Kaguya-sama manages the difficult feat of making me like all the characters of an ensemble cast, whilst also balancing a well-paced story with some genuinely funny moments. It earned a place as my favourite romcom because it made me squeal, it made me tear up, it made me root for all of the characters (bar the obvious antagonists) and I loved every second of it.
Kaguya is easily one of the best written romcom leads in the current sphere. She's cute and slightly out of touch - a rich girl who meticulously plans all of her moves, in hopes to become a bit more of a normal girl. However, what makes Kaguya so much more than just her character summary, are her sudden moments of vulnerability and fragility. Her subtle nuances formed from her upbringing which make her who she is. Kaguya's moments of weakness are truly something that tug at my heartstrings, especially since she values those moments in others so much as well. She's not just calculating, vulnerable and naively adorable, but also just straight-up an idiot sometimes. This is what makes her so utterly endearing because she's as flawed as any of us but in a much more realistic manner than most authors understand how to write. The character's flaws aren't written as inherently evil or annoying traits to get used to, but rather shortcomings from inexperience. Which I find is much more enjoyable to read and makes them seem much more 3-dimensional.
As much as I could probably write a whole paragraph for the entire main cast, I'll refrain lol. In a similar vein though, my favourite thing about good characters is that even better character dynamics can be born from them. Kaguya-sama hits this ball out of the park for me. It's so interesting to watch the author intertwine these diverse characters in ways that don't feel forced or just as ways to usher the plot forward. I just know that each time I'll be frustrated, jumping or screaming at the next interaction waiting around the corner in a satisfyingly pleasant way.
The plot and structure of the story are organised, and there's a simplicity and classic slice-of-life feel in its chapter-to-chapter interactions. At first, each chapter can stand alone as separate gags but as the timeline progresses, more story and depth are added. The characters develop new feelings and relationships which in turn spawn new situations for each of them to react to. The chapters become much more part-wise and interconnected as they navigate more of their inner feelings, rather than the shallow facades each character puts on at the beginning.
What makes Kaguya-sama so tasteful is that it doesn't feel disjointed. The new characters or storylines flow into each other almost seamlessly and, if a side character is introduced, you can almost guarantee that they won't be a one-off gag or plot device. Kaguya-sama has side characters that'll feel like main characters because they're so developed and lovable. The symbolism and dialogue are god-honest some of the best out there.
In terms of heart-throbbing moments, I tend to save it for shoujo to satisfy that urge for me. And yet, Aka Akasaka has written some of the most squeal-worthy and blanket-kicking scenes in this seinen. There's never going to be a realisation scene that hits harder for me than the last line of Kaguya's monologue in the fireworks scene. The way the title starts and ends the chapter with completely different interpretations is just beautiful. I always read that chapter and end it with a satisfied sigh.
I do have a few gripes with the ending and the later arcs. They felt almost too long and too short simultaneously. Partly due to the fact that it was rushing through important character moments, whilst a lot of the setup for the climactic moments felt rather tedious when I was reading it on a weekly basis.
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