かぐや様は告らせたい ～天才たちの恋愛頭脳戦～ 14

かぐや様は告らせたい ～天才たちの恋愛頭脳戦～[Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen] #14

by Aka Akasaka

エリートの集う秀知院学園生徒会で出会った会長・白銀御行と副会長・四宮かぐや…。この両想いであるはずの天才2人が、互いに相手に惚れさせ、相手から告白させようと日常の全てで権謀術数の限りを尽くす、新感覚のラブコメ!!　第14巻では、長きに渡る『文化祭と二つの告白』編がいよいよクライマックス!!　「四宮から告られなかったら、俺から告る」と決意した白銀。そして「私は白銀御行が好き」と認めたかぐや様。2人のロマンティックの行方は果たして!?　あなたは、“伝説”を目撃する事になる!!!!!!!!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Seinen, Comedy, Humor, Fiction, Slice Of Life

216 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2019

About the author

AKASAKA Aka
Name (in native language): 赤坂アカ

Zodiac: Virgo

Blood Type: O

Reviews

[Rereader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried. I FUCKING CRIED. Tears of absolute joy rolled down my cheeks as I saw these two beautifully flawed characters confess their feelings for each other. I know that this series isn't for everyone and I'm not going to deny that some may be frustrated with how this series has progressed, but to me it has been well worth the time and effort. These two are some of my favorite romance protagonists and I'll follow their story to the bitter end because their romance is FUCKING WORTH IT.

The rest of the volume was great as well, and the final chapter not only ended on an intriguing cliffhanger, but also brought up some interesting information regarding Kaguya's family. I'm more curious than ever to see where this story is going!

That's all I have to say, I have to go finish bawling my eyes out, can't wait for volume 15!

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG how cute !! I kept smiling and giggling throughout 🥰 volumes like this one have really cemented Love Is War as one of my top manga series! I really hope it continues this way:)

[TinTin Kalaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS VOLUME IS SUCH AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER

[Facundo Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

God Fiction. y probablemente termine aqui la tercera temporada del anime (ESPERO QUE NO Y SIGA)

[Federico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy emocionante

[Anushka Malik · Rating 4 out of 5]

-4 stars-

Chapter-wise breakdown and detailed review of Volume 14 :

I ABSOLUTELY love the cover of this volume. It makes me hope that things are about to happen any minute now! YAY!

Chapter 132: Kaguya Wants to Confess, Part 2 - Kaguya and Hayasaka talk about how to confess to Shirogane and I couldn't be happier that it seems to finally be happening!!!

Chapter 133: Kaguya Wants to Confess, Part 3 - Tsubame and Yu are stealing time again. Cute but I'm not all that invested.

Chapter 134: Dual Confessions, Part 1 - There is a "phantom thief" who seems to be leaving riddles around campus. Is this relevant? Am I missing something?

Chapter 135: Dual Confessions, Part 2 - It's happening! IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING! I can't I CAN'T--- AAAAHHHHHHHHH

Chapter 136: Dual Confessions, Part 3 - Shirogane, oh just how absolutely adorable did you make this moment for you and Kaguya! Yessss! All that slowburn and pining and waiting was all worth it, yessss! This chapter! This CHAPTER! OH GOD! It finally happened!

Chapter 137: The Shuchi'in Afterparty - A filler chapter about the other characters but I can't even be mad because I'm still not over Kaguya kissing Shirogane in the previous chapter! AHHHHHHHH!

Chapter 138: Kaguya Wants to Explain - Hahahah this was funny. Poor Kaguya's embarrassment over the kiss! This girl is way too clueless and innocent and total adorbsss!

Chapter 139: Miyuki Shirogane Wants to Discuss - Oh how can Shirogane still be so unsure after everything that happened on the clocktower rooftop? But to be fair, Kaguya does tend to leave people guessing. Agjsxncxniuj.

Chapter 140: Miko Iino Wants to Talk - Christmas is here! I have high hopes!

