So my favorite analogy for Chika: Whenever Kaguya and Miyuki are playing mental chess, Chika's narrative role is to put a single checker piece in the middle of the board.

Another Ishigami moment that is strikingly realistic: during the second exam arc, he actually believed himself to be a cool protagonist with latent genius yet to be unlocked, only to have reality splashed water on his face.

I love how the first video was all "Chika is the only morally pure and earnest person in the room" which has transformed to "Chika is a malignant narcissist, manipulator, cheater, and a future corrupt politician down to her bones."

Chika is the anime embodiment of that Brennan Lee Mulligan quote: "I'll do anything" "For what?" "To win anything."

Loved the comparison to Death Note. When I recommend this show I usually tell my friends "Think Death Note, but the attraction between the geniuses is stated and not just implied"

Geez, when you said this was long, I didn't expect an hour long video. But honestly, Kaguya-sama probably deserves it.

Ishigami is in a way the ultimate lonely nerd fantasy. Most harems will just either have a guy with no personality or someone with an undesirable personality as their male leads, and as someone who enjoyed those animes himself during his teenagehood can tell you, they feel shallow because deep down you know how unrealistic it is. Not to mention that what most of that audience really wants deep down, even if they won't even admit it to themselves, is to be accepted. Someone who betters themselves and gets a stable support circle AND gets girls crushing on him as a result? Now THAT'S the fantasy teenage me had.

One symbolism that everyone seems to miss is papagane’s watch that he gave to Miyuki. I felt it was pretty obvious. “This watch is for someone who reaches for the moon”. Specifically, it’s the Omega Speedmaster professional Moonwatch. The watch for the Apollo program. Perhaps the most famous watch ever made. It symbolizes both Miyuki’s drive and his pursuit of Kaguya, the moon princess. It’s also worth about 8,000 bucks so papagane definitely passed on a family heirloom. Great watch

Chika is the definition of Chaotic Lawful. She does follow a pattern, but a pattern so damn complicated that you're never able to make sense of it.

The reveal in the season 3 finale when it showed how miyuki was essentially manipulating the entire school for months brought such a smile to my face

Fun fact: in the chapter were chika describes the perfect boyfriend for her, not only does Hayasaka technically fit all the categories, but kaguya (in an attempt to get chika away from shirogane) actually suggest Hayasaka as a potential partner! It's over shadowed by the joking nature of the chapter but this video already shows how much foreshadowing aka put into his work

For me, what I love about the series is how you can take any two members of the student council and there's a specific joke angle that results from it: there's this mix-and-match approach that allows it to change up the pace chapter to chapter, sketch to sketch.

One thing to note about the Shirogane family is that you know they are poor, but the individual members are not defined by that poorness and because they aren't defined by that, their strengths become more apparent. Miyuki isn't defined by his scholarship and his underdog battle against the school's elites; he is so far above them that they thought doesn't even cross your mind. The manga/anime could have easily pulled that card for the members of the Shirogane family, but they don't because who they are as people matter so much more like Kei's rebellious phase with her brother or having Dio as a father. The series respect who they are as characters, and that helps make you like them.

The Japanese narrator is telling an epic tale of conflict between two genius minds without a hint of irony at its content. He supports the supposed premise of the show (whoever falls in love first loses) with all his heart, and gives the events a great weight and importance that shows how ridiculous it is. And he's funny as heck. The English narrator is showing you the newest episode of his favourite romance anime so he can tell you his opinions on it, and hopes to god that this is the episode where his OTP finally gets together. He resents the supposed premise of the show for keeping them apart, and states the outside perspective in plain terms that shows how ridiculous it is. And he's funny as heck. Overall, Japanese is a bit better, but I definitely love them both.

Miko Iino's character development in the manga is... something. Everybody knows that eventually tsundere go from tsun to dere, but HER dere is spicy as hell.

this is the only series that ive seen in which i genuinely care about EVERY character, no matter how small a role.

I don't think we appreciate just how brilliant Papa Shirogane can be when he wants to. The man managed to extract Kaguya's feelings for Miyuki in a _single conversation_ without even trying, something even Hayasaka couldn't do.

