Kaguyama-sama: Love is War (S1) Review

HannahCN

Well-known member
[video=youtube]https://youtu.be/rZ95aZmQu_8[/video][/align]

There are few things greater than an anime that knows what it's about and embraces it whole-heartedly. 'Will they, won't they' is the bane of every romance anime ever, and if a romance anime wants to be anywhere *near* good, it had better overcome this trope which usually results in the two love interests being bashful at each other for an entire season and then finally admitting they like each other, end scene, roll credits, add another one to the books.

Orrrrrrrr... like Kaguya-sama does, you could embrace this trope and turn it up to 11, laugh at it the entire time while doing so, and just trust your audience will do likewise (which, trust me, you will). So what is this show all about? Two super-genius tsundere, the female rich and smart student council vice-president Shinomiya Kaguya, and the male poor but smarter student president Shirogane Miyuki, like each other. Day in day out they have to work together for the good of the school, and so eventually they decide the other isn't half-bad. This is the *start* of the show. Remember what I said about turning 'Will they, won't they' up to 11? Yeah. They are both super prideful, and both of them think that if they were to confess their love to the other, it would make them seem weak, so one hare-brained scheme after another is thought up to make the other confess their love first. Or ask them out for a date. Or ask them for their phone number, which could be taken as being interested, etc... The pair are so smart that they approach each opportunity to get closer to the other as a chess problem, trying to figure out how to make the other initiate it, and in the end... never getting anywhere. Add the chaotic elements of Fujiwara Chika, the cute but ditzy student council secretary, with zero ability to read the room, and Ishigami Yu, the student council treasurer convinced Shinomiya is going to kill him (don't ask XD), and this show will just never fail to make you laugh.

It's the best kind of rom-com there could possibly be: you want these two idiots to get together already, but at the same time you just can't stop face-palming so hard over how smart yet how stupid they are. Add to that the fact that each episode is cut into smaller pieces (often called 'battles', even going so far as to declare a winner or loser for the day, because yes, these two are so intense over their schemes XD) and there is literally no reason you shouldn't be watching this.

In the end, there is little more to say about this show than what I've said above. It's got no grand sweeping story. The music is very upbeat, and *totally* right for the show, and I recommend you start each and every episode by watching the OP just to get in the right mood. The characters are idiots, but that's why you'll love them. In the end, it really only does one thing - but damn, it does it so well.

PS: Also, see that (S1) there, right in the title of this review? It's there because Season 2 just started. So watch this if you haven't already, and then dive into the rest of it. ^_^​
 
The biggest thing that attracted me to this series is the Opening SONG, but I watched it and found it to be an average rom com, not up to my taste...
 
hi @hannahcn great review like always.
and hadn't been here for a long time so haven't known about this review. i am going to check this one out.
 
Back
Top