Chapter 141: Regarding Kaguya Shinomiya, Part 3 - Little Kaguya is so cute! But you know what's not cute? All this doubt and unsure behavior of Kaguya and Shirogane. They're making all this way too complicated (I KNOW TEEN RELATIONSHIPS TEND TO BE COMPLICATED BUT I DON'T CARE TO BE LOGICAL ATM!!!) and I've HAD ITTTT!!!!

This is taking away the temporary high I experienced after Shirogane's rooftop romantic moment!

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaguya is the vice president of their prestigious academy’s student council and she's in love with, Miyuki, the president, and he with her! BUT both are well aware that in love there is always a winner... and neither wants to be the "loser!" As both are geniuses and quite proud they spend each day laying in wait for an opportunity to get the other to confess without losing face... only Chika, their secretary and Ishigami, their treasurer, seem ready to innocently mess up their careful machinations.

The events in Kaguya-sama: Love is War vol 14 is my most highly anticipated situation in this series: Kaguya and Miyuki are vulnerable together. We’ve gotten close to confessing but they’ve both been too self conscious to rage the plunge. But this time they both get around those feelings. I loved how both revealed themselves. One was so sweet and the other totally bold. It was satisfying.

But Kaguya’s mind is blown by what she did and it makes the aftermath equally as touching... and hilarious! Actually her ravings almost eclipse the actual event they are so spot on with angst and high school feelings. The chibi Kaguya was the absolutely funniest thing I’ve read in this series, hands down. And I loved how the mangaka showed us the “real” Kaguya compared to the chibi. The art really made it work well.

Between the big event and it’s drama spanning aftermath Kaguya-sama: Love is War vol 14 is a volume to collect. It’ll be one you’ll want to flip through again and again. It’s so unique but also emotionally spot on. I loved it!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was sweet and heartwarming, the rest I'm torn about.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The closing scenes of the school festival arc show once again that this book can sell emotion as well as comedy (Hayasaka stands out this volume amongst one of the strongest supporting casts in manga - her audience troll about how long it’s taken for any relationship progress is amazing).

There are some funny asides - see above - but the focus is on our leads and while Kaguya is largely our point of view here, it turns out that there’s a very good reason why. Miyuki demonstrates everything he’s learned about his friends to this point and uses it to orchestrate an elaborate and note perfect meeting between himself and Kaguya.

Not to be outdone, Kaguya responds in a much simpler but not less impactful manner. It’s excellent, heartwarming stuff.

My big complaint is that while they return to the funny after this (great sidebar from the author on that one too) they also walk back enough of what was just accomplished that it’s a little annoying.

Not enough for me to ding the score, in the end, because few series could do what this one did as strong as it was done. The remaining chapters are much looser but still a good time.

As I suspected, Yu and Miko are very likely to get zeroed in on in the near future. While there’s a potential love triangle brewing on that front, it’s been pretty obvious that those two get on like a house on fire despite how much they seemingly dislike one another. It’ll make for an interesting wrinkle.

Good, strong volume in a series that has maintained an impressive level of consistency.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

They kissed!! I'm not going to lie, I almost cried when Shirogane released all of those heart shaped balloons in the air. That was one of the most beautiful things ever. Also seeing their headspaces and the reasons why they want the other person to confess first... ahhhhhh

I'm curious to see how cold Kaguya is going to interact with Shirogane. I loved the moment where she yells at the other versions of Kaguya saying that she was the first one to fall in love with him.

[Eressea · Rating 5 out of 5]

20200810 2nd read
--
20191213 1st read
電子書終於只差紙本書一集了QQ

終於互許終身啦，但後面還有得演呢
等單行本好痛苦啊

[Ruthsic · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It's the final day of the festival, and while Chika and her friends are still uncovering the mystery of Arsene, Miyuki has something big planned after he drops the news of his Stanford admission to Kaguya. Kaguya, meanwhile, has been fretting over what to do - with less than a year left (you know what? I am not even going to comment on the timeline of this series. It is too confusing) for him to go, she wonders how to confess her feelings. Ai, relieved to finally have a deadline hastening this long-standing mess, makes a plan for her, but Kaguya's still-forming plans are not needed, as she realizes what Shirogane has been trying to say. The biggest advancement in this book is that while they don't exactly say it in words, they do confess their feelings to each other - Shirogane by a grand romantic gesture (and it is described how he made it happen), and Kaguya by kissing him.

