Failed Princesses Review: A Popular Girl Falls from Social Grace and Finds an Unexpected Friend in a Plain Girl
by Itou Mitchi
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Quick Take
- The "popular girl falls, plain girl rises" dynamic is handled with more nuance than the premise suggests — Nanaki is not punished for being popular and Nao is not rewarded for being plain
- The yuri romance develops from genuine friendship rather than from premise alone, which gives it unusual warmth
- 7 volumes complete; one of the warmer yuri romance titles available in English
Who Is This Manga For?
- Readers who want yuri romance with social dynamics and genuine friendship foundation
- Anyone interested in romance that starts from an unexpected social pairing
- Fans of school romance with character depth beyond the romantic premise
- Readers looking for complete short yuri with emotional substance
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: School social dynamics; romantic betrayal in backstory; yuri romance; no explicit content
T rating — appropriate for all readers; gentle romance with real character work.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★☆ |
| Character Development | ★★★★★ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★★ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★☆ |
Story Overview
Nanaki Fujishiro has everything the popular girl script requires: beauty, a boyfriend, social centrality. When she discovers her boyfriend has been with another girl, the performance collapses. Nanaki, who has maintained this persona, does not know what she is outside of it.
Nao Kurokawa sees this happen. She offers practical help — an umbrella, a kind word, small things. Nanaki, who would not normally notice Nao, notices her.
The series follows what develops: Nanaki learning what she actually likes rather than what she was supposed to like, Nao being seen for the first time by someone who matters socially, and both of them finding in each other something they didn't know they needed.
Characters
Nanaki Fujishiro — A character whose popular-girl persona is examined with genuine curiosity rather than condemnation; she is not a bad person performing goodness, she is someone who learned a specific mode of being that is now failing her.
Nao Kurokawa — A character whose plainness is a choice as much as a circumstance; her relationship to visibility and invisibility shifts as Nanaki's attention arrives.
Art Style
Mitchi's art captures the social visual codes of high school — Nanaki's polish and Nao's ordinariness are clearly communicated through design choices — and handles the romance moments with warmth and restraint appropriate to the content.
Cultural Context
Failed Princesses ran in Manga Time Kirara Forward from 2019 to 2022. The "popular girl and plain girl" social pairing is a recurring structure in yuri manga, and this series uses it thoughtfully by not making either position simply good or bad.
What I Love About It
Nanaki discovering what she actually wants. She has been performing preferences for so long — the right boyfriend, the right friends, the right image — that finding genuine preference is a new skill. The series treats this as a real discovery process, not as the removal of a mask revealing a true self underneath.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Western readers describe Failed Princesses as one of the warmer yuri manga available — specifically noted for both characters being well-developed beyond their social archetypes, for the romance developing from genuine friendship rather than premise alone, and for the series avoiding the usual pitfalls of the popular/plain pairing. Consistently recommended for yuri readers.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The scene where Nanaki tells Nao what she specifically likes about her — not her looks, not her social value, but specific qualities — is the series' clearest statement that the relationship is genuine rather than situational.
Similar Manga
- Bloom Into You — Yuri romance with similar careful character development
- Whispered Words — Yuri romance with similar friendship-to-romance structure
- The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend — Social dynamics and unexpected connection in romance
- Kimi ni Todoke — Similar social dynamic with different gender configuration
Reading Order / Where to Start
Volume 1 — Nanaki's situation, Nao's intervention, and the beginning of their connection establish everything.
Official English Translation Status
Seven Seas published the complete English series. All 7 volumes available.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Both characters are well-developed beyond their archetypes
- Romance from genuine friendship is warmer than premise-driven romance
- Short and complete at 7 volumes
- Art handles social dynamics clearly
Cons
- Popular/plain premise is familiar
- Slower development than some yuri readers prefer
- Secondary characters are underdeveloped
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Individual Volumes | Seven Seas; complete series |
| Digital | Available |
Where to Buy
Get Failed Princesses Vol. 1 on Amazon →
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.