So my favorite analogy for Chika: Whenever Kaguya and Miyuki are playing mental chess, Chika's narrative role is to put a single checker piece in the middle of the board.
To me she is the pure Goddess of Chaos with an uncanny ability to throw everybody in the room off balance and scrambling. Her innate talent to insert herself into situations without context is unparalleled.
Another Ishigami moment that is strikingly realistic: during the second exam arc, he actually believed himself to be a cool protagonist with latent genius yet to be unlocked, only to have reality splashed water on his face.
Not so much latent genius, but the idea that if he worked harder than usual and had a serious enough goal, he could reach it. Reality isn't so nice and the truth is he DID improve, but that's it. He didn't even improve by that much. It's not like in some other shows where they show the characters "studying", then suddenly pulls a much better mark, at least to the point where they're not failing. Studying isn't easy, and its so easy to just SAY that. That's why Ishigami becomes king Chad later on. Where does Miyuki stand if Ishigami is king Chad? Well what is a king before a God?
manga spoil :: from AKA perspective people who learn thing fast is not cleaver it just thay already learn many thing as a foundation Ishigami frist attemp will not get result that far but Ishigami keep what he learn and in the future he will learn thing faster and get batter result. in miyuki case he start from Godly bad in music to can fast learner the dance every time he learn a new thing that have old foundation achieve he get better faster .
I love how the first video was all "Chika is the only morally pure and earnest person in the room" which has transformed to "Chika is a malignant narcissist, manipulator, cheater, and a future corrupt politician down to her bones."
@@Direwolf181 One cannot be "pure" and "corrupt" at the same time, these words are literally antonyms. Someone corrupt can *appear* pure, but they cannot *be* pure.
Ishigami is in a way the ultimate lonely nerd fantasy. Most harems will just either have a guy with no personality or someone with an undesirable personality as their male leads, and as someone who enjoyed those animes himself during his teenagehood can tell you, they feel shallow because deep down you know how unrealistic it is. Not to mention that what most of that audience really wants deep down, even if they won't even admit it to themselves, is to be accepted. Someone who betters themselves and gets a stable support circle AND gets girls crushing on him as a result? Now THAT'S the fantasy teenage me had.
Yeah, same for me - wish fulfillment stuff just never hit because, well, those were about protagonists who succeed for no other reason than because the hand of the writer intervenes. Meanwhile I was a chubby, unlikeable and depressed teenage girl who certainly didn't have a fawning writer behind me. So I always used to resent the protagonists of those sorts of shows
I absolutely love how Ishigami continues to struggle with depression after he gets friends and attention from girls but he still keeps trying and his friends are there to support him. I feel like that would've had a huge impact on me when I was struggling with depression as a teenager.
Loved the comparison to Death Note. When I recommend this show I usually tell my friends "Think Death Note, but the attraction between the geniuses is stated and not just implied"
@@chaika0625 M.B. seems to know Socialism well, but is he a Socialist, i wonder. I recently found-out he watches 'Some More News' (whos also much critical to Capialism and Unionbusting) but what about 'Second Thought'?
One thing to note about the Shirogane family is that you know they are poor, but the individual members are not defined by that poorness and because they aren't defined by that, their strengths become more apparent. Miyuki isn't defined by his scholarship and his underdog battle against the school's elites; he is so far above them that they thought doesn't even cross your mind. The manga/anime could have easily pulled that card for the members of the Shirogane family, but they don't because who they are as people matter so much more like Kei's rebellious phase with her brother or having Dio as a father. The series respect who they are as characters, and that helps make you like them.
Funny enough, the only one that seems to bring that up is Miyuki himself as even at the peak of Ice-Queen, Kaguya never noted his family's annual income, rather she was fixated on proving he wasn't as kind hearted as he presented himself as.
There is one moment when we see him in that mindset, and that’s during the flashback. Although in the end both seeing Kaguya in action and being given an opportunity by the previous prez snap him out of that.
One symbolism that everyone seems to miss is papagane’s watch that he gave to Miyuki. I felt it was pretty obvious. “This watch is for someone who reaches for the moon”. Specifically, it’s the Omega Speedmaster professional Moonwatch. The watch for the Apollo program. Perhaps the most famous watch ever made. It symbolizes both Miyuki’s drive and his pursuit of Kaguya, the moon princess. It’s also worth about 8,000 bucks so papagane definitely passed on a family heirloom. Great watch
For me, what I love about the series is how you can take any two members of the student council and there's a specific joke angle that results from it: there's this mix-and-match approach that allows it to change up the pace chapter to chapter, sketch to sketch.
And all of them are believable for the characters in question. And the background characters!!! I love that they stay relevant after their arcs are over, it makes the school feel like such a real community:')
I don't think we appreciate just how brilliant Papa Shirogane can be when he wants to. The man managed to extract Kaguya's feelings for Miyuki in a _single conversation_ without even trying, something even Hayasaka couldn't do.
the two ramen kings figured her out really quick at the cafe as well. Lol i think the joke is maybe these kids are really smart.......for kids. Its an entirely different ballgame with adults that have experience
@@samt3412 No, he's just an ordinary famous livestreamer. He _suggested_ becoming a vtuber because he knew his kids would reject the idea and thus be more receptive to his livestreaming pitch.
thanks for the likes guys!!! watching the video again for fun and because im obsessed with this damn show now and trying to resist reading the manga to spoil it for myself.
"For months", though, would be a bit of an overstatement, no? Unless I misunterstood something and the director's letter haven't been written just about a week or two before the events...
@@Soundwave1900 I’m pretty sure he was planning certain aspects before the letter became apart of it, I think that was the final touch he had on his entire plan. Didn’t he say at the beginning of the season if he’s not able to get a confession out of her this term then he’ll be the one to do it?
Well, Hayasaka did keep Chika away from the student council room once, after she and Kaguya switched Shirogane's coffee for decaf. Though Pezu may have done the lion's share of the work.
@@Sayrden True, she did. It was a bit different in the manga (they cut half of chapter 30 to be able to adapt 4 chapters in that episode), in the manga Hayasaka needed to hang out with Chika for some time to keep her away, in that chapter she also said that she has failed half of the "battles" with Chika. Fun fact: This is the chapter that Chika plays Pokemon go that is mentioned in this video
It's Ishikami who cracked subject F's code since he's the data cruncher of the group. But subject F uses authoritarian Miko to counter "best girl" on some level.
I think the thing I like most about the series is how both Kaguya and Shirogane are inspired to become better people through their feelings for each other. Actually, "compelled" might be a better word for it; both of them hold the other in such high esteem that they worry they'll be unworthy of the other's affections if they let themselves slack off.
I like how the series also shows that treating your relationships as a constant competition is not healthy or sustainable.. I did not expect it to get so deep 😭
Fun fact: in the chapter were chika describes the perfect boyfriend for her, not only does Hayasaka technically fit all the categories, but kaguya (in an attempt to get chika away from shirogane) actually suggest Hayasaka as a potential partner! It's over shadowed by the joking nature of the chapter but this video already shows how much foreshadowing aka put into his work
The Japanese narrator is telling an epic tale of conflict between two genius minds without a hint of irony at its content. He supports the supposed premise of the show (whoever falls in love first loses) with all his heart, and gives the events a great weight and importance that shows how ridiculous it is. And he's funny as heck. The English narrator is showing you the newest episode of his favourite romance anime so he can tell you his opinions on it, and hopes to god that this is the episode where his OTP finally gets together. He resents the supposed premise of the show for keeping them apart, and states the outside perspective in plain terms that shows how ridiculous it is. And he's funny as heck. Overall, Japanese is a bit better, but I definitely love them both.
While I do find the sincerity of the Japanese narrator to be really funny. I think what sends the English one over the top funny is that he can do the overly serious stuff, but will often break into different accents and affectations. Like he can go from overly serious to valley girl accent to a Midwestern accent.
I honestly believe that this is the one time that watching subs vs watching dubs results in a significantly different anime experience. I know there's a whole "sub v dub" war out there, but honestly, I've watched a lot of content both subbed and dubbed and the only difference usually is that in dub, I can sort of understand the "intended humor" a bit better because sometimes things go over my head in subs and a well done dub will help bridge that cultural gap. With the Kaguya dub though, it's like an entirely different anime experience and the narrator is almost wholly responsible for that. Everything lands differently with Ian Sinclair's wildly different interpretation of the narrator's role and I honestly really enjoy it.
You kinda touched in the key difference betweens the narrators. The Japanese one is an extension of the characters meanwhile the english one is an extension of the audience. I do think that despite that difference of perspective both ended accomplishing the same goals. It is ultimately better for the dub to try to be different than trying to emulate the Japanese narrators and falling short.
God, the Yu Ishigami story is just so wonderful. I've said this before somewhere else, but its not just that he's well-written that amazes me - it's that the author uses Ishigami to tell stories that give healthier examples of how to work through and handle certain things and more meaningful lessons on relationships than the stereotypical shonen readership are usually ever exposed to. And in deeply satisfying and cathartic ways! And the best ones are still upcoming for the anime!
I’ve read the manga probably half a dozen times and there are moments that still get me. I’m not a huge manga reader but I will absolutely get the entire collection when it’s finished. It’s that damn good.
Having read the fan translation, I will say that the official translation is disappointing and rough around the edges. If you're looking for the best reading experience, the fan translation is highly recommended.
The crazy thing is that Aka is most likely right now drawing a Kaguya chapter and since he says he can do a chapter in 3 days he then has to go into writing either Wednesday and Thursday for his other series Oshi no Ko which is already getting an anime adaptation.
A great series tbh can often get away with having just a few really excellent characters, ones that stand out as interesting and unique from all the millions of others that are similar. Most series would be pretty lucky to have three or four characters like this. ...By my count Love is War has 9 of them. 10 if you count the narrator.
Kaguya having a photographic memory is a cool little detail. The reason why she values the photos on her phone so much is because that's how she sees the world and her memories. Being able to share a piece of her own perspective, of her own self with those she loves, is the core of her philosophy on love. How can you say you truly love someone if they haven't seen the different sides of you. Photos are as much a part of her as the Shinomiya name. Sharing moments she always cherishes in her mind, with people she loves is a way to bring them closer to her. A way to keep her tethered to her friends. (Spoilers for the manga down here) That's why it makes so much sense that she wants to be a photographer. As someone whose life was turned around by fleeting moments of joy with the student council members that she keeps both in her memory and on her phone, she really does understand the value of a photo, because her mind is full of them. Even if not all of them are of people smiling. That's just a little fun thought I had while watching this :p
I agree! (Personal feelings regarding SPOILERS) It really bugged me that I saw comments in the sites where I read the manga complaining about how Kaguya, a girl with HER skillset, is lowering herself to be a photographer. They just don't get it!
I have been Ishigami. In fact, I think a lot of guys, especially neuro-diverse guys, have been or even still are to some extent Ishigami, but that's why I loved watching his character growth so much. He could have easily been a "he's just like me" comedic foil, but they actually gave him a chance to grow as a person and start overcome his trauma. I wish I'd had a character journey like that to look to when I was growing up, but I'm just glad his story arc and character exists full stop. Ishigami is a king in the making, if not already a king.
Once he got to the section about Ishigami and was describing him, my mind immediately punctuated it with "...so he's autistic (along with like a third of all male Manga protagonists)." The fact that he is able to grow is probably because he isn't the protagonist. Usually those kind of self-insert protagonists are stagnant because they are kind of wish fulfillment fodder for those who don't want to change. If those characters grow beyond their initial appearance, then that would signal to the target audience that they may need to change and grow in order to better themselves, which may be counterproductive to keeping people watching this stories.
