Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love Vol. 2 Review – It’s Dating Time

Now that Satomi and Yagyu are a couple, it’s time for them to enjoy their time together in Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love Vol. 2. And the best way to show them bonding and getting closer to each other is through various dates. So instead of going for the routine, it packs a few moments of the couple enjoying each other’s company outside school.

Getting to know your significant other is fundamental to a budding romance. It’s easy to create misconceptions about people, to see only whatever side of them is most convenient. Not only is it necessary to learn about each other’s personalities, many other things, such as past and present relationships, end up making a difference. The volume takes its time to let Satomi learn more about Yagyu.

My biggest complaint about volume 1 was that Yagyu was hard to read in a way I feel makes him rather unexpressive and idealistic. While he still has a poker face, the more I read it, the easiest it was to understand his expressions. The new volume even has him talking about many small qualities of Satomi that he likes while showing baby steps that manage to feel significant for their relationship.

Ima Koi Vol. 2 also makes an excellent choice of using the dates to conveniently reveal Yagyu’s ex-girlfriend and little sister, letting us know him better through them. Not only does that evoke Satomi’s jealousy but also a weird kind of longing. Yagyu has sides of his that Satomi didn’t know, but those two girls did since they had a history together. Being a newcomer to his life feels like a clear disadvantage in this regard.

The various circumstances of the dates also allow Satomi to be further fleshed out. Despite her disposition and behavior, she isn’t just an ordinary girl that makes it seem otherwise at first. Instead, Satomi has a ludicrous amount of determination and peculiar traits that only get more apparent as the volume goes on.

The last two chapters use Satomi’s uniqueness and Yagyu’s sister’s personality for comedy. While the situations are exaggerated and end up feeling a little unrealistic because of this, Satomi is an endearing lead. Thanks to her charisma, it all feels like an interesting character quirk that only makes me more curious about her as a person.

When it comes to art, Ayuko Hatta continues to offer a solid style that focuses on clean and soft illustrations most of the time. However, Volume 2 also has various visual gags, including references, like a Jojo Face. The deliberate excessive reactions make it all flow like a fast read while giving characters a chance to be extra expressive.

Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love Vol. 2 is an excellent follow-up to the enjoyable start of Satomi’s and Yagyu’s love story. While there’s a lot of room in the future for their romance to face serious turbulences, the couple has a lot of charisma, and it’s easy to melt at how cute they are together.