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* ContinuityCavalcade: In chapter 100, Kaguya thinks back to all the photos that were lost when her phone is destroyed. Every single one of them had been previously seen by the reader. And when the rest of the student council forms a group album so she has photos to put on her new smart phone in the following chapter, they can all be identified at a glance for which chapter they came from and who took them.
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* ContinuityCavalcade: In chapter 100, Kaguya thinks back to all the photos that were lost when her phone is destroyed. Every single one of them had been previously seen by the reader. And when the rest of the student council forms a group album so she has photos to put on her new smart phone in the following chapter, every single one of them is new, but they can all be identified at a glance for which chapter they came from and who took them.
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* ContinuityCavalcade: In chapter 100, Kaguya thinks back to all the photos that were lost when her phone is destroyed. Every single one of them had been previously seen by the reader. And when the rest of the student council forms a group album so she has photos to put on her new smart phone in the following chapter, they can all be identified at a glance for which chapter they came from and who took them.
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* ThemeNaming: Everyone important to the plot has a name referencing the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter:
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* ThemeNaming: Everyone important to the plot has a name referencing the ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter:Cutter'':
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** Osaragi references one of the gifts sought by Kaguya-hime as one of her impossible tasks.
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** Osaragi references one of and Tsubame reference the gifts sought by Kaguya-hime as one part of her impossible tasks.tasks to her suitors. In the latter's case, she becomes part of the ongoing saga of "Kaguya Shinomiya's Impossible Requests", deliberately invoking the theme.
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** Mikado Shijo (Maki's brother whose name is featured on the mock exam results) references the suitor who tries marries Kaguya-hime, Mikado.
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** Mikado Shijo (Maki's brother whose name is featured on the mock exam results) references the suitor who tries marries to marry Kaguya-hime, Mikado.
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** Also why Ishigami and Miko won't just tell each other what they've done for each other. They have their on version of justice they uphold, and they wouldn't consider their actions selfless if they just hold it over each other's heads.
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** Also why Ishigami and Miko won't just tell each other what they've done for each other. They have their on own version of justice they uphold, and they wouldn't consider their actions selfless if they just hold it over each other's heads.
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** Ootomo also references one of the suitors.
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** Ootomo also references one of the suitors.suitors, interestingly the same one as Shirogane's.
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** Also why Ishigami and Miko won't just tell each other what they've done for each other. They have their on version of justice they uphol,, and they wouldn't consider their actions selfless if they just hold it over each other's heads.
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** Also why Ishigami and Miko won't just tell each other what they've done for each other. They have their on version of justice they uphol,, uphold, and they wouldn't consider their actions selfless if they just hold it over each other's heads.
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** Also why Ishigami and Miko won't just tell each other what they've done for each other. They have their on version of justice they uphold,, and they wouldn't consider their actions selfless if they just hold it over each other's heads.
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** Also why Ishigami and Miko won't just tell each other what they've done for each other. They have their on version of justice they uphold,, uphol,, and they wouldn't consider their actions selfless if they just hold it over each other's heads.
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** Ootomo also references one of the suitors.
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* ThemeNaming: Everyone important to the plot has a name referencing the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter:
** Kaguya, Shirogane, Ishigami, Fujiwara, and Iino all reference Kaguya-hime herself and the princes trying to court her.
** Osaragi references one of the gifts sought by Kaguya-hime as one of her impossible tasks.
** Mikado Shijo (Maki's brother whose name is featured on the mock exam results) references the suitor who tries marries Kaguya-hime, Mikado.
** Kaguya, Shirogane, Ishigami, Fujiwara, and Iino all reference Kaguya-hime herself and the princes trying to court her.
** Osaragi references one of the gifts sought by Kaguya-hime as one of her impossible tasks.
** Mikado Shijo (Maki's brother whose name is featured on the mock exam results) references the suitor who tries marries Kaguya-hime, Mikado.
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** When Miko first tells the story of how she got her note and flower (to the audience), Osaragi comments that she's heard it 10 times at that point. Chapter 103 has her comment that it's now been 11 times when Miko gushes about the memory again.
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* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: For all the mind battles they engage in, Kaguya and Shirogane are shown to actually like each other.
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* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther:
** For all the mind battles they engage in, Kaguya and Shirogane are shown to actually like eachother.other. This bcomes way more obvious as the story goes on, to the point where it's subverted.
** For a played straight version, look no further than Ishigami and Miko. They both constantly get on each other's nerves, argue at every turn, an hate how similar they are to each other. However, they've both been secretly helping each other behind their backs but just won't admit it because they believe it wouldn't be truly altruistic to hold good deeds over people's heads.
** For all the mind battles they engage in, Kaguya and Shirogane are shown to actually like each
** For a played straight version, look no further than Ishigami and Miko. They both constantly get on each other's nerves, argue at every turn, an hate how similar they are to each other. However, they've both been secretly helping each other behind their backs but just won't admit it because they believe it wouldn't be truly altruistic to hold good deeds over people's heads.
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* {{Pride}}: Why Kaguya and Shirogane don't confess. They're both so arrogant, they refuse to accept the idea that someone has any form of power over them even something as simple as a crush. Their ideal of dating is the other begging to date them. Later chapters, however, show that this is mostly just an excuse and they're just two awkward teenagers too shy to confess.
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* {{Pride}}: {{Pride}}:
** Why Kaguya and Shirogane don't confess. They're both so arrogant, they refuse to accept the idea that someone has any form of power over them even something as simple as a crush. Their ideal of dating is the other begging to date them. Later chapters, however, show that this is mostly just an excuse and they're just two awkward teenagers too shy toconfess.confess.
** Also why Ishigami and Miko won't just tell each other what they've done for each other. They have their on version of justice they uphold,, and they wouldn't consider their actions selfless if they just hold it over each other's heads.
** Why Kaguya and Shirogane don't confess. They're both so arrogant, they refuse to accept the idea that someone has any form of power over them even something as simple as a crush. Their ideal of dating is the other begging to date them. Later chapters, however, show that this is mostly just an excuse and they're just two awkward teenagers too shy to
** Also why Ishigami and Miko won't just tell each other what they've done for each other. They have their on version of justice they uphold,, and they wouldn't consider their actions selfless if they just hold it over each other's heads.
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** Fujiwara is introduced as the [[OnlySaneMan only normal high schooler]] in the student council who would refrain to acting as an oblivious SpannerInTheWorks but her friendship with the other members, as well as her HiddenDepths, have made her character more complex to the point fans theorize that she might be the smarter member of the student council, even better than Kaguya and Shirogane.
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** Fujiwara is introduced as the [[OnlySaneMan only normal high schooler]] in the student council who would refrain to acting as an oblivious SpannerInTheWorks but her friendship with the other members, as well as her HiddenDepths, have made her character more complex to the point fans theorize that she might be the smarter smartest member of the student council, even better than Kaguya and Shirogane.
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** Chapter 80 has Osaragi mentioning that she's heard Miko's flower story 10 times before. Then she mentions having heard it 11 times when Miko brings it up again in chapter 103.
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** Among the student Council, Ishigami and Miko Iino serve as the heavily teased foil to Shirogane/Shinomiya. They are equally as stubborn to each other as Kaguya and Miyuki were in the beginning, but where the latter two tried to hide their feelings through little tricks, the former two are always unknowingly helping each other out.
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** Among the student Council, Ishigami and Miko Iino serve as the heavily teased foil to Shirogane/Shinomiya. They are equally as stubborn to each other as Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane were in the beginning, but where the latter two tried to hide their feelings through little tricks, the former two are always unknowingly helping each other out.
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* DubInducedPlotHole: In the English translation, Kaguya refers to Shirogane by his last name instead of "President". This will cause a huge problem come the election arc, since the entire reason she asked him to run for reelection was because she didn't feel comfortable calling him by name.
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Indentation
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* In Chapter 102, we see a LINE sticker of a bunny with a very ''Manga/PopTeamEpic''esque vibe.
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* In Chapter 102, we see a LINE sticker of a bunny with a very ''Manga/PopTeamEpic''esque vibe.
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* LastNameBasis: Everyone is referred to by their last name. The only exception being Fujiwara, who is on a one-sided FirstNameBasis with Kaguya.
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* LastNameBasis: Everyone is referred to by their last name. The only exception being Fujiwara, who is on a one-sided FirstNameBasis with Kaguya.Kaguya (mutual FirstNameBasis in the English translation).
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* InternalHomage: In chapter 11 Shirogane buys a new smartphone, and in chapter 101 Kaguya buys one. Many of the panels are changed only slightly to fit the new events, and the composition is exactly the same in some cases. Dialogue is reflected by the different circumstances, but in some cases almost the same.
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Belongs on the character page
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* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When Kaguya gets her flip phone destroyed, she's too depressed to make any banter with Hayasaka, and too focused on it to notice her opportunity to get Shirogane to make a "battle" of him giving his LINE number, outright giving him hers without much of a fuss.
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* LoggingOntoTheFourthWall: In chapter 101, Kaguya shows a QR code on her phone so she and Shirogame can exchange LINE [=ID=]s. Scanning it will pull up a link for purchasing the series' official LINE stickers.
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** The sequence where Fujiwara notices Shinomiya's new smartphone and Shirogane's musings about the subject is almost beat for beat the same sequence from Shirogane's own smartphone chapter, with some of the same panels even. Touched on when Ishigami randomly muses about how "people don't learn from their mistakes"' right after the Chapter 101 sequence.
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* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When Kaguya gets her flip phone destroyed, she's too depressed to make any banter with Hayasaka, and too focused on it to notice her opportunity to get Shirogane to make a "battle" of him giving his LINE number, outright giving him hers without much of a fuss.
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** In one of the extra chapters, Ishigami finds himself very fascinated with the girl who looks like Fujiwara in the fanservice manga chapter he's reading, but skips over the Kaguya-lookalike entirely (while Shirogane tried to sneak a peek at her).
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* BetaCouple: Kashiwagi and her boyfriend are this. While they have their issues and come to the Student Council for help; they are dating and openly communicate with each other. While Kaguya and Shirogane refused to admit their feelings and are stuck in a constant war to make the other confess. [[spoiler:Chapter 48 even implies that they did something intimate over summer break, which if Chapter 76 is any indication, is entirely plausible.]]
