Kaguja-sama wa kokurasetai: Tensaitači no ren'ai zunósen - Ultra Romantic

Honestly, I had mixed feelings about the first season, but Kaguya ages like a fine wine and it keeps on getting better with each new season. Ultra Romantic made the most of what it had been building up to during the previous episodes. It added something extra and delivered a finale that I'll fondly remember long after I’ve seen it. It took two seasons to convince me that the writers can work well with all the characters (and not just the main ones) and the third season keeps up this trend. In addition to the central couple and the wacky Fujiwara, there’s Ishigami and Iino again, whose stories and characters continue to develop in interesting ways. They are (newly) joined by Hayasaka and Tsubame. Even less important supporting characters have interesting things happening around them. To top it all off, the main storyline excellently builds up to a finely thought-out finale that fully deserves to be called Ultra Romantic. It wasn’t until the third season that I was fully convinced of the show’s exceptional romantic qualities. Yes, the first season already had a great moment in its finale, and the second season took it up a notch. However, the third season had so much romantic tension that you could cut it with a knife. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that I enjoyed to the fullest. In terms of romance, the finale is a 10/10. Plus, there was an increasing number of moments that had me laughing out loud. The fifth episode about rapping is the comedic top of the entire series so far, and probably the funniest episode in the entire spring anime season. Another thing I started noticing (with my increasing interest in Kaguya) was the awesome combination of different and original animation styles, filters, and movement... The animators did their best to sell every shot and emotion. I've only started appreciating it now (but better late than never). I'm curious about the next season. The manga is still running and the true fans who have read everything are saying that the quality doesn’t let up even after this peak, and there’s a lot to look forward to. Hopefully, they're right... Today's Battle Results: Kaguya wins! 9.3/10 (2022.06.24)