1st Episode Anime Impressions: Kaguya-sama Love is War

Your Otaku Friend in Japan

Japanese Title: Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai – Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen

Summary

A good family background and a good character! At this school, the Shuchi’in Academy, gather smart children with a bright future!
As the president and vice president of the student council Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya should be attracted to each other, but… It’s been half a year and nothing happened! That’s because two can’t be honest with themselves and have their own pride stand in the way of their feelings. So the only thing they can think about is ‘How can I make the other person confess first?’.
Love is fun until a relationship starts! And the fun of this love comedy starts with a war of brains between geniuses!

Impressions

Marianne

Are you looking for some quality romance and comedy anime to watch this season? Well, look no further because Kaguya-sama Love Is War has it all. Interesting and cute characters, innovative and fun storyline as well as great production value that involves good art, animation, narration, voice acting, and a bloody awesome opening sequence (the song ‘Love Dramatic’ is just so addictive). So the story follows Kaguya Shinomiya, the daughter of one of the most prestigious families in Japan, and Miyuki Shirogane, a highly intellectual and studious ‘commoner’ that are the presidential members of the Student Council of the elite school Shuchiin Academy. Even though they seem to have feelings for each other, they are both equally full of pride and do not want to show ‘weakness’ and confess their feelings for each other and thus a battle of wits begins in which whoever falls in love first loses. The anime presents different cute short stories where every situation becomes a small ‘battle’ between the two in which either of them loses or wins (in their heads). Will they end up together and if so, who will be the one to win the war?

Thanasis

Forget about Death Note. The machinations of Code Geass? Child’s play. Kakegurui? The stakes are not high enough. Chess? A game for imbeciles. This is a real battle of wits as Kaguya and Miyuki are unwilling to let their pride aside and confess their love to the other. Instead they’ll try to fool the other in confessing their love first. After all, love is war!

What a great first episode for Kaguya-sama: Love is War, an absurdist comedy that relies on its skillful writing and masterful direction (and the clever inclusion of a narrator who guides us through their thoughts) to deliver a romantic psychological comedy that deserves your anime-watching time.