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* BetaCouple: BetaCouple:
** Kashiwagi and her boyfriend are this. While they have their issues and come to the Student Council for help; they are dating and openly communicate with each other. While Kaguya and Shirogane refused to admit their feelings and are stuck in a constant war to make the other confess. [[spoiler:Chapter 48 even implies that they did something intimate over summer break, which if Chapter 76 is any indication, is entirely plausible.]]]]
** Among the student Council, Ishigami and Miko Iino serve as the heavily teased foil to Shirogane/Shinomiya. They are equally as stubborn to each other as Kaguya and Miyuki were in the beginning, but where the latter two tried to hide their feelings through little tricks, the former two are always unknowingly helping each other out.
** Kashiwagi and her boyfriend are this. While they have their issues and come to the Student Council for help; they are dating and openly communicate with each other. While Kaguya and Shirogane refused to admit their feelings and are stuck in a constant war to make the other confess. [[spoiler:Chapter 48 even implies that they did something intimate over summer break, which if Chapter 76 is any indication, is entirely plausible.
** Among the student Council, Ishigami and Miko Iino serve as the heavily teased foil to Shirogane/Shinomiya. They are equally as stubborn to each other as Kaguya and Miyuki were in the beginning, but where the latter two tried to hide their feelings through little tricks, the former two are always unknowingly helping each other out.
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** Chapter 100 shows all the pictures that Kaguya has saved on her phone. Every single one of them is taken from a previous chapter.
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* ContinuityNod: Chapter 57 has Fujiwara saying that Ishigami is a man that beats women with logic, referring to the many times that Ishigami has made her cry when he points out the flaws in her logic.
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* ContinuityNod: ContinuityNod:
** Chapter 57 has Fujiwara saying that Ishigami is a man that beats women with logic, referring to the many times that Ishigami has made her cry when he points out the flaws in her logic.
** Chapter 57 has Fujiwara saying that Ishigami is a man that beats women with logic, referring to the many times that Ishigami has made her cry when he points out the flaws in her logic.
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Removing misuse of Genre Savvy, as that sounds more like savvy within a genre than savvy of a genre.
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** The GenreSavvy principal of Shuuchin tells Kaguya straight to her face that she and Shirogane should be together, and pushes Ishigami and Miko together for one photo.
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** The GenreSavvy principal of Shuuchin tells Kaguya straight to her face that she and Shirogane should be together, and pushes Ishigami and Miko together for one photo.
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** The GenreSavvy principal of Shuuchin tells Kaguya straight to her face that she and Shirogane should be together, and pushes Ishigami and Miko together for one photo.
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* SiblingTriangle: [[spoiler: In chapter 39, it's revealed that the president's younger sister also has a crush on Kaguya.]]
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* SiblingTriangle: [[spoiler: In chapter 39, it's revealed that the president's younger sister also has a crush on Kaguya.]]]] Subverted once we learn via Kei's focus chapters that she simply admires Kaguya as a person and as a future sister-in-law.
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[[quoteright:275:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1_988.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:275:[[Music/PatBenatar Love is a battlefield]]]]
--> ''Love is war...and the one who falls in love loses!"
Shuchi'in Academy is one of the most prestigious schools in Japan, attended by only the wealthiest families. Our protagonists are the student council of this school. The vice president, Kaguya Shinomiya, is the [[TheOjou heiress of one of the largest companies in Japan]], mastering multiple forms of artistic and intellectual subjects. The president, Miyuki Shirogane, while of common birth, is a TeenGenius with one of the highest grades in the country.
These two geniuses slowly fell for each other, yet their gigantic prides would not let them be the one to confess. So, they secretly began a battle. That is, the battle to make the other side confess first!
''Kaguya-sama: Love is War'' (''Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai ~Tensai-tachi no Ren'ai Zunousen~'', or ''Kaguya Wants to be Confessed to ~The Geniuses' War of Love and Brains~'') is a manga by Creator/AkasakaAka. It started publication as a monthly series in ''Miracle Jump'', but was later moved to ''Shuukan Young Jump'' as a weekly series. In March 2018, Viz Media began its release of the English translation.
Please place character tropes on the [[Characters/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar character page]].
----
!!This work contains examples of:
* AcademicAlphaBitch: Kaguya and Shirogane are this. They are the top students of their year and very popular. But they both look down on the rest of the students, mentally calling them animals.
* AffectionateParody:
** Chapter 74 as a whole to ShoujoDemographic romance stories. Kaguya goes from a calculating person to a typical shoujo heroine, she's in a LoveTriangle with Shirogane and Ishigami (of all people) and has to choose between them to go to the aquarium, and BishieSparkle is rampant. And it's all because they starting reading ''[[{{Glurge}} Today Will Be Sweet]]'' together. Extra points go to Aka for [[PaintingTheMedium trying to imitate the large advertisement space of shoujo magazines during the chapter]].
** Chapter 96 is done in the style of a cooking manga, complete with Fujiwara giving long (and inaccurate) descriptions of everyone's fried rice.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: InUniverse. When Shirogane and Kaguya talk about "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter", Shirogane thinks about the tragedy of Kaguya's lover burning the immortality elixir she gave him. Rather than the cutter being upset that [[WhoWantsToLiveForever he'd be living forever in a world without his lover]], Shirogane thinks him to be mistaken; the elixir was given to him with the intent that she'd come back, but because he didn't understand her intent, he burns the elixir.
* AintTooProudToBeg: Miyuki does this to force Ishigami not to leave the student council.
* AllElectionsAreSeriousBusiness: The election arc, of course, has everyone take their positions a little too seriously (up to and including acts of ''industrial espionage''). Shirogane ends up looking like a giant and threatening obstacle in the race, while Kaguya strong-arms and intimidates any potential threat to Shirogane's victory.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Shirogane's dad is a hilariously awkward man. He loves to call himself Shirogane's Sugar Daddy.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: For all the mind battles they engage in, Kaguya and Shirogane are shown to actually like each other.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Shirogane boasts that he has second highest grade in the entire country, passed very high level tests, is a certified hazardous material engineer...and an appraiser of chickens. Even the illustrations show this, with various professional certificates drawn along a cartoon-style chicken.
* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy: During Chapter 56, Shirogane describes the star Vega when he's talking about Deneb. It's possible this was just an energy fueled mistake on Shirogane's part, since Akasaka usually points out his mistakes after a chapter's been released.
* ArtShift: Sometimes the art will change to better suit a joke from scary to more shoujo-esque. UpToEleven in Chapter 74.
* BaitAndSwitch:
** Does it twice for "I Can't Hear the Fireworks" (Chapters 44 and 45). At first, it looks like, thanks to Hayasaka taking her place at home, she'll be able to watch the fireworks with the student council, but she makes it just in time fore the festivities to be over. Disheartened, she goes to cry under a stairway, [[spoiler:where Shirogane finds her regardless and gets her on a taxi to watch the fireworks from Chiba with the student council.]]
** When Hayasaka gets stuck at a mixer, she's able to successfully get Shirogane alone. Based on her frustration with Kaguya's disregard for her feelings, and her remembering her mission from last time she was with Shirogane, she looks like she's going to either steal him away or force a confession out of him... [[spoiler:but all that happens is she goes down to Shirogane's horrible singing]].
* BatmanGambit: The premise of the series is two geniuses playing mind tricks to make the other confess first.
* BetaCouple: Kashiwagi and her boyfriend are this. While they have their issues and come to the Student Council for help; they are dating and openly communicate with each other. While Kaguya and Shirogane refused to admit their feelings and are stuck in a constant war to make the other confess. [[spoiler:Chapter 48 even implies that they did something intimate over summer break, which if Chapter 76 is any indication, is entirely plausible.]]
* BirdsOfAFeather: Miko brings this up in regards to Kaguya and Shirogane in chapter 66, though it's actually averted. Every time a quality that one of them likes about the other is brought up, it's always something that they themselves lack.
* BoardGames: Chapter 57 centers around the student council playing a ''TabletopGame/GameOfLife''[=/=]Sugoroku mashup that Fujiwara's group had made.
* BrickJoke:
** Chapter 73 has Shirogane try to recommend a shoujo manga to Kaguya, in the hopes that she gets the urge to fall in love like in a manga book and confess to him. Chapter 74 has his plan succeed, in the weirdest way possible.
** In chapter 83, Shirogane's father tries to give him love advice by claiming that ladies love a fast sprinter (which Shirogane brushes off as only working in elementary school). Jump forward 3 chapters to the sports festival, and Kaguya is indeed love struck when Shirogane wins one of the running events.
** In Chapter 91, Kaguya offers Fujiwara tangerines so that the limonene in the peel would pop the balloon in front of her, but the latter girl passes up the offer. After the balloon gets to its breaking point, and Kaguya and Shirogane are fighting over the pump, then and ''only'' then does Fujiwara decide to get a tangerine, with the juice from the peel flying across the room and popping the balloon while [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the former two are in its blast range]].
* ButHeSoundsHandsome: When Shirogane's father is trolling Kaguya into revealing her feelings for his son, he comments "his parents must have good genes" when she mentions [[WhatBeautifulEyes his piercing glare]].
* ButtMonkey:
** Ishigami. By god, he can't seem to go one chapter without worsening his reputation with Kaguya, which he admits he's seriously afraid of. Even when he's not there, people generally don't have a good opinion of him.
** Iino becomes an even bigger one when she joins the student council with nearly every one of her chapters ending with her a shaking mess.
* CallBack:
** Chapter 56 has a sequence where Shirogane is stargazing with Kaguya during the moon viewing. It hearkens back to an ImagineSpot from an earlier chapter, where Shirogane pictured a camping trip ending with stargazing and a confession. However, in Chapter 56, he's barely even paying attention to Kaguya (even though he's romantically and unknowingly blowing her socks off) because he's so fascinated by astronomy.
** In Chapter 74, Ishigami asks to take Kaguya to the aquarium as thanks for her help in tutoring him, chapters and chapters ago.
** Chapter 80's first and second pages have Iino introduced with the same paneling of one of Ishigami's introductory chapter.
** The principal and a few students are still playing ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' during the sports festival.
** Almost every face that Maki makes in chapter 98 is one that Kaguya has previous made ([[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tkcnrus.jpg like so]]). It's rather appropriate, considering that [[spoiler:[[ItRunsInTheFamily they're cousins]].]]
