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This entry of the series shows that it isn't all just for comedy, it is a romance and it is one helluva well written romance at that. That isn't to say that there is no comedy in First Kiss, as there is plenty. But it definitely takes a back seat in comparison to the first three seasons of the anime. The comedy that does exist in First Kiss is every bit as good as we all expect from this series. It is playful and witty, with its over the top style playing out perfectly. But alas my friends, for this entry, we are on to ... the romance!

I marked this review as containing spoilers but just in case you are here reading this on accident, if you don't want to be spoiled, turn back now.

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Kaguya loses. A crushing defeat. And yet, it completes her character arc of needing to accept all facets of herself and learning that she is worthy of love, both from herself and from good ol' Prez. It is a bit cliche, but this is a romance about two 17 year old tsunderes. We knew there was going to be some cliche going in to this. Kaguya is pretty definitively the main character in First Kiss, whereas in the 3 previous seasons, despite Kaguya being the titular character she has shared the spotlight with Shirogane pretty evenly. Getting to see Kaguya go through the layers of her fears and insecurities while she reconciles her feelings and how strong they are for Shirogane was a real treat. We got to see a really thorough look at the character and her intentions and motivations and by the end of it we have a great understanding of Kaguya. Her character development from ice cold, self-serving, genius rich-girl, to emotionally intelligent and mature ladyChad who asks Shirogane to be her boyfriend and is brave enough to admit she loves him, was a real treat. Not only did she figure all this out for herself, she also lent a hand to Shirogane to help him start to accept the weaker facets of himself. It is remarkably well written and touching.

However, Shirogane takes the L for today. We didn't really get to see him overcome his insecurities in this entry. His character development took a bit of a backseat. He couldn't even bring himself to give her the Christmas gift he got for her. Even though she had at that point given him a Christmas gift and a Birthday gift. I couldn't help but get frustrated watching as the man needs to find his backbone. But before anybody thinks I am judging this too harshly, I do know that they are sticking to the source material (so far) and I know that the source material does right by Shirogane. But it was still frustrating to watch him fail to find his backbone in this series, but I guess we still need to give him time, and failing is okay. Especially when he now knows he can lean on Kaguya even when he fails.

Results for today's battle: Kaguya wins, by being the brave one and losing.

-Plot: 9/10. Nothing we haven't seen before, but still executed brilliantly the character development felt real and while a bit overdramatic and frustrating, love IS overdramatic and frustrating at times. So it fits.
-Animation: 8/10. Everything looked great, nothing insane seeing as it is a romcom and not a flashy action series, but still excellent animation that goes harder than it needs to.
-Voice Acting: 10/10. I still prefer the dub and I am so excited to rewatch this when the dub releases, but the sub is absolutely brilliant here. This series is still god tier in this regard and I am hard pressed to find another series that can contend with it in this regard.
-Overall enjoyment: 9/10. The comedy was great. The romance was well written and believable. This truly is one of the best Rom-Coms in this medium. I look forward to seeing the dub!

If you missed your chance to see it in theaters, go watch this immediately when it is available. You will laugh. You will feel things right in the feelings. It is fantastic.

So far it has lived up to the quality of the manga. There are even a couple of points where it expanded on it, namely in episodes 1 and 8 where scenes that seemed pretty small ended up having a lot more impact and displayed character growth. I can not explain how much I enjoy this series. I am lucky to have found it and even luckier than I had a friend push me to stick with it when I wanted to drop it early in season 1. This series gets better as it goes and so far the anime adaptation has not shown any ... sign of failing the source material. The animation quality took a very small hit in the second season, but it is barely even noticeable. And the quality of storytelling in the second season is a massive improvement over season 1. Season 1 was the legwork. It was rough at times, because it had to set the stage. It had to do the dirty work. Now in season 2, we are seeing it pay off and let me tell you, it is paying off incredibly. Go watch.

I am a massive supporter of the manga, and I believe the manga deserves way more respect than it has gotten. This anime though, when I first tried to watch it, was painful. Something about actually hearing everything rubbed me the wrong way. They injected extra fan service. Actually hearing Nagatoro saying these things shifted the effect from "damn she's a Dark Souls boss" to "Holy crap stop talking you are annoying as hell" I gave up watching after the first 5 episodes. I posted a preliminary review with a 4/10 rating and Not Recommended. Directing everybody to the manga instead. However, I finally completed ... this season and with retrospect from the manga, I can safely say that while the anime did some things worse than the manga, it actually did a few things better, too.

