Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is, for many people, the zenith of modern anime romantic comedies. Featuring two lovebirds that refuse to admit their feelings, the series is as psychological as it is funny. The positive reception is affording the series another anime movie — one that directly adapts a storyline from the manga. Unfortunately, not all the franchise’s fans are happy about it.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War: The First Kiss Never Ends is continuing an unfortunate anime trend in which canon anime movies have unfortunate release dates for Western fans. This makes spoilers incredibly hard to avoid, especially if the upcoming season of the anime picks up on the film’s events. Here’s why the first kiss may not land for a long time for Kaguya-sama fans.
Love Is War: The First Kiss Never Ends Is Canon To the Anime
Unlike many anime movies, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: The First Kiss Never Ends will be canon to the TV series, taking place after the end of its third season. This was a trend started by recent Dragon Ball movies, and it’s continuing with other franchises. The First Kiss Never Ends, as its name would suggest, is an adaptation of an arc from the manga by the same name. This arc sees the series protagonists Kaguya and Miyuki, having finally kissed and admitted their feelings for each other, start to learn more about one another as their relationships blooms. Many fans had actually stated beforehand that the arc would be perfect for a movie, as it’s just the right size in terms of content and would be too drawn out if turned into part of the series.
Thus, the issue that many fans have with the upcoming movie isn’t the fact that it’s a movie. The problem stems from how recent canon anime movies have been handled, especially for Western fans. These movies, which again were tied to the show’s chronology, didn’t release outside of Japan for months. This kept non-Japanese fans from being caught up with the story, which could be especially problematic if the next season premiered outside of Japan before the movie even did. In the case of The First Kiss Never Ends, the release is even more questionable.
The Kaguya-sama Movie Will Be Shown On Japanese TV
Further separating itself from other anime films, namely of the canon variety, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: The First Never Ends will be airing on television in Japan after its theatrical release. This brings into question why it’s even a theatrical release at all, as it might as well be a TV special. The obvious answer is financial in nature, with the production company simply wanting to bank on the franchise’s success at the box office.
It also makes it even more questionable as to when the flick will make its non-Japanese debut. If it’s rushing to television after the theatrical release, that seems to suggest that its voyage beyond the Land of the Rising Sun will be a fast one. Nevertheless, Western fans are still aggravated at the long wait, as a simulcast of the movie is currently not on the cards. Hopefully, the movie will make its way to the States before the next season of the show does.