Being a top student is rather hard and stressful and Kaguya-sama Love is War portrayed that well while keeping it funny and entertaining as always. It’s nice to see that we are starting to dive deeper in each character’s past and background and on that note, I am so intrigued to learn more about the Fujiwara sisters.

Japanese Original Episode Title: かぐや様は呼ばせたい, 白銀御行は負けられない, そして石上優は目を閉じた

Plot

The middle school of Shuchiin Academy is very close to the high school premises so Kei Shirogane, Miyuki’s younger sister, comes to visit him and ask him for advice for some paperwork she prepared for the Student Council of her school. Miyuki is currently in a meeting with the school board so Kaguya tries to help his sister out, while fantasizing that if she got on good terms with her, she will manage to get closer to Miyuki, eventually. Her plan fails when Ishigami starts giving proper tips to Kei about her work and when Chika comes in and Kaguya finds out that they have already a very good relationship, which makes her hate and envy Chika, but not for long because Chika soon invites her out to hang out altogether. The final exams are getting closer so Miyuki and Kaguya are already studying like crazy in order to beat each other and get the highest grades. Even though they act all cool about it, both are stressed and study very hard to achieve great results and also lie to Chika and Ishigami in order to sabotage them and make them score lower than them. Miyuki manages to get the first place for the fourth year in a row and Kaguya feels once again defeated. One week before the exams Kaguya overheads a conversation of Ishigami and one of the teachers that say to him that if he fails again he will have to repeat the year, which makes Kaguya decide to start helping him study with her in order to pass the final exams.  

Episode Highlights

Kaguya is starving for family love: The scene of Kaguya slowly diving into her own world, where she is besties with Kei-chan and the father of the Shirogane family invites her to move in, was absolutely hilarious. I love how Kaguya goes from zero to intense situational development in her head in split seconds.

She can be horrifying: Poor Chika, I wonder if she knows that Kaguya has these dark thoughts about her from time to time. When Chika comes in the Student Council room and mentions that Kei and Moeha (her little sister) are on the same year and that they are all good friends with each other, the hate and envy in Kaguya’s eyes was so scary. Also, going from this: ‘This is how she steals everything I want’, ‘Greed. People like that ruin the planet. A cancer on earth. How repulsive’ to this: ‘She’s a good girl, that’s why I love her. She is my best friend’, really showcases that Kaguya might have a double personality thing going on after all…

The final exams terror: This episode really makes you feel to your core the amount of stress that top students go through and the subtle competition that goes through their heads. Despite seeing Kaguya and Miyuki fighting for the number one score, and the whole ‘love is war’ concept, it’s kind of sad to think that their whole lives are revolving around some numbers in order to maintain their prestigious positions and balance in their lives. Chika you were right when you said that our society is dark and unfair! Can we also mention the fact that Chika is much smarter than she looks and that the other two try to sabotage her so she won’t reach the top?

Themes & Trivia

Docosahexaenoic acid: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid that is a primary structural component of the human brain, cerebral cortex, skin, and retina. In physiological literature, it is given the name 22:6(n-3). It can be synthesized from alpha-linolenic acid or obtained directly from maternal milk (breast milk), fish oil, or algae oil.  Brain function and vision rely on dietary intake of DHA to support a broad range of cell membrane properties, particularly in grey matter, which is rich in membranes.

The raw scores of the top students: This is a page from the manga where it showcases the raw scores of the top students in the Academy as well as the scores of the main characters of the show. It’s so cute to see that Kashiwagi helped her boyfriend study and he achieved better results but also kind of sad that she didn’t manage to keep her own place. Hayasaka maintained the same exact place, a score right around the middle that doesn’t attract too much attention. As for Chika and Ishigami, well, we all kind of expected that.

Comments

Kaguya is a sweetheart and could act as a great role model for any girl out there, except maybe when it comes to romance and relationship matters. She is not afraid to speak her mind and she supports her friends and the people she cares about, which makes her so mature and down to earth for her age. She is the best.

Also, I am sure that there are a lot of references in the video game posters in Ishigami’s room but I cannot seem to remember any of them at the moment. If anyone does, let me know in the comments!

To shoot down a leader, shoot down his horse first.

Loving the way this show presents new characters while diving deeper into the story. I would really like to see what Ishigami did in middle school to deserve so much hate and would love to see the dynamic between the Fujiwara sisters.

NEXT TIME: ‘Kaguya-sama wa Okuritai’, ‘Fujiwara Chika wa Mimaitai’, ‘Shinomiya Kaguya no Tsuite 1’

Kaguya-sama: Love is War

Winter 2019 | Anime Info | Simulcast