Plot: 8/10. Girl (Nagatoro) sees "something" in her upperclassmate (at this point only known as Senpai) and appears to lack control over herself as she feels compelled to mess with him. In the beginning, it is almost like she is feral about it. She simply can not stop herself. To the point of taking it too far and making herself feel embarrassed. She is quite harsh in the beginning. This mellows out a little bit as she gains control over herself to a degree, but surprisingly, Senpai, who at first seems like he is going to be another boring self-insert character, ends up growing a spine. Even challenging her at one point during the culture festival arc, which ended in a stalemate of them both becoming too embarassed. It was adorable. Which brings about one of the big negatives for me, the fan service. I know some people don't mind fan service, so I won't apply my personal opinion to my overall rating, but I am not a big fan of the fan service. Sometimes it is used for comedy, and it does so successfully. But oftentimes it is just off-putting. Also how the hell do you make a handwashing scene THAT uncomfortable??

Art: 9/10. The facial expressions. The noodle arms. Yandere-Toro. The background artwork. This is a very visually appealing series. Those facial expressions are so unhinged at times they are hilarious and at the same time absolutely terrifying. The transitions are a little unhinged as well which fits the mood. Sometimes the animation seems a little clunky but that is really my only complaint.

Dubbed Voice Acting: 6/10. Like nails on a chalkboard at times. I like the slight lisp that the VA for Nagatoro gave her though, which is apparently a Gyaru thing? Even though the other girls don't have that? Maybe it was just an artistic choice? Either way I liked that aspect. I watched the Sub after giving up on the dub though as overall I was not enjoying it much.

Subbed Voice Acting: 8/10. Better than dub. The constant groaning from Senpai's VA was a little annoying at times though.

Characters: 8/10. Even in the manga, there aren't many likable characters in the series in the beginning. Senpai is hard to defend when he won't defend himself at all. Nagatoro, before we have a better understanding of her, which honestly we don't really even get much of an understanding of her at all in this season, is pretty unlikable in the beginning. However. Senpai eventually starts to grow a spine and we get to see that he really isn't a self-insert MC and GOOD. We have enough of those in this genre. Nagatoro, if you notice the subtleties in her brief facial expressions she makes in between bullying Senpai, reveal a lot about the character. Not a lot is revealed by being stated about her at this point. But you can see in her facial expressions that she is a caring person. She... Just struggles with showing affection in a non-terrifying way. And that is hilarious. We see her regain some semblance of control over herself as the season goes on and she becomes a little softer, but really, most of it is the fact that Senpai becomes LESS soft, spineless, and sensitive. Nagatoro's teasing doesn't change THAT much. But Senpai and his reaction to it DOES. And I like that development.

OP: 10/10. Love this opening. Colorful. Playful. Banger of a song.

So there it is. The plot isn't treading any new ground but is still quite good. The artwork is top tier, even if it can feel a little clunky at times. The voice acting is decent. The characters are phenomenal and they develop well with time, especially when you consider that they were all SO UNLIKABLE in the beginning. If you are like me and dislike fan service, I can tell you that it isn't as bad as you have probably been told, but it will still make you uncomfortable. I highly recommend that you push through it, as the second half of the season is actually quite good. If you enjoy fan service, well then I assume you have already watched this. If you are triggered by bullying, you should probably steer clear of this series as it will likely bother you greatly. At least in the beginning. I enjoyed this series very much and outside of those relatively small issues, it was very refreshing and fun. I recommend. Don't listen to the people who haven't even watched the series, or people were like me who only watched the first couple episodes before giving up. Because when I returned to it post-manga reading, I enjoyed it so much more. A lot of people have an opinion on Nagatoro without having actually watched or read it. Go watch it. Go read it. It is a very wholesome and adorable tale about two dorks growing up, despite the early and often fan service, which also settles down a little as the story goes on.

I can assure you, it only gets better from here.

This season expands on what was built in the first season, and the first season was absolutely incredible. The character development alone, with both new and returning characters, makes this season incredible. That is before getting into the breathtaking art and animation. The plot felt natural and flowed at a great pace, taking its time and absolutely delivering when the time was right. It was another case where the heroes weren't always so heroic, and the villains aren't so evil. It creates a situation where you are rooting for both sides to some extent. Faputa is such a win for this series. I loved her ... character arc. Reg and Riko, were the weakest parts of the first season, but they grew on me quite a bit this season. I am hard pressed to find any flaws with this season. It made me feel things. 10/10, I recommend to everybody. Just be prepared for a bit of emotional damage.

