The way Kaguya-sama is written is like, there's a hopeful and genuine love for developing as a person, but that also involves tasting the bitterness of setbacks but still acknowledgnig that it's only a temporary dose of pain for a longer and more fruitful journey through personal development. Ishigami doesn't really "win" in the conventional sense that some people might want, but he wins in fortifying his heart and soul so that he can show empathy and kindness like the things that the student council have shown to him
If only the cap to his story wasn’t interrupted by the last arc. The later dynamic between him and Iino was fantastic, but I get why the story focused on the main characters for the sendoff. Not like it was ambiguous where his relationship went
truly the best character development over the entire series personally. You felt all kinds of emotions throughout his journey to become the person that he is in the end
@@Herr_Gamer According to the author, it was left like that intentionally because he actually intends to make a love is war spinoff but with Ishigami and Miko as the main characters instead and he didnt want to risk going too off the rails for the side characters.
The crazy thing is how after a certain point Ishigami becomes the main driving force of the manga. It doesn't stay like this forever, of course, but there is a chunk of the story where our main characters are "safe" and all the dramatic weight goes to Ishigami. He carries it like a main character, and his arc is the one affecting every other character. Being honest I don't like his ending, but his journey is a highlight for sure.
Same, wasn't a fan of how his personal plot/conflict evolved (i.e. romantic plot tumor taking over the main plot) and ended (i.e. it getting solved for him by someone else) along with his ship with Miko being frozen in ambiguity by the end (at least we get to see their character development hairstyles in university), but his story overall and development in dynamics with others (platonically, like Kaguya, Prez & Maki) was good to watch & does have good growth for him/life lessons for everyone.
@@Grizzexploder For me is his ship with Miko. I just don't like this romantic plot and once they really started developing the relationship I just stoped caring about Ishigami as a character, because all of his scenes would be about the ship I don't like. Then, when I saw the "ending", just rolled my eyes, all the "development" wasted for the sake of a joke.
@@MyCarnageExtreme I think his ship with Miko is one of the most misunderstood plots in the manga, and it's impossible to really understand Ishigami without understanding it. There's a sidestory that elaborates on a few details, but still doesn't explain it all. The TL;DR about the central relationship theme is that both Miko and Ishigami are repressed, and their development is starting the path to shedding their childish ideals. The longer story is longer. From the start, Ishigami is introduced with two qualities, his high observation power and "closed his eyes". In the sidestory, it's elaborated upon that Ishigami willfully ignores things he notices or knows and will even lie about it to both others and himself. Now, this isn't spelled out in the manga, but it is observable. In short, Ishigami's plot is written in a meta way, expecting the audience itself to apply observation power. Miko has no written internal monologue, and so can only be understood by observation. Osaragi has a monologue, but is later shown to be highly delusional. In short, she can only be understood if you can observe the contradictions. Pay attention, and you'll notice his self-sacrificing ideals resemble the words Miko told him in middle school. You'll notice how he acts when the other boy was hitting on her at the Christmas party is the same as when he's watching her with Shirogane's dad. You'll notice that he wants to use kindness to pressure a girl to date him, but thinks it's pathetic, that he feels ashamed of wanting to take advantage of Miko's weakness, that he considers a feeling for her that he "understands full well" and has known she's cute "for a long time now". Never describing a new feeling. And with the short story revealing he's a liar, it's obvious that there's only one girl he secretly gave a flower to, with the short story also revealing that this flower, which has always carried a meaning of "Forgotten Love", is actually the flower Ishigami "Likes most". There's a strong implication that Ishigami and Miko have been in love with each other since middle school, but simply too fixated on childish things, too stubborn, too disgusted with themselves, to actually pursue it.
@@Gorrillagun Good points, but my problem with the relationshop has nothing to do with any of this. I just don't like Miko as a character, she is not interesting to me, so having Ishigami attached to her was just boring. And to be honest with you, reading your comment just makes their ending even more terrible. So many layers in a relationship, all wasted for the sake of a joke. But again, I'm talking about my personal opinion on the subject.
@@MyCarnageExtreme I don't think it's wasted for the sake of a joke, so much as Aka always wrote Ishigami in a certain manner, often leaving things unsaid, and his Japanese audience showed they weren't really capable of grasping that writing style, and many outright hated the themes. He ended the manga without addressing some points he wanted to, but left the implication that they hadn't finished growing. He's said he wanted to deal with some setup in another format, since he retired from drawing, so I expect he'll find some way to do something with it. Kaguya-sama was essentially Aka's "sellout" story, he openly states it's not the kind of story he wants to be known for and he wrote it for money and clout, so I think he may have mostly written Ishigami and Miko for himself. As in, he's said multiple times that Ishigami is similar to himself, and his hobbies are reflected in Ishigami, and had an interview saying he'd need a wife that plays APEX. As for Miko being interesting, she's very much written from an external PoV. No internal monologue, little description. She's mostly just got behavior patterns and expressions. I think Aka wrote her according to his own tastes and a standard of realism, but the guy's got a pretty distinct worldview that's not really a good fit for what most people want to see.
33:46 That’s passive suicidal ideation, it’s when you don’t actively try to kill yourself but would be okay with something doing you in and even imagine it. At its worst someone might put themselves into situations where it could happen by paying less attention, like tempting fate. He was literally thinking “I want to die” and “kill me” over and over so it could’ve been that bad 💀
I get the feeling. Sometimes you just want to escape from yourself. Sometimes you just want to know what it feels like to just not be yourself, to feel relief from yourself. Not in a psychedelic dissociative sense, but from not having to worry, or struggle, or ask why. Just to experience some measure of peace that's beyond you.
