Kaguya-sama: Love is War vols. 15 & 16

Conventional wisdom dictates that “Kaguya-Sama’s” best days are behind it now.  After all, Kaguya and Miyuki are now a couple so all of the romantic tension is deflated along with the “Will They or Won’t They” shenanigans.  If fourteen volumes of this series have told us anything, it’s that “Kaguya-Sama” laughs in the face of conventional wisdom.  You see, this series has a two-fold plan to combat the twin specters of boredom and diminishing returns that would bog down a lesser series at this same point.

The first being the ongoing difficulty Kaguya and Miyuki have with remaining to be a couple.  While they’ve managed to confess their love to each other, there are still things that they have to learn about their partner.  Things like Kaguya’s “Ice” persona, the cold and demanding side that her family trained her to present to the outside world.  It’s something that she’s slowly been moving away from, but it’s still a key part of her personality.  Then there’s Miyuki’s relentless drive to succeed, which we learn might be stemming from psychological scars rather than scholastic ambition.  Mangaka Aka Akasaka mines a good deal of romantic drama from these concepts over the course of these two volumes.  What’s more impressive is that he never forgets to be funny while doing it as bits involving old-lady perfume and Hayasaca’s “impersonation” of Miyuki are solid gold.

The other thing working in “Kaguya-Sama’s” favor is that this series is no longer just about its protagonists.  While it’s still their story, the title now has a remarkably deep bench of supporting characters to focus on as well.  From Ishigami’s ill-fated romantic pursuits (he had THE WORST Christmas Eve), to Miko’s stubbornness to own up to her own desires, to Hayasaca’s saint-like patience in dealing with Kaguya’s drama, to Chika simply being Chika, they’ve all go storylines that are either funny, interesting, or both.  This is true even when the series is spiraling off into randomness like Chika’s encounter with  seasoned ramen eater or Maki’s trip to India.  In short, pretty much everything in these two volumes show that “Kaguya-Sama” won’t be running out of steam anytime soon.  As for anyone who thinks otherwise, Chika said it best in vol. 16 when she went, “Shut up!  Or I’ll kill you!”

Wait… That sounded better in my head…