Reviews for Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

What is your favourite battle of wits story? The classic Light vs L? Maybe the JoJo fights? For me the winner is clearly Miyuki vs Kaguya! Kaguya Wants to be Confessed To completely caught me by surprise with a hilarious and adorable romantic comedy based on mindgames between the two main characters with the objective of making the other confess his/her feelings, and why? Because they believe that the one that confesses will become the submissive part in the relationship, and their pride makes them refuse to be that one. The chapters are episodic and feature a different battle in their war for love, everything that happensis overly exaggerated for the characters, Kaguya usually goes for extremely well through, crazy prepared strategies, while Miyuki is more of using his knowledge and quick thinking to come up with a plan on the spot, sadly for them, there is also Chika Fujiwara, the school council secretary, ready to sometimes screw up their plans just when they through the other had no chance to escape, later on, Ishigami, the treasurer, also starts appearing, and every single one of his moments is pure comedy gold.

The art style is fantastic, with the reaction faces of the characters being the best part, making me laugh like crazy without failing, I expected a drop in both art quality and story after moving from publishing monthly to weekly, but I'm really happy to say that for now the quality stays consistent the whole time, it's more, the the comedy is getting better and better every chapter.

I really recommend this manga to everyone, and I specially want to mention the readers that don't like romance manga to give it a try, yes, it's still a romance/comedy, but for the way it works, it feels so different to the others, maybe this is the one that you will like!

Kaguya-sama: Love is War is the king of romance manga without question. There is simply no other manga of the same genre from which I remember the names of almost every character; from which I’ve both laughed and cried audibly while reading; from which I’ve derived so much happiness from every serialized chapter. What started off as a cute and funny manga with a great premise evolved into a character driven drama with many monumentally emotional character arcs, each of which continue to resonate with me beyond belief. Though I’ll admit to some personal bias, I would like to point out how deeply invested Aka(the mangaka) has made me as a viewer/reader to his characters. There wasn’t a moment in the manga where a character’s pain didn’t translate to my own sadness. There wasn’t a moment when a character’s development after a truly emotional scene didn’t move me to tears (being the crybaby that I am). There was always a laugh to be had with the witty psychological battles and silly bouts between characters. A win for the main cast felt like a win to me. Over these last 250 chapters and 2+ years that I’ve been reading, I feel as though I’ve been through a journey.

Quickly before the nitty-gritty plot things begin, I would like to mention that the visuals for the manga are wonderful, and the sharp style is basically perfect for what the manga is. The character designs and background art are also both awesome. The excellent art has actually even led me to buy some volumes on a whim!

The semantics of plot development can be expressed by dividing the progression into two categories. The first one is the comedy / “Love is War” parts, where our protagonists (and often others as well) engage in a psychological duel to gain an advantage over the other in the confession rat race. This occurs more often towards the beginning of the manga and (in addition to the pure entertainment factor) gives insight to general characterization of the cast and introduces us to big ideas that become important later on. The other is more difficult to define. This category refers to the story arcs where there are larger stakes at play, and a character’s entire basis is on the verge of change. The emotional arcs, the thrilling arcs, and the downright badass arcs all come together under this umbrella to serve some sort of greater purpose in helping characters grow. I honestly think that this is one of the best things about Kaguya-sama.

Character growth is limited not to a single event or person, but extends as far as the story continues. Each and every main character (well…) has some kind of internal conflict underlying their goofy dynamics with the others, and must deal with their values being confronted. In this process, we emotionally invest ourselves in that progression, laughing, anguishing, and loving with them. Though this is not necessarily unique to Kaguya-sama, I believe that as far as I’ve read, Kaguya-sama does it the best.

Now, with all of this praise, one would believe that my assertions warrant a 10/10 score. This is not the case only because of the inevitability of the last arc being too quick. In comparison to the previous character arcs, each warranting hefty praise for what they accomplish as standalone arcs, the final arc of the manga lacks the same structure bent on emotional development, and we feel a sort of “urge to end the story” permeating the chapters. Though, this is understandable, given Aka’s situation with Oshi no Ko. Regardless, the journey from start to finish of Kaguya-sama has gotten me so invested as a reader that its post-finale chapters have left me debilitated to an extent.

With the conclusion of Kaguya-sama’s serialization comes one of the largest punches to the gut that I have ever felt from an anime/manga coming to an end. The final chapters were one of the hardest things for me to read due to my massive attachment to the story. I can’t even express how upset I am, even writing this review. All I can say is that regardless of your stance on romantic comedies, Kaguya-sama: Love is War is a must watch/read. The massive void that I felt at the end of this manga attests to just how much of an impact it has had on me as a reader.

I like to call this the Death Note of school romantic comedies. If Death Note ever made you laugh out loud (on purpose). This manga is a breath of fresh air, as usually romcom manga start out with them meeting and being put into an awkward more than friends but less than lovers scenario, or some misunderstanding happens and all the characters are pissed at each other. Not with Kaguya Wants to be Confessed To, in this manga both main characters are too proud and scared to confess, so they try and bait each other into revealing their feelings. There are a lot ofabsurd convoluted situations, AHA, THAT WAS MY PLAN THE ENTIRE TIME moments, and an adorable and goofy side character that may or may not be masterminding everything behind the scenes.

