Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

## Season 1

### Soundtrack

Love Is War has one of the most unique opening songs ever. It's definitely a unique genre that the showrunners chose for the opening. Maybe I don't like it as much as other people, but I can recognize real good music even if I don't personally like it. I will say that it definitely fits the dramatic and comedic vibe of the show, though. It's also a really "charismatic" song. The visuals are also really good. The animation is really fluid, and the colors are really vibrant. Overall, it's a really good opening.

The ED is an excellent song by halca. Definitely a highlight. While it certainly sounds cliche, it definitely fits the vibe of the whole anime. Almost unskippable.

### Thoughts

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is one of the most "anime" animes of all time. It has those classic romcom cringy blush moments, really off-putting fanservice, and regular old anime gags. It does all of that while also striking your heart from multiple angles, whether it's love, jealousy, or familial issues. Maybe it doesn't do any of those as good as other animes, but it does them all pretty well. Truly a jack of all trades.

The overarching story of Love Is War is mainly about Miyuki and Kaguya's blossoming relationship, so I'll just talk about that. Their relationship is really nice to see. At first, it looks like blushslop, but their relationship is so much more than that. Miyuki is kind of this figure that opens doors to the beauty of life for Kaguya, while she's more of a thorn in Miyuki's side. This is basically the tried and true formula for romcoms. Yet, the writing is pretty good for such a simple concept. There are layers to their relationship. There's competition, jealousy, love, cuteness, and every other emotion under the sun. They're all executed so well that it's hard to just pick one aspect to like.

I think the characters themselves are pretty interesting. Miyuki and Kaguya are written incredibly well, their characterization as the two highest performing students is more interesting than expected. On the other hand, Chika and Yuu are vehicles of comedy for the story. Despite that, the show gives them ample screentime to provide depth to their character. Due to that, their dynamics really feel that much more real. I'm talking about interpersonal and intrapersonal ones, here. They really feel like truly unique people. You really feel how they feel as a friend group. It's not a feeling that a lot of animes can provide.

One last thing I'd like to talk about are the little things this anime does. I really enjoy a lot of the sequences in this anime, especially the comedic ones. I enjoyed the plane sequence in the final episode, the ramen chapter, the Yuu chapter, and others way too much. Perhaps these pieces of the anime don't matter as much to the overarching story to most people, including me. It's definitely the most striking problem for me, but I can still recognize how important it is to the story. They seem like disconnected pieces at first, but even though they're filler, they still provide much-needed characterization of the characters. This is something that this show does really really well. In conclusion, the vast variety of comedy chapters that this show provides is both a strong and weak point of the anime.

In conclusion, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is a really good anime for people who want to watch anime. Maybe it's out of the ordinary for people who have never watched anime, and that's fine. It's definitely something uniquely written in the Japanese sphere. Overall, I will say that the first season provides a 9/10 Mid-Gem solid foundation. I can't wait to watch whatever comes next.

## Season 2

### Soundtrack

I will say that the opening of season 2 is better than first season's. Though, as a song on Spotify, I think the battle's a lot closer than what people would expect. Both songs are really good.

The ending song is as good as the first season's. I like that it's a lot slower than the first season's, which means it feels more melancholic. The visuals are pretty good, too. It's really tough for me to say which one I like better, but I think the first season's is more memorable. The second season's is really good, though. It's a nice change of pace from the first season's.

### Thoughts

I'll keep my thoughts brief, as this was clearly an intermission season. Unlike the first season, there definitely isn't as much relationship development between Kaguya and Miyuki. The show made up for that and more by giving more focus to the other characters, though. I really enjoyed seeing and feeling the other characters more.

I did say that the main couple got less development, but the show is still incredibly creative in how they make up more interestingly hilarious scenarios where they have to hide their love. It's so much more better written than the first season. Like, the moon episode was nice, so was the heart attack episode, and so on. I don't know how it was done. So crazy.

I especially liked seeing more of Yuu, though. Even though he's not part of the central story at all, he still provides so much for the student council's dynamic. More than that, his backstory is really interesting and provides for so much material, like the introduction of Miko. I also really liked his overall arc of moving forward. Even if the premise is as simple as him standing up for someone only to be shut down, it somehow tugged at my heartstrings really hard. There are so many good moments in this arc. It's so good. Maybe it's just the loner in me relating to him? Nevertheless, Yuu Ishigami is an integral part of this season.

As for the other characters, they were pretty good, too. Chika is still just as funny and endearing. Though, I did get to see more of her smart side this season. On the other hand, Miko looks to be a pretty interesting character in the future. I enjoyed seeing her backstory with Yuu and her eventual dynamic with him. It's definitely something that will be explored more in the future, I hope.

Overall, Kaguya-sama Love Is War Season 2 elevates the show as a whole into 10/10 territory. In fact, I would go on to say it makes this show "feature complete" in a way. The only thing it needs to do now is continue. No more notes from me.

## Season 3

### Soundtrack

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War Season 3's opening song is quite good. It's definitely got the best animation out of the three seasons. The song itself is quite fun, with a nice beat and vocals. But it just doesn't burrow into your head as much as the other openings, though. The catchphrase "GIRI GIRI" doesn't really hit as hard as "LOVE IS WAR" or "DADDY DADDY DO".

The main ending song is pretty good. It's a catchy song with really improved visuals. Overall really nice. It's good, but not as good as EP05's ending song. While the character design was a bit uncanny, the song itself was really good. It was a nice change of pace from the usual ending songs, and it fit the episode's theme really well.

