Seinen or Shounen Romance Mangas have a lot more presence than what we had before, but unfortunately most of them have the same problems throughout, and that is the abundance of mangas that have the same shtick of premise throughout like Komi can't communicate, Teasing Master Takagi-San, When will Ayumu make his move? Don't toy with me, Miss Nagatoro, Kubo Won't let me be invisible, etc.

With all of these mangas mentioned, it can have different plot progressions, different personalities from characters, different art styles, different themes, different messages, and more. For example, Komi Can't Communicate deals with Komi and her communication disorder, and each chapter shows her disorder throughout every chapter with no sense of genuine progress at all, and it's close to the same for most of the mangas I've mentioned.

And Kaguya-sama: Love is War is no stranger to these types of tropes; just from the first volume alone, it checked out the elements that can lead the series into great disaster, with its "Who Will Confess First?" hook being one of the more mundane premises, and in theory, it gets tiresome super fast, but despite the odds, Kaguya-Sama: Love is War and mangaka Akasaka Aka delivered one of the best romance manga, and here are some of the reasons why: ***

__PART 1 MAIN CHARACTERS__

Kaguya-sama: Love is War stands out among the other romance mangas because it uses each of its characters-whether they are the main character or one of the supporting cast in a way that gives them depth and complexity. When you look at it to a good degree, especially when you look at their introduction, they don't seem as significant or well-rounded as we know them to be now. However, as the series progresses and more storylines are shown and passed by, and we get to spend a lot of time with these characters, we gradually get to see that they have more characteristics and that bit of information-however mundane-that molds them as a well-rounded character that charms and hooks its audience.

A prime example of this is Chika Fujiwara, who initially appeared as a comic relief cutesy character to relieve the tension between our main characters, Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya, as they plotted their absurdly simple schemes to start dating each other. However, Chika unwittingly butted in and ruined the entire plan. But as we get to know her better, she reveals more than the reader might expect. She can lend a hand if someone needs it, as she did when Miyuki needed assistance with a variety of issues, which is beautifully highlighted in the Fujiwara Training Arcs. She also makes an appearance in the Ramen Kings chapters and occasionally mentions that she enjoys eating and is much more encouraging and supportive, particularly when it comes to matters of the heart.

But she has flaws, chief among which is that she is a hypocrite; she asserts and says the most absurd things that somehow make sense and offers sincere advice while doing the exact opposite of what she advises. She also gets overly proud and brags about it, which occasionally gets out of hand and makes her appear genuinely stupid. She also frequently takes advantage of others through her schemes and primarily cheats, particularly through the games they play, and generally speaks without thinking about or worrying about how others might feel about what she spits out.

I can ramble more about why Chika is either a great or terrible person, but at this point, you now start to understand why even characters such as Chika, whose presence in the series is mostly shrugged on to the side, are still given enough importance and have little details added to their characters that make them a fully rounded character that feels believable enough that you can feel their existence even if they're not exactly present. Out of the five main characters in the show, Chika is the least-used character in the series when it comes to major arcs, but that doesn't make her inferior to the other main characters in the series.

Mangaka Akasaka Aka delivered one of the most well-rounded characters, Chika Fujiwara, who has an unpredictable yet cutesy personality with tons of qualities that make or break her for the audience while retaining that same impression we got of her in the first few chapters.

It's not just Chika who has received this treatment; it's all of the characters from Love is War, whether they're our main characters like Miyuki Shirogane, Kaguya Shinomiya, Yuu Ishigami, Miko Iino, or Ai Hayasaka, who have their quirks and little details that make them well-rounded characters whom you can easily point out and write about that will turn this portion longer than 5 pages, and yet this manga takes things ten steps further by adding these traits to characters who played minor roles. ***

__PART 2 MINOR CHARACTERS__

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War may have given its main characters high-quality treatments in terms of their personality, character traits, and little quirks and actions that make them well-rounded fully realized individuals, but Mangaka Akasaka Aka takes it ten steps further and gives minor characters the same treatments as what the main cast was given, and while they're a little inferior to what the main cast had to go through from certain arcs whether major or minor, it nonetheless gave the characters leverage to being well rounded as they could have been that had great effect and impact throughout the series despite only appearing in few chapters with their presence being selectable.

