is a Japanese

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

manga series written and illustrated by Aka Akasaka. It was first serialized in

Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...

's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Miracle Jump'' from May 2015 to January 2016, and later transferred to ''

Weekly Young Jump is a Japanese ''seinen'' manga magazine published by Shueisha. Launched in 1979, it is published under Shueisha's ''Jump'' line of magazines. The chapters of series that run in ''Weekly Young Jump'' are collected and published in ''tankōbon'' v ...

'', where it ran from March 2016 to November 2022. Its chapters were collected in 28 ''

tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...

'' volumes. In North America, the manga is licensed in English by

Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...

. An

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

television series adaptation produced by

A-1 Pictures is a Japanese animation studio founded by ex- Sunrise producer Mikihiro Iwata and it is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm Aniplex. History The studio was established by SMEJ's animation production division ...

, aired in Japan from January to March 2019. A second season aired from April to June 2020. An OVA episode was released in 2021, and a third season aired from April to June 2022. An anime film titled ''The First Kiss That Never Ends'' premiered in theaters in December 2022. It was also adapted into a

live-action film Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

directed by Hayato Kawai, which was released in Japan in September 2019. The anime series is licensed in North America by

Aniplex of America Aniplex of America Inc. or Aniplex USA is the U.S. distribution enterprise of Aniplex, an anime and music production company owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. It was established in March 2005 in Santa Monica, California, with the goal o ...

. As of December 2022, the manga had over 22 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series. In 2020, ''Kaguya-sama: Love Is War'' won the 65th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being given since ...

in the general category.

Premise

In the senior high school division of Shuchiin Academy, student council president Miyuki Shirogane and vice president Kaguya Shinomiya appear to be a perfect match. Kaguya is the daughter of a wealthy conglomerate family, and Miyuki is the top student at the school and well-known across the prefecture. Although they like each other, they are too proud to confess their love, as they believe whoever does so first would "lose" in their relationship. The story follows their many schemes to make the other one confess or at least show signs of affection.

Production

Conception

Akasaka was writing the manga ''Instant Bullets'' for ''

Young Jump Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

'' and wanted to come up with another series. In an interview on

Livedoor News was a Japanese company that functioned as an Internet service provider and operator of a web portal and blog platform before being brought down by a scandal in 2006. The company was founded and led in its first 10 years by Takafumi Horie, known a ...

, Akasaka said the original plot for ''Kaguya-sama'' was more of a fantasy and game of death, but his editor wanted something more mainstream and, at the time, ''Young Jump'' did not have a casual romcom series. It was Akasaka's first manga in the romcom genre. Akasaka set the series in high school as it was a time when he did not have much experience with dating and romance himself. He was thinking of high school relationships while smoking some food, and came up with the concept of wanting to reclaim some of his emotions of his youth in a fantasy. He envisioned "two ''

tsundere is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with a personality who is initially very harsh before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time. The word is derived from the terms ('to turn away in ...

s'' who like each other having battles of the mind". He thought that was a very common concept, but was surprised to find that readers were telling him that his premise was innovative. Also at first, he wanted to do more intellectual battles like '' Death Note'' but the theme changed more to "clashing of romantic emotions". He has also cited ''

School Rumble is a Japanese ''shōnen'' manga series written and illustrated by Jin Kobayashi. First serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from October 22, 2002 to July 23, 2008, all 345 chapters were later collected in 22 ''tankōbon'' volumes b ...

'' as an influence on his work.

Character design

The characters' names were derived from ''

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is a (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the form. The story detail ...

''. He liked princess stories, and Kaguya-hime was one of the most famous princess stories. In developing the characters, he said that Kaguya and Miyuki initially have the same personality and thought process, like twins, which made their exposition to the reader easier to understand. He then developed more divergence between the two. Other characters were developed in the same manner, starting as shallow and template-like, but being filled with realistic feelings and drawn from the experience of the author and of others he knew. He especially liked contrasting characters whose internal personalities differ from their external portrayal.

Development and themes

In developing a chapter or story, Akasaka would think about emotions first and then write about experiencing the emotions, such as what Kaguya would feel if she were jealous. He would then arrange the characters and events around that emotion. When he thinks of some emotion that he hasn't developed into a story yet, he writes it on a sticky note or notebook to be used later. Akasaka said that he originally wanted to make a manga that would help office ladies relax, but since he is an ''

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in '' Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorat ...

'', it seems to follow in that. He also believes the manga is more about providing the reader with something exciting and conveying meaningful messages about human relationships rather than to showcase a number of character gags and reactions. Akasaka said that Miyuki and Kaguya's becoming third-year students marks the second half of the story. When asked about the ending, he said he does not know whether he will go with the bad ending as with ''Kaguya-hime'', but wouldn't mind if it did. He is also considering giving each character a curtain call chapter like they do in the dating sims.

