(L) Kaguya-sama wa kokurasetai

[Lex79]

I strongly suspect that the crisis of the Shinomiya family us going to make things harder for President and Kaguya....an arranged marriage is a possibility, but I hope the author will follow a different route since it would be the most cliché development.
And I think people are making a much bigger deal than it should be of a scene that was meant to be a heartwarming moment when Kaguya shows her trust in her kouhais.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by WingedAccelerator

Is this the abrupt end of the Fujiwara training chapters among other things since Final (serious?) arc is upon us?

Safe to say we'll never see that ballroom dancing training the narration foreshadowed.

[BWTraveller]

Originally Posted by Endscape

How is it jumping the gun when Ishigami will be one of the senior members of the Student Council once everyone graduates? I don't think Aka needs to tell us that he'll be staying, he would have needed to say something about him leaving.

It's jumping the gun in the sense that she's just assuming he'll make that decision. Yes, it's basically a given, both from who he is and how he's developed over the series and just plot-wise, but since we haven't seen a specific statement to that effect, we basically have to assume that either Ishigami's said something in the past about continuing on, or Kaguya is just assuming this is the decision he'll make, which is frankly quite rude regardless of whether that assumption is right or wrong.

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by WingedAccelerator

In a way, it surprises me that the final arc announcement just came in like this. It doesn't mean it can't be a long saga with everything and all, but the way Aka referred to the 3rd year arc as the second half of the manga plotwise, it's a bit weird how it's final arc time in measly 30 chapters of the 3rd year arc. In which, 1/3 content was the Buddha Begging Bowl.

I hear it is because the author wants to focus on his other manga.

On a financial point too, it makes sense, since there is no more room for growth and no matter what happens, the people reading/following the series is gonna follow it to the end.

[BWTraveller]

Sounds about right. I just hope he doesn't pull too many cheap shortcuts or dump things just for time sake. Had enough of that with Kurose and Momokuri (yes, I'm still bitter about it).

[Sixth]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

I hear it is because the author wants to focus on his other manga.

To be honest, his other manga is kinda superior in storytelling and has a more focused theme compare to Kaguya at this moment. This manga is basically finished the moment Kaguya got confessed as both of them stop "warring" for the confession.

[SirCopert]

I hope it will last 40-45 chapters

[WingedAccelerator]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

I hear it is because the author wants to focus on his other manga.

On a financial point too, it makes sense, since there is no more room for growth and no matter what happens, the people reading/following the series is gonna follow it to the end.

Funnily enough, or rather sadly, I posted the news about the birth of Oshi no Ko, and treated it with negative mindset, because Kaguya already started receiving way too many breaks for my taste when nothing grandiose was happening in the story. Then about 8 months later, I kept to my opinion and said something along the lines of how Oshi no Ko's existence is anything, but beneficial for Kaguya when the readers even started treating Kaguya as a biweekly manga, but if I remember correctly, my opinion was treated as some sort of conspiracy theory. Now here we are.

Financially, Oshi no Ko has a bright future. If I look at its latest volume compared to Kaguya's, the last data about them is 156k for Volume 5 of Oshi no Ko, and 236k for Volume 23 of Kaguya. I do believe outside of these things that Season 3 will be the last Kaguya anime season and it won't get a full adaptation.

[BWTraveller]

Well, to be fair, the series IS getting close to what would be a logical closing point. Just a short while before they graduate, and while you can have things continue pretty well going from two people desperately in love determined not to spit it out to two people desperately in love trying to make things work, especially once the side characters and their stories had developed enough to make (at least in some of our opinions) some worthwhile additional plot, a story of lovebirds who can't even meet except through video calls, both now separated from the well-established characters and surrounded by people who have absolutely no established reader investment is a much harder sell. Frankly, I felt for a while that if they were to continue past the very near departure they'd have to basically change the name and graduate the MCs, replacing them with younger characters. Since Ishigami and Miko are progressing smoothly (regardless of you opinions on them, they're clearly not moving in a direction that will sustain the same level of belligerent sexual tension), that doesn't seem at all likely.

