Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Kan

TL;DR: Oregairu is an awe-inspiring experience no words could accurately describe. I will try my best here, but experience it yourself, you won’t regret it.

In episode eight of Oregairu Zoku, Hachiman made a life-changing decision. For the first time, he entered the club room sitting not aside, but in front of the two girls he has grown to be so comfortable with—to finally open up and speak his mind. Hikigaya’s request for something genuine was played out so much it became somewhat of an inside joke in the anime community. But its lasting impression is also a testament to the impact many must have felt ... upon witnessing that scene for the first time.

Fast forward five years later, fans finally get to witness a resolution to questions that the “genuine scene” has raised. Be it Hikigaya’s unfulfilled request, Yuigahama’s selfish wishes, Yukinoshita’s family and internal struggles, or the three’s respective expectations on their relationship, Oregairu Kan answered in striking fashion. Aided with snippets of perspectives other than those of Hikigaya’s, this instalment was made much more straightforward than the previous two. By getting into their headspace, viewers can better understand and untangle the perplexing plot threads that were laid down in previous seasons, giving this grand trilogy a fulfilling conclusion.

But that’s not all Kan has to offer. Setting up multiple red herrings, the beginning two-thirds of Kan was a little conventional, until the last three episodes started rolling. The plot twists surprising and the payoff huge, how the ending played out was honestly unexpected given how things were from the start. It won’t be the closure that all fans had hoped for, at least not me; but it is the ending’s ability to impress even when it goes against your wishes that makes it so much more astonishing. These displays of spectacular writing were made possible by covering only three novels instead of the usual five to six, for Kan can now skip less material and include a lot more details in this adaptation.

Which brings me to the one thing that they didn’t include in the previous seasons: fillers. In first season and Zoku, Oregairu gave viewers no time to draw breath, every episode is filled to the brim with information you cannot afford to miss. It was so packed and lacking in time that it skipped entire chapters just to reach a satisfying endpoint. This time around, Kan slowed down the pace, putting less narrative-relevant but engaging dialogue in between important plot points to let viewers some time to rest, giving it the best pacing among all instalments. Some might not find it appealing, and would rather have more plot progression and/or characterisation take place. But in any case, I believe those like me, who have followed along for two seasons and on for a third, would like seeing more relaxed moments from Oregairu’s endearing characters.

Speaking of characters, one might claim the game club members and Zaimokuza as nothing but glorified plot tools, there for the sole purpose of getting Hikigaya a few allies for his project. Nitpicking aside, these mistakes are not Kan’s fault whatsoever. As I have alluded to earlier, some crucial chapters were lost during the previous adaptations; the important ones here being those that feature the Volunteer Service Club’s visit to the game club in season one, and those where Zaimokuza was supposed to be featured in both seasons. What results is the degradation of Zaimokuza’s role in the anime-only story; while the game club became total strangers to both the trio and the viewers, even when they should’ve been familiar faces. To make up for that, Kan slightly altered a few scenes to make up for the missteps previous seasons have taken, and I think they did a great job of that. I think it goes without saying that it wouldn’t be fair to deduct points off of Kan because of other seasons’ problems.

Still, I would be lying if I say that Kan had done everything perfectly, with the most apparent oversight being the supporting cast’s development. Hayama, for example: a character very invested in the trio’s relationship, particularly Yukinoshita, rarely appeared. Having been hinted with great character depth, he didn’t get the screen time he deserved. In the same vein, while we can witness all the other characters’ growth (like Ebina, Yumiko, Isshiki and hell even the student council president of that other school) we were only ever shown a glimpse of what they have become; which is unfortunate given how closely tied they were with Hikigaya's growth, but understandable because of the limited screen time.

Nevertheless, what Kan has done with characterisation is nothing short of amazing. Haruno’s intentions, something that was set up in Zoku and ultimately became a cornerstone in Kan, added a lot of humanity into both members of the Yukinoshita household. The trio’s respective wishes, told through Yuigahama and Hikigaya’s lens, were spectacularly presented, with their actions having a sprinkle of previously established personalities while breaking the mould and showing the growth each of the three had experienced. It is not far-fetched to say Kan handled the main trio and Haruno’s development brilliantly.

That said, animation is one thing I cannot give the highest praises to. Don’t get me wrong, it’s much better than the average show, with standouts like the detailed portraits, expressive facial expressions and the classic waving hair from studio feel.. And to Oregairu’s credit, there is a limit to how far animation in school settings can go other than your occasional Hyouka. But that isn’t an excuse for distracting scenes of looping animation, such as the rapping and prom preparation ones. Even so, given the gorgeous still shots and more than obvious improvement in animation quality from previous seasons, the animation can still be considered as very good indeed.

