As in Play It Cool, Guys volume 1, color-coded chapters correspond to one of the four leads: Ichikura the Embarrassed, Futami the Boastful, Mima the Clueless, and Shiki the Cheerful. (They aren’t really called that, but their names look cooler that way!)
But while the debut volume was mostly stand-alone episodes starring one, maybe guest starring a second, of the four male leads, here, they’re interacting more. It’s not a perfect shift to a flowing, connected story, but once it gets there, it’s certainly an improvement over the episodic nature of the opening.
That’s not to say the manga isn’t entertaining when each guy is living his own life and those around them, the “normal” people who recognize (or, on occasion, don’t realize) the guys’ screwups and don’t know how to react: Futami’s friends who debate on telling him he’s showing off the wrong page, or the girl at a blind date who thinks Ichikura is blowing her off. But in a lighthearted comedy like this, it’s often nicer to just have to concentrate on the core cast with a few recurring cast members instead of trying to fit in (and remember) so many different characters.
The biggest storyline in this rather plot-thin manga is the high schooler Futami needing to pass his exams in order to stay on his handball team. Ichikura ends up as his tutor, and Futami later wants to prove to everyone he’s not as uncool as his grades might suggest. Well, even in his element, Futami’s prone to mess up. But my favorite story involved Mima and his niece. Yes, more new characters, but his day with her ends up with him hanging out with the four other guys and the moment where it truly feels like they’ve become a group of friends, not just acquaintances.
Most of the humor in all this comes from we know the guy’s thoughts, that they either have no idea they’re blundering or know it and are trying to otherwise navigate the aftermath. Still, Play It Cool, Guys is like the manga equivalent of people watching. It can be rather amusing, but it’s not really an exciting or engaging activity. But like people watching, the manga still does a good job of stirring up your own memories, of the “Been there, done that!” moments where you may not have realized someone was hitting on you, thinking you’ve gotten a late start only to remember it’s a day off, etc.
While that kind of experience — even in full color — can get old quick, the final short chapter reveals the fifth goof is about to make his entrance. I’m not exactly sure how he’s going to meet the others, but I’m willing to see how he changes the group’s budding dynamic.