Media

Manga

Aka Akasaka launched the series in the June issue of

's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Miracle Jump'' on May 19, 2015. The series' last chapter in ''Miracle Jump'' was published on January 19, 2016. The manga was then switched to the publisher's ''

'' magazine on March 24, 2016. A special chapter ran in the debut issue of ''Young Jump Gold'' on May 18, 2017. The series finished on November 2, 2022. Shueisha has collected its 281 individual chapters into twenty-eight individual ''

'' volumes. The first volume was released on March 18, 2016, and the last on December 19, 2022. North American publisher

announced their license to the series during their panel at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

International on July 20, 2017. A spin-off manga by Shinta Sakayama, titled , was launched on Shueisha's ''Tonari no Young Jump'' website on June 14, 2018, and it was serialized on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. The spin-off finished on June 25, 2020. Shueisha released four ''tankōbon'' volumes between December 19, 2018 and July 17, 2020. A ''

yonkoma , a comic strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom. They also sometimes run right-to-left horizontally or use a hybrid 2×2 style, depending on the layout requirements of ...

'' spin-off, written by G3 Ida and titled , was serialized in ''Weekly Young Jump'' from July 26, 2018, to November 2, 2022. The ''yonkoma'' focuses on two newspaper/press club girls who idolize Kaguya and the gang but have no clue what really goes on inside the student council. Shueisha released the first collected ''tankōbon'' volume on March 19, 2019, and the eight and last on December 19, 2022.

Anime

television series adaptation was announced by Shueisha on June 1, 2018. The series is directed by

Shinichi Omata is a Japanese director, storyboard artist, and former producer best known for directing '' Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju'' (2016) and '' Kaguya-sama: Love is War'' (2019). Career Omata began his career in the industry in the ...

under the pseudonym Mamoru Hatakeyama and written by Yasuhiro Nakanishi, with animation by

. Yuuko Yahiro is providing the character designs, while Jin Aketagawa is the sound director. Kei Haneoka is composing the series' music. The series aired from January 12 to March 30, 2019, broadcasting on MBS,

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...

, BS11, GTV, GYT, CTV, and

TeNY is a TV station affiliated with Nippon News Network (NNN) and Nippon Television Network System (NNS) in Niigata, Niigata, Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Niigata. It is broadcast in Niigata Prefecture. It was established on October 23, 1980 and b ...

. The series ran for 12 episodes.

Masayuki Suzuki Masayuki Suzuki (鈴木雅之, ''Suzuki Masayuki'', born September 22, 1956, in Ōta, Tokyo) is a Japanese singer best known as a former member of group Rats & Star (previously called ''Chanels''), and for performing the opening themes for the ...

, Rikka Ihara, and Yoshiki Mizuno performs the series' opening song "Love Dramatic feat. Rikka Ihara", while

Halca HALCA (Highly Advanced Laboratory for Communications and Astronomy), also known for its project name VSOP (VLBI Space Observatory Programme), the code name MUSES-B (for the second of the Mu Space Engineering Spacecraft series), or just Haruka (� ...

performs the series' ending theme song "Sentimental Crisis".

have acquired the series in North America, and streamed the series on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

Now. In Australia and New Zealand, AnimeLab simulcasted the series within the region. The series is licensed by

Muse Communication Muse Communication Co., Ltd. (also known simply as Muse) is a Taiwanese distributor and licensor that specializes in the distribution of anime. Based in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, the company also distributes Asian and European films ...

and is streaming on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

, bilibili, iQIYI in Southeast Asia. A second season, titled ''Kaguya-sama: Love Is War?'', was announced on October 19, 2019. The staff and cast returned to reprise their roles. It aired from April 11 to June 27, 2020 on the Tokyo MX, GTV, GYT, BS11,

Abema TV Abema (, stylized as ABEMA) is a Japanese live TV streaming website owned by the entertainment company, AbemaTV, Inc. that provides over-the-top media services to customers in Japan. The website primarily acts as an online television network, ...

service, MBS and TeNY. The second season will feature Kaguya's character song "Kotae Awase" and a key visual with the new characters Miko and Osaragi as they join the returning main characters of the series. Suzuki returned to perform the season's opening theme "Daddy! Daddy! Do! feat.

Airi Suzuki is a Japanese singer, actress, model, and radio personality associated with Up-Front Works. In 2002, she joined Hello! Project as a member of Hello! Project Kids and later debuted as one of the lead vocalists of the Japanese girl group Cute i ...

", while

Haruka Fukuhara is a Japanese actress, singer and model from Saitama Prefecture. From 2009 to 2012, she starred in ''Cooking Idol! I! My! Main'' as Main Hiiragi, portraying the character in both animated and live-action segments. Following the series' end, she h ...

