Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Ultra Romantic

Tldr at the bottom:

Kaguya is back again and quite honestly blows any other show that is not SpyxFamily out of the water for this season. This is probably the best rom-com you will ever watch; if not one of the best anime. I honestly couldn’t find any glaring flaws with this show, no matter how hard I looked. However, there are a few things that might irritate a select group of people.

The bad:

Adaptation: About 37-38 chapters of content are covered during every season of Kaguya. Since the anime ends on chapter 137, certain chapters had to be skipped to get there. This ... season, chapters 92, 112, and 128 were skipped. These chapters don’t affect the story and shouldn’t affect anyone that has not read the manga, but it's still important to point out because some people like to complain.

Tone Shift: The main thing that might be off-putting about season three is the tone shift. In season 1, the tone was that of a playful comedy with romance as the focus. 85% of that season's episodes were comedy based, while a small arc at the end was a little more serious and dramatic. In season 2, there are more serious moments with the backstories of Miko and Ishigami, but still nothing overly serious with a split of around 65% comedy and 35% seriousness. However, season 3 features a lot more serious episodes, making the split around 50-50. If you liked season 2 less than season 1, chances are you’ll like season 3 less. I can imagine this only applies to a small group of people but it is still worth mentioning.

And that's pretty much it for the bad. Seriously this season was so good all of my complaints were either nitpicks or only applicable to manga readers. Anyway, let's move on to the good.

The Good:

Side Character Developments: Of course with a new season, the main characters get development and screen time. However, this season Kaguya took some time to flesh out the side character cast. Now, this might not seem like anything special until you realize that Kaguya introduced 0 new characters of plot importance this season. This means that Kaguya stuck with and developed its side characters instead of abandoning them for new ones. Ishigami, Iino, Maki, and Hayasaka all get significant screen time and developments this season. Tsubasa, Tsubame, Kashiwagi, Karen, and Erika all also make more minor appearances. This character cast stays close-knit throughout the entire season and even up to the current manga chapter, with few characters being written out of the story.

The Culture Festival: Recently in Anime, culture festivals have become a predictable trope. They typically last 1 or 2 episodes and involve the characters bullshiting around a festival, typically in a montage. From here, some sort of development would happen to validate the whole point of having the arc. Most culture festivals in other fiction could be interchanged for another trope without the developments suffering. Kaguya’s culture festival is different as all of the developments that happen in the latter part of this season occur directly because of the culture festival and the lore behind it. It doesn’t feel like the culture festival is just here as a trope that the author would employ to sell a volume. It feels like a well-thought-out and planned catalyst that gives all of the main characters and side characters romantic development in a 6 episode arc. I don’t see a way that the culture festival can be interchanged without damaging the developments that take place.

References: Kaguya makes around 4 to 5 references to other media forms throughout each episode. These are just fun easter eggs that are fun to look out for. I can at least remember references to Your Name, Persona 5, Max Headroom, Monogatari, The Blair Witch Project, Resident Evil, and the song Take on Me.

OP & ED: Masayuki Suzuki composes another brilliant op in his typical jazzy style. The ED is a wonderful continuation of the first ED in the series. There is also a special ED that’s just like the Chika Dance. I’m not saying that good OPs & EDs make a show fundamentally better, but it’s a whole lot easier to enjoy a show when you can bop to a good OP at the beginning and a good ED at the end.

Comedy: Kaguya is one of the funniest anime I have ever watched. Kaguya’s comedy is fairly inconsistent; meaning that there is no clear theme to the jokes being made. This helps because, in my opinion, comedy is a whole lot easier to appreciate when the punchline is hard to predict. Most of the funnier moments in Kaguya aren’t even written in the manga. They are added on as part of A1's adaptation. The way A1 presents the comedy tends to make it very self-aware. A1 deserves a lot of credit for this as they do a great job bringing Kaguya to life

Final Episode: The Kaguya ending is a masterful end to the season. Without spoiling, all of the plot lines come together, with new ones being started. The new plot lines also undoubtedly confirm either another season or a movie. It’s hard to put this episode into words without spoiling much, but just know it's a treat when you reach it.

Conclusion/TDLR: Kaguya is a serious candidate for the best anime of the season, only having competition from a certain spy. Although not every chapter was animated, and the tone shift may turn some off, there are no glaring flaws in this show. It develops side characters masterfully without abandoning any of them, it perfects an overused trope and references damn near every reach of pop culture. It stays consistent with its previous standards for comedy and music, and it ends the show off with one of the best season finales in recent memory. Kaguya is truly a must-watch for anyone that likes comedy, romance, or just anime in general.

