I wasn't intending to do this review because I like to write reviews of series that no one has written here on AniList or there is few material for people to read, but I decided to do this one because I realized that no one said in the reviews section what I was really feeling after finishing Kaguya-sama.
I will delve into things from Kaguya's final arc. Spoilers I'll let you know when they are, but I shall present most of Kaguya's messages, so if you don't want to see the depth of these messages because you haven't read the manga yet then go there, read it and come back later
Kaguya-sama - Love is War
It made me understand: love is desire, isn't only making the girl you love happy, you want her, you need her, she's yours. It's egoist, you're thinking only in yourself, and that's exactly the point. You are hers, she is yours. Your own belonging.
The author taught me that true love doesn't exist, it's a fantasy. I'll remember those monologues for the rest of my life.
True love is not something you get, it's something you construct by your own. Maybe there's destined encounters and these things, but in the end there'll NEVER exist true love out of nowhere, it's something you need to fight for, it's something you construct in your relationship. Those who watched Monogatari Series can draw a parallel to the main protagonist's relationship. True loves are built.
True love is a lazy expression. It doesn't deny its existence, but rather, it's meant to shed light on the reality of how our culture of "true love" operates on a basis of calculation and self-interest. From "waiting for a faded encounter" to "just being yourself", those who buy into these ideals often find a harsh reality waiting of them. The idea of waiting for you perfect partner to come and find you is an obsolete fantasy, and ought to be done away with.
The form of love is fear. Once you no longer fear your partner, your love fades alike.
Love is something that fades with time.
This is due to the fact that humans, by our own nature, are prone to experiencing boredom, and are constantly in search of new stimuli. In order to slow down the rate of this "boredom", it's essential not to know too much. We often romanticize the idea of knowing everything there is to know about your partner, but in reality, this can sometimes have the opposite effect. After all, the desire to learn more about one's partner is what truly forms the cornestone of "love".
The goddess of love blesses the fast, not the pure
The majority of all "ideal partners" have already been taken, and if they aren't, it's only a matter of time before someone asks them out. The type of person we generally consider to be an ideal partner doesn't tend to break up once they start seeing someone, so if you end up letting your chance slip by, a second chance might never come.
The game of love is rigged against those who prefer to play the long game.
Do you remember some romance stories where the fastest person won? I can clearly remember several of them. And I can see now why such people won first than the purest one.
I saw love as one form, but through this message and Kaguya-sama I understood that there are many forms. Note, notice how relationships in Kaguya-sama have different goals from each other.
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Over the years we spend developing our own specialized skills and knowledge, it's inevitable that we will end up with things that we're not good at, and things we are physically unable to do. Sure, it's a respectable goal to become a person who can do everything on their own, but we are a social species, with the ability to cooperate with each other.
Those with strength can shoulder the loads of those without. Those with intelligence can educate and train those without. In accepting that you can both help and be helped by others, the abilities you possess only become that much more meaningful.
Remember that you'll never be alone. Someone will be there for you if you reach out.
This mask message is very, very important. It's the complete truth, and something I also identified with.
And now a spoiler part that I wanted to talk about, the cycle of life.
Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide
At this point I was already speechless. I identified a lot with the themes presented. This was the best scene in the entire manga. It's always like that, whenever we look back. A very beautiful philosophy of life.
Though humans cannot change on their own, they can be changed by others.
By our very nature, we seek stability, and as a result, we cannot be expected to change purely on our own volition, which lacks the power to effect such change. In the end, it's the presence of ther people that causes us to change. Whether it be their expectations, their teachings or our own desire for a sense of belonging... It causes us to change, whether we wish to or not, for better or for worse.
>About plot and character development
Ok I won't miss the oportunity so I'll talk a little about character development. Kaguya-sama is the best ROMCOM I've read in terms of development. It has a plot of main characters, it has secondary characters and even practically tertiary characters are well developed and fit into the plot.
I initially thought it would be a repetitive series from its beginning, but the more time passed, the better Kaguya's story got and I noticed that the beginning was just a humorous introduction to everything that would follow.
I believe Kaguya was the best written character in the series, although my favorite characters are Ishigami and Iino.
And the biggest proof that Kaguya-sama managed to develop its own story well is the fact that there comes a point in the manga that the main characters Shirogane and Kaguya are no longer exactly the focus for a while, and I really liked the decision.
Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide
MAN THIS WAS SO NICE I REALLY LIKE THESE TWO FOR REAL, NICE ONE AUTHOR
In conclusion, love is not something you get, it's something you fight for. And you'll never be alone.
Kaguya-sama now became my favorite romance in fiction. Thank you Aka, Thank you Student Council of Shuchi'in Academy.
