What’s this?
Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane are two geniuses who stand at the top of their prestigious academy’s student council, making them the elite among the elite. But he is alone at the top and each has fallen in love with the other. There’s just one big problem standing in the way of lovesick happiness: they’re both too proud to be the first to confess their romantic feelings, and thus become the “losers” in the love competition.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War Ultra Romantic is the latest entry in television anime based on alias akasakaThe manga and broadcasts on Crunchyroll Fridays.
How was the first episode?
James Beckett
Classification:
One of the “perks” of being a teacher is essentially serving as a kind of undercover anthropologist who specializes in that most elusive and influential species: the modern adolescent. I’m like Jane Goodall; I live among them, in their native environment, and since they don’t give a shit what I think, I’m free to study the peculiar social rituals and developmental adaptations that these aggressive, hormonal pack animals undergo. As such, I feel I can say, from legitimately authoritative experience, that one of the things it does Kaguya-sama: Love is war such a resounding success is how well it understands the inner lives of teenagers. Specifically, he has a comprehensive understanding of all the ridiculous nonsense teenagers will do to each other when left alone. More importantly, she understands that all of this pointless nonsense, no matter how stupid, will feel to a teenager like the most momentous events of her life.
Kaguya-sama: Love is war –Ultra romantic– it’s essentially more of the same, in that sense: the goofy kids of Shuchiin Academy’s student council spend their days getting into the most ridiculous hijinks, while Kaguya and Miyuki slowly progress along their romantic destinies with each other. “More of the same” may seem like a reverse snap, but that couldn’t be further from the truth in the case of an anime like Kaguya-samaconsidering that the “same” in question happens to be one of the most hilarious and expert animated sitcoms in the industry.
Each of the three sketches in this premiere does what Kaguya-sama it does its best, in that it takes painfully relatable everyday scenarios and ramps up the intensity past the eleven mark that might as well rip off the dial. The opening sketch is perhaps the weakest of the three, as it focuses on Yu trying to deal with Miko not realizing that people can hear the weird crap she hears when she’s studying, and none of these characters are the most strong of the set. The joke about Miko’s weird listening habits isn’t terribly funny either, though that might be because my own ADHD has made me go to some really weird, edgy places for distracting sounds to play when I’m trying to focus.)
However, the other two scenes are gilded and show a wide variety of by Kaguya-sama
Strengths The “Read Receipts” skit is a masterpiece of observational humor, drawing out Kaguya’s technological naivety and presenting Miyuki entirely in pixie mode. It’s one of those parts where the show manages to build horror-movie levels of tension on behalf of these adorably awkward kids and their inability to have a normal conversation. We also get a lot of good content from Ai, which is always a plus.
The “Arm Wrestling” skit is just as funny, mainly because it’s one of those showcases that gets the entire cast involved in a silly mess that allows the performers in Photos A-1 to really strut. It would have been funny if Chika got so obsessed with organizing an arm wrestling contest, but Kaguya-sama goes the extra mile by animating the ever-loving hell of it all. I demand a raise specifically for whoever made the cut where Miyuki’s face nearly implodes against the fury of Kaguya’s sweaty hands (we’ve all been there, girl, no shame in that).
Do you really need me to tell you that by Kaguya-sama Is season three a must-watch for this spring? Of course, no. It has been proven over and over again. Still, in case it needs to be said: yes, the show is excellent and you should definitely watch it. Duh-day, Britta.
Nicholas Dupree
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There’s really nothing else like Kaguya-sama is there? Even as a self-proclaimed rom-com connoisseur, it’s hard to think of another series that has managed to take such a simple premise and turn it into one of the most infectiously funny and consistent anime comedies of the last decade. But whatever alchemy is going on between the source material and the ever-exuberant adaptation team, it’s still firing on all cylinders, and they’ve returned from season two without missing a beat.
The series is not resting on its laurels for this sequel either. It would be easy to throw us back with a classic Kaguya vs Shirogane battle, but instead they bring us proving just how much good the previous season did for the show’s weaker characters. Not only are Inugami and Iino able to pull off a skit almost on their own, but they can do it in a way that capitalizes on all of Inugami’s growth since the previous arc, going from the show’s punching bag to selfless genius-idiot type. that butters the bread in this program. It’s an unconventional way to welcome viewers, but it promises to be as fun as ever.
From there it is the same. Kaguya-sama that swept our hearts in the previous seasons. The characters are still great, and the direction is as committed as ever to ridiculous, eclectic, endlessly creative visual gags to sell each joke. He’s not doing anything particularly new for the series, but that’s a “don’t mess with perfection” situation if there ever was one. I can attest to having a stupid grin plastered on my face throughout the entire premiere, and I burst out laughing when these kids tried Death Note your way through being left on reading, or when an homage to the soundtrack of Excessive he started playing during his arm wrestling tournament. It’s the kind of layered, high-effort banter that sets this show apart from the rest of its subgenre, and it’s so good to have it back.
If you missed this runaway train of a show, there probably aren’t enough creatively directed romantic mind games in the world to convince you right now. But if you’re already a fan who was worried that the magic might have run out after all this time, you don’t have to worry. Kaguya-sama is back and in championship form once again.