Ishigami's character arc is absolutely one of my favourites in the whole animanga sphere. He basically goes from the generic otaku self-insert to being the guy most people who initially found him relatable wish they could be. And all that happens in a perfectly believable manner. AS A SIDE PLOT. As much as I think Kaguya and Miyuki are amazing characters, it's the side characters who make Love is War what it is for me, and Ishigami is their crowning jewel.
@@alicorn3924 No.. he dies after that. The conversation was. “If you would to fight ___ who would win. Him or you?” “Even he ___, he might give me a bit of trouble.” “But would you lose?” “Nah. I’d win.”
Ishigami did what the majority of shy guys wish they could do, and got to response most of us would get. During this video, I caught myself thinking, "life is unfair" once he cried after his rejection and then realized that the story was never about Tsubame, it was always about the journey he took and efforts he made. Honestly, he's stronger than the vast majority of people in his position, and out of the many fictional characters, I feel like I'd want to follow his arc more than the many others. What a great charcter, and what a video, I would never have seen his character without you. Here's a sub.
As a former shy guy i did the same thing, i changed after reading Mushoku Tensei, like fuck, if even that guy can change and become a better person so can i man. Fiction entertains and interests people. Good fiction changes people's lives for the better.
Ishigami is such a relatable character, and definitely best boy in the series. I was also even more invested in his relationship Miko than the main couple.
That's exactly the same for me, at first , the way they made the relation unachieved bothered me at first, I wanted more of their progression, but when they justified it by "succession" to shirogane and shinomiya, I actually loved it, sadly we have no confirmation if they end up together or not
I've had the same thing like Ishigami of not being able to quite remember faces. I'd never been someone who could look someone in the eyes, in fact i avoided it. After all, eyes are the gateway to the soul, and i'd already felt rejected enough by those around me, so i didn't want anyone to notice if i was sad or not. I would always look about the edges of their heads, or even stare past them or not even be looking at them specifically.
A similar concept is explored in Koe no Katach if you're ever interested in another story like that, it's a bit rough, but I strongly recommend it if you can handle it!
Ishigami's story is one of the few times I actually cried (not cause i'm macho or anything, i legit struggle to cry, i've no idea why, i was a silent baby too apparently), it's so good, even hearing you talk about it gives me them teary eyes again.
Bro i love Ishigami and his growth and his eventual chat with Tsubame at graduation had me completely sobbing hence why if you ask me this manga will always be a 10/10.
I love Ishigami's relationship with Shirogane and Kaguya. The latter's belief in him and will to help is inspiring and the friendship between him and the President really hits the feeling of two guys who are good friends to me. Awesome video overall, I got almost teary eyed at the end.
Aka Akasaka is legit a fuckin GOAT, he just makes throwaway storylines (in addition to main story lines like with ishigami's development) to fuckin FLEX his absolutely quantity of absolutely well creatively crafted characterization and story telling.
I love seeing ishigami love story because with kaguya and shirogane we can read their minds and i already know they re gonna get together, but with ishigami iam intrigued with his love story.
My perception of ishigod hasn't changed even once. I loved him at the beginning for being so memey and relatable and I loved him at later parts for him trying and changing. He for sure is one of the goats of male anime characters in my opinion.
25:36 One of my faviurite gags is Kaguya and Shirogane giving love advice to other people, when what they are saying actually ment for themvelves the most
45:58 I actually got really teary over this. This whole thing was beautiful, and I really like how you take every perspective into account, never really calling any person's decision or personality as a bad/good one. You deserve so much more with the quality of this massive video, I wish you the best of luck.
Fun fact: (20:28) The main reason why he lost is the race is because Table Top Gaming Club. If I remember correctly in chapter 77 of We want to talk about Kaguya, The TTG club was trying to give everyone mysteries drinks which was just miso and because no one is willing to drink except Tsubasa from the volunteer club, the president of the TTGC decided to drink their drinks standing still mid race when it was her turn to run, delaying their team. I think that's what had happen anyway
Think this is my favorite video about the entire anime. It's a really deep dive into Ishigami and does such a good job showing the intricacies of his character. Hats off for this one man.
He is one of those characters who we all thought was a lonely boy who we all thought never cared about life. But as the story progresses we learn more and more about him which reveals he was the opposite of who we thought.
Ishigami’s story is incredible not just because of all the lessons we can learn from it but because it’s a realistic story that readers can aspire and relate to. My own life had a very similar path that his did although it didn’t happen until college for me. It made reading his journey almost nostalgic as I drew parallels between his and my own journey.
Thanks for watching as always! Apologies for the delay on this but the length alone scaled up how long it took to piece together and re-watch for errors. EDIT: Wow, thanks for the new views from the algorithm everyone! Main (shitpost) Twitter: twitter.com/MeatMan__ Blog: multitrackdrifting.tumblr.com Twitch: twitch.tv/MeatManTV Discord (public): discord.gg/zVqbCr99du
This video is already big as it is, but I think it's very important to add, that "Depressed guy with noble ideals" is only one of Ishigami's personas. He is way more observant and manipulative than he pretends. And Miko Iino plays way bigger role in his life and character development, than you might think. So much of Ishigami's personality is connected to those few moments that he had with Iino in middle school. Recent lightnovel stories reveal, that Ishigami's emotions aren't always what they seem to be, and that Ishigami's "noble ideals" a lot of time is just a convenient excuse for him being a coward. Ishigami's views of love are actually pretty twisted. Ishigami at some point plans a "perfect love confession", that Iino would never be able to reject, even if she didn't love him back. Thats how low his self-esteem is. Ishigami is trying to be all noble and selfless cause deep inside he believes, that he is not worthy to be loved, so he needs these redeeming qualities. In reality he's not THAT selfless. There are plenty of moments where his "noble deeds" actually have an ulterior motive. Even when he pretends like he doesn't remember those gifts (flower and heart) he gave to Iino, in reality he is overjoyed seeing her care so much about those gifts. He considers Miko to be very cute and deep inside he likes her a lot, but he's ashamed of those feelings and spends a big part of the story trying to ignore them.