The art sytle is more suited for subtle humor than pure quality, and honestly it works a lot better that way.

The humor is intelligent and original, there are no cliche scenes (unless one of the MCs planned it out to be a cliche to get a reaction out of the other MC), only one Tsukomimi scene, and very little "hurr durr panties and boobies" humor. Its just originally funny.

Oh yeah, there's a minimum amount of ecchi fanservice in this. This is a manga that I could and did read on my phone in a Panera. This is probably because it is a shounen written by a woman, and that also makes it so that its an easily accessible manga for both genders.

What is a romcom? Sounds like a simple question, but it’s a question Love is War has challenged this question for me, especially in the current climate of romantic comedy manga. As one can briefly infer from my profile, Love is War is my favourite anime / manga series of all time, and I could rant for hours and hours about every intricate detail of this series and how this series has left a life changing impact on me, but for your sake (the reader), I’ll disregard it. Love is War presents itself almost as a mockery of the climate of romcoms, having the wholepoint of the series resolve around what many other series use as ways to extend serialisation of volumes as the focal point on how it’s run. Within minutes of reading the first chapter, the synergy between the primary duo is self-obvious, which allows the manga to get away with placing them in the most absurd situations (as long as it fits the high school theme of the manga) without making it feel cringey or bland. Sure, there are the “cliché” chapters such as the umbrella chapter, the summer festival chapter, and many others, but what makes this series unique is how Akasaka shows all the cliches in a complete separate light from other series, which gives the series a fresh feel compared to other series alike itself.

Adding onto the sentence of the absurdity, another strength of the series is how it makes the super exaggerated characters have a feeling of relatability and down-to-earthiness about them. I, myself can personally relate to Kaguya, Shirogane, Yuu and Iino, even though their base characters are far from normalised, because Akasaka, while for sometimes comedic affect, allows the characters to show personal struggle and overcoming that struggle, which for a romantic comedy of this nature is a rarity.

On the topic of comedy, I don’t think I’ve ever read a series that has made me burst out laughter as much as this series has. The characters being as exaggerated as they are with the addition of the create facial expressions shown in Akasaka’s art style, as well as the absurd situation, makes this manga very hard to put down. Even the most mundane high school ideas such as school tests or parent teacher interviews change from their mundaneness to a complete gag fest. This series also utilises a wide variety of other series to provoke laughter, which it seamlessly achieves.

To help compliment the absurd comedy, the story within the series is phenomenal for a romance, and at points makes me stunned in the effortless contracts throughout itself. While starting out as an episodic series, eventually a more arc styled part fleshes through, which helps give the non-main couple cast a time to advance as characters, while keeping the “who will confess first” narrative in every arc. And during the episodic chapters, it’s not like the story feels flat with the constant high-stacks narrative each chapter attends to.

And for personal enjoyment well, I’ve read the series 18 times, and as a broke high school student I still have managed to save up enough money to spend 240 dollars on the series. I don’t think I need to go into anything else to show my undying affection for this work by Akasaka.

So, to sum it up, an incredible manga by a very talented Mangaka which breaks the common cliches of a traditional romcom and has placed a very special place in many hearts.

Kaguya Wants To Be Confessed To is basically just the battles from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, except the goal is not "I have to defeat the enemy and his/her Stand!", it's "I have to make him/her confess to me!". Kaguya Wants To Be Confessed to is a comedy/romance manga, that bases most of its humor off the over-the-top styles of action in shounen manga. Saying something really minor dramatically! Reciting an entire paragraph in one's mind in just a milisecond! I actually didn't go into this series expecting to really like it - I'm not really a romance person, y'know? But I must say after givingit a shot that it's a lot, lot better than it initially appears.

Story: 10

The chapters are episodic, and features the two main characters trying to get the other to confess their feelings first. It's overly exaggerated in some parts, but that's what makes it fun.

The actual writing is the kind that keeps you hooked and wanting more, and I have to say that the author is a genius at at building up suspense - both for drama and humor. The jokes are great, and they always land on the right moment.

Art: 9

The art is pretty good and consistent in quality, with very few glaring derp panels - and even if there's any, it just helps to make the situation funnier. It's a gold mine for reaction faces too, so that's a plus.

Character: 10

And here's what makes the manga so special to me, what really makes it stand out from the rest - the characters. Sure the story's great, and the art's good, but the endearing characters are where Kaguya-sama really shines. Even the characters you didn't like at first will definitely grow on you and next thing you know you love them just as much as you love the others. The characters are really fleshed out, and just like real human beings, they grow as the story progresses and oh *boy* the character development in this manga is simply amazing.

Except Chika, I guess. She's a demon who only exists to cockblock others and god do I love her too.

Enjoyment: 10

Everything is enjoyable, be it the over exaggerated monologues of the characters, or just some (un)expected character ruining their plans unknowingly. Even the dramatic, more serious scenes are written really well, no matter how awkward they may be.

tl;dr: 10

Kaguya-sama is a romance comedy that's guaranteed to make you bust your gut, never getting repetitive with the kind of unique witty dialogues the characters say and just all-around great writing. I mean, honestly, I really cannot recommend this manga enough. Give it a try, even if you're not a fan of rom-coms.