God, the Yu Ishigami story is just so wonderful. I've said this before somewhere else, but its not just that he's well-written that amazes me - it's that the author uses Ishigami to tell stories that give healthier examples of how to work through and handle certain things and more meaningful lessons on relationships than the stereotypical shonen readership are usually ever exposed to. And in deeply satisfying and cathartic ways! And the best ones are still upcoming for the anime!

I think the thing I like most about the series is how both Kaguya and Shirogane are inspired to become better people through their feelings for each other. Actually, "compelled" might be a better word for it; both of them hold the other in such high esteem that they worry they'll be unworthy of the other's affections if they let themselves slack off.

Kaguya having a photographic memory is a cool little detail. The reason why she values the photos on her phone so much is because that's how she sees the world and her memories. Being able to share a piece of her own perspective, of her own self with those she loves, is the core of her philosophy on love. How can you say you truly love someone if they haven't seen the different sides of you. Photos are as much a part of her as the Shinomiya name. Sharing moments she always cherishes in her mind, with people she loves is a way to bring them closer to her. A way to keep her tethered to her friends. (Spoilers for the manga down here) That's why it makes so much sense that she wants to be a photographer. As someone whose life was turned around by fleeting moments of joy with the student council members that she keeps both in her memory and on her phone, she really does understand the value of a photo, because her mind is full of them. Even if not all of them are of people smiling. That's just a little fun thought I had while watching this :p

I have been Ishigami. In fact, I think a lot of guys, especially neuro-diverse guys, have been or even still are to some extent Ishigami, but that's why I loved watching his character growth so much. He could have easily been a "he's just like me" comedic foil, but they actually gave him a chance to grow as a person and start overcome his trauma. I wish I'd had a character journey like that to look to when I was growing up, but I'm just glad his story arc and character exists full stop. Ishigami is a king in the making, if not already a king.

The single most impressive aspect of Kaguya's writing for me is how expertly it balances its base appeal and cavernous depth without sacrificing either. It's simultaneously so entertaining from the purest, most ephemeral sense while simultaneously having enough depth in its character writing, relationships, and themes to fill up a college level course on literature. I don't think I can understate how difficult it is to nail the balance of both with your writing while not having the two seemingly opposite goals of a story clash with each other. Extremely fun stories like action movies, shonen, or trashy romance stuff can be a blast and fulfill this primary goal of a story: to entertain, but they can feel hollow and vapid on reflection. Extremely deep and subtextual media can be exceptionally meaningful, but they can also feel pretentious, artsy just for the sake of it, or just not terribly entertaining on that more visceral side of things. Striking the balance of the two is what defines truly exceptional media to me, and it's mind-boggling how seamlessly and effortlessly Kaguya is able to weave those two aspects together.

I want to give credits to Chika's character writing. I know she's no longer anyone's best girl at this point in both anime and manga but she is one of the major reasons this show works. In season 1, her comedic timing has to work in order for us to get hooked on the anime. Yeah the battle between the main couple is interesting, but without Chika's presence in the early episodes, I don't think the main confession battle will last long without us getting tired of it. She carried Season 1. She's our original best girl and not just because of her dance. The character of Ishigami, Ino, and even Hayasaka have developed, unlike Chika, but she'd done the heavylifting as being the focus of the comedy in the early seasons, which is basically 50% of this show's genre.

I love how until Ishigami finally meets the eyes of the cheer squad, the squad's eyes just aren't animated, as if they're unimportant background characters. It's a nice visual metaphor for his perception of them (and how it changes) that also stealthily introduces the new characters. It's also something that just wouldn't work as well live-action. Only in sequential arts or animation where that convention of not showing eyes already exists could that work

The crazy thing is that as good as this season was, we still haven’t reached my favorite part of the manga. The movie is gonna be insane.

I’ve read the manga probably half a dozen times and there are moments that still get me. I’m not a huge manga reader but I will absolutely get the entire collection when it’s finished. It’s that damn good.

Rewatching the show I'm noticing a lot of subtle hints at Shirogane preparing for the US. In S2 E4 he's holding a study guide for the TOEFL, which is an additional test US universities require from people whose country of origin does not have english as its main language aside from the SATs (or GRE for grad school).