The aftermath, though, is still pretty messy. Kaguya is ashamed at having taking such initiative to french kiss him (a move Ai declares too lusty and equal to intercourse - like give me a break *eyeroll*) and when she discusses it with Ai, she only gets more worried about how much she gave in. Also, she agrees to his request to apply for Stanford, which she still has to get her strict father to agree to. Meanwhile, Miyuki is wondering if the intense kiss really meant what it meant, and wants to discuss it with her, but Kaguya has had an, uh, change in personality. These two need to DTR ASAP.

Aside from these two, though, there is another love emerging. Ishigami's crush on his senior may work out in his favor, as the said girl asks him for time to make her decision; he later on realizes what exactly his actions during the festival meant. His and Iino's bickering might go in a romantic direction, as the latter starts to show signs of being flustered by him. To tell the truth, I don't see it working out currently, but who knows how the author might convince me!

[Sofia Lazaridou · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a big fan of the anime, I couldn’t stop myself from picking up this volume and see what my beloved characters have been up to. Of course, the main attraction was my desire to know if the relationship between Kaguya and Miyuki has progressed at all. I was not disappointed at all! I don't want to spoil what happens, but I don't think that there can be a person who will read this volume and end up feeling cheated. This book is worth its money.

So far I had been an anime-only fan and when I saw this book I thought I should check out the manga. I can now see that the adaptation is very faithful to the manga and I couldn't be happier. I laughed out loud while reading and that hasn't happened in a while. There were some heartwarming moments and of course the "will the put us out of our misery ones". We are talking about a rollercoaster of emotions and I didn't want to get off! I will definitely continue reading the manga (and of course watching the anime). It was so easy to read this volume and I would recommend you to do the same.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaguya's first kiss story is one of the funniest things I've read recently - too much knowledge without context can be dangerous, kids. I also love the warning sign that the series is about to get goofy again, largely because there are days when I would put down a book for a while after a perfect romantic moment.

[aneeqa ☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The culture festival arc ending was AH-MAZING!😍🥰
The last panel scares me however... I hope we don't back track after making such progress

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one started not as strong for me but the last chapter was so cute! I feel like we're finally getting somewhere important with this relationship.

[di(vi) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best volume so far

[Nathan Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The KISS!!!!!!

[Pożeraczka książek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Już było tak dobrze i się zjebało…

[MaddyWilkie]

FINALLY!!!

[Daya · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am less mad

[Jon Ureña · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and a half stars.

It's been too many volumes since my last review for this series, but it happened because I couldn't stop reading. That might be the best possible reason. Also, a Friends-style opening parody for the anime adaptation; no particular reason.

Way too many plot points have developed during this period, and I won't be able to comment on everything I would have wanted. First of all, at some point the author realized that the ensemble of those four main characters could have used some balancing. For a while they had been gone over into the territory of silly antics and easily misreadable situations, creating an atmosphere unbecoming a student council of such a prestigious institution.



Therefore, the author introduced a new member: a rules and etiquette obsessed girl who for a while threatens the president's position. For almost a couple dozen chapters I wasn't content with her; she certainly adds a new balance to the main group, but does a character that focused on properness to an almost religious level add to the fun? However, the author has a talent for identifying and developing the character interactions that will create the most interpersonal conflict and yet lead to interesting growth; in the case of this girl it mainly involved the treasurer Ishigami, an unambitious non-conformist who'd rather spend most of his time playing videogames. As with almost any other character, including secondary ones, looking back from chapter 141, which is the last one of this volume, you can tell how much they've changed, and it has felt natural. Unless you go into a series looking for a fantastically intricate plot (which this series doesn't have nor intended to, as it focuses on interesting, often clever sequences related to romance and humor), ending up caring about the characters and just wanting to have them interacting with each other for a bit more is almost the best you can expect from a long running series. The best is probably when some development that grows naturally from those characters changes their lives and moves you. This series has those as well.