For some reason (most probably to fill the void created by my own loneliness TT TT), I end up reading a lot of shoujo manga. Shoujo romance manga, in particular, is a guilty pleasure and a great mystery for me. It's a mystery because I don't think any other genre, form of art, or literature is as forgettable as most of the shoujo romance manga on the market. I dislike reading ongoing shoujo manga, especially if it's released monthly, because I tend to forget most of the plot by the time the next chapter comes out. In fact, if I haven't thought about it for3-4 months and stumble upon it on the internet, even though I know I had read it before, it's astonishing how everything about it is erased from my memory.

However, even within the shoujo romance genre, there are some beautiful gems that I can't forget, such as "Taiou no Ie" or "Akatsuki no Yona." Despite the fact that many shoujo mangakas produce subpar work, they occasionally manage to create something extraordinary. This is the case with Akasaka Aka, the author of the manga I'm discussing. While it's not shoujo, it falls under the romance genre, which often falls victim to clichés when in the hands of the wrong author.

Story: 9

"Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen" follows the story of two exceptional students who are the President and Vice-President of a prestigious high school. They are both dignified, have solid backgrounds, and an unconventional view of love. In their perspective, love is a war with a strong hierarchy, and the one who falls in love first loses—the one who confesses first is placed below, oppressed, and forced to obey the winner. They are aware of each other's interest and consider dating, but the problem is that both want to emerge as the victor. This leads to a simple conclusion: "I will make them fall for me and confess first." And thus, our story begins. Each chapter presents the psychological warfare between these characters, filled with intricate plans, twists, and often unfavorable (but amusing for us) outcomes, with a winner and a defeated party. The entire situation is extremely amusing and enjoyable. The plot is a breath of fresh air in the rom-com genre, with the potential to become immensely popular among readers and a weekly pleasure worth looking forward to.

Art: 7

I like the art—it's not exceptional, the character designs are not groundbreaking, and the art style is simple, but it complements the story well. The characters' expressions are spot-on, and crucial moments are skillfully drawn to capture the tension of the situation.

Characters:

Currently, we only have three characters, and each of them is endearing. They are:

Shirogane, the male protagonist and the President: Incredibly intelligent, he's the top student in the entire country. He exudes a sense of badassery, seriousness, and calculative thinking. He understands Kaguya's character better than she does his, allowing him to counter many of her devious plans. However, he's not flawless and occasionally fails to read her, leading to misunderstandings and complete character breakdowns.

Kaguya, the female protagonist and the Vice-President: The heir of Japan's largest corporation, she carries the future of the country's economy on her shoulders. Raised in a sheltered environment, her knowledge of the outside world is limited, and this often becomes her weak point. She devises incredibly complex plans that succeed until her lack of common knowledge alters the outcomes. She does have feelings for Shirogane, but her pride prevents her from admitting it. Instead, she creates more plans and traps in her attempt to win the war. She possesses a devious personality, is quite manipulative, and even has shades of a strong Yandere... it's her inherent naivety that prevents her from becoming a full-fledged "femme fatale."

Fujiwara: The secretary and Kaguya's best friend, she's an extremely cheerful girl. It's hard to determine if she's aware of the war between the two main characters, as she plays a significant role in the creation and failure of many plans. Nonetheless, she's enjoyable to watch. While not as intelligent or wealthy as the main protagonists, she often acts as Kaguya's link to common sense and the outside world, clearing up misunderstandings and helping her learn various things.

Enjoyment: 10

It's difficult not to enjoy this.

Overall: 9

This manga revolves around the battle of egos between two individuals with twisted ideologies. It employs psychological warfare in a remarkably original manner. Unpredictable and engaging, it keeps you eagerly awaiting each battle's resolution.

I wrote this review because I was surprised to find that none had been written yet. This manga is simply too good to be underrated.

**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 atmospherethat 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.

Starts out as a funny but a bit repetitive story that focuses too much on the main characters, in a Kare Kano style plot. Gets much better once other characters start getting more development and the main characters' relationship starts derailing a bit from the initial pattern. The jokes get better and the development is fun despite being somewhat slow. The punchlines and the fast paced style also have a certain 4-koma feel to it, despite not being a true 4-koma. This is very important. The art is pretty good, the characters are cute and expressive, scenarios are also good.

This manga was always at its best when it knew what it was, a comedy. The whole premise was to put a bunch of horny autists in a classroom and have them go to town. The strengths of this manga were in its hilarious and unique premise, but it excelled as a comedy that satirized romance tropes, not as an actual romance. Unfortunately, after the culture festival, it all goes downhill, and its pretty funny as the manga itself even acknowledges this. The manga goes from being a unique school comedy to an unfocused mess of a generic school romance anime as the author starts splittinghis attention onto numerous side characters giving us several different generic romances at the same time, none of which I was really invested in.

Read this for the early comedy chapters, then if you truly have nothing better to do read the rest of it for generic melodramatic school romance.

comedy was 8/10, romance was 3/10 so i give it a 5

No. Fucking Way. Kaguya-sama ENDED?! Good riddance! Why would you want to read a manga about a battle-of-wits comedy romance between characters with chemistry, development, and personalities??? Just kidding. Love is War is one of the GREATEST pieces of fiction to hit the media, and I'm not even exaggerating. What? Fullmetal Alchemist? Bleach? Never heard of that, I'm too busy indulging myself in the presence of Kaguya-sama. If the one who confesses first loses, I guess I lose because I am confessing my love for this manga. Hello, I'm Baby_Penewine. You have most likely never heard of me or come across any of my reviews, but I'm one ofthose reviewers who like to review from the heart. I don't write whatever I think would make you happy, I write exactly what I think. You could say I'm very passionate about my reviews. But do you know what else I'm passionate about? Fucking Kaguya-sama baby.