* CatDogDichotomy: Kaguya is the Cat with her aloof nature, and Shirogane is the Dog with his tireless work ethic. Interestingly, both of them like the opposite animal, and describe their positive traits in a way that ''also'' describes what they like in the other person. Dips into FemaleFelineMaleMutt as well.
* CellPhonesAreUseless: Kaguya phone didn't work when she tried to call the rest of the student council during the fireworks arc. She briefly wonders if it's due to [[HopelessWithTech her phone being out of date]].
* CharacterCheck: As the manga continued, the "Genius' War of Love and Brains" effectively ended and the two leads become a little more honest about their feelings. However, every once in a while there will be a moment where they act like their old prideful selves. Chapter 54 in particular was a whole throwback to how they used to act.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn:
** Kaguya and Shirogane would originally refuse to express even the slightest implication of interest for each other. As the series progresses, they become gradually more honest about their feelings and even forget to read the meaning behind their actions when caught up in the moment. This leads to some obvious flirting moments and both are shown to be completely fine with it.
** Fujiwara is introduced as the [[OnlySaneMan only normal high schooler]] in the student council who would refrain to acting as an oblivious SpannerInTheWorks but her friendship with the other members, as well as her HiddenDepths, have made her character more complex to the point fans theorize that she might be the smarter member of the student council, even better than Kaguya and Shirogane.
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler: Kaguya's Website/{{Twitter}} account ends up playing an important role as a cry for help in chapter 44.]]
* ClipShow: Chapter 59 has the student council disbanded, and in true clipshow style, going through items that reminded them of previous chapters and taking a walk down memory lane. It even does the StockSitcomGrandFinale ending of turning off the lights and leaving the room in a bittersweet fashion.
* CloseOnTitle: Used in Chapter 45 (I Can't Hear The Fireworks pt. 2). Given the circumstances, it doubles as a TitleDrop.
* ComedicUnderwearExposure: Chapter 70 starts with Fujiwara and Kaguya walking in on Ishigami getting changed in the Student Council room (though the narration and camera angles initially make it look like one of the girls is getting changed).
* ContinuityNod: Chapter 57 has Fujiwara saying that Ishigami is a man that beats women with logic, referring to the many times that Ishigami has made her cry when he points out the flaws in her logic.
* CringeComedy: Chapter 79 is this in its entirety, as Kaguya is baffled as to why love sickness caused her to faint in school and pretty much professes her love of Shirogane to her doctors (in denial of course) while Hayasaka gets embarrassed on her own behalf.
* {{Crossover}}: Has a couple of short comic encounters with other manga in ''Young Jump''. Shirogane and Kaguya briefly met with the leads of ''Tejima-senpai'' in order to manage their club's funds, and encounters the cast of ''Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet'' in one one-shot.
* CruelToBeKind: What Ishigami's plan to take down Iino's campaign boils down to. He wants an overwhelming victory in Shirogane's favor to take her down a peg, but the blow be so devastating that all the bullying she had been suffering from before, during, and after the election is turned to pity--that she didn't lose just because she was inept, she lost because her opponent outclassed her in every way. However, Shirogane making her focus on him and letting her get her points out softened the blow and turned her into a formidable opponent, ending the election with dignity and newfound respect.
* CuteAndPsycho: Moeka, Fujiwara's little sister, shows some signs of this in chapter 52 when she says that she would like to lock Kei up and torture her when she thinks of how pure she is.
* CutenessOverload: The sight of Kaguya wearing cat ears caused this reaction to Shirogane, enough to make his speech get reduced to nonsense. Kaguya later made him wear one, too...and experienced the exact same reaction.
** Kaguya also ends up frozen in place for an entire chapter when a sleeping Shirogane ends up [[SleepCute leaning on her shoulder]].
* ADayInTheLimelight:
** Chapter 30 revolves around Hayasaka, and her efforts to keep everyone away from the student council room after one of Kaguya's plans goes awry.
** Chapter 76 actually has the OnceASeason Kashiwagi and/or Boyfriend consultation go to her boyfriend for once. It also gives another glimpse into the pair's relationship problems.
** Shirogane's sister Kei has 2 chapters devoted to her.
** Osaragi has Chapter 85 from her perspective, shedding some light on Ishigami and Iino during middle school and giving off more of Osaragi's own personality.
** The Chapter 98 has Maki come in for advice instead. In truth, all she wanted to do was vent.
* DidTheyOrDidntThey: In Chapter 48, Kashiwagi and her boyfriend see the Student Council for some more love advice, and because of their demeanor around each other and how they talk about their vacation together, it sounds like they've gotten more ''intimate''. By the end of the chapter, neither one of them gives a straight answer, even though they both tricked the Council into thinking they were going to be a couple of MakeoutKids when they got alone time in the Student Council room.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Chapter 41 ends with the couple too nervous to text each other and just missing each other when they both decide to visit the school during summer vacation.]]
* DramaticIrony: Both Ishigami and Iino helped each other back in middle school, and neither is aware that the other did so. Ishigami sent Iino an anonymous letter of encouragement that continues to inspire her in the present, and Iino protesting Ishigami's continued suspension is what allowed him to graduate.
* EarlyBirdCameo: You can see Ishigami in one spread page in chapter 11. He doesn't appear until chapter 24.
* ElevatorSchool: Shuchin Academy goes from Kindergarten to university-level schooling, so pretty much everyone in the school is acquainted with each other. The sole exception, of course, is Shirogane.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Kaguya and Shirogane are so obvious about their feelings that are many rumors flying around that they're dating.
** Chapter 50 shows the audience just ''what'' everyone else can see; in the eyes of a neutral party (in this case, Kashiwagi), all of the serious, mind-wracking battles that Shirogane and Kaguya go through and their extreme efforts to deny their feelings to themselves and each other end up looking like awkward flirting and thinly veiled confessions.
* TheFaceless: Happens every now and again, but with Ishigami most frequently. There's a reason for this-- [[spoiler:he "closed his eyes" to people after the middle school incident, only perceiving people not close to him as faceless.]]
* {{Fanservice}}: PlayedForLaughs in chapter 64.5, but it's averted the rest of the time.
* FirstLove: The narrator stated that Kaguya and Shirogane are each other's first love.
* GambitRoulette: The series: romcom version.
* {{Glurge}}: In universe example with ''[[ShowWithinAShow Today Will Be Sweet]]'', a tear jerking manga the cast has read. According to the brief plot summary, the male lead is an IllBoy with a terminal disease while the heroine lives in an abusive household and suffered from isolation and anorexia before the [[ManicPixieDreamGirl male lead breaks her out of her shell]]. She also hasn't eaten decent food in a while, and the one decent meal she gets is a curry dish made by her love interest[[note]]which, by the way, is the only dish he's made that tasted halfway decent but too sweet[[/note]] before he kicks the bucket.
* GreenEyedEpiphany: Fujiwara invokes this on Kashiwagi in chapter 16. She asks for Kashiwagi to image her boyfriend with another girl and if she feels bad or annoyed then that means she loves him. The hilarious part is that Kaguya also imaged Shirogane with another girl and was ''furious''. She didn't take implication that it meant she cared for Shirogane well.
* GreenEyedMonster: Kaguya regards Fujiwara as her best friend. Also as her biggest rival for Shirogane's affection.
* GoneHorriblyRight: One of Kaguya's plans involved tricking Shirogane into using tips from "Textbook of Love" from a girls magazine so she'd have plausible cause to claim that he read it to get her to fall for him. All three steps end up working on her perfectly (she even ends up having a HeroicBSOD when he gets to the "[[{{Tsundere}} say you hate them]]" step) despite the fact that she knew he was faking it.
* HateSink:
** Kaguya's father. He drags her a quarter of the way across Japan (causing her to miss out on a chance to hang out with her friends), and barely even acknowledges her presence when she shows up. This is immediately followed by the reveal that he has never given her even the most basic form of parental affection. Then he forbids her from attending the fireworks festival, sending her into a HeroicBSOD. And all of this is in his ''first'' appearance.
** [[spoiler:Ogino. He was cheating on his girlfriend, and tried to buy Ishigami's silence when he found out (by offering to let him sleep with said girlfriend). Then he pulled a DeliberateInjuryGambit, making it look like Ishigami was a StalkerWithACrush.]]
* HypocriticalHumor:
** After Shirogane has one good night of rest, Kaguya muses to herself that the student body would throw themselves at him simply because he looks more attractive. Not only failing to realize that her love for Shirogane also extends to her major preference for his exhausted look, and that she was just as unresponsive when he tried to coax her into confessing while he still had his well-rested eyes.
** Any time Kaguya criticizes Kashiwagi's extreme clinginess and insecurities whatever her boyfriend troubles come up.
*** In Chapter 76 when Kashiwagi talk to Kaguya about her relationship problems, Kaguya finds it annoying how Kashiwagi can obsess over things so trivial, when Hayasaka has to deal with the exact same headaches from the girl herself on a daily basis. The art even {{lampshade}}s it by giving Kaguya Hayasaka's expressionless face.
*** Chapter 97 has her think to herself that she'd never be as paranoid or distrustful as Kashiwagi was. And then precedes to agree with every insane action and thought that Kashiwagi did to prove that her boyfriend wasn't cheating on her. Keep telling yourself that, Kaguya.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: The chapters usually starts with "[Character] Wants to XXX".
* IHaveThisFriend: When Kaguya goes to Kashiwagi for love advice, she tries this to skirt around the fact that she's talking about her and Shirogane. Kashiwagi is so used to this by now that she sees right through her lame excuse.
* IndirectKiss:
** One chapter has Kaguya switching her and Shirogane's cups to watch him squirm over this. She didn't realize that means she's also having an indirect kiss, causing her to squirm.
** PlayedForLaughs. Kaguya considers ''sharing earbuds'' to qualify as this.
* InnocentInnuendo:
** Chapter 14 is built on these. Due to thinking that "[[TheirFirstTime first time]]" means kissing, Kaguya ends up implying that she had sex with her newborn nephew on camera (among [[BestialityIsDepraved other]] [[BrotherSisterIncest things]]).
** Chapter 22 is sort of a continuation to that. Due to her inexperience, she started seeing every word and action as an innuendo. In particular, she described the act of sharing earbuds as "penetrating a membrane with a foreign object".