TL/DR, we already knew it wouldn't be long before the story ends, so declaring one more big arc doesn't really surprise me at all.

[Ichinotachi]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

I hear it is because the author wants to focus on his other manga.

On a financial point too, it makes sense, since there is no more room for growth and no matter what happens, the people reading/following the series is gonna follow it to the end.

Adding to that, recently the manga has been getting affected by a drop in quality which is evident, maybe that's another reason to actually move to the final stage and end this on a high note instead of another dumpster fire.

The story is reaching a point where extending too much would make it seem like the author pulled some bullshit just to milk the popularity, it felt that way with the latest developments with Iino and Ishigami (that ended on nothing, for now). At least Prez and Kaguya are going to take the spotlight and hopefully everything goes well in the end, I wouldn't like to see this manga having a horrible ending.

[Kuroageha]

Like Shingeki lol.

Yeah, I've had the feeling the author perhaps had writer's block and just threw very clichés development lately.

[WingedAccelerator]

I keep going back to that interview from February 2020. Around that time, Chapter 178 was the latest chapter.

Spoiler for Future plans:

I’d like to ask you about the future development of the story. First of all, are there any plans to introduce new characters?
I want to keep new characters to a minimum, but there are still plenty of characters I’d like to introduce. Most importantly, there’s still a suitor from The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter who hasn't made an appearance yet, so I have a quota to meet.
It’s pretty difficult to introduce new male characters, so I’m still debating when to introduce them, among other things. It’ll probably be after Kaguya and Shirogane become third years.

Speaking of which, there are some characters like Ai Hayasaka who still harbor many mysteries and are worth digging into.
That's right. After all, it has yet to be determined which Hayasaka is her “main personality.” I actually designed Hayasaka with the intent of having her become friends with Shirogane from the beginning. She was never supposed to be a heroine, but there are some people who consider her as one.
I thought she’d take center stage at some point.
I’m thinking of digging deep into her character one day. Maybe in 7 volumes she’ll show her “True Hayasaka” form and take the main stage (laughs).
Sounds like a final boss. By the way, why after 7 volumes?
It’s related to the new character I was talking about earlier, but I’m setting up a lot of things to prepare for the third-year arc. Ishigami’s love interest, Tsubame (Koyasu)-senpai, will be graduating before then, so I’ll need to revisit the topic of Ishigami’s relationships.
Also, classes will change once Kaguya and Shirogane start their third year, so I think there will be more stories that take place in the class as opposed to just the Student Council room. And True Hayasaka will show up at that point too (laughs). Of course, this is all speculation⁠—who knows what will happen.

Is the end of the series in sight?
Well, Kaguya and Shirogane’s third year marks the start of the final half of the series. It might be a bit exhausting if the story continues at the current pace, so I plan to pick up the pace a little. I’m thinking one volume per in-universe month.
Since Kaguya-sama is based on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, some fans might be suspecting a bad ending...
I don’t know what the ending will be yet. But isn’t there a certain allure to stories that foreshadow a bad ending? Of course, it doesn’t have to end that way, but I think it’d be fine if it did, too.
So at this point, you haven’t thought about the ending yet?
I've been thinking more about how to end the series, rather than the ending itself. I’m thinking of giving each character a finale, after which they’ll no longer appear. Like a curtain call, but in a more special way.
It’ll be like a dating sim where the characters start to disappear one by one as the story diverges. In Kaguya-sama’s case, the plot won’t actually diverge, but I’d like to capture that sort of vibe when the series comes to a close.
Of course, I have no idea whether that’s how things will actually turn out (laughs).

Let's see...
Mikado appeared prior to this interview, so logically he should be speaking of Abe, but so far he was not seen. I'm also not sure about those "plenty of characters".

If "True Hayasaka" is still a plan, she should take center stage in the upcoming chapters, since 7 volumes have passed.