Oh boy, you gotta read this new harem about an average guy with a harem of girls with no personality!!!! It's really cool I promise!!

That's what people probably think when someone mentions romance or something, but Kaguya-sama is literally the opposite of that. Generic MC #12039 with no personality who? Shirogane is one of the most fantastic characters I've seen in the medium, with every single member of the cast having their own traits. There is literally NO boring character, but we'll get into the details later.

First, let's talk about the plot. Spoiled girl with an ice-cold heart later falls for the main guy and opens up, meh, same story, heard that 1000 times already, but what if I told you this actually made that trope GOOD? And what if I told you the battle-of-wits isn't just a dumb banter with cringe misunderstandings and melodrama, but with actual mind-games and tricks that make you think? And, hear me out, what if they put in actual laugh-out-loud content in basically every chapter and is actually funny? That's Kaguya-sama for you.

If you say that you didn't get hooked to Love is War in the first 5 chapters, you are either a liar or you should be reading Demon Slayer instead. Love is War looked at a plot setup and literally said "I'm going to make this perfect", and it did NOT lie. It has one of the most brilliant introductions I've seen to the characters and plot and before you know it, you can't just put down the book.

But what if I told you Kaguya is not just about the battle-of-wits and comedy? Then what else would it have? Genuinely meaningful character interactions and banter.

I dare you to pair up ANY of the main cast together. All of the interactions would be unique and entertaining.

Don’t believe me?

I will name every character and the dynamic they have with the other characters in the main cast. Skip this if you’re bored.

Shirogane-Kaguya: They literally have the main focus of the series, and of course they’re great. They’re too shy around each other and it’s adorable how much they’re made for each other.

Shirogane-Chika: Teacher and student dynamic, and probably the most fun one here. Chika getting pissed at Shirogane has to be some of the best running gags in the series with Shirogane being absolutely awful at everything he does. You’re lying if you never liked them as a duo.

Shirogane-Ishigami: The bromance everyone wishes of. It’s such a realistic approach of a friends dynamic, and I really like how they both encourage each other towards their dreams.

Shirogane-Miko: I really like the senpai-kouhai dynamic, as it’s really cute how Shirogane is so nervous around her while Miko is in awe of him. Another brilliantly written duo.

Kaguya-Chika: Possibly the funniest dynamic in the series, how can you not love them? Chika literally loves her, yet Kaguya switches from “Awww BFF for life!!” to “Man, fuck you bitch”.

Kaguya-Ishigami: Just noticed this list is getting long af so I’ll make these shorter, another senpai-kouhai relationship, except Ishigami is fucking terried of her, which comes with really funny scenarios.

Kaguya-Miko: Literally Kaguya-Chika except Miko doesn’t trust Kaguya. They do share some moments where they support each other and it’s really sweet!

Chika-Ishigami: My God, Chika is great with everyone! Chika and Ishigami have some great banter, with Ishigami usually the victim to Chika’s praks.

Chika-Miko: Man, how can you not love them? Miko literally idolises her while Chika uses her as a tool, lmao.

Ishigami-Miko: The last one, and I saved one of the bests for last! This is possibly the most developed duo over the course, as they have gone from hating each other to being half-friends with some other stuff too. I can’t go into much details but the way the author handled this was fantastic and I applaud him for that.

Now that the dynamics are done, shall we talk about the characters, while we’re at it?

Like I mentioned, Shirogane is one of the best characters in anime history, and my favourite protagonist (not my favourite character lol, can’t top Shimarin). He is one of those protagonists who don’t look plain, generic, and every synonym of that. He has a distinct appearance that is unique to him and him alone (and also literally one of the most attractive characters ever). Aside from appearance, his character is fantastic. He started from a “meh, just a random bozo who spends all his time studying” to a great, inspiring character. His insecurities are wonderfully handled and everything he does has a motive to it. I cannot have a single complaint about him. I also love how useless he is at basically everything else, which sets up some really funny scenarios.

I don’t know why people are arguing over Marin vs Yor or whatever, because Kaguya easily tops. She has one of the best character arcs I’ve seen from an emotionless and moody girl to a sensitive, thoughtful character. Some people have found her unlikeable and selfish, but she made it up for it, as she has become the great and inspiring queen we all know.

When there’s something with love… in your neighbourhood… who ya gonna call? Love Detective Chika, of course!

Chika is definitely the funniest character in my opinion, with her constant barging in and weird and quirky lines. If Kaguya is your cure to depression, then Chika is your injection of happiness. There is not a single dull moment with her, and it shows. We will and always will see her as our heroine.

Ishigami, oh Ishigami. What the hell would Love is War be without you? Ishigami adds a LOT to Kaguya-sama, and when I say a lot, I mean he made the show a lot better! He has a lot of humour and is very relatable. I’m sorry Kaguya, but Ishigami has a better arc (although every character have God tier character developments). Ishigami sort of reminds me of Tomozaki, as they both started as a gamer nobody to a gamer somebody (lmao) with a peak fiction arc (you know what I mean).

