Kaguya-sama: Love is War fans in the United States will get the chance to see the new season of the show a week before it premieres in Japan.
Distributor Aniplex of America announced that the first episode of Season 3 of the popular rom-com series, which now carries the subtitle Ultra Romantic, will be screened in the United States on April 2. The screenings will be held in Los Angeles at Aratani Theater and in New York City at the Japan Society. In addition to the first episode, fans will also be treated to a talk show starring the anime's voice cast, including Aoi Koga (Kaguya), Makoto Furukawa (Shirogane), Konomi Kohara (Chika), Ryuta Suzuki (Ishigami), and Miyu Tomita (Iino). Tickets will go up for preorder on March 22, with standard tickets costing $15 USD and premium passes priced at $35 USD. Fans who purchase a premium ticket will also be given a poster and a limited-edition tote bag that features a design of Kaguya and her condescending "How cute" catchphrase.
The screenings will occur one week before the show's Japanese broadcast premiere on April 8. Details about Season 3's streaming release outside of Japan have yet to be announced. The first two seasons of the show were localized and streamed through Funimation, but are also available on Crunchyroll as part of parent company Sony's initiative to consolidate its anime library under one brand. Sony also owns Aniplex, the show's distributor, and A-1 Pictures, the animation studio that produces the series.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War centers on the bizarre romance that blooms between the titular Kaguya Shinomiya, the heir to one of Japan's richest and most influential corporate conglomerates, and Miyuki Shirogane, an over-achieving workaholic from a middle-class family. The two are elected to serve as their school's student body vice-president and president, respectively. The would-be couple immediately develop a strong interest in each other, but their pride won't allow them to admit it; instead the two outwardly deny their mutual attraction as they engage in a series of increasingly convoluted mind games designed to make the other one confess their feelings first.
The series was created by manga author and artist Aka Akasaka and first published in 2015. The manga has sold over 4 million copies around the world and received a prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award. The manga returned from a 4-month hiatus last October to begin its final story arc.
The first two seasons of the anime are available for streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The manga has been localized into English and is distributed both digitally and in print by VIZ Media.
Source: Aniplex