I'd say the dub Narrastor did a wonderful job and still gets the point across. He is really into the story, changing his tone and his deamenor based on situations. He acts at times like those "x reacts to" KZfaqrs, but during moments when us the viewers are into it. Theres one point during s3 when Shirogane tries to ask Kaguya to go to another culture festival and the Narrator yells out "OH COME ON" when kaguya doesn't get what Shirogane was asking. Which mirrored exactly what I was thinking. I mean you can actually hear Ian walk away from the mic as he yells this. Saying "well the Japanese narrator got the whole teenager's world thing better" is underselling the Narrator. He is doing the exact same thing in a way that would appeal more to a Western audience. Forgive me for saying, but the way the Narrator acts in the dub feels like he's got a whole tumblr blog dedicated to the ship and keysmashes on the reg.

With the movie most likely covering the events of the Christmas arc, I’m hoping that the movie isn’t the end of the entire animated series, and that we do get a 4th season as well!

This series is incredible, i have no idea how aka is able to balance supervising the production of this anime and OnK, not to mention writing & drawing the still ongoing affermentioned series' mangas. This ultra romantic season is something else, especially the finale, it's an adaptation that goes berserk and WE'RE STILL BARELY HALFWAY IN THE STORY. It's a one of a kind romcom and 100% deserves this 14.000 word essay.

I love how well you distill characters into their purest essence and can express it so clearly. I'll never forget how perfectly your description of Chicka Fujiwara finally enlightened me as to why I was soo in love with her character for so long even if I didn't know why. It's cause I married her and all three of my wife's closest friends agreed she's a scary fit to your definition of Chicka. Either way damn fine work and never stop.

One thing that I adore about this series is its ability to take a joke, gag, and one off comment from a seemingly mundane chapter and turn that into the biggest character development moment or the saddest thing you'll see in the show. After which the character development doesn't just serve to invest us into these characters but avenues to explore new jokes and recycle old joke formats into refreshing repeats of old gags.

The attention to detail and worldbuilding of Aka Akasaka is impressive. For example there are big hints along the manga that something is really wrong with Kashiwagi: she copies everything Maki does, it stated she likes the same things Maki likes, she claims she loves Maki more than Tsubasa (her own boyfriend), later we know Kashiwagi asked Tsubasa if he had a girlfriend because Maki asked her to do so in first place (so she actually was aware of Maki feelings), she turned Tsubasa into a fuckboi that was the opposite Maki liked about him (Maki said he liked Tsubasa because he was kind boy), she wanted to kill Tsubasa when she suspected he cheated her with Maki and even hired a private detective to know the truth, Ishigami who is one of the most perceptive characters of the series said there was something terrifying about Kashiwagi and also Kashiwagi started to pay attention to Ishigami after Maki stated he was her friend, etc... Also there is a reason she is one of the Shuchin VIPs... Kaguya claimed they were the secret power behind Shunchin and hold more power than even the student council and even more scarier than herself. So Kashiwagi for most of the readers pass as one of the most level headed and "normal" characters in the series given the anticts of the student council and how she supports Kaguya... but there is a subtle implication along the series she has a yandere dark side and she could be actually obssesed with Maki trying to ruin her love life to keep her for herself. But Aka Akasaka doesn't force this knowledge on us... he left for the readers this interpretation. So create a whole subtext for sidecharacters that isn't even relevant for main storyline but enriches the characters.

I really like how the anime elevates pieces of the manga, for example the rap scene in the manga was already great in the anime it's a masterpiece of cinema.

It was not until rewatching love is war that i realised how natural an addition miko iino is. The whole first season just feels weird without her.

What I'm really impressed about is how they can pull off so many pop culture references and recent trends without ever feeling cringe, like no other anime or shows, in general, can make the Read notification as much of a weapon and as funny as Kaguya-Sama did.

There are so many layers to Kaguya-sama that as you stated, even a 1-2 hour video can't cover it all. My favorite are the allusions to the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter which is the original Kaguya story and how Kaguya-sama seems to rebel against in some way. In the moongazing episode, Shirogane pretty much says he would do things differently from the original tale, and the "impossible tasks" of Kaguya are used to get closer to her peers (see Ishigami-Kaguya's brother/sister relationship) whereas in the original folktale, the impossible tasks were used to chase people away.