Kaguya-Sama is a masterclass of the rom com genre, and literally presents every good thing about it, especially the comedy part.

Story 7-8/10: Its a good story thats pretty unique for romance, but this is literally a comedy don't expect anything crazy that blows your mind.


Art /Sound 9/10: The art is perfect for a story like Kaguya Sama, with the random dramatic pauses and moments, but also the more wholesome and daily life moments. The ops are also great, and the soundtracks, while not standing out, fit all the moments really well.

Character 10/10: ALL the characters are so entertaining and ... might be my favorite cast in all of anime. Kaguya is literally every dere in existence and drives the plot forward at many times, which creates so many funny moments. Shirogane is Shirogane with his menacing external appearance but with many flaws on the inside, and also what drives the plot forward. Ishigami continues to be a relatable otaku, and Chika is Chika. Miko is also a great addition last season that really contradicts Ishigami's lifestyle and their banter is super funny. Although none of these characters are deep or though provoking (at this moment) they all provide PEAK entertainment.

Enjoyment 9.5/10: MOST of the time Kaguya sama is one of my favorite anime to watch, especially for a smile on my face or a chuckle. Every once in a while there might be a joke that doesn't hit, and that joke might tend to be the main theme for many minutes, but that doesn't happen too much. Still is peak, and after reading the manga, this season is going to be the BEST.

Kaguya Sama Love is War is a Romance anime that can make you laugh, it can make you cry, and most of all it can make you feel excited to see what's next. After completing this season I wanted more. This show is one I have enjoyed for a while now and I love the characters and the story it tells.

Story:
This story is one that made me laugh so much but at times it made me shed a tear. Kaguya Sama does things that I think are just brilliant. I love that most of the series makes you laugh and I think this is my ... favorite comedy anime ever, but at times it can get really emotional and make me feel something. I think the story is one that is beautiful and funny and I can even say that it is finely crafted, especially in this season where things get Ultra Romantic!

Art:
I think the art is great and amazing. the visuals are amazing when they need to and they are still pretty good during normal scenes. I can not recall any scene looking bad in any way and in my opinion, some scenes in this season are some of the best-looking I have seen in this entire series. I also have to give credit to the people who made the Opening and ending visuals since they are just stunning, especially one of the endings which look really cool, but I won't spoil what it is.

Sound:
The OST is just top tier! I love how some themes line up with certain characters and it feels right to pair them up with them. The OP and ED are some of the best ones we have gotten. Masayuki Suzuki killed it again with another banger of an OP and Airi Suzuki's ED was amazing and paired with its visuals nicely. The other ED (which I won't spoil what it is) was also a banger and probably one of the best EDs for the whole show.
The voice acting was amazing! Koga, Aoi's performance as Kaguya and Furukawa, Makoto's performance as Miyuki were top tier this season. I loved many of the voice actors this season and some of them got to shine more here than in the previous seasons.

Character:
My favorite thing about Kaguya Sama Love is War is its characters. Aka (The author of Kaguya Sama) just crafts amazing characters that have their own flaws and weaknesses, and that is why I love his works. His other works that I have read contain characters who grow and learn things throughout the story.
I think the one who got the most development this season was Kaguya since you can see her slowly realizing her feelings and learning from them in this season.

Enjoyment:
My enjoyment of this series has gone through the roof and watching this has been an amazing experience. I watched all of the episodes from season 1 to 3 before watching the finale and I loved it. It gave me a deeper love for this series and this show altogether.

Overall:
This series is brilliant and it means a lot to me so I highly recommend checking it out. I've learned many things from the characters and I can understand why this whole show is loved by so many.

I also learned that I need to put all the love and care that I put into making these reviews into my school essays since I really need to study hard.

Overall 9.5-10/10 show for me I love it and I highly recommend it to everyone!
This is my Anime of the season for Spring 2022!

"
Farewell, Love Comedy

To all of you who are in love.
The legendary episode that dyed the world with the color of love
is finally getting animated.
"

This review contain spoiler (marked), although title should already give it away.

... In every century, there will be romance anime that set the new bar on anime industry by it story and production value. In 2000s, we have Toradora and Monogatari series. In 2010s, we have Your Lie in April. Now in 2020s, it's safe to say that this season of Kaguya will be the one that set the new bar.