The trio of Nagisa Kashiwagi, her boyfriend Tsubasa Tanuma, and hopeless romantic Maki Shijo is an example of this. Nagisa and Tsubasa have only served as meek jokes for our main characters, Miyuki Shirogane and Kaguya Shinomiya, onto whom they can project and share their romantic interests since their debut. They have also served as metaphorical representations of their successful selves if they would put their pride aside, but they are primarily used as jokes in the series. Maki Shijo, the third party in the relationship, enters the picture late, claiming to like Tsubasa while anxiously anticipating his breakup with Nagisa.

This gives Maki, who serves as a reflection of our main character, various circumstances, such as what would happen if Miyuki didn't exert himself to the fullest in order to catch Kaguya. And various segments with Maki, Miyuki, and Yuu when they're talking about Maki's failed relationship, as well as having these conversations with Miyuki and Yuu, give off a breath of fresh air for most romance manga plots, as well as providing insights for our main characters, giving them advice, and providing audiences with great comedic moments. It makes these characters more alive when they're constantly interacting with the main characters, giving them time to goof.

Rei Onodera is another character worth mentioning and my personal favorite. Rei has mostly been in the manga's background for some of the chapters, but she is constantly observing how other people act and react to everything. For example, she keeps an eye on Miko and Yuu by remaining to the side. Rei did have a history of causing harm to others by spreading false rumors about them, and she has felt regret ever since. She tried to mend herself and learn her lesson to stop spreading rumors, and all of these character traits and developments are mostly happening in the background for most panels and a few manga chapters. Rei's existence in the series proved that even a character that acts in the background can have layers of character traits just like the main characters, and that's all thanks to Akasaka Aka's brilliant writing skills. ***

__PART 3 A NATURAL PROGRESSION__

Kaguya-sama: Love is War's biggest strength is how its characters are used and how Akasaka Aka naturally moves the plot along with them depending on their character development. The majority of the time, especially in the anime romance genre, this is not a key element for the majority of manga out there, despite what you might initially assume. Kazuya from Rent-a-Girlfriend didn't receive adequate closure for his deeds; instead, it was only shock value from chapter to chapter with no hint of repercussions. There are 200 or more chapters in Komi Can't Communicate, yet other than the fact that she now has friends when she ought to be able to communicate effectively at this time, Komi made no changes to any aspect of her personality.

The main stories of many romance mangas lack organic character development, and some of them, especially those in the romance subgenre, concludes with the characters still where they were at the beginning of the story. Kaguya-Sama succeeds in this area; at first sight, it doesn't seem to be a manga with a strong emphasis on character development, but as the plot develops and the tale moves forward, it eventually turns out to be one. Mangaka Akasaka Aka carefully sets out these scenarios that stay true to these characters and push them into risky waters, then pulled back and expect they'll become great characters after being given a certain revelation, and it always delivers.

An example of this is Kaguya Shinomiya; she is generally framed as a terrible person, and she does acknowledge herself as being cold or straightforward and unlovable, and this trait greatly affects her upbringing as a person. The arcs before the Dual Confessions arc and Our Personas arc panels perfectly illustrated how Kaguya's early character arcs are surrounded by loneliness and jealousy because of her self-centered and manipulative personality. She never gets the things she wants because she holds back to let go, but once she does, she receives the desires she has wanted her entire life. Moreover, since Kaguya started opening up more, the situations in which her character has changed.

Another example is Yuu Ishigami. When he was first introduced, he was portrayed as a depressed loner with a troubled past that made him unmotivated. However, as soon as people began to recognize him and support him through his difficult obstacles, such as Kaguya helping Ishigami with his academics and the assurance Miyuki gave to Ishigami, this kept him moving forward. Finally, Ishigami received the most encouragement after the School Sports Festival arc from the members of the student council to the cheerleading club. Because of this, his good side starts to show, and the people around her start to notice; he's more vocal and active in the council; he can interact with other people better now; and most importantly, he makes other people around him like him, especially girls who might see her or spark an old memory of him that makes him worth it to be a potential partner (Ishigami's Harem Arc). ***

__PART 4 COMEDY__

There are two typical ways to implement comedy, one of which is situational comedy, which plays along and executes its comedic parts from where the character is hanging, or problem-solving, sometimes in an exaggerated manner. Nichijou: My Ordinary Life is a good illustration of this. The other type of comedy is dialogue-driven comedy, where characters in the show drop lines of funny dialogue. These lines may be exaggerated, strange analogies, misinterpreted, or just dark humor. Another example is the Rascal Does Not Dream Light Novel Series. On the other side, Kaguya-sama blends both of these widely used approaches to comedy and amps up the intensity of the situation, helped by exaggerated emotes and effects from the characters and the artstyle, all despite the whole situation being mundane.