Oh, and I'd also like to say that I really enjoyed the decision to bring back the first season's ending song for the final episode. It was a really nice callback, and I didn't really expect to hear it in full.

### Thoughts

Season 3 of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War only perfects the already incredible formula from the first two seasons. With just as many episodes as the previous seasons, it manages to pack in so much content, whether it's about the main couple or the side characters. It's really impressive how much content they can pack in without it feeling rushed or crammed. The pacing is really good, and it keeps you engaged throughout the season.

The first eight episodes are really good. It's just the same formula as the previous seasons, but it's executed so well that it doesn't feel stale at all. The scenarios are really creative and hilarious, and the character interactions are just as good as before. The main couple's relationship continues to develop in interesting ways, and the side characters also get their own arcs that are really enjoyable to watch.

Where the season really shines is in the last four episodes. I genuinely really loved the Culture Festival arc. It really showed the depth of all of the characters once again to top off the anime. Kaguya and Miyuki are as dramatic as ever, Chika is still an excellent comic relief, and Yuu's arc only glued me to the screen. The way they handled Yuu's arc was really impressive. It was emotional, well-paced, and it provided a lot of character development for him.

Okay, I especially liked that final, 12th episode. First of all, the build-up to it was excellent. I didn't think for a second that Miyuki was the Phantom Thief, Arsene, but the fact that he had less screentime overall in the last four episodes should've made it obvious. What he did in that episode was really impressive, both in terms of the writing and what he actually did in the anime. It was so convoluted and well-executed that it really blew my mind. The entire "Phantom Thief" thing was really just a personification of Miyuki's feelings for Kaguya, and the way they revealed it was really clever. It was a great way to show how much Miyuki cares for Kaguya in an incredibly dramatic way, the way it's supposed to be. More than that, I really liked the climax of the episode, where Kaguya and Miyuki finally confess their feelings for each other. That whole flashback sequence of their moments together with Sentimental Crisis playing in the background really hit different. It was really well-done, and their confession felt like a really satisfying conclusion to the season.

Overall, Kaguya-sama Love Is War season 3 is an excellent continuation and conclusion to the story so far. It only perfects the already great formula of the previous seasons, while also providing some really great character development and emotional moments. The last four episodes, in particular, are a highlight, the cherry on top of an already amazing season. I can't wait to watch the movies and whatever comes next for this series. This season's definitely a 10/10 season, and it solidifies Kaguya-sama: Love Is War as one of the best romance animes out there.

## The First Kiss that Never Ends

### Soundtrack

I will say that the opening song for this movie is really good. It's definitely got a more catchy and upbeat vibe than any of the anime's openings, and it really fits the animation, too. The visuals are really good, as well. I think visual-wise, it's my favorite Kaguya-sama opening. Overall, it's a really good opening. Hard to say if the song's better than the anime's openings, though.

The ending song is pretty good, too. It's a nice change of pace from the anime's first and third season's ending songs, which are more upbeat. This one is more mellow and emotional, like the second season's ending song. I think it makes for a more enjoyable intermission between the chapters of the movie. Other than that, the visuals are really good, too. Overall, it's a really good ending song.

### Thoughts

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -The First Kiss That Never Ends- is a really good continuation of the Love Is War story. In fact, I think it continues the story of the main characters, Kaguya and Miyuki, the best out of any post-confession story I've ever watched. The plot just makes sense while also being Love Is War level fun. Even better than that is the pacing. Maybe this movie is just a mash of chapters, but I still enjoyed it nevertheless. It felt like an hour long movie, in a good way.

As I said before, Kaguya and Miyuki's story continues in this movie in such a dramatic yet realistic fashion. Like, of course things would be awkward after that kiss, especially considering it was an "adult kiss". I really enjoyed Kaguya's whole arc of dealing with that and her past trauma. It was nice seeing someone realizing that she needed to show every side of herself to the one she loved. I also really liked the decision of having Miyuki be extremely nervous to show his sides. He really wanted to be a man worthy of Kaguya. Their dynamic and interactions in that final park scene was genuinely incredible to watch. Up to this point in the story, they were equals, but now their dynamic was asymmetric, if that makes sense. Kaguya was insecure about her icy side, while Miyuki didn't feel worthy of Kaguya. To see all of the emotions that they had bottled up way before get released in that moment was amazing. For me, it was the first time watching Kaguya-sama: Love Is War where I felt envious of the main characters. They really do belong together!

I will say that there is something I really hate about this movie, and that is the way they handled Yuu. The entire movie is basically about Kaguya and Miyuki, so I get why Yuu didn't get much screentime. Unfortunately the showrunners decided that they would half-ass his entire story. Like, I get what they're trying to do with Miko and Tsubame, but they didn't let it cook in the pan at all. I don't even understand why Miko would like Yuu in the first place. More than that, there was barely any mention or screentime of Yuu, Miku, and Tsubame at the Christmas party. There was just an off-hand remark by Tsubame at the end about an awkward situation she and Yuu had. Holy shit, what a miss. I was genuinely invested in Yuu's story before, but now I'm highly skeptical that it will even be executed properly in the future.

To end this review, I must say that in a vacuum, this movie is pretty good. But, the quality of the story is definitely intensified from the franchise that it resides in. That's a good thing, a testament to how good the Kaguya-sama series is. I can't wait to see what comes next. 9/10 movie.