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**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Kaguya-sama: Love is War followed the student council of a prestigious private school in Japan. The central focus, however, are the two (so-called) genius students at the very top of the council, and their unwillingness to confess their feelings to each other. The manga featured the two battling in these psychological mudslingings similar in structure to that of Death Note. I would say it parodies these elements, among other things. Kaguya-sama loved to poke fun at cheesy romance tropes, over-the-top wit battles, and overthinking high school drama. But in the midst of all this, the manga held a cute and light-hearted atmosphere ... that served as a reminder that the series was true to its fun, comedic and parodical nature. And the cherry on top of this elegant cake was that the goal was resolute and us as readers had something to look forward to.

I truly miss those days.

Exceeding the initial premise was the first issue with the series. However, I still believed this was a fixable one. Once the relationship forms between our two protagonists (or rather when the events of Volume 14 happen), wouldn't it make sense if the mind games with each other continued? Confrontations spawning from overthinking each other's actions or exploring relationship power imbalances would add to the satirical nature of the manga and still be natural. Instead, the concept of mind games is completely tossed out the window and never returns. Not only is the premise gone, but also the key component of what makes Kaguya-sama unique.

In its absence is mushy and exaggerated melodrama that removes this manga of any "parody" tag it had before. The characters were already clichés, just now without the irony behind it. Character development is also something the mangaka focuses on after Volume 14, but I think the efforts are futile. In the beginning, every member of the student council tormented and manipulated each other for their own selfish desires. It seriously felt like I was watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. This is even acknowledged, as multiple characters state how they have terrible personalities. However, in Always Sunny, it is thoroughly impressive how you are able to sympathize with the characters while their personalities remain the same awful ones they were in the beginning. In Kaguya-sama, I don't care about these people. The crude humor they displayed in the first volumes is unforgettable, and I'm unable empathize with Kaguya when she whines about Miyuki. The only member of the student council I could feel bad for was Ishigami during the sports festival arc. The arc had a message to get across and it did it well. I actually loved how risky the red balloon chapter was, where "Ishigami's character development disappeared". It would have been a genius move for Ishigami's character, had all the character dynamics in the council remain the same. Post-Volume 14, the mangaka focuses on developing these characters individually and there is rarely a chapter with all the student council members' comedic dynamics together. If the series was going to depart from its initial formula, why couldn't Ishigami just keep his growth after all? Why even joke about it when the series wants to take itself seriously?

At a certain point during the later volumes, you're forced to treat the manga like a soap opera. The comedy doesn't fulfill its half, and the melodrama is exaggerated to an absurd degree. If I'm treating this manga as a drama with comedic aspects, the characters are just not good. Kaguya and Miyuki were remarkable, but the mangaka attempted to give them depth and they became bland. Chika was a buffer for Kaguya and Miyuki. She served well as that role and was funny as shit pulling it off. As the characters move their separate ways, her place in the story shifts too. There are chapters where she spends her time in a ramen shop. They aren't funny, and they don't even make the effort to develop her like other characters. Ai was probably my favorite character. She was the reserved maid for Kaguya who had to deal with her whining. She didn't even have to do anything to become the most tragic character in the whole series (joking aside, I still felt more for Ai in those scenes than most other characters, and that’s saying something considering this manga certainly aims for tragedy). My favorite scenes with her were when she attempted to seduce Miyuki in order to disprove Kaguya. Unfortunately, her character is completely overwritten once the Shinomiya family is explored. Speaking of that, the mangaka paint the Shinomiyas out to be some ruthless family like they are the Uchihas or some shit. Kaguya's background as a stereotypical rich girl was a foil for her inexperience but is later used as a reason to prolong the story. Even though Kashiwagi and her boyfriend were a plot device, they still contributed to the better aspects of the story. The rest of the supporting cast is unremarkable. I appreciate the subtlety of characters like Osaragi but, to me, that itself cannot grant the character section any more points. And nevermind Miko, because her addition was one of the worst things to happen to the series. She is the epitome of replaceable, uninteresting, and bothersome. She adds no flavor to the comedy and adds nothing worthwhile to the romance and drama. She is purposeful for a handful of forced gags and derailing Ishigami off his character course. Nothing else. The common defense for her character is that “she’s cute”, which seems to be a typical thing in the manga with most female characters, and it's needless to say what a worthless value that is.

