Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

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One of the best novels I've ever read.

After watching the anime Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, I simply couldn't wait for a sequel. As soon as I finished the anime, I went straight to the Kaguya-sama: Love Is War manga because I needed to know how the story continued. It's the kind of work that grips you so much that waiting for new episodes or seasons seems impossible.

What impresses me most about this work is how well-constructed it is. Even though it has an extremely comedic base, the true focus has always been the romance, and when the story decides to develop this aspect, it does ... so with absurd quality.

The premise is simple, but brilliant: two extremely proud students love each other, but neither wants to admit it first. Thus, they transform the romance into a kind of psychological warfare, trying to make the other confess first.

The protagonists, Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane, represent well that classic archetype of "lady and the tramp," but adapted to a more modern and realistic context. On one side we have Kaguya, an extremely wealthy, brilliant girl raised in a powerful family; on the other side we have Shirogane, a brilliant student who comes from a much humbler background and has to work incredibly hard to maintain his position. This contrast creates a fantastic dynamic. Their romance isn't just a matter of feelings, but also of pride, values, and lifestyle. Each carries their own insecurities and tries to protect their pride at all costs. Therefore, their relationship becomes a silent battle: who will give in first?

As the story progresses, this game evolves, and the romance begins to develop more directly. And it is precisely at this moment that the work shows how well-written it is. The romance isn't confined to just the two protagonists; it opens up space to explore the personal and family conflicts of each.

One of the most striking arcs involves the Shinomiya family itself, which represents an extremely rigid and oppressive structure. The way this conflict impacts Kaguya and how Shirogane tries to deal with this reality, completely different from his own, creates very powerful moments in the story.

Without going into spoilers, what impresses me most in these moments is the care with which the author, Aka Akasaka, builds each character. Nothing happens in isolation. Every decision, every relationship, and every conflict ends up connecting within the narrative, creating a feeling very close to real life where relationships depend not only on feelings but also on circumstances, family, expectations, and the future.

But even with such good protagonists, there is one character who, for me, steals many scenes: Yu Ishigami.

Ishigami is easily one of the most relatable characters in the work. He starts out as that typical isolated student: pessimistic, socially awkward, addicted to video games, and completely discredited by others. At first glance, he seems like just a comedic or secondary character. But as the story progresses, we discover that he carries a very heavy past. His journey is one of the best-written things in the work. We follow a deeply negative and insecure character as he slowly tries to rebuild himself. His development is genuinely moving. Watching Ishigami move from a place of self-loathing and slowly become someone more confident and positive is very striking. At times, his story is so intense that it almost feels like we're reading a school drama, not a romantic comedy. And honestly, I think that's one of the work's greatest qualities. It's not limited to being just a romance. Often, it puts the romance in the background to work on the individual growth of the characters. Each member of the student council has their own journey, their own conflicts, and their own moments of prominence.

This mix of absurd comedy, well-developed romance, and deep character development is what makes this work stand out so much within the genre.

In the end, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is not just another school romance manga. It manages to balance intelligent humor, extremely charismatic characters, and genuine emotional moments in a way that few works in the genre achieve.

Therefore, I highly recommend this manga to anyone who wants to read something different within the romance genre. It's a fun, exciting, and surprisingly profound story at various points. My final rating is 8/10.

=================================================================================================================Versão em Português=====================================

Um dos melhores romances que já li.

Depois de assistir ao anime de Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, simplesmente não consegui esperar por uma continuação. Assim que terminei o anime, fui direto para o mangá Kaguya-sama: Love Is War porque precisava saber como a história continuava. É aquele tipo de obra que te prende tanto que esperar novos episódios ou temporadas parece impossível.

O que mais me impressiona nessa obra é o quão bem construída ela é. Mesmo tendo uma base extremamente cômica, o verdadeiro foco sempre foi o romance, e quando a história decide desenvolver esse aspecto ela faz isso com uma qualidade absurda.

A premissa é simples, mas genial: dois estudantes extremamente orgulhosos se amam, mas nenhum dos dois quer admitir primeiro. Assim, eles transformam o romance em uma espécie de guerra psicológica, tentando fazer o outro confessar primeiro.

Os protagonistas, Kaguya Shinomiya e Miyuki Shirogane, representam bem aquele arquétipo clássico da “dama e o vagabundo”, mas adaptado para um contexto mais moderno e realista. De um lado temos Kaguya, uma garota extremamente rica, genial e criada dentro de uma família poderosa, do outro lado temos Shirogane, um estudante brilhante, mas que veio de uma origem muito mais humilde e que precisa se esforçar absurdamente para manter sua posição. Esse contraste cria uma dinâmica fantástica. O romance deles não é apenas uma questão de sentimentos, mas também de orgulho, valores e estilo de vida. Cada um carrega suas próprias inseguranças e tenta proteger seu orgulho a todo custo. Por isso, a relação deles acaba virando uma disputa silenciosa: quem vai ceder primeiro?

Com o passar da história, esse jogo vai evoluindo e o romance começa a se desenvolver de forma mais direta. E é justamente nesse momento que a obra mostra o quanto é bem escrita. O romance não fica preso apenas aos dois protagonistas, ele abre espaço para explorar os conflitos pessoais e familiares de cada um.

Um dos arcos mais marcantes envolve a própria família Shinomiya, que representa uma estrutura extremamente rígida e opressiva. A forma como esse conflito impacta Kaguya e como Shirogane tenta lidar com essa realidade completamente diferente da sua cria momentos muito fortes na história.