Everyone know how great Kaguya-sama series is. It concept alone is enough to stand out by far. Production is also insane but something feel... kinda off. Mainly due to very slow development but also lack of role for support character. Both are really only important factors left for Kaguya-sama series to fix to become masterpiece. Season 2 improve that but pace still going slow and there's no actual good support character. That's until the Ultra Romantic and holy f***. Not only story went masterpiece but A-1 also absolutely deliver it soooo well.

Let's start with non-spoiler stuff first. With addition of Maki Shijo, she's one of the best support character as if she can be put in main character if author want to. She's really good addition to series and solve lack of good support character completely.

Now, let's begin real talk....
***SPOILER STARTED***
If it's not obvious enough already, there will be confession in this season. Akasaka is genius. Ask every manga reader or anyone who watch confession scene and they will tell you that this is the best confession scene in every aspect. He built it so well beyond belief since the very beginning of event.
***SPOILER ENDED***

"Farewell, Love Comedy" is not a joke. "Legendary episode" is not an overstatement. This season prove that you can put any emotion at any given time or situation when it's done well. You won't expect deep story from Kaguya-sama? Season 2 already proved that you can do it with Ishigami's backstory. Season 3 is even more touching than season 2 especially in last 2 episodes which aired AT THE SAME TIME.

Yes, you read that right. 2 episodes in 1 week released on TV at the same time. In total, you get 1 hour episode instead of 20 minutes. You already know how important it is because there's no anime that gonna put extra time like that to waste.
*Looking at Bloom into You*
Actually, let's say most of the time they aren't being waste. Definitely not being waste in Kaguya-sama, I can guarantee you that.

Here's my take, Last 2 episode will be the best episode you ever watch in romance anime. Without any doubt, you won't find anything reaching this level for long time. I watched decent amount of romance anime and media. Maybe not a lot compared to most people here but definitely good amount. I will tell you that I've never seen any arc being beautifully built like this before in romance anime and media. This is the best arc I ever watch and read by miles away.

Let's not forget that they still be able to deliver comedy without any trouble. It's INSANE how that's possible when tone start shifting from comedy (Let be real, Kaguya-sama was mostly comedy) to romance yet still can keep tone of comedy in without messing up romance. Not an easy task.

Production also always great. You can make sure that A-1 didn't let you down. They adapt from manga very well and manga reader could never be more happy than this to get such a good adaption.

In short, Aka Akasaka just wrote unbelievable insane arc for his "Ultra Romantic" especially last few episode and add very good support character to improve series even more. Last 2 episode will belongs to history as one of the best romance arc ever create. If you already watch season 1 and season 2, you should watch season 3 without any doubt. Watch it right now, there's big chance you will get spoiled by social media of any platform or even in review. Just watch it now, you won't regret.

"You can't get by with someone else's words precisely because it's a crucial moment."

-- the following is a brief paragraph or two on my overall thoughts, followed by spoilers about how this show handles progression well and moving on. reader discretion is advised. --
(this was written when MAL had the full season at 12 episodes. all, now 13, episodes were seen when this review was written.)

So many shows try to handle romance. So many shows try to handle comedy. Naturally, the marrying of the two genres was something that was bound to happen. It's been done time and time again and the fact that new ... media is still able to excel in that direction is always a pleasant sight.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War came in hot this Spring with the third season of the rom-com no one can stop talking about. More pop culture references, more new bits, more characterization of side characters, and the the most monumental exploration of the main romance - there was no room for disappointment. To say A1 delivered is an understatement. An exceptionally bright, entertaining show that can't help but punch emotionally too.

What I mainly wanted to touch on is how Ishigami and Miyuki have grown this season. Fujiwara still has mostly comedic relief to bench, Kaguya is still my second favorite character and Miyuki's change impacts her growth as well, and I'm still not totally on board the Iino train yet but like her more this time around.
Ishigami had the pleasure of holding the last arc last season, giving a much needed backstory to the quiet, misunderstood high schooler. After finally overcoming his insecurity of being an outcast, he shines brightly this season with giving romance a spin on his own. It's a great contrast to the war our leads have, a more romantically-clueless individual trying to reach someone and leads to its fair share of heartwarming moments. It was obvious from the beginning that the student council already had some sort of bond, but to see that grow into a fully fledged, believable friend group is fantastic and giving Ishigami more depth made it possible.
When it comes to Miyuki, I love what they did here: the decision to study abroad. It puts a fire under him, a need to try and reach Kaguya as quickly as possible so that they're able to enjoy their last year at Shuchiin Academy the way they want to. The school festival arc has him acting more forward than ever, still not wanting to outright express his feelings but wanting to reach her on a romantic level. His calm and collective exterior from the POV of Shinomiya's frantic interior gives a great sight of how he's more determined than ever - it gives a portrait of how deep this feeling goes. It all leads to a phenomenal conclusion, an end to the first of many wars to come.

