Potential spoilers below Love is complicated scary fleeting but certainly not war. For Kaguya and Miyuki though it is. For months upon months they have played this game where whoever confesses first loses having lots of fun along the way but when faced with a time constraint was all this war a waste of time? Love doesnt always wait for us people come and go and thats why people must take advantage of every opportunity to be with those they love. Watching this third season of Kaguyasama was like watching the last act of a play or listening to the last verse of a song. It felt like at the end of this cour something momentous would happen and the characters would step away from the status quo starting potentially a new journey in their lives. I have to credit mangaka Aka Akasakas brilliant storytelling and hysterical comedy in the original work but I cant give enough credit to the wonderful work of A1 Pictures the animators and all the staff working on this passion project. The anime brings the manga to life so well with adaptations shattering all expectations. For example that rap sequence in Episode 5 this season was one of the best single anime episodes I have ever witnessed with references that made me shocked. Throughout the series weve seen so many different references such as the Monogatari series Dragon Ball and even Western culture references like AHas Take On Me and Queens Bohemian Rhapsody. Once again I cannot give enough credit to the staff for coming up with this type of modern masterpiece. What I find most impressive is director Shinichi Omatas grasp of modern society. He has done his research on what kind of comedy works in this day and age and its not always situational comedy its comedy that harnesses works from other mediums other than anime which is such a creative spin that borders on comedic genius. Comedy is subjective and its possible that not everyone enjoys this comedy but for me it couldnt have been much better and funnier. My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20 STORY: 22.5/25 The continuation of the antics of the student council. The continuation of Kaguya and Miyukis relationship. Similarly to previous seasons each episode is divided into skits but this season is a bit less episodic than the rest because the meat of the season lies in last few episodes focusing on the cultural festival. I never can get too much of Kaguya and Miyukis mind games and there is no shortage of that this season. Its not all the same as the previous seasons though because there are some important developments and near the end of the school year Miyuki gets accepted into Stanford University a renowned school in the United States. That would mean he would be separated from the student council earlier than expected. The underlying reasons of these mind games and why they never confessed is simple. One it is scary. Two they thought they had all the time in the world. When we are in a good place in our lives with little time constraint its hard to leave the status quo. In fact its scary leaving a comfortable place in our lives. For Kaguya and Miyuki it would have been comfortable and fun to play their mind games forever but each person has their own lives and ambitions and when there is a time constraint they had to act upon their feelings and get it all out there. Its really a tale that depicts the different sides of every person the playful side the childish side but also the mature side. Its a pretty relatable story of ones growth in high school. A side story and one I was very invested in watching was Ishigamis story with Tsubame. Ishigami has been one of my favourite characters since the first season and he has a very intriguing personality delivering cynical lines now for fantastic comedic relief. Tsubame is the leader of the Cheer club and the organizer for the cultural festival so naturally she was pretty popular amongst the students. Ishigami doesnt come off as a very confident person so a relationship with him and Tsubame didnt seem very possible at first but Ishigami with some help from Kaguya was able to take action in search of a date with her. The funny thing about all this is that this is hypocrisy to the highest degree in that shes telling Ishigami to go forward with his ambitions but she doesnt want to confess to Miyuki herself. It was honestly very entertaining to watch the twists and turns of this relationship play out. Overall there was a lot of development this season for a few characters not just the main couple which was a good take on the romcom genre allowing many characters to shine. ART: 9.6/10 As I mentioned this is a passion project made with a lot of love. The animation is vibrant and always adds to the comedy. Its a visual feast always with chaotic animation every episode. I would also love to shout out Vercreek an 18 year old animator who was the key animator for the Episode 5 ED My Nonfiction which was such eye candy. The regular ED was also very good and colourful with yet more references this time to KaguyaHime and Starship Troopers Sasuga A1 Pictures MUSIC: 9.5/10 Masayuki Suzuki had yet another wonderful opening in Giri Giri though I do prefer the previous two openings. You cant have Kaguyasama without Suzuki though. The two endings were wonderful musically as well especially My Nonfiction which took rap elements and kpop elements in a visually appealing ending. The OST is also great as always. CHARACTERS: 19.5/20 The main cast of characters bounce off each other very well for great comedy. The voice actors do a great job and I bet they had a lot of fun while doing the lines. Aoi Koga is such a great voice actor for Kaguya killing it yet again with her excellent range balancing her dark side and shy side so well Ive talked about the characters a lot already and its no surprise that I like every single one of them. Ill just go over some of the characters I found interesting besides Kaguya Miyuki and Ishigami. Lets start with everyones favourite comedic character Chika I noticed her somewhat lack of screen time in the cultural festival arc and that made sense since shes more of a comedic character. Her running gag this season similarly to previous seasons is her being Miyukis teacher for many things and getting PTSD from those experiences. Every time that type of comedic bit is great though I think they overly used it this season. Her bubbly personality was still a joy to see. Next we have a new character Maki Shijo. I admit I found her kind of annoying at first but her friendship with Ishigami was why I ended up liking her. She has her problems with romance but shes able to use that to help Ishigami in his pursuit of romance. She was a wholesome character to watch and had some great moments. Lastly lets talk about Iino. Her healing music made for one of the funniest comedic moments of the season as it was just so weird but in a funny way. Her sensitivity to indecency made for an obstacle at times so maybe shes the fanservice police? Because of her the fanservice in the show was limited? Thats how I like to see her as. Great cast of characters that made for awesome comedic moments while having their own character development in the process. ENJOYMENT: 15/15 Had so much fun with this series as I usually do with Kaguyasama. Always was invested so I was frustrated with the cliffhangers but thats a sign the show made me excited. THEMATIC EXECUTION: 19.7/20 Basically all the excellent animation and musical themes helped coalesce the production and establish drama and suspense. Director Omatas cinematography and grasp of modern culture and the human condition made for excellent comedy. The romance felt as well paced as ever never forced. OVERALL: 95.8/100 Kaguyasama has been a work of pure love and it has always been made with great passion. I love works of art like this show that doesnt rely or flashiness or fight scenes to create suspense but just relatable romance tales that keep me engaged and excited all the way through. I found that when there was a great episode I always smiled throughout the end credits and honestly this show made my day sometimes. Its one of the most fun Ive had with an anime ever and if anyone ever wants a funny romcom to watch or even if theyve never watched anime this would be near the top of the list for me to recommend. I havent poured my heart out this much writing a review and thats a testimony to how good this show is. I feel blessed to have been part of this 12 week journey and to be able to share all my thoughts to you. If youve read everything I truly appreciate it.