Up till now, every aspect I praise about Kan always has that “gotcha moment” that made it just short of perfect. But the one thing it nailed to a T is sound: OP, ED, OST, voice acting, you name it. The OP and ED are once again sung by yanaginagi and the two voice actresses respectively, somehow topping what Oregairu had offered in the previous two seasons IMO. OST is recognisable the instant you play it; the voice actors did a great job bringing the characters to life. All I can say is, the OST and voice actors did their job, so that the storyboard and writing can do their job.

Ultimately, to sum up the series as a whole, Oregairu demonstrated that a elementary premise would never limit a story’s potential. It started out simple with a teenager who despised social interaction and high school clichés. But with plot twists well written, characterisation phenomenal and themes echoing from start to finish, Watari had transformed a generic set up into an extraordinary tale. One that doesn’t end with "happily ever after" as its conventional start suggests, rather becoming an experience you could only ever see for yourself, something no words could accurately describe.

I will preface this by saying that I'm not a fan of dramas but I do find one occasionally that is written so well that I actually enjoy it, so take that how you will.

Having watched the entire show I can say that this season is more of the same as the second season, so if you didn't like that like I didn't then don't put yourself through this like I did.

Story 1

Story is rather nonexistent, as is expected of a slice of life. This show is all about the characters.

Art 3

The art is bland and still worse than first season which at least had ... some flair to it.

sound 5

Sound design is mostly mediocre, that's about all I can say for that.

character 2

The characters are at best stupid, and at worst boring. Most of the show is characters talking, which I find ironic, when you take into account that any forced drama in the show could be fixed in a span of one conversation, but that never happens. The conversations the characters have are not interesting, and for the most part how the characters have the conversations is not interesting either, which I feel is a genuine problem in a show about people talking. The show shows you that not everything is alright between the characters, but never actually gives any reason for why that is.
The author really seemed to want to write smart characters that are good at reading people. At this point I really have to ask, why did it seem like a good idea to make the most antisocial characters in the show be these gods at reading people and talking? This makes no sense at all since you really can't be good at talking and reading people if you never talk to any of them, this is not however the biggest problem in the writing. Second terrible thing about the writing of the characters is that they are not good at reading people, or good at talking, they are omniscient, and everybody else just believes what the main characters say no matter if it makes sense or not. These characters just walk up to any situation and immediately know everything that is going on, and then state something and everything the characters say is just taken as a fact.
Hachiman has few genuinely well written bits in conversations, but I feel that those are more few and far between the further into the show I get.
Yukinoshita has the personality of wet tissue paper, I really don't get why people like her.
Komachi brings the only point to raise the character score above 1.

Enjoyment 1

This show has a few enjoyable bits, but when I can count those bits from all twelve episodes on one hand I really have to wonder why I even bothered with this show.


Closing thoughts

This show tries to be realistic but it ends up boring, it tries to be a romance but I've seen better chemistry in hentai, it says that its a comedy but the funny bits stopped at season 1, and it tries to be a human drama but there is no conflict even though the characters act like there is.
The main character has any chemistry with maybe 2-3 side characters we barely see, and the side characters we do see are frustratingly badly written.
You might like this show, and more power to you if you do, but I could not recommend this to anyone with a clear conscience.

To me Oregairu has always been the Rick and Morty of anime. It's pretentious, it's pseudo deep, it wants to be so intelligent and clever yet fails to do so. For the life of me I have tried to understand what people see in this series besides waifus and I really can't. Oregairu Kan offers no real change in that regard, other than more Yui, which for me is the only reason I didn't give this a 1/10.

Everyone who reads my MAL reviews knows I am very generous when it comes to scoring and hand out 9s and 10s very easily. Yet, I've given ... this season of Oregairu my 2nd lowest score ever. Why? Simple. The main point of this season is the kids trying to plan a prom, which doesn't even exist in Japan in the first place. But, ok. I can see doing something fresh and original for your senior year.

The PTA don't want the kids throwing a prom, and it's literally 6-7 episodes of this pseudo deep, melodramatic garbage about them convincing the parents to consent to a prom. On top of a weak story, I am incredibly petty. Meaning that if my waifu loses, I will lower my score of a series. I won't go into details on the winner for risk of spoiling people, but when a character with little to no development, characterisation or personality wins, I immediately become disinterested. It's not even just about who won, it's about them getting no real development.

