Holy shit, I am late to this party! Better late than never, I guess! And I’m sure as hell not waiting for season three to come out! I am not that patient!
Season 2 of Kaguya-sama: Love is War had to live up to some high expectations, at least for me. The first season was one of the most hilarious, heart-warming, and engaging rom-com animes I’ve ever seen. How on earth did you follow that up? There was no way it could be as enjoyable as the first season!
And I was right. It wasn’t as enjoyable as the first. It was more.
This season carries over all the strengths of the first. The animation is unbelievably spectacular, the music is stellar (Daddy Daddy Do is my new favorite anime OP), and the comedy is perfectly offset with genuinely emotional and compelling drama. All of the pieces are so perfectly placed to make every single scene as powerful as possible, whether it’s trying to make you laugh or cry.
Rest assured, you’ll do plenty of both. Sometimes you’ll be laughing so hard you’ll cry. Other times, you’ll just be crying or laughing.
The gags in this season, whether they be situational, character-driven, or referential, are all absolutely amazing. Some of them are super recognizable, like scene that’s straight-up drawn and animated like a classic Peanuts sketch. Others are super specific, like the reference to the bridge from the Ashes of Ariandel DLC for Dark Souls 3! There’s even a fighting game gag! Fuck, dude, it feels like this show was written just for me!
It also introduces a ton of new characters to keep everything fresh and interesting! Miko Iino is an absolutely perfect addition to the cast, adding a fun ‘intense but clueless’ dynamic to the cast. She plays off of Kaguya and the others, especially Ishigami, to wonderful effect.
Speaking of Ishigami, holy shit does my boy get some love this season! The entire Sports Festival arc is basically entirely dedicated to him (although it also features one of the funniest bits between Kaguya and Shirogane’s dad), fleshing out his backstory and giving him some genuinely incredible character development!
Until it all vanishes in the fact of pure fear. Or in this case, a balloon.
But, as great as this season was, it ain’t perfect. The main story, that between Kaguya and Shirogane, didn’t seem to have any forward progression here. Granted, from what I’ve heard from manga readers, that’s bound to change in season 3. But I’m not talking about that one, am I?
And… uh… shit, critiques, critiques, I’ve gotta have a few more of those… uh… the shojo manga bit wasn’t all that great; it went on for way too long and it wasn’t really that funny to begin with. And… uh… Shirogane’s dad never makes a JoJo reference- no, wait, that’s a good thing, scratch that. Um…
Yeah, I got nothing. This season was absolutely amazing. Kaguya-sama was already one of my favorite anime of all time. But after season two? It’s making a strong argument to become my absolute favorite!
If you haven’t seen Kaguya-sama: Love is War yet, be it season 1 or 2, I’d highly recommend you give it a chance. It’s one of the most consistently incredible shows of the last few years. Between it’s excellent writing and stunning presentation, it’s a series that has truly earned all the good reputation it has.
Season three really can’t come quickly enough…
Jonah's Daily Rants 