With a series that cares this much about its characters, and that breaks the fourth wall often, the worst example that lowered the rating for me was around volume 8-9, when an arc focused on Ishigami, the withdrawn loner with no confidence, joining the cheerleading team on a whim (and in that country it involves cheering for your teams without shaking pom poms and dancing around), which he regrets immediately as he finds himself surrounded by naturally extroverted and optimistic people. Ishigami had spent the last few years shunned by most everybody because they believe he beat up the boyfriend of the girl he was after. As it tends to happen in these stories, while Ishigami did beat up that kid, the kid was a malignant narcissist who intended to hurt his girlfriend, and after he got beat up, he used his characteristic manipulation abilities to turn everybody against the treasurer. In any case, Ishigami learns some courage, falls in love with a cheerful girl he has no hope of going out with, runs in the sporting event and almost wins. However, it felt mostly filler, particularly in the middle of the president and the titular Kaguya-sama still attempting to break out of their tsundere personas. The fillerness of the entire arc was confirmed when the next arc started, and Ishigami quickly showed that he had learned nothing from his struggles, a point that the narrator explicitly pointed out. Oh well.

I don't know for how long the author intends to continue this series, but the time seems to be passing fast. If I'm not mistaken, more than an entire year has passed since the series started, and they have little more than another year to spend together in the council and therefore solve their character flaws, find happiness and all that romantic comedy stuff. The biggest arc, that develops up to this volume, consists of organizing a winter festival (which, in characteristic Japanese fashion, the students themselves put together in an intrincate way, including setting up shops, a haunted house, etc.) during which both Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane convince themselves that they are going to extract a confession from each other. The author did a fantastic job plotting every possible hinderance for both characters, as well as having them plot in anticipation of those obstacles. My probably favorite sequence involves the haunted house; they had slacked their time up to the festival regarding that event, so they put together an ASMR presentation with binaural audio involving a made up urban legend of a girl who cuts off people's ears. Somehow that whole sequence became erotic:

President Shirogane, who never really got out of his chuunibyou phase despite becoming the best student in the nation, LARPed the role of an 18th century European thief with a ridiculous costume in order to keep everybody else busy and draw Kaguya to the clock tower, where he had prepared a romantic confession. However, to his surprise, Shirogane has been accepted to Stanford, and will skip a whole year to study abroad. He tells Shinomiya they should both move to the States. Kaguya, freed of her ice walls she had resented for her entire life, agrees and french kisses the guy; far more forward than the Japanese etiquette would tolerate.

How the author handled the debris from that big arc is a great example of why this series has wormed its way into my heart: he took his care in developing the characters, having them suffer for their flaws while trying to overcome them in some way. Kaguya was raised with an almost complete lack of familiar love, in a very strict environment. At one point she admits that until she met the council members she believed that life was pure suffering and she shouldn't expect anything else. She was known as the ice queen, and in her mind she only bothered to consider other people either as useful or worthless. As some elaborate sequences demonstrate, even in the present her mind is divided between the innocent child that never had a chance to grow up, the ice queen and the council vice president who appreciates people and wants love but still needs to keep her pride. When she recovers from the recent events (having promised that she was going to move out to the US with the president, and launching herself to stick her tongue in his mouth), she is beyond ashamed of herself. Unconsciously, in order to protect the child version of herself that never had a chance to grow up, and that if exposed to the harsh world would be torn to pieces, she reverted to the utilitarian, emotionless ice queen persona, to Shirogane's dismay, who's on the verge of a mental breakdown. And we are talking about Shinomiya, a character that despite her lady-like demeanour, we've been in her head enough to witness stuff like this:









There's plenty to say about one of the best characters, the sort of secondary Ai Hayasaka. She belongs to a former rival company that was integrated by the Shinomiya corporation, and was raised along with Kaguya as her main servant and confidant. Her actions behind the scenes are significant in almost every arc. The author has been careful in characterizing her as well as her growth for the span of 141 chapters as someone who has integrated that for her entire life she'll have to wear any mask in order to further the interests of others, and that if she were herself nobody was going to love her. It was nice to see her having a regular human friendship with Shirogane, to her master Shinomiya's confusion. In a way it's fairer to her character to go as little as possible into her in a review, as her entire pain involves standing in the background of everybody else's lives.