Now: what's next? Is this the end for the anime? The manga is still ongoing with plans to finish soon, but it feels like almost everything is wrapped in a nice little bow as of now. Our leads basically confessed their feelings in a way any oblivious person could interpret and were seen holding hands in the second-to-last frame, Ishigami has a chance to date the upperclassman he's fallen for, Iino is cracking her shell and giving her old rival a chance at friendship... if this were the end, it could be. I'm satisfied. But, there's plenty of room to continue, to let the audience soak in the antics of the student council a few more times. I wouldn't deny a fourth serving.

Okay, okay, I'm caving: I'll give the newest season of Kaguya-sama a 10. An outstanding show that wears its creativity and heart on its sleeve with no regrets. One of the greats.

Love is peak is back! This season brought the gang back together and delivered once again. We got so much development, it genuinely has to be the best season to date, it was just a really enjoyable watch as it always is. What really sells this season though is the ending. Without spoiling that was one of the best endings I've watched for a singular season in a long time. Overall it's really good.
Art: 10
The art and animation are 10/10 just like the other seasons. It delivers in every aspect, the characters are filled with emotion, ... the backgrounds are lively, and the animation is stellar for a slice of life. No complaints!
Sound: 10
Opening slaps, ending slaps, ost slaps, sound design slaps. That's all, enough said.
Characters: 9
The characters are bubbly and energetic and delivered many moments full of fun, but aside from that we got some good development for some of the main cast, and once again this anime shows its brilliant ability to portray the characters and how well they mesh together.
Story: 10
We got into the meat a potatoes of Love is war this season as we inched closer to the climax. A lot of the season was the usual love is war shenanigans, but towards the end, it got really good. I can't wait for what comes next.

So, here we are. It is 24th June and I saw the last episode of Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Ultra Romantic and... IT WAS BRILLIANT!

Before this season, I read manga, so I knew what will happen here.
My anticipations were high in the skies. I am not disappointed, I am happy, 'cause hell yeah, this is what we waited for.
This season made by A-1 Pictures is outstanding, it's not only classic RomCom anime, it's Romcom work of art, amazing adaptation of manga in all directions.
This season is slowly stepping up to final episode 12, which is (without exaggeration) the best episode of romcom series ever, in ... my opinion.
All the aspects of this show are intertwining, art with story, and that music! "Herr Gott, das ist erstaunlich"

9/10 without doubt.

Wow....just wow

As a reader of the manga i knew full well what was gonna happen this season but that still didnt stop me from being blown away by this masterpiece of an anime. Main thing that makes an anime enjoyable for me are the characters...and if the characters arent good even though the story is great, I wont enjoy the story because it contains these awful characters. But this show has amazing characters...flawless i might say. I know it was kind of a thing for people that preferred Kaguya over Chika to despise her but in all honesty and Im sure i can say this ... for a lot of people that I love her. I love all the characters so much no matter how small of a role they play.

I wanna touch on the comedy. Comedy in anime(at least imo) is pretty bad. Everytime i see a comedy tag i know 90 percent of the time its gonna be unbearable to watch. Its either "Wh-Wha!! You walked into the bathroom while the door was closed and saw me naked??? B-Baka!!" or some cringe like that...these type of anime thrive off misunderstandings, especially harem ones. So when I watched the first episode of Kaguya and i genuinely laughed MULTIPLE times, I knew this show was gonna be special. The comedy in this anime is probably the best you'll ever see from any show

Ive stuck with this anime ever since its release 3 and a half years ago and I love it so much with all my heart. Im gonna miss this show a lot. I'll miss looking forward to a new episode every week and being disappointed ill have to wait another 7 days for 20 minutes of content. Ill miss getting so excited when an announcement for a new season gives me the urge to punch every wall in my house out of pure joy. Thank you for making a show that even when I grow out of anime someday Ill still have a special place for it in my heart...thank you

Season 1: Good
Season 2: Better
Season 3: Like a wise man said "This is Cinema"
This is what a nearly perfect anime adaptation is.The art and sound design are very good,The characters are always on point.The story itself may not seem
incredible but the way it's told is what makes this anime so appealing and an instant must-watch. A-1 Pictures really did an amazing job with this 3rd season of Kaguya-Sama.All the way to the end,I never got bored a single time and the finale is just...PERFECT.
Overall,I think this is pretty much a lesson for all future rom-coms adapted in anime on how you do it well!!