@@vintage3412 Yeah, its a short story called "Yu Ishigami wants to send a gift". It happens timewise right before the last chapter of the manga and it reveals how Ishigami thinks about Iino, how he thinks about Tsubame, how he thinks about people around him and love in general. To put it shortly, Ishigami always knew about all the weird things happening about him. He knew that Shirogane and Kaguya liked each other when they were still hiding it, he knew that Tsubame never loved him, and he noticed that Miko was getting interested in him. However, he plays a fool that doesn't know anything cause that is more convenient for him. Ishigami was so brave with Tsubame cause he had nothing to lose and he was pushed by time limit, but he's scared to death that Iino might reject him. Thats why he ignored her hints for so long.
I am supposed to study for 2 hours but here I am. Anyways, A nice summary and some really nice way to put the whole analysis. I just wanted to pass time to be honest cuz I did an analysis of the manga and about Ishigami myself for a Quora post. To be honest you put it soo well together that it made me emotional.
Man this video made me feel it from my soul, well done creating this video. I haven't read the full manga or seen the full anime series, but this gives me the motivation to pick it up again and read the manga when I can. Plus the way you gave your opinions while giving the summary, perfectly short and strong which influences the way I percieve the character you are trying to narrate. I really loved it! I hope to see more of these kind of video's to be honest. Since the passion you have and had for this video, can be heard, but the amount of time spent can not be seen.
Ishigami is the goat I personally ship him with Hayasaka because they are both my favourite characters but I also ship him with the pink-haired senpai because I want my boy to win but I think realistically he's gonna end up with Miko (I am a anime only please don't spoil me)
@@user-lv8dn8gw9z I mean, they do have a scene talking almost at the very end, during Hayasaka's epilogue... But still, I think you're right, I don't remember them interacting at all at any point prior.
I didn't know a character analysis video could ever make me cry. Congragulations, man, you did it. This is such a beautifully crafted video and every chapter of it was narrated with an amazing level of understanding of both the manga and Ishigami as a person.
My boy Ishigami getting the recognition he deserves. This is my favorite manga ever and I know that he's not the main character of it but it sure as hell felt like it for me. Great video, cried a bit at the end.
youve certainly done his story justice. i remember seeing ishigamis backstory before. i havent even watched love is war yet, just clips. had me sobbing lol and i didnt even know how it ended. i think i only heard until the cheer team asks if yuu is okay with losing the race. that ending was very satisfying. your video had me crying a lot as well haha! ive forgotten, but now ive remembered. thanks to this video, i now know how ill reject this one person too who reached out to me when i was at my lowest. (you can skip reading the messages below...) i know i dont have to explain myself, but in my current circumstances, there are too many problems with myself and personal life. i thank them so so very much for getting my head out of the gutter, i dont think they know it either, ive stopped talking to them because of their indirect confession (something written), and there are too many school works i need to take care of. im the one who broke our promise and the one who started ghosting them. romance isnt my thing, it kind of disgusts me but when i see other people from time to time, im happy for them. i get giddy even. i just dont want to partake in it myself. like, im not the person who says "im not ready yet", because im hesitating and shy. im the guy whos hesitating, because i know that i will never ever be ready for them and i just dont know how ill tell them. im a very forgetful person. if it seems easy for me to spill my guts online, i cant say it irl because of this persona im stuck portraying. being honest and being myself at school is incredibly difficult. people know me for myself in the past when many of my troubles havent reached or properly affected me yet. i cant do it anymore, but they dont believe me. the teachers will push you themselves, thinking with best intentions, but not knowing how much worse it makes for me. i am not shy. i just cant do it like my classmates. its tiring for me, but im already stuck, so i have to at least fulfill my duties---the responsibilities placed upon me. bits of ishigami's story reminds me of myself. the self loathing and confessions especially. where he was scorned though, i was admired. and well... im not used to it. sorry if it sounds pretentious by the way. when i was younger, i got used to being left alone and being seen as a problem child (negative) even as i was excelling. when i moved schools, people thought of me highly (sometimes as a problem child but positively). its very jarring and i cant deal with the burdens. every plan is lack luster and my financial situation is getting worse and worse. just tell people or your teacher the truth. just tell the people i confide in. *i cant.* i really really cant.
me being around the same age with the confusion, stress, and everything else although i havent found anyone to really like... the whole series i have been rooting for ishigami, i get so hyped whenever he succeeds and sad when he gets an L
Video essays make other people cry right? RIGHT!? This is probably my 3rd time watching this video and it's still amazing. From the analysis of his character to the layout of the video, everything is so well made and it goes to show how much you can get out of a seemingly saturated genre. This video is one of the reasons I enjoy video essay content so much. Thank you
I don't really have much experience but I'll just write whatI think. I think that this video essay was really well articulated. The analysis, meanings, and interpretations really struck chords within me. The time making this video must've been long. I really like this video. I think it's well made.
One of my favourite moments from the show was when chika ask chibi shinomiya whos her favourite then she pointed out the miyuki was first, ishimiya was second and chika is the last one
Honestly just amazed at how much care went into Ishigami’s character. I was surprised when I read that the creator Aka Akasaka didn’t really have any experience with romance in high school, because the sense of realism and maturity he writes Ishigami’s story with is so good I thought he would had to been pulling from personal experience. Also shot out to Kaguya helping Ishigami. I think we all wished we could have had friend like her who would be able to point out if we were thinking of doing something creepy or cringe in the pursuit of romance.
so i havent read the manga since it finished. its a top 3 for me, and i remember a lot of crying for ishigami (from me ofc). you just made me relive that. Damn you...
