With the month of spooks over it’s time to return to my regular reviews. Let’s start with a genuinely good romantic comedy. Yes, it turns out those actually exist, you just need to be good at writing… sigh so many ones you catch on TV and just groan already knowing all the contrived stupid plot threads long in advance…. anyway, onto a good one.

The very first thing we get with Kaguya-sama is an explanation of the friction between our two leads even before meeting them. That in love, those that confess their heart first, have been conquered and so are below the confessed to in the power struggle. Or at least that’s how both our protags view it.

Our proper start and introduction to the setting gives us Shuchiin Academy a high-level academy for children of rich influential families and top academics. We are then shown our two leads. Student council president Miyuki Shirogane and vice president Kaguya Shinomiya. Both top of their class and looked on by the school with adulation, even whispering how amazing it would be if those two were a couple. Once in the seclusion of the student council room the two in inner monologues make it clear they do have feelings for the other but are sure the other will confess their love in no time… six months pass and nothing happens as the narrator reveals.

Fed up on waiting the two begin elaborate plans to make the other confess, either directly or indirectly. So, we have a battle of wits from two people both highly intelligent yet from different walks of life. Kaguya is a member of the prestigious Shinomiya family while Miyuki is from more humble beginnings but is an academic hard worker to compete with all those rich kids. Of course, there are other members of the student council and one I refer to as the agent of chaos has a hilarious habit of messing up plans when one is about to get an absolute win, Chika Fujiwara.

More characters are introduced as the show goes on such as student council treasurer  Yu Ishigami as well as Ai Hayasaka Kaguyas personal assistant. We also get to know more about our leads and their home life.. well right now only really the 2 main leads but later seasons go into some of the others as the cast expands and is more fleshed out.

The early stories are primarily just the 2 main leads in the mental battles to get the other to confess, this would get boring if it was not genuinely funny seeing the levels Kaguya will go to, thinking very far in advance in contrast to Miyuki’s fast thinking quick adapting strategies so we get a good image of how their minds work. While later episodes especially the last few get a little more heavy emotionally, but it makes sure to end on the fun stuff to put a smile on your face.

I can’t recommend Kaguya enough (the show not the character, I like Hayasaka more… watch the show to find out why). For years I saw the show being brought up in various chats about anime and having watched all 3 current seasons I can definitely see why. The manga recently ended and a movie is in the works so go enjoy the show, it should put a smile on your face… or burn the image of the smiling agent of chaos Fujiwara emerging from the shadows to ruin your checkmate.

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