Miko is seriously so cute, don’t you just feel like headpatting her at all times of the day? Of course, her development is awesome, I think I touched on development too much but seriously, her development is just so good. I don’t really know what else to say, just she is a great addition and I don’t know what the series would be without her.

Now, some side characters who are equally as great as the main cast:

Hayasaka is known to be best girl, with endearing moments with Kaguya. I really like how she was introduced as Kaguya’s personal servant and slave but ended with being her own person and doing what she wants. This was a great theme for the series and very inspiring. And not to mention, she’s funny and cute as hell, I understand why she’s known as best girl.

Imouto? Like what little sister? Disgusting incest or incest teasing? Or annoying sisters all over their brother? Or even more annoying sisters where their only lines are “creep”, “disgusting”, and “pervert”. Well, Kei Shirogane is literally fuckingggg greatttttt. She doesn’t do any of these (except maybe the last one, but not much), and she’s her own character in my personal opinion, not to be known as “Miyuki’s little sister”. I feel like she has a right to be best girl. She honestly has the MOST realistic dynamic with Miyuki than anybody else. They’re really funny together and act like every sibling does. You can’t deny it, you were once Kei.

Maki, Kashiwagi, and Tsubasa were also some very fun people to have in here. The recurring sex theme vs suffering was really great, and I really like Maki as a character. Of course, her dynamic with Kaguya, Shirogane, and Ishigami were great and her development was ALSO awesome.

And to make my review not stretch out too long, here are some notable side characters worth mentioning:

Tsubame was cute and helped develop Ishigami.

Karen and Erika had their funny moments on their rare appearances. I enjoy their spinoff too.

People like Onodera, Osaragi, and the like were some nice additions and contributed to the plot and scenarios.

And that concludes the lengthy character section! The one thing I have seen in common with all characters were that they had flaws; none of them were perfect and there weren’t any characters who didn’t fuck up before. They’re all human, and I love the series for that.

The art, I don’t need to go into detail, it’s beautiful, it’s great, and it’s comedic. No complaints.

The voice acting was superb- I mean, like, uh, the dialogue was really really good and made me invested.

Now with all that out of the way, let’s talk about my enjoyment for this series.

…

Do I really need to say this?

Kaguya-sama is one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life. It’s my favourite piece of fiction written (sorry, Amaburi), and while YOU might see flaws, maybe I need contacts because I see none. This series is truly perfect.

Now, the question is, will you like it? That’s up to you to decide. I have opened up the door for you, and it’s your choice if you want to enter or not.

If you choose to enter the door, then I think you’ve made the right choice.

Started the manga, right after the anime. Here i am after 171 chapters. To be honest, i didn't expected much. I'm not a fan of the anime, yet, i've rated 7/10, just because "it bring what we expect to get" when you go for that type of anime. Basically, when i'm choosing to watch something, i start with a 8/10 at the end if i'm satisfied with it, then depending of what i see and get, i rate it higher, or lower. "Kaguya" in the anime and from the 12 episodes bothered me a little bit. The setup, the classic "comic", theback and forth between both of them was way too repetitive. And slowly, the story start to evolve a bit, little by little.

But yet, 12 épisodes was too short.

So i was pretty curious to see how, and why people talk that much about "Kaguya". And started to read the manga. That was yesterday. Yes, 171 chapters since yesterday.

And oh god that was good. That was delicious, that was simply perfect.

The pace, the back and forth, the development of almost every character, the arts, the humor almost everytime on point, the feels too.

Even if it's heavily weighted toward humor, it's smooth AF, echoing just perfectly here, refreshing there...

171 chapter in, yet so much to cover in the story/narrative, and even after 171 chapters, i feel like there was not that much of a filler, maybe 10% through the whole story? It's magic how the author distilate everything so far, giving pieces of everything and mixing them together to give us that masterpiece that is "Kaguya".

I'm now sad, because i'm gonna need to wait each week. :)

A must read.

When I first started reading this I thought this is gonna be your typical romcom but when I read further into the manga I literally fell in love with the story line and their determination to win each others hearts [ specially Miyuki's determination to win over Kaguya]. apart from those two characters[ Miyuki and Kaguya] the other characters such as Ishigami, Miko, chika, etc... had their own unique qualities which I fell in love with. As a 17 year old, there are characters I could both relate to and admire. so I think this is the perfect school life romcom out there. [my opinion]

Well Its finally finished. This manga has been a wild ride to read and I couldn't be happier that i made the decision to read this amazing manga. All the characters serve a purpose and their interactions are all played so well. The flow of the manga simply feels natural. Each characters feels real and you come to understand them and their actions. A perfect character is ishigami. You come to love his character development, as he becomes a lot more social, more open and more mindfull of the people around him. Its amazing to see each character and how the progress and develop in thismanga. I will miss each and every character. There wasnt a single character that felt forceful in the story or was anoying. I will for ever miss this beautiful manga and im forever thankful to the author for creating it. Thank you Mr. Akasaka from the bottom of my heart

Comedies usually aren't that much my thing, though I enjoy reading some from time to time, but the psychological tag made my decision. My first impressions were mixed. On the one hand, the first page got me in, since I do believe that there is a relationship of power in a couple. I took that from a Kundera novel, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, I found it to be quite true throughout the years. That's only the characters' motives though : take the advantage in the future relationship by making the other confess. So I'm on board with the premise. Kaguya's first description, on the otherhand, pissed me off a little. I tend to dislike the very wealthy family background, since it easily breaks the suspension of disbelief for me. And the fact that both Shirogane and her are depicted as geniuses added to my bad first impression. I'll admit though that from time to time, the wealthy background is required, especially in mangas talking about social differences, such as Velvet Kiss (in that manga though, the author builds up the characters nicely). I read the chapters available, the first 18, in a row, so my fears weren't met.

In Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai, since it's a comedy, the hyperbole is fine. Some developments on the characters are interesting, yet still very cliché (Shirogane has somewhat of an inferiority complex because of his more modest background, Kaguya has troubles dealing with everyday life because of her privileged background). Overall though, their background is pretty slim and revolve on these very archetype. To be fair, Fujiwara, their common friend, brings a breath of fresh air, by bringing to the conversations a bit of spontaneousness, hence often breaking the plans of the main protagonists. She's quite shallow in terms of background, but she is the spice and the charm of this manga.

These first chapters are stand-alone chapters, and revolve around psychological duels between the two main characters trying to make the other confess. Some are interesting with nice twists, some are really funny and made me laugh, some are even touching as behind the calculations the characters let genuine emotions through, some are pointless since you see the outcome from a mile away, and some are outright confusing and miss the spot. The structure doesn't bother me in itself. Stand-alone chapters can work really well on me. For example I hold Mysterious Girlfriend X as one of my favorites, because the atmosphere is incredible and the characters really interesting, at least to me.

The problem here is that with the lack of an overall story and the very simplistic background for the characters, the quality of this manga entirely depends on the quality of each chapter's plot. And I wasn't amazed overall. If the psychological part interests you, there are plenty of better mangas out there (if I had to cite only one : Liar Game). Yet, the combination of the psychological games and the light romcom has its value, and for that Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai is a refreshing read.

First of all, I know that it's super tacky to just file in 10s for every slot, but... to not give this manga a 10 would be a crime to my heart. I have loved pretty much everything about this manga so far... its just so wholesome and beautiful. The humor in here is hilarious. I can't even count the number of times that I literally bursted out laughing from this.... its just so fucking wonderful. Without hinting at spoilers, the plot is perfect. You can actually see progress within the characters and really feel like you're in their heads (except for Fujiwara of course) I binged136 chapters in a little over three days (honestly pretty weak imo)... and I loved every second of it. JUST START READING ALREADY. YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT.

First Manga Review so go easy on me Ill spare you the History nitty gritties and the easter eggs , those are for the more hardcore fans. But As a anime fan that had to read this as his first manga eve , this is probably the most etched in my mind, And so even if I may be biased or inexperienced due to the lack of a huge library but still , for me ,kaguya-sama is the best MANGA that I have read so far The charm of kaguya-sama is that , it is an amazing take at the romance genre , it does just enough tohave a unique formula of Battle of wits but it is still in the realms of believability and also RELATABLE.

Now this alone makes it an excellent read , But why do I think that kaguya sama is the best manga that i can think of?

Its the ease of Picking it up, Reading it and having a good time! regardless of you being a newbie or not.

That is the whole point no?

What really drew me in is that the ART of kaguya sama is equally as good as the ART of the Anime and the Familiarity of most settings like the council room and the other places where the scenes occur is much easier for a newer manga reader to properly follow and learn how anime flows du to most of the Scantalations of this manga being very dedicated and thorough. The panels are all structured in a way that makes you naturally follow the flow even if you may be new to reading manga. And the general availability and plot of the show is an added advantage.

It has the basics down to the T by making sure the Characters are quite charming yet are flawed enough so that cheering them through their journey and Watching them grow makes you really connect with their special moments . The "Filler Chapters" are also executed properly and always have a purpose whether it is to develop a character or inch the plot forward, And are always blended nicely with good comedy be it with comedic Timing or the character expression.

The only reason this is not a 10 and had me feel very dejected is because it felt like the story was rushed to a close and some interesting plot points were not explored to the extent I wished they were, but that is just me.

A sequel or side story is hinted at multiple times, But I feel that this is where we must part ways , and remember fondly the shuuchin student council and their battle for love.

(Repost because MAL marked my first post as preliminary) Kaguya-sama: Love is War is a Romance and Comedy Masterpiece. Love is War starts off with a unique premise but not a lot to expect. An emo, a loli, a cutesy and big breasted girl and a nerd compose the student council of the most prestigious school in Japan. With not much context at the start, the president(nerd) and vice-president(loli) try to get each other to confess through a game of psychology and tactics because both of them are too shy to do it themselves. Along with the other members of the student council and some side characters,it creates a funny and creative atmosphere and vibe that makes watching/reading Love is War very entertaining. But at the end of the day, its just a RomCom, or so what I thought.

Comedy is subjective and not everyone will find what some think is funny but jokes get overused quite quickly. Most comedies, whether it is western or an anime suffer this problem. Love is War is built different. Love is War continuously thinks of new jokes or new ways of how to be funny. The comedy is never cringey. It has the perfect amount of stupid yet is also witty. It even reuses old jokes in way that it is still funny. And it maintains this all throughout the publication of the manga. I have never watched/read any comedy that was this consistent in terms of its comedy.