Maturity is something this manga pretends it has, but it never achieves. It gets to the point where you think to yourself "Aren't we past this?" in scenes involving the main two. And just because the main characters are intelligent for their age and most of the gags delve into intelligent vocabulary (calling the interactions intelligent would be an insult to average intelligence), this doesn't enhance the quality of the manga and/or give it any inherent maturity. The same goes for all the other elements of this manga. Many of the jokes are tongue-in-cheek in the way they present romantic concepts and the romance is strikingly immature. I'm shocked this is considered seinen, especially when you get chapters like the one dedicated to Kaguya laughing from the word wiener. But then again, I can't exactly see Ishigami's tasteless suicide jokes in the early volumes fitting well in a shonen magazine. This manga will trick you with pseudo-sophistication in Kaguya blabbering about some sort of sex statistic in adults but the actual romantic content in the manga is on the level of a sub-par shoujo.

Every romance in this manga is annoyingly generic. Even when Kaguya and Miyuki get together, their scenes are dime-a-dozen. Miko's scenes are the same way. You can find the same things shown here in any other rom-com and you can find them done better. The huge disappointment in Kaguya-sama is that it had something genius then it cashed out at its first opportunity. It abandons all the fun things that made it so special. Even the win/loss thing at the end of each chapter is scrapped. Well, it actually makes infrequent appearances, but if the mental battles are discarded, what's even the point of it? The ongoing allegory to The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is the only creative element the series holds onto. And despite inaccuracies, it’s still thoughtful and worth discussion. However, its active inclusion in the story naturally sparks unrealistic character dynamics, and it’s ultimately not a major strength I give the series.

The final overarching plot line with the Shinomiya family starting at the end of Volume 24 is the most contrived in the entire story. Family members of the main cast are sloppily written into the series for no rhyme or reason, dynamics between characters emerge from seemingly nowhere, and the whole situation is a plot-shifting distraction from everything we knew before. The circumstance presents itself as an unexpected variable to destroy the main couple’s relationship, while in reality, the relationship was already doomed, and (for plot convenience) this saves them from an actual breakup that would have made sense given the emphatic toxicity that was snowballing ever since the beginning of the series. Once again, we are meant to sympathize with the characters and this time direct all our hatred toward the ‘big bad corrupt family’. Miyuki is our ‘hero’ and Kaguya is our ‘damsel in distress’. Am I supposed to clap when Hayasaka does a T.H.U.G. 2 ‘20-trick-combo’ off the mountainside? Or cry when we learn some new random detail about Kaguya’s past? Or cheer when Chika says what everyone is thinking to a rich, misogynistic elder? The manga pulls an honest-to-god ‘rotten adults’ tactic like you would see all throughout Persona 5. I was in disbelief. It was even delivered with the same amount of conviction. The writing in this arc is not good, and the final “Farewell Arc” that follows it acts as remiss reparations before they send you off. There is no true emotional value and the manga ends in its worst state.

Kaguya-sama has consistent qualities such as good worldbuilding and some great art for this genre, but those things have lesser value when I sum up the pros and cons. The initial 10-12 volumes of this was engaging, fun, and unique but everything afterwards feels like a totally different manga with the same cast. It is less intriguing and less creative. It was always a rom-com, but the comedic aspects used to be dominant while the romantic aspects were controlled. As the manga shifts, the blend of comedy and romance is piss-poor and sitcom level. When this manga is a hilarious rom-com, it's genius. When this manga is a high school melodrama, it's a joke.


Additional comments:
I’m not trying to discourage the idea of stories evolving past their initial premise, but in doing so, Kaguya-sama never managed to recapture the magic it had in the first few volumes.

I would imagine creating a successful follow-up to your most critically acclaimed work is a very unnerving thing to do. Goodnight Punpun is what many manga readers believe is Inio Asano’s masterpiece. The series is not only masterful in its writing, but dreadfully awe-inspiring in its delivery. Believe me, I am not here to echo the praises of Goodnight Punpun; others have made the case for its genius in more convincing ways than I ever could. The reason I am mentioning this manga is because I believe its existence directly affects Dead Dead Demon’s Dededededestruction (for the sake of this review I’ll abbreviate it to ... Dededede). As the successor to Goodnight Punpun in Asano's catalog, Dededede is unfortunately aggressed with a subconscious mindset of constant comparison. Many believe Goodnight Punpun is on a different level of manga entirely. Going into Dededede with that behavior will do you no good. Even long-time fans of Asano’s manga will be surprised by the ideas put forth on this manga, whether it be subtle changes in artistic choices or making more debatable narrative choices. While Goodnight Punpun is Asano cohering to his strengths, Dededede is a veteran mangaka experimenting with unfamiliarity.