Please don't hold back when you make your next Kaguya-sama Video. You've excellently covered what makes Kaguya-sama so great in this video withour much spoilers about the manga. If you do end up making a video about the whole series. I'm excited to see how you discuss about post Cultural Festival Kaguya-sama

Hearing you just recap the Kashiwagi's boyfriend gag legitimately had my crying just remembering how hilarious it is. That's the power of this manga, remember it makes me cry with laughter

When I saw the video's length, i thought it was too long. Now that i've finished it, i feel like there's so much more to Kaguya than 1 hour and 41 minutes that you just have to read/watch it to feel the genius of it.

I agree with the point about the narrator, while the dub narrator openly pointing out their absurd behaviour is funny, as a viewer we already know they're being absurd, so the fact the original narrator plays into it with complete seriousness just adds to the absurdity, they think they're making genius 4d chess moves so he acts like that's the case

This video actually elucidated one of the things I like the most about this series. In most battle manga, even when the stakes are high you can usually assume that in any important battle the main character is either going to win, or get saved at the last second. Occasionally you see this trope subverted with the character losing and being changed in the process, but very, very few stories can have a character lose when it matters. In Kaguya-sama you really don't know who will win, or how they will win. Granted, as a viewer the fact that it's a high-school rom-com is enough to reduce a lot of that tension, but it also means that the events are much harder to predict.

I finally watched this show, and it feels like the show is everything Anime should be. Amazing animation just to flex, especially in those perfect special EPs, a fantastic story with a cast of trope-breaking characters, none of the usual creepy fanservice that is often hard to watch, and more tears from heart balloons than I've cried for any sudden character deaths.

I actually cry happy tears every time I think about this show and all of its intricacies, so finding this video was incredibly cathartic. I’m watching this in increments every time I have to complete a chore; it’s delightful.

What I think is incredible about this anime (and the manga of course) is how good the character interactions are. I feel like in any other anime Shirogane and Kaguya would be the focus with the other council members just being relegated to vague roles as friends, but here everyone has something special going on with everyone else. Like the way Chika is not just Kaguya's best friend but also serves the "Mama Chika" role to Shirogane or how Shirogane & Kaguya both end up bonding with Miko & Ishigami almost like older siblings respectively.

The fact that Chika is a middle child makes her attention seeking behaviour make a lot of sense

This anime/manga does EVERYTHING I miss about older anime. It has great romance, holds itself together, it seems like it knew what it wanted to do from the beginning, makes you think, and even gives you fan service (especially this man's second manga).

In the dub Papa Shirogane literally says, in perfectly serious deadpan to Miyuki, "Tell Sugar Daddy what's wrong." Which justifies the dub on its own.

My dude, your recent sponsor reads have been just amazing. This one just had me laughing the whole time

this is, without a doubt, THE BEST analysis of kaguya sama's anime and manga i have ever had the honor to watch and listen to, im truly speechless, and very grateful. You have just convinced me to join your Patreon, your impeccable work must be rewarded!

My favorite part about Kaguya-sama is how it turns EVERY single running joke into serious character drama at a later point in the story, for everyone, without fail. Sadly, the two concrete examples of that I have in mind, Ishigami‘s and Iino‘s are both still not animated and only in the manga so far, so I can’t say too much without spoiling. I can however for Iino give a general idea that at some point with her habit to just enter through the door into weird situations she WILL come across an actually serious conversation that’ll serve as a further push for her character development. And as for Ishigami, I’ll keep that one to myself and say we’ll just have to wait and see what the next season brings, because THAT is by far my favorite romcom-manga-arc. Kaguya-sama is a passion and I cannot wait to see what Aka has in store for us in the next 13 chapters to end the story. It’s among my top 3 romance manga, easily.

“Because in life, there’s everything else, and then there’s Settlers of Catan.” 🤣 so true! How easy it is to form allies one turn and betray those allies the very next turn.

23:02 - As a Japanese speaker: I will never forget the pronunciation of "Shirogane" as "She-roh-guh'nay" 😂 (Amazing video, by the way! Such passion speaks for itself 🔥 🔥 🔥)

Bravo Geoff. As someone who probably got into anime on the strength of your video essays about the medium, this is truly your finest work. The love it took to craft this war sized behemoth (pun definitely intended) is honestly incredible. You have perfectly and eloquently encapsulated what makes Kaguya as grand as it is, and why something like S3 would currently reside at the top of MAL's charts. It has captured the hearts of all of us who have watched it and waited 3 long seasons for simply the best payoff to any romcom I can think of. With eyes that probably look like Miyuki's right now, you can finally rest.