Even in the most uninteresting plotlines,nKaguya-Sama: Love is War manages to make the situation humorous. The premise in Chapter 21 is rather straightforward: Kaguya and Miyuki are trying to outsmart one another by revealing to the other person that they are carrying an umbrella. It's a fairly straightforward yet uninteresting situation, but the manga goes 10 steps further and plays out a proper scenario in which the characters try to outsmart one another. This leads to perplexing revelations, shocking twists, and hilarious situations that are addictive to read. This is also substantially improved by the art style's contribution to the situation's intense exaggeration, which gives it even more flair than it already has.

Not only that, but not every manga character uses the same style of humor, even if the series employs the same two techniques to execute its humor. Each character's personality affects how the comedy is delivered, carried through, and what kind of humor is displayed. Chika's arrogance and erratic personality make for unpredictable comedy; Miko's rule-following nature makes for a fish out of water comedy; Ishigami's pessimism makes for dark and depressing comedy; Ai's wit makes for quick-witted comedy; Miyuki's under-overconfidence makes for awkward comedy; and even the series' narrator makes for comedic delivery of his own. Kaguya-sama: The comedy in Love is War is inventive, unique, and exaggerated. It frequently repeats and calls itself out, but it never gets boring. ***

__PART 5 ARTSTYLE__

The art style of Kaguya-sama: Love is War stands out more than most romance mangas, and especially forbthe overall manga space. Its character design stands out from their simplistic cutesy artstyle, and each character gets one unique trait that stands them out than the rest of the characters, whether it's part of their personality, like Ishigami's long hair. While it is a unique design for him in the series, it actually subtly indicates that he's not been taking care of himself after a certain incident he experienced in hisblife. And there's a different kind of way of having unique traits: something that completely stands them out on their own, for example, you can easily identify Chika over the distance with her signature bowtie clip on her head, which serves no purpose practically but does help easily identify his character.

Another aspect of art style to point out is the exaggerated reactions of characters to the situations they're in, whether they'll be met with various emotions such as anger or disgust or extreme happiness and shock. This technique enhances every moment, from the serious to the comedic to the dramatic, as well as character reactions mixed with their surrounding environment. When it comes to adrenaline-powered moments, the art style changes like a loud-shaking feeling, with lines dominating the paper and other elements, depending on the joke, popping out in an exaggerated way. When it comes to romantic moments, the art style changes from an exaggerated shoujo-like style. And when it comes to Kaguya's internal personality dilemma, the whole manga chapter changes into a courthouse style. These kinds of directorial cues for the style of the series greatly enhanced the experience when reading it. ***

__PART 6 SIMPLE & RELATABLE__

When it comes to romance manga, the plot is typically what draws readers in because of how extravagant and overly theatrical it is. from Nisekoi's insanely structured chaotic narrative and reverse Romeo and Juliet storytelling to Relife's original storyline and the scenario developer of More Than a Married Couple But Not Lovers, which generates a ton of interesting character moments all through. Kaguya-sama: Love is Warappeared to be a psychological battle and has that vibe and tone of Death Note, where characters outsmart one another from the given scenarios, but Kaguya-sama uses this outwitting element on real and relatable scenarios, primarily romance and what it's like to have feelings for someone and how to respond to it, which makes the entire manga series relatable and enjoyable for most readers.

Kaguya-sama: Love is War presented a grandiose, overblown plotline about tricking someone into making a confession that was portrayed in everyday circumstances. In a series that has started off fairly grounded, a plotline like this one might sound like it could go south with scenarios that are beyond impossible to understand, but it managed to keep most of its shenanigans and moments as realistic as it possibly could be, even as mundane as massaging someone's hand and feeling various extreme levels of suffering (Chapter 71). As a result, the events in the series become familiar to the readers, who can then relate to each scenario and insert themselves into the story, deepening their connection and giving them the feeling that they are at home while reading.

