Zero no Tsukaima: Princesses no Rondo

This review assumes you have seen the first 2 seasons. This review may also reference some content in my reviews of this series. This review will contain spoilers.

The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of Princesses is S3 of this anime. While i got why the 2nd season was called what it was, here? S3 has no right to call itself by the name of Rondo. (A musical note fyi) and doesn't make sense. (Unless there is a hidden meaning like in the names for example) But putting that aside I have to say that is the LEAST of the problems with S3... first let me get ... this out of the way, this season does some things right, while doing MANY things wrong. Lets start out with what it does right.

1. Louise gets SOME character development (Emphasis on some btw)
2. They brought back Kirche & Tabitha (Charlotte) and made them MC (main characters) again, unlike in S2 where they were made side characters, sadly this isn't until the 2nd half so yeah...
3. They intro'd 2 new MC girls whom you'll prolly like, I did. They also intro'd a bunch of new side characters too whom imo, you could remove them from the anime and nothing would change much.
4. While I won't say, we get some surprises you may not see coming, really happy for one of those involving a certain character.
5. While the MC of S2 were made side characters in S3, they don't feel like we lost anything from them, well, that's how it feels to me anyway.
6. Reveals some plot points of whats been going on since S1 and also tries to tie up some of the plot points from S1 & S2 that were not finished.

All those points above sound super great right? Yeah, I'd say so, but even though i had a smile on my face a moment ago, I now have a frown because I know what am about to type... Here is what S3 botches... due note some spoilers will be mentioned, my apologies but I cannot do this review properly otherwise, however I will try to for as much as I can, still be vague, but some stuff i have to specifically point out what happens... hop out now or risk getting spoiled.

S3 picks up where S2 leaves off... except somehow time has passed (8 months though I forget if that's since the war started or since it ended as the Princess mentions one of the two) yet at the same time apparently not becus some plot points that one would discuss ASAP, rn't discussed either at all or till later... Yes for those who hated the war in S2 its done, over, ended off screen. So, DUMB. Like i myself didn't like some stuff that was just forced in S2, like the marriage (fyi, never mentioned here, but shown so it did happen) and how Saito became a murderer for the girl he loves which just felt so bad and forced in that scene where he asks that question. The flower wilting meaning he died yet somehow came back to life got explained here and imo, was done poorly, more so because Guiche also died in S2 (off screen, shown only through him telling what happened) and he made the same story of how he was saved as Saito did, yet Tiffa had to use her ring to save Saito and she isn't able to revive anymore because the ring lost its power. Based on what was said and shown, it seems like the ring was a 1 time use only item, so here we have a plot hole involving Guiche. I read a review that the anime is its own adaptation, while the LN are different, I can certainly believe it and that would explain the plot hole here as it was just teasing Tiffa in S2 which was still dumb. I dunno if the LN and anime are different or not, but I cna honestly say I have no intention of reading any book form of this series, though am not into books anyway but yeah, S3 really burned me here. Anyway, with that out of the way, let's get onto the other problems this season has... which are significantly worse than what i just wrote... before that, almost forgot, the flowers from their wedding are never shown or mentioned again besides maybe in a flash back.

So, in S1 you know I loved Saito's personality because he was respectful to women, shy, reserved, would look away if a woman was naked in front of him. S2 however made him gawk and stare at breasts, clothed or not. ... S3 however... *sigh* let's just turn him into a cheating bastard shall we? Oh? Let's also make him a bigger perv than he was in S2 while we're at it! :D ... >:( I lost my respect for Saito in S3, Louise called hima water flea in S3, but me? I call him scum. It was just Saito I lost respect for. The Princess (Henrietta) lost my respect too. In S2 she only forced herself on Saito to fool the guards searching for her, while she wore plebeian's clothing. In S3 I won't say what leads to this, and i GET and understand admiring someone and wanting to be like them and i also get loneliness BUT! You crossed a line Hime and worse, Saito also crossed a line and legit straight up cheated on Louise, where as before it was mostly just staring, this one went FAR too far. Oh and, Saito already cheated by fondling breasts out of lust when he was asked too and ofc they weren't Louise's breasts. Saito is scum, and an absolute idiot. His excuse in soem of these sitches is "I may never get a chance too" and I don't give a CRAP, I actually feel sorry for Louise in this season, mean while Saito gets near everything he deserves in this season, what scum. Side note. Though i harp on him and others/plot point I mention/am about to mention, keep in mind I don't hate the characters, I just hate how they were handled in S3 and so on.