I almost can't believe that I'm giving a rom-com a 10/10, but here we are.

Love is War season 3 is phenomenal.

We're just 5 episodes into this season, and I can safely say that it is one of the best I've ever watched. So far, it doesn't have a single flaw that I can think of.

The characters are better than ever, the writing is better than ever, and the comedy is funnier than ever. The improvement that Love is War makes every season is pretty incredible. The first two seasons were great, and somehow season 3 has managed to not only improve upon them, but almost ... completely eclipse them. That's impressive.

Love is War season 3 is the best season of the best comedy/romance anime ever made. It would be pretty hard for me to not give this a 10.

(I also have a review for season 1 on my account, where I go into a little more detail, so go check that out if you want)

Scores:
season 1: 8/10
season 2: 9/10
season 3: 10/10
(Does this mean that season 4 is going to be an 11/10???)

Update after episode 12:

This will never be topped. Love is War is the peak of the rom-com genre. This was a masterpiece of a season in nearly every way. This review was written 5 episodes in, and it just kept getting better from there.

The finale was absolutely phenomenal.

I don't really know where they'll take the show from here, but there's already a season 4 announced. Nevertheless, I'm still excited. Amazing anime.

Edit: As this season ends I have to say I am very happy with the way this entire season has played out. If you want to watch a rom-com which I do say is still more comedy, but with a good amount of romance then go for this show. As of the time I wrote this it's currently the #1 anime on myanimelist and I think it has a good reason to be up there

-------OG Thoughts below-----
As a continuation from season 2 this anime still manages to keep me entertained with over the top reactions, and also enjoying the slow development of the characters. And ... just little segments having a past continuation from the previous season. Like how it mentions the president's streak to be #1 in his grade level, and in the past season how bad the president is at certain stuff, and Chika developed Vietnam flashbacks from his singing.

Overall:Season 3 is just as good as the other seasons, and if you haven't watch any of this anime I definitely recommend it. This is a masterpiece romcom, but more comedy than it is romance, but still got a good amount of romance

Season 3 started out really good. I know there are only 3 episodes so far but they were great. As a manga reader, I can tell that this season is going to live upto it's hype.

I like the character interactions, they are interesting and fun to watch. Also, there are plenty of references at times (for example the Discord and Apex legend reference in episode 1). Unlike most of the romcoms, Kaguya-Sama has some actual good storyline and proper progression to it.

Pacing of it is perfect, not too slow not too fast. I think it adapts around 3 chapters per episode which seems to be ... perfect for a seasonal anime. They sometimes skip content from the manga but that's explainable because they have to make a well rounded season of 12 episodes.

The humour and jokes in it are enjoyable. They don't have any unecessarily cringe added to it. Sound/tracks are pretty good aswell. I don't see any problem with the animation either. It is proper and smooth.

When the first episode aired, this part became one of the top 5 highest rated animes in no time which is kinda insane. Tho it was taken down by downvote spammers cuz they were afraid of it overtaking their favourites lol (mostly Fmab and Aot fans). I have given it an 8 for now. I might change it at the end depending on the other episodes which are yet to air.

Overall, I'll say that Kaguya-Sama is a great romcom and you should give it a try if you haven't already. If you liked the previous 2 seasons, then you're going to love this one aswell (obviously).

Kaguya sama love is war is a physical proof where we are currently living in the peak era of anime. Everyweek i feel an odd sense of happiness whenever an episode of love is war comes out. This is definitely the best anime I've ever seen in my whole life and it actually changed my life. when the anime was airing i feel like the purpose of me living in this world is merely to wacth this anime. the pacing is perfect and every episode is full of amazing humour that will actually make you laugh all the character is fking lovable. i will rewatch ... the entire series again and even finish the manga this is how good the series are. plus the producing of season 4 love is war just announced right after i finish s3. god is great afterall.

