Not too long ago, I watched the very first season of Kaguya-sama: Love is War after countless years of hearing rumors about how unique, special, and hilarious the anime is (as well as constantly annoying my peers by claiming that "I would watch it eventually" and "I'll get to it this month.") Following my completion of said first season, I published a review on the show's charming introduction, all the while documenting how, personally, I felt that the show started a bit slow but really, really took off as it progressed - almost like the anticipation one feels when they're eagerly awaiting a plane to take off, the slow drive off the runway, and then the thrill of the plane accelerating into the sky. Just like the feeling of soaring in an airplane, I was left on cloud nine at the end of S1 and couldn't wait to watch its successor. 12 more episodes later, I can safely say that I have yet to leave cloud nine - frankly, I don't want to leave.
Right off the bat, the first thing that I noticed about Kaguya-sama: Love is War S2 was how the beginning of the season completely lacked the issue that I had with the first season: the slow start and flow. I suppose that this is to be expected - after all, all of the established characters and their relationships with each other remain from the end of S1 and are immediately introduced in the first episode of S2. With this in mind, it's only natural that S2 would start off on a higher note than that of S1, but regardless, it was a very refreshing feeling to have the show jump right back into where it left off. For those who may have forgotten some of the characters, the first episode is quick to have all four main characters, Shinomiya, Shirogane, Ishigami and Fujiwara, participate in one of their classic student council activities - one that both reminds the audience of the show's humor, while also preparing them for what's to come this season.
I mentioned in my review of the first season of Kaguya-sama: Love is War that the strongest aspect of the show is, in my opinion, the incredible cast of characters. Not only does the second season maintain that incredible supporting cast, but they somehow managed to not only make the existing cast, both main and secondary, better, but also introduce new characters who are already on par with the existing cast in terms of likeability and lore, such as Iino. We see this in how main characters like Shirogane, Shinomiya, and Ishigami (especially Ishigami) have their familial and personal lives told in a manner that not only allows the audience to either empathize or sympathize with them, but also experience their own unique struggles alongside them in real-time as they fight to better themselves and their relationships with those they love. The storytelling allows viewers to have an omniscient perspective of the characters' already established weaknesses as well as their inspiring and heartwarming strengths and growth. The ending of this season captures all of those touching moments and tops it off with the series signature humor for which it is known - a veritable case of having one's cake and eating it, too.
Speaking of the humor, I, personally, found this season to not only be more amusing than that of its predecessor, but also brimming with areas of outside influence that further add to its unique identity. Granted, with the cast of characters from S1 already established in S2, it greatly increases the amount of opportunities for the audience to experience the type of humor exuded from each character that they, personally, find most amusing, but it goes beyond the sense of humor of the characters themselves. There are countless instances where the creators cite external sources of media and integrate them into the story itself. Whether it's the spoof on the highly-exaggerated and pure romantic interactions seen in the cast's attempt at a stereotypical shōjo-manga, or the blatant reference to the __art-style of the classic American comic-strip _Peanuts_, there are so many clever instances where external influence adds to the show's already impressive sense of humor.__
1. Music: 94/100 - Three words this time: "Daddy Daddy Do!" In all seriousness, I mentioned in my review of S1 of Kaguya-sama: Love is War that Masayuki Suzuki is one of my favorite Japanese singers and, in my opinion, the star of this series' incredible OST. Needless to say, he didn't miss a beat this season either with his absolute bop of an opening theme - a theme that I like slightly better than that of S1's OP. The ending theme is definitely a great song and one that I enjoyed hearing at the end of every episode, but just like with the first season, I believe that it is outshined by Suzuki's work once again.
2. Plot: 88/100 - All things considered, much of the plot of Kaguya-sama: Love is War's second season is similar to that of the first season, but there are enough factors introduced this time around that made me enjoy S2's story just a bit more. Iino's introduction to the main cast of characters brought a whole new ark with the student elections and founding of the new Shuuchiin Gakuen student council, but the other characters' development helped further forge the plot in their own respective ways as well.
3. Characters: 100/100 - Very rarely will I give out a 100/100, but I am adamant that Kaguya-sama: Love is War has one of the best casts of characters one can get in an anime. I loved them in the first season, but the amount of growth seen among many of the cast's primary characters had me loving them even more. The quartet of Shinomiya, Shirogane, Ishigami, and Fujiwara was amazing as is, but I believe that Iino's introduction to the group adds not only another great character with a great backstory, but also a personality that, while it doesn't appear to fit the mold, serves to make the newly-established quintet that much more amusing, charming, and beloved. Each of them bring out the best in each other, and I would be hard-pressed to find a cast that I love more than this one.
4. Art & Animations: 88/100 - Similar to the plot, much of the art-style and animations seen in this season of Kaguya-sama: Love is War is the same as that of the first season. However, as I mentioned earlier, the creators did an excellent job at implementing external influences to help make the show that much more enjoyable. In this case, I felt that the shōjo-manga-style artwork and the clever reference to the classic Peanuts comic strip were not only amusing, but also quite interesting to see implemented.
After being introduced to this series through S1, I entered S2 of Kaguya-sama: Love is War with very high hopes and equally high expectations. If the first season was like a plane taking-off, then this season was like a pleasant flight among the clouds. Nearly every aspect of this season was better than that of its predecessor, in my opinion, and it introduced one of, if not my favorite, cast of characters in any anime. Everything that I had hoped for when I finished S1 was answered and then some. I cannot recommend this season enough and am incredibly excited to see what sort of landing this plane pulls off when I watch the final season.
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