The reconciliation sequence in this book was quite nice. We're getting past my capacity to remember who all the characters are, especially when so many of the character designs are very similar. I've also forgotten much of the setup that led to Yu's current situation: a common motif for me when I read a serial over an extended time period. This is easy to follow, regardless, and I like how Akasaka's writing and art encourages sympathy for the characters.
I gave a 5/5 to every volume so far, and I don't think I'll stop anytime soon. I absolutely love how well written everything is, from the characters themselves to their relationships, all in a fun and deep way at once. That chapter with Papa Shirogane killed me! And I hope Iino finds her happiness. Sorry Kaguya, I'm with Chika this time. Team Ishigami x Iino!
Hayasaka aims to leave Kaguya’s employ, but this apparently makes her a very hot commodity to some warring family factions. Elsewhere, shipping has turned into a real bone of contention as battle lines are drawn over... Ishigami!?
Welcome to Kaguya-sama: Warmed-Up Leftovers Edition. More than any other volume of this series to date, this one feels like it’s revisiting past glories while saying nothing new. More retreading than a tire mending facility lurks within these pages.
The first chunk of this volume is devoted to Hayasaka leaving Kaguya behind and it quickly turns into a bizarrely plotted (and staged - some of this is so hard to follow) espionage caper that’s trying too hard for one of the series’ more emotional arcs. I was excited for this story at the finale of the last volume but the way it plays out is... less than ideal.
I admit it gets there in the end, but no thanks to the story, honestly. Kaguya and Hayasaka definitely have baggage to unpack and I loved the ending moments, but the rest of it just feels too outlandish without much humour to make up for the deficiencies (or to playfully mock how outlandish it is)
The Ishigami section is arguably more frustrating because while I laughed at the concept the execution is a bit lame. Various teams vying for him to get with one girl or the other is great, largely because as somebody who is generally pro Ishigami and Mio getting together I felt very seen here. It’s just not that engaging.
That’s the problem with the whole volume - it’s not that funny and when the drama isn’t nearly as compelling there’s nothing to rely on except built-in goodwill from previous volumes. I really enjoy this series when it’s on its game, so it’s a total disappointment when something like this happens.
The Fujiwara game that shows up here is one of my least favourites to date and the Mio/Shirogane meeting feels incredibly derivative of earlier stories (yes, I love a good running gag but a running gag that is essentially an entire chapter redone with a couple changes is not good).
Easily the saving grace of this book is the very end, when Shirogane’s dad is talked down from becoming a vtuber and instead settles on regular old YouTube star. And turns out to be insanely good at it.
Beyond dad’s crazy scope of knowledge about vtubing technology, it turns out he’s a great watch? That’s funny enough, but once Shirogane’s sister learns how easy it is to monetize yourself to males online (fret not, it doesn’t get as bad as you might think) the segment really takes off - the tap water gag is hands down the best moment in the book. It’s a spark the whole instalment could have used more of.
3 stars. Not a great showing for the series, this time out. I can safely say that if Fujiwara is getting almost all the laughs in an instalment then it wasn’t all that memorable, which more than proves to be the case here.
Whole Volume is worth it just for Shirogane's absurdly blunt "Are you in love with anyone?" joke. They even time it to happen on the page turn and surprise you out of nowhere. A+, no notes, I shouted with laughter.
Hayasaka vs. the Thriller genre Honestly, I don't think this really works. The thriller plot is jammed so peculiarly into the proceedings without any self-reflexiveness or subversions; it feels like an author getting lost in the self-seriousness of their own work that they think they can insert much larger stakes than the story can handle (aka all my plans for self-written sitcoms ever). I don't dislike it on the whole, but it doesn't really convince in the same way that Community's foray into genre homage did - possibly because it is built on a weak foundation. Simply put, Hayasaka's 'betrayal' revelation is odd: a way to up the ante that comes totally out of nowhere. Instead of making Hayasaka and Kaguya's relationship deeper, it instead simplifies their situation: boiling it down to a conundrum to fix, rather than a set of feelings to understand. Happily, the end catharsis does feel true to the characters, and kind of makes the subplot feel more successful than it really was, but this is probably the biggest misstep (or missed opportunity) of Love is War to date.
Miko Iino vs. Her Feelings As I said earlier: clueless Shirogane is the MVP for this one. Their chapter together is delightful, moving from the absurd to the sincere with ease. It's great to finally have Iino acknowledge her feelings - though after the 'shipping war' chapter I don't think there was any more wheel-spinning left to do. Also, side-note here, but Iino telling Shirogane that she knows about him and Kaguya is very understated, but feels savvy. This was never a character that was going to react the same way as Ishigami or (especially) Fujiwara, so folding it into her dialogue here feels natural.