Chances are, if you're reading the reviews of the third season of an anime, you've watched the second season and are unsure if you should continue. To those 2 people who will read this review, I direct the first half of this review to you. To the other 2 people reading this, you've already watched all three seasons, so the second half of the review is for you.

If you're expecting any fundamental change in this anime's formula, you will be sorely disappointed. This season largely delivers more of the same. There are, however, some interesting developments that begin just after the halfway point. If you've ... been iffy on Kaguya-sama Love is War until now, I don't know that this season will change your mind. At the end of the day, my job is to tell you whether you should watch this anime or not, and that depends on some criteria, so I'll direct you to the flowchart below.

Were you compelled by the romance in this anime more than anything? Watch this season.

Were you compelled by the comedy in this anime more than anything? Watch this season.

Are you not sure how you feel about this anime yet? Don't bother. If you're still conflicted after 2 seasons, this season won't really change your mind.

Now, as for the rest of you, you've already watched Season 3, so we're all thinking the same thing. Kaguya-sama Love is War was robbed. It was robbed of a good animation studio that could have really brought its special brand of humour to life. A1-Pictures is routinely the most lifeless and boring studio every year, and it's a crime that they get to produce anything anymore. This anime's biggest problem is how bland it looks during so many of the scenes. The best thing you can say about A1 is that they don't hold the voice actors back. Every cut and shot-frame is perfect for maximizing the comedic talent of the voice cast. But they do not elevate the performances at all. I feel bad for the animators who worked on this for so long. You can see how overworked and underpaid they are in every stroke.

(Personal review from Facebook) My first anime finished after more than a month of preparing for Anirevo and Otakuthon over watching anime.

Anime can be a frustrating because they usually don't have a conclusion. They're glorified ads to read the source. That's part of the industry. It's so difficult to break out get a smash hit that once someone does, I don't blame them for milking the cow as long as possible. Romcoms in particular have this issue more than most.
Personally, I feel that romcoms too often fall short on both the comedy and the drama, since they are both diametric opposites of each other. I ... love dumb fun comedies like Asobi Asobase. A romantic drama, ef - a tale of memories, is my favorite anime of all time. There are also many other romantic dramas that I felt positive about. But romcoms? When someone asks me what the best romcom of all time is, am I supposed to say the first half of Clannad? Toradora was great but it couldn't meld everything into one union. I don't think Kaguya-sama did this well, either.

I felt S3 was a weaker season than S2, as it dropped much of the comedy in favor of a progressing arc. But the arc was centered around the saddest, most common trope in anime: the school culture festival. This arc tried to be as inoffensive as possible and lacked any real drama to stir strong feelings or investment from me. It didn't help that the narrator was still as obnoxious as ever.

Kaguya-sama S3 is currently the #2 ranked anime of all-time on MAL with a score of 9.13. While I have some shows that I agree with the public praise, far too often my tastes don't align with the mainstream. I can't dislike any of the characters in this show. But I didn't love any of them. And maybe that's why this show is so popular, because it doesn't provoke anyone. Kaguya-sama S3 is competent, but it's still a romcom with typical romcom issues, and won't be on my best-of-the-year short list. The ending suggests there won't be a S4 even though the source keeps going. It's still better than most other romcoms that don't go anywhere. 6/10 (This is usually a recommended score, but my expectations were so high that I feel mixed.)

Uuuh, ah, so, will this be the last sequel or does studio A-1 Picture has something coming up, that's the question, so let's get things done:

Story-Fair 6: There were a couple of developments from having support characters have their own aired time to a temporary Hayasaka X Shurogane thing, but overall in this anime story plot, nothing much has change, except in the last episode.

Art-Mediocre 5: Well , given that it was still the usual illustration, there was really nothing much to say.

Sound-Mediocre 5: Same answer as above.

Character- Mediocre 5: same old same old , except a couple of support characters...as usual Shirogane and Shinomiya ... were still pathetic, also it was kinda bad that Chika was being push back in favor of Lino.

Enjoyment-Poor 3: Cu'z it was a chore to watch , except the last episode.

Overall- Good 7: This sequel did gave us a clean ending, thought a half baked one.

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 more ... about 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.

