Season 3 of Kaguya-sama ended on a high note: an ironic juxtaposition to the abrupt the announcement of the end of the manga.
Needless to say, 13 chpaters are not enough to tie up all the loose ends. Here are some of the loose ends that the author, Aka Akasaka, had not yet wrapped up. Obligatory spoiler warning for the following.
The mother of Miyuki Shirogane and Kei Shirogane
I don’t think this needs any introduction. Even if you didn’t read any of the words in Kaguya-sama, you would’ve noticed that the Shirogane family is missing a mother.
It was only mentioned in passing until in chapter 208, when Kaguya went shopping for hot pot ingredients with Shirogane papa and asked about Miyuki’s mother.
Now this alone probably doesn’t require much text to cover, but the bigger story of the collapse of Shirogane papa’s company is a big one. And combined with other loose ends that need closure, I’m not convinced that it could be done, or at least done beautifully.
Shirogane papa’s beef with the Shinomiya family
The divorce and the collapse of the company goes hand in hand. The earliest mention of the collapse of Shirogane papa’s company was this panel in chapter 191. And as you’ve seen in the above, it seperated the family. But barely any more details were added since then, and what we know about the situation still doesn’t pass the surface level.
After the hot pot and Kaguya staying over at Miyuki’s palce, Kaguya discusses with Miyuki her choice to remain in Japan. In it she mentioned how the Shinomiya’s were the ones that actually destroyed his father’s company. This reveal felt like a long time coming. I had always thought a person with Shirogane papa’s wit, intelligence, and demeanor doesn’t seem like one that would bankrupt a company and drive the whole family into severe debt.
The lastest mention of this subplot gives us the scene where Shinomiya found out that her family essentially ruined the Shiroganes lives. But while it was nice knowing that Oko did the whole job, and the name of the company, there’s very little new information.
How did Oko destroy Shirogane Pharmaceuticals? What had happened between them to make him do it? When, where, and how did the two meet or got to know each other? We know Oko treats it just like another dirty job he had done, but what did Shirogane papa thought about it at the time? How did he cope/recover? And what does he think of it now?
Those might not be exactly the questions you had, but I think you’d agree the beef is an interesting and pivotal story to tell. Combined with the divorce (since you can’t really talk about one without talking about the other), 14 chapters might be enough, but as we’ll see this isn’t the only thing Aka needs to worry about.
The Iino Ishigami ship
Of all the unfinished subplots, the Iino Ishigami ship is probably the one that’s most prevalent and the fans enjoy the most. And if the most recent chapter (Everyday Life, Part 1), the chapter that announced the end of Kaguya-sama, is anything to go by, Aka will probably focus the remaining chapters to flesh out this ship.
Many of the most heart-felt moments in the series were the products of this ship. The Osaragi arc is one of if not the best in the series, giving depth to one of the most unsuspecting characters. Koyasu’s rejection of Ishigami was also spectacular, containing one of the most intricate displays of adolescense romance and internal conflicts period.
The arcs and moments are not only undisputable in their quality, they also serves as natural progress towards to ship. With the potential love interests of Osaragi and Koyasu now out of the picture, the only thing left for them to do is to be together. And nothing stops them from getting together other than their own pride and courage. Of all the loose ends, I trust Aka to handle this well.
Who is Hifumi Abe?
Just simple as that, Hifumi Abe was teased as a character, and then disappeared. The cat was the one that Shinomiya had taken a liking to a few chapters later, but a s far as I’m aware, we know nothing about this person. The Kaguya fandom wiki doesn’t even have an entry on him.
Maki finding happiness
The above are just some I thought of on top of my head when I saw the news, people who are bigger fans of Kaguya than I am can probably point out more things they want a satisfying conclusion to. But regardless I think my point is made: the Kaguya-sama manga is not ready to end.
It is therefore beyond ironic to see season 3 of the anime ending in such a bang, it’s a painful reminder of how rushed/unfinished of the manga ending is likely going to be. Aka might prove me wrong and work some magic in the 13 remaining chapters, but after Attack on Titan, I learnt to not hype it till I see it. And until the manga really finishes, I’m doubtful the whole of Kaguya would live up to its hype at its current peak.
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