One thing i love about how Ishigami is written is how his character takes full advantage of the less certain zone in which a deuteragonist rests. Unlike the protagonist, his story is much less certain because his success in whatever the story is about isn't guaranteed. The whole point of a romcom is the main love interests getting together, Ishigami not being the protagonist allows the story to explore something of a messier, more realistic depiction of what love, or a teenage perception of love, is really like. If it weren't for how early the backstory between Iino and Ishigami was explained (and the author comments joking that they're the secondary protagonist and heroine), his own love life could have been even more wild. While I'm not a fan of how he's left at effectively a cliffhanger for a sequel we may never get, what we did get easily made Ishigami a favorite
kaguya sama is possibly the greatest rom com ever written and it is pretty much a given that ishigami is the best character. great video, i agree with everything you said
Many came becouse of Kaguya... Many stayed becouse of Hayasaka... But in the end....many stayed becouse of Ishigami....becouse we want him to be happy T_T
46:21 This is something I noticed in Shirogane/Kaguya’s relationship too before they started dating, i’m sure its probably addressed somewhere in the manga, especially with Shirogane but I hope in the anime adaptation they made it clear that Shirogane is where he is now because other personal reasons separate from Kaguya, I know he works hard to take his father’s company back
people like Kyoko’s boyfriend…. scum and villainy, poor excuses for human beings who will do everything in their power to maintain their reputation. I’ve dealt with people like this, and they’d better hope I never see them again because unlike our boi Ishigami, I am a petty bitch
Ishigami had my heart from the moment he was introduced, but when we saw his backstory I just loved him even more, he deserves better and I swear if he gets his heart broken I'm gonna throw something.
Your video's a fantastic character analysis and the script is so compelling that I felt myself re-experience the sensations I encountered while watching the show for the first time. Thank you for this, it was pretty awesome. Definitely going to check out your other stuff
The worst error us anxious people do, is thinking our problem solving mental skills aply to our emotions and social life, you gotta live and feel your way tru those.
Ishigami is usually condescending, great sense of dark humor, and the fact that he does not understand why tf are people so energetic and jolly is something i liked about his char, but what made ishigami my fav is his few moments of being an extreme chad, like fr he is cool at some points throughout the series which shows he still has the middle school boy in himself who stands up for the right thing, and the moment he said "ussse baaka" i literally was like hell yeah.
Was always talking with my little sister about him as I watched the anime, had the running joke of just "He just like me for real." Until one day it hit like a truck exactly how similar he was. Then it stopped being a joke. Then HE stopped being a joke. The relay race was the most emotionally invested I've been in a story in a while. Almost cried and was marching my room chanting "Go to hell, Dumbass" (a very welcome change the anime did). I honestly don't even care for the main plot anymore. Seeing a guy I can relate to on such a deep level get such an amazing story has been incredible. Also Miko is the best girl and seeing them interact genuinely is just a dopamine pump.
This video is so good and positive. So why does it make me feel depressed?
The way Kaguya-sama is written is like, there's a hopeful and genuine love for developing as a person, but that also involves tasting the bitterness of setbacks but still acknowledgnig that it's only a temporary dose of pain for a longer and more fruitful journey through personal development. Ishigami doesn't really "win" in the conventional sense that some people might want, but he wins in fortifying his heart and soul so that he can show empathy and kindness like the things that the student council have shown to him
@@MeatManMedia You have the best words to ever write my man. I love your style of narration.
making a 50 minute video on Ishigami is crazy...I respect it.
Me too. Respect
Yes
ishigami deserved this video tho
it didn't feel like 50 minutes, i mean i almost cried this video is hartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time
I know right?!
Only 50 minutes for the absolute goat, I could talk about how perfect of a character he is for hours
Ishigami's story legitimately became my preferred narrative over the main plot. God it was so damn good to read it in the manga.
I totally feel the same way, and I love all the characters but his was just, explosive, every development had me gripped
@@MeatManMedia bro this video is ART
If only the cap to his story wasn’t interrupted by the last arc. The later dynamic between him and Iino was fantastic, but I get why the story focused on the main characters for the sendoff. Not like it was ambiguous where his relationship went
truly the best character development over the entire series personally. You felt all kinds of emotions throughout his journey to become the person that he is in the end
@@Herr_Gamer According to the author, it was left like that intentionally because he actually intends to make a love is war spinoff but with Ishigami and Miko as the main characters instead and he didnt want to risk going too off the rails for the side characters.
The crazy thing is how after a certain point Ishigami becomes the main driving force of the manga. It doesn't stay like this forever, of course, but there is a chunk of the story where our main characters are "safe" and all the dramatic weight goes to Ishigami. He carries it like a main character, and his arc is the one affecting every other character.
Being honest I don't like his ending, but his journey is a highlight for sure.
Same, wasn't a fan of how his personal plot/conflict evolved (i.e. romantic plot tumor taking over the main plot) and ended (i.e. it getting solved for him by someone else) along with his ship with Miko being frozen in ambiguity by the end (at least we get to see their character development hairstyles in university), but his story overall and development in dynamics with others (platonically, like Kaguya, Prez & Maki) was good to watch & does have good growth for him/life lessons for everyone.
@@Grizzexploder For me is his ship with Miko. I just don't like this romantic plot and once they really started developing the relationship I just stoped caring about Ishigami as a character, because all of his scenes would be about the ship I don't like. Then, when I saw the "ending", just rolled my eyes, all the "development" wasted for the sake of a joke.
@@MyCarnageExtreme I think his ship with Miko is one of the most misunderstood plots in the manga, and it's impossible to really understand Ishigami without understanding it. There's a sidestory that elaborates on a few details, but still doesn't explain it all.