* IUhYouToo: A platonic variant in Chapter 77. After Fujiwara finally spits out how much Kaguya means to her (even using the word [[PlatonicDeclarationOfLove love]] during this), Kaguya merely responds that she tends to keep the things ''close'' to her around her.
* LargeHam: The narrator. He will happily describe whatever the current scheme is with full force.
* LaserHallway: Chapter 30 opens with Hayasaka dodging lasers to break into the student council room in the middle of the night and swap out Shirogane's personal supply of coffee beans for decaf. Why a ''high school'' of all places would have laser security isn't really specified (even if it is a school for rich kids), so it can probably be chalked up to RuleOfFunny.
* LastNameBasis: Everyone is referred to by their last name. The only exception being Fujiwara, who is on a one-sided FirstNameBasis with Kaguya.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The special chapter has Ishigami read a romcom seinen manga, and comment that it's an oddball in the magazine because it's completely devoid of {{Fanservice}}. Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?
* LemonyNarrator: The narration in this series takes itself ''way'' too seriously at times, and other times it's directly responding to what the characters say in a snarky fashion.
--> '''Shirogane:''' What am I, some lovestruck teen in a [[SelfDeprecation third-rate]] romcom?!
--> '''Narration:''' [[BluntYes Yes.]]
* LoserProtagonist: Inverted and and then subverted. Kaguya and Shirogane are both brilliant individuals who can expertly debate highly complicated and intricate subjects like philosophy without blinking an eye and are adored by the school the go to as model students by both the faculty and the staff. Despite this, both of them are repeatedly mocked by the narration for their simplistic views of romantic relationships and their inability to confess to one another, which turns them from intelligent [[TheChessmaster chessmasters]] into bumbling idiots.
* LoveMartyr: Shirogane's dad is revealed to be one. Despite his wife leaving him seven years ago, he's refuses to divorce her because he still loves her.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler:Chapter 89 made it seem like Ogino was able to get away with turning Ishigami into a pariah 'til chapter 90 revealed that Kaguya told the truth of the situation to the Shuuchiin [=VIPs=] that forced Ogino to transfer.]]
* MoodWhiplash: Chapter 87 is mostly just a collection of short looks into certain sports festival activities with a lighthearted tone. Ishigami rounds out the last couple of pages, noting that he's been having fun this time around and that he's glad he joined the cheer team, just as [[spoiler:the girl who helped get him ostracized shows up and calls to him]].
* MomentKiller:
** Just as Kaguya and Shirogane finally got to feed each other after fighting about who gets the last strawberry shortcake, Fujiwara comes out of nowhere, simply eats their pieces and the rest of the cake (''from their forks'', no less) and scolds them for fighting. This is just one of ''many'' moments that Fujiwara interrupts.
** A big one at the end of Chapter 78, where Shinomiya and Shirogane are trapped in the gym utility closet and [[HeldGaze looking at each other while Shinomiya's pinned to the floor]] when Iino comes in.
* MissFanservice: Fujiwara's older sister in chapter 87. She comes to the sports festival wearing a deep neck line with her huge breasts, midriff and hot pants.
* NoNameGiven: An odd example for Kashiwagi's boyfriend as not only is he a RecurringCharacter but he even appeared before Kashiwagi. But we haven't gotten his name at all, the [[WordOfGod extras]] only list him as Kashiwagi's boyfriend and nothing else.
* NoodleImplements: One of Kaguya's plans involved a tape measurer. We never find out what she was going to measure since [[SleepCute Shirogane leaning on her]] caused a CutenessOverload.
* ObliviousGuiltSlinging: Ishigami basically tells Maki that her crush will go nowhere if she doesn't act and expects the other party to come confess to her first, and she has even less chances of realizing her love if her crush felt the same way. Shirogane was right behind him as he said all of this, and suddenly felt terrible.
* OffModel:
** Hayasaka is shown with darker hair in chapter 12.
** Ishigami has six fingers when acting like a villain in chapter 65.
* OnceASeason: The closest manga approximation would be once per volume. Every volume, about 10 chapters, we have a chapter of Kashiwagi and her boyfriend asking the student council for relationship advice. Later chapters have the reverse situation, with Kaguya coming to Kashiwagi for advice instead.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: Chapter 74 for the student council (save Fujiwara), as they all start acting like Shoujo romance characters after reading a sappy shoujo manga. In particular, they note that Ishigami is much more forward with Kaguya even though he can't so much as make eye contact with her in a normal setting.
* PaintingTheMedium: Chapter 74's ArtShift accompanied by obnoxiously large ads for other series, as if it was printed in a Shoujo magazine.
* ParentalNeglect: Kaguya's father doesn't show her any sign of affection, while Shirogane's mother left the family when he was young.
* PetTheDog: In Chapter 54, Kaguya gives Ishigami her genuine thanks and an IOU after he unknowingly stopped Shirogane's mental assault. As expected, Ishigami is horrified and confused.
* PopularityFoodChain: Shuchi'in Academy actually has two separate ones, the first being the standard one and the other being determined by the parents' social standing. This means that Shirogane is simultaneously at [[StudentCouncilPresident the very top]] and [[PennyAmongDiamonds the very bottom]] of the food chain.
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Conversed. Chapter 75 has Iino getting the group to do some actual onscreen work after noticing the trend of them not performing their duties while in the council room. They actually ''do'' work, but Shirogane points out that she's [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall never around when they work]].
* PlayingHardToGet: The Series. At least the early and middle parts of it; they've since become more honest with themselves, but they're still too stubborn to confess outright.
* PlayingSick: Meta example with ''the author'' feigning sickness to avoid having to draw any gags for the inside cover of Volume 5.
* {{Pride}}: Why Kaguya and Shirogane don't confess. They're both so arrogant, they refuse to accept the idea that someone has any form of power over them even something as simple as a crush. Their ideal of dating is the other begging to date them. Later chapters, however, show that this is mostly just an excuse and they're just two awkward teenagers too shy to confess.
* PyrrhicVictory: Some "victories" end up with the winner being in worse condition than the loser. For example, chapter 15 is labelled as Kaguya's loss, despite Shirogane suffering more the entire chapter and ended up fainting. All Kaguya suffered was accidentally getting her breast groped.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
** Kaguya and Shirogane have one on separate occasions from, of all things, a ''horoscope website''. It tells them (based on their birthdays) what their problems and faults exactly are, and that they'd probably never get together if they don't set aside their pride and just ask each other out. On Kaguya's part she just [[SelectiveObliviousness doesn't believe the negative qualities in herself exist]], while in Shirogane's case he's just insecure.
** Hayasaka gives her one in Chapter 64, shutting down her {{Tsundere}} "I don't like him at all" line with noting that she probably doesn't considering that if his physical appearance is enough to sway her heart, she's probably very fickle with love. Fujiwara (indirectly) gives her another one, saying that true love is unconditional, regardless of looks.
** Iino gives one to the whole student body, bringing up their lack of morals and their terrible reputation despite their fantastic grades.
* RecapEpisode: The first half of chapter 11 is basically reiterating what chapter 1 said. It's because the series moved magazines, so the concept needed to be explained again to potential new readers.
* RunningGag:
** A shot of Kaguya with a sarcastic smile, looking down and muttering ''"How cute"''. They're all also in [[ImagineSpot Shirogane's imaginations]] and we never see her actually do it. One chapter had the situation reversed, with Kaguya having the condescending delusion instead.
** Ishigami getting terrified of Kaguya or just being depressed and coming up with excuses to go home for the day.
** Chapter 31 has the line "[[http://imgur.com/gallery/ajWFb That was a lie!]]" repeated multiple times.
** Maki stalking Kashiwagi and her boyfriend.
** People refusing Kaguya's offers of cake.
** Miko walking into the Student Council room [[NotWhatItLooksLike at the worst possible time]].
* SanityBall: The sanest person in the room varies from chapter to chapter. Usually, it will be whoever is impressed upon during the chapter.
* SeriousBusiness: Kaguya and Shirogane turns pretty much everything into mind battles, from Old Maid, discussing where to go on vacation, to exchanging LINE ids.
* SchoolFestival: The sports festival is a big arc for both Ishigami and Iino, since it elaborates on the reason why Ishigami is treated with disdain in school and looks at Iino's middle school years.
* SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack: Averted with most of the characters, on their days off they wear normal clothes. The only exception is Shirogane which has been lampshaded before.
* SecondYearProtagonist: Kaguya, Shirogane, and Fujiwara are in their second year by the time the series starts. Only Ishigami and [[spoiler:Miko]] are younger than them on the Student Council.
* SeriousBusiness: One chapter has Kaguya faint and go to the doctor's for examination. Why, you ask? She's come down with a case of ''lovesickness'', much to Hayasaka's complete surprise and embarrassment.
* ShaggyDogStory: Many chapters end with their mutual defeat, usually thanks to [[SpannerInTheWorks Fujiwara]] or Kaguya's lack of common sense.
* SheepInSheepsClothing: A lot of readers were uncomfortable by how nice the cheer team was to Ishigami and were worried that their plan to have everyone cross dress for the sports festival [[ItsACostumePartyISwear was an attempt to embarrass him]] (not helped by the fact that they all have HiddenEyes). But by the time the sports festival actually came around, it turned out that they really are that nice [[spoiler:and their lack of eyes was a visual representation of how Ishigami reflexively shut everyone out (leading to a heartwarming moment when he finally sees their faces after the relay race).]]
* ShipperOnDeck: Given the sheer number of people who gathered when a rumor spread that there was going to be a confession, it wouldn't be that much of an exaggeration to say that ''the entire student body of Shuchi'in Academy'' ships Shirogane/Kaguya.
* SiblingTriangle: [[spoiler: In chapter 39, it's revealed that the president's younger sister also has a crush on Kaguya.]]
-->[[LampshadeHanging Siblings tend to have similar tastes]].
* ShipTease:
** Chapter 73 is a zigzagged one for Ishigami/Fujiwara. When Shirogane asked about various girls Ishigami likes, he brings up Iino and Kaguya, both of which Ishigami doesn't care for romantically. Then Shirogane brings up Fujiwara, and we're treated to two panels of Ishigami's non-response, with a subtle blush in the second one. He then reacts in horror that he could fall in love with her and refuses to.
