The new anime season is here; and while Spring may be known for bringing in new life, this one appears to have resurrected a few old ones. Fan favorites like My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Fruits Baskets, and Sword Art Online are coming back on the air. However, this list will be focusing on one of the resurrected gems from last year.
The origin of the Shinomiya meme and the iconic Chika Dance, Kaguya-Sama: Love is War, is finally returning for its second season, and fans can't wait for the tsundere warfare. In commemoration of the series' return and as a recap for returning or new fans, here are some of the best and worst moves made by the characters.
10 Worst: Didn't Eat Enough Sugar
This was one of the big losses from the first episode. Kaguya and Miyuki were at each other's throats, trying to get the other to ask themselves out to see a romantic movie. And while the battle was pretty back and forth, the Student Council's secretary, Fujiwara Chika, threw a wrench in their schemes by suggesting that they just go see a non-romantic movie, "The Birdie from Tattori."
Not knowing how to respond, the Student Council leaders rushed for the nearest source of sugar, a steam bun, to fuel their minds. However, they faltered when Chika managed to get the snack first. This would be one of the duo's earliest losses and a big win for Chika who got a snack.
9 Best: Win At 20 Questions
For many, 20 Questions is just a children's game that one plays when they're either bored at home or on a long road trip. However, in anime, it's just another cerebral battleground. When the Kaguya and Miyuki decide to play 20 Questions, it becomes another trap to establish one's love for the other.
As Miyuki gets through his questions, he asks if "it's something that she likes, "Kaguya gets flustered. He suspects that Kaguya wrote down his name. However, before he makes that guess, he successfully guessed that she was thinking of Chika's dog. Miyuki managed to both win the game and narrowly avoid making a confession to Kaguya.
8 Worst: Made Her Own Bento Box
Throughout the series, it's Shinomiya Kaguya who establishes the battleground. She creates some ploy to get Miyuki to confess, and he tries really hard to evade. However, she finds herself at the other end of the barrel, when Miyuki starts bringing his homemade bento boxes to school. Kaguya really wants to try it but doesn't want to get caught asking for a piece.
Instead, she slyly remarks on his lunchbox and makes her own expensive bento box to bargain with him. This not only makes Miyuki furious, but he tries to prove her wrong...by feeding his lunch to Chika. One has never seen a girl turn on her own friend so hard.
7 Best: Threatened To Tattle
When Kaguya receives a love letter from a secret admirer, she uses it as leverage to make Miyuki jealous. The Student Council goes back and forth on the subject, not only because Kaguya is on another level from the other high school boys but because high school romances are forbidden.
For a while, it seemed like Kaguya was really getting to Miyuki and even feigns wanting to love the other boy. However, Miyuki goes for the nuclear option and threatens to tattle to the school. While Kaguya tries to play his gambit, Miyuki actually manages to scare Chika into thinking Kaguya was about to be expelled. With Chika's crying efforts, Kaguya conceded the confession.
6 Worst: Tried To Fake Love Advice
While dating may be looked down upon in Japanese schools, that doesn't stop many from pursuing love. Despite the above, the Student Council is kind of full of hypocrites who actually delight in the matters of the heart.
When another student comes up to Miyuki for love advice, he kindly obliges, hiding the fact that he knows nothing about asking girls out. As smart as he is, the Student Council president is absolutely oblivious to the matters of the heart and gives a variety of poor love advice roughly based on Shojo tropes and lies.
5 Best: Planted Film Tickets
The first episode was a treasure for a variety of reasons. Not only did it introduce fans to the love warfare between two, incredibly smart tsunderes, it also showed the weird efforts that either would go to facilitate a confession. In episode one, Kaguya creates a pretty clever, albeit convoluted plan.
She plants film tickets to a romance movie under the guise of a local prize in Chika's mailbox, knowing that Chika wouldn't be able to attend the movie. This would force Chika to give away her tickets to her closest friends, the Student Council. However, because it is a romance movie, this would make Miyuki technically take Kaguya out on a date. While there are a lot of steps here, it was an eloquent scheme that did nearly work.
4 Worst: Tried To Fake Speaking French
Miyuki is smart at a lot of things. He managed to get in an immensely exclusive school purely through his hard work and intelligence and got elected Student Council president. He's a smart and proud guy; but when it comes to things that he doesn't know, he lets that pride get to him.
When their school hosted a formal with their sister school in France, Miyuki thought that he could impress his friends with his limited knowledge of French. However, when he got into the ballroom, he quickly became overwhelmed by people who could actually speak French. He tried to fake his way through, only to have another student come out him with a variety of insults in French. Luckily, this is one of the few instances where Kaguya positively tries to help him.
3 Best: Didn't Bring An Umbrella
While the movie ticket plan was a grand display of planning, Kaguya's umbrella ploy was undoubtedly a better one. Kaguya knew that Miyuki always brought an umbrella on a rainy day of school, so she researched weather reports to allocate the perfect rainy day.
Despite it being pretty sunny for most of the day, it rained after school. Kaguya not only left her umbrella back home but slashed her driver's tires so that they wouldn't be able to pick her up. From there, it was just about getting Miyuki to offer her a spot under his umbrella.
2 Worst: Comment On Kaguya And Chika's Breast Sizes
Yu Ishigami is an often underlooked character in the series. Not only was he introduced late into Season 1, but his low demeanor and negative attitude can also offend a few fans, which goes double for his fellow Student Council members.
When he and Miyuki were talking about the archery club, Ishigami slyly makes remarks that the archery club was perfect for Kaguya given that her breasts wouldn't get in the way of the bow. In contrast, he suggested that Chika's would. He would go on an entire, sexist tirade, not knowing that both girls were right behind him.
1 Best: Get Kaguya To The Summer Festival
Last but not least, this list reaches the touching finale of Season 1. Kaguya comes from a strict family that has kept her from interacting with other people for most of her life. Even though she's been looking forward to the Summer Festival and its fireworks for a while, her father bans her from going.
Her assistant, Ai, actually feels sympathy for her and does the only thing that could help: She calls in the great power of the Student Council. They all arrange to sneak Kaguya out of her house and get her to see some summer fireworks.