Shirogane's Dad vs. The Streaming Industry This one was written for the anime, right? There's no way this chapter about the Dad's cool voice exists without him also being played by the Actor who voices Dio? Luckily, Akasaka doesn't need Voice Acting to make this chapter land: a riotous tear through the mechanics of professional streaming that is both very funny and very specific. The pages where Shirogane's sister walks in front of the camera to the tune of several thousand yen is so savage towards streaming audiences and the nature of parasocial relationships that it makes the entire divergent worth it. Though, to be honest, it was worth it just for the hysterical panel of Shirogane's Dad saying he wants to be a vtuber. That's a character whose face was made for flatly delivering the most absurd proclamations possible.
Thoughts for next time: Are we full steam ahead now on the Ishigami and Iino story? Will Hayasaka still get to talk to Kaguya about her relationship woes? (Because those chapters rule) Are we going to see those relationship woes?! (Come on! Give me the goods, Akasaka!)
Book: Kaguya-Sama: Love is War, Vol. 19 Author: Aka Aksama Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars
Here we are nineteen volumes into this series. I have less than a hundred chapters to go. I am still having a great time with this series. I read a couple of chapters each day after coming home from work. It’s a great escape.
I was right about the drama that was coming. Kaguya’s family is at war and Ai finds herself in the middle of it. Miyuki has to save Ai, who finds herself kidnapped. This is perhaps one of the series’ most thrilling and exciting arcs. I do wish that it could have gone on for a little bit longer. The author could have done so much with this arc, but it was over after a few chapters. I do wonder if the author is planning on doing more with this arc later on. I do understand that this is mainly the characters falling in love with each other and confessing how they feel. I just feel like this was maybe a missed chance to take the series to new heights and show us more of the characters beyond school.
I did like getting to see more of Ai and getting to know her story. She’s been one of those characters who has always been there, but we don’t know. I feel like this volume allowed her to shine and to have her moment in the spotlight. We learn how difficult her life is and how she longs to be a normal teenager. I feel like after this volume, I will be looking at her in a different light. This needed to happen for her and I cannot wait to see more of her character. Like with the warring family, I do hope that the author expands on this arc. It’s too good for this to be the end of it.
This volume felt like it moved the plot. There have been a few volumes in that I felt like we were repeating the same thing over and over again. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy that. I felt, though, that this volume did add some meat to the story and gave us a lot more insight into how things work. I do hope that we get more of this in the upcoming volumes.
The artwork is still working for me. Though, I do feel like some of the characters are starting to look alike, which is making it kind of difficult to remember who is who. Still, I do like the simple art style. It is still working for the story that we are getting.
Overall, I am still enjoying this series and cannot wait to see to how it ends. I think I have about ten or so volumes left.
This was such a fun volume. I loved seeing the "Ai Hayasaka's Friend" part. Learning more about Hayasaka's life working for the Shinomiyas, seeing Kaguya try to find her, Shirogane helping Hayasaka and telling her that friendship is about both people being able to depend on each other, and having Fujiwara and Hayasaka's two friends try to help even though they didn't know what was happening. I love that Hayasaka decided to say at their school on her own terms, as a fresh start. I'm also terrified to meet Kaguya's other brothers if Unyou was considered the nice one. I'm curious about where the love triangle between Ishigami, Ino, and Tsubame is going to go. I don't think Tsubame and Ishigami should be a thing tbh. And Ino and Ishigami both have a long way to go before they could admit their feelings and date. I love how the characters are all Team Ino or Team Tsubame. That was funny and cute. Also I ADORED the last chapter with Shirogane's dad working as a youtuber and how he is actually really successful and making a lot of money. I'm curious about how the meeting between Tsubame and Otomo (the girl Ishigami liked in middle school) will go. I'm not sure what to expect.
This is the last volume that my library currently has of this series. Hopefully, they will add the next ones soon. I can't believe I'm basically 20 volumes into this series. I've grown so attached to the characters and watching them growing together. This has just been so fun.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This series continues to kick me in the stomach with the feels, yet make me laugh a few pages later. I have no idea how Akasaka manages to pull this amazing feat off every single time, but my life is better for it.
I don't want to discuss much because of spoilers, but what I will say is the school trip arc was handled really well, I loved the character interactions and reactions to certain truths that were revealed, and it was overall a great read. Shirogane's dad's career change was hilarious yet made perfect sense considering his character, the Ino-Ishigami situation got more complicated and I loved it, and it was cool seeing more of Tsubame's friends. I wouldn't say they're the most interesting characters, but the offer different perspectives and personalities to bounce off of Tsubame.
