What makes Kaguya-sama: Love is War a good romance anime? Kaguya-sama: Love is War is a romance anime that dropped in 2019 and it’s a good romance anime because it’s playful and full of comedy, has great animation, and is executed really well.

A comedy anime like Kaguya-sama: Love is War can be tricky because comedy is very subjective. However, Kaguya-sama: Love is War is able to make it’s viewers get invested and it’s comedic timing is very effective. The battle of wits premise is used very heavily in the show. Furthermore, Kaguya and Shirogane’s lack of social skills heighten the comedy to it’s highest limits.

Summary

At the renowned Shuchiin Academy, Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya are the student body’s top representatives. Ranked the top student in the nation and respected by peers and mentors alike, Miyuki serves as the student council president. Alongside him, the vice president Kaguya—eldest daughter of the wealthy Shinomiya family—excels in every field imaginable. They are the envy of the entire student body, regarded as the perfect couple.

However, despite both having already developed feelings for the other, neither are willing to admit them. The first to confess loses, will be looked down upon, and will be considered the lesser. With their honor and pride at stake, Miyuki and Kaguya are both equally determined to be the one to emerge victorious on the battlefield of love!

via MyAnimeList

Kaguya-sama: Love is War Characters

Kaguya

Kaguya is the vice president of the student council at Shuchiin Academy. Her family owns one of the largest business conglomerates in Japan. As a result, she is very wealthy and distinguished. She is very intelligent and her upbringing caused her to become very prideful. She may give off a cold vibe to others but is innocent and kind to her friends.

Kaguya’s growth throughout the series is subtle. As she spends more time with Shirogane, she becomes more expressive.

Shirogane

Shirogane is student council president of Shuchiin Academy. Unlike Kaguya, who comes from money, Shirogane is from a poor background but is an extremely hard worker. He’s worked hard enough to become the top student at Shuchiin Academy and often works part time jobs.

Shirogane becomes bold as the series progresses.

Does the Anime Live Up to the Manga?

Kaguya-sama: Love is War not only lives up to the manga but it is arguably better. This was mainly due to Mamoru Hatakeyama directing and the awesome animators that brought the anime to life. All the great qualities from the source material were intensified to work as well as possible in animation form.

Director Hatakeyama didn’t try to reinterpret or change the source material too much. However, he was able to make nice transitions for info-dump panels and make them flow seamlessly. He was also able to use vivid imagery that fit the tone of the gags. The soundtrack also fits very nicely. Everything is thought out and deliberate. The delivery is on point. The anime definitely does the manga justice.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War is Playful

There’s alot of romantic comedy anime out there but what makes Kaguya-sama: Love is War stand out is how much the psychological battles between Kaguya and Shirogane escalate. The constant mind games they engage in slowly builds up throughout the series.

Why are they at odds with each other? Kaguya and Shirogane are both trying to get the other to confess their love. The problem is that they share this idea that expressing their love is a weakness of the mind and would greatly damaged their pride and make them “losers”. This would leave them vulnerable and the fear of being rejected is too much for either of their ego and pride to handle.

Kaguya and Shirogane try to outwit each other by using logic and psychology. The viewer gets to see the inner thoughts of Kaguya and Shirogane. These internal monologues are similar to the detailed monologues that occurred in Death Note (2006), where they battled one another in a metaphorical game of chess. One of the appealing aspects that makes it work as a comedy anime is seeing how much they overthink the situation or watching their plans backfire. Seeing Kaguya and Shirogane fail to get the other to confess their love for each other is what makes Kaguya-sama: Love is War a good comedy and also a rewarding watch.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War is a really funny anime. There is always a concern for an anime like this that the jokes would eventually go stale and the show would get boring but this is not the case with Kaguya-sama: Love is War. It manages to stay consistent with it’s comedy. The type of jokes greatly vary and is enough to please a wide range of audiences. For example, the jokes and gags make references to social media, the romance manga genre, and other popular anime. Kaguya-sama: Love is War’s brand of comedy is very diverse so viewers will find at least one joke funny or find many of the skits entertaining.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War is a Good Romcom

Kaguya-sama: Love is War is a very good romcom anime. Many anime try to perfect the elements of a  romcom (romantic comedy) but very few succeed like Kaguya-sama: Love is War. Kaguya-sama: Love is War is able to deliver a good mix of emotional sincerity and comedy that makes it both heartwarming and hilarious.

One of the best things this series has going for it is it doesn’t completely tear down its characters. Kaguya and Shirogane are built up slowly and properly. For example, Kaguya becomes more social as the series progress and Shirogane becomes more bold.  Even though they constantly try to one-up each other, they also learn more about each other. Their relationship feels very organic and authentic.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War also avoids the pitfalls of typical high school romcom anime. For example, things like holding hands isn’t considered a big deal in the show. Everything on screen has a purpose. The show’s reuse of certain elements adds to the feeling that everything is there for a reason.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War is Well Directed

The director of Kaguya-sama: Love is War is Shinichi Omata (pen name), whose real name is Mamoru Hatakeyama. He is responsible for directing one of 2016’s standout and critically acclaim anime, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (2016). Director Mamoru Hatakeyama has managed to inject the playfulness and energy that he picked up from his previous experience with studio Shaft, where he got his start. He employs tricky camera positioning and crazy character expressions that make the show come alive. He also brings incredible storyboards, dynamic direction, and is able to distribute the budget really well. He truly knocks it out of the park with this adaptation.

