Even before the release of the 3rd Season, Kaguya-Sama had already dominated the anime scene. If you’re an anime fan, you probably already encountered Kaguya-Sama in one way or another on social media. Having some of the best comedy, drama and animation in the medium, Kaguya-Sama is one of the pillars of the Slice of Life genre. And with the release of Kaguya-Sama: Love is War - Ultra Romantic, the series has developed into and embodied the pinnacle of RomCom Slice of Life. Having two seasons of build up, the hype levels of Ultra Romantic is on another level. We finally got to witness the climax of a once in a lifetime romance story and it did not disappoint.
‘The one who confesses their love first loses!’
From the beginning, Kaguya-Sama had always centred itself around this theme. It cleverly painted a narrative that to confess, to genuinely open up to another is a sign of weakness, a sign of a loser. In this sense, Love can most definitely be seen as a battlefield, where both parties try their hardest to maintain their dominance in the relationship. Love is war, an arena you can’t afford to compromise or you lose. Yet as the series progresses, it is made abundantly clear that the true narrative of the story was something else, something far more meaningful.
To me, Kaguya-Sama has and will always be about a story of subtle genuinity and the beauty of relationships. In a show full of dirty schemes and foul play, the characters display glimpses of genuine empathy for one another on rare occasions. These occasions are given greater weight knowing what our main cast of characters are like. They are prideful, arrogant, and sometimes even belittle the ones close to them simply because things do not go their way. Yet despite everything, they would always be there for one another when it counts. Arcs like Ishigami’s redemption and Kaguya’s grief over the loss of her phone are ever so meaningful for this reason. Because despite the slanders they throw at their friends, you can always count on them to throw aside everything to support someone they truly care about. The show manages to balance genuinity in a way that comes off as neither unrealistic nor cringe. It immaculately portrays the behaviour of teenagers in a fictional world and how subtle genuinity is displayed in real life. In my opinion, Kaguya-Sama is truly a master at its craft of capturing the essence and beauty of genuinity.
Season 3 continued to perfectly capture the beauty of relationships. Be it friendship, romance, family relationships, the show fleshes out all sorts of interesting dynamics and makes them compelling. One of my personal favourites would have to be the relationship between Kaguya and Ishigami. From one glance, their characters and personalities seemed incompatible with each other. Kaguya was strict and arrogant whereas Ishigami was lazy and lacked confidence. Yet their contradicting personalities only served to compel each other to become better versions of themselves. Interacting with Ishigami allowed Kaguya to subconsciously grow to be more open and caring, whilst Ishigami grew to become more motivated and confident in himself. The character dynamics in this show is truly brilliant. Our main duo, Kaguya and Shirogane had some of the best character developments that climaxed in a beautiful 1 hour long spectacle.
Comedy wise, the series continued to maintain its high standard humour and I would argue it got even better. With the increase in different character dynamics and relationships, new humour was born as a result, a prime example being Maki Shijo and her dynamics with Ishigami and Shirogane. Chika continues to be the chaos element of the series and I absolutely love every second of her on screen. Her mother and son dynamic with Shirogane continues to be an ongoing joke in the series but it never loses its charm. The rap episode was by far my favourite comedic episode of the whole series thus far. Not only was the rap actually fire, it had the perfect combination of comedy, dynamic animation and direction. With all these elements in place, it truly is challenging to go one episode without laughing.
With regards to animation and soundtracks, A-1 Pictures absolutely nailed it. The passion that the studio has for Kaguya-Sama is truly on a different level. Ultra Romantic easily surpasses its predecessors in this category, with an overall improvement in animation fluidity, style and direction. The series itself also repeatedly references other popular franchises, like Dragon Ball Super and Shawshank Redemption which just adds further enjoyment to the show. The production quality is truly insane when considering the special ending A-1 Pictures made solely for the rap episode. ‘My Non Fiction’ is the definition of a banger with epic lyrics to match with the gorgeous animation. Fun fact, the speical ED was animated by an 18 year old animator named “vercreek’’ who storyboarded, directed and did key animation by himself, showcasing insane levels of talent for his age. The over the top soundtracks also add on to the overall experience of the show. From low melodies that tug at your heartstring to epic bombastic soundtracks to pump you up, these tracks either capture or elevate the intensity of the moment. I cannot imagine the series without either of these fantastic elements. Thank you A1 Pictures for once again doing a perfect job at animating this amazing series <3
Kaguya-Sama will forever be one of my favourites of all time. The characters are endearing and compelling, the narratives are well written and meaningful. The comedy makes you laugh along with the characters, the down to earth moments connect you to them, transcending the screen for just a moment. Having read ahead in the manga, the show itself never ceased to amaze me. Watching the anime provides a completely different experience to reading the manga. The emotions I harboured whilst reading the manga were amplified several times by the brilliant voice actors and animated sequences.
I will forever remember Episode 12 due to the sheer amount of emotions I felt throughout. The ending was the culmination of everything that came before, everything I loved about the series and more. The ending was nothing less of a spectacle, the peak of RomCom, and I couldn't have asked for a better ending than the one we received. Everything felt worth it, everything felt right. As I see it, Kaguya-Sama will continue to be the apex of Slice of Life and the standard for other shows to reach.
It truly is a modern classic.