** The "Shoujo mindset" affliction on the main cast (sans Fujiwara) in Chapter 74 had Kaguya actually considering Ishigami as not only surprisingly attractive but also as a romantic rival for Shirogane. It also made Ishigami himself get over his usual fear of Kaguya enough to offer to eat a dessert with her actually ask her out to the aquarium.
** Shirogane's father tells the kids that running is a guaranteed way into a woman's heart. [[spoiler:When Ishigami runs in his team's relay race, the manga puts specific focus on Iino cheering him on.]]
** On their character profiles, Ishigami and Iino are labeled the "secret protagonist" and "secret heroine" respectively.
** The game Aka comes up with gives Iino the ability of "Childish Justice". When Ishigami's ability is used in tandem with hers, it becomes "True Justice"-- showing that they bring out the best in each other.
** The chapter where Iino reveals that she keeps and treasures a mysterious letter she got in middle school has Ishigami as the chapter's title character. Ishigami is barely mentioned and doesn't even appear that chapter, all but stating outright that Iino's MysteriousBenefactor (and the one she holds so dear) is none other than him.
* ShoutOut:
** In Chapter 15, the cockroach that shows up makes a "JOHJ" sound in reference to the language of the Hyper-Evolved cockroaches from Manga/TerraforMARS.
** Kaguya is holding [[Manga/HimoutoUmaruChan Umaru's hamster hood]] at the beginning of chapter 17.
** Fujiwara was playing ''TabletopGame/SettlersOfCatan'' in the beginning of chapter 29.
** Fujiwara is playing ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' in chapter 30. The narration later in the chapter also references the lyrics of Mezase Pokémon Master.
-->'''Hayasaka:''' STOP PLAYING POKEMON GO!
** In chapter 58, Kaguya mentions that Hayasaka watches [[WebVideo/HydraulicPressChannel videos of things being crushed in a hydraulic press]].
** Kaguya's gift to Shirogane references the story of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sang_Weihan Sang Weihan]].
** The saying that "the one who falls in love loses" seems to be a reference to the heroine of ''Manga/SpecialA'', who said the same thing.
** Miko's CatchPhrase during the Election Arc was "[[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump Make Shuchi'in Great Again]]".
** Shirogane and Ishigami are playing ''[[VideoGame/MarioKart8 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' in chapter 72.
** Fujiwara's "Love Detective" hat is the same one that Sera wore in ''ib: Instant Bullet''.
** The introduction of Kaguya's doctor plays similar to ''Manga/TeamMedicalDragon'''s "Daimyo Procession".
** At the end of chapter 86, Mr. Shinomiya is referred to as "[[Manga/KarakaiJouzuNoTakagiSan Karakai Jouzu no Otou-san]]".
** The manga has a cameo of Nusret "Salt Bae" Gökçe during Chapter 96.
* SickEpisode: Chapter 79 has Kaguya fall ill and get sent to the hospital suddenly. As she's loaded into the ambulance, it's stated that that she has the capacity for heart disease given her mother suffered from it. During a checkup at her doctor's office, it's revealed that it wasn't even clinical heart problems that caused her to faint in school this time; it was ''love sickness''.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Fujiwara and her sisters look pretty much the same, the only difference is the obvious age differences.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: As the narrator explains the entire reason behind this war, accompanied by a blushing Kaguya:
--> ''The war of love and brains. The battle where they put their honors and pride and stake. Naturally, reasons like "It would be too embarassing to confess" or "I might get rejected" obviously have nothing to do with it.''
* SurvivalMantra: In chapter 44, [[spoiler:Kaguya repeats "It's okay" over and over so she doesn't cry after not being allowed to go to the fireworks with her friends.]]
* TheTalk: Fujiwara ends up having to do this for [[ShelteredAristocrat Kaguya]] after a hilarious string of {{Innocent Innuendo}}s.
* TemptingFate: When Kaguya and Shirogane inspect all of the sports equipment, Kaguya mentions that the Tug o' War rope is worn down and old, with Shirogane replying that it can "survive another [year]". The next major arc after that chapter was the Sports Festival, and it's unlikely that that's going to go unnoticed... [[spoiler: and it doesn't do anything. The rope stays intact through the whole thing.]]
* TitleDrop: Kaguya's narration reveals that she "Can't Hear the Fireworks" (title for Chapters 44 and 45) because [[spoiler:her heart's pounding loud enough for her not to hear anything else while she's busy staring at Shirogane, awestruck at how much he's done for her to get to to see fireworks.]] Doubles as CloseOnTitle.
* {{Tsundere}}: Both main characters, but Kaguya displays the trait more. She tries to hide it with her graceful demeanor, but she slips into a maiden-in-love when nobody's looking. Both even said the classical "It's not like I like him/her or something!" tsundere line at some points.
* TwiceShy: Inverted. Both Kaguya and Shirogane are aware of each other's love and want nothing more than to provoke a LoveConfession to be the dominant one in the relationship (in a non-sexual way). However, they are entirely unaware of -[[{{Tsundere}} and can't admit]]- ''their own'' feelings.
* UptownGirl: Kaguya is the heiress to one of the richest families in Japan. Shirogane is, while very intelligent, a commoner and his obsession with saving money implies that his family is not that well off. While nothing has come of their infatuation yet in the school since most students are too afraid of Shirogane to say anything, it remains to be seen what problems will arise, given how Kaguya's family often looks down on common traditions let alone common people.
* VoodooShark: PlayedForLaughs. The reason that Shirogane is able to be a licensed appraiser of chickens is because the story takes place in an alternate history where the tale of the bamboo cutter is real (among other things).
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Shirogane is extremely terrified of insects. Of course, one chapter has him dealing with a cockroach.
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Chapter 88 finally tells the full story of why Ishigami was ostracized.
* WinWinEnding: Chapter 47 ends in this as [[spoiler:Kaguya was successful in her plan to copy Shirogane's elective, so they would be in a class together, which was both their goals.]]
* YakuzaPrincess: The president of the Astronomy Club. She's given as one of the examples of how dangerous club budget meetings can be for an "[[PennyAmongDiamonds Impure]]" like Shirogane.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Shirogane is blond and Fujiwara has silver hair despite being Japanese. Lampshaded in Shirogane's character profile.
--> ''"His hair color is merely manga artistic expression. He is fully Japanese."''
* YouNeedToGetLaid: With all of the sexual tension and constant longing for Shirogane, Hayasaka explicitly tells Kaguya this almost word for word in Chapter 71.
----
-> Result of today's battle:\\
([[TvtropesWillRuinYourLife Due to spending too much time on TV Tropes]])\\
TROPER'S LOSS
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%% Remember to crosswick
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[[quoteright:275:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1_988.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:275:[[Music/PatBenatar Love is a battlefield]]]]
--> ''Love is war...and the one who falls in love loses!"
Shuchi'in Academy is one of the most prestigious schools in Japan, attended by only the wealthiest families. Our protagonists are the student council of this school. The vice president, Kaguya Shinomiya, is the [[TheOjou heiress of one of the largest companies in Japan]], mastering multiple forms of artistic and intellectual subjects. The president, Miyuki Shirogane, while of common birth, is a TeenGenius with one of the highest grades in the country.
These two geniuses slowly fell for each other, yet their gigantic prides would not let them be the one to confess. So, they secretly began a battle. That is, the battle to make the other side confess first!
''Kaguya-sama: Love is War'' (''Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai ~Tensai-tachi no Ren'ai Zunousen~'', or ''Kaguya Wants to be Confessed to ~The Geniuses' War of Love and Brains~'') is a manga by Creator/AkasakaAka. It started publication as a monthly series in ''Miracle Jump'', but was later moved to ''Shuukan Young Jump'' as a weekly series. In March 2018, Viz Media began its release of the English translation.
Please place character tropes on the [[Characters/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar character page]].
----
!!This work contains examples of:
* AcademicAlphaBitch: Kaguya and Shirogane are this. They are the top students of their year and very popular. But they both look down on the rest of the students, mentally calling them animals.
* AffectionateParody:
** Chapter 74 as a whole to ShoujoDemographic romance stories. Kaguya goes from a calculating person to a typical shoujo heroine, she's in a LoveTriangle with Shirogane and Ishigami (of all people) and has to choose between them to go to the aquarium, and BishieSparkle is rampant. And it's all because they starting reading ''[[{{Glurge}} Today Will Be Sweet]]'' together. Extra points go to Aka for [[PaintingTheMedium trying to imitate the large advertisement space of shoujo magazines during the chapter]].
** Chapter 96 is done in the style of a cooking manga, complete with Fujiwara giving long (and inaccurate) descriptions of everyone's fried rice.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: InUniverse. When Shirogane and Kaguya talk about "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter", Shirogane thinks about the tragedy of Kaguya's lover burning the immortality elixir she gave him. Rather than the cutter being upset that [[WhoWantsToLiveForever he'd be living forever in a world without his lover]], Shirogane thinks him to be mistaken; the elixir was given to him with the intent that she'd come back, but because he didn't understand her intent, he burns the elixir.
* AintTooProudToBeg: Miyuki does this to force Ishigami not to leave the student council.
* AllElectionsAreSeriousBusiness: The election arc, of course, has everyone take their positions a little too seriously (up to and including acts of ''industrial espionage''). Shirogane ends up looking like a giant and threatening obstacle in the race, while Kaguya strong-arms and intimidates any potential threat to Shirogane's victory.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Shirogane's dad is a hilariously awkward man. He loves to call himself Shirogane's Sugar Daddy.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: For all the mind battles they engage in, Kaguya and Shirogane are shown to actually like each other.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Shirogane boasts that he has second highest grade in the entire country, passed very high level tests, is a certified hazardous material engineer...and an appraiser of chickens. Even the illustrations show this, with various professional certificates drawn along a cartoon-style chicken.
* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy: During Chapter 56, Shirogane describes the star Vega when he's talking about Deneb. It's possible this was just an energy fueled mistake on Shirogane's part, since Akasaka usually points out his mistakes after a chapter's been released.
* ArtShift: Sometimes the art will change to better suit a joke from scary to more shoujo-esque. UpToEleven in Chapter 74.