This is a manga about the human reaction and general anxiety to the uncertain future. It's about the coping mechanisms that humans utilize when faced with more thoughts than they can handle at one time. The story follows a group of soon-to-graduate highschool students who are living their regular lives during an alien invasion. The main two characters, Kadode and Oran, are enjoyable personalities who offer an interesting perspective on the world. An elderly or middle-aged perspective on the impending doom would be similar to that of a reflection; looking back on memories and proudly accepting the life that they have lived. Kadode and Oran, on the other hand, are just graduating high school. Their lives are arguably just beginning. These characters may seem like they are always fun-loving and cheery but they are really just coping in the only way they know how. Dededede is a manga filled with joyful moments, but these same moments can also be rather melancholic.

Dededede plays with comedy, slice-of-life, sci-fi, and drama, which are fused together beautifully in this melting pot of a manga. I love how Asano is never afraid of writing political humor in this manga either. I’m sure he had a plethora of ideas given the manga’s serialization occurred throughout the entire Trump administration (which is mocked more than a few times here). Asano isn’t totally foreign with the concepts in this manga though. Humanity, death, and depression are all themes we’ve seen before, but this time he approaches this from a socio-political lens. That isn’t to say that this manga lacks an 'Asano-personalized touch'. The Isobeyan comics at the beginning of each volume is delivered with a subdued tone I could only attribute to Asano. And, the vivid page-to-page paneling that Asano has mastered at this point is nothing short of breathtaking.

This manga is a slice of life, and not exactly a euphoric one. The 'slice' of this particular 'life' is quite believable. I would describe Dededede as a modern dystopia. It does have the sci-fi tag, and there are some far-fetched ideas that you either accept or dismiss, but Asano doesn't totally abandon realism here. I imagine this is how society would actually act if this situation occurred. The world and characters are established nicely while themes of existentialism and social panic are simultaneously constructed. The plot develops at a relatively slow pace in the beginning, but there is much to uncover regarding the world-building and dialogue. It's just extremely well planned, and every scene serves to build the world or develop the plot and characters.

Speaking of the characters, they are well written and fit into the story well. I wish more development was given to characters such as Rin, but every relevant character is given enough characterization to be serviceable in their respective roles. Oran and Kadode are brilliant, as well as Oran's brother, who proves to be more than just a gag character. Every appearance he makes has me bursting in tears of both kinds, and I'm surprised with something new about him each time. Futaba and Ooba are also nice additions to the cast as well. Kadode can feel like an Asano self insert at times, but as the manga develops, her personality develops too, and she proves to be a multifaceted character in a later arc. Every character is believable. Even Oran, who seems to be the most contrived in personality, is developed in a clever way, negating her character of any criticism I could give.

I normally dislike when writers insert ‘gamer’ slang into their works. It’s normally dated by a couple years and there’s always some mention of something like “Leroy Jenkins'', “get pwned”, or maybe some inaccurate ‘1337speak’ tossed in there that makes me want to blow my brains out every time I see it. Rather than trying to appeal to the demographic, Asano approaches this, and most of the comedy in this manga, with a caustic and exaggerated tone. Comedy is something we rarely see in an Inio Asano manga, and I would say he has full control of it here from the very first chapter. This manga knows how to be brutally honest, hilarious, and heart-wrenching all in one scene.

We already know Asano has consistent fluidity from panel to panel with each drawing. Dededede is no exception. The one change I noticed from previous Asano manga is the change in character design. While the landscapes and textures are still photo-realistic, the character designs are goofy and exaggerated. This isn't a complaint though. I think it was a completely necessary decision, or else the manga would visually play like any other Asano manga. Besides, I think it's an artistic evolution that pays off. The designs compliment the backgrounds very well and they feel natural when facial comedy is used on a character. As always with Inio Asano, the art is amazing, but it should be the last reason you pick up this manga.

This is a must read. Even if you aren't a fan of Asano's previous works, give this one a shot. And if you are a fan of Asano, don't try to compare it to Punpun. This manga is currently more relevant than ever, and I believe everyone can take something away from it. There aren't that many other modern writers creating works like this with the amount of creativity and honesty Asano displays here. And just like his other works, everyone should read this at least once in their lifetime.

**DISCLAIMER FOR THE REVIEW**
While I do have numerous things to say about Bleach, both positive and negative, this review will be pretty topical and attempt to focus on strengths and weaknesses within said topics. What I mean by this is I'm reviewing Bleach as a 'battle shonen', not necessarily a work of fiction. Because of this, I won’t be criticizing every aspect of Bleach I personally see flawed. In this review, I will touch on most of my major criticisms, but I’ll also be praising some elements I feel are forgotten and/or underappreciated. This will be a generally positive review because my latest read of ... Bleach was quite enjoyable and I think it deserves a proper defense.