I've probably watched this video 20 times. Sometimes in life you'll find something that perfectly embodies what you like. This in my opinion is the ultimate video essay.

I had no idea what I was in for going into Kaguya-sama but it was amazing from start to finish. It understands teenagers and navigating relationships in the modern world better than basically anything else I’ve read or seen (anime or otherwise) and it just balances everything so well. Something I especially love about it is how it understands that just because your problems are silly doesn’t mean they aren’t real.

As an anime only, I'm really glad they finally get together, like I was afraid they would milk the joke dry until the end like a lot of harems do, but I'm glad they actually get together and there's still more story to tell.

Oh my god. The line “like he’s playing QWOP with his actual body” absolutely slayed me.

Because of the amount of time and effort you put into this video essay, hinted at on your Twitter, I decided to watch the entire series for the first time. I cannot thank you enough, this show and your analysis were both incredible, the only issue I have now: waiting for season 4. Guess I'll rewatch the whole show again in the meantime!

Amaaaazing analysis Geoff! Definitely some of your best work. ❤ Kaguya and Shirogane’s relationship is so incredibly sweet and compelling, but I can not WAIT to see Ishigami and Iino work through their crap, I’m so invested in those dweebs. 💕 It’s genius how well written these characters are, how they fit together and contrast. A+ character writing.

Imo another thing that should be mentioned when comparing Kaguya-Sama with the tale of princess Kaguya is that in the manga during the confession the weather balloon covers up the moon before exploding. Miyuki destroyed the moon when confessing, destroying the thing that took Kaguya away in the original tale. Sadly they didnt show it in the anime, but it is one of my favorite details in the manga

Geoff, the thing I love about your videos is that I can come away from spending 100 minutes watching a video about a romcom anime as a sharper media consumer, a more nuanced fiction writer, and a better person. So, you know, props and thanks to you for all that.

kaguya is indeed one of the greatest romance anime ever created, but can we also acknowledge how well written and read this video essay is? this video was the length of 5 episodes of kaguya and i enjoyed every minute watching it, probably the best essay ive seen so far, well done!

Over an hour of talking about Kaguya? I dunno. I suppose I can find time for it, but doing it all in one sitting is a big ask. *Narrator:* _"Uso de aru._ In reality, he wanted to hear anyone talk about this series for as long as possible to relive the catharsis before the madness of having to wait for Season 4 fully sets in.” *The Best Girl debates over who had the best moments before they subside for next Season:* HEY HEY!" *Everyone Who Agrees it’s Ishigami:* “Kita kita kita kitaaaaaaa! Chance wa kitaaaaaaaa!” *Everyone Else Who Agrees it’s Miyuki:* “Yes, my man!” *Everyone Who Realizes How Clunky my References are: incorporated* “O kawaii koto…” If you understood every reference in this comment, then congratulations! You, too, _are in too deep!_ *The People Who Did:* _crying, clapping_ “I raised that boy…” *The People Who Didn't Get Any of Them:* "I want to die, so I'm going home."

At first glance you’d think this would be the run of the mill romcom, but after watching is nothing short of a masterpiece. The character development of each individual and the different elements they bring makes this show stand head and shoulders above its counterparts. Big shout out to the Ops & Eds, each one bangs and is so recognisable along with the one offs which are a nice change of pace. Great vid!

I've only just started the video, so I'm gonna give my thoughts on one thing I love about this series that I worry (as is completely appropriate for the character) will be overlooked, and that's Maki. Maki Shijo is a master class in how to introduce and endear a character to your audience in 5 minutes flat. Here's a character. Here's what she wants right this second. Here's what she wants overall. Here's her personality. Here are her flaws. Here are her established relationships, here are her new relationships, freshly established with amazing chemistry, in pursuit of those things that she wants. Every character in this show wants something, and the audience always knows what they want, and they're only around when there's something they want. Which is a big part of how the show has such punchy writing and masterfully uses its cast. But Maki is the any% speedrun of that concept.