Another great thing about Love is War is that the story and characters are actually very good, especially for a RomCom. All the characters that get introduced have depth and develop. A prime example would be Ishigami(the emo). I intend to make this spoiler free so just find out yourself. The characters unfold themselves and reveal that they aren't joke dispensers but are human and imperfect. Expectations, inequality, friendship, perseverance; These are only some of the themes tied with the characters. They learn and experience the high school life and the lessons that come with it. They are relatable and realistic. These factors make Love is War unexpectedly dramatic and emotional.

Probably the biggest surprise about Love is War is how good the art is sometimes. As the series progresses, you can see how the art improves. The art sings along with the characters and amplifies what is felt by the character and by the reader. Whether those feelings may only be funny and whimsical or sad and regretful. But for whatever situation it may be, the art is always appropriate. The art most of the time is relatively normal with wacky bits here and there. But when the time comes, a one page artistic masterpiece greets you. Absolutely worth it for you to screenshot these panels.

Lastly, Love is War has good love. A problem with RomCom anime/manga is that it has ridiculous romance, especially the harem ones. Love is War on the other hand, has especially good romance without even considering the ridiculous premise in the introduction. From a stupid game of trying to make the other confess, it came to a point of understanding and accepting one another. The romance is real. Along with the characters, the reading experience feels real. It doesn't feel ridiculous or unrealistic to happen in a real relationship, even if one is not particularly an expert in such. Makes one really want a partner.

With everything said, Love is War without a doubt in my mind, is a Masterpiece. A classic of romance and comedy to be remembered for years to come. A must read for anyone, even if they aren't a fan of the genre. I am glad to have witnessed this masterpiece while it was still publishing. I have learned a lot and felt many emotions too from this manga. I am sad to see this manga end. Reading this was a journey in out of itself. Truly an incredible experience.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened" - Dr. Seuss

Before chapter 160 or so, it's a 10/10. Kaguya and Miyuki figure out that they like each other in trying to make the other confess. It's funny, cute and doesn't ever stray too far from the romantic development. However, the romcom after 160 is so heavy on character development that it loses a lot of the "rom" and "com" aspect found in the earlier chapters (and the anime from season 3 and before). The story that Akasaka writes is good, but because it spreads itself so thin documenting so many different characters, it feels rudderless at times because he forgets whom everyone is supposed to becircling around. It feels more real at the expense of losing focus on Kaguya and Miyuki.

Kaguya becomes a different manga. It isn't bad storytelling, but it's a bit heavier and feels like continuous and complicated side tangents that sometimes circle back to the two protagonists. This different manga warrants an 8. Averaging the rating before 160 and the rating after gives a 9/10.

TL;DR - "Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai" is Nisekoi 2.0: A promising series with a very powerful plot-hook, which throws away all of its potential and becomes an utter dumpster-fire towards the end. This series casts away many of the plot devices it painstakingly sets up, outright disrespects one character, and completely disrespects the intelligence of the reader. This series can be incredibly frustrating to read later on, and thus I advise you to read it at your own discretion. You are probably reading all of these great reviews of Kaguya-sama, and wondering how I could possibly give it such a low score. To that I say, friend,do not ever believe somebody who gives an anime series a 10/10; it was either written by a fanboy/ fangirl, or somebody who has never once been exposed to something better. Do not allow ignorant children to decide how you will spend the precious moments of your life. Now, onto the actual content of this "review" (which is really more of a cautionary PSA than a proper 'review', and one which, out of respect for our time, I shall try to keep very short.)

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai originally got a lot of acclaim for bringing the 'Death Note' character dynamic into the romantic comedy genre. "What would happen if you put two genius rivals against each other, in a battle of love?" When you read a plot synopsis like this, it is hard not to enthusiastically recall one's fond memories of either watching or reading Death Note during childhood, and start mentally hyping yourself up to read this series. It is such an appealing idea for a plot hook that you just can't help yourself. In my opinion, this plot hook is what made the series so popular, and why so many people were willing to give this series the benefit of the doubt all the way up until its bitter end, myself included.

This is where I will caution you. I must remind you here that the saying "Curiosity killed the cat" exists for a reason. Rarely is anything as good for you as it says on the can, and Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai is one such of these cases where that adage is offensively true. In the first place, neither of the two main characters are geniuses, and neither are the people who rated this series a 10/10.

I am reluctant to give credit where it is due with such an overrated series, because many people will start to think, "Maybe it isn't as bad as he's saying," and read it regardless of my advice. That said, I'll do it anyway. The truth is that, if you do read this series, you will be decently well-rewarded up until around, or just after the "Christmas Party" scene, depending on your personal opinions. Up until this point, the comedy was "on-point," and the drama was relevant-- Not always high-quality, mind you, but relevant to the story. The Christmas Party scene is easily, in my opinion, the point really where the drama gets as good as it is ever going to get. Without going into spoiler territory, the clock is ticking the way that it should. What you get is a series of events that really puts the secondary male lead, Yu Ishigami, into the spotlight and makes him feel like a fairly realistic, even somewhat relatable depiction of an angsty teenage male.