The TL;DR about the central relationship theme is that both Miko and Ishigami are repressed, and their development is starting the path to shedding their childish ideals. The longer story is longer.
From the start, Ishigami is introduced with two qualities, his high observation power and "closed his eyes". In the sidestory, it's elaborated upon that Ishigami willfully ignores things he notices or knows and will even lie about it to both others and himself. Now, this isn't spelled out in the manga, but it is observable.
In short, Ishigami's plot is written in a meta way, expecting the audience itself to apply observation power. Miko has no written internal monologue, and so can only be understood by observation. Osaragi has a monologue, but is later shown to be highly delusional. In short, she can only be understood if you can observe the contradictions.
Pay attention, and you'll notice his self-sacrificing ideals resemble the words Miko told him in middle school. You'll notice how he acts when the other boy was hitting on her at the Christmas party is the same as when he's watching her with Shirogane's dad. You'll notice that he wants to use kindness to pressure a girl to date him, but thinks it's pathetic, that he feels ashamed of wanting to take advantage of Miko's weakness, that he considers a feeling for her that he "understands full well" and has known she's cute "for a long time now". Never describing a new feeling.
And with the short story revealing he's a liar, it's obvious that there's only one girl he secretly gave a flower to, with the short story also revealing that this flower, which has always carried a meaning of "Forgotten Love", is actually the flower Ishigami "Likes most".
There's a strong implication that Ishigami and Miko have been in love with each other since middle school, but simply too fixated on childish things, too stubborn, too disgusted with themselves, to actually pursue it.
@@Gorrillagun Good points, but my problem with the relationshop has nothing to do with any of this. I just don't like Miko as a character, she is not interesting to me, so having Ishigami attached to her was just boring.
And to be honest with you, reading your comment just makes their ending even more terrible. So many layers in a relationship, all wasted for the sake of a joke. But again, I'm talking about my personal opinion on the subject.
@@MyCarnageExtreme I don't think it's wasted for the sake of a joke, so much as Aka always wrote Ishigami in a certain manner, often leaving things unsaid, and his Japanese audience showed they weren't really capable of grasping that writing style, and many outright hated the themes. He ended the manga without addressing some points he wanted to, but left the implication that they hadn't finished growing. He's said he wanted to deal with some setup in another format, since he retired from drawing, so I expect he'll find some way to do something with it.
Kaguya-sama was essentially Aka's "sellout" story, he openly states it's not the kind of story he wants to be known for and he wrote it for money and clout, so I think he may have mostly written Ishigami and Miko for himself. As in, he's said multiple times that Ishigami is similar to himself, and his hobbies are reflected in Ishigami, and had an interview saying he'd need a wife that plays APEX.
As for Miko being interesting, she's very much written from an external PoV. No internal monologue, little description. She's mostly just got behavior patterns and expressions. I think Aka wrote her according to his own tastes and a standard of realism, but the guy's got a pretty distinct worldview that's not really a good fit for what most people want to see.
33:46
That’s passive suicidal ideation, it’s when you don’t actively try to kill yourself but would be okay with something doing you in and even imagine it. At its worst someone might put themselves into situations where it could happen by paying less attention, like tempting fate.
He was literally thinking “I want to die” and “kill me” over and over so it could’ve been that bad 💀
I understand that feeling. It's utter hopelessness that makes it even more painful.
That's me right now... and for the past couple years.
I get the feeling. Sometimes you just want to escape from yourself. Sometimes you just want to know what it feels like to just not be yourself, to feel relief from yourself. Not in a psychedelic dissociative sense, but from not having to worry, or struggle, or ask why. Just to experience some measure of peace that's beyond you.
wait huh?
...I may need therapy.
I didn’t know what that was until now but damn I relate to it.
Ishigami's character arc is absolutely one of my favourites in the whole animanga sphere. He basically goes from the generic otaku self-insert to being the guy most people who initially found him relatable wish they could be. And all that happens in a perfectly believable manner. AS A SIDE PLOT. As much as I think Kaguya and Miyuki are amazing characters, it's the side characters who make Love is War what it is for me, and Ishigami is their crowning jewel.
1:35 "stand proud, Ishigami. You're strong."
and then Ishigami said "Nah, I'd win."
(is that how the meme went?)
@@alicorn3924
No.. he dies after that.
The conversation was.
“If you would to fight ___ who would win. Him or you?”
“Even he ___, he might give me a bit of trouble.”
“But would you lose?”
“Nah. I’d win.”
Then the song plays 'you are my special'
Ishigami did what the majority of shy guys wish they could do, and got to response most of us would get. During this video, I caught myself thinking, "life is unfair" once he cried after his rejection and then realized that the story was never about Tsubame, it was always about the journey he took and efforts he made. Honestly, he's stronger than the vast majority of people in his position, and out of the many fictional characters, I feel like I'd want to follow his arc more than the many others. What a great charcter, and what a video, I would never have seen his character without you. Here's a sub.
As a former shy guy i did the same thing, i changed after reading Mushoku Tensei, like fuck, if even that guy can change and become a better person so can i man. Fiction entertains and interests people. Good fiction changes people's lives for the better.
Ishigami is such a relatable character, and definitely best boy in the series. I was also even more invested in his relationship Miko than the main couple.
That's exactly the same for me, at first , the way they made the relation unachieved bothered me at first, I wanted more of their progression, but when they justified it by "succession" to shirogane and shinomiya, I actually loved it, sadly we have no confirmation if they end up together or not
I've had the same thing like Ishigami of not being able to quite remember faces. I'd never been someone who could look someone in the eyes, in fact i avoided it. After all, eyes are the gateway to the soul, and i'd already felt rejected enough by those around me, so i didn't want anyone to notice if i was sad or not. I would always look about the edges of their heads, or even stare past them or not even be looking at them specifically.