* BaitAndSwitch:
** Does it twice for "I Can't Hear the Fireworks" (Chapters 44 and 45). At first, it looks like, thanks to Hayasaka taking her place at home, she'll be able to watch the fireworks with the student council, but she makes it just in time fore the festivities to be over. Disheartened, she goes to cry under a stairway, [[spoiler:where Shirogane finds her regardless and gets her on a taxi to watch the fireworks from Chiba with the student council.]]
** When Hayasaka gets stuck at a mixer, she's able to successfully get Shirogane alone. Based on her frustration with Kaguya's disregard for her feelings, and her remembering her mission from last time she was with Shirogane, she looks like she's going to either steal him away or force a confession out of him... [[spoiler:but all that happens is she goes down to Shirogane's horrible singing]].
* BatmanGambit: The premise of the series is two geniuses playing mind tricks to make the other confess first.
* BetaCouple: Kashiwagi and her boyfriend are this. While they have their issues and come to the Student Council for help; they are dating and openly communicate with each other. While Kaguya and Shirogane refused to admit their feelings and are stuck in a constant war to make the other confess. [[spoiler:Chapter 48 even implies that they did something intimate over summer break, which if Chapter 76 is any indication, is entirely plausible.]]
* BirdsOfAFeather: Miko brings this up in regards to Kaguya and Shirogane in chapter 66, though it's actually averted. Every time a quality that one of them likes about the other is brought up, it's always something that they themselves lack.
* BoardGames: Chapter 57 centers around the student council playing a ''TabletopGame/GameOfLife''[=/=]Sugoroku mashup that Fujiwara's group had made.
* BrickJoke:
** Chapter 73 has Shirogane try to recommend a shoujo manga to Kaguya, in the hopes that she gets the urge to fall in love like in a manga book and confess to him. Chapter 74 has his plan succeed, in the weirdest way possible.
** In chapter 83, Shirogane's father tries to give him love advice by claiming that ladies love a fast sprinter (which Shirogane brushes off as only working in elementary school). Jump forward 3 chapters to the sports festival, and Kaguya is indeed love struck when Shirogane wins one of the running events.
** In Chapter 91, Kaguya offers Fujiwara tangerines so that the limonene in the peel would pop the balloon in front of her, but the latter girl passes up the offer. After the balloon gets to its breaking point, and Kaguya and Shirogane are fighting over the pump, then and ''only'' then does Fujiwara decide to get a tangerine, with the juice from the peel flying across the room and popping the balloon while [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the former two are in its blast range]].
* ButHeSoundsHandsome: When Shirogane's father is trolling Kaguya into revealing her feelings for his son, he comments "his parents must have good genes" when she mentions [[WhatBeautifulEyes his piercing glare]].
* ButtMonkey:
** Ishigami. By god, he can't seem to go one chapter without worsening his reputation with Kaguya, which he admits he's seriously afraid of. Even when he's not there, people generally don't have a good opinion of him.
** Iino becomes an even bigger one when she joins the student council with nearly every one of her chapters ending with her a shaking mess.
* CallBack:
** Chapter 56 has a sequence where Shirogane is stargazing with Kaguya during the moon viewing. It hearkens back to an ImagineSpot from an earlier chapter, where Shirogane pictured a camping trip ending with stargazing and a confession. However, in Chapter 56, he's barely even paying attention to Kaguya (even though he's romantically and unknowingly blowing her socks off) because he's so fascinated by astronomy.
** In Chapter 74, Ishigami asks to take Kaguya to the aquarium as thanks for her help in tutoring him, chapters and chapters ago.
** Chapter 80's first and second pages have Iino introduced with the same paneling of one of Ishigami's introductory chapter.
** The principal and a few students are still playing ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' during the sports festival.
** Almost every face that Maki makes in chapter 98 is one that Kaguya has previous made ([[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tkcnrus.jpg like so]]). It's rather appropriate, considering that [[spoiler:[[ItRunsInTheFamily they're cousins]].]]
* CatDogDichotomy: Kaguya is the Cat with her aloof nature, and Shirogane is the Dog with his tireless work ethic. Interestingly, both of them like the opposite animal, and describe their positive traits in a way that ''also'' describes what they like in the other person. Dips into FemaleFelineMaleMutt as well.
* CellPhonesAreUseless: Kaguya phone didn't work when she tried to call the rest of the student council during the fireworks arc. She briefly wonders if it's due to [[HopelessWithTech her phone being out of date]].
* CharacterCheck: As the manga continued, the "Genius' War of Love and Brains" effectively ended and the two leads become a little more honest about their feelings. However, every once in a while there will be a moment where they act like their old prideful selves. Chapter 54 in particular was a whole throwback to how they used to act.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn:
** Kaguya and Shirogane would originally refuse to express even the slightest implication of interest for each other. As the series progresses, they become gradually more honest about their feelings and even forget to read the meaning behind their actions when caught up in the moment. This leads to some obvious flirting moments and both are shown to be completely fine with it.
** Fujiwara is introduced as the [[OnlySaneMan only normal high schooler]] in the student council who would refrain to acting as an oblivious SpannerInTheWorks but her friendship with the other members, as well as her HiddenDepths, have made her character more complex to the point fans theorize that she might be the smarter member of the student council, even better than Kaguya and Shirogane.
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler: Kaguya's Website/{{Twitter}} account ends up playing an important role as a cry for help in chapter 44.]]
* ClipShow: Chapter 59 has the student council disbanded, and in true clipshow style, going through items that reminded them of previous chapters and taking a walk down memory lane. It even does the StockSitcomGrandFinale ending of turning off the lights and leaving the room in a bittersweet fashion.
* CloseOnTitle: Used in Chapter 45 (I Can't Hear The Fireworks pt. 2). Given the circumstances, it doubles as a TitleDrop.
* ComedicUnderwearExposure: Chapter 70 starts with Fujiwara and Kaguya walking in on Ishigami getting changed in the Student Council room (though the narration and camera angles initially make it look like one of the girls is getting changed).
* ContinuityNod: Chapter 57 has Fujiwara saying that Ishigami is a man that beats women with logic, referring to the many times that Ishigami has made her cry when he points out the flaws in her logic.
* CringeComedy: Chapter 79 is this in its entirety, as Kaguya is baffled as to why love sickness caused her to faint in school and pretty much professes her love of Shirogane to her doctors (in denial of course) while Hayasaka gets embarrassed on her own behalf.
* {{Crossover}}: Has a couple of short comic encounters with other manga in ''Young Jump''. Shirogane and Kaguya briefly met with the leads of ''Tejima-senpai'' in order to manage their club's funds, and encounters the cast of ''Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet'' in one one-shot.
* CruelToBeKind: What Ishigami's plan to take down Iino's campaign boils down to. He wants an overwhelming victory in Shirogane's favor to take her down a peg, but the blow be so devastating that all the bullying she had been suffering from before, during, and after the election is turned to pity--that she didn't lose just because she was inept, she lost because her opponent outclassed her in every way. However, Shirogane making her focus on him and letting her get her points out softened the blow and turned her into a formidable opponent, ending the election with dignity and newfound respect.
* CuteAndPsycho: Moeka, Fujiwara's little sister, shows some signs of this in chapter 52 when she says that she would like to lock Kei up and torture her when she thinks of how pure she is.
* CutenessOverload: The sight of Kaguya wearing cat ears caused this reaction to Shirogane, enough to make his speech get reduced to nonsense. Kaguya later made him wear one, too...and experienced the exact same reaction.
** Kaguya also ends up frozen in place for an entire chapter when a sleeping Shirogane ends up [[SleepCute leaning on her shoulder]].
* ADayInTheLimelight:
** Chapter 30 revolves around Hayasaka, and her efforts to keep everyone away from the student council room after one of Kaguya's plans goes awry.
** Chapter 76 actually has the OnceASeason Kashiwagi and/or Boyfriend consultation go to her boyfriend for once. It also gives another glimpse into the pair's relationship problems.
** Shirogane's sister Kei has 2 chapters devoted to her.
** Osaragi has Chapter 85 from her perspective, shedding some light on Ishigami and Iino during middle school and giving off more of Osaragi's own personality.
** The Chapter 98 has Maki come in for advice instead. In truth, all she wanted to do was vent.
* DidTheyOrDidntThey: In Chapter 48, Kashiwagi and her boyfriend see the Student Council for some more love advice, and because of their demeanor around each other and how they talk about their vacation together, it sounds like they've gotten more ''intimate''. By the end of the chapter, neither one of them gives a straight answer, even though they both tricked the Council into thinking they were going to be a couple of MakeoutKids when they got alone time in the Student Council room.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Chapter 41 ends with the couple too nervous to text each other and just missing each other when they both decide to visit the school during summer vacation.]]
* DramaticIrony: Both Ishigami and Iino helped each other back in middle school, and neither is aware that the other did so. Ishigami sent Iino an anonymous letter of encouragement that continues to inspire her in the present, and Iino protesting Ishigami's continued suspension is what allowed him to graduate.
* EarlyBirdCameo: You can see Ishigami in one spread page in chapter 11. He doesn't appear until chapter 24.
* ElevatorSchool: Shuchin Academy goes from Kindergarten to university-level schooling, so pretty much everyone in the school is acquainted with each other. The sole exception, of course, is Shirogane.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Kaguya and Shirogane are so obvious about their feelings that are many rumors flying around that they're dating.
** Chapter 50 shows the audience just ''what'' everyone else can see; in the eyes of a neutral party (in this case, Kashiwagi), all of the serious, mind-wracking battles that Shirogane and Kaguya go through and their extreme efforts to deny their feelings to themselves and each other end up looking like awkward flirting and thinly veiled confessions.
* TheFaceless: Happens every now and again, but with Ishigami most frequently. There's a reason for this-- [[spoiler:he "closed his eyes" to people after the middle school incident, only perceiving people not close to him as faceless.]]
* {{Fanservice}}: PlayedForLaughs in chapter 64.5, but it's averted the rest of the time.
* FirstLove: The narrator stated that Kaguya and Shirogane are each other's first love.
* GambitRoulette: The series: romcom version.
* {{Glurge}}: In universe example with ''[[ShowWithinAShow Today Will Be Sweet]]'', a tear jerking manga the cast has read. According to the brief plot summary, the male lead is an IllBoy with a terminal disease while the heroine lives in an abusive household and suffered from isolation and anorexia before the [[ManicPixieDreamGirl male lead breaks her out of her shell]]. She also hasn't eaten decent food in a while, and the one decent meal she gets is a curry dish made by her love interest[[note]]which, by the way, is the only dish he's made that tasted halfway decent but too sweet[[/note]] before he kicks the bucket.
