Kaguya-sama: Love is War (2020)
[ใใใๆงใฏๅใใใใ ๏ฝๅคฉๆใใกใฎๆๆ้ ญ่ณๆฆ๏ฝ]
Volume 20
Author/Artist: Aka Akasaka
Publisher: Young Jump Comics
Synopsis:
Osaragi tries to balance her friendship with Iino and her desire to see Ishigami successfully romance Tsubame-sempai.
Story/Characters:
We open with an Osaragi chapter that gives us a little insight into her past and how that relates to Iino, Ishigami and Tsubame-sempai. Her connection to Tsubame-sempai is new information and it helps explain why she supports Ishi/Tsuba. Meanwhile, Tsubame-sempai has her own little plan she's working on. We then have Shirogane agonizing over what to do about Iino. I do like what he and Shinomiya agree on doing. It speaks a lot to their relationship with each other and how they relate to all the parties involved. We then get a Valentine's two-parter. It plays into the ongoing love triangle arc, but my favorite part involves Hayasaka. In the aftermath of Valentine's Day, we get a Maki chapter with Hayasaka joining into the circle. We haven't seen Hayasaka interact with Maki before, so it's interesting watching it play out. Next, we have Papa Shirogane bringing up the prospect of moving and then push the task off to his son. Fujiwara's contribution to the search is amusing. After that, it's time for the third term exams. Shinomiya has to help out Ishigami again and after that, she confronts Shirogane over his performance. Kashiwagi's interpretation leads to some misunderstanding. We then have Ishigami and Fujiwara's birthday (with her pitching a fit over having to share the day), then leading us into the last chapter of the volume, where Tsubame-sempai lays out her master plan to her co-conspirators.
Art:
We open on an incredibly cute 9-year-old Osaragi. What a way to start (and some indication of what she's hiding behind those giant glasses of hers). As you'd expect, there's plenty of cuteness in the Valentine's two-parter, too. All around, the sort of fine art you've come to expect from this series.
Other:
At the end of Chapter 199, we get the updated rankings after the term exams. Perhaps the most notable thing is that Hayasaka is no longer pulling her punches, so we see a better reflection of her actual academic ability.
Conclusion:
We had some big drama last volume, so this feels a lot more chill, but there's still plenty of good character stuff going on. It looks like we're building up to something big, so I'm looking forward to the next volume. Fans don't need me to tell them this, but this one is worth getting.
Rating:
Own It