Geoff, this might be one of the best essays I've seen from you yet. It's always gratifying seeing such a self-conscious series as Kaguya-sama, and more so seeing someone depicting it the detailed and clear way you do. Keep up the good work, big fan of your work.

also, i love how much work went into this. i've learned so much about the anime and i'd already read a ton of the manga, but missed a bunch of smaller things that i clearly lacked the eye for detail to notice. thanks a ton for the video

Ah, I see you’re taking the HBomberguy approach to video essays, where you swear the next video will be shorter but increase the length by like 15 extra minutes each time. I approve.

I've recently been EXTREMELY obsessed with Kaguya-sama to a level I've never experienced towards an anime before even amongst my top 5! After watching the end of season 3, I had to read the manga from where it left off and after updating myself on that I went and rewatched the entire anime series and even after that I started the manga from the beginning. Even all of the soundtrack and bonus soundtrack has been playing on my Spotify playlist non-stop. I've been wondering why this anime has affected me to this degree and your video essay has basically just laid out the reason why. Not just for the anime/manga as a whole but for me personally. This might be the longest video essay I have ever seen but EVERY SINGLE MINUTE and EVERY SINGLE WORD you just said is worth it. Thank you so much for this! You may hear this a lot but this means a lot to me!

This is absolutely my favorite video of yours. You're operating at 1000% here. Excellently executed.

I haven’t read the manga, but I have greatly enjoyed the anime, and all your points ring true. I find it funny how by the end of the third season I was somehow rooting for Ishigami to get together with Tsubame but *also* for Iino to get together with Ishigami. In many other romcoms the pairings are obvious, but here the love triangle feels like a very real dilemma. But I realised that in some sense it’s not that those characters *have* to get together, but instead that there’s something meaningful in each prospective pairing - it’s not so much that I need to see Iino date Ishigami as that I want to see them grow in ways that are typically associated with the “Happily Ever After” of a romance story. As long as that growth, happiness and closure can happen, any individual romantic pairing isn’t really important, and that’s not even a bad thing to keep in mind in real life.

Just finished this yesterday. Great timing, Geoff And, as usual, Geoff's writing already got me marveled before the 4-minute mark. Waiting for that book, Geoff

What really stuck out to me as Kaguya-sama's story progresses is the fact that the comedy itself is the character development for every character in the story. In most comedy anime, the comedy has to stop, and the story and tone has to slow down in order for there to be series character development. But in Kaguya-sama, it's the jokes themselves that are psychological, rather than just gags, seamlessly developing the characters' arcs, and consistently revealing new parts of their personalities, balancing them equally without it feeling jarring at all. Every joke teaches me something new about the characters' involved. It's such a satisfying feeling to get that much out of what would normally just a simple joke, or a throwaway gag. It makes the comedy feel intimate. Like we're really getting to know the characters, gradually learning more about them, just like in actual real life relationships over time, which is why we're so tightly attached to its characters. Especially, our favorite characters (*cough*Miko Supremacy*cough*). That is brilliant comedy writing.

I’m only a few minutes into this video essay and I gotta say it’s incredible how you’ve already pretty much said everything I’ve wanted to say or everything I would’ve ever even thought of, of the series in just a few minutes this is gonna be an incredible video essay imma just need more food and time to enjoy it

One point, or way to put the characters in this anime is for me is simply "Litterally no character in here is actually the way they seem to be at first" Every single one of them has a layered persona up that slowly gets peeled back. From Kaguya seeming like a perfect cold genious to showing herself to be a bumbling baka and a sweet heart, thru Miyuki seeming like the confident man among man, even thou his success hinges on him working his ass thru the ground fueled by insecurity at possible failure, all the way to the whole rest of the cast. Every character is crafted with depth that comes out over time, from under their initial percived tropes.

I could go on for hours about this but the editing in Kaguya-Sama is unlike any other in anime. It's the perfected fusion of what are essentially veteran mangaka techniques and high-skill film editor cuts and the result can easily be seen in season 3. The action just does. not. stop. Character interjections are handled like those panels where the character breaks out of the lines surrounding the panel, and the timing of cuts from the setup of a joke to the punch line seem like they were calculated with some impossible comedy math algorithm. Like this anime makes really good comedy anime like Nichijou look like they're padding out their episode runtime so they don't have to do a filler episode. In the first five or six episodes of season 3, I felt like they didn't waste even a single frame on animation that didn't move the action forward substantially.

i dont think ive made a youtube comment in ten years, but the fact of the matter is you *get* this story so much man. truly I can't get over just how deep, just how funny, just how heartachingly wonderful this story is, and im saying that as someone who's up to date on the manga. Anime-onlys are in for such a treat, i hope we get the full adaptation!

