I have read others claim that this movie "Creates a non-existent problem just to create a solution to it in the end" and while that might have some truth to it, the problem doesn't seem to even really be a problem at all. From what I remember in the manga, the arc was kind of dramatic, even overly so, but the movie seemed to have a completely comedic atmosphere. In fact, this entire arc doesn't feel serious at all, and I think that greatly increased my enjoyment of it. This arc, while simultaneously maintaining the sharp comedic timing and wit which was prevalent in the series, was mainly tackling the issue of people trying to maintain their own picture-perfect image and how that could affect a relationship. To take a movie this comedy focused in a literal way would be retarded beyond belief, but that doesn't mean it is absent of interesting themes. One prevailing narrative I've started to notice in the anime community is that comedy somehow can't be deep, and while this gets proven wrong time and time again, even by shows these autists hold dear, Kaguya for sure puts the nail in the coffin.
If you like somebody, does that mean you have to like all aspects of them? If you have feelings for someone, how much of them is just a front and how much of them is the genuine article? The movie excellently juggles these thought-provoking true-to-life questions with its already hilarious and enjoyable comedy almost perfectly, and this theme of real vs fake is often rarely explored by modern romances. Often what will happen in an anime romance is that the male or even female lead will just be the genuine article from the beginning, either that or they will already get to know most of their love interests' secrets before confessing. The thing is, reality doesn't really work this way, and Kaguya sama portrays this in a realistic yet entertaining and endearing way.
One thing that might serve as an issue for fans of the manga is that there are a couple of chapters that were skipped at the end, but I think that was the right decision to make. Ending the movie on the bench scene would feel somewhat inconclusive, and adding drama pertaining to Ishigami when this is a movie that clearly emphasizes the relationship between Shirogane and Kaguya while keeping the same pacing would have made the movie feel a lot more messy and unfocused, as they don't add to the message of the movie itself.
The audiovisual aspects of this movie are nothing short of great, as already demonstrated by Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu Director Shinichi Omata. The SHAFT-esque directing, coming from an ex SHAFT member himself, greatly enhances not only the source material but this arc in particular as well, considering how many weird dream sequences there are and the odd surreal nature of the arc. A1 pictures are quite a controversial studio and have made a lot of shows which I vehemently despise, but they made Space Brothers (albeit 10 years ago) and brought magic to this series, enhancing the already great source material and bringing it to a whole new level of quality, so they've gleaned a bit of grudging respect out of me.
Kaguya sama, whether people like it or not will definitely go down in history as one of the greatest romantic comedy animes ever made. The anime seems to have concluded with this fantastic movie, and I wouldn't have it any other way, as the manga goes downhill after this arc. The anime seems to have preserved the greatness that the manga once had, and this movie reminds me of that. If you are a fan of the Kaguya sama anime so far, this movie will be nothing short of a treat, and I recommend watching it in theatres if you can.
Thanks for reading.
