Is 'Kaguya-sama: Love Is War' A Good Anime To Watch?
Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya
What’s Good
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is a romantic comedy anime with a hard PG-13 rating. It may stand as one of the funniest anime to ever exist because of its slapstick nature, and way of moving the plot along. Memorable lines, and awesome characters are what this series is rooted in.
The good…
HILARIOUS
Solid animation styles
Characters get an A+
Unique storytelling
In your face
Surprisingly relatable
Romance centric plot
Kag-uwu-ya
What’s Bad
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is adapted from a manga of the same name. The manga dives a bit deeper into certain story aspects, but the anime remains unaffected. The humor in LIW could be a turnoff to some who don’t like “in your face” comedy.
The bad…
Comedy style might not appeal to everyone
Manga goes deeper, but anime quality is unaffected
Synopsis
'Kaguya-sama: Love Is War' follows two members of the student council at the prestigious Shuchiin Academy in Japan. The council’s President and Vice President—Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya respectively—have big crushes on each other. Despite this, they are too prideful to admit their feelings for one another.
The story follows the two as they attempt to make the other person, confess their love first.
The main cast
Short Answer
LIW is not only a good anime to watch, but it is a MUST watch! This anime has a very unique way with its’ words, and it’s so “out there” that you will never find yourself looking away from the screen.
It is told from the perspective of Shinomiya and Shirogane as they navigate the “war games” of love. A lot of the show takes place in their respective minds, with the things they want to happen, not exactly happening the way they want them to.
It’s fast, and it’s very “in your face.” You are on a rollercoaster as you watch the extreme courtship unfold before your eyes. The characters of LIW only enhance the story, and all of them are nuanced with very distinct personalities that play into the humor of the show.
A Must Watch!
Long Answer
Hayasaka, Shinomiya, & Fujiwara
The distinct sense of humor is what gives 'Kaguya-sama: Love Is War' strong legs to stand on. Any other anime with a similar plot would play out like a typical romance/slice of life, but LIW is far from typical.
Much of the series is rooted in the relationship between student council President—Miyuki Shirogane, and the Vice President—Kaguya Shinomiya. These two are larger than life characters. Shirogane is a teenage genius, and Shinomiya is the heir to one of Japan’s most prolific corporations.
Their personas play big factors in the humor of the show. “Kag-Yuki” are too proud to confess their love, so we see a variety of different “cut scenes” to see what they are thinking about. With the exceptional vocal talents that are Aoi Koga (Kaguya) and Makoto Furukawa (Miyuki), the absurdness of LIW is magnified and projected into relatable situations.
For example, one of the early episodes talk about movie tickets. Kaguya pulled some strings to make sure Miyuki would come upon two movie tickets, with the hopes that he would ask her out. She has to figure out how she is going to get the tickets into his hands. Queue the craziness.
It adds to the comedy when they are faced with “regular people” situations—because they aren’t regular people. The relatability of the characters doesn’t lie with the characters themselves, but with what they get involved in. The constant back and forth of “if I say this, how will he/she respond?” puts the show at the top of many lists, because we’ve all been there.
We’ve all been too scared or too shy to tell someone how we feel. That is what the entire plot is about. Two teenage kids who like each other, but don’t exactly know how to tell one another. So they hide under the guise of wanting the other to confess first. One of the categories that people place LIW into, is “psychological anime.” While it might not be as brain breaking as your “Erased” or “Death Note,” 'Kaguya-sama: Love Is War' is essentially a mental game.
Think “Teasing Master Takagi-san,” just a PG-13 version. In fact, Love Is War and Takagi-san share similarities beyond plots. They are also structured in a similar way. Each episode is a collection of individual cases with something new happening. However, LIW follows a more streamline plot than the latter. Both anime follow a young couple that have problems portraying their feelings, and both are worth the watch.
I recommend watching this if you enjoy the romance and slice of life genres. It’s very different than the other series in the same category, but it is for good reason! I promise.
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War creeps into my top five favorite anime (at the moment) because of its’ unique humor, and lovable characters. LIW has been renewed for a second season coming Spring of 2020. I really do believe that with time, and a few more seasons; Love Is War will be one of the most notable anime of this current generation! I really enjoyed it, and I hope you do too!
RATING
Sweet!