A similar concept is explored in Koe no Katach if you're ever interested in another story like that, it's a bit rough, but I strongly recommend it if you can handle it!
Ishigami's story is one of the few times I actually cried (not cause i'm macho or anything, i legit struggle to cry, i've no idea why, i was a silent baby too apparently), it's so good, even hearing you talk about it gives me them teary eyes again.
Wow I am literally the same
Oh cool we are alike then
Bro i love Ishigami and his growth and his eventual chat with Tsubame at graduation had me completely sobbing hence why if you ask me this manga will always be a 10/10.
34:54 For someone who had somewhat of a terrible marriage experience, he sure know how to talk about love.
Shirogane's dad can be surprisingly wise.
Probably my favorite relationship in this is between Ishigami and Kaguya. Their friendship was the push Ishigami needed to put himself back out there
I love Ishigami's relationship with Shirogane and Kaguya. The latter's belief in him and will to help is inspiring and the friendship between him and the President really hits the feeling of two guys who are good friends to me.
Awesome video overall, I got almost teary eyed at the end.
Aka Akasaka is legit a fuckin GOAT, he just makes throwaway storylines (in addition to main story lines like with ishigami's development) to fuckin FLEX his absolutely quantity of absolutely well creatively crafted characterization and story telling.
I love seeing ishigami love story because with kaguya and shirogane we can read their minds and i already know they re gonna get together, but with ishigami iam intrigued with his love story.
My perception of ishigod hasn't changed even once. I loved him at the beginning for being so memey and relatable and I loved him at later parts for him trying and changing.
He for sure is one of the goats of male anime characters in my opinion.
25:36 One of my faviurite gags is Kaguya and Shirogane giving love advice to other people, when what they are saying actually ment for themvelves the most
Ishigami deserves a dub bruh
Man played the itachi roll
Man got the growth
He needs a dub
A bro dab and a hoe dub
He will get Lino fosho fosho
literally watched the anime while muttering this to myself like an insane person every time he was involved in anything
Spoiler alert.
Pretty much confirmed he eventually ends up with Iino Miko in the end.
Ishigami just embodies my "I'm not good enough" mentally.
45:58 I actually got really teary over this. This whole thing was beautiful, and I really like how you take every perspective into account, never really calling any person's decision or personality as a bad/good one. You deserve so much more with the quality of this massive video, I wish you the best of luck.
Fun fact: (20:28) The main reason why he lost is the race is because Table Top Gaming Club. If I remember correctly in chapter 77 of We want to talk about Kaguya, The TTG club was trying to give everyone mysteries drinks which was just miso and because no one is willing to drink except Tsubasa from the volunteer club, the president of the TTGC decided to drink their drinks standing still mid race when it was her turn to run, delaying their team. I think that's what had happen anyway
Think this is my favorite video about the entire anime. It's a really deep dive into Ishigami and does such a good job showing the intricacies of his character. Hats off for this one man.
He is one of those characters who we all thought was a lonely boy who we all thought never cared about life.
But as the story progresses we learn more and more about him which reveals he was the opposite of who we thought.
If I could make any anime character real, I don't care of making any waifu real, I'll make Ishigami real to hug him and be his friend
Ishigami’s story is incredible not just because of all the lessons we can learn from it but because it’s a realistic story that readers can aspire and relate to. My own life had a very similar path that his did although it didn’t happen until college for me. It made reading his journey almost nostalgic as I drew parallels between his and my own journey.
Thanks for watching as always! Apologies for the delay on this but the length alone scaled up how long it took to piece together and re-watch for errors.
EDIT: Wow, thanks for the new views from the algorithm everyone!
Main (shitpost) Twitter: twitter.com/MeatMan__
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Damn, watching episode 10-12 in Season 2 almost made me cry, what a underrated guy...
This video is already big as it is, but I think it's very important to add, that "Depressed guy with noble ideals" is only one of Ishigami's personas. He is way more observant and manipulative than he pretends. And Miko Iino plays way bigger role in his life and character development, than you might think. So much of Ishigami's personality is connected to those few moments that he had with Iino in middle school. Recent lightnovel stories reveal, that Ishigami's emotions aren't always what they seem to be, and that Ishigami's "noble ideals" a lot of time is just a convenient excuse for him being a coward. Ishigami's views of love are actually pretty twisted. Ishigami at some point plans a "perfect love confession", that Iino would never be able to reject, even if she didn't love him back. Thats how low his self-esteem is. Ishigami is trying to be all noble and selfless cause deep inside he believes, that he is not worthy to be loved, so he needs these redeeming qualities. In reality he's not THAT selfless. There are plenty of moments where his "noble deeds" actually have an ulterior motive. Even when he pretends like he doesn't remember those gifts (flower and heart) he gave to Iino, in reality he is overjoyed seeing her care so much about those gifts. He considers Miko to be very cute and deep inside he likes her a lot, but he's ashamed of those feelings and spends a big part of the story trying to ignore them.
Light novel?
@@vintage3412 Yeah, its a short story called "Yu Ishigami wants to send a gift". It happens timewise right before the last chapter of the manga and it reveals how Ishigami thinks about Iino, how he thinks about Tsubame, how he thinks about people around him and love in general.
To put it shortly, Ishigami always knew about all the weird things happening about him. He knew that Shirogane and Kaguya liked each other when they were still hiding it, he knew that Tsubame never loved him, and he noticed that Miko was getting interested in him. However, he plays a fool that doesn't know anything cause that is more convenient for him. Ishigami was so brave with Tsubame cause he had nothing to lose and he was pushed by time limit, but he's scared to death that Iino might reject him. Thats why he ignored her hints for so long.