As if that wasn't bad enough, there's not much plot in S3, certainly not interesting plot... and that plot doesn't even come up till episode 6 or 7... the "plot" b4 that is just setting up new charcters, not bothering to explain why Elvs are hated and feared and ofc, pointless fan service. There is some comedy here, including a whole episode almost of yuri (You'd understand why it can be funny if you saw it, the sitch that unfolds is well, something lol) but then we still get inappropriate stuff like asking if Tiffa's breasts are real just because they're ginormous, which elads to her asking if they're real herself (I dunno hun, you tell me, you should know best after all, they're your breasts ya know :P) and crap like that, is just so dumb. Tiffa is not an idiot btw. So that sitch shouldn't have happened.


Ultimately there's more I am sure i could mention including the last episode's BADLY tacted on and forced plot to try to make the episode more interesting and strengthen bonds which could've been handled and done MUCH better without that, but I'll end it here. S3 ultimately has some good points, has some character dev and so on, but the bad things I mentioned here and how it ruins some characters for me are why i have to rate The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of Princesses (S3) a 4.0 out of 10.0

Onto the specials and S4 for me, here is hoping for better...

Honestly I was a little disappointed with this season, a lot of good ideas were put into it but there were so many it seems they rushed through them like saito's rune disapearring, tabitha's rescue, and the end with the square golem. I'd rather see them make more seasons and extend everything than smashing it into one, still I can't complain, it is ZnT still laughed a lot, and had fun watching it. I don't want to be one of those people who complains about everything wrong with an anime though so I will tell you this is still a must watch, very funny, much ... is revealed, a few suprises, louise is starting to act more mature and see whats important, and louise and saito's relationship has some advancement where she's learning to trust him more. If the pattern I'm seeing is correct than season 4 should be good with an epic ending.

i think that the writers had run out of idea's for this because there were to many unexplored areas of story yet should be filled out. more could of been added i dont think that this should of ended the way it did. i have a strong feeling that there wont be a season4 people say the mangas not fininshed but i dont read manga so =( this series was one of the best in all the harems i watched even though most of the stupid things everyone did in this series was more of comady. there were some romance in this series but ... kinda dull. only in the end will u cry and say wtf this was so good make another. i should tell u to watch this anime starting from season1 and if u still dont get it i would insist u watch it 2ce. honestly ill give this series a 10/10 bc it is one like no other and i feel very strongly about this dont get mad and say well u knwo he says its good and i don like it. its good for me and if u dont like it after seeing it twice then i guess u have no taste for anime. thanx

XD

I don't really classify this one as a typical harem anime. In a typical harem, the guy in question is either totally bland or else a notably pathetic loser.

The hero of this series is a little above average in his decency, bravery and decisiveness. I tend to think that girls would give him a chance even in his own world.

However, he's gotten to a world, showed his mettle, won some battles, and reaped some rewards. This guy is a winner. Girls like winners. The fact that girls keep hitting on him is not unrealistic.

I really like the main female ... character as well. Given her aristocratic upbringing, her family pressures, and her peer pressures, her personality is absolutely convincing to me.

I have read a lot of reviews saying they didn't like this season as much as the previous but I loved it. Season 1 they met and liked each other. Season 2 they fell in love and finally admitted it. Season 3 is all about their relationship and how it grows. I really liked how the focus shifted from the secondary characters back to the main. Sadly, Season 4 is the end of the show but I am excited to see how it all works out. This tale of love and comedy is the reason I gave this genre ... a chance and after watching this series I'm glad I did.

This season at last gives the solution to the long-standing puzzle of Saito's fate, though we have to wait a bit to get it. This season of the show has a different vibe than the previous season. It is a mixture of adventure in season 1, with a sprinkle of risqué element in season 2, and topped with a slice-of-life theme. The show does not have a major overarching narrative, instead, we see the lives of the characters on a daily basis, with hints of a bigger story for future seasons.

The supporting characters who were the side characters in Season 2 take the limelight more ... often and it gives an entirely new perspective from the usual focus of the main duo. Their subplot is also addressed, which makes them less of an underdog. On the other hand, the relationship of Louise and Saito is sometimes a bit boring and tired, their interactions gets predictable and charmingness is gone.

On the positive side, the comedy does not disappoint, it keeps us laughing, but when it comes to some of the characters’ behaviors that become monotonous, it can spoil our mood a little. Luckily, the additional performances by the whole crew contribute to the spice of the show. Furthermore, this season doesn't hesitate to showcase some revealing outfits and sensual scenes, making the story a bit spicier.