Like even the parts Geoff described as being "On the extreme and melodramatic side"... aren't. That's just grade school if you step on the wrong invisible landmine, which we do.
The single most impressive aspect of Kaguya's writing for me is how expertly it balances its base appeal and cavernous depth without sacrificing either. It's simultaneously so entertaining from the purest, most ephemeral sense while simultaneously having enough depth in its character writing, relationships, and themes to fill up a college level course on literature. I don't think I can understate how difficult it is to nail the balance of both with your writing while not having the two seemingly opposite goals of a story clash with each other. Extremely fun stories like action movies, shonen, or trashy romance stuff can be a blast and fulfill this primary goal of a story: to entertain, but they can feel hollow and vapid on reflection. Extremely deep and subtextual media can be exceptionally meaningful, but they can also feel pretentious, artsy just for the sake of it, or just not terribly entertaining on that more visceral side of things. Striking the balance of the two is what defines truly exceptional media to me, and it's mind-boggling how seamlessly and effortlessly Kaguya is able to weave those two aspects together.
You my friend have so eloquently put into words what has been floating around my neural networks aimlessly. Thank you for blessing the world with this beautifully concise analysis.😁
Miko Iino's character development in the manga is... something. Everybody knows that eventually tsundere go from tsun to dere, but HER dere is spicy as hell.
@@herohour6496 He's referring to the etymology of "tsundere," which is a portmanteau of the Japanese slang words "tsuntsun" and "deredere," meaning something along the lines of "prickly" and "cuddly." Basically, a "tsundere" is a character, usually female, who's prickly on the outside, cuddly on the inside.
I love how until Ishigami finally meets the eyes of the cheer squad, the squad's eyes just aren't animated, as if they're unimportant background characters. It's a nice visual metaphor for his perception of them (and how it changes) that also stealthily introduces the new characters. It's also something that just wouldn't work as well live-action. Only in sequential arts or animation where that convention of not showing eyes already exists could that work
It would be tricky in a live action adaptation, but certainly doable by never having the cheer squad's faces (or at least the top halves of their faces) in frame.
I want to give credits to Chika's character writing. I know she's no longer anyone's best girl at this point in both anime and manga but she is one of the major reasons this show works. In season 1, her comedic timing has to work in order for us to get hooked on the anime. Yeah the battle between the main couple is interesting, but without Chika's presence in the early episodes, I don't think the main confession battle will last long without us getting tired of it. She carried Season 1. She's our original best girl and not just because of her dance. The character of Ishigami, Ino, and even Hayasaka have developed, unlike Chika, but she'd done the heavylifting as being the focus of the comedy in the early seasons, which is basically 50% of this show's genre.
This series is incredible, i have no idea how aka is able to balance supervising the production of this anime and OnK, not to mention writing & drawing the still ongoing affermentioned series' mangas. This ultra romantic season is something else, especially the finale, it's an adaptation that goes berserk and WE'RE STILL BARELY HALFWAY IN THE STORY. It's a one of a kind romcom and 100% deserves this 14.000 word essay.
The attention to detail and worldbuilding of Aka Akasaka is impressive. For example there are big hints along the manga that something is really wrong with Kashiwagi: she copies everything Maki does, it stated she likes the same things Maki likes, she claims she loves Maki more than Tsubasa (her own boyfriend), later we know Kashiwagi asked Tsubasa if he had a girlfriend because Maki asked her to do so in first place (so she actually was aware of Maki feelings), she turned Tsubasa into a fuckboi that was the opposite Maki liked about him (Maki said he liked Tsubasa because he was kind boy), she wanted to kill Tsubasa when she suspected he cheated her with Maki and even hired a private detective to know the truth, Ishigami who is one of the most perceptive characters of the series said there was something terrifying about Kashiwagi and also Kashiwagi started to pay attention to Ishigami after Maki stated he was her friend, etc... Also there is a reason she is one of the Shuchin VIPs... Kaguya claimed they were the secret power behind Shunchin and hold more power than even the student council and even more scarier than herself. So Kashiwagi for most of the readers pass as one of the most level headed and "normal" characters in the series given the anticts of the student council and how she supports Kaguya... but there is a subtle implication along the series she has a yandere dark side and she could be actually obssesed with Maki trying to ruin her love life to keep her for herself. But Aka Akasaka doesn't force this knowledge on us... he left for the readers this interpretation. So create a whole subtext for sidecharacters that isn't even relevant for main storyline but enriches the characters.
@@MDzmitry Yeah, even Mikado (Maki's brother) in a recent chapter said he was afraid of Kashiwagi. (and Mikado is the Shijo's heir... the most powerful family in the series along Shinomiya)
@@farmaceut8083 Moeha is twisted, but she's bad at hiding it. Kashiwagi is down just as bad, but she is really better at hiding it. And that fact alone is one hell of a red flag.
There’s also some subtext where along the way Aka decided it was best not to explore. It’s why the whole stuff of why Chika quit piano isn’t explored and she’s not had a dedicated arc.
As a manga reader we already know that. To these people reading these comments if you don't want to wait then read the manga and start reading at chapter 138 and keep reading.
@@redmustangredmustang the fact that the anime is only HALFWAY THROUGH the manga and its still consistently good is astounding Spoilers below... Except for that Ishigami shipping war, that was pretty boring
Rewatching the show I'm noticing a lot of subtle hints at Shirogane preparing for the US. In S2 E4 he's holding a study guide for the TOEFL, which is an additional test US universities require from people whose country of origin does not have english as its main language aside from the SATs (or GRE for grad school).
I'd say the dub Narrastor did a wonderful job and still gets the point across. He is really into the story, changing his tone and his deamenor based on situations. He acts at times like those "x reacts to" RUclipsrs, but during moments when us the viewers are into it. Theres one point during s3 when Shirogane tries to ask Kaguya to go to another culture festival and the Narrator yells out "OH COME ON" when kaguya doesn't get what Shirogane was asking. Which mirrored exactly what I was thinking. I mean you can actually hear Ian walk away from the mic as he yells this. Saying "well the Japanese narrator got the whole teenager's world thing better" is underselling the Narrator. He is doing the exact same thing in a way that would appeal more to a Western audience. Forgive me for saying, but the way the Narrator acts in the dub feels like he's got a whole tumblr blog dedicated to the ship and keysmashes on the reg.
Please don't hold back when you make your next Kaguya-sama Video. You've excellently covered what makes Kaguya-sama so great in this video withour much spoilers about the manga. If you do end up making a video about the whole series. I'm excited to see how you discuss about post Cultural Festival Kaguya-sama
I really like how the anime elevates pieces of the manga, for example the rap scene in the manga was already great in the anime it's a masterpiece of cinema.
With the movie most likely covering the events of the Christmas arc, I’m hoping that the movie isn’t the end of the entire animated series, and that we do get a 4th season as well!
Given that the anime is a global phenomenon consistently selling in the top ten globally, I'd be shocked if we didn't get a full adaptation. Just the fact that the movie confirms to anime onlys there's still so much more story is going to leave them craving for more, and Kaguya-sama's astronomically high ratings are proof of that. The series is still selling in mountains, so there's no reason for the production team to stop now.
I love how well you distill characters into their purest essence and can express it so clearly. I'll never forget how perfectly your description of Chicka Fujiwara finally enlightened me as to why I was soo in love with her character for so long even if I didn't know why. It's cause I married her and all three of my wife's closest friends agreed she's a scary fit to your definition of Chicka. Either way damn fine work and never stop.
One thing that I adore about this series is its ability to take a joke, gag, and one off comment from a seemingly mundane chapter and turn that into the biggest character development moment or the saddest thing you'll see in the show. After which the character development doesn't just serve to invest us into these characters but avenues to explore new jokes and recycle old joke formats into refreshing repeats of old gags.
There are so many layers to Kaguya-sama that as you stated, even a 1-2 hour video can't cover it all. My favorite are the allusions to the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter which is the original Kaguya story and how Kaguya-sama seems to rebel against in some way. In the moongazing episode, Shirogane pretty much says he would do things differently from the original tale, and the "impossible tasks" of Kaguya are used to get closer to her peers (see Ishigami-Kaguya's brother/sister relationship) whereas in the original folktale, the impossible tasks were used to chase people away.
I agree with the point about the narrator, while the dub narrator openly pointing out their absurd behaviour is funny, as a viewer we already know they're being absurd, so the fact the original narrator plays into it with complete seriousness just adds to the absurdity, they think they're making genius 4d chess moves so he acts like that's the case
this is, without a doubt, THE BEST analysis of kaguya sama's anime and manga i have ever had the honor to watch and listen to, im truly speechless, and very grateful. You have just convinced me to join your Patreon, your impeccable work must be rewarded!
I feel the same way.. when she first showed up I did not like what she added to the dynamic at all but now I'm near the end of the manga I can't imagine the story without her 😭 i never thought I'd root for her so much!
What I'm really impressed about is how they can pull off so many pop culture references and recent trends without ever feeling cringe, like no other anime or shows, in general, can make the Read notification as much of a weapon and as funny as Kaguya-Sama did.
What I think is incredible about this anime (and the manga of course) is how good the character interactions are. I feel like in any other anime Shirogane and Kaguya would be the focus with the other council members just being relegated to vague roles as friends, but here everyone has something special going on with everyone else. Like the way Chika is not just Kaguya's best friend but also serves the "Mama Chika" role to Shirogane or how Shirogane & Kaguya both end up bonding with Miko & Ishigami almost like older siblings respectively.
Bravo Geoff. As someone who probably got into anime on the strength of your video essays about the medium, this is truly your finest work. The love it took to craft this war sized behemoth (pun definitely intended) is honestly incredible. You have perfectly and eloquently encapsulated what makes Kaguya as grand as it is, and why something like S3 would currently reside at the top of MAL's charts. It has captured the hearts of all of us who have watched it and waited 3 long seasons for simply the best payoff to any romcom I can think of. With eyes that probably look like Miyuki's right now, you can finally rest.
23:02 - As a Japanese speaker: I will never forget the pronunciation of "Shirogane" as "She-roh-guh'nay" 😂 (Amazing video, by the way! Such passion speaks for itself 🔥 🔥 🔥)
Dang it I didn't scroll down far enough before posting my own sarcastic aside about the headache inducing swing from correct pitch accent to whatever the blazes that "shi-RO-guhnay" mess is. The voice actors try so hard these days to master stuff like the right R sound and you feel bad that nobody ever taught them the pitch is important too.
Even as an English speaker that knows how Japanese is supposed to be pronounced, my only issue with the dub is how they pronounce some of the names. It should be harder to mess that up than to get it right 😭
When I saw the video's length, i thought it was too long. Now that i've finished it, i feel like there's so much more to Kaguya than 1 hour and 41 minutes that you just have to read/watch it to feel the genius of it.
And mind you, Goeff is only talking about the anime, which means there is still half the story that he chooses not to talk about at any analytical length due to spoilers. This analysis could have been twice as long, you can make an entire college course out of it!
Hearing you just recap the Kashiwagi's boyfriend gag legitimately had my crying just remembering how hilarious it is. That's the power of this manga, remember it makes me cry with laughter
This video actually elucidated one of the things I like the most about this series. In most battle manga, even when the stakes are high you can usually assume that in any important battle the main character is either going to win, or get saved at the last second. Occasionally you see this trope subverted with the character losing and being changed in the process, but very, very few stories can have a character lose when it matters. In Kaguya-sama you really don't know who will win, or how they will win. Granted, as a viewer the fact that it's a high-school rom-com is enough to reduce a lot of that tension, but it also means that the events are much harder to predict.