* GreenEyedEpiphany: Fujiwara invokes this on Kashiwagi in chapter 16. She asks for Kashiwagi to image her boyfriend with another girl and if she feels bad or annoyed then that means she loves him. The hilarious part is that Kaguya also imaged Shirogane with another girl and was ''furious''. She didn't take implication that it meant she cared for Shirogane well.
* GreenEyedMonster: Kaguya regards Fujiwara as her best friend. Also as her biggest rival for Shirogane's affection.
* GoneHorriblyRight: One of Kaguya's plans involved tricking Shirogane into using tips from "Textbook of Love" from a girls magazine so she'd have plausible cause to claim that he read it to get her to fall for him. All three steps end up working on her perfectly (she even ends up having a HeroicBSOD when he gets to the "[[{{Tsundere}} say you hate them]]" step) despite the fact that she knew he was faking it.
* HateSink:
** Kaguya's father. He drags her a quarter of the way across Japan (causing her to miss out on a chance to hang out with her friends), and barely even acknowledges her presence when she shows up. This is immediately followed by the reveal that he has never given her even the most basic form of parental affection. Then he forbids her from attending the fireworks festival, sending her into a HeroicBSOD. And all of this is in his ''first'' appearance.
** [[spoiler:Ogino. He was cheating on his girlfriend, and tried to buy Ishigami's silence when he found out (by offering to let him sleep with said girlfriend). Then he pulled a DeliberateInjuryGambit, making it look like Ishigami was a StalkerWithACrush.]]
* HypocriticalHumor:
** After Shirogane has one good night of rest, Kaguya muses to herself that the student body would throw themselves at him simply because he looks more attractive. Not only failing to realize that her love for Shirogane also extends to her major preference for his exhausted look, and that she was just as unresponsive when he tried to coax her into confessing while he still had his well-rested eyes.
** Any time Kaguya criticizes Kashiwagi's extreme clinginess and insecurities whatever her boyfriend troubles come up.
*** In Chapter 76 when Kashiwagi talk to Kaguya about her relationship problems, Kaguya finds it annoying how Kashiwagi can obsess over things so trivial, when Hayasaka has to deal with the exact same headaches from the girl herself on a daily basis. The art even {{lampshade}}s it by giving Kaguya Hayasaka's expressionless face.
*** Chapter 97 has her think to herself that she'd never be as paranoid or distrustful as Kashiwagi was. And then precedes to agree with every insane action and thought that Kashiwagi did to prove that her boyfriend wasn't cheating on her. Keep telling yourself that, Kaguya.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: The chapters usually starts with "[Character] Wants to XXX".
* IHaveThisFriend: When Kaguya goes to Kashiwagi for love advice, she tries this to skirt around the fact that she's talking about her and Shirogane. Kashiwagi is so used to this by now that she sees right through her lame excuse.
* IndirectKiss:
** One chapter has Kaguya switching her and Shirogane's cups to watch him squirm over this. She didn't realize that means she's also having an indirect kiss, causing her to squirm.
** PlayedForLaughs. Kaguya considers ''sharing earbuds'' to qualify as this.
* InnocentInnuendo:
** Chapter 14 is built on these. Due to thinking that "[[TheirFirstTime first time]]" means kissing, Kaguya ends up implying that she had sex with her newborn nephew on camera (among [[BestialityIsDepraved other]] [[BrotherSisterIncest things]]).
** Chapter 22 is sort of a continuation to that. Due to her inexperience, she started seeing every word and action as an innuendo. In particular, she described the act of sharing earbuds as "penetrating a membrane with a foreign object".
* IUhYouToo: A platonic variant in Chapter 77. After Fujiwara finally spits out how much Kaguya means to her (even using the word [[PlatonicDeclarationOfLove love]] during this), Kaguya merely responds that she tends to keep the things ''close'' to her around her.
* LargeHam: The narrator. He will happily describe whatever the current scheme is with full force.
* LaserHallway: Chapter 30 opens with Hayasaka dodging lasers to break into the student council room in the middle of the night and swap out Shirogane's personal supply of coffee beans for decaf. Why a ''high school'' of all places would have laser security isn't really specified (even if it is a school for rich kids), so it can probably be chalked up to RuleOfFunny.
* LastNameBasis: Everyone is referred to by their last name. The only exception being Fujiwara, who is on a one-sided FirstNameBasis with Kaguya.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The special chapter has Ishigami read a romcom seinen manga, and comment that it's an oddball in the magazine because it's completely devoid of {{Fanservice}}. Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?
* LemonyNarrator: The narration in this series takes itself ''way'' too seriously at times, and other times it's directly responding to what the characters say in a snarky fashion.
--> '''Shirogane:''' What am I, some lovestruck teen in a [[SelfDeprecation third-rate]] romcom?!
--> '''Narration:''' [[BluntYes Yes.]]
* LoserProtagonist: Inverted and and then subverted. Kaguya and Shirogane are both brilliant individuals who can expertly debate highly complicated and intricate subjects like philosophy without blinking an eye and are adored by the school the go to as model students by both the faculty and the staff. Despite this, both of them are repeatedly mocked by the narration for their simplistic views of romantic relationships and their inability to confess to one another, which turns them from intelligent [[TheChessmaster chessmasters]] into bumbling idiots.
* LoveMartyr: Shirogane's dad is revealed to be one. Despite his wife leaving him seven years ago, he's refuses to divorce her because he still loves her.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler:Chapter 89 made it seem like Ogino was able to get away with turning Ishigami into a pariah 'til chapter 90 revealed that Kaguya told the truth of the situation to the Shuuchiin [=VIPs=] that forced Ogino to transfer.]]
* MoodWhiplash: Chapter 87 is mostly just a collection of short looks into certain sports festival activities with a lighthearted tone. Ishigami rounds out the last couple of pages, noting that he's been having fun this time around and that he's glad he joined the cheer team, just as [[spoiler:the girl who helped get him ostracized shows up and calls to him]].
* MomentKiller:
** Just as Kaguya and Shirogane finally got to feed each other after fighting about who gets the last strawberry shortcake, Fujiwara comes out of nowhere, simply eats their pieces and the rest of the cake (''from their forks'', no less) and scolds them for fighting. This is just one of ''many'' moments that Fujiwara interrupts.
** A big one at the end of Chapter 78, where Shinomiya and Shirogane are trapped in the gym utility closet and [[HeldGaze looking at each other while Shinomiya's pinned to the floor]] when Iino comes in.
* MissFanservice: Fujiwara's older sister in chapter 87. She comes to the sports festival wearing a deep neck line with her huge breasts, midriff and hot pants.
* NoNameGiven: An odd example for Kashiwagi's boyfriend as not only is he a RecurringCharacter but he even appeared before Kashiwagi. But we haven't gotten his name at all, the [[WordOfGod extras]] only list him as Kashiwagi's boyfriend and nothing else.
* NoodleImplements: One of Kaguya's plans involved a tape measurer. We never find out what she was going to measure since [[SleepCute Shirogane leaning on her]] caused a CutenessOverload.
* ObliviousGuiltSlinging: Ishigami basically tells Maki that her crush will go nowhere if she doesn't act and expects the other party to come confess to her first, and she has even less chances of realizing her love if her crush felt the same way. Shirogane was right behind him as he said all of this, and suddenly felt terrible.
* OffModel:
** Hayasaka is shown with darker hair in chapter 12.
** Ishigami has six fingers when acting like a villain in chapter 65.
* OnceASeason: The closest manga approximation would be once per volume. Every volume, about 10 chapters, we have a chapter of Kashiwagi and her boyfriend asking the student council for relationship advice. Later chapters have the reverse situation, with Kaguya coming to Kashiwagi for advice instead.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: Chapter 74 for the student council (save Fujiwara), as they all start acting like Shoujo romance characters after reading a sappy shoujo manga. In particular, they note that Ishigami is much more forward with Kaguya even though he can't so much as make eye contact with her in a normal setting.
* PaintingTheMedium: Chapter 74's ArtShift accompanied by obnoxiously large ads for other series, as if it was printed in a Shoujo magazine.
* ParentalNeglect: Kaguya's father doesn't show her any sign of affection, while Shirogane's mother left the family when he was young.
* PetTheDog: In Chapter 54, Kaguya gives Ishigami her genuine thanks and an IOU after he unknowingly stopped Shirogane's mental assault. As expected, Ishigami is horrified and confused.
* PopularityFoodChain: Shuchi'in Academy actually has two separate ones, the first being the standard one and the other being determined by the parents' social standing. This means that Shirogane is simultaneously at [[StudentCouncilPresident the very top]] and [[PennyAmongDiamonds the very bottom]] of the food chain.
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Conversed. Chapter 75 has Iino getting the group to do some actual onscreen work after noticing the trend of them not performing their duties while in the council room. They actually ''do'' work, but Shirogane points out that she's [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall never around when they work]].
* PlayingHardToGet: The Series. At least the early and middle parts of it; they've since become more honest with themselves, but they're still too stubborn to confess outright.
* PlayingSick: Meta example with ''the author'' feigning sickness to avoid having to draw any gags for the inside cover of Volume 5.
* {{Pride}}: Why Kaguya and Shirogane don't confess. They're both so arrogant, they refuse to accept the idea that someone has any form of power over them even something as simple as a crush. Their ideal of dating is the other begging to date them. Later chapters, however, show that this is mostly just an excuse and they're just two awkward teenagers too shy to confess.
* PyrrhicVictory: Some "victories" end up with the winner being in worse condition than the loser. For example, chapter 15 is labelled as Kaguya's loss, despite Shirogane suffering more the entire chapter and ended up fainting. All Kaguya suffered was accidentally getting her breast groped.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
** Kaguya and Shirogane have one on separate occasions from, of all things, a ''horoscope website''. It tells them (based on their birthdays) what their problems and faults exactly are, and that they'd probably never get together if they don't set aside their pride and just ask each other out. On Kaguya's part she just [[SelectiveObliviousness doesn't believe the negative qualities in herself exist]], while in Shirogane's case he's just insecure.
