Review of Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Ultra Romantic-

“My heart has surrendered” -Airi Suzuki With each passing season, Kaguya-sama has remained one of the absolute best anime of this past half-decade. As a comedy, it is uproarious, however, part of why it succeeds so above and beyond is due to being one of the most visually inventive and passionately-driven manga adaptations, perhaps ever. A-1 Pictures’ current flagship non-SAO title is a three-time triumph, with this latest series pushing everything to new heights while ratcheting up so much of last season’s drama to create one of the most electrifying binging experiences this side of Mawaru Penguindrum! For the 5th time in a row, it bears repeatingthat Shinichi Omata (or Mamoru Hatakeyama) is among the best TV anime directors of our time. It cannot be understated how spectacular and versatile he is. Anyone who has seen the masterpiece that is Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu can attest to how stunningly presented the show’s drama is while giving each season their own feel that matches the content within. However, he and his team have proven time and again how spectacular they are at comedy. Exaggerated facial expressions, optical illusion backgrounds, aspect ratio manipulation, striking changes in color and texture to dramatize every single frame that merits such amplification, and inventive transitions all carry over and then some. Not only does this current season have some of the best examples yet, the editing even beyond those transitions is top notch. Episode 1’s arm-wrestling scenario is the perfect example, utilizing the beat of “We Will Rock You” by Queen at the mention of an immovable object akin to a rock during competition, and weaponizing the opening beats of S2’s OP as the explanation of Kaguya’s archery skills boosting her strength replicates the first second or so of said OP…ON LOOP!

The sheer passion and vision on display continues to elevate an already solid production to heights far beyond the vast majority of the studio’s output. It is difficult to do justice in text. The closest one might come would be to highlight the drawing count for the main ED of the season being around 2000 when the average episode can range from 3-4K or even 5K drawings. Keep even further in mind that S2 had a full-blown shoujo manga look adopted for part of one of its sketches, and that it’s been so handily surpassed that the first scene of this season puts a spin on the final, show-stopping ending minutes of that of the previous season’s school-crumbling and ensemble-flailing finale while matching its vibrance and creativity pound for pound. Finally, keep in mind that only the first two episodes were discussed, and that the show consistently keeps up with its baseline standard of quality and even outdoes itself on numerous occasions by its legendary conclusion. Even as resources dwindle at points, their solutions continue to provide insane and diverse visuals through out of the box thinking in ways never seen previously. Not many anime have the balls to just showcase their source material’s panels like this show does, after all. Even if it didn’t have all of that going for it, the show’s vibrant and expressive facial expressions combined with how frequently fluid it is would still keep it well above average.

Fuck, that was overwhelming, but in all fairness, Kaguya 3 is nothing short of massive. Season 1 largely had its story arc be at the end, being more of an establishing season until episode 10. Season 2 is split between two halves. Meanwhile, this season interweaves and/or concludes several character arcs while slowly building up to one packed story arc. Shirogane and Kaguya’s will they won’t they romance, Hayasaka’s frustrations with Kaguya and budding kinship with Shirogane, Ishigami’s feelings towards Tsubame, the love triangle between Maki and the Kashiwagi & Tanuma couple, and how all of these intersect and build on top of each other. There are so many moving parts this season, on top of other subplots, that it’s by far the most packed season to date. It never stops introducing new hobbies, traits, and curveballs to every single solitary member of the cast, even extremely tertiary or even seemingly one-off characters like Chika’s sister and two of the Four Ramen Kings. Simply put, Kaguya 3 is a Rube Goldberg Machine of romcom subplots and grandiose emotional payoffs. Even simple one-scenario mini-arcs have their own resonant conclusions to them that add to the character of the setting and each individual cast member, weirdly short as some are.

To those who complained for seasons of the seeming lack of progress between Kaguya and Miyuki’s cat & mouse romance, let it be known that amidst a million different aspects, they’re still at the forefront. The adrenaline never slows down, and even when it seems to, a seemingly irrelevant gag will reinforce character traits brought to the forefront to aid this arc like Chika’s complicated yet progressive dickishness towards Shirogane and Ishigami (and everyone) underscoring her care and motherly willingness to see them succeed. After all, every character has their own motivations and subplots that tie into each other and the ultimate push towards Kaguya and Shirogane’s relationship moving more tumultuously than ever.

And in a sea of climaxes, the ending tops everything that has come before as everything clicks into place. Music to one’s ears, is it not?

That being said, Kei Haneoka’s OST for the series is still on par with the previous seasons, offering several new tracks to fit every situation. There are a handful of pieces that are more resonant than ever, adding to the series’ repertoire of solid music. The OP by Masaaki Suzuki, “GIRI GIRI feat Suu” by Masaaki Suzuki, is yet another smooth bop following the same steps as previous seasons. It may be the weakest of the 3 we’ve been presented with, but it’s still another solid song. The ED, meanwhile, was a pleasant surprise compared to the shrill moe type songs of previous seasons. “Heart wa Otage” by Airi Suzuki might be the best song of the entire series, inserts and all. If there was anything that immediately set this season up as a climax, it was this beautiful song filled with finality and love.

That final word really is key to everything, eh? Kaguya-sama is a romcom of epic proportions, with an adaptation that is nothing short of an ingenious, passionate labor of love. Even somewhat stale and intrusive elements like the narrator are backed up with stellar presentation as to be more forgivable, with several shots and sequences that even in isolation can decimate over ¾ of any given seasonal’s visual output. Even the voice acting finds new ways to impress while matching the insane editing and presentation on display. The team’s clever manipulation of audio tracks is almost unheard of in professional Japanese animation, especially to the extent that’s been displayed this season compared to the last. It’s the culmination of coming to love these characters and their ever-expanding web of relationships and quirks. It’s the climax to the very premise laid out at the start of the series. In spite of everything, there appears to be more on the way, so what the hell can top this?! Does it even matter? Perhaps, though ending here would have been fine, too. If we get more of this wonderful cast and their antics, that’s all that matters. Nothing will be the same way after this anyway, and besides…

“My heart has surrendered.”- someone smitten long ago