Oregairu wants to shove so much down your throat and the fans want for you to just accept it as good writing. Well, I am here to disagree with that narrative. I think Oregairu at best is a decent series. I feel most of what Oregairu fans think Oregairu is, can be found done better in other series.

I am well aware that my opinion of the story/show will not be popular and people will be upset, but it is what it is. I'm never going to sugarcoat how I feel about something. Speaking of Feel, the animation, art and everything are all really well done as we've come to expect from the 2nd season.

Overall, Oregairu-Kan was a very hard watch and painful experience for me. If you liked the first two seasons and or the books, you'll probably enjoy this one. I just couldn't and am glad it's over to be able to forget it. Oregairu-Kan gets 4 Yahallo's out of 10.

Now that the journey for the genuine article has ended, the progress from the previous season was severed. For the plot have went off the rails, and devolved to it's weaknesses, dragged to death, the substance has abandoned ship. For what value has left? When it's was already spent. What words could have been said, was tainted, it's pretentious already. A social commentary, as everyone perceived, but rarely seen for what it really is, a mirror hidden in plain sight, a work of self reflection for it's own audience. It should have ended earlier already, nothing else is left to said, the melodrama has made ... the water bitter, in the river of a good end. As we follow our beloved hero, through the dreaded snow of boredom, the season of winter, as it comes. As it becomes a shell of it's former self, the underwhelming encore has ended, the last dance if you will.

*** CONTAINS SPOILERS ****

Ah, Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru (aka Oregairu), what a journey. For those waiting 4 years or those waiting a few days to finish Oregairu, the wild ride has finally come to a stop and we can sit back and enjoy the final moments of the fantastic trio of Yui Yuigahama, Hikigaya Hachiman, and Yukino Yukinoshita (as well as all the brilliant side character). To some, this review might seem like a rave of why I love Oregairu but I believe this show is a painful experience that all anime watchers should bear. Now let's cut to the chase, ... Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru Kan is masterful. No, not a masterpiece, but not yet as bad as an excellent show. Yes, I may have said it was a masterpiece last review, but that was swayed by the one Yui ep I fell in love with. Still giving a 10/10 :)

Story: 9.5/10
The final destination of the Service club at Sobu High School. The last project the trio has to work with, a prom. Oh, how romantic. As the prom is the main focus of the show, tidbits of interactions show the development of the actions about the notorious final scene in Oregairu Zoku. While the planning of the prom progresses, their relationship is continually questioned by the side characters, influencing the trio’s thoughts on their interactions themselves. Doing so puts their current relationship in a tense position, sacrificing what is "genuine" for continuing their relationship, or ending it all. This question is constantly barraged into the audience’s mind through many of the characters and conversations. Unfortunately, the group realizes this fundamental issue with their relationship and attempts to break free of the entanglement they have landed themselves in. With a limit of 12 episodes and a lot of things to conclude for the audience, each episode is high intensity and filled to the brim with pain, pain constantly reminding the audience that this show must have a resolution. Sadly, some pacing is lost compared to the LN, but it is what it is. Fortunately, the resolution is as expected (at a sad loss to all Yui fans such as myself) and gives a fairly conclusive ending satisfactory to the majority of the audience. Even with its tidbits of consistent comedy, the adrenaline runs high during about 95% of the show. Yes some stuff is roundabout and they don’t always take the direct path, however, I think it is unbelievably unrealistic if there was no roundaboutness. Innately, humans are roundabout creatures and want the best for themselves and keep things "how they currently are", Oregairu does a great job of demonstrating that instinct. Episode 11 confession was not the greatest but represented the show’s core themes perfectly and was consistent with character interactions seen in the past. The finale brought closure to the show and I believed was exceptional, it is quite unfortunate something like this is coming to a close, however, it is a much needed one. TLDR: The depth of which both the story and the relationship progresses is phenomenal, thank you very much, Mr. Watari.

Art/Sound/Animation: 8.5/10
Didn't expect too much from a smaller studio like Feel., but I got the gist of it from last season. Art is pretty clean, honestly like it more than the Brain's base variant. However, the jawlines seem a lil sharp and the art seems rigid, which makes sense for this season though. The sound was amazing. Loved the op loved the ed loved the special little changes put to the beginning of almost every op. Ops that do that create an extra sense of development and allow for the audience to go "wow they're moving forward". I listened to every op and every ed sound in the actual show was quite exceptional, same good ol vibes from every other Oregairu season. The animation was also quite decent, there isn’t much to expect from Feel., however, they were able to pull off a good job of doing so.