In a nutshell, this season was a good watch for me. I have to admit that I enjoy the move to a more casual everyday tone, which is great for the characters. On the other hand, the excessive use of some of the character types as well as limited narrative development may become a bit too boring for some of the viewers. Nevertheless, it lays the foundation for the upcoming, most noteworthy season, where all the lasting enigmas will eventually be unfolded.

Zero no Tsukaima: Princess no Rondo

The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of Princesses



I thought the quality of the series could hardly go down until I saw the third season. And what was my surprise here? I am actually impressed with myself for getting all 12 episodes through.

All seasons were already just below average, but this season was lacking in every area. Although the first two seasons had at least a solid conclusion, this was not the case here. Fan service has been turned up even further than before.

The point that scares me the most are probably the two protagonists at the time. Louise goes through ... no change and is the same melodramatic crying habit and chews the same thing over and over again. Even if you add sad music to it, the scene doesn't get more emotional. The characters have no real depth, nor are their dialogues well written. In the last episode alone they just talked in the sand for almost 4 minutes.

And then there is the protagonist Saito. Not only that he has already confessed his love to Louise 10-20 times, no. He lets every woman close to him running forward, starts everybody on the breasts, feels aroused as soon as any girl jumps in, and doesn't get rid of here. But in retrospect, he wonders why the two pro episodes have a relationship crash twice. And honestly, we used the scene in the Louis explosion or both of them bitch, we've already had countless times. Individuality is a foreign word here.

Certainly, as long as you reduce your demands FAR, you can be satisfied with the work. He also has one or the other highlight moment when I thought "Ok, that was actually amusing / cleverly written" but these moments are in a massive minority.



Story

No lie, the plot is still there. But it has been pushed into the background so fragmented. 90% of all scenes are balanced either by comedy or by fan service. The plot amounts to 5% per season. And one cannot speak of a great plot so far anyway. However, there is at least potential behind it.



Animation/pictures Nothing changed since season 2 and stayed mostly dull. You still go to great lengths to animate your breasts like excellent jelly. I can still see where the budget is going.

Characters

The new character is also superior to the protagonist duo. Basically, each supporting character is a much more interesting character than the two actual protagonists. And it was the same with the new elf. However, nothing has changed in terms of the characters, it's the same result as before.

Music

The Osts stayed the same. The intro was very weak this time. The first two seasons had a slightly more individual intro.



Conclusion

Below-average performance no matter how I look at it. You can watch this title, but you shouldn't have any expectations in characters, story, or romance.

Alright, I know that what I'm about to say seems to be an unpopular opinion, and I know the top reviews as of today (early November 2020) are really harsh towards this season and say it's worse than its two prequels, but as someone who's more drawn towards the plot+drama aspect of this anime I have to disagree with them.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I liked this more than the previous ones, and most things in this season are better or equal in quality to season 2 (FnK).
It's not perfect. Quite frankly, far from it, but from my personal perspective it's a corrective ... experience to many things I felt were wrong with this anime.
So, to the details:

STORY (this will be longer than I usually give for a section):
I'll minimize the spoiler for the previous season as much as I can, but I'll assume you already saw it so odds are you'll infer what I'm talking about. If you don't want anything that could remotely spoil the previous season (keyword: PREVIOUS. No spoilers to this one) please skip to the art section.
Sadly I didn't feel this season that there was an event that left me shocked like the event in the end of the episode where they entered the academy trying to burn it, but I'll admit, they improved. The story has a bit more depth to it (despite some irritating borderline-filler moments in the middle, more on that in the "enjoyment" section) and in hindsight the introduction of the key character in FnK's finale seems like a smart move, despite appearing controversial in the first half of the season.
The main characters seem to act a lot more like an ensemble which I personally liked, because it seems to shed a light on some of the supporting characters as well and makes them crucial to the story. More on that later.
The villains are still a bit boring compared to other anime of the same genre, however I do think that after the quality drop in season 2 they seemed to partly recover. It doesn't make up the fact they're boring and their scenes are boring to watch, but there is improvement and I hope it will improve even more in the final season.
Another thing that bugged me is that this season, for the first time, there are minor plot holes. There are a couple of counterintuitive and counter-logical (if that's a real term) decisions made in this season that some viewers may find to be bizarre and annoying. And yet, somehow, despite the plot holes, many other things suddenly seem to finally make sense. One being the character of the relationship between Saito and Louise.
Season finale is not very impressive this time, sadly didn't recreate season 1 properly, but considering the fact this probably builds up to the final season, I see it as a fair step.
7/10.

