Last night I went to see the new Kaguya-sama: Love is War ~ The First Kiss That Never Ends film in my local Japanese theatre. It was a great experience, the perfect conclusion for fans of the long-running series who have loyally followed along as rich girl Kaguya Shinomiya and hardworking class president Miyuki Shirogane tried to force the others to confess their love first. This post is spoiler-free but discusses the events of season 3 and uses clips from the film’s trailer.
How was the Kaguya-sama Film?
It was tons of fun. The story focuses on a few days after the conclusion of season 3, where Miyuki executes his plan to steal Kaguya’s heart while dressed as a phantom thief using hundreds of heart-shaped balloons. Christmas Eve is coming, and both Kaguya and Miyuki want to clarify their relationship and find out if they’re finally a couple now that they’ve kissed. But of course they’re both clumsy when it comes to honestly showing their feelings, and new difficulties arise. Can they find a way to become a proper couple before Christmas eve?
Want to know when the new Kaguya-sama film will be shown in your country? Info in this blog post!
In addition to the main drama between Kaguya and Miyuki, we get plenty of fun moments with other side characters, including following the surprisingly compelling love triangle between Yuu Ishigami, fellow student council member Miko Iino, and Yuu’s adorable senpai Tsubame Koyasu. Will Ishigami end up with one of the girls? I can’t wait to find out!
In case you’re sad about the ending of the Kaguya-sama story forever with this film, the good news is that at least one more season is being probably coming. So with any luck we’ll get even more fun times with this great show in the future.
Why are live-action versions of popular anime unavoidable? Read my blog post here!
What is Kaguya-sama’s Secret Sauce?
I was trying to categorize how Kaguya-sama: Love is War managed the incredibly difficult task of maintaining an interesting story for so many years, expertly using the classic “will-they-won’t-they” story mechanic to keep fans on edge the whole time. It isn’t just the best romantic comedy anime; it became the top-ranked anime on MAL (though fans pushed Bleach: Thousand Year War and FMA: Brotherhood back above it in recent months).
The comedy. There were a ridiculous number of hilarious episodes, like the time Kaguya misunderstood what “first experience” meant, or the time she heard the word chin-chin (wiener). The creator also worked in clever gags related to films and TV shows that were hilarious.
The characters. All the characters changed over the course of the series. Still, the one some of us felt the closest to was Yuu Ishigami, who felt alienated and disliked by his other students. However, he eventually became a lot more positive in his interactions with other students.
The memes. For a show modern show to be truly successful, it needs the cooperation of fans, who make memes and jokes based on the show, which brings in even more fans. In the same way that fans won the second season of My Dress-Up Darling with their strong support, fans “voted” for more seasons of Kaguya-sama by sharing memes on social media.
Thanks for reading this post on the new Kaguya-sama: Love is War ~ The First Kiss That Never Ends film. Are you a Kaguya-sama fan? Give us your comments below, or reply to us on Twitter!
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