@@slevinchannel7589 Depends what you are referring to when you say "socialism." If you define socialism as having a robust social safety net, an intelligent tax scheme, reasonable regulations, consistent application of the law, and support for workers rights, then that is simply the political views I have had for basically my entire life. In that respect this video has not really changed my opinion much, since I already support those things. However, if you when you say "socialism" you mean something closer to "communism" then... Well, I was born in the USSR... A country that tried it's best to kill multiple generations of my ancestors, failed utterly in the face of global competition, and gave rise to a country that is now attempting to eradicate it's closest neighbor. All this under the pretense of giving "equal rights to all." I simply do not trust humanity to be capable of delivering on the promise of such an idea, so in that case, the answer to your question would be some variation of "lol, no."
@@TikiTDO I speak of course of the RUclipsr Second Thought and his specific Brand of Socialism. Please watch 'Socialism for Beginners' and 'Is Capitalism actually Efficient?!' to know what i mean. Oh, and of course He and 'Some More News' are extremly-much-praised for being a Voice of the normal People thx to their outstanding Workerclass-Struggle-Videos.
@@slevinchannel7589 I think I'm maybe a few decades of education and discussions on the topic beyond "Socialism for Beginners." If you want to have a discussion then I'm game. If you want to inform me that there is this newfangled form of thought called socialism, you're a bit late to the party. Needless to say though, I don't fully agree with the channels you linked, and in fact I very strongly disagree with some of the messages they send, and the way they present their message. It is often a gross oversimplification of the problems, which focuses the blame on "the other side" and discourages discussion between dissenting sides. That's not to say I think capitalism is a good system either. Clearly humanity has failed contain the concentration of wealth and gamification of capital. At this point I see no reasonable way to salvage the system without major structural changes. That said, I'm likely going to disagree with you on many the of the structural changes that need to happen.
@@TikiTDO I dont know you, so of course i wasnt randomly assuming your a 'Beginner', but what else could i recommend someone to learn how this Channel 'is'?
I finally watched this show, and it feels like the show is everything Anime should be. Amazing animation just to flex, especially in those perfect special EPs, a fantastic story with a cast of trope-breaking characters, none of the usual creepy fanservice that is often hard to watch, and more tears from heart balloons than I've cried for any sudden character deaths.
I actually cry happy tears every time I think about this show and all of its intricacies, so finding this video was incredibly cathartic. I’m watching this in increments every time I have to complete a chore; it’s delightful.
Just finished this yesterday. Great timing, Geoff And, as usual, Geoff's writing already got me marveled before the 4-minute mark. Waiting for that book, Geoff
Imo another thing that should be mentioned when comparing Kaguya-Sama with the tale of princess Kaguya is that in the manga during the confession the weather balloon covers up the moon before exploding. Miyuki destroyed the moon when confessing, destroying the thing that took Kaguya away in the original tale. Sadly they didnt show it in the anime, but it is one of my favorite details in the manga
As an anime only, I'm really glad they finally get together, like I was afraid they would milk the joke dry until the end like a lot of harems do, but I'm glad they actually get together and there's still more story to tell.
This anime/manga does EVERYTHING I miss about older anime. It has great romance, holds itself together, it seems like it knew what it wanted to do from the beginning, makes you think, and even gives you fan service (especially this man's second manga).
I've only just started the video, so I'm gonna give my thoughts on one thing I love about this series that I worry (as is completely appropriate for the character) will be overlooked, and that's Maki. Maki Shijo is a master class in how to introduce and endear a character to your audience in 5 minutes flat. Here's a character. Here's what she wants right this second. Here's what she wants overall. Here's her personality. Here are her flaws. Here are her established relationships, here are her new relationships, freshly established with amazing chemistry, in pursuit of those things that she wants. Every character in this show wants something, and the audience always knows what they want, and they're only around when there's something they want. Which is a big part of how the show has such punchy writing and masterfully uses its cast. But Maki is the any% speedrun of that concept.
I've recently been EXTREMELY obsessed with Kaguya-sama to a level I've never experienced towards an anime before even amongst my top 5! After watching the end of season 3, I had to read the manga from where it left off and after updating myself on that I went and rewatched the entire anime series and even after that I started the manga from the beginning. Even all of the soundtrack and bonus soundtrack has been playing on my Spotify playlist non-stop. I've been wondering why this anime has affected me to this degree and your video essay has basically just laid out the reason why. Not just for the anime/manga as a whole but for me personally. This might be the longest video essay I have ever seen but EVERY SINGLE MINUTE and EVERY SINGLE WORD you just said is worth it. Thank you so much for this! You may hear this a lot but this means a lot to me!
Geoff, the thing I love about your videos is that I can come away from spending 100 minutes watching a video about a romcom anime as a sharper media consumer, a more nuanced fiction writer, and a better person. So, you know, props and thanks to you for all that.
Because of the amount of time and effort you put into this video essay, hinted at on your Twitter, I decided to watch the entire series for the first time. I cannot thank you enough, this show and your analysis were both incredible, the only issue I have now: waiting for season 4. Guess I'll rewatch the whole show again in the meantime!
I haven’t read the manga, but I have greatly enjoyed the anime, and all your points ring true. I find it funny how by the end of the third season I was somehow rooting for Ishigami to get together with Tsubame but *also* for Iino to get together with Ishigami. In many other romcoms the pairings are obvious, but here the love triangle feels like a very real dilemma. But I realised that in some sense it’s not that those characters *have* to get together, but instead that there’s something meaningful in each prospective pairing - it’s not so much that I need to see Iino date Ishigami as that I want to see them grow in ways that are typically associated with the “Happily Ever After” of a romance story. As long as that growth, happiness and closure can happen, any individual romantic pairing isn’t really important, and that’s not even a bad thing to keep in mind in real life.
I could go on for hours about this but the editing in Kaguya-Sama is unlike any other in anime. It's the perfected fusion of what are essentially veteran mangaka techniques and high-skill film editor cuts and the result can easily be seen in season 3. The action just does. not. stop. Character interjections are handled like those panels where the character breaks out of the lines surrounding the panel, and the timing of cuts from the setup of a joke to the punch line seem like they were calculated with some impossible comedy math algorithm. Like this anime makes really good comedy anime like Nichijou look like they're padding out their episode runtime so they don't have to do a filler episode. In the first five or six episodes of season 3, I felt like they didn't waste even a single frame on animation that didn't move the action forward substantially.
Have you seen Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju? The director of Kaguya-sama was a major contributor to the storyboards on that show, and you can really sense his talent for framing character-driven comedy scenes. Both phenomenal shows.
i dont think ive made a youtube comment in ten years, but the fact of the matter is you *get* this story so much man. truly I can't get over just how deep, just how funny, just how heartachingly wonderful this story is, and im saying that as someone who's up to date on the manga. Anime-onlys are in for such a treat, i hope we get the full adaptation!
At first glance you’d think this would be the run of the mill romcom, but after watching is nothing short of a masterpiece. The character development of each individual and the different elements they bring makes this show stand head and shoulders above its counterparts. Big shout out to the Ops & Eds, each one bangs and is so recognisable along with the one offs which are a nice change of pace. Great vid!
I started to watch It cause i love the 1st season op and then along the chapters i realized i was before a truly masterpiece..totally outstanding.the characters has great development and the narrative pace is brilliant.imo It excels anime not to mention rom com niche.
Even though I believe some get it right, it’s annoying how plenty of rom-coms now days boil down to “Self insert meets viewer’s dream girlfriend and shenanigans ensue because they’re not interacting as a couple yet”
I had no idea what I was in for going into Kaguya-sama but it was amazing from start to finish. It understands teenagers and navigating relationships in the modern world better than basically anything else I’ve read or seen (anime or otherwise) and it just balances everything so well. Something I especially love about it is how it understands that just because your problems are silly doesn’t mean they aren’t real.
My favorite part about Kaguya-sama is how it turns EVERY single running joke into serious character drama at a later point in the story, for everyone, without fail. Sadly, the two concrete examples of that I have in mind, Ishigami‘s and Iino‘s are both still not animated and only in the manga so far, so I can’t say too much without spoiling. I can however for Iino give a general idea that at some point with her habit to just enter through the door into weird situations she WILL come across an actually serious conversation that’ll serve as a further push for her character development. And as for Ishigami, I’ll keep that one to myself and say we’ll just have to wait and see what the next season brings, because THAT is by far my favorite romcom-manga-arc. Kaguya-sama is a passion and I cannot wait to see what Aka has in store for us in the next 13 chapters to end the story. It’s among my top 3 romance manga, easily.
Amaaaazing analysis Geoff! Definitely some of your best work. ❤ Kaguya and Shirogane’s relationship is so incredibly sweet and compelling, but I can not WAIT to see Ishigami and Iino work through their crap, I’m so invested in those dweebs. 💕 It’s genius how well written these characters are, how they fit together and contrast. A+ character writing.
As a huge fan of this series, seeing more and more buzz around it is so amazing. Also as good as kaguya sama is, I genuinely cant wait to see both where oshi no ko goes in the coming manga arcs, and its anime adaptation. It takes all the unexpectedly brilliant elements and depth of kaguya-sama, and focuses it into a drama that critiques the entertainment industry. If the anime adaptation is as good as the manga, like, idk its just gonna be bonkers.
I've probably watched this video 20 times. Sometimes in life you'll find something that perfectly embodies what you like. This in my opinion is the ultimate video essay.
I really appreciate the explanation about the secret room in the student council room. It definitely makes me appreciate it a lot more when I previously thought it was kinda out of place.
As soon as you got to the last part, I knew you were gonna bring up the secret passage/student movement reference. I remember thinking that that was an odd reference to make: "Really? The far left student movement? At THIS school?" But I only have a passing knowledge of it, so idk. I hadn't even considered that Shirogane might "crash heaven" instead of "go to the moon" by destroying the Shinomiya Group/leading the revolution lol.
Why I LOVE this? THE Chapter 136 After 135 chapters, a whole arc of build up for the confession, the 134, 135 and first half of 136 EVERYTHING make us believe Miyuki gonna confess and then "wait, if she go in USA with me, no need to confess" Me : screw you Aka, we will wait another 100 chapters like other romcom Kaguya : I can get a reward right ? *came closer* Miyuki : Eh? Me : Eh ? And then, the kiss *P* *E* *R* *F* *E* *C* *T*
What really stuck out to me as Kaguya-sama's story progresses is the fact that the comedy itself is the character development for every character in the story. In most comedy anime, the comedy has to stop, and the story and tone has to slow down in order for there to be series character development. But in Kaguya-sama, it's the jokes themselves that are psychological, rather than just gags, seamlessly developing the characters' arcs, and consistently revealing new parts of their personalities, balancing them equally without it feeling jarring at all. Every joke teaches me something new about the characters' involved. It's such a satisfying feeling to get that much out of what would normally just a simple joke, or a throwaway gag. It makes the comedy feel intimate. Like we're really getting to know the characters, gradually learning more about them, just like in actual real life relationships over time, which is why we're so tightly attached to its characters. Especially, our favorite characters (*cough*Miko Supremacy*cough*). That is brilliant comedy writing.
One point, or way to put the characters in this anime is for me is simply "Litterally no character in here is actually the way they seem to be at first" Every single one of them has a layered persona up that slowly gets peeled back. From Kaguya seeming like a perfect cold genious to showing herself to be a bumbling baka and a sweet heart, thru Miyuki seeming like the confident man among man, even thou his success hinges on him working his ass thru the ground fueled by insecurity at possible failure, all the way to the whole rest of the cast. Every character is crafted with depth that comes out over time, from under their initial percived tropes.
