This show continues to bound down the rabbit hole of depression as we reach the fated date. The festival, the fireworks, the moment that Kaguya has been waiting for all summer. She has Hayasaka get her all dressed up in a kimono and as she steps out to leave, she’s informed by her bodyguards that she isn’t going.
Her behavior lately hadn’t been ‘acceptable’, and it would be too ‘crowded’ and so she wasn’t being allowed to attend. She sends a text to Chika saying that she can’t come and that weighs heavily on everyone. Most heavily of all on Kaguya though, she’d wanted this so badly. She tries to tell herself that it’s fine, but it’s not fine.
Hayasaka is a queen though and urges her to sneak out, dressing up as Kaguya so Kaguya can get out without anyone noticing. A message on Kaguya’s Twitter saying how much she wants to see the fireworks spurs the rest of the group into action. Shirogane gets on his bike and rushes to the Shinomiya family manor, he sees Hayasaka dressed as Kaguya standing on the balcony and understands the situation perfectly. He knows he has to track her down, meanwhile, Kaguya rushes to try to get to the meet up spot before the fireworks end.
She doesn’t need romance this summer.
All she wants to do is spend this one moment with her friends.
Ishigami, the first year that she got to mentor. Chika, the first person that she got to call her friend and Shirogane, her first love. She wants to watch the fireworks with them, even if it’s only a few fireworks. Her hopes are crushed though as the fireworks display ends, as she starts crying about this and says out loud to herself that she wanted to watch the fireworks with them. There is Shirogane, being totally cool and whisking her away so they can all go watch the fireworks together.
Ishigami had flagged down a taxi [the same taxi Kaguya had tried using to get to the fireworks at first before realizing traffic was too bad], they all pile in and make an attempt to reach a nearby fireworks display that had gotten delayed due to rain.
Honestly, props to the random taxi driver. The true hero of episode twelve of Kaguya-sama. This man hit the gas and rushed and probably risked his job to get them to where they needed to be. They get there and the group presses up against the windows to see the fireworks from the taxi, all together.
Though, even though she’d been granted this chance. She can’t see them, she can’t hear them. All she can see is Shirogane and all she can hear is the beating of her own heart.
The second half is a pretty good wind down after all this drama. Summer Vacation is over, school is starting again and the student council is back in session. Now if only Kaguya and Shirogane can look at each other without feeling self-conscious about their actions on the day of the fireworks.
So as they attempt to clean the student council room, they keep passing by each other without being able to talk. It’s awkward, there is a plane metaphor. Ishigami and Chika both get shot down, it’s sad for the two of them but there is the fated moment in the episode when Kaguya runs into Shirogane.
It seems like they’re going to be able to talk and express the true feelings from the day of the fireworks when she accidently hits him with the broom handle and messes up what she was going to say.
Making it sound like the way the president was trying to act cool on that day was painful.
He freaks out and runs off, having his worst fears confirmed and she runs after. As the episode closes and the credits start to roll, they run past everyone from the show in a nice wrap up. They face down, a crowd surrounding them and internally they swear that one day soon. They are going to make the other one say “I love you.”
Final Impressions
I mean honestly, the only thing that’s keeping me from saying that this was the best anime this season is the fact that Promised Neverland exists. That being said, this was certainly the best comedy and a wonderful romance. When you look at it’s surface, it has a premise that sounds like it could get old quickly. However, it’s stories are varied enough that it never runs dry on topics to explore and it’s cast of characters is quirky and funny enough to hold the show up.
Honestly, the best stories in the show aren’t even the mental battles between Kaguya and Shirogane.
Though those can be fun too, if you asked me to pick my favorite segment from the entire show though? It would hands down be the part where Chika taught Shirogane how to be decent at volleyball so he could show off in front of everyone.
The important thing for this show is that even when it wasn’t focusing on it’s core conflict. It was still very funny and the stories were still compelling.
I am hard pressed to pick a favorite character, because at the end of the day? I really liked all of them. Usually, Kaguya or Shirogane would of been my favorite but there is also just something absolutely charming about Chika. The selfish and dark streak she has under her cute exterior. Ishigami is also a character that is a lot of fun.
I said it back during the episode with the dance ending, but i’ll say it again about Chika because i’ve noticed it more and more over the weeks. She’s a character that transcended her own anime, a few people have sent me pictures of Chika either asking what she’s from or not knowing what she was from. A friend of mine recognized her picture and asked something like “isn’t that, that girl from that anime where the two snobby characters can’t confess their love?” and I had to laugh to myself.
I’m sad to see Kaguya-sama go, this was actually an anime that I really enjoyed not just watching but reviewing as well. It was fun to sit and break down the three or four act structure that each episode had. From the beginning of the season to the end, I was happy to see these characters interact and have fun.
I can only hope that we get a second season eventually, i’m not sure how much more source material there is. Even if we don’t get a second season, i’m happy how this wrapped up and i’ll eventually get around to reading the manga.
The story is sweet, the comedy is run, the characters are amazing. Kaguya-sama: Love is war is a great anime that I would recommend to anyone who likes a nice comedy.
