted eARC.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series and this one was just as good. I loved this series and it had made me tear up several times never it just made me feel so comforted!

I need the next book immediately. How dare the volume end without them making up?!

Volume 2 kicks off with a similar tone as volume 1. This time, we get to see more of Hime and Akira’s school life. They’ve both made friends and are slowly branching out. One day, Hime decides to go back to wearing her girls uniform (after a very cute and supportive convo with her parents) and Akira has a different reaction. It hurt to see her act like this towards her day 1 supporter, but the volume sensibly explored how both were viewing things from their own perspectives and needed some distance to reflect on how they view one another and their genders.

It was heartwarming to hear Yukka’s backstory and see her comfort Hime while also giving her a bit of a confidence boost to go after what she wants,

There are two volumes left and I’m anxious to see how everything plays out.

I read book one and I loved how the main character supporter her friend who is transitioning. in this second installation of the series the author focuses on the main character's self discovery of her own feelings and how she can be intentional about supporting her friend going through gender discovery and figuring out who she is. There are challenges that both main characters faces and they struggle with communicating effectively with each other. overall a great informative read

This was a great pride month read, and a great continuation from the first volume. I thought a lot of the topics were met with sensitivity and I was impressed by the level of reflection both main characters were willing to do throughout the volume. What I really like about the both of them is that they are able to acknowledge when they make a mistake, or even when they might be viewing things from a skewed perspective, and really take that in and learn from it. It makes all of the characters in the manga deeply likable, and I'm rooting for them all. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes, especially with the introduction of the character at the end of this volume!

Still really enjoying this series! I realized that I generally prefer stories about trans characters told from their own point of view, but in this instance I think we get a lot from seeing both Akira and Hime's perspectives. This series navigates a lot of complicated feelings within a short span of time and still manages to do so sensitively and honestly. I'm intrigued by the introduction of a new character, though his motivations/backstory were not what I was expecting. Looking forward to seeing what develops in the next volume.