Kaguya-sama: Love is War -Ultra Romantic-

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic- is the third season of the popular romantic comedy anime. It aired in spring 2022 and has 13 episodes. A-1 Pictures made it, and Shinichi Omata directed. It is based on the manga by Aka Akasaka, which ran from 2015 to 2022 and won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2020. The manga has sold more than 22 million copies.

The story takes place at Shuchiin Academy, a very expensive private school for the children of rich and powerful families. At the center are two top students who run the student council. Miyuki Shirogane is the president. He comes from a poor family and works extremely hard to stay first in his class. Kaguya Shinomiya is the vice president. She is the daughter of a huge business family and is brilliant at almost everything.

The joke of the series is simple. Kaguya and Shirogane like each other. But both are very proud, and both believe that the one who confesses first "loses" and will be under the other's control. So instead of just being honest, they create huge, silly plans to trick the other into saying "I love you" first. A dramatic narrator explains each "battle" as if it were a war or a game of chess. Every episode usually has two or three short stories like this.

The rest of the council adds much of the fun. Chika Fujiwara, the secretary, is cheerful and random and often ruins everyone's plans without meaning to. Yu Ishigami, the treasurer, is gloomy and awkward but has a good heart. Miko Iino, a new first-year member, is very serious about school rules. In this season, Ishigami's feelings for an older student named Tsubame grow into a real story. Iino also starts to learn that life is not always as simple as right and wrong.

Ultra Romantic is often called the high point of the anime so far. The season still has plenty of wild jokes, songs, and strange games. But it also gives more time to real feelings. Kaguya slowly lets go of the cold, perfect face her family taught her to show. Shirogane faces his own fears. The school's culture festival becomes an important event, and the last part of the season is very emotional for fans who have followed the couple since the beginning.

The show mixes quick comedy, clever writing, and sweet romance. Its themes include pride, honesty, and how hard it can be to say what you really feel. It has one of the highest scores for a comedy on AniList. A film, The First Kiss That Never Ends, continues the story after this season. It is best to watch the first two seasons before this one.