Kaguya-sama is the first anime I've felt that post-season hollowness where all you want is to be able to watch more of it in eons - I finished it two days ago, and both nights since I've had trouble getting to sleep thinking about it. I think the last time this happened was when I first watched K-On - my favorite show - in 2015, and I've been watching roughly a coeur of anime per week since 2014. The fact that there's a show out there still capable of making me feel this way is an incredibly pleasant surprise, and really goes to show how damn fantastic this thing is. I really hope we get to see the full manga adapted.

Damn what a good ass analysis on the series, one of the best one's ive seen yet!! The amount of detail and attention you were able to notice about the individual characters and the show in general is insane! Keep doing more bro

I’ve never seen an anime get the #1 spot on MAL faster.

And here I thought a 30-40 minute review wasn't long enough Im here for it

Man all my favorite youtubers making feature length films for videos and I'm 1000% for it. Thanks so much for the effort and love you put into these!

I believe this to be my favorite analysis of my favorite story and I really appreciate you highlighting the greatness of this, in my opinion, masterpiece. Much thanks!

As soon as you got to the last part, I knew you were gonna bring up the secret passage/student movement reference. I remember thinking that that was an odd reference to make: "Really? The far left student movement? At THIS school?" But I only have a passing knowledge of it, so idk. I hadn't even considered that Shirogane might "crash heaven" instead of "go to the moon" by destroying the Shinomiya Group/leading the revolution lol.

I'm amazed at how you never even scratched the surface of how incredibly better this series gets in the manga

I really appreciate the explanation about the secret room in the student council room. It definitely makes me appreciate it a lot more when I previously thought it was kinda out of place.

The way that you used the fallen in love line from Queen's "I Want to Break Free" for each section only to switch to the break free line for the socialism analysis was *brilliant*. Bravo, good sir!

Holy, a 1 hour and 40 minute video of one of my favorite anime This is a dream

Everyone give praise to our anime lord and savior for an almost 2 HOUR long video. Keep up the great work, thank you for entertaining us, and I hope your summer is going well.

I watched this video before binging seasons 1-3 and it helped me to see the light - coming back to it again after finishing, and I'm excited for the movie in a few months (hopefully)!

I get it now. Chika… wears many hats. I will not be surprised if that was intentional.

As someone who’s gotten fully caught up in the manga, I am legitimately scared for the well-being of anime only viewers, because shit goes INSANE

As a huge fan of this series, seeing more and more buzz around it is so amazing. Also as good as kaguya sama is, I genuinely cant wait to see both where oshi no ko goes in the coming manga arcs, and its anime adaptation. It takes all the unexpectedly brilliant elements and depth of kaguya-sama, and focuses it into a drama that critiques the entertainment industry. If the anime adaptation is as good as the manga, like, idk its just gonna be bonkers.

Wow, what a great and insiteful video, I love how you can tell you had fun with making it by how smooth the writing is

Thank you for this video Geoff, the 3 days it took me to catch up with reading all of Kaguya were very much worth it. The series is a little outside of ,y usual tastes but it's just so god damn well written I kind of got lost in it.

Why I LOVE this? THE Chapter 136 After 135 chapters, a whole arc of build up for the confession, the 134, 135 and first half of 136 EVERYTHING make us believe Miyuki gonna confess and then "wait, if she go in USA with me, no need to confess" Me : screw you Aka, we will wait another 100 chapters like other romcom Kaguya : I can get a reward right ? *came closer* Miyuki : Eh? Me : Eh ? And then, the kiss *P* *E* *R* *F* *E* *C* *T*

Kaguya sama is peak romance it balances romance and comedy perfectly while writing its characters in a realistic and likable way

You have single handedly put into words all the things that make me adore this series and much much more, thanks Geoff 💙

This is truly, the best video you have ever made. Thank you for all your awesome work.