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

Shirogane the hard-working council president and Kaguya the prodigy vice president, has developed feelings for each other, but both are too stubborn to confess. The first one to confess loses, and will be looked down upon as lesser by the winner. This gimmick creates a Romcom, that’s presented as a whimsical parody of the “mind games-genre”, slowly exploring the characters and relationships more-and-more, as the seasons progress (each season also being slightly better than the last). Chika the goofball secretary and Ishigami the otaku treasurer are very active from the start, and its colorful cast continue to expand. Best audiovisual production of any Romcom TV-anime,since anime went from cel to digital. Banger OST, with VA + Sound Design skillfully elevating all aspects of the scenes, whether its anticipation/buildup and punchline of a joke, or landing some of its emotional/epic moments. Animation is consistently competent, with tons of standout moments, whether its epic bombastic scenes or cartoony character animation.

Heads-up:
- Comedy may be a bit too loud / in-your-face for some people.
- Some people will think the romance drags out a bit, but… it’s honestly better paced than most non-parody romance anime out there. I think the progression feels natural, considering the characters and gimmick of the show.

Favorite aspects:
- Chika is such a chaotic goofball, bringing so much energy to any scene she’s a part of, where I love how she’s not just ditzy, but also really impish and surprisingly competent at times (She got into an elite school, so not that surprising).
- Incredible boarding, with extremely entertaining & creative perspectives / transitions / styles, where its competent use of CGI in S3 (despite compositing on sofa in student council room, being quite ugly) allow its camera to get even more dynamic.

Least favorite aspects:
- Iino is quite boring, compared to the rest of the cast. Glad she got a bit sidelined in S3, where I to some degree enjoyed her dramatic moments and jokes about men/romance.
- The dramatic moments are weaker than its more comedic moments. Least favorite episode of the show being Ishigami flashback, but it do land some moments (like relationships explored in the final act of S3), and some of my absolute favorite moments are when comedic focus of an episode help develop and explore different facets of our characters. Best episode in the show, being episode 4 of S4, where I loved the Shirogane and Hayasaka moments, with Kaguya being flustered/confused and Chika being Chika.

Overall, S3 is my favorite season of Kaguya-sama so far, both when it comes to its absurdly-comedic and ultra-romantic elements. If you’re a fan of more comedy-focused Romcom, Kaguya-sama is a must watch.