ART:
I don't really see a big change excluding the one expected due to the season being released later in time. The sakuga isn't anything extraordinary here, but their background and location animation mildly improved.
I gave the previous seasons 7/10, and even though there was slight improvement here, it's not enough to be worth an extra point this time. So 7/10 it is.

SOUND:
Kinda worsened. The voice acting of most characters is as great as usual, which is definitely a plus, but some side characters are kind of a let-down. Fortunately their screen time is extremely limited.
I prefer the OP+ED songs of the previous seasons over this one's.
The soundtrack in general was fine, but I had higher expectations. In season 2 they seemed to nail the soundtrack pretty well, and this time, in some very specific scenes, this pattern was sadly broken. They literally reuse the same BGMs as in the rest of the seasons and I myself could tell that a song didn't match.
I may be generous here, but due to the mostly fine voice acting and bearable soundtrack I give this a passing grade. 6/10. Hope it'll get better next time.

CHARACTER:
Alright. It's very easy to impress me when it comes to characters after the clusterfuck that was season 2, but I genuinely can't understand why people don't see character development here.
Let me start off with the characters that pissed me off the most last season - Siesta. It seems like it was at this part of writing the story where it was realized that the writer/s made a big mistake with Siesta, and now they seem to have not only gradually toned down her overly thirsty season 2 mentality, but also mix it with the storyline more elegantly.
I LOVE where Saito and Louise are heading, both together and individually. Each one of them seems to reach some important conclusions they should have reached far earlier, especially Louise.
Finally, unlike last season, the characters we know and like from season 1 are crucial again. I'd even go as far as saying that aside the obvious couple leading the anime they seem to be a moving gear for the story. One character we're all familiar with goes through a huge development.
The reason I decided to give this 7/10 is because I look at it in comparison to past seasons. It's not far better than season 1, but characters' behavior seems to make sense overall, and even end up being relatable.
In fact, maybe 7 is just a little bit too low, though 8 is too high in my opinion despite the great relationships and finally some sparks of depth after two entire seasons without it. So imagine it being sort of a 7.5/10.

ENJOYMENT:
I can't believe I'm saying this, but except for the very unnecessary episode 6, I enjoyed this season a lot! I can't help it, despite the flaws it was just really fun to watch. Episode 7 was probably my favorite this season due to very nice combination of story elements, drama, and humor. Speaking of which - The humor is great this time and laughed more than in the past two combined which is extremely weird when taking into consideration that this is the most story-above-comedy oriented season yet.
9/10, and they're lucky to not lose more points due to the uncalled for yuri-fest in ep6 (watch the last few minutes of it though, they're important).

IN CONCLUSION; This season felt like it was trying to patch the wounds from season 2, and even though it has its weak spots and they're not hard to notice, the dots seem to finally start to connect, and the stage is ready and set for the finale.

Final verdict - watch it, and if you're pessimistic just approach it with the thought that it's there to set the stage for the ultimate conclusion.

Update after starting season 4: WATCH IT. IT'S WORTH THE 4TH SEASON

Bwahahaha that pretty much sums up my feelings after the final episode. I've been following this series since the first season and let me just say this season has by far been the most funny if not the most irrelevant addition to the story line yet.
Story- To understand where we are and everything that's happening you must have at least watched the first two seasons otherwise you'll have no idea about the whole atmosphere of this season. In terms of what this season added to the series...near nothing we moved a little forward.
Art- I think well drawn and well animated I love the way magic ... looks in this series and I love how we get a combination of new age and old age technology.
Sound- Probably my least favorite opening and closings yet but it still has what I love best and that would be the killer voice acting which got me addicted to this series to begin with.
Character- So we had some more character development this season which was good I always wanted to know more about some characters not to mention we had some new character introductions which in my opinion only made this season better.
Enjoyment- If we're talking about how I enjoyed the comedy, romance, and drama of this season a ten would be my score however if we're talking about my enjoyment in terms of what was added to the storyline and how I felt things progressed a seven would be my score. This season was hilarious.
Overall- I give this season an 8 although you didn't give me much to add to a storyline you more than did your part in making me laugh and reminding me why at first I thought this series was so funny.

