Kaguya-sama: Love is War vol. 25

I expressed concern last time that, as the series began its final arc, that “Kaguya-sama” wasn’t going to prize comedy over everything else the way it has before.  It pains me to say that this looks to be the case after taking in all of vol. 25.  Kaguya disappeared towards the end of vol. 24 and we find out the reason for that here.  Not only is the reason why not anything good, but it also potentially means the end of her relationship with Shirogane.  To drive the point home, Kaguya’s middle brother shows up at Shuchiin with an offer to put a price on the young man’s affections for his sister.  Can Shirogane be bought off after everything he’s done to win the affection of the girl he loves?  The answer may surprise you.

This kicks the plot into high gear and puts a different spin on the circumstances involving Kaguya’s fate than I was expecting.  That the girl is going to come out of all of this without being at the mercy of her family appears all but certain, which is good.  The real drama is going to come from whether or not her and Shirogane’s love is going to survive.  Which, honestly, strikes me as a foregone conclusion for this series, but I don’t doubt that mangaka Aka Akasaka is going to put in the work to keep us invested.

Nor is he going to stop bringing the funny as the series goes on.  Yes, I mentioned above that comedy is no longer the title’s driving force, but that doesn’t mean the jokes have stopped altogether.  Seeing Hayasaka manage Shirogane’s well-being, while now having to live with him and his family, is great.  As is the case with a lot of the brainstorming that makes up the last couple of chapters.  Two-time Fanime Anime Survivor Chika also continues to deliver the comedy goods in just about every scene she’s in.  So even if “Kaguya-sama” isn’t the same series it was before it started its final arc, I honestly can’t complain too much about the state it’s in right now.