Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is rom-com perfection

polygon.com:

If you’re looking for an electric romantic comedy that’s equal parts romantic and comedic, and also shares some classic literature roots à la 10 Things I Hate About You or She’s the Man, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is the perfect show.

Love Is War is basically about two tsunderes with big crushes on each other having battles of the mind. But if you’re not an anime fan and the word tsundere is puzzling you — don’t worry. It’s still a fantastic show and one of the best romantic comedies out there right now. Kaguya-sama captures the best of the genre, with its stellar balance of humor and heart and its well-rounded and captivating cast. You don’t need to be tapped into anime to enjoy a great rom-com.

After learning that everyone on campus thinks they’d make a cute couple, class president Miyuki Shirogane and vice president Kaguya Shinomiya independently decide to get the other to confess their love. Each of them thinks that they will most definitely not fall for the other — and that ends up spectacularly backfiring, as they both end up with massive crushes on one another. But of course, they can’t lose their self-imposed game, so it turns into the sort of battle where every win is also a bit of a loss.

This is all heightened even more by the nameless narrator, who keeps a tally of who “wins” or “loses” a certain interaction. The narrator offers commentary to the character’s inner thoughts, kind of like a sports announcer keeping a running tab on who comes ahead in a game. The narration itself is often very serious, and when that’s juxtaposed with silly shenanigans or more mundane conversations happening on screen — like trying on cat ears, or discussing a possible group vacation — it turns into something absolutely