Over an hour of talking about Kaguya? I dunno. I suppose I can find time for it, but doing it all in one sitting is a big ask. *Narrator:* _"Uso de aru._ In reality, he wanted to hear anyone talk about this series for as long as possible to relive the catharsis before the madness of having to wait for Season 4 fully sets in.” *The Best Girl debates over who had the best moments before they subside for next Season:* HEY HEY!" *Everyone Who Agrees it’s Ishigami:* “Kita kita kita kitaaaaaaa! Chance wa kitaaaaaaaa!” *Everyone Else Who Agrees it’s Miyuki:* “Yes, my man!” *Everyone Who Realizes How Clunky my References are: incorporated* “O kawaii koto…” If you understood every reference in this comment, then congratulations! You, too, _are in too deep!_ *The People Who Did:* _crying, clapping_ “I raised that boy…” *The People Who Didn't Get Any of Them:* "I want to die, so I'm going home."
Everyone give praise to our anime lord and savior for an almost 2 HOUR long video. Keep up the great work, thank you for entertaining us, and I hope your summer is going well.
Wow this was great. I didn’t know if I would have time to finish this before going to bed, and now I’m fighting the temptation to watch it again. Thank you for helping me love my favorite series even more.
kaguya is indeed one of the greatest romance anime ever created, but can we also acknowledge how well written and read this video essay is? this video was the length of 5 episodes of kaguya and i enjoyed every minute watching it, probably the best essay ive seen so far, well done!
“Because in life, there’s everything else, and then there’s Settlers of Catan.” 🤣 so true! How easy it is to form allies one turn and betray those allies the very next turn.
I finally picked up the manga after finishing season 3 and the most amazing thing is unlike most romcom the confession isn’t the end of the story..it’s the middle. This is honestly the first time I’ve read a romcom manga that explored love and relationships in such an in-depth and complex way through all it’s characters.
Kaguya-sama is the first anime I've felt that post-season hollowness where all you want is to be able to watch more of it in eons - I finished it two days ago, and both nights since I've had trouble getting to sleep thinking about it. I think the last time this happened was when I first watched K-On - my favorite show - in 2015, and I've been watching roughly a coeur of anime per week since 2014. The fact that there's a show out there still capable of making me feel this way is an incredibly pleasant surprise, and really goes to show how damn fantastic this thing is. I really hope we get to see the full manga adapted.
Really great video (I especially appreciate you informing more people about "We want to talk about Kaguya-sama"), but it absolutely does contain a number of manga spoilers. Like, you lay-out extremely important context of Shirogane's backstory, including a bombshell that hasn't been covered by the anime yet (Amongst other spoilers, but I mention this one because it is easy to indirectly mention in a way that won't spoil anyone who reads the comments first).
Ah, I see you’re taking the HBomberguy approach to video essays, where you swear the next video will be shorter but increase the length by like 15 extra minutes each time. I approve.
Geoff, this might be one of the best essays I've seen from you yet. It's always gratifying seeing such a self-conscious series as Kaguya-sama, and more so seeing someone depicting it the detailed and clear way you do. Keep up the good work, big fan of your work.
also, i love how much work went into this. i've learned so much about the anime and i'd already read a ton of the manga, but missed a bunch of smaller things that i clearly lacked the eye for detail to notice. thanks a ton for the video
All I’m going to say is that ishigami is the goat. I went thru something similar to what he went thru in high school. Shit was hard for me and learning about his backstory, it resonates with me because this character shows a determination and willingness to change and overcome his past.
This is a show that pulled me from normal common anime every other person has watched to be willing to give other shows a shot. I can watch it over and over and still find things funny enjoy it and find new things weather it be the sub or the dub that should not work because of how rooted it is in japonese culture but despite not ruining the show or any of the major jokes they change alot of lines but it never hurts and makes things sometimes even funnier by amiming at more western style hummer and due to its great voice work it makes a dub that should be hated by everything iv been told about the anime community its loved and I agree with that 100% because I swear that they let the voice actors write their own lines no translator wrote "Im your default wifu" or other lines especially the narrator. But ya I love this show despiet their being no reason I should because I this genura epochally in anime annoying. Probley because I started watching it as a similarly over thinking high schooler who saw kaguya as a over exudated female version of myself in personality. It's funny its fun its most importantly extremally smart
All due respect to Spy x Family (by its third season, the emotional content may be equally hefty) but the 3rd season of Kaguya-sama absolutely floored me with its excellence in both humor and character moments. That ending...goddammit that was utterly beautiful. Kudos to A-1 for keeping the quality so high for so long. Cannot wait for the movie and (hopefully) season 4.
I’m only a few minutes into this video essay and I gotta say it’s incredible how you’ve already pretty much said everything I’ve wanted to say or everything I would’ve ever even thought of, of the series in just a few minutes this is gonna be an incredible video essay imma just need more food and time to enjoy it
I’d seen that you’d posted this video essay and so binged 3 seasons of the anime in order for there to be a point in watching it (I’ve only done this kind of things once before when Colleen’s Manga Recs turned me onto ‘A Condition Called Love’).I wasn’t remotely disappointed, and concur with all your points. What a phenomenal experience! Also: the manga looks just beautiful, and perhaps it’s something I’ll grab when my Japanese gets better. Thank you very much for an eloquent and insightful piece.
Oh, you love these 'big Essays about a show'? Then try Jay Excis legendary FIVE HOUR Review about Doctor Who. Same for advocates Flash-Videos. Or Hbomberguys RWBY Video.
@@slevinchannel7589 Well, I watched this *despite* its length, *because of* its content--which turned out to be a consideration of a wonderful anime, discussed by someone who both loves his subject and happens to speak well, combining apt expression with rich sonority and effective pacing. However you have peaked my interest, since I am of that generation (and we are legion!) and geographical origin who watched the very first season of Doctor Who, terrified of the Daleks, and literally hiding behind the sofa when they appeared. But I probably won't. But thanks, anyway.
@@TheJohnblyth XD I hope you do, i vouch for that Video. Its literally so good; and i dont make this up so get this; people comment again and again 'I dont even know Doctor-Who but i watched HOURS about this?!?'
@@TheJohnblyth Not to mention Madvocate getting the same kind of Comments for his Flash-Videos. Again: Not knowing the Series that's being covered aint a reason you cant enjoy.
@@De13373r of course not, why would I? It's a romcom, the most 'insane' thing that could happen in it is two people having sex. Why would I read the manga when the show is already boring enough as it is?
I can't even imagine how much hard work goes into this long an analysis of a series. Thanks for that. Will I comment before finishing? Hell yes. Did this become my entire Sunday night? Also Hell Yes. Do as much Kaguya-Sama content as you like, it's the best.
Geoff this is one epic documentary I have even seen now just like your one piece series you might want to do a super longer documentary but combining all of the kaguya reviews into 1 but even those there is still tons of stuff that you can do about this series itself even doing a op and ed bu5 still you got enough to a two hours documentary about series 1-2 otherwise maybe a ten hours one but anyway thank u for showcasing this "death note but with two geniuses battling on who will confess their feelings her to the other one"
I believe this to be my favorite analysis of my favorite story and I really appreciate you highlighting the greatness of this, in my opinion, masterpiece. Much thanks!
So my favorite analogy for Chika:
Whenever Kaguya and Miyuki are playing mental chess, Chika's narrative role is to put a single checker piece in the middle of the board.
That is way too accurate 😂
I like that because I can see her literally doing just that.
To me she is the pure Goddess of Chaos with an uncanny ability to throw everybody in the room off balance and scrambling. Her innate talent to insert herself into situations without context is unparalleled.
Or in other words, playing a uno +4 during a Yu Gi Oh match
I feel like it's more like she puts a lit firecracker on the board
Another Ishigami moment that is strikingly realistic: during the second exam arc, he actually believed himself to be a cool protagonist with latent genius yet to be unlocked, only to have reality splashed water on his face.
Not so much latent genius, but the idea that if he worked harder than usual and had a serious enough goal, he could reach it.
Reality isn't so nice and the truth is he DID improve, but that's it. He didn't even improve by that much. It's not like in some other shows where they show the characters "studying", then suddenly pulls a much better mark, at least to the point where they're not failing.
Studying isn't easy, and its so easy to just SAY that. That's why Ishigami becomes king Chad later on.
Where does Miyuki stand if Ishigami is king Chad? Well what is a king before a God?
manga spoil :: from AKA perspective people who learn thing fast is not cleaver it just thay already learn many thing as a foundation Ishigami frist attemp will not get result that far but Ishigami keep what he learn and in the future he will learn thing faster and get batter result.
in miyuki case he start from Godly bad in music to can fast learner the dance every time he learn a new thing that have old foundation achieve he get better faster .
@@mark241236 I took a look at this and thought i developed dyslexia
@@corruptedcompany4831 Jesus, lmao
@@corruptedcompany4831 I mean it’s worded extremely poorly but it is somewhat coherent
I love how the first video was all "Chika is the only morally pure and earnest person in the room" which has transformed to "Chika is a malignant narcissist, manipulator, cheater, and a future corrupt politician down to her bones."
I mean both are true lol
🤣🤣🤣
@@Direwolf181 One cannot be "pure" and "corrupt" at the same time, these words are literally antonyms. Someone corrupt can *appear* pure, but they cannot *be* pure.
@@maximsavage … pure corruption
@@TheNaturalnuke ...Ok, so I get what you mean, but technically that's an oxymoron.
Chika is the anime embodiment of that Brennan Lee Mulligan quote:
"I'll do anything"
"For what?"
"To win anything."
"There is no corner of my soul I would not turn over for five points"
"IT'LL BE A COLD DAY IN HELL WHEN I GO OUT LIKE A FUCKIN CHUMP!"
Ishigami is in a way the ultimate lonely nerd fantasy. Most harems will just either have a guy with no personality or someone with an undesirable personality as their male leads, and as someone who enjoyed those animes himself during his teenagehood can tell you, they feel shallow because deep down you know how unrealistic it is. Not to mention that what most of that audience really wants deep down, even if they won't even admit it to themselves, is to be accepted.
Someone who betters themselves and gets a stable support circle AND gets girls crushing on him as a result? Now THAT'S the fantasy teenage me had.
Anyone knows an Anime featuring Socialism? I think
i never saw such a THing.
Yeah, same for me - wish fulfillment stuff just never hit because, well, those were about protagonists who succeed for no other reason than because the hand of the writer intervenes. Meanwhile I was a chubby, unlikeable and depressed teenage girl who certainly didn't have a fawning writer behind me. So I always used to resent the protagonists of those sorts of shows
I absolutely love how Ishigami continues to struggle with depression after he gets friends and attention from girls but he still keeps trying and his friends are there to support him. I feel like that would've had a huge impact on me when I was struggling with depression as a teenager.
Loved the comparison to Death Note. When I recommend this show I usually tell my friends "Think Death Note, but the attraction between the geniuses is stated and not just implied"
haha
@@chaika0625 M.B. seems to know Socialism well, but is he a Socialist, i wonder.
I recently found-out he watches 'Some More News' (whos also
much critical to Capialism and Unionbusting) but what about
'Second Thought'?
@@nenmaster5218 Hopefully he is. Most likely too.
I'm commenting just so I can immediately find this comment again.
That one rain scene of death note be like:
Geez, when you said this was long, I didn't expect an hour long video. But honestly, Kaguya-sama probably deserves it.
almost 2 hours, actually
Honestly when I sat down I thought it would be an hour max but I just kept uncovering new aspects to analyze
I paused the video and I did a whole double take when I saw my progression line at 8 minutes
hey the quality is not going above 360p
IT DOES IT DOES
One thing to note about the Shirogane family is that you know they are poor, but the individual members are not defined by that poorness and because they aren't defined by that, their strengths become more apparent.