** Hayasaka gives her one in Chapter 64, shutting down her {{Tsundere}} "I don't like him at all" line with noting that she probably doesn't considering that if his physical appearance is enough to sway her heart, she's probably very fickle with love. Fujiwara (indirectly) gives her another one, saying that true love is unconditional, regardless of looks.
** Iino gives one to the whole student body, bringing up their lack of morals and their terrible reputation despite their fantastic grades.
* RecapEpisode: The first half of chapter 11 is basically reiterating what chapter 1 said. It's because the series moved magazines, so the concept needed to be explained again to potential new readers.
* RunningGag:
** A shot of Kaguya with a sarcastic smile, looking down and muttering ''"How cute"''. They're all also in [[ImagineSpot Shirogane's imaginations]] and we never see her actually do it. One chapter had the situation reversed, with Kaguya having the condescending delusion instead.
** Ishigami getting terrified of Kaguya or just being depressed and coming up with excuses to go home for the day.
** Chapter 31 has the line "[[http://imgur.com/gallery/ajWFb That was a lie!]]" repeated multiple times.
** Maki stalking Kashiwagi and her boyfriend.
** People refusing Kaguya's offers of cake.
** Miko walking into the Student Council room [[NotWhatItLooksLike at the worst possible time]].
* SanityBall: The sanest person in the room varies from chapter to chapter. Usually, it will be whoever is impressed upon during the chapter.
* SeriousBusiness: Kaguya and Shirogane turns pretty much everything into mind battles, from Old Maid, discussing where to go on vacation, to exchanging LINE ids.
* SchoolFestival: The sports festival is a big arc for both Ishigami and Iino, since it elaborates on the reason why Ishigami is treated with disdain in school and looks at Iino's middle school years.
* SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack: Averted with most of the characters, on their days off they wear normal clothes. The only exception is Shirogane which has been lampshaded before.
* SecondYearProtagonist: Kaguya, Shirogane, and Fujiwara are in their second year by the time the series starts. Only Ishigami and [[spoiler:Miko]] are younger than them on the Student Council.
* SeriousBusiness: One chapter has Kaguya faint and go to the doctor's for examination. Why, you ask? She's come down with a case of ''lovesickness'', much to Hayasaka's complete surprise and embarrassment.
* ShaggyDogStory: Many chapters end with their mutual defeat, usually thanks to [[SpannerInTheWorks Fujiwara]] or Kaguya's lack of common sense.
* SheepInSheepsClothing: A lot of readers were uncomfortable by how nice the cheer team was to Ishigami and were worried that their plan to have everyone cross dress for the sports festival [[ItsACostumePartyISwear was an attempt to embarrass him]] (not helped by the fact that they all have HiddenEyes). But by the time the sports festival actually came around, it turned out that they really are that nice [[spoiler:and their lack of eyes was a visual representation of how Ishigami reflexively shut everyone out (leading to a heartwarming moment when he finally sees their faces after the relay race).]]
* ShipperOnDeck: Given the sheer number of people who gathered when a rumor spread that there was going to be a confession, it wouldn't be that much of an exaggeration to say that ''the entire student body of Shuchi'in Academy'' ships Shirogane/Kaguya.
* SiblingTriangle: [[spoiler: In chapter 39, it's revealed that the president's younger sister also has a crush on Kaguya.]]
-->[[LampshadeHanging Siblings tend to have similar tastes]].
* ShipTease:
** Chapter 73 is a zigzagged one for Ishigami/Fujiwara. When Shirogane asked about various girls Ishigami likes, he brings up Iino and Kaguya, both of which Ishigami doesn't care for romantically. Then Shirogane brings up Fujiwara, and we're treated to two panels of Ishigami's non-response, with a subtle blush in the second one. He then reacts in horror that he could fall in love with her and refuses to.
** The "Shoujo mindset" affliction on the main cast (sans Fujiwara) in Chapter 74 had Kaguya actually considering Ishigami as not only surprisingly attractive but also as a romantic rival for Shirogane. It also made Ishigami himself get over his usual fear of Kaguya enough to offer to eat a dessert with her actually ask her out to the aquarium.
** Shirogane's father tells the kids that running is a guaranteed way into a woman's heart. [[spoiler:When Ishigami runs in his team's relay race, the manga puts specific focus on Iino cheering him on.]]
** On their character profiles, Ishigami and Iino are labeled the "secret protagonist" and "secret heroine" respectively.
** The game Aka comes up with gives Iino the ability of "Childish Justice". When Ishigami's ability is used in tandem with hers, it becomes "True Justice"-- showing that they bring out the best in each other.
** The chapter where Iino reveals that she keeps and treasures a mysterious letter she got in middle school has Ishigami as the chapter's title character. Ishigami is barely mentioned and doesn't even appear that chapter, all but stating outright that Iino's MysteriousBenefactor (and the one she holds so dear) is none other than him.
* ShoutOut:
** In Chapter 15, the cockroach that shows up makes a "JOHJ" sound in reference to the language of the Hyper-Evolved cockroaches from Manga/TerraforMARS.
** Kaguya is holding [[Manga/HimoutoUmaruChan Umaru's hamster hood]] at the beginning of chapter 17.
** Fujiwara was playing ''TabletopGame/SettlersOfCatan'' in the beginning of chapter 29.
** Fujiwara is playing ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' in chapter 30. The narration later in the chapter also references the lyrics of Mezase Pokémon Master.
-->'''Hayasaka:''' STOP PLAYING POKEMON GO!
** In chapter 58, Kaguya mentions that Hayasaka watches [[WebVideo/HydraulicPressChannel videos of things being crushed in a hydraulic press]].
** Kaguya's gift to Shirogane references the story of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sang_Weihan Sang Weihan]].
** The saying that "the one who falls in love loses" seems to be a reference to the heroine of ''Manga/SpecialA'', who said the same thing.
** Miko's CatchPhrase during the Election Arc was "[[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump Make Shuchi'in Great Again]]".
** Shirogane and Ishigami are playing ''[[VideoGame/MarioKart8 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' in chapter 72.
** Fujiwara's "Love Detective" hat is the same one that Sera wore in ''ib: Instant Bullet''.
** The introduction of Kaguya's doctor plays similar to ''Manga/TeamMedicalDragon'''s "Daimyo Procession".
** At the end of chapter 86, Mr. Shinomiya is referred to as "[[Manga/KarakaiJouzuNoTakagiSan Karakai Jouzu no Otou-san]]".
** The manga has a cameo of Nusret "Salt Bae" Gökçe during Chapter 96.
* SickEpisode: Chapter 79 has Kaguya fall ill and get sent to the hospital suddenly. As she's loaded into the ambulance, it's stated that that she has the capacity for heart disease given her mother suffered from it. During a checkup at her doctor's office, it's revealed that it wasn't even clinical heart problems that caused her to faint in school this time; it was ''love sickness''.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Fujiwara and her sisters look pretty much the same, the only difference is the obvious age differences.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: As the narrator explains the entire reason behind this war, accompanied by a blushing Kaguya:
--> ''The war of love and brains. The battle where they put their honors and pride and stake. Naturally, reasons like "It would be too embarassing to confess" or "I might get rejected" obviously have nothing to do with it.''
* SurvivalMantra: In chapter 44, [[spoiler:Kaguya repeats "It's okay" over and over so she doesn't cry after not being allowed to go to the fireworks with her friends.]]
* TheTalk: Fujiwara ends up having to do this for [[ShelteredAristocrat Kaguya]] after a hilarious string of {{Innocent Innuendo}}s.
* TemptingFate: When Kaguya and Shirogane inspect all of the sports equipment, Kaguya mentions that the Tug o' War rope is worn down and old, with Shirogane replying that it can "survive another [year]". The next major arc after that chapter was the Sports Festival, and it's unlikely that that's going to go unnoticed... [[spoiler: and it doesn't do anything. The rope stays intact through the whole thing.]]
* TitleDrop: Kaguya's narration reveals that she "Can't Hear the Fireworks" (title for Chapters 44 and 45) because [[spoiler:her heart's pounding loud enough for her not to hear anything else while she's busy staring at Shirogane, awestruck at how much he's done for her to get to to see fireworks.]] Doubles as CloseOnTitle.
* {{Tsundere}}: Both main characters, but Kaguya displays the trait more. She tries to hide it with her graceful demeanor, but she slips into a maiden-in-love when nobody's looking. Both even said the classical "It's not like I like him/her or something!" tsundere line at some points.
* TwiceShy: Inverted. Both Kaguya and Shirogane are aware of each other's love and want nothing more than to provoke a LoveConfession to be the dominant one in the relationship (in a non-sexual way). However, they are entirely unaware of -[[{{Tsundere}} and can't admit]]- ''their own'' feelings.
* UptownGirl: Kaguya is the heiress to one of the richest families in Japan. Shirogane is, while very intelligent, a commoner and his obsession with saving money implies that his family is not that well off. While nothing has come of their infatuation yet in the school since most students are too afraid of Shirogane to say anything, it remains to be seen what problems will arise, given how Kaguya's family often looks down on common traditions let alone common people.
* VoodooShark: PlayedForLaughs. The reason that Shirogane is able to be a licensed appraiser of chickens is because the story takes place in an alternate history where the tale of the bamboo cutter is real (among other things).
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Shirogane is extremely terrified of insects. Of course, one chapter has him dealing with a cockroach.
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Chapter 88 finally tells the full story of why Ishigami was ostracized.
* WinWinEnding: Chapter 47 ends in this as [[spoiler:Kaguya was successful in her plan to copy Shirogane's elective, so they would be in a class together, which was both their goals.]]
* YakuzaPrincess: The president of the Astronomy Club. She's given as one of the examples of how dangerous club budget meetings can be for an "[[PennyAmongDiamonds Impure]]" like Shirogane.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Shirogane is blond and Fujiwara has silver hair despite being Japanese. Lampshaded in Shirogane's character profile.
--> ''"His hair color is merely manga artistic expression. He is fully Japanese."''
* YouNeedToGetLaid: With all of the sexual tension and constant longing for Shirogane, Hayasaka explicitly tells Kaguya this almost word for word in Chapter 71.
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-> Result of today's battle:\\
([[TvtropesWillRuinYourLife Due to spending too much time on TV Tropes]])\\
TROPER'S LOSS