Sometimes I think to myself, do it do? But actually, sometimes it do, but sometimes it don't. It buss. Not only do it buss, but man oh man do I tell you it buss, man it buss. Why did the chicken cross the road? To slap some bangin anime in your face, and tahts for real. Thats on god. It slap, it buss, it go hard. Ayo ayo, it go mad hard. Sometimes I think to myself, do it do? But actually, sometimes it do, but sometimes it don't. It buss. Not only do it buss, but man oh man do I tell you it ... buss, man it buss. Why did the chicken cross the road? To slap some bangin anime in your face, and tahts for real. Thats on god. It slap, it buss, it go hard. Ayo ayo, it go mad hard. Sometimes I think to myself, do it do? But actually, sometimes it do, but sometimes it don't. It buss. Not only do it buss, but man oh man do I tell you it buss, man it buss. Why did the chicken cross the road? To slap some bangin anime in your face, and tahts for real. Thats on god. It slap, it buss, it go hard. Ayo ayo, it go mad hard. Sometimes I think to myself, do it do? But actually, sometimes it do, but sometimes it don't. It buss. Not only do it buss, but man oh man do I tell you it buss, man it buss. Why did the chicken cross the road? To slap some bangin anime in your face, and tahts for real. Thats on god. It slap, it buss, it go hard. Ayo ayo, it go mad hard. Sometimes I think to myself, do it do? But actually, sometimes it do, but sometimes it don't. It buss. Not only do it buss, but man oh man do I tell you it buss, man it buss. Why did the chicken cross the road? To slap some bangin anime in your face, and tahts for real. Thats on god. It slap, it buss, it go hard. Ayo ayo, it go mad hard. Sometimes I think to myself, do it do? But actually, sometimes it do, but sometimes it don't. It buss. Not only do it buss, but man oh man do I tell you it buss, man it buss. Why did the chicken cross the road? To slap some bangin anime in your face, and tahts for real. Thats on god. It slap, it buss, it go hard. Ayo ayo, it go mad hard.

*No spoilers*
Okay, allow me to say first and foremost that I do not write reviews often. I have only made one other so sorry it sucks. Also, I am not going to go into the plot because I would guess you probably have already heard it. With that out of the way, oh my fucking god, watch this show now. Even if you HATE romcoms please for the love of all things holy, watch this. I'm sure you've heard this millions of times but this is no simple romcom following the exact same tropes you've seen hundreds of times. Every single character is built with ... so much depth you could easily make a spin off for each one, and they would almost have the same quality of the main show. Still Kaguya-sama Love is War Ultra Romantic ends with a climax almost bigger than mine watching the OVA. This review was a bit all over the place, but I didn't know how to squash down everything I though about Kaguya-sama in to a review that wouldn't take hours to write. The only takeaway from this is to please watch this fucking masterpiece. Thank you for reading this shitty ass review,
Joe.

Footnote: For those who have watched through the whole season, am I the only one who cried at the end? Idk why tbh, maybe because I so sad we need to wait probably another year or 2 for season 4/movie. Also don't know where else to put this but the op and en slap harder than your drunken step dad like jesus.

Kaguya-sama Season 3 continues the shift that Season 2 started by being even more lax about Kaguya and Miyuki’s “rivalry”. Granted, it’s not too surprising they’d calm down given how far their relationship has come. But I’d say Season 2 was the middle ground between Season 1’s focus on the anime’s premise and Season 3 basically being a romance slice of life.

There’s a much bigger focus on the side characters this time. It’s to the point where Kaguya and Miyuki’s relationship only seems to be touched upon half of the time. Most notably, Iino thankfully gets to be an actual character this season, Hayasaka ... is more open about her feelings, and Ishigami gets a ton of screen time thanks to his crush. As much as I love the main “couple”, I think these and most of the other shifts in focus were nice…though I was getting conscious of the main two slipping away. Unfortunaely, Fujiwara’s character unfortunately suffers this time around and new addition Shijou was only welcome a quarter of the time.

The finale to the season was heart-pumping — on a different level from the first two finales. Hell, it felt like the entire latter half of the season was ramping up to it. With what was happening I was starting to get sad that Season 3 would be where the story basically ends! But without saying too much, I thought Season 3 ended in a way that was satisfying while also making the upcoming movie and 4th season not only plausible, but exciting.

I can see why Season 3 is divisive. I don’t think arguments saying it’s losing its humor and identity due to focusing more on drama, similar jokes, and side characters are untrue. However, these things didn’t bother me, and I was still invested and having a fun time — especially during the latter half.