The preparations have come to fruition with Kaguya sama Love is War Season 3 Episode 8, as the festival finally gets unveiled. Let’s see how our favourite slice of life trope was done in this review!
Kaguya sama Love is War Season 3 Episode 8 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 8! Click here to read our review of the previous episode!
– Kaguya sama wa Kokurasetai Season 3 Episode 8 Review does not contain spoilers –
Kaguya-sama Love is War Season 3 Episode 8 Review- Confession Time?
For a show like this one, baby steps aren’t enough anymore. It has been edging slowly but surely towards the almost inevitable Kaguya-Miyuki relationship since episode 1, but despite having grown the relationship between the two, it hasn’t been able to do much with the dynamic. This will they-won’t they situation is officially at risk of growing stale very soon, and having anticipated this eventuality, the show has engineered a perfect storm of events for a confession to occur in the form of the school festival.
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This has officially become the show’s longest continuous arc until now, surpassing Ishigami’s backstory and redemption from season 2. The festival has seen some great build to it so far, introducing elements that make sense in and out of the primary relationship of the show, the one between Kaguya and Miyuki. For the first time in a while, the show feels vibrant, cheerful, and fresh, and given that this review series used the word “stale” to describe the start of this season, that is very much an improvement.
The first segment of this episode featured Miyuki and Kei and the highly realistic sibling dynamic the two share with each other. Despite not being overt about it, the love that the duo share is palpable and delightful to witness. The patriarch of the family, their father, is also a fascinating character and extremely effective and fun to watch in small doses. Miyuki, in particular, has been a huge highlight of the entire season so far, and I believe I know the reason for that.
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The aim of Kaguya sama wa Kokurasetai Ultra Romantic Episode 8 has been to showcase Miyuki as worthy of Kaguya’s love and admiration. The show has made it very clear from the start that Kaguya is the true mastermind and superior personality among the two, and Miyuki doesn’t hold anything but grades over her. This season has tried its hardest to showcase all the amazing qualities that he has and how genuinely nice of a person he is. It is hard to deny its effect, and Miyuki feels like a well-rounded and better character than he was in the last season. That has meant that Kaguya’s screentime has suffered a bit, however.
It does seem like we are headed towards a big moment in the show right now, one that will round off this season as just as good as the previous two. The pieces have been set, and the festival has officially begun. All that remains to be seen is if the show can nail the landing. This episode saw a huge leap forward in terms of the character development of one of the characters, and when supplemented by the sub-stories like that of Yuu, the future looks extremely bright for the show.
Verdict
Kaguya Sama Love Is War Season 3 Episode 8 was a fantastic addition to the show’s lore and character development, aside from being at its usual animated best. Things are moving in the right direction for the show.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!