This relatability aspect of the series does not stay with the scenarios, but with everything else in the series. It's already a norm for most mangas, especially in the romance genre, where everything is set in a school, and Kaguya-sama: Love is War is no different from that. The only thing that stands out on this aspect is that it spends more time on certain areas and activities in the school, such as the intimate focus on the student council and certain school festivals, and jumps from different characters and character interactions, including one chapter (chapter 225) where it briefly explores the teacher-student relationships in the school, whichcan be viewed as a throwaway since it doesn't have a significant impact on the manga's narrative, but these kinds of minor give the school aspects of the series more life than the series needed.

The characters in the series are another aspect that helps the audience relate to the story. In addition to the fact that their cute, expressive art style increased the likeability and attracted more readers, if readers keep reading, they will start to identify with the characters they are reading about and correlate it to themselves or the people they know. Surface-level traits of our main character include Kaguya Shinomiya, one of the most attractive students, but her stern coldness affects the relationships people have with her, which readers can easily relate to someone they know, and Maki Shijo's awkward stasis of wanting to pursue Tsubasa but finding him involved with her best friend Nagisa. This leads to humorous situations that most viewers can relate to, which contributes to her popularity among fans. There are many other characters in the series who possess traits like these in their own unique ways. ***

__PART 7 A WELL-TOLD STORY__

A significant factor in the success of Kaguya-sama:Love is War is manga creator Akasaka Aka's writing. A well-told story is produced by combining relatable characters, a straightforward yet passionate plot set in a setting that readers would be familiar with, humorous parts, and dramatic moments.

The series created distinct arcs for each character by balancing all of the factors that I mentioned earlier in the chapter. For instance, our main characters Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane's journey together from individuals who were using psychological mind tricks and expert tactician skills to extract confessions from each other, whether it's fun or sad and unique spices from each chapter, connects the readers and hooks them to see the endgame of these characters, and with Akasaka's amazing storytelling, it managed to tell a story more than what the initial story intended.

In addition to our main romantic leads, we have other main characters such as Yuu Ishigami, who deals with his depressive nature and tries to improve himself through his physical, mental, and romantic selves; Miko Iino, who has trouble connecting with people and plans to open herself up especially to Ishigami; Chika, who is living her life to the fullest with the adventures she faces every day; and Ai Hayasaka, who is just trying to get by. After all of that, even minor characters receive a taste of these experiences, including Rei Onodera's self-improvement, Nagisa Kashiwagi's friendship with Kaguya, and Maki Shijo's relationship issues, which are handled in great detail despite the fact that all three of them are minor characters.

Every single character in the series, regardless of how significant they are, plays a part in their own journey, whether it be connected to or separate from our main protagonists. Akasaka Aka was able to build multiple storylines within a single university that felt authentic and lived in, a well-told story. ***

CONCLUSION

Since the first chapter was published in 2015, Kaguya-Sama: Love is War has gained a lot of followers from both the romance genre and Young Jump's other fantastic works. The characters in the series are relatable for many readers and easy to connect with; the story is crazy but riveting and down to earth; the comedy is formulaic but manages to offer something fresh each time; and the series' slice-of-life setting helped it become one of the best in both the romance and slice-of-life categories. Since the release of the A-1 Pictures-produced anime, which gave the original a distinctive twist while remaining faithful to it, it has even grown and reached out to new fans.

As an enthusiast of the romance genre, Kaguya-Sama: Love is War to Me provided an astounding experience while reading the series. At first, I anticipated it to be just another generic romance story where it didn't have a fitting conclusion, the character designs were ugly, and the whole concept itself didn't make sense, but as I kept reading (and watching the series), I started to understand why this one stood out above the rest despite retaining the same qualities as the others. Kaguya-Sama: Love is War seldom veers from its primary objectives and manages to keep its audience engaged for years to come. It meticulously lays out plans and future stories for these characters that organically flow into them. Kaguya-Sama: Love is War is a truly fantastic romance series that won't soon be forgotten. ***

NOTE This review was originally written in December 2022, during the infancy days of my growing enthusiasm for anime and manga, as well as my initial steps into long-form writing. It remained unpublished on Anilist until July 2025, when I finally uploaded it in its unabridged form. ***