Hatakeyama was able to make Kaguya-sama: Love is War very theatrical and grand. He was able to do this by making the delivery as dramatic as possible with many camera zooms and changes of perspective as Kaguya and Shirogane engage in their mindgames.

Hatakeyama had a well-defined aesthetic and was already familiar with theatrical like production having directed Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (2016) and was able to elegantly deliver the skits and gags and really to sell the emotional aspect of the show.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War Has Good Animation

Kaguya-sama: Love is War’s animation quality is very polished and high quality. It manages to capture the essence of the manga.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War was not one of studio A-1 Picture’s high budget projects this year. Not as much time, manpower or resources were put into the series compared to some of A-1 Pictures highest profile titles. Studios allocating production resources to projects that they deem important is pretty common in the industry. Despite this, Hatakeyama and his small team were able to manage the project and really deliver.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War constantly keep it’s visuals engaging. It does this by using innovative visual effects and uses excellent use of compositing and CGI. The camera is always spinning and capturing unique angles. Even though the setting of Kaguya-sama: Love is War takes place in the  student council room, the animation and visuals keep every single scene fresh and unique. Omata’s fast frenetic directing style really complements the manga’s feel.

The comedic scenes is where Kaguya-sama’s visuals really shine. The large amount of detail on some of the visuals is aesthetically pleasing during a gag. When you combine this with clever dialogue and exceptional directing, you get a very hilarious and entertaining show.

The character expressions in Kaguya-sama: Love is War are really exaggerated in creative ways for comedic effect. The voice actors also manage provide amazing energy that matches the animation. For example, Whenever a character starts freaking out or shouting in an over the top fashion, several grainy motion lines consume either the characters or the backgrounds.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War often uses shadowless shots, commonly referred to as kagenashi. This is an animation technique used to display strong expressions. Details of the shot are eliminated and the movement and silhouettes are highlighted, resulting in stronger displays of emotion. This is perfect for a series like Kaguya-sama: Love is War because of the funny visual gags. Viewers are able to enjoy Kaguya and Shirogane’s reactions and expression based off clever cuts and well timed expressions.

Even when a shot is on a character with little animation, The camera gets a unique shot that allows the emotions of a character to be on full display. It’s simple but highly effective and necessary for maintaining the viewer’s attention. The transitions between scenes are absolutely seamless and offers a consistently fluid presentation.

That same attention was put into the emotional moments and it elevated many of the gags. You can see the enthusiasm in characters like Shirogane through impact frames, which highlights his intensity and emotion.

 Kaguya-sama: Love is War Character Designs

One of the interesting and notable elements about Kaguya-sama: Love is War is the character designs. Each character is easily distinguishable, unique and looks visually appealing. It’s nice seeing Kaguya’s adorable expressions throughout the series.

Not only do the characters look great normally, but they are constantly animated in different styles that keep things fresh and further heighten the comedic value of the show. They’re drawn in such a variety of designs. The designs for Kaguya and Shirogane can range from horror-esque to chibi-like. Each frame just seems to have been created with so much care. The use of colors is also well executed.  There are extra layers of color added to emphasize the mood. The CG is also executed quite well.

The production of Kaguya-sama: Love is War is stellar. Everything from the animation, character design and art is great. As you watch the series, you can tell the entire team had fun with this series.

What are some Anime like Kaguya-sama: Love is War?

Kaguya-sama: Love is War is very similar anime to Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san (2018). However, The battles between Nishikata and Takagi are more light and childish since they’re in middle school. The games and wits between Kaguya and Shirogane are more mature and offers more from a comedic aspect. Furthermore, the animation Kaguya-sama: Love is War is much better.

Another anime that’s like Kaguya-sama: Love is War is Tsurezure Children (2017).

Conclusion

The laugh-out-loud moments and generally heartwarming atmosphere of Kaguya-sama: Love is War are great. There is some anime fans that considered Kaguya-sama: Love is War as satire but it’s far too sincere for that, especially near the end of the series.

The comedy is clever and is  visually inventive and the jokes are masterfully timed.

The battles do escalate and it becomes a will-they-won’t-they struggle, but it’s always respectful towards the feelings of the characters. Kaguya and Shirogane are not shallow caricatures. Ultimately, Kaguya-sama: Love is War is a hilarious romantic story between two dorky protagonists who grow together.

Director Mamoru Hatakeyama’s past experience with comedy and drama made him the perfect person to direct this show. It may not have turned out as well as it did if it was under another director. If you like shows that skillfully walk the line between silliness and sweetness, then this is definitely the anime for you. Kaguya-sama: Love is War is a thoughtfully-directed romantic comedy that should definitely be watched by people who are fans of the romance and comedy genre.

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