Review of Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Ultra Romantic-
I don’t like Rom-coms very much anymore. It’s such an oversaturated genre, with tropes overflowing and predictable scenarios that have been rehashed for decades.Yet. Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai is able to make a good romantic-comedy and inject life into the genre. This show defies all expectations and delivers a refreshing experience. Sometimes, there's alright showings, like Komi-san or Aharen-san, but then there’s this Love is War, which blows any other show out of the park. How many rom-coms have you watched or read that actually made you invested in the relationship between the main couple? In classic shows like Ranma ½, did you really care aboutRanma and Akane after hundreds of chapters and episodes? Probably not. Romantic-comedies are generally too frivolous and focused on slice of life and comedy for the romantic aspect to actually persist and become a core part of the story. It’s always teased that the main couple have feelings, but nothing actually happens. That’s kind of the point, since if the main couple gets together, the story ends right then and there.
Love is War isn’t like that. The romance is actually emphasized, and you eventually see the main couple get together. Love is War isn’t good because of that, though. It’s the fact that I actually care about the progression of Kaguya and Shirogane’s relationship. The serious arcs involving romance in this show are excellent. Even though the shift in tone from comedic to romantic is apparent, it doesn’t feel like it’s forced at all. It somehow feels genuine.
Usually, romance that makes you care are usually ones where it’s, well, more serious most of the time, perhaps with drama to heighten the stakes. Shoujo shows or dramas pull you into the romance because it’s so heavily emphasized. Yet, even with the flippant and comedic tone that Love is War usually delivers, the heavy romantic scenes that Love is War presents is just as impactful as other romance shows. It’s hard to believe, but I started becoming invested in the romance amongst the various characters.
Both the romance and the comedy are good. The Manzai between the many characters are great. Fujiawara is such a good character when it comes to teasing, playing boke, lightening up the mood, and introducing chaos to the main cast of characters The banter between Ishigami and Iino is simple, but simply delivers on the perfect monologuing and delivery of the comedic execution. Hayasaka is an excellent tsukomi to Kaguya, but sometimes, she also gets pulled into the madness, and also has a personality of her own, where she gets mad, sad, and takes it out on other people. Even side characters like Maki add in a nice contrast to someone like Kaguya.
My complaints? Sometimes, certain scenes are a bit cringe here and there, but not nearly enough for it to be annoying. The big problem is the melodrama that the show presents, especially with Ishigamai’s backstory. Even if Ishigami didn’t have that stupid, tragic for the sake of being tragic backstory, he still would have been a great character.
Other than that, the animation is great. It’s nothing flashy, but the storyboards are well thought out, the pacing and voice acting of scenes clearly shows great love and production value. The framing and perspective of certain panning and shots are good.
Love is War actually manages to deliver what rom-com desperately needs: romance, and comedy. Both are in a good balance, and it does not feel like they’re clashing against each other to take place as the dominant genre.