Miyuki isn't defined by his scholarship and his underdog battle against the school's elites; he is so far above them that they thought doesn't even cross your mind. The manga/anime could have easily pulled that card for the members of the Shirogane family, but they don't because who they are as people matter so much more like Kei's rebellious phase with her brother or having Dio as a father.
The series respect who they are as characters, and that helps make you like them.
Funny enough, the only one that seems to bring that up is Miyuki himself as even at the peak of Ice-Queen, Kaguya never noted his family's annual income, rather she was fixated on proving he wasn't as kind hearted as he presented himself as.
There is one moment when we see him in that mindset, and that’s during the flashback. Although in the end both seeing Kaguya in action and being given an opportunity by the previous prez snap him out of that.
Lmao having Dio as his father is truly what makes him the chad he is
@@omarrodriguez377 I mean Miyuki doesn't really need to have Dio as his father when he's Achilles.
One symbolism that everyone seems to miss is papagane’s watch that he gave to Miyuki. I felt it was pretty obvious. “This watch is for someone who reaches for the moon”. Specifically, it’s the Omega Speedmaster professional Moonwatch. The watch for the Apollo program. Perhaps the most famous watch ever made. It symbolizes both Miyuki’s drive and his pursuit of Kaguya, the moon princess. It’s also worth about 8,000 bucks so papagane definitely passed on a family heirloom. Great watch
Great watch within a great watch 😮😂
For me, what I love about the series is how you can take any two members of the student council and there's a specific joke angle that results from it: there's this mix-and-match approach that allows it to change up the pace chapter to chapter, sketch to sketch.
And that it’s not always a matter of mixing flavors, but that their dynamics are unique
This aspect has helped my writing so much you have no idea. It’s a great means of ensuring everyone in a certain group feels equal to everyone else
And all of them are believable for the characters in question. And the background characters!!! I love that they stay relevant after their arcs are over, it makes the school feel like such a real community:')
I don't think we appreciate just how brilliant Papa Shirogane can be when he wants to. The man managed to extract Kaguya's feelings for Miyuki in a _single conversation_ without even trying, something even Hayasaka couldn't do.
the two ramen kings figured her out really quick at the cafe as well. Lol i think the joke is maybe these kids are really smart.......for kids. Its an entirely different ballgame with adults that have experience
Papa Shirogane's social abilities are kinda insane. This man became a famous vtuber in the manga just because of how entertaining he is
@@samt3412 HOLY SHIT, HE WHAT?? 😆
@@newsystembad yeah and he also teaches Miko how to be cracked at Apex
@@samt3412 No, he's just an ordinary famous livestreamer. He _suggested_ becoming a vtuber because he knew his kids would reject the idea and thus be more receptive to his livestreaming pitch.
The reveal in the season 3 finale when it showed how miyuki was essentially manipulating the entire school for months brought such a smile to my face
thanks for the likes guys!!! watching the video again for fun and because im obsessed with this damn show now and trying to resist reading the manga to spoil it for myself.
@@mookiestewart3776 reading the manga is almost as funny as watching the anime and the development the characters get is incredible, 100% recommended
"For months", though, would be a bit of an overstatement, no? Unless I misunterstood something and the director's letter haven't been written just about a week or two before the events...
@@ffls2706 I’m actually thinking about picking it up but also don’t want to spoil myself 🤣🤣
@@Soundwave1900 I’m pretty sure he was planning certain aspects before the letter became apart of it, I think that was the final touch he had on his entire plan. Didn’t he say at the beginning of the season if he’s not able to get a confession out of her this term then he’ll be the one to do it?
Chika is the definition of Chaotic Lawful. She does follow a pattern, but a pattern so damn complicated that you're never able to make sense of it.
So true
Even Hayasaka can't predict her, only Shirogane managed to do it one time in the cultural festival
Well, Hayasaka did keep Chika away from the student council room once, after she and Kaguya switched Shirogane's coffee for decaf. Though Pezu may have done the lion's share of the work.
@@Sayrden True, she did. It was a bit different in the manga (they cut half of chapter 30 to be able to adapt 4 chapters in that episode), in the manga Hayasaka needed to hang out with Chika for some time to keep her away, in that chapter she also said that she has failed half of the "battles" with Chika.
Fun fact: This is the chapter that Chika plays Pokemon go that is mentioned in this video
It's Ishikami who cracked subject F's code since he's the data cruncher of the group. But subject F uses authoritarian Miko to counter "best girl" on some level.
I think the thing I like most about the series is how both Kaguya and Shirogane are inspired to become better people through their feelings for each other. Actually, "compelled" might be a better word for it; both of them hold the other in such high esteem that they worry they'll be unworthy of the other's affections if they let themselves slack off.
I like how the series also shows that treating your relationships as a constant competition is not healthy or sustainable.. I did not expect it to get so deep 😭
Fun fact: in the chapter were chika describes the perfect boyfriend for her, not only does Hayasaka technically fit all the categories, but kaguya (in an attempt to get chika away from shirogane) actually suggest Hayasaka as a potential partner! It's over shadowed by the joking nature of the chapter but this video already shows how much foreshadowing aka put into his work
I'm glad Geoff liked this comment, because aka's forshadowing in his character writing really is unrivalled
Without going into detail, the recent Chapter 276 kinda confirms the ship ^^
Only one problem. Hayasaka is not a sumo wrestler
@KaenRyuu Art or is she???
Don Don donnnnnn
@@kaenryuuart543 I'm fairly sure Hayasaka could become one if she really wanted...
The Japanese narrator is telling an epic tale of conflict between two genius minds without a hint of irony at its content. He supports the supposed premise of the show (whoever falls in love first loses) with all his heart, and gives the events a great weight and importance that shows how ridiculous it is. And he's funny as heck.
The English narrator is showing you the newest episode of his favourite romance anime so he can tell you his opinions on it, and hopes to god that this is the episode where his OTP finally gets together. He resents the supposed premise of the show for keeping them apart, and states the outside perspective in plain terms that shows how ridiculous it is. And he's funny as heck.
Overall, Japanese is a bit better, but I definitely love them both.
While I do find the sincerity of the Japanese narrator to be really funny.
I think what sends the English one over the top funny is that he can do the overly serious stuff, but will often break into different accents and affectations. Like he can go from overly serious to valley girl accent to a Midwestern accent.
Imagine if for 1 episode both narrators tried to emulate the others style or swapped places
@@pranavr4017 YES, I need this
I honestly believe that this is the one time that watching subs vs watching dubs results in a significantly different anime experience. I know there's a whole "sub v dub" war out there, but honestly, I've watched a lot of content both subbed and dubbed and the only difference usually is that in dub, I can sort of understand the "intended humor" a bit better because sometimes things go over my head in subs and a well done dub will help bridge that cultural gap.
With the Kaguya dub though, it's like an entirely different anime experience and the narrator is almost wholly responsible for that. Everything lands differently with Ian Sinclair's wildly different interpretation of the narrator's role and I honestly really enjoy it.
You kinda touched in the key difference betweens the narrators. The Japanese one is an extension of the characters meanwhile the english one is an extension of the audience.
I do think that despite that difference of perspective both ended accomplishing the same goals. It is ultimately better for the dub to try to be different than trying to emulate the Japanese narrators and falling short.
God, the Yu Ishigami story is just so wonderful. I've said this before somewhere else, but its not just that he's well-written that amazes me - it's that the author uses Ishigami to tell stories that give healthier examples of how to work through and handle certain things and more meaningful lessons on relationships than the stereotypical shonen readership are usually ever exposed to. And in deeply satisfying and cathartic ways! And the best ones are still upcoming for the anime!
“Just work through it”
I’ve read the manga probably half a dozen times and there are moments that still get me. I’m not a huge manga reader but I will absolutely get the entire collection when it’s finished. It’s that damn good.
Having read the fan translation, I will say that the official translation is disappointing and rough around the edges. If you're looking for the best reading experience, the fan translation is highly recommended.
The crazy thing is that Aka is most likely right now drawing a Kaguya chapter and since he says he can do a chapter in 3 days he then has to go into writing either Wednesday and Thursday for his other series Oshi no Ko which is already getting an anime adaptation.
this is the only series that ive seen in which i genuinely care about EVERY character, no matter how small a role.
Then you dont know 'Wakfu'???
A great series tbh can often get away with having just a few really excellent characters, ones that stand out as interesting and unique from all the millions of others that are similar. Most series would be pretty lucky to have three or four characters like this.
...By my count Love is War has 9 of them. 10 if you count the narrator.
i like everyone in Toriko, u should read it
@@slevinchannel7589is wakfu good?
Kaguya having a photographic memory is a cool little detail.
The reason why she values the photos on her phone so much is because that's how she sees the world and her memories. Being able to share a piece of her own perspective, of her own self with those she loves, is the core of her philosophy on love. How can you say you truly love someone if they haven't seen the different sides of you. Photos are as much a part of her as the Shinomiya name. Sharing moments she always cherishes in her mind, with people she loves is a way to bring them closer to her. A way to keep her tethered to her friends.
(Spoilers for the manga down here)
That's why it makes so much sense that she wants to be a photographer. As someone whose life was turned around by fleeting moments of joy with the student council members that she keeps both in her memory and on her phone, she really does understand the value of a photo, because her mind is full of them. Even if not all of them are of people smiling.
That's just a little fun thought I had while watching this :p
I agree!
(Personal feelings regarding SPOILERS)
It really bugged me that I saw comments in the sites where I read the manga complaining about how Kaguya, a girl with HER skillset, is lowering herself to be a photographer. They just don't get it!
Fun fact, in 'Oshi no ko' which is created by the same creator of kaguya sama, it's comfrimed that she's a photographer
I have been Ishigami. In fact, I think a lot of guys, especially neuro-diverse guys, have been or even still are to some extent Ishigami, but that's why I loved watching his character growth so much. He could have easily been a "he's just like me" comedic foil, but they actually gave him a chance to grow as a person and start overcome his trauma. I wish I'd had a character journey like that to look to when I was growing up, but I'm just glad his story arc and character exists full stop. Ishigami is a king in the making, if not already a king.
Once he got to the section about Ishigami and was describing him, my mind immediately punctuated it with "...so he's autistic (along with like a third of all male Manga protagonists)."
The fact that he is able to grow is probably because he isn't the protagonist. Usually those kind of self-insert protagonists are stagnant because they are kind of wish fulfillment fodder for those who don't want to change. If those characters grow beyond their initial appearance, then that would signal to the target audience that they may need to change and grow in order to better themselves, which may be counterproductive to keeping people watching this stories.
I was him before I transitioned lol
Everything in the Yu Ishigami segment is so autistic it hurts
Like even the parts Geoff described as being "On the extreme and melodramatic side"... aren't. That's just grade school if you step on the wrong invisible landmine, which we do.
@@BluePhoenixAlex In a similar vein, I was him before I came out as bi.
The single most impressive aspect of Kaguya's writing for me is how expertly it balances its base appeal and cavernous depth without sacrificing either. It's simultaneously so entertaining from the purest, most ephemeral sense while simultaneously having enough depth in its character writing, relationships, and themes to fill up a college level course on literature. I don't think I can understate how difficult it is to nail the balance of both with your writing while not having the two seemingly opposite goals of a story clash with each other. Extremely fun stories like action movies, shonen, or trashy romance stuff can be a blast and fulfill this primary goal of a story: to entertain, but they can feel hollow and vapid on reflection. Extremely deep and subtextual media can be exceptionally meaningful, but they can also feel pretentious, artsy just for the sake of it, or just not terribly entertaining on that more visceral side of things. Striking the balance of the two is what defines truly exceptional media to me, and it's mind-boggling how seamlessly and effortlessly Kaguya is able to weave those two aspects together.