One of my favorite character arcs belongs to secretary Fujiwara, the pink haired, big breasted bundle of joy, who over the chapters grows weary of people, disdainful of the president, unwilling to help, and bullyish. She keeps getting surprised whenever she learns that someone close has lost significant sympathy for her. To be fair, most of it isn't her fault: the president's attempts to improve using her as a trainer wore her to the bone.

Also, while she was living her carefree life, others were growing into adulthood while considering Fujiwara little more than an agent of chaos. It's weird to watch that bizarrely overproduced sugary ED from the adaptation, knowing that the depicted Fujiwara is mostly gone.

Today I learned that they are going to release a live action adaptation (click for the trailer). I'm sure it's going to be terrible. I don't know what it says about the Japanese that virtually every fictional story they do only works properly in an animated form, or they are just inept at putting together a live action version of it.

In any case, there's just a couple dozen chapters to go in this ongoing series. I'm gonna miss you when you are gone.

[Encarni · Rating 5 out of 5]

AAAAHHHHH

Soy llanto de felicidad ahora mismo

[Lizbeth ??? · Rating 5 out of 5]

They finally did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bri ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

past kaguya coming out this is interesting

[odhora ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

THEY KISSED

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

THEY CONFESSED (BUT KINDA NOT)
THEY KISSED
AND SUDDENLY ICE KAGUYA IS BACK???????????????????????

I'M SCREAMING

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unironically one of the great rom-coms of our time, because it captures something that I think grows stronger with each generation: a proclivity to overthink. And Volume 14 proves once and for all that Love is War is a romance for overthinkers, and how this trait can dominate and cripple your ability to rationalise with the world around you. Akasaka mostly recognises this for its comedic potential - the abject silliness that comes with second guessing every thought, and how even a 'genius' can let it spiral them into stupidity. Volume 14, though, demonstrates just why this manga has legs: because for all it finds the humour in anxiety, it is written with a staggering amount of kindness and empathy. It treats these characters seriously, and as a result, Akasaka is able to detonate the very premise of his story without it falling apart at the seams.

That's fucking hard. After all, this was a manga based on the premise of two people locked in an endless battle of forced confession - a premise that Volume 14 all but sweeps off the table. It's clear we're in a transitory period now, and you can feel the post-Hoshin festival storylines working overtime to prepare the story for what comes next. Hence little-Kaguya; hence the incredible courtroom scene; hence the re-emergence of Ice Princess Kaguya. Fujiwara may be the show's breakout star, and Hayasaka might be the secret MVP, but Kaguya is a proper triumph of character detailing, and this Volume is testament to that. She's such a good character that you can write an entire review without making it clear how fucking hilarious things still are, even in the face of some sneakily ambitious writing. Like, Chapter 138 is an all-timer for sure - a perfect encapsulation of post-first-kiss nervousness, where you're both in utter elation and totally mortified all at once.

Good series!

[vao · Rating 5 out of 5]

La mismísima perfección está aquí.
Cada página es mejor que la anterior, hay comedia, romance, impotencia.
Descripción gráfica: una montaña rusa en pleno apogeo.
Fue hermoso, por fin llegó lo que muchos esperaban y fue lo máximo. Hay desarrollo de todos los personajes, batallas internas y sentimientos encontrados.
Quedé aún más enamorada y estoy segura que lo repetiré.

[Elizabeth Núñez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este tomo fue precioso, creo que no puedo describirlo de otra forma. Mi capítulo favorito fue el 135 porque vemos la fragilidad de Kaguya aparte puso en palabras lo que a veces he sentido, el miedo de no poder ser amada, me encantó. Y el final, ¡qué final! Se viene muy bueno el próximo tomo. Also, ¿podemos hablar de Ino e Yu? Se viene bueno ese arco.