I'm very impressed! This was a really well put-together video essay and I love it!! Great job
We need a spin off manga or anime of Ino and ishigami
I am supposed to study for 2 hours but here I am. Anyways, A nice summary and some really nice way to put the whole analysis. I just wanted to pass time to be honest cuz I did an analysis of the manga and about Ishigami myself for a Quora post. To be honest you put it soo well together that it made me emotional.
I admire Ishigami a lot, and a huge reason is because he was able to do what I have never been able to do
29:05 Ishigami Has that Accidental Rizz
Man I hate that I had to stumble upon your channel, this level of quality if fantastic.
Ishigami carried this series after a while
Man this video made me feel it from my soul, well done creating this video. I haven't read the full manga or seen the full anime series, but this gives me the motivation to pick it up again and read the manga when I can.
Plus the way you gave your opinions while giving the summary, perfectly short and strong which influences the way I percieve the character you are trying to narrate. I really loved it!
I hope to see more of these kind of video's to be honest. Since the passion you have and had for this video, can be heard, but the amount of time spent can not be seen.
what a goddamn masterclass of a video, holy shit. The best (and only) in depth analysis of our boi, and thanks so much for it. Goddamn!
This video was very beautiful
Ishigami is the goat I personally ship him with Hayasaka because they are both my favourite characters but I also ship him with the pink-haired senpai because I want my boy to win but I think realistically he's gonna end up with Miko (I am a anime only please don't spoil me)
I mean, imo Ishigami doesn't have any romantic feelings towards Hayasaka and Chika.
@@SupremeWaffle2021I don't think he means Chika. He's probably referring to the girl Ishigami falls in love with during the 4th season.
@@TheGreatJinx Oh yeah... I read the manga so I forgot Tsubame had pink hair. The whole way through, I thought she had blonde hair, so I forgot.
I can't remember ishigami and hayasaka ever talking, well apart from the time hayasaka knocked him out
@@user-lv8dn8gw9z I mean, they do have a scene talking almost at the very end, during Hayasaka's epilogue... But still, I think you're right, I don't remember them interacting at all at any point prior.
This is amazing
Just how deep some people the writing is and how it reflects on our live is just an amazing question
I didn't know a character analysis video could ever make me cry. Congragulations, man, you did it. This is such a beautifully crafted video and every chapter of it was narrated with an amazing level of understanding of both the manga and Ishigami as a person.
And you did him justice, Ishigoat.
taking this as a sign to finally read kaguya sama lol
it's a great read, enjoy :D
My boy Ishigami getting the recognition he deserves. This is my favorite manga ever and I know that he's not the main character of it but it sure as hell felt like it for me. Great video, cried a bit at the end.
48:20 lost the battle but quite literally won the war
youve certainly done his story justice. i remember seeing ishigamis backstory before. i havent even watched love is war yet, just clips. had me sobbing lol and i didnt even know how it ended. i think i only heard until the cheer team asks if yuu is okay with losing the race. that ending was very satisfying. your video had me crying a lot as well haha! ive forgotten, but now ive remembered. thanks to this video, i now know how ill reject this one person too who reached out to me when i was at my lowest.
(you can skip reading the messages below...)
i know i dont have to explain myself, but in my current circumstances, there are too many problems with myself and personal life. i thank them so so very much for getting my head out of the gutter, i dont think they know it either, ive stopped talking to them because of their indirect confession (something written), and there are too many school works i need to take care of. im the one who broke our promise and the one who started ghosting them. romance isnt my thing, it kind of disgusts me but when i see other people from time to time, im happy for them. i get giddy even. i just dont want to partake in it myself. like, im not the person who says "im not ready yet", because im hesitating and shy. im the guy whos hesitating, because i know that i will never ever be ready for them and i just dont know how ill tell them. im a very forgetful person. if it seems easy for me to spill my guts online, i cant say it irl because of this persona im stuck portraying. being honest and being myself at school is incredibly difficult. people know me for myself in the past when many of my troubles havent reached or properly affected me yet. i cant do it anymore, but they dont believe me. the teachers will push you themselves, thinking with best intentions, but not knowing how much worse it makes for me. i am not shy. i just cant do it like my classmates. its tiring for me, but im already stuck, so i have to at least fulfill my duties---the responsibilities placed upon me.
bits of ishigami's story reminds me of myself. the self loathing and confessions especially. where he was scorned though, i was admired. and well... im not used to it. sorry if it sounds pretentious by the way. when i was younger, i got used to being left alone and being seen as a problem child (negative) even as i was excelling. when i moved schools, people thought of me highly (sometimes as a problem child but positively). its very jarring and i cant deal with the burdens. every plan is lack luster and my financial situation is getting worse and worse. just tell people or your teacher the truth. just tell the people i confide in. *i cant.* i really really cant.
I went through this and ishigami reminds me of how much I have grown up. Thanks for making this video
I found Ishigami relatable on more than one surface.
Love his character and I appreciate you introducing me to the manga. Stay safe man
This is actually such an underrated video. Nice job!
You really thought we wouldn’t notice you dropped one of the best yt vids of all time
THATS WHY HES THE GOAT THE F***ING GOAT! 🐐 ❤
Damn dude, you really nailed it with the analogy and explanation.
me being around the same age with the confusion, stress, and everything else although i havent found anyone to really like...
the whole series i have been rooting for ishigami, i get so hyped whenever he succeeds and sad when he gets an L
Can relate.
Amazing video mate
Thank you very much!
Video essays make other people cry right? RIGHT!? This is probably my 3rd time watching this video and it's still amazing. From the analysis of his character to the layout of the video, everything is so well made and it goes to show how much you can get out of a seemingly saturated genre. This video is one of the reasons I enjoy video essay content so much. Thank you
I don't really have much experience but I'll just write whatI think.
I think that this video essay was really well articulated. The analysis, meanings, and interpretations really struck chords within me. The time making this video must've been long. I really like this video. I think it's well made.