About the pacing picking up, the execution is terrible. It's sad that most authors hardly find the balance. Either way too many chapters are wasted for a measly month or so in-universe, or the opposite, suddenly monthly timejumps happen and you feel like there is no way these jumps are so uneventful with content not seen inbetween.

[Shadow5YA]

Originally Posted by WingedAccelerator

I keep going back to that interview from February 2020. Around that time, Chapter 178 was the latest chapter.

Spoiler for Future plans:

I’d like to ask you about the future development of the story. First of all, are there any plans to introduce new characters?
I want to keep new characters to a minimum, but there are still plenty of characters I’d like to introduce. Most importantly, there’s still a suitor from The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter who hasn't made an appearance yet, so I have a quota to meet.
It’s pretty difficult to introduce new male characters, so I’m still debating when to introduce them, among other things. It’ll probably be after Kaguya and Shirogane become third years.

Speaking of which, there are some characters like Ai Hayasaka who still harbor many mysteries and are worth digging into.
That's right. After all, it has yet to be determined which Hayasaka is her “main personality.” I actually designed Hayasaka with the intent of having her become friends with Shirogane from the beginning. She was never supposed to be a heroine, but there are some people who consider her as one.
I thought she’d take center stage at some point.
I’m thinking of digging deep into her character one day. Maybe in 7 volumes she’ll show her “True Hayasaka” form and take the main stage (laughs).
Sounds like a final boss. By the way, why after 7 volumes?
It’s related to the new character I was talking about earlier, but I’m setting up a lot of things to prepare for the third-year arc. Ishigami’s love interest, Tsubame (Koyasu)-senpai, will be graduating before then, so I’ll need to revisit the topic of Ishigami’s relationships.
Also, classes will change once Kaguya and Shirogane start their third year, so I think there will be more stories that take place in the class as opposed to just the Student Council room. And True Hayasaka will show up at that point too (laughs). Of course, this is all speculation⁠—who knows what will happen.

Is the end of the series in sight?
Well, Kaguya and Shirogane’s third year marks the start of the final half of the series. It might be a bit exhausting if the story continues at the current pace, so I plan to pick up the pace a little. I’m thinking one volume per in-universe month.
Since Kaguya-sama is based on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, some fans might be suspecting a bad ending...
I don’t know what the ending will be yet. But isn’t there a certain allure to stories that foreshadow a bad ending? Of course, it doesn’t have to end that way, but I think it’d be fine if it did, too.
So at this point, you haven’t thought about the ending yet?
I've been thinking more about how to end the series, rather than the ending itself. I’m thinking of giving each character a finale, after which they’ll no longer appear. Like a curtain call, but in a more special way.
It’ll be like a dating sim where the characters start to disappear one by one as the story diverges. In Kaguya-sama’s case, the plot won’t actually diverge, but I’d like to capture that sort of vibe when the series comes to a close.
Of course, I have no idea whether that’s how things will actually turn out (laughs).

Let's see...
Mikado appeared prior to this interview, so logically he should be speaking of Abe, but so far he was not seen. I'm also not sure about those "plenty of characters".

If "True Hayasaka" is still a plan, she should take center stage in the upcoming chapters, since 7 volumes have passed.

About the pacing picking up, the execution is terrible. It's sad that most authors hardly find the balance. Either way too many chapters are wasted for a measly month or so in-universe, or the opposite, suddenly monthly timejumps happen and you feel like there is no way these jumps are so uneventful with content not seen inbetween.

We've seen Hifumi Abe's name mentioned throughout the series, with his name showing on the 1st year exam rankings and his cat playing around with Kaguya.


I haven't seen the original Japanese, but more than likely the original wording was "irona kyarakuta （色んな キャラクター)" which has a different nuance.
Iro いろ or iroiro いろいろ is a vague adjective meaning a variety or some unspecified quantity. It is not meant to imply whether that quantity is a lot or a few like plenty does.


"True Hayasaka" already had her spotlight with the Gan'an and the Kyoto field trip arc. I think you're misinterpreting there.