Just finished this season, I know I am over a decade late to the party but wow! I loved it.

It started off a little awkward, almost as if there had been some development between the two main characters that happened off screen. However, things started to make sense shortly afterwards and I can not express how brilliantly the interactions between these two characters were written. Their individual development is incredible too. Both of the main story arcs of this season had me on the edge of my seat. I personally enjoy the economic approach to a fantasy world, it makes it seem more realistic ... while still maintaining the feeling of being in a magical far away land. It has everything there was to love from the first season, and the development did not stop! I love this series, the biggest complaint I have against it is that it ended on season 2 when it seems like there is so much more source material from what I have been told.

I had this show recommended to me and between my initial impression of its chibi-style art, young children that I cannot relate to, and the very slow start that the anime has, I avoided this show. When I did watch it, I did it because my friends kept nagging me about it. However, the second half of the first season, the anime takes off full speed ahead.

Riko and Reg are somewhat boring main characters. I do not have too much love for them. Not a ton of development, both are kind of boring. They are, in my opinion, the weakest part of the anime. ...

Nanachi though... I will burn it all down for Nanachi. Nanachi alone went through more character development in the last 3 episodes of the first season than Riko and Reg did, combined, throughout the whole first season.

The plot is top tier. There are twists and turns, imaginative and horrifying creatures, danger looming around every corner. Lots of cute animals too though. There is one scene where it becomes VERY obvious that the survival-adventure aspect of this anime is very strong.

The world building is immense. It gives me Studio Ghibli vibes at times, which is something that is rare and special.

Other than my own gripes about the two main characters, this anime is simply top tier. I regret that I took so long to get into it.

Just finished the first season! I loved it. It is a very cute show with captivating characters. It is intelligently written. I think the best way to describe it is as a "Comfy show." It is very wholesome and it reminds me of autumn with the colors and mood. I love the art styles of the 00's and this very much fits in as part of that era. If you want something that is nice and relaxed, with wholesome characters and a great overarching storyline, you will enjoy this show. It also deals with a lot of economics in its world, and the way the ... characters behave, scheme, and react to events feels realistic and natural. Nothing about this anime feels forced. It just flows from quality story arc to quality story arc.

Somebody recommended the anime to me, and I made it to the 5th episode I think it was, and just had to stop. It was not for me. But I had more people recommend it to me, saying that the manga gets really good and gets better as it goes. So I read the manga and... They were correct. While I could not get into the anime, the manga takes these two lovable and somewhat flawed kids and actually develops their characters; they learn, they grow, they win, and sometimes they fail. Some of the more lewd aspects of the series keeps me from enjoying ... it more, and I get the sense that I am not the only one in that boat, but I also understand that those awkward things, pervy thoughts and delusions, are all part of growing up. Which, I would say is largely what this series is about. Nagatoro pushes not only Senpai's limits to help him to grow, she also pushes her own limits and overextends past her own comfort zone and that is when we see her get uncomfortable and embarassed. Watching Senpai become the kind of person who can walk side by side with her instead of constantly being at her feet has been a treat.

Other than the lewdness, my only other complaint is that the series starts out very episodic. It is kind of the same thing over and over, with very little development. However, around chapter 50 things start to develop and that is when the series begins to hit its stride.

Overall I recommend it, however I do not think it will be everybody's cup of tea, as there are things that I can overlook that I know others can not. So it earns a Mixed Feelings review, despite my own personal approval of the manga.

****Edit: Post ch 115, this is the most sweet and wholesome damn thing I have ever read. Changing from mixed feelings to recommended and from an 8 to a 9. Push through the parts that are uncomfy, it is worth it.

This one takes me back. This was my first exposure to anime and I was just a kid when I first saw it. It actually scared me a bit back then. Having revisited it as an adult, this movie is a masterpiece. The art and animation... Well... You know which studio is behind this. Ghibli's attention to detail is incredible as always. The story is heartfelt and the characters are lovable and very realistic despite being set in such a fantasy type land. I have yet to find another story quite like this one. Highly recommended, I believe most viewers would find something to appreciate ... in this masterpiece.

Kaguya-Sama is far and away one of my all-time favorite series. And so far the seasons have gotten better and better with time. The voice acting is absolutely incredible, you can tell how much love, care, and effort these actors and actresses have poured into their roles. The comedy and pop culture references are top tier. The more serious and heartfelt moments are very welcome as well and you will feel this show. The artwork and animation, especially some of the ending animations, are top tier as well! I cannot sing the praises of Ultra Romantic enough, and the series as a whole. Go watch.