One of my favourite moments from the show was when chika ask chibi shinomiya whos her favourite then she pointed out the miyuki was first, ishimiya was second and chika is the last one
Honestly just amazed at how much care went into Ishigami’s character. I was surprised when I read that the creator Aka Akasaka didn’t really have any experience with romance in high school, because the sense of realism and maturity he writes Ishigami’s story with is so good I thought he would had to been pulling from personal experience.
Also shot out to Kaguya helping Ishigami. I think we all wished we could have had friend like her who would be able to point out if we were thinking of doing something creepy or cringe in the pursuit of romance.
so i havent read the manga since it finished. its a top 3 for me, and i remember a lot of crying for ishigami (from me ofc). you just made me relive that.
Damn you...
GOATed video for a GOATed character - thank you very much!
longest, and the best one you've made
I found myself much more invested in any Ishigami plot rather than the main story.
God this video perfectly encapsulates why Ishigami is one of my favorite characters in fiction
One thing i love about how Ishigami is written is how his character takes full advantage of the less certain zone in which a deuteragonist rests. Unlike the protagonist, his story is much less certain because his success in whatever the story is about isn't guaranteed. The whole point of a romcom is the main love interests getting together, Ishigami not being the protagonist allows the story to explore something of a messier, more realistic depiction of what love, or a teenage perception of love, is really like.
If it weren't for how early the backstory between Iino and Ishigami was explained (and the author comments joking that they're the secondary protagonist and heroine), his own love life could have been even more wild. While I'm not a fan of how he's left at effectively a cliffhanger for a sequel we may never get, what we did get easily made Ishigami a favorite
I love this animanga so much man... Ishigami truly is the goat. Awesome video man
Ishigami truly had his overcome his Shadow in a natural way which is incredibly to put on as a Author.
I know we're here to talk about Ishigame but what the heck is going in with Shurigane's dad? Is he having a mid-life crisis?
He's getting his bread up
@@MeatManMedia He's getting his money up, not his funny up batman.
This is good I can see the hard work you put .keep going!! And enjoy it
I will always remember the UA-cam comment of “Ishigami goes from ‘he’s just like me fr fr’ to ‘I should be like him fr fr’”
Ishigami was a great kid.
I usually don't cry but this summary of Ishigami made tears fall, Ishigami really is the GOAT
kaguya sama is possibly the greatest rom com ever written and it is pretty much a given that ishigami is the best character. great video, i agree with everything you said
Ishigami was one of my favorite characters before but, after this video he cemented himself as my number one favorite character in the whole series.
Season 4 pain
I think it's 5 or 6 will be more pain
Ishikami, ishigod, ishilord, ishiking, I will see this video because thats my reaction each time I see ishigod
Brought me to tears but tears of joy of respect for the anime and the characters
yo man, thanks for making this video....
One does not simply improve for oneself, your value depends on how you relate to others and what do you do to society as well.
Many came becouse of Kaguya...
Many stayed becouse of Hayasaka...
But in the end....many stayed becouse of Ishigami....becouse we want him to be happy T_T
real ones stayed for every character. god what a good series
You earned a new subscriber.
Great video
46:21 This is something I noticed in Shirogane/Kaguya’s relationship too before they started dating, i’m sure its probably addressed somewhere in the manga, especially with Shirogane but I hope in the anime adaptation they made it clear that Shirogane is where he is now because other personal reasons separate from Kaguya, I know he works hard to take his father’s company back
Best character development in fiction ofc expt my glorious king fang yuan😢
people like Kyoko’s boyfriend….
scum and villainy, poor excuses for human beings who will do everything in their power to maintain their reputation.
I’ve dealt with people like this, and they’d better hope I never see them again because unlike our boi Ishigami, I am a petty bitch
Season 4 was taking too long I needed to know what happened to my boy,
I cried watching this video man, thank you.
Ishigami had my heart from the moment he was introduced, but when we saw his backstory I just loved him even more, he deserves better and I swear if he gets his heart broken I'm gonna throw something.
Your video's a fantastic character analysis and the script is so compelling that I felt myself re-experience the sensations I encountered while watching the show for the first time. Thank you for this, it was pretty awesome. Definitely going to check out your other stuff
Thank for telling the story of our Goat Ishigami
28:55 this is not a whatever reason but something funny happened on that part why it now became separated.
good job on the video. I've saved this video to one of my playlists so don't you dare delete this one.
Holy shit this is amazing, this needs to get more views. Good job man.
Blud has never experienced romance but he knows more than me
The worst error us anxious people do, is thinking our problem solving mental skills aply to our emotions and social life, you gotta live and feel your way tru those.
Thanks UA-cam algorithm, this video was great!
This was great, I love this series and this character. This series set the bar so high for any other in genre it is a masterpiece!!!
haven't even watched the video yet, already subbed, liked, comment, shared, Ishigami my GOAT
Ishigami is usually condescending, great sense of dark humor, and the fact that he does not understand why tf are people so energetic and jolly is something i liked about his char, but what made ishigami my fav is his few moments of being an extreme chad, like fr he is cool at some points throughout the series which shows he still has the middle school boy in himself who stands up for the right thing, and the moment he said "ussse baaka" i literally was like hell yeah.
Was always talking with my little sister about him as I watched the anime, had the running joke of just "He just like me for real." Until one day it hit like a truck exactly how similar he was. Then it stopped being a joke. Then HE stopped being a joke. The relay race was the most emotionally invested I've been in a story in a while. Almost cried and was marching my room chanting "Go to hell, Dumbass" (a very welcome change the anime did). I honestly don't even care for the main plot anymore. Seeing a guy I can relate to on such a deep level get such an amazing story has been incredible.
Also Miko is the best girl and seeing them interact genuinely is just a dopamine pump.