Strike the Blood III

There is a whole community out there that's waiting for legible subtitles. The ones released so far are horrible, almost as if a child wrote them.

I really dig this series, Plus i don't think I'VE seen another anime like it. But we need subtitles. Didn't some company get the License for it? I don't remember seeing II on any english destributer list...There was one guy who goes by the name Lean that released really good one, but he never did Episodes 8-10.

I'm hoping I get to watch the ending of this series but it's really not looking promising.

Let's start off by saying that this anime was dreadful to watch. I normally don't do reviews but I feel like I need to voice my opinion (whether you care or not doesn't matter to me). Now, the most pain-staking thing was actually trying to find a valid website to watch this anime on. It was so hard to find one that was properly translated. Eventually I gave up trying to find one because either they don't allow adblock or something of that sort (prone to viruses) or the constant cringe of these hideous translations. Lastly there is very little character development, no relational development ... either. On top of all what are these fight scenes? They are so rushed it still doesn't make sense no matter how many times I look at it. SO, what was enjoyable: Asagi, else won't be watching at all. Least enjoyable: Almost everything else, especially character development and TRANSLATIONS GOD DAMMIT!

"No, senpai, this is our fight!"

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

TL;DR - If you liked the series so far, you will like this season.

Generally speaking, I watch action to get hyped and drama to catch feels. Similarly, I watch ecchi when you're in the mood for some eye candy. Not to say that these are the only reasons, but just what I would expect to look for in these genres. I think most people, to some extent, have similar standards.

My problem with Strike the Blood is that, despite all its tags - Action, Ecchi, Fantasy, Supernatural, and Vampire - it never thoroughly explores any of them, and ... instead tries to be decent in all fronts. And this has continued for THREE seasons now, and to my utter frustration, it actually gets consistently worse somehow.

As for action, most of it is limited to our favorite immortal vampire throwing one or more of his familiars at the opponent, and maybe Himeragi and possibly a few other members of the harem pitching in with their signature moves. Especially in this season, it feels like Akatsuki is a child playing Pokemon, but he's just spamming all of his cards as fast as he can. It's stale and dull and not the best. But hey, at least they tried.

The ecchi parts were never really great, and the art hasn't really gotten any better than previous seasons. In certain places, it looks a bit sloppier, but maybe that's just me. Fantasy is basically what the story is built on, but the story isn't really exceptional either. Supernatural and Vampire pretty much drive the plot by introducing another baddie that Akatsuki will inevitably beat up and/or add to his harem. It gets dull, just like Himeragi's very overused catchphrase.

I don't like the story because every arc is always going to end up being another way for Akatsuki to bond with one or more girls, usually Himeragi and sometimes Asagi. Also, every time they overhype a villain, they have to rush to finish the arc in time, and the final fight ends up having little to no buildup and the conclusion is extremely unsatisfying. There are plot holes literally everywhere you look, which makes it a little more difficult to focus on the measly sliver of a plot that exists. The show's mediocrity even shows in the art style; you'll notice that they often animate just the mouth of a character, not their expression, which gives them a robotic feel.

I don't really remember anything about the soundtrack, and there's nothing more to say about it. The voice acting is, as expected, good. I was a bit disappointed my personal favorite character, headphones guy, didn't get as much screentime. You could base the entire series off of him and this anime would probably be a lot more interesting. The maid is also pretty badass, but a little too one-dimensional to be a good character. Well, I guess you could say that for pretty much every other side character in the series.

All the characters have plot armor. To be more specific, Akatsuki Kojou and his friends have plot armor, and the villains have the opposite: they always lose. Since conflict is the source of character development, the zero-stakes plot makes for almost none, meaning that all the girls in the show who have no personality are stuck that way. They're so hard to tell apart that I keep forgetting who they are and what stereotype they're supposed to represent. The main female lead herself can't even break out of the cardboard cutout of a character she is.

Speaking of the humor, most of it stems from the harem (just like everything else). It's usually one or more of the girls slapping or blaming Akatsuki for an awkward situation or misunderstanding that he has no control over. Asagi and Kirisaka are extremely prone to this, but Himeragi usually uses her staff-thing instead. It's repetitive and predictable.

In fact, everything in this anime is predictable. Either a current or future harem member is going to have some kind of problem, and our progenitor mc, being the selfless vampire that he is, decides to intervene without even questioning it. Characters who aren't in the spotlight barely get animated, but they're stuffed in somewhere. Abilities are left unexplained, the plot just keeps rolling around while ignoring the clear problems in the way, characters are introduced then forgotten, and the resolution to the problem is so simple and obvious that there is no sense of accomplishment after the baddies are actually defeated. It's a dumpster fire rolling down a hill while mowing down everything in its way, and at the end, rather than climaxing in a big explosion, it just comes to an abrupt stop.

Strike the Blood was the first anime I watched, so it effectively got me into anime. I feel like I owe it to the series to see it through to the end. If you've made it this far, you might have similar reasons. But if you don't, I suggest you drop this show, because it is bad. And if you don't, be warned that the third season is (albeit marginally) the worst of the three.