Harem oriented anime have always been about a bunch of girls getting off on either one guy or few of them. The formula still remains same in Zero no Tsukaima series with also some action packed scenario.
What I liked about Zero no Tsukaima is the light-hearted mood it took, lots of indecent jokes and just the hilarity of its own stupidity. However, the third season of the series went just too far ... with everything.

[STORY] 4

- Probably the worst story in the series is really explained in only later 4-5 episodes whilst the others are mainly fillers or some pretty unnecessary stuff. The ... thing about the story is that ... it's plain ridiculous, predictable and pretty annoying at the times. I won't talk much about it in fear that I might spoil something, but regardless, if you're a guy/girl who wants at least a decent story in an anime, run away from here. Seriously, run.

[ART] 6

- Art is actually fairly solid; it's the same as in previous seasons, but it does the job. Being probably the best aspect of the series, the fights are decently animated, the characters are different from one another, there are some beautiful sceneries and stuff like that. All in all, fairly decent.

[SOUND] 5

- Even though the opening and ending songs aren't much of my taste, they were quite good actually. Aside from that, there are some great background music which sometimes hits the mood and ... well sometimes it just fails. However, I found that the voices of the characters were immensely annoying (especially the one from Louise). I don't know whether it's just me or not, but it's like that.

[CHARACTERS] 4

- I'm really not sure what kind of characters to expect when you embark yourself upon a journey for watching harem anime, but this show fails a lot in that aspect. The relationship between Saito and Louise was all cute in the season 1, bearable in season 3, but it's plain RETARDED in season 3. It's obvious that they're just dragging the series out to their maximum proportions, but that brings such failures to the light that you can't overlook them even if you want to. The characters might appear even worse than they are due to the story they're set in. Saito's harem keeps growing even though it shouldn't, he still likes big breasts, kissing every single girl he can, but, somehow, he still loves Louise. There's a silver lining called "sense" when creating a harem story and characters, but this Anime simply forgot that. Yes, most of the luvy-duvy situations are plain stupid and senseless. And those "cute moments" where we finally expect some kind of closure are just a waste of time for my eyes. They're on it like 2s and then someone comes knocking on without any apparent reason. I really wanted to like the characters, I really did, because in previous seasons they were quite fun to watch. However, all that “servant-master” thing had worn out even during the second season. It’s just plain stupid in this one …
Don’t get me wrong; there are some likeable characters. There are few great developments regarding other characters, but the focus of the show, Saito and Louise is just embarrassing (and not as in “embarrassing to watch because of the awkwardness” … just embarrassing).
I doubt I’ll force myself to go through the final season anytime soon because it’ll take some time to wash things out from this season.

[ENJOYMENT] 4

-You’d think that anyone could enjoy harem anime simply because it’s funny, right? Well, you’re wrong. Compared to the first 2 seasons, this season of the anime is simply stupid. I tried to enjoy it, I really did, but I failed at it – THERE’S ALMOST NOTHING TO GIVE YOU JOY. Maybe there are few moments with half-elf, later on with a dragon and its master, but that’s about it. It’s the same all over again – Louise and Saito seem to finally get things started, girl pops in, she leans her breasts on Saito, Saito blushes, Louise treats him like a dog – all through the 12 episodes. You can enjoy that, let’s say, in the first 2 episodes, but considering that that formula has been done in the past 24 episodes of the show, it’s really … bad. Up to this season, Zero no Tsukaima was one of my favorite (if not the favorite since I haven’t watched that much harem shows) harem anime and I deeply regret watching this season. I’ve read many reviews here that state that this is the worst seasons in the entire run, and I really have to agree. I can’t see how this show can get any worse … third season lost all of the anime’s charm, that goofiness and light-hearted story, and simply overdid the formula that was already overdone.

[OVERALL] 4

-I wanted to give it a higher grade, I really did because there were some really fun moments in the show, but it was impossible. Those few moments can’t make up for the rest of the show. There are only like 2-3 characters that I actually like now in the show (and one of them is the bad guy …), story is plain stupid, characters come back to life like in DBZ (again …) and the anime follows the same stupid formula that it had during the first 24 episodes of it. God damn it … it really makes me angry. The show could’ve been far greater if they only changed some things. Like, at the end of the second season, they could’ve emphasized the fact that Saito and Louse ARE MARRIED, they could’ve created a show where one fights for the one he loves without her harming him more than any of his foes. Bah … maybe those are just my expectations, but I really can’t understand why are there so many harem anime if they all use one formula. Cute or not, this season is by far the worst of the series. You can simply skip it and move onto the fourth one – I hear it’s a bit better than this crap. Hopefully, it is.