Nov 19, 2019
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is a refreshing change of pace in the ever-battering tides of seasonal rom-coms. Its simple thesis of “The One Who Confesses Their Love First Loses” carries the entire season without having a strict plot.
Shows without a well-defined continuing storyline are difficult to pull off, successful examples being the likes of One Punch Man and Konosuba, and unsuccessful examples buried in a pile of failed seasonal trash. For a rom-com with little to no plot to be memorable, a miracle must occur.
Love Is War is that miracle.
By creating complex characters who live and breathe same as we do, the show practically writes
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itself. Jokes don’t have to be thought of, the characters create them themselves.
By giving the two main characters “similar but different” personalities, it creates a Light vs L-style rivalry, with elaborate plots and schemes designed to force the other to confess their love. The cast of characters is so strong, the “best girl” argument war will surely go on for months, if not years.
On the topic of characters, the show also boasts some of the most memorable background characters, one of which (Chika Fujiwara) going down in meme history for one of the most elaborate anime dance sequences in a long time.
When an emotional turning point occurs, the show won’t turn around and kill the mood with a stupid joke, instead relying on pacing in order to implement the comedic aspect when it is appropriate.
There is no EP 6 beach episode.
The show creates noteworthy scenes that pull at heartstrings and leave viewers thinking about it days and even weeks after a viewing. Overall, the show deserves a 9 out of 10. The only issue I had with it was thinking it would have a real confession at the end, and when a second season was announced, I was extremely happy that it did not.
Note: If you’re considering reading the manga as well, watch the anime first. There are so many little side stories that occur in the manga that supplement your experience instead of reading first and not seeing everything you read in the anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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