Imagine if Death Note was a romcom. Imagine that Light and L were not trying to outwit each other with the world itself at stake, but rather just that they actually liked each other romantically but were too shy and awkward to just it outright. Do you think that sounds ridiculous? Maybe, but that's more or less the idea behind Kaguya-sama. Well, except it's not yaoi of course.
If you ever need a benchmark for how to do a romcom really damn good, then look no further than this. There really aren't many series within the genre out there that can manage to not just be cute and hilarious, but actually quite intelligent as well, but Kaguya-sama does it all. The anime follows the daily lives of Shirogane Miyuki and Shinomiya Kaguya, the top two students at Shuchiin Academy, and also president and vice president respectively of its student council. They're both geniuses and they're also both hopelessly in love with each other, however they're also... two tsunderes incapable of ever taking the first step themselves. In fact, due to how proud they are, they think confessing to someone is a sign of weakness as it implies that the one being confessed to is more valuable and desirable than the person doing the confessing, and this fact combined with their shyness have them both 100% determined to never make the first move. Instead, they both try to do everything they can to mind game the other into confessing to them first, no matter how complex the scheme required to accomplish that may be. As a result, you have a perfect setup for complete and utter hilarity.
It's a brilliant concept in general and it's executed really well, mainly thanks to how loveable the characters are and how the chemistry between them works. The show is definitely not just about Shirogane and Kaguya: the other members of the student council are just as important to the anime's enjoyment. The cheerful and free-spirited secretary Chika is the consistent X-factor of the series who always ends up somehow interfering with the main duo's carefully thought-out plans and flip everything on its head, whereas the introverted and somewhat paranoid treasurer Ishigami is probably the most normal and relatable character in the show, although I wouldn't go as far as to call him the voice of reason either. In any case, the point is that they're all very different from each other and they work perfectly together as a group as they all operate in harmony to emphasize each other's gags. Kaguya-sama is a comedy first and foremost, operating in a “one sketch per chapter" basis in the manga, and in the anime they're essentially doing three of those scenes per episode. Now that is not to say that it does not have romance too, but it is a very slow burn on that front, and at the very least in the span of what the anime covers, it is not really the primary focus.
Kaguya-sama is a very well-directed comedy show that makes great use out of a brilliant original concept, and really anyone with a decent sense of humour should be obligated to check it out. Great narrative, surprisingly good production value by A-1 standards, and just a very charming series in general.
PS: Chika's dance as the ED of episode three is probably the greatest thing you'll ever see.
