Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible Volume Two shows how the relationship between Junta Shiraishi and Nagisa Kubo is progressing.

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible Volume Two
Written by: Nene Yukimori
Publisher: Shueisha
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: July 5, 2022

The volume opens on New Year’s Eve, and Kubo texts Shiraishi shortly before midnight. She wants him to call her, but he accidentally launches a video call. It’s kind of an awkward conversation, but it’s obvious to the reader by the end of it that Kubo likes Shiraishi.

A couple of stories later, it’s Valentine’s Day. Shiraishi doesn’t think he’s going to get any chocolate, so he’s surprised to find something in his desk. The poor guy thought someone had mistakenly put it there, since he knows he has a reputation for being invisible to others. Even though there’s nothing on it to indicate who it’s for or who it came from, Kubo insists that it isn’t a mistake and that she knows who sent it. Shiraishi, of course, doesn’t figure it out, but the reader can tell it was Kubo. Later, for White Day, Shiraishi buys a gift for the one who gave him the chocolate and asks Kubo to deliver it for him since she knows who the sender was. Kubo plays it pretty coy as to who gave the chocolate to him, basically asking him a rhetorical question about if he would be glad to get a Valentine from her. In the end, Shiraishi still doesn’t know the Valentine was from her.

Kubo’s friends, meanwhile, pick up on the fact that she’s acting differently, and they piece together that she’s got a crush on someone. When she admits she’s interested in Shiraishi, they ask what she sees in him. She stands up for him, and the other girls realize that she’s in love… even if Kubo isn’t quite willing to admit this to herself just yet.

There are several vignettes in Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible Volume Two where Shiraishi and Kubo hang out together, and Shiraishi isn’t picking up on the vibes that Kubo is interested in him. He seems to think they’re just hanging out as friends. Since he has the reputation for being invisible, I think he has a hard time believing in the possibility that a girl could ever be interested in someone like him. His inability to pick up on Kubo’s feelings for him come from both inexperience and from how he views himself.

The short vignettes that make up the volume continue to be a fun and enjoyable read. Even though the overarching story is being told through a number of short vignettes, the reader can still see that there is some progression going on for the characters, although there seems to be a little more of this for Kubo than there is for Shiraishi. Not only do we see her actions toward Shiraishi making it clearer that she likes him, but we also get a story of Kubo interacting with her older sister when she’s trying to make chocolate to hand out for Valentine’s Day. Even her older sister is picking up on the fact that Kubo likes someone, although she doesn’t know who that someone is.

I’m going to be honest and say that I think that Shiraishi and Kubo would make for a good couple. Unfortunately, at least for the short term, the two of them getting together won’t be possible, because of the setup of the story. For the time being, Shiraishi has to remain oblivious to Kubo’s feelings, because this is the running thread throughout the series. Even though I’ll be going into future volumes knowing that the status quo is going to have to remain for a while, I think I’ll be able to still appreciate it. If it’s done right, the series’ setup won’t wear itself thin anytime soon.

I appreciate that Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible is made up of short vignettes, because it helps me feel like the volumes of the series are a quick read. This is a series that can be read at a casual pace and doesn’t require the reader to use a lot of thought. If you’re looking for something light-hearted that’s quick to read and focuses on high school students navigating friendships and school, then this series should fit the bill. If you’ve already read Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible Volume One and enjoyed it, then I think you’ll like how Volume Two continues the story for the main characters.

The reviewer was provided a review copy by VIZ Media

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