Sem entrar em spoilers, o que mais me impressiona nesses momentos é o cuidado com que o autor Aka Akasaka constrói cada personagem. Nada acontece isoladamente. Cada decisão, cada relacionamento e cada conflito acabam se conectando dentro da narrativa, criando uma sensação muito próxima da vida real onde relacionamentos não dependem apenas de sentimentos, mas também de circunstâncias, família, expectativas e futuro.

Mas mesmo com protagonistas tão bons, existe um personagem que para mim rouba muitas cenas: Yu Ishigami.

Ishigami é facilmente um dos personagens mais identificáveis da obra. Ele começa como aquele típico estudante isolado: pessimista, socialmente estranho, viciado em videogames e completamente desacreditado pelos outros. À primeira vista, ele parece apenas um personagem cômico ou secundário. Só que conforme a história avança, descobrimos que ele carrega um passado bem pesado. A trajetória dele é uma das coisas mais bem escritas da obra. Acompanhamos um personagem profundamente negativo e inseguro tentando se reconstruir aos poucos. O desenvolvimento dele é genuinamente emocionante. Ver Ishigami sair de um lugar de autodesprezo e caminhar lentamente para se tornar alguém mais confiante e positivo é algo muito marcante. Em certos momentos, a história dele é tão intensa que quase parece que estamos lendo um drama escolar, e não uma comédia romântica. E, sinceramente, acho que isso é uma das maiores qualidades da obra. Ela não se limita a ser apenas um romance. Muitas vezes ela deixa o romance em segundo plano para trabalhar o crescimento individual dos personagens. Cada membro do conselho estudantil tem sua própria jornada, seus próprios conflitos e seus próprios momentos de destaque.

Essa mistura de comédia absurda, romance bem desenvolvido e desenvolvimento profundo de personagens é o que faz essa obra se destacar tanto dentro do gênero.

No final das contas, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War não é apenas mais um mangá de romance escolar. Ele consegue equilibrar humor inteligente, personagens extremamente carismáticos e momentos emocionais genuínos de uma forma que poucas obras do gênero conseguem.

Por isso, recomendo fortemente esse mangá para quem quer ler algo diferente dentro do romance. É uma história divertida, emocionante e surpreendentemente profunda em vários momentos. Minha nota final é 8/10.

The initial appeal of Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen was a funny romcom with great humour, and an interesting premise. I really loved the premise, which was to make the students try to make each other confess. I loved it. However, that was only until chapter 130 or so, the manga took a drama stage. Instead of continuing the relationship, it takes a big dive into garbage writing. The initial appeal had disappeared, and what I had been reading was filled with boring old rom com drama. If it had continued the humorous and romantic relationships, then I would've given Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: ... Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen, a perfect 10/10.

The story is simple. Shirogane and Kaguya, are in the student council. They both have this feeling for each other, and they try to make others confess. I was very interested in this idea. It was much different from your usual romcoms, so I had high expectations, y'know? Chapters 1-130 were a 10/10, no doubt, but straight after that, it gets horrible, as I mentioned before. Everything gets worse and worse. Drama was the thing that I did not want Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen to use. Well, unluckily for me, that happened.

Chapters that stop the drama, continuing the manga from chapter 262 and so on were trying to tie all of the screws that were loose, but it just didn't work out. The initial charm of the series had been gone. The humour was dry and unfunny, and most importantly, the side character's relationships were rushed. We never get a proper story for side character's relationships.

The ending: Horrifying. I absolutely despised the ending. We never get a proper conclusion for Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen, we only have the student council team graduating, that's it. We don't get to see the outcome of everyone's relationships.

The characters? Still likeable. Shirogane & Ishigami are my favourite characters. One positive thing I can say about the drama is that they didn't really change their characters, which was good. I basically liked every character. No characters were unlikeable, except for one of Kaguya's cousins, and her family.

The art is splendid. The coloured pages are awesome. Each panel had been taken the utmost care of. Nothing looked particularly rushed.

A 10/10 wouldn't be enough for my enjoyment. I loved every single chapter of Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen, and was just way too hyped for the next chapter. After chapter 130, things get negative, sadly. I get really bored, as Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen turns from one of the best (if not best) romcom anime, to an absolute garbage dumpster. All of the things that I loved, humour and story, were thrown into the bin.

Seriously though. I've seen so many anime that I loved so much, but just don't reach a good conclusion, or get trash later on. Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen is part of the "wasted potential" anime/manga. I really am disappointed. I don't hate Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen, I'm just disappointed straight after the duel confessions arc.

They say timing matters, we're in the age of continuous social media exposure, and the internet is at an all-time high and that's what made Kaguya Sama stand out.
BUT !!
The plot is your typical hate-to-love cynical story, from the beginning chapters it's visible that Kaguya Sama is inspired by 𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗞𝗢𝗜 at multiple stages including the basic theme of using love as a tug of war and influence.
The humour is bland most of the time.

In short, Kaguya Sama lacks genuineness and originality.
Overall, One shouldn't go by the hype and the herd.
Kaguya sama is an average read.

Now it depends if you're a newcomer or you haven't seen ... or read such plots, you might find Kaguya sama as the extreme best.
Hence I mentioned it's all about timing.

I wouldn't recommend it. You're better off reading or seeing plots much much better than this, but then again some people have a side of cheap thrills.
Your choice!