In the present year, many people often misunderstand the Big Three Shonen. It is a term that refers to One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. Exclusively One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. These three series hold this prestigious honor due to their influence in popularizing anime and manga in western cultures. People commonly fabricate arguments surrounding replacements and reinventions of the series in the Big Three. There is a group of people who believe Dragon Ball Z should be in the Big Three, when Dragon Ball Z aired well before any of them. There is a group of people who feel the urge to create a new Big Three with modern titles, as if one of the series in the Big Three isn't still on-going (two if we are counting sequels). There is a group of people who believe in the ludicrous conspiracy of a "Big Four" existing with an additional slot dedicated to Fairy Tail, because for some reason that mindset exists. Then, there is what seems to be the most common group of people who believe a certain series in the Big Three shouldn't be in the Big Three because they didn't like it. The frequent target of this just so happens to be Bleach.

Many factors come into play when considering the shonen community's disengagement of Bleach. Fans' frustration and vexation reading Bleach (especially while serializing) is completely understandable and justifiable. Bleach has a tendency to toy with the audience by distorting their perception of reality in the manga. This is achieved sometimes in a clever way with certain Bankai and sometimes in a dull, recycled, and unflattering way with lesser cool Bankai or some random unforeseen ability. For most of the series, the value of an ability comes from the reveal of its power in battle. This, in a formulaic battle layout, can be pretty patience testing in a series of this length. The comedy is haphazardly thrown into scenes, even during pivotal scenes. Enemies often explain their abilities to their opponent before they attack. And I literally mean telling their opponent how to beat them. Kubo often neglects a "Show, don't tell" approach to fights due to the lack of backgrounds. The absence of landscapes also sheds light to another common occurrence in Bleach. Characters frequently appear out of nowhere, and I literally mean nowhere. This happens way too frequently in the manga and is never considered when people total up the amount of plot holes, as the community has apparently accepted it. The list goes on.

When I look at Bleach, I try not to look at "right" or "wrong", because I tend to contradict myself. While I think the battles playing out like Death Note scenarios are silly, I also find the overall nature of Bleach to be awesome. The series does the bare minimum to set up the world, characters, and plot, yet the story is loaded with blood-pumping power battles and fights. Bleach doesn't inherit the tournament arc cliché, but the whole manga feels like a never-ending test of power. As a long-running shonen that competed with Naruto and One Piece in terms of length, popularity, and lack of hiatuses, Bleach is easily the most unique one. The protagonist, Ichigo, does not strive to become the greatest of something like Luffy or Naruto. There was no endgame for Bleach set in stone. People who think it should have ended after the Soul Society arc or the Hueco Mundo would be limiting Bleach from its full potential. And while I don't think Bleach nearly executed all of its ideas properly, I don't find a single arc to be out of place. I think the final arc, spanning for almost half of the entire manga's length, is a completely necessary one. It provided worthwhile answers from day-one questions in a digestible way, even if there was little to no foreshadowing. Characters redeemed themselves, and were mostly utilized for development rather than plot devices. I can even make a defense for some of the most overhated characters such as Orihime with the arc. The final fight itself is one of the most unique in battle shonen that I've seen. It's something I believe will inspire the ending of something like Jujutsu Kaisen. (The return of the anime is also a great opportunity to utilize the potential of this arc). I’m not using this arc as a crutch for the whole series either, I believe the Soul Society Invasion arc made Bleach what it is today and solidified it in the shonen community. The argument is often made that Bleach dips in quality after this arc, and there is some truth to it. The Arrancar Saga has its highs and lows, but I think the lows are exaggerated to a certain degree. The minor fights aren’t memorable and the major fights that don’t involve Ichigo aren’t compelling, but the ‘main event bouts’ are some of the most iconic in battle shonen. And the Lost Substitute Arc is just an underwhelming conclusion to the anime, not the manga. The arc is a necessary build up for the final arc, and enjoyable at that.

The art is another complaint by fans. Bleach's art progresses before your own eyes when reading it, and it certainly isn't an eyesore. In early chapters, the art is amateurish, but develops into something unreplicable. Backgrounds are sacrificed in order to focus on drawing characters and their emotions. This gives the manga an intimate feel during battles, something the anime lacks.

Bleach rarely copies from other shonen. The manga has its own identity and style, and works best when sung to its tune. It accepts its own strengths as well as its flaws, bursting out unique ideas and a sense of style in the process. Even though I would have wanted the series to play to its strengths more, Bleach is still a good battle shonen manga. It piques your curiosity and holds your attention while dishing out awesome fights, high-intensity action, and badass characters… It is one of the big three after all.