Finals week approaches once again as the passage of time continues to fool us in Kaguya Sama Love Is War Season 3 Episode 4. How did this stressful week affect our favourite Student’s Council members? Let’s find out in this review!
Kaguya Sama Love Is War Season 3 Episode 4 Overview
Kaguya sama Love is War Season 3 or Kaguya sama wa Kokurasetai Season 3 in original Japanese (stylised as Kaguya-sama Love is War Season 3 and Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai Season 3) is a romance, comedy, and psychological warfare (yes, really) anime based on the manga of the same name written by Aka Akasaka. Seasons 1 and 2 of the show aired in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and this series serves as a direct sequel to them.
The anime is developed by A-1 Pictures, who have been responsible for some of the most highly acclaimed shows in these times, including 86 and Erased, alongside both the previous seasons of Kaguya-sama. Shinichi Omata is directing this season, and he was also responsible for directing both the previous seasons of the show. This episode, with its tagline, is referred to as Kaguya Sama Love Is War Ultra Romantic Episode 4! Click here to read our review of the previous episode!
– Kaguya sama wa Kokurasetai Season 3 Episode 4 Review does not contain spoilers –
Kaguya-sama Love is War Season 3 Episode 4 Review- Love Makes One Do Crazy Things
This was a strangely toothless outing for the show. Nothing that happened here was bad, and it was quite enjoyable to watch at all points. However, it feels like the show is just retreading the greatest hits collection this season and not adding much value while doing that. The three storylines that we saw in this episode all included elements of previous arcs slightly altered to fit the newer slate of characters and their motivations. At this point, this is just like any other slice of life show, going through the motions and remembering what made it popular in the first place.
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Yuu is gradually becoming a better person, which is a gradual process that began this week’s episode. While his and Kaguya’s dynamic remains similar to what it was in Season 1, the motivations are different, and that is all that separates this segment from the first semester examinations. Everything else, from the convincing method to the end result, was the same as the last time. All this ends up showing that despite coming a long way from the first semester, maybe the circumstances haven’t changed that much.
Kaguya has strangely plateaued in this season, going from a growing and ever-changing character who was constantly finding out new things about herself to a stagnant love-sick protagonist. She still runs a few of her tricks from time to time, but none of them has the same effect or is as well thought out as her previous plans. She is still entertaining to watch and just as much of a nightmare to make sense of, but the schtick has worn out quite a bit. Shirogane has avoided this, mostly due to not being featured as much as he was.
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The final segment of Kaguya sama wa Kokurasetai Ultra Romantic Episode 4 was a gem the likes of only this show is capable of, incorporating Chika, Kaguya, and Hayasaka’s personalities to deliver the show’s one of the best-written jokes in a while. Chika is used almost perfectly in the show. She is just present enough to always be on the back of everyone’s minds but scarce enough that people generally haven’t become sick of her yet. She can be a challenging character to write, and the show does her wild-card personality justice.
Overall, this was just another episode of Kaguya-sama. This is the danger you run into when creating a slice of life show that goes on for years, the risk of running out of ideas or going back to some classics a little too often. There is still a lot of gas in the tank left for this show, but only if we see some meaningful progression every once in a while. As of right now, the characters and plotline would fit exactly as episode 1 of Season 3, and no one would notice. Things need to have weight again.
Verdict
Kaguya Sama Love Is War Season 3 Episode 4 was a little better than a by-the-numbers outing for the show, but not by much. The series needs a pick-me-up. The sooner, the better.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!