You my friend have so eloquently put into words what has been floating around my neural networks aimlessly. Thank you for blessing the world with this beautifully concise analysis.😁
**slow* *clap**
Couldn't have said it better
*overstate
Reminds me of how Thor Love and Thunder failed at mixing comedy with its story
Miko Iino's character development in the manga is... something. Everybody knows that eventually tsundere go from tsun to dere, but HER dere is spicy as hell.
I'd say her "dere" is hella kinky if I wasn't into that shit
nani?
And she also takes a WHILE to transition to the second phase.
"dear"? what?
@@herohour6496 He's referring to the etymology of "tsundere," which is a portmanteau of the Japanese slang words "tsuntsun" and "deredere," meaning something along the lines of "prickly" and "cuddly." Basically, a "tsundere" is a character, usually female, who's prickly on the outside, cuddly on the inside.
I love how until Ishigami finally meets the eyes of the cheer squad, the squad's eyes just aren't animated, as if they're unimportant background characters. It's a nice visual metaphor for his perception of them (and how it changes) that also stealthily introduces the new characters. It's also something that just wouldn't work as well live-action. Only in sequential arts or animation where that convention of not showing eyes already exists could that work
It would be tricky in a live action adaptation, but certainly doable by never having the cheer squad's faces (or at least the top halves of their faces) in frame.
This kind of reminded me of A Silent Voice, albeit less emphasised
I want to give credits to Chika's character writing. I know she's no longer anyone's best girl at this point in both anime and manga but she is one of the major reasons this show works. In season 1, her comedic timing has to work in order for us to get hooked on the anime. Yeah the battle between the main couple is interesting, but without Chika's presence in the early episodes, I don't think the main confession battle will last long without us getting tired of it. She carried Season 1. She's our original best girl and not just because of her dance. The character of Ishigami, Ino, and even Hayasaka have developed, unlike Chika, but she'd done the heavylifting as being the focus of the comedy in the early seasons, which is basically 50% of this show's genre.
"I know she's no longer anyone's best girl"
Speak for yourself.
@@RedXlV No joke. Chika4Lyfe
Bold of you to assume Chika* isn’t Best Girl when she so clearly is 🥰🥰🥰
@@SpineShank7 hayasaka gang RISE UP!
At what point was Chika best girl?
This series is incredible, i have no idea how aka is able to balance supervising the production of this anime and OnK, not to mention writing & drawing the still ongoing affermentioned series' mangas. This ultra romantic season is something else, especially the finale, it's an adaptation that goes berserk and WE'RE STILL BARELY HALFWAY IN THE STORY. It's a one of a kind romcom and 100% deserves this 14.000 word essay.
I dont get this anime what they do is exactly what you shouldnt do in a relationship
@@vic5837 They learn and they change, then become goals. lol
@@raec5426 when did they change, if i have to guess its when there separation is imminent
@@vic5837 I mean you can see them clearly changing in season 3 for example.
@@raec5426 so they stop there manupulative and narcssistic behavior
The attention to detail and worldbuilding of Aka Akasaka is impressive. For example there are big hints along the manga that something is really wrong with Kashiwagi: she copies everything Maki does, it stated she likes the same things Maki likes, she claims she loves Maki more than Tsubasa (her own boyfriend), later we know Kashiwagi asked Tsubasa if he had a girlfriend because Maki asked her to do so in first place (so she actually was aware of Maki feelings), she turned Tsubasa into a fuckboi that was the opposite Maki liked about him (Maki said he liked Tsubasa because he was kind boy), she wanted to kill Tsubasa when she suspected he cheated her with Maki and even hired a private detective to know the truth, Ishigami who is one of the most perceptive characters of the series said there was something terrifying about Kashiwagi and also Kashiwagi started to pay attention to Ishigami after Maki stated he was her friend, etc...
Also there is a reason she is one of the Shuchin VIPs... Kaguya claimed they were the secret power behind Shunchin and hold more power than even the student council and even more scarier than herself.
So Kashiwagi for most of the readers pass as one of the most level headed and "normal" characters in the series given the anticts of the student council and how she supports Kaguya... but there is a subtle implication along the series she has a yandere dark side and she could be actually obssesed with Maki trying to ruin her love life to keep her for herself. But Aka Akasaka doesn't force this knowledge on us... he left for the readers this interpretation. So create a whole subtext for sidecharacters that isn't even relevant for main storyline but enriches the characters.
I remember Kashiwagi being creepy, but holy shit your comment is a whole investigation
@@MDzmitry Yeah, even Mikado (Maki's brother) in a recent chapter said he was afraid of Kashiwagi. (and Mikado is the Shijo's heir... the most powerful family in the series along Shinomiya)
Yeah, Kashiwagi is by far the scariest character in Kaguya-sama, followed by Moeha.
@@farmaceut8083 Moeha is twisted, but she's bad at hiding it.
Kashiwagi is down just as bad, but she is really better at hiding it. And that fact alone is one hell of a red flag.
There’s also some subtext where along the way Aka decided it was best not to explore. It’s why the whole stuff of why Chika quit piano isn’t explored and she’s not had a dedicated arc.
The crazy thing is that as good as this season was, we still haven’t reached my favorite part of the manga.
The movie is gonna be insane.
Oh there’s more? When is that coming?
As a manga reader we already know that. To these people reading these comments if you don't want to wait then read the manga and start reading at chapter 138 and keep reading.
@@redmustangredmustang the fact that the anime is only HALFWAY THROUGH the manga and its still consistently good is astounding
Spoilers below...
Except for that Ishigami shipping war, that was pretty boring
@@obeyabe8613 I STRONGLY disagree
There’s a movie coming out? I thought it’s just a season 4
Rewatching the show I'm noticing a lot of subtle hints at Shirogane preparing for the US. In S2 E4 he's holding a study guide for the TOEFL, which is an additional test US universities require from people whose country of origin does not have english as its main language aside from the SATs (or GRE for grad school).
I'd say the dub Narrastor did a wonderful job and still gets the point across. He is really into the story, changing his tone and his deamenor based on situations. He acts at times like those "x reacts to" RUclipsrs, but during moments when us the viewers are into it. Theres one point during s3 when Shirogane tries to ask Kaguya to go to another culture festival and the Narrator yells out "OH COME ON" when kaguya doesn't get what Shirogane was asking. Which mirrored exactly what I was thinking. I mean you can actually hear Ian walk away from the mic as he yells this.
Saying "well the Japanese narrator got the whole teenager's world thing better" is underselling the Narrator. He is doing the exact same thing in a way that would appeal more to a Western audience. Forgive me for saying, but the way the Narrator acts in the dub feels like he's got a whole tumblr blog dedicated to the ship and keysmashes on the reg.
Please don't hold back when you make your next Kaguya-sama Video. You've excellently covered what makes Kaguya-sama so great in this video withour much spoilers about the manga. If you do end up making a video about the whole series. I'm excited to see how you discuss about post Cultural Festival Kaguya-sama
I really like how the anime elevates pieces of the manga, for example the rap scene in the manga was already great in the anime it's a masterpiece of cinema.
Yup i definitely use that scene to convince people to watch this show haha
Yeah and they way they use references is almost perfecto (the Resident evil reference in one of the last ep in season 3 was so good)
With the movie most likely covering the events of the Christmas arc, I’m hoping that the movie isn’t the end of the entire animated series, and that we do get a 4th season as well!
The last few arcs of the manga are incredible. I hope anime onlies don’t miss out on them
You and every manga reader pretty much need to tell for those who don't want to wait for the movie start reading chapter 138 and just keep reading.
@@redmustangredmustang thank you for providing me the chapter
Given that the anime is a global phenomenon consistently selling in the top ten globally, I'd be shocked if we didn't get a full adaptation. Just the fact that the movie confirms to anime onlys there's still so much more story is going to leave them craving for more, and Kaguya-sama's astronomically high ratings are proof of that. The series is still selling in mountains, so there's no reason for the production team to stop now.
Or that the movie would be a long-ass trailer for the fourth season
I love how well you distill characters into their purest essence and can express it so clearly.
I'll never forget how perfectly your description of Chicka Fujiwara finally enlightened me as to why I was soo in love with her character for so long even if I didn't know why. It's cause I married her and all three of my wife's closest friends agreed she's a scary fit to your definition of Chicka.
Either way damn fine work and never stop.
U know that it ended right?
One thing that I adore about this series is its ability to take a joke, gag, and one off comment from a seemingly mundane chapter and turn that into the biggest character development moment or the saddest thing you'll see in the show. After which the character development doesn't just serve to invest us into these characters but avenues to explore new jokes and recycle old joke formats into refreshing repeats of old gags.
There are so many layers to Kaguya-sama that as you stated, even a 1-2 hour video can't cover it all. My favorite are the allusions to the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter which is the original Kaguya story and how Kaguya-sama seems to rebel against in some way. In the moongazing episode, Shirogane pretty much says he would do things differently from the original tale, and the "impossible tasks" of Kaguya are used to get closer to her peers (see Ishigami-Kaguya's brother/sister relationship) whereas in the original folktale, the impossible tasks were used to chase people away.
"Rip to them but I'm different" shirogane on the kaguya story
@@npc6817 Miyuki "I would've just handled it" Shirogane
I agree with the point about the narrator, while the dub narrator openly pointing out their absurd behaviour is funny, as a viewer we already know they're being absurd, so the fact the original narrator plays into it with complete seriousness just adds to the absurdity, they think they're making genius 4d chess moves so he acts like that's the case
But the dub narrator more reflects the audience
this is, without a doubt, THE BEST analysis of kaguya sama's anime and manga i have ever had the honor to watch and listen to, im truly speechless, and very grateful. You have just convinced me to join your Patreon, your impeccable work must be rewarded!
It was not until rewatching love is war that i realised how natural an addition miko iino is. The whole first season just feels weird without her.
I feel the same way.. when she first showed up I did not like what she added to the dynamic at all but now I'm near the end of the manga I can't imagine the story without her 😭 i never thought I'd root for her so much!
What I'm really impressed about is how they can pull off so many pop culture references and recent trends without ever feeling cringe, like no other anime or shows, in general, can make the Read notification as much of a weapon and as funny as Kaguya-Sama did.
What I think is incredible about this anime (and the manga of course) is how good the character interactions are. I feel like in any other anime Shirogane and Kaguya would be the focus with the other council members just being relegated to vague roles as friends, but here everyone has something special going on with everyone else. Like the way Chika is not just Kaguya's best friend but also serves the "Mama Chika" role to Shirogane or how Shirogane & Kaguya both end up bonding with Miko & Ishigami almost like older siblings respectively.
Bravo Geoff. As someone who probably got into anime on the strength of your video essays about the medium, this is truly your finest work. The love it took to craft this war sized behemoth (pun definitely intended) is honestly incredible. You have perfectly and eloquently encapsulated what makes Kaguya as grand as it is, and why something like S3 would currently reside at the top of MAL's charts. It has captured the hearts of all of us who have watched it and waited 3 long seasons for simply the best payoff to any romcom I can think of. With eyes that probably look like Miyuki's right now, you can finally rest.
may the decaf help him then...
23:02 - As a Japanese speaker: I will never forget the pronunciation of "Shirogane" as "She-roh-guh'nay" 😂
(Amazing video, by the way! Such passion speaks for itself 🔥 🔥 🔥)
Yeah, the dub says it like the other way. It kinda bothers me a bit how different the names are said. lol
Dang it I didn't scroll down far enough before posting my own sarcastic aside about the headache inducing swing from correct pitch accent to whatever the blazes that "shi-RO-guhnay" mess is. The voice actors try so hard these days to master stuff like the right R sound and you feel bad that nobody ever taught them the pitch is important too.