That's all I want to say, again to avoid spoilers, but this was another fantastic volume. I'm amazed that a romance series has kept me this entertained for so long, but it deserves every bit of praise I can offer.
The developments at the end of volume 18 were a long time coming and I must admit I was wondering when it would come to a head! That made opening up this volume extra exciting. This volume picks right up on the strings that have been dangling for a bit…and for some reason the read is EXTRA good. I was sure it was going to fall to a 3-star rating after last volume, but the entertainment and engagement keep on coming! As I have said in the past, this story is moving us all towards a conclusion and I feel as if this volume is a clear indication that the author/artist Aka Akasaka has a clear picture of the journey we are being taken on…which is nothing short of amazing. Things continue to develop for the student council as we see vulnerabilities as well as change in people’s hearts.
Okay, this volume was more story driven than the others. Honestly, I didn't expect this revolution. It was genuinely great.
The story was slow, and storytelling was great here. The backstory was good. Ai is also a person. She also needs to live for herself and not Kaguya, and Kaguya is coming out of her shell to forgive. Ai was done greatly. Miyuki and Kaguya's development and interaction were fun. The development of Ino and Ishigami is getting better and better. The ending part did pique my interest. Gotta see what Tsubane is trying to cook.
That being said, good luck to Dad Shirogane for becoming a streamer with 50k subs, damn, also SIMP ARE TOO MANY.
I really loved this volume, I think it has the ideal amount of drama, comedy and character development. The Ai Hayasaka's Friends arc was truly amazing, mostly because in each part we got to know more about Hayasaka's fears, dreams and the guilt she was carrying all along. The development between Kaguya's and Hayasaka relationship evolving from a master-servant to a close friend relationship was delightful, and to be honest I cried my eyes out from chapter 184 to 187. I think this volume is charged with heartwarming moments and you really get to empathized with most characters.
Loved hayasaka's chapters and the childhood moments between kaguya and hayasaka.Lets just say some tears were dropped.Also,miko and ishigami's banter is actually my ideal kind of ship but for some reason i just cant see them being more than friends,i want them to be bestfriends.Tbh i wouldn’t mind seeing fujiwara and Ishigami becoming a couple though we haven’t seen their banter and moments for a while.Fujiwara appears a lot less these volumes which annoys me because she's definitely one of the best character.
i really enjoyed this volume! the ending of vol 18 had me curious about hayasaka and i'm glad we got to see more development in kaguya's and hayasaka's friendship. i truly love all the characters in this series and it's just so satisfying to read well written and developed characters and their relationships with one another. the last chapter made me laugh so hard i had tears in my eyes. looking forward to continuing this series.
WOW iba con muchas expectativas por el arco de Hayasaka porque había leído maravillas y tenían toda la razón, es buenísimo y me gusta mucho la resolución que ha tenido. Ahora a ver cómo avanza esta nueva etapa.
El resto del tomo es buenísimo. La guerra de ships o el nuevo streamer...lo que me he podido reír!! Pero mi pobre Miko🥲 Ishigami despierta y date cuenta!!
El final del tomo...la que faltaba, espero que no dé problemas.
oh what a sweet reconciliation :’) kaguya’s genuine question for help on how to forgive hayasaca was so heartwarming. you can really see how kaguya is changing and growing as a person and hayasaca is helping her in this endeavor. i’m glad they can now explore their relationship as normal friends now
As I keep reading each volume, it hurts to see the darker sides of each family, especially if your own family members are trying to take advantage of you. It sucks for Kaguya to be dealing with that and for Miyuki to see her deal with that all alone.
Entre lo qué pasó con Hayasaka, la confesión de Miko al presidente y la llamada de Tsubame este tomó se me fue de las manos, lo leí rapidísimo! Me encantó! Tengo que correr a comprar el tomo 20!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This volume features the conclusion of the storyline focusing on Ai. It really helps to show how close she and Kaguya are and how they have evolved as characters. Afterwards things to progress slowly but with a bit more comedy.
In this volume, the relationship between Ai and Kaguya deepens. Ai is very cute with her bobbed hair. Snake-like relatives in the Shinomiya family. Miko talking about a secret. Daddy Shirogane is a really talented youtuber. This work is always funny to read, it doesn't lose its edge.
I have finally caught up. I'm so proud of myself. Now it's time to catch up on other series lol. Overall, a 3.6 but rounding up to 4. Too tired to review this right now.