's "Kaze ni Fukarete" ("Blown by the Wind") was used as the ending. The season received its world premiere prior to Japanese broadcast at Anime Festival Sydney on March 8, 2020. Funimation acquired exclusive streaming rights for the season in late March; the company began airing an English dub for the second season on July 25, with the first season dub streaming on March 9, 2021. In Southeast Asia, Muse Communication released the season on Netflix, bilibili, iQIYI. On October 25, 2020, an original video animation episode and a third season were concurrently announced for production during the "Kaguya-sama Wants To Tell You On Stage" special event. An OVA was bundled with the manga's twenty-second volume, which was released on May 19, 2021. On October 21, 2021, it was revealed the third season is titled ''Kaguya-sama: Love Is War – Ultra Romantic'', with returning staff and cast members. It aired from April 9 to June 25, 2022, on Tokyo MX, BS11, Gunma TV, Tochigi TV, MBS, RKB, and TeNY. Masayuki Suzuki returned to perform the third season's opening theme "GIRI GIRI" with Suu from

Silent Siren was a Japanese all-female band formed in 2010 and associated with Platinum Production. The members consist of three fashion models: Sumire Yoshida (lead vocals and guitar), Aina Yamauchi (bass guitar), and Yukako Kurosaka (keyboard). Ayana Sōg ...

, while Airi Suzuki returned to perform the ending theme "Heart wa Oteage" ("My Heart Does Not Know What to Do"). Episode 5 features ending song "My Nonfiction" by Furukawa and Kohara's characters Miyuki Shirogane and Chika Fujiwara. Following the conclusion of the third season, a new anime project was announced to be in production. It was later revealed that the new project is an anime film titled ''Kaguya-sama: Love Is War – The First Kiss That Never Ends''. The main staff from the television series reprised their roles. The film premiered in theaters on December 17, 2022, before being released on television. The opening theme song is "Love is Show" by Masayuki Suzuki featuring

Reni Takagi is a Japanese idol and a member of the girl group Momoiro Clover Z. She is the former leader of the group, before leadership was passed to Kanako Momota, and her signature color in the group is purple. Takagi was born in Kanagawa Prefecture ...

. Aniplex of America will screen the film in select U.S. theaters in February 2023.

Live-action film

The live-action film adaptation premiered in Japan on September 6, 2019.

Sho Hirano is a Japanese singer and actor. He was trainee of Johnny's Jr. and a member of Mr. King, a group formed for a limited time in 2015. He later debuted in the idol group King & Prince in 2018. Filmography Stage TV dramas Films Advertisemen ...

was announced for the role of Miyuki Shirogane, and Kanna Hashimoto was announced for the role of Kaguya Shinomiya. Hayato Kawai directed the film, Yūichi Tokunaga wrote the screenplay, and principal photography was conducted in March to April 2019. A sequel, '' Kaguya-sama Final: Love Is War'' was announced on January 6, 2021. It premiered in Japanese cinemas on August 20, 2021. Hirano, Hashimoto, Nana Asakawa, and Hayato Sano, actors of Kaguya Shinomiya, Miyuki Shirogane,

Chika Fujiwara is a fictional character in the manga series '' Kaguya-sama: Love Is War'', created by Aka Akasaka. Depicted in the story as coming from a prestigious family of politicians, Chika is the student council secretary of Shuchiin Academy, where she w ...

and Yu Ishigami respectively, returned to reprise their roles.

Reception

Manga

The manga won the 3rd

Next Manga Award The is an annual award for manga series presented by Kadokawa Corporation's ''Da Vinci'' magazine and Niconico streaming website. It is divided into two categories: one for print manga, and one for web manga. Overview The award was originally e ...

in the comics division for manga published in print book format in 2017. In 2020, along with '' Aoashi'', ''Kaguya-sama: Love Is War'' won the 65th

in the general category. On

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...

's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150.000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, ''Kaguya-sama: Love Is War'' ranked 50th. ''Kaguya-sama: Love Is War'' had over 6.5 million copies in circulation by April 2019; over 8.5 million copies by October 2019; over 9 million copies in circulation by December 2019; over 13 million copies in circulation by October 2020; over 15 million copies in circulation by April 2021; over 19 million copies in circulation by October 2022; and over 22 million copies in circulation by December 2022. It was the ninth-best-selling manga in 2019, with over 4 million copies sold. Rebecca Silverman of '' Anime News Network'' gave the first two volumes of the manga a positive review, calling it "one of the more unique rom-com premises out there". She noted that the second volume was better than the first, indicating development on the part of the author, and commenting that it boded well for the lastingness of the series. She was more ambivalent about the art, saying that it lacked polish and that faces in particular tended to suffer.

Anime

In 2020, at the

4th Crunchyroll Anime Awards The 4th Crunchyroll Anime Awards were held on February 15, 2020, honoring excellence in anime from 2019. Crunchyroll announced the categories and the list of judges for the 2020 awards on December 17, while also noting that the list was still not ...

, the ''Kaguya-sama: Love Is War'' anime was selected for Best Comedy, Best Couple, and Best Ending Sequence ("Chikatto Chika Chika"). The character Chika Fujiwara was nominated for Best Girl in the awards. At the 5th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2021, the second season of the ''Kaguya-sama: Love Is War'' anime was selected for Best Comedy, and the main character of the series, Kaguya Shinomiya, was selected for Best Girl. The anime's opening "DADDY! DADDY! DO!" by Masayuki Suzuki was nominated for Best Opening Sequence in the awards.

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * at

* at

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