I watched the dub and didnt even know that was wrong until seeing this comment 😂
@@Quinnn2008 In the ED for S3 ep 5 also in the dub, the Japanese VAs sing and says Shirogane as it is intended. lol
Even as an English speaker that knows how Japanese is supposed to be pronounced, my only issue with the dub is how they pronounce some of the names. It should be harder to mess that up than to get it right 😭
When I saw the video's length, i thought it was too long. Now that i've finished it, i feel like there's so much more to Kaguya than 1 hour and 41 minutes that you just have to read/watch it to feel the genius of it.
And mind you, Goeff is only talking about the anime, which means there is still half the story that he chooses not to talk about at any analytical length due to spoilers. This analysis could have been twice as long, you can make an entire college course out of it!
Hearing you just recap the Kashiwagi's boyfriend gag legitimately had my crying just remembering how hilarious it is. That's the power of this manga, remember it makes me cry with laughter
This us exactly how I felt with the fujiwara training shirogane gag. The karaoke scenes and her reactions always had me in stitches 😭
This video actually elucidated one of the things I like the most about this series. In most battle manga, even when the stakes are high you can usually assume that in any important battle the main character is either going to win, or get saved at the last second. Occasionally you see this trope subverted with the character losing and being changed in the process, but very, very few stories can have a character lose when it matters. In Kaguya-sama you really don't know who will win, or how they will win. Granted, as a viewer the fact that it's a high-school rom-com is enough to reduce a lot of that tension, but it also means that the events are much harder to predict.
Tiki?
Has the video made you at least a little bit curious about Socialism, i wonder?
@@slevinchannel7589 Depends what you are referring to when you say "socialism." If you define socialism as having a robust social safety net, an intelligent tax scheme, reasonable regulations, consistent application of the law, and support for workers rights, then that is simply the political views I have had for basically my entire life. In that respect this video has not really changed my opinion much, since I already support those things.
However, if you when you say "socialism" you mean something closer to "communism" then... Well, I was born in the USSR... A country that tried it's best to kill multiple generations of my ancestors, failed utterly in the face of global competition, and gave rise to a country that is now attempting to eradicate it's closest neighbor. All this under the pretense of giving "equal rights to all." I simply do not trust humanity to be capable of delivering on the promise of such an idea, so in that case, the answer to your question would be some variation of "lol, no."
@@TikiTDO I speak of course of the RUclipsr Second Thought and his specific Brand of Socialism.
Please watch 'Socialism for Beginners' and 'Is Capitalism actually Efficient?!' to know what i mean.
Oh, and of course He and 'Some More News' are extremly-much-praised for being a Voice of the normal People thx to their outstanding Workerclass-Struggle-Videos.
@@slevinchannel7589 I think I'm maybe a few decades of education and discussions on the topic beyond "Socialism for Beginners." If you want to have a discussion then I'm game. If you want to inform me that there is this newfangled form of thought called socialism, you're a bit late to the party.
Needless to say though, I don't fully agree with the channels you linked, and in fact I very strongly disagree with some of the messages they send, and the way they present their message. It is often a gross oversimplification of the problems, which focuses the blame on "the other side" and discourages discussion between dissenting sides.
That's not to say I think capitalism is a good system either. Clearly humanity has failed contain the concentration of wealth and gamification of capital. At this point I see no reasonable way to salvage the system without major structural changes. That said, I'm likely going to disagree with you on many the of the structural changes that need to happen.
@@TikiTDO I dont know you, so of course i wasnt randomly assuming your a 'Beginner', but what else could i recommend someone to learn how this Channel 'is'?
My dude, your recent sponsor reads have been just amazing. This one just had me laughing the whole time
My mouse started moving to skip it, but I froze and just had to watch the whole ad it was so good
The fact that Chika is a middle child makes her attention seeking behaviour make a lot of sense
I finally watched this show, and it feels like the show is everything Anime should be. Amazing animation just to flex, especially in those perfect special EPs, a fantastic story with a cast of trope-breaking characters, none of the usual creepy fanservice that is often hard to watch, and more tears from heart balloons than I've cried for any sudden character deaths.
I actually cry happy tears every time I think about this show and all of its intricacies, so finding this video was incredibly cathartic. I’m watching this in increments every time I have to complete a chore; it’s delightful.
Just finished this yesterday. Great timing, Geoff
And, as usual, Geoff's writing already got me marveled before the 4-minute mark. Waiting for that book, Geoff
Imo another thing that should be mentioned when comparing Kaguya-Sama with the tale of princess Kaguya is that in the manga during the confession the weather balloon covers up the moon before exploding.
Miyuki destroyed the moon when confessing, destroying the thing that took Kaguya away in the original tale.
Sadly they didnt show it in the anime, but it is one of my favorite details in the manga
As an anime only, I'm really glad they finally get together, like I was afraid they would milk the joke dry until the end like a lot of harems do, but I'm glad they actually get together and there's still more story to tell.
Not only is there more, the moment they get together is not even halfway through the overall story.
It’s slightly less than halfway through the story. So hopefully they do it all
This anime/manga does EVERYTHING I miss about older anime. It has great romance, holds itself together, it seems like it knew what it wanted to do from the beginning, makes you think, and even gives you fan service (especially this man's second manga).
In the dub Papa Shirogane literally says, in perfectly serious deadpan to Miyuki, "Tell Sugar Daddy what's wrong." Which justifies the dub on its own.
I've only just started the video, so I'm gonna give my thoughts on one thing I love about this series that I worry (as is completely appropriate for the character) will be overlooked, and that's Maki.
Maki Shijo is a master class in how to introduce and endear a character to your audience in 5 minutes flat. Here's a character. Here's what she wants right this second. Here's what she wants overall. Here's her personality. Here are her flaws. Here are her established relationships, here are her new relationships, freshly established with amazing chemistry, in pursuit of those things that she wants. Every character in this show wants something, and the audience always knows what they want, and they're only around when there's something they want. Which is a big part of how the show has such punchy writing and masterfully uses its cast. But Maki is the any% speedrun of that concept.
Though it's sad how she can't Speedrun her love life any %
I've recently been EXTREMELY obsessed with Kaguya-sama to a level I've never experienced towards an anime before even amongst my top 5! After watching the end of season 3, I had to read the manga from where it left off and after updating myself on that I went and rewatched the entire anime series and even after that I started the manga from the beginning. Even all of the soundtrack and bonus soundtrack has been playing on my Spotify playlist non-stop. I've been wondering why this anime has affected me to this degree and your video essay has basically just laid out the reason why. Not just for the anime/manga as a whole but for me personally. This might be the longest video essay I have ever seen but EVERY SINGLE MINUTE and EVERY SINGLE WORD you just said is worth it. Thank you so much for this! You may hear this a lot but this means a lot to me!
Geoff, the thing I love about your videos is that I can come away from spending 100 minutes watching a video about a romcom anime as a sharper media consumer, a more nuanced fiction writer, and a better person. So, you know, props and thanks to you for all that.
Because of the amount of time and effort you put into this video essay, hinted at on your Twitter, I decided to watch the entire series for the first time. I cannot thank you enough, this show and your analysis were both incredible, the only issue I have now: waiting for season 4. Guess I'll rewatch the whole show again in the meantime!
I haven’t read the manga, but I have greatly enjoyed the anime, and all your points ring true.
I find it funny how by the end of the third season I was somehow rooting for Ishigami to get together with Tsubame but *also* for Iino to get together with Ishigami. In many other romcoms the pairings are obvious, but here the love triangle feels like a very real dilemma. But I realised that in some sense it’s not that those characters *have* to get together, but instead that there’s something meaningful in each prospective pairing - it’s not so much that I need to see Iino date Ishigami as that I want to see them grow in ways that are typically associated with the “Happily Ever After” of a romance story. As long as that growth, happiness and closure can happen, any individual romantic pairing isn’t really important, and that’s not even a bad thing to keep in mind in real life.
I could go on for hours about this but the editing in Kaguya-Sama is unlike any other in anime. It's the perfected fusion of what are essentially veteran mangaka techniques and high-skill film editor cuts and the result can easily be seen in season 3. The action just does. not. stop. Character interjections are handled like those panels where the character breaks out of the lines surrounding the panel, and the timing of cuts from the setup of a joke to the punch line seem like they were calculated with some impossible comedy math algorithm. Like this anime makes really good comedy anime like Nichijou look like they're padding out their episode runtime so they don't have to do a filler episode. In the first five or six episodes of season 3, I felt like they didn't waste even a single frame on animation that didn't move the action forward substantially.
Have you seen Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju? The director of Kaguya-sama was a major contributor to the storyboards on that show, and you can really sense his talent for framing character-driven comedy scenes. Both phenomenal shows.
i dont think ive made a youtube comment in ten years, but the fact of the matter is you *get* this story so much man. truly I can't get over just how deep, just how funny, just how heartachingly wonderful this story is, and im saying that as someone who's up to date on the manga. Anime-onlys are in for such a treat, i hope we get the full adaptation!
At first glance you’d think this would be the run of the mill romcom, but after watching is nothing short of a masterpiece. The character development of each individual and the different elements they bring makes this show stand head and shoulders above its counterparts. Big shout out to the Ops & Eds, each one bangs and is so recognisable along with the one offs which are a nice change of pace. Great vid!
I started to watch It cause i love the 1st season op and then along the chapters i realized i was before a truly masterpiece..totally outstanding.the characters has great development and the narrative pace is brilliant.imo It excels anime not to mention rom com niche.
Even though I believe some get it right, it’s annoying how plenty of rom-coms now days boil down to “Self insert meets viewer’s dream girlfriend and shenanigans ensue because they’re not interacting as a couple yet”
Watched first episode. Didnt find it funny at all. Stopped watching.
@@jebes909090 Bro the rule of deciding whether to watch an anime or not is to watch 3 episodes not 1 💀
@@guesty924 what you said bro
I had no idea what I was in for going into Kaguya-sama but it was amazing from start to finish. It understands teenagers and navigating relationships in the modern world better than basically anything else I’ve read or seen (anime or otherwise) and it just balances everything so well.
Something I especially love about it is how it understands that just because your problems are silly doesn’t mean they aren’t real.
My favorite part about Kaguya-sama is how it turns EVERY single running joke into serious character drama at a later point in the story, for everyone, without fail. Sadly, the two concrete examples of that I have in mind, Ishigami‘s and Iino‘s are both still not animated and only in the manga so far, so I can’t say too much without spoiling. I can however for Iino give a general idea that at some point with her habit to just enter through the door into weird situations she WILL come across an actually serious conversation that’ll serve as a further push for her character development.
And as for Ishigami, I’ll keep that one to myself and say we’ll just have to wait and see what the next season brings, because THAT is by far my favorite romcom-manga-arc.
Kaguya-sama is a passion and I cannot wait to see what Aka has in store for us in the next 13 chapters to end the story. It’s among my top 3 romance manga, easily.
yes i LOVE the one that comes from 'shirogane sucks at everything other than academics'
Oh my god. The line “like he’s playing QWOP with his actual body” absolutely slayed me.
Amaaaazing analysis Geoff! Definitely some of your best work. ❤ Kaguya and Shirogane’s relationship is so incredibly sweet and compelling, but I can not WAIT to see Ishigami and Iino work through their crap, I’m so invested in those dweebs. 💕 It’s genius how well written these characters are, how they fit together and contrast. A+ character writing.
