Type: Hey Hey!
Synopsis: Love still never changes does it? Fundamentally, this show is still about two high school kids who are too shy to tell each other about their feelings. That’s the joke. Only this season also has a student body election and tragic back story in it.
Pros: The fact that this was able to come out in 2020 in the middle of the world ending was pretty nice. Gave us all a few weeks of solace. Apart from that, the show is still fantastically directed and animated. Comedy with high quality action will always be my favorite genre. The show sticks with the segment format, so it feel like you’re getting a lot of story in only 12 episodes. The show has two main story arcs: The student body election and Ishigami’s backstory. Both are well done, and blend well with the comedic bits. By this point, the characters are all well defined, so little moments of character growth just add to the whole. We get to meet Shirogane’s sister and father. Kaguya learns to deal with her reactions. Ishigami’s back story is showcase. Hayasaka broke the internet for a while. And we’re introduced to a new character, Miko. In this season, we get to see the “world” of the anime expand a little, which highlights the strong character work from the source material and adaptation. No character feels unimportant or one-dimensional, which Love is War’s biggest strength (P.s. The manga’s also pretty good. I read it between seasons. Go read it!).
Cons: My biggest beef with the show was probably it’s episode order. Which in hindsight even I’m reconsidering because those first two episodes are hilarious. But I just found it weird that the third episode suddenly reveals that the Student Council’s term in office is ending. Although it’s used to set up the next story arc, it feels like something that should have happened at the end of season 1. The student council is ending, Kaguya “confesses” that she wants Shirogane to still be president, and we get a sweet moment before season 2. But hey, that’s more of a minor complaint that show ruiner. This show is great. The characters were great. Hayasaka was cute as a button in her attempts to “seduce” Shirogane. Kei’s rebellious phase was hilarious and Papa Shirogane is just about who I expected him to be. Miko is a welcome edition, as her shy demeanor mixes well with her Frank Grimes-like reaction to the council’s antics. And of course, Ishigami’s backstory was both tragic and uplifting, and made this old weeb tear up. I haven’t Chika because Chika is still Chika, and Chika is the best. I almost want to say that the thing that suffers the most if the main romance between Shirogane and Kaguya, but then I remember the moon scene, the manga scene, the check-up scene, etc, etc. Trust me, those two kids get more of their fair share of romantic mishaps. This anime is another strong season from a strong story.
Watch it?: I would be surprised if you haven’t already (5/5)
MVP: The Student Council
Which is cheating because it’s the whole cast, but they really come off as friends.
Best Episode: “I Want to Make Miko Iino Smile” or “Yu Ishigami Closes His Eyes, Part 3″ in Ep.11 (But personally I like Ep. 4’s Ai Hayasaka Wants Him to Fall for Her” and Ep. 3’s “Miyuki Shirogane Wants to Gaze at the Moon”)