I don't usually write reviews. Most of the time, I'll watch a show, rate it, and move on. But I have to make an exception here, because my god, we have reached, an entirely new level.

Love is War was introduced to me by a friend, and I don't regret it one bit. S1 was pretty good, S2 was getting there, S3 got the ball rolling, and the movie. The movie took that ball and chucked it over a mountain. This epic conclusion of one of the most intense wars in anime is one of the best things I have watched in a while.

Firstly, let's talk about one of the first things you see in the anime, the OP. The OP is basically what you would expect this movie to take, building on the kiss from Ultra Romantic. The tone and tempo is upbeat and the visuals also reflect that. Compare that to one of the last things you see, the ED. The ED has a completely different tone from the OP, and for good reason. The ED explores Shinomiya, and oh my god, it took me aback when I first listened to it. The complete tone change really threw me off, but after finishing the series, I understand why, and I will explain that later.

Now onto, well, the actual movie. It starts off with basically everything you expect from Love is War, the romcom elements, leaning more onto com for the time being. Then it hits you, hard.
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*Spoilers moving forward, if you didn't watch it yet, genuinely, watch it*

When Shinomiya turned back into her cold personality, it hits you that this is different. This is not Ultra Romantic Episode 5, this isn't S1 or S2, this is another thing completely. The movie actually dives into probably one of the hardest questions to answer: "Do you show your true self or do you conceal it?" I actually never considered it, but looking back, this is basically what Love is War was. It was a war between two people trying to one-up the other, while hiding their true selves. Both had concealed their true selves in hopes that the other will like this mask better than their true personality. Even worse, they are afraid that the other will move on if they show their true personalities. Shinomiya showing her, well, "true self," really helped push this message, and what they did after was pulled off insanely well.

Back to the movie, the scene with Shinomiya (basically) asking Shirogane to open up was so good. It really hit one of the points of the movie, that people aren't perfect and that it is ok. That point I will get back to. After this, the whole party happens and it is time for Shirogane to give his gift. But...he can't. He chickens out and runs away, and Shinomiya follows him. And the meeting at the park, I have never felt such payoff before. Both of them finally opening up to each other on the bench, like, my heart couldn't. Them both finally taking off the mask was so, empowering in a way. Then the kiss.

Comparing to Ultra Romantic, the difference is insane. In Ultra Romantic, both had personas on and it was basically all planned out. For the movie, they had no masks on, no weapons, and nothing to hide. The kiss felt so much more genuine comparing it to Ultra Romantic, but it doesn't take away from Ultra Romantic. Ultra Romantic had a role and it played it amazingly, while the movie had a role and also played it amazingly. Going back a bit to the tone shift of the OP compared to the ED, this is what I am talking about.

The date really tied this together, as Shinomiya finally said it. This wasn't trying to get the other to confess no more, this wasn't Love is War anymore. It finally entered full, genuine love. No matter how Ultra Romantic, Love is War?, and Love is War tried, The First Kiss that Never Ends will hit the hardest. Everything, every victory, loss, game, and plan led up to this movie and these moments. Like Shinomiya said, none of this would have happened if they hadn't put on masks and played a war over love. But this is the natural evolution of Love is War, and this is the best ending it could've had.
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Continuation of Spoiler-Free Review:

Wow, that was long. The plot basically was a great idea and paper and an amazing idea in execution. Speaking of execution, the animation here was good, as expected of A-1. The VAs were all great too, and they each played their role amazingly. Music, top-notch. The OP has a nice, catchy tune and the ED hits hard once you finish the movie. Background music also fits the scenes well.

The First Kiss that Never Ends surpassed all my expectations, which is surprising as I thought that Ultra Romantic would be the peak. However, going from a romcom to just full romance was such a smart move by Aka. This movie shows that if this series wanted to be romantic, it absolutely could. This of course doesn't mean it should've earlier, as the previous seasons were building up to this.

Overall, this movie is great. Sure, it has it's flaws, like everything does. That does not take away though from how damn good it is. The only reason I put this as a 98 is because some of the comedic moments felt a bit off when the movie was heading towards a full romantic direction. Still, this is the best way that Love is War could have ended. While this is the end of my journey of this series, I am so glad I stayed along for the ride. Cheers, for the true ending of the war for love.
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