As a huge fan of this series, seeing more and more buzz around it is so amazing. Also as good as kaguya sama is, I genuinely cant wait to see both where oshi no ko goes in the coming manga arcs, and its anime adaptation. It takes all the unexpectedly brilliant elements and depth of kaguya-sama, and focuses it into a drama that critiques the entertainment industry. If the anime adaptation is as good as the manga, like, idk its just gonna be bonkers.
I’m so excited for Osni no Ko tbh
Oshi no Ko has so much potential. We've barely even started the second big plot arc!
ARIMA KANA FOREVER
I've probably watched this video 20 times. Sometimes in life you'll find something that perfectly embodies what you like. This in my opinion is the ultimate video essay.
I really appreciate the explanation about the secret room in the student council room. It definitely makes me appreciate it a lot more when I previously thought it was kinda out of place.
As soon as you got to the last part, I knew you were gonna bring up the secret passage/student movement reference. I remember thinking that that was an odd reference to make: "Really? The far left student movement? At THIS school?" But I only have a passing knowledge of it, so idk. I hadn't even considered that Shirogane might "crash heaven" instead of "go to the moon" by destroying the Shinomiya Group/leading the revolution lol.
Why I LOVE this?
THE Chapter 136
After 135 chapters, a whole arc of build up for the confession, the 134, 135 and first half of 136
EVERYTHING make us believe Miyuki gonna confess
and then "wait, if she go in USA with me, no need to confess"
Me : screw you Aka, we will wait another 100 chapters like other romcom
Kaguya : I can get a reward right ? *came closer*
Miyuki : Eh?
Me : Eh ?
And then, the kiss
*P* *E* *R* *F* *E* *C* *T*
What really stuck out to me as Kaguya-sama's story progresses is the fact that the comedy itself is the character development for every character in the story. In most comedy anime, the comedy has to stop, and the story and tone has to slow down in order for there to be series character development. But in Kaguya-sama, it's the jokes themselves that are psychological, rather than just gags, seamlessly developing the characters' arcs, and consistently revealing new parts of their personalities, balancing them equally without it feeling jarring at all. Every joke teaches me something new about the characters' involved. It's such a satisfying feeling to get that much out of what would normally just a simple joke, or a throwaway gag. It makes the comedy feel intimate. Like we're really getting to know the characters, gradually learning more about them, just like in actual real life relationships over time, which is why we're so tightly attached to its characters. Especially, our favorite characters (*cough*Miko Supremacy*cough*). That is brilliant comedy writing.
Bad girl Miko is peak tsundere writing.
Miko is nowhere near best girl
@@itsoracle Yes, she is. I will die on this hill. I love her.
@@gabetalks9275 hayasaka>
Chika>
Kaguya>
Kei>
Chikas sister>
Kaguya's niece>
@@itsoracle Miko > Kaguya > Tsubame/Maki > Chika > Hayasaka
One point, or way to put the characters in this anime is for me is simply
"Litterally no character in here is actually the way they seem to be at first"
Every single one of them has a layered persona up that slowly gets peeled back.
From Kaguya seeming like a perfect cold genious to showing herself to be a bumbling baka and a sweet heart, thru Miyuki seeming like the confident man among man, even thou his success hinges on him working his ass thru the ground fueled by insecurity at possible failure, all the way to the whole rest of the cast. Every character is crafted with depth that comes out over time, from under their initial percived tropes.
Over an hour of talking about Kaguya? I dunno. I suppose I can find time for it, but doing it all in one sitting is a big ask.
*Narrator:* _"Uso de aru._ In reality, he wanted to hear anyone talk about this series for as long as possible to relive the catharsis before the madness of having to wait for Season 4 fully sets in.”
*The Best Girl debates over who had the best moments before they subside for next Season:* HEY HEY!"
*Everyone Who Agrees it’s Ishigami:* “Kita kita kita kitaaaaaaa! Chance wa kitaaaaaaaa!”
*Everyone Else Who Agrees it’s Miyuki:* “Yes, my man!”
*Everyone Who Realizes How Clunky my References are: incorporated* “O kawaii koto…”
If you understood every reference in this comment, then congratulations! You, too, _are in too deep!_
*The People Who Did:* _crying, clapping_ “I raised that boy…”
*The People Who Didn't Get Any of Them:* "I want to die, so I'm going home."
I am in WAY too deep! The scenes for each reference popped in my mind as I read them
THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING! I'm so glad that you're talking about this show because I've barely seen any coverage of it!!
Everyone give praise to our anime lord and savior for an almost 2 HOUR long video. Keep up the great work, thank you for entertaining us, and I hope your summer is going well.
The Anime Pope has come through for us again
Wow this was great. I didn’t know if I would have time to finish this before going to bed, and now I’m fighting the temptation to watch it again. Thank you for helping me love my favorite series even more.
kaguya is indeed one of the greatest romance anime ever created, but can we also acknowledge how well written and read this video essay is? this video was the length of 5 episodes of kaguya and i enjoyed every minute watching it, probably the best essay ive seen so far, well done!
“Because in life, there’s everything else, and then there’s Settlers of Catan.” 🤣 so true! How easy it is to form allies one turn and betray those allies the very next turn.
I'm amazed at how you never even scratched the surface of how incredibly better this series gets in the manga
I finally picked up the manga after finishing season 3 and the most amazing thing is unlike most romcom the confession isn’t the end of the story..it’s the middle. This is honestly the first time I’ve read a romcom manga that explored love and relationships in such an in-depth and complex way through all it’s characters.
And here I thought a 30-40 minute review wasn't long enough
Im here for it
Kaguya-sama is the first anime I've felt that post-season hollowness where all you want is to be able to watch more of it in eons - I finished it two days ago, and both nights since I've had trouble getting to sleep thinking about it. I think the last time this happened was when I first watched K-On - my favorite show - in 2015, and I've been watching roughly a coeur of anime per week since 2014. The fact that there's a show out there still capable of making me feel this way is an incredibly pleasant surprise, and really goes to show how damn fantastic this thing is. I really hope we get to see the full manga adapted.
This is absolutely my favorite video of yours.
You're operating at 1000% here. Excellently executed.
Really great video (I especially appreciate you informing more people about "We want to talk about Kaguya-sama"), but it absolutely does contain a number of manga spoilers. Like, you lay-out extremely important context of Shirogane's backstory, including a bombshell that hasn't been covered by the anime yet (Amongst other spoilers, but I mention this one because it is easy to indirectly mention in a way that won't spoil anyone who reads the comments first).
Ah, I see you’re taking the HBomberguy approach to video essays, where you swear the next video will be shorter but increase the length by like 15 extra minutes each time.
I approve.
Holy, a 1 hour and 40 minute video of one of my favorite anime
This is a dream
Geoff, this might be one of the best essays I've seen from you yet. It's always gratifying seeing such a self-conscious series as Kaguya-sama, and more so seeing someone depicting it the detailed and clear way you do. Keep up the good work, big fan of your work.
also, i love how much work went into this. i've learned so much about the anime and i'd already read a ton of the manga, but missed a bunch of smaller things that i clearly lacked the eye for detail to notice. thanks a ton for the video
All I’m going to say is that ishigami is the goat. I went thru something similar to what he went thru in high school. Shit was hard for me and learning about his backstory, it resonates with me because this character shows a determination and willingness to change and overcome his past.
This is a show that pulled me from normal common anime every other person has watched to be willing to give other shows a shot. I can watch it over and over and still find things funny enjoy it and find new things weather it be the sub or the dub that should not work because of how rooted it is in japonese culture but despite not ruining the show or any of the major jokes they change alot of lines but it never hurts and makes things sometimes even funnier by amiming at more western style hummer and due to its great voice work it makes a dub that should be hated by everything iv been told about the anime community its loved and I agree with that 100% because I swear that they let the voice actors write their own lines no translator wrote "Im your default wifu" or other lines especially the narrator. But ya I love this show despiet their being no reason I should because I this genura epochally in anime annoying. Probley because I started watching it as a similarly over thinking high schooler who saw kaguya as a over exudated female version of myself in personality. It's funny its fun its most importantly extremally smart
All due respect to Spy x Family (by its third season, the emotional content may be equally hefty) but the 3rd season of Kaguya-sama absolutely floored me with its excellence in both humor and character moments. That ending...goddammit that was utterly beautiful. Kudos to A-1 for keeping the quality so high for so long. Cannot wait for the movie and (hopefully) season 4.
first half of spy family was 10/10 while second half was like a 7, love is war was like a 12/10 since start of season 2
@@completeGamer007 nah spy family was 10 throughout the whole thing
except that one episode that seemed like filler where everyone went in the helicopter to the castle place or whatever
I’m only a few minutes into this video essay and I gotta say it’s incredible how you’ve already pretty much said everything I’ve wanted to say or everything I would’ve ever even thought of, of the series in just a few minutes this is gonna be an incredible video essay imma just need more food and time to enjoy it
I’d seen that you’d posted this video essay and so binged 3 seasons of the anime in order for there to be a point in watching it (I’ve only done this kind of things once before when Colleen’s Manga Recs turned me onto ‘A Condition Called Love’).I wasn’t remotely disappointed, and concur with all your points. What a phenomenal experience! Also: the manga looks just beautiful, and perhaps it’s something I’ll grab when my Japanese gets better. Thank you very much for an eloquent and insightful piece.
Oh, you love these 'big Essays about a show'? Then try Jay Excis
legendary FIVE HOUR Review about Doctor Who. Same for advocates Flash-Videos.
Or Hbomberguys RWBY Video.
@@slevinchannel7589 Well, I watched this *despite* its length, *because of* its content--which turned out to be a consideration of a wonderful anime, discussed by someone who both loves his subject and happens to speak well, combining apt expression with rich sonority and effective pacing. However you have peaked my interest, since I am of that generation (and we are legion!) and geographical origin who watched the very first season of Doctor Who, terrified of the Daleks, and literally hiding behind the sofa when they appeared. But I probably won't.
But thanks, anyway.
@@TheJohnblyth XD
I hope you do, i vouch for that Video.
Its literally so good; and i dont make this up so get this; people comment again and again 'I dont even know Doctor-Who but i watched HOURS about this?!?'
@@TheJohnblyth Not to mention Madvocate getting the same kind of Comments for his Flash-Videos.
Again: Not knowing the Series that's being covered aint a reason you cant enjoy.
As someone who’s gotten fully caught up in the manga, I am legitimately scared for the well-being of anime only viewers, because shit goes INSANE
I just want to live enough to see chapter 220 animated
Is this really what romcom fans consider 'insane'?
@@dpetersz clearly you haven’t read the manga.
@@De13373r of course not, why would I? It's a romcom, the most 'insane' thing that could happen in it is two people having sex. Why would I read the manga when the show is already boring enough as it is?
@@dpetersz It is profound how wrong you are. 😂
I can't even imagine how much hard work goes into this long an analysis of a series. Thanks for that. Will I comment before finishing? Hell yes. Did this become my entire Sunday night? Also Hell Yes. Do as much Kaguya-Sama content as you like, it's the best.
God damn, Geoff. How long did this take to render? Appreciate the time, effort, and energy spent on making such a masterful video essay.
Geoff this is one epic documentary I have even seen now just like your one piece series you might want to do a super longer documentary but combining all of the kaguya reviews into 1 but even those there is still tons of stuff that you can do about this series itself even doing a op and ed bu5 still you got enough to a two hours documentary about series 1-2 otherwise maybe a ten hours one but anyway thank u for showcasing this "death note but with two geniuses battling on who will confess their feelings her to the other one"
I believe this to be my favorite analysis of my favorite story and I really appreciate you highlighting the greatness of this, in my opinion, masterpiece. Much thanks!