[WingedAccelerator]

I know the stuff about Abe. This is specifically mentions appearance, which he didn't have yet unlike Mikado. He also mentions the suitors, so it should be Abe if he cares about his suitor quota.

How am I misinterpreting True Hayasaka, when the 3rd year class change, Tsubame graduating, Ishigami's relationship and new characters are there as events before True Hayasaka's potential appearance? Also, "7 volumes" specifically when Volume 16-17 were out by the time of the interview and Kyoto happened in Volume 18-19. That eyeball licking chapter works as a setup for Hayasaka searching for her true self.

[~Yami~]

wow I'm kinda nervous about the final act
knowing Aka, he might not do things normally so I expected him to give his best effort to close this out.
Arranged marriage plot is way too boring, although it is the best scenario to save Shinomiya family if somehow the downfall rumor is due to scandal or criminal stuff.

[Lex79]

I'm OK with bringing the manga to a conclusion, I think the story has told almost everything that had to be told and I got a fair amount of time with President and Kaguya as a couple instead of ending right after the confession. If it turns out that some planned arcs are being scrapped I won't be bothered by that. If I have to say something, I would have preferred if the Ishigami x Miko ship was resolved before going into the grand finale.
Now let's hope the ending for this series won't be disappointing.

[WingedAccelerator]

I smell an awful lot of convenience coming.

Spoiler for Chapter 241:

The Student Council members talk about the news, minus Kaguya of course. Several people associated with the Shinomiya Family are arrested, but not the main family members. The Shijo Family seems suspicious with the timing of the incident.

The comedic attempt of the chapter is Fujiwara's lecture about these luxurious planes that help the wealthy people travel. Even their maintanance is a fortune.

Kaguya keeps up with Miyuki on LINE, says he doesn't have to worry. Iino wonders if they can do anything to help, but Ishigami feels they can only hope for the best, and he is pessimistic about this whole "kids defeating adults" thingy. Not the exact wording, but you get the idea.

Miyuki passes Maki in the hall, she only apologizes for something, nothing else.

Suddenly the Shinomiya brother, who wanted Hayasaka appears in front of Miyuki. Un'yo inquires about Hayasaka, but Miyuki knows nothing, and it's not like he would just let Un'yo meet her. Then Un'yo proposes knowledge about the current situation of the Shinomiya Family. But first they go to a Drive Thru and eat some burgers.

Un'yo knows Miyuki and Kaguya are dating. Asks how she is doing. Miyuki shows some pictures, Un'yo notes she mellowed out and how he thought she would be more useful. But it's useless now, so he wants Miyuki to meet someone: Shinomiya Gan'an, Kaguya's father, and the head of the family. He seems to be on a hospital bed, not looking great.

[BWTraveller]

Don't know what you mean by "convenience", but it really feels like the only thing we learned this chapter is that we'll be learning a lot soon. I'm still betting that Kaguya's other brother is making a move to take the whole thing over. Maybe let some dirty secrets out to get rid of the old "service" (pretty sure that's how he sees the execs at their companies) so he can put in new lackeys completely loyal to him and him alone. Either that or the Shijo family did something and they didn't just "react quickly" but were just following through. Either way Maki's behavior makes it clear that her family's done or doing something that could be a problem for them all.

And yeah, Ishigami's quite right. If that many adults can't solve the problem it's hard to imagine a bunch of rich brats can (and yes, they're all "rich brats" besides Miyuki, even if most of them aren't at a Shinomiya level of "rich"). That said, I can understand the principal's point too: kids aren't as aware of what they can and can't do or what is and isn't appropriate. With the right resources and ideas they can go a lot farther than you'd expect. So, while I wouldn't buy for a second that they can fix the problems happening in the conglomerate as a whole, I do believe they'd be able to do something, at least enough to get Kaguya out of whatever situation she'll wind up in.

[Kuroageha]

Maybe the flow at the end went too fast?

Aka: I'm speed.

[Lex79]

The more the characters in the story say that kids can't do anything to face a problem of this proportion, the more I'm convinced that a certain student council will be the key to solve everything.