Creative Staff:
Art/Story: Aka Akasaka
Translation: Emi Louie-Nishikawa
English Adaptation/Editor: Annette Roman
Touch-Up Art & Lettering: Stephen Dutro
Cover & Interior Design: J. Shikuma
What They Say:
Two geniuses/ Two brains.
Two hearts. One battle.
Who will confess their love first…?!
Will Kaguya and Miyuki find a way to see each other sooner rather than later over summer vacation? And is tweeting really an effective way to communicate with your crush? Then, Kaguya’s overprotective staff try to prevent her from going to the fireworks festival with the rest of the student council. Miyuki and Kaguya both try to find a way to enroll in the same elective class. And someone tries to celebrate someone else’s birthday with style!
Some people believe the stars determine your compatibility.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
So, how do you avoid the boredom of repetition when you have a story that relies upon constant resets (after all, if Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya confessed their love to each other, the story would be over)? You can avoid tediousness by making sure to include some heart and some humor.
The humor comes in the form of Chika Fujiwara, whose prowess at eating ramen is apparently a surprise to everyone, including herself. Coming not too long after seeing the Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen anime, I could not help but feel a certain kinship between this scene with Chika in a ramen shop and that other high school girl who more often visits such establishments. It was also amusing how instead of just a quick joke, Aka Akasaka layered this section with a whole universe of ramen aficionados in Tokyo, one of whom just happens to be eating in that same restaurant, there to witness Chika consuming the wonderful culinary creation like a pro. It was a nice diversion from the constant back and forth of Kaguya and Miyuki thinking that they are outthinking each other, but hardly doing any such thing.
The heart (and some more humor) comes with the centerpiece of this volume, where we see the chains that bind and doors that are shut on Kaguya, keeping her a prisoner in a gilded cage most of the time. Ever since she was little, she wished that she could make some happy summer memories. That’s largely been denied to her. Something as simple as going out to see a public fireworks display (a common occurrence in Japan during summertime) was off-limits to her. This year, she had hoped to be able to see them with the other members of the student council, but it was not to be. Her father (the first bare glimpse of Mr. Shinomiya we have seen) orders her to remain in the house. We see Kaguya at her most vulnerable.
Of course, this would be when those who do care about her spring into action. Hayasaka, her assistant and perhaps the closest thing she has to a friend within her home (though Hayasaka, as we see in a story where she receives her own focus, probably has a rather different view of her employer), helps Kaguya to escape the house while Miyuki, having planned already on Kaguya being trapped, having to escape, and winding up in the middle of nowhere, finds her and works to make her wish to see the fireworks with everyone come true. Will this lead to a tender confession from either of them?
Of course not. Don’t be silly, this is Kaguya-sama Love is War.
So, it’s back to the battles of “wits” and back to making the other one say it first.
You would think that it would be getting irritating by now…but somehow it’s not. Akasaka manages to walk the careful line between reminding you of the never-changing nature of their relationship while at the same time giving you hints and intimations that under the surface, there is some movement. It’s a hard act to manage, but the series continues to amuse and delight so far. More battles are in the offing.
In Summary:
Chika is a ramen master. (A ramen master? Who knew?). Kaguya has never been to a public fireworks festival; Miyuki will try his hardest to rectify that omission from her life. Does this mean that their romance is proceeding apace? Not quite. Remember, this is a story about two young people in love who are mentally unable to declare that love…first. So, do not expect that hurdle to be surmounted too quickly. Instead, sit back for some humor with a few dashes of heartwarming thrown in while this romance continues to go nowhere. Yet.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A-
Package Rating: A-
Text/Translation: A-
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: November 6th, 2018
MSRP: $9.99
