Review of Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Ultra Romantic-
Although popular franchises spawns sequels, spinoffs, and other adaptations, there's few these days that lives up to the hype. Kaguya-sama: Love is War is one exception that pushes the boundary of romantic comedy. I'm talking about the third season of Kaguya-sama, also known as Kaguya-sama Love is War - Ultra Romantic. Love is a complex form of emotion, something we may never ever truly understand. It is this very emotion that hits the heart of this show as we explore the foundation of relationships. When I watch Kaguya-sama, I try to think outside the box about what this franchise is trying to accomplish. It's much moreabout guys and girls flirting with each other and in fact, this show transcends beyond the logic of normal romance. What does that mean? It means, love is war.
The third season has an additional words 'Ultra Romantic' attached to its title. It doesn't give off much meaning at first but you may get the impression of the season being more romantic than ever. Much like the previous seasons, each episode is divided into various segments similar to a sitcom format. However, these episodes connects with each characters' personalities and the overall structure of the premise. The first episode immediately gets us ready for some daily shenanigans with segments such as text messaging, arm wrestling, and Chika trying to prove herself to everyone why she's awesome. It make sense that the third season wanted us to get comfortable with some lighthearted comedy before throwing in the juicy drama.
This comes in the form of relationship angles and gossips thanks to the writing style of the story. One of the more noticable pair is between Yu and Tsubame this season. It's obvious that Yu has feelings towards her but he's too shy to directly show his feelings. This season pairs the two in romantic angles and thanks to Kaguya's support, they get much more screen time together as you'd may expect. Of course, we can't forget about Kaguya and Miyuki who has been a stable in the franchise. Watching the two together is like watching a kid growing up, experiencing life. As an unorthodox rom-com, we see the two characters use love as a form of weapon. In his season, they approach that idea and uses any opportunity to get ahead. This includes the various school festivals and calculating each others' moves similar to the previous seasons. You'll have to be a bit patient because the Kaguya and Miyuki takes their sweet time to win this war, in their way.
We also can't forget some of the major supporting cast such as a fan favorite Hayasaki Ai. Although she doesn't get prominent screen time this season, she still has her moments including karaoke sessions, making appearances in her iconic maid uniform, and playing the role of the opposite gender. Kei also gets entertaining segments when she realizes how gorgeous Hayasaki is while also trying to dress up her brother in the best way possible. It's the brotherly/sisterly bond that is addictively fun to watch even if their segments are short. Finally, no one can ignore Chika's presence in this show. While she doesn't peform any Chika-style dances anymore, she still makes an impact with just her presence and personality. And of course, who can forget her rapping talent? Finally, I do want to address Tsubame Koyasu's presence this season as she gets much more screen time. If we picture her and Yu together, most people would say the pair look imcompatible. Tsubame is way out of his league. This season does make it clear that Yu does want to impress Tsubame in his way so be on the look out for his time to shine.
At this point, it's fair to say A-1 Pictures has established itself as a studio capable of adapting the magic of the franchise. The stellar animation along with its creative approach of character expressions, dialogues, and way of transiting between various moods brings out the best of the show. It's almost impossible to ignore the catchy and artistic style of this season when we have characters take their spotlight. I'm pretty much talking about every relevant character as each feels unique on their own. Make no mistake, even with people shaming on A-1 Pictures for some of their past projects, this isn't one to take the shame. It's just that damn impressive from day one.
It feels like the Kaguya-sama Love is War franchise has been overhyped by its fanbase at times. And truth to be told, it's easy to get sucked into the hype. However, this is one of those anime that lives up to the hype and continously deliver quality content for its fans. You'll need to be patient because the finale is where the main course of the meal really is at. Yes, they kept you watching for 2 seasons and Ultra Romantic is still ultra entertaining.