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I will avoid going into too much detail, but I sincerely advise caution if you are going to read this review any further. I would not want to spoil the story for you, should you have any plans of reading it. I'll try to be gentle with the spoilers, but some of what I have to say should not be taken lightly. You have been warned.

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Unfortunately, the author, 'Akasaka Aka,' was going through a divorce while writing Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai, and the chapters after the aforementioned "Christmas Party" is also where the author's personal troubles really begin to emerge within the work in strange ways. For instance, the Christmas Party scene is where he decided with certainty to reverse a previous decision he'd made with regards to whom Yu would eventually be paired up with-- and eventually, by the end of the series, pair him up with no one (or arguably Miko, depending on how you interpret the events of the flash-forward chapter.) Now, this alone would not be such a bad decision to make. It is okay to pivot and change course, with something like a relationship that you've developed, especially if that decision exists to make a greater point, leads to better writing, or brings a superior happiness into the character's 'life' on-page. That said, this 'reversal' of-sorts did not accomplish any of this, and what follows it are countless chapters of empty melodrama without any of the original focus on the two main characters, the President and Kaguya, nor any of the comedy that the series once touted.

Because Yu functionally becomes the new main character after this point, I will now attempt to summarize his romantic journey, while trying to avoid too much detail or plot spoilers, so that you can begin to understand the frustration of the average reader. My hope is to save you the trouble of reading this series:

- Yu Ishigami is a social outcast (for reasons which are later clarified (and rectified) in the story) and member of the Student Council.

- At this time, a girl named Kobachi Osaragi is watching, and supporting him from the sidelines. Kobachi is a friend of Miko Iino (a character who joins the Student Council fairly early into the story,) and knows that Yu has done nothing wrong to deserve being persecuted by his peers. Miko is a textbook 'tsundere' character: "Angry-cute" at best, but more often one-dimensional and emotionally abusive in a cast of otherwise 'normal' characters, which also is when she's at her worst.

- Not knowing he has a friend close by in Kobachi, Yu becomes interested in his senpai, Tsubame Koyasu, through their mutual involvement in the cheer squad.

- Yu is propositioned sexually by Tsubame at the Christmas Party, but he declines for moral reasons. Realizing what he has just done is "cringe," Yu attempts to commit suicide, but is saved by the plucky Miko Iino, whom at this point has admitted to herself that she has a crush on him. At this point, any good comedy goes extinct, and we still have half of the series left to go.

- Miko emotionally abuses Yu by pretending that her injuries from the party have not yet healed, in order to guilt him into doting on her.

- Tsubame and Yu grow closer in the aftermath of the party, eventually dating, but it doesn't work exactly out and he is rejected by Tsubame.

- All while this is happening, we get more hints about Kobachi being the one who will eventually have Yu's heart, as she continues to lend support to him from the background.

- Miko decides she will "openly" vie for Yu's affections (this ultimately amounts to very little, as no major developments happen until, arguably, after the story is already over.)

- This upsets Kobachi, who seemingly has real love for Yu as a result of him helping her out of a bad social situation in middle school. In her mind, Miko's affections are no more than circumstantial puppy love.

- Kobachi and Miko start fighting about seemingly nothing for nine chapters, and some very hurtful words are said. While the story eventually moves on and the two 'sort of' forgive each other, things never really get completely patched over between the two of them.

- After her multi-chapter meltdown, Kobachi bizarrely resolves herself to become a "missed connection," never telling Ishigami her feelings, and is effectively written out of the story. The final time we see her is when she is yet again stumping for the same Miko that never 'really' apologized to her. The way she is treated by the author is so disrespectful to her character as to be out-of-place within what was supposed to be a romantic comedy series, and has led many to speculate that Yu Ishigami and Kobachi Osaragi were written to be stand-ins for the author and his now ex-wife.

- The series closes with Yu and Miko both expressing within themselves a desire to get closer to the other. However, during a flash-forward "reunion" chapter which happens towards the end of the series, Miko begins hitting on former Student Council President Shirogane in front of Yu. Additionally, Yu seems to be looking enviously at his wedding ring. This strongly implies that Yu and Miko never went anywhere as a couple, that Yu was never able to find romantic happiness with anyone, and that his life now exists as a foil to the president's.

Well, does that sound like good writing to you? Does it sound funny? In that case, then I also recommend Nisekoi and, while you're at it, Shadow Star Narutaru. You are so far beyond saving, that you will surely love them. This has been my "review."

Final score: 3 blunts out of five required per reading session to enjoy (appx. a 4/10.) Do not attempt to read without enough irony or intoxication to knock a horse on its ass.

Absolute cinema. Kaguya-sama: Love is War started as a comedy, something light-hearted and fun. But somehow, along the way, it became so much more than that. I grew to love these characters—their flaws, their growth, their pain, their happiness. Watching Kaguya and Shirogane slowly open up to each other, fighting their pride just to say 'I love you'—it was beautiful. And that’s why I hate it now. Not because it was bad. But because it’s over. The manga is finished. No more student council, no more chaos, no more games of love. And I hate that fact. It hurts, saying goodbye to something that meant so much. Still, I haveto admit... the ending was pretty great. It gave closure, it gave warmth, and it gave us hope.

I just really, truly hope the anime someday adapts everything—so we can all relive this masterpiece again."**