Kaguya-sama: Love is War, and other things

Oh, I’ve been bad about write blogs this year.

Partly I have been busy, but mostly I have forgotten. At work, some days are fine to good, others days it’s crazy. We are getting into the busy time of the year. That can be a good or bad thing.

I nearly have everything ready for Farmer’s Market. I have a little painting to do and one project I keep messing up on and making more work by trying to fix it. I’m too stubborn and a perfectionist to leave it be or throw it away.

I have been writing more. I got over one hump and have reached a point I had more planned out in my head, so it's easier to write.

I have been re-reading Sherlock Holmes. They're just kind of fun and relaxing. Some of them I remember what happens and some I’ve more forgotten. My getting back into Sherlock might come from watching an anime called Moriarty the Patriot. It’s kind of dark but fun/interesting too.

I have yet to read or listen to The House of Many Ways which is the 3rd book from the Howl’s Moving Castle series. I like to do that while I work on a puzzle or something, but I have been using my table to finish up projects for Farmer’s Market, so…yeah. I will get to it at some point.

I’ve been reading online the manga for “From Me to You”, or “Kimi Ni Todoke”. I enjoyed the anime (for the most part) but I knew the story continued. It’s full of cliché and the like, but for the most part, they make sense. I can give the characters so grace because they are high scholars and at the age where you are figuring all this out (and often are young and dumb.)

The anime I’m going to focus on today is “Kaguya-sama: Love is War”. Now a while back I was hard on “Free” for by full of drama. But “Love is War” has way more drama, and I LOVE it! Now the whole feel is different. “Free” had this angsty drama that came a crossed as sometimes serious and sometimes funny. And the stuff that was clearly humorous, was kind of on the nose and could (to me) feel a little jarring. “Love is War” is all humor, or at least like 95%. It’s not trying to be serious. When it does go serious you can clearly tell. And it’s not angsty drama; it’s in your face ridiculous and so totally hilarious. It’s hard to explain on paper, but I think if you watch them you will agree they are completely different, and so it’s hard to compare.

I’ve been watching it in the English dub and shout-outs to the voice actor for the narrator, Ian Sinclair. I’ve heard him in other shows and a variety of roles, but you can tell he had a ball voicing this one. The original Japanese is good too, but I personally prefer the English dub, partly just for him. I tried to find the English dub to buy and could not find it anywhere. It was weird.

The premise is this: a high school of rich kids and the student council. The vice president (Kaguya) is a girl who comes from one of the wealthiest families and is sharp. The president comes from a poorer family, but through hard work and being at the top of the class, has made a name for himself. Both like each other. However, they are both under the belief that if you confess first you lose.

In a healthy relationship, it’s a give and take. But we all probably know of relationships that it’s a dictatorship. They believe that this is what being in a relationship is like. There is a dominator and the dominated. A winner and a loser. And if you confess (show venerability) you lose, and the other will pounce. Oddly enough they can give advice to others and see otherwise with other relationships, but when it comes to each other, they are caught up in this belief.

So believing the other likes them, and they like the other, they create elaborate plans and schemes to try to trick or focus the other to confess or be in a situation that could be taken as proof of their feelings. Hilarity incuse. Other characters can wittingly or unknowingly be brought into their plans or act as agents of chaos that throw a wrench into their plans.

The anime never depicts that what they are doing as good or wise. You can clearly see it is fueled by pride. As time passes the masks are slipping, and they are less vicious towards each other. They may yet both be willing to be vulnerable and honest. I have not finished season 2 yet. The end of season 1 had a more series bit and it did not feel out of place and could be taken seriously. Overall it's been good fun and makes me laugh.

I will leave things at that for now I guess. Until next time,

God Bless.