Characters: 9.5/10
Wow. Where do I even start? I think there’s an argument to be made that every girl in this show could be the best girl in another show. However, the best girl in my eyes is undoubtedly Yui Yuigahama, so I shall start with her.
Yui Yuigahama, an eccentric, dumb, fun girl that is the third official member of the Service Club. The distance Yui goes to keep the relationship of the trio is phenomenal and extremely representative of how people want good things to stay good things. The unchanging nature of Yui slows the development of both Hikigaya and Yukinon but is also the glue that keeps the three of them together. The issue with Yui within the series is her incapacity to deal with issues, ultimately either stalling or forcing the problem onto another. I lied, Yui is probably the smartest of the trio. Why? She knows the issues and she knows the solution but due to her unchanging nature, she does not present issues as issues nor solutions as possible solutions. One could argue Yui is the antagonist of the series and holds back the trio from finding something genuine because Yui doesn't truly desire to be genuine. But she is also the catalyst for the relationship, taking steps and pushing both yukinon and hachiman to move on. The actions she takes specifically contradict the developments Hikigaya and Yukinon strive to make and that brilliance is why she is the best girl. The pain she takes to keep relationships between the three of them is depressing yet very needed. She is the essence of oregairu. Easy 10/10.
Hachiman Hikigaya, the protagonist of the series. An isolated, seemingly self-centered, and generally deprived boy. Depressed on the all over with a small amount of care left within his heart. The essence of every rejected high school boy on the planet. As the story progresses, Hikigaya grows out of his shell of isolation by maintaining the Service Club. He is the one who provides all the solutions to the problems, at the cost of hurting himself and creating a sense of reliance by many of his classmates, including Yui and Yukinon. However, when he is confronted by Haruno, he starts questioning his own ways of solving issues. The rapid growth of Hachiman then begins, breaking apart his rotten outside and letting the caring side of him flow into the show. I know, I know, sounds like Hachiman is a generic tsundere, however, the way Hikigaya expresses his care is undeniably satisfying. By opening up, Hachiman is able to reveal his true nature and his desires that he would only be able to get out from the Service Club. Masked by his rotten exterior it is Hikigaya slowly crumbles to the wills of everyone around him and eventually evolving to the final form of Hikigaya. 9.5/10
Finally, the ice queen herself, Yukino Yukinoshita. A typical tsundere, one might say. And I would have to agree. The fact is Yukinon is a tsundere and the story only works because she is a tsundere. Yukinon is special because she is able to set up so many issues with the Service Club, be it the Sports festival or the prom. Yukinon is the largest weakness in the group, and from that, they are able to develop together. From family issues to friends, she has it all. As a matter of fact, I think Yukinon is the only irreplaceable character in this show. Without her presence, the show would no longer have the tensity nor the pain that is present throughout the journey of these three friends. Yukinon serves her part extremely well and even though she is my least liked of the three she deserves mad respect for her impact within the show. However, her reaction to Hachiman’s confession was kinda iffy but demonstrated her character splendidly. 9/10
Wow, you really thought I wasn’t gonna talk about some of what I consider the best side characters ever? There’s not much to say except these characters fucking rock. Be it femboy or sensei each and every element that they provide increases the value of the show, realizing this show is moving forward comedic value, and their impact on the main trio is undeniable. Not only do these characters play their tropes well, they go beyond and are memorable. (yuigamama is adorable) 10/10

Enjoyment 10/10
Didn’t skip a single second in any of the episodes and watched them while in class. Undoubtedly my best anime of the 2020 summer season. I loved the pain. As some people at some point said “no pain no gain”.

Overall 9.5/10
Gonna still give this a 10/10 cuz that’s what I feel in my heart (: Very sad that this show has finally come to a close but glad it did so in the way it did. The show has a special place inside me. Thank you feel, brains base, the VA’s, and Mr. Watari for putting together and wrapping up one of my favorite romcoms.

Thank you for reading my rant/review, it means a lot, honestly.

Well from my username you can pretty much guess that i am a fanboy of this anime. And to tell you the truth i really like this anime which shows a realistic teenage life. So far the third and final season is going good. The story is not anything extraordinary but all the characters and their complicated relationships make it interesting to watch. To be honest this anime is popular because of it's character designs and animation. I have read the novel so i know that the anime is not as much detailed as the novel. There are so many thoughts of Hachiman in the ... Novel which are not mentioned in anime (that's why novel is more popular). But still the character development in this anime is done greatly.

Characters:
Hikigaya Hachiman : The antisocial kid who was forced to join the service club and then got into many complicated situations. He can solve the problems easily but his methods are not which can be considered good by the people who are close to him. So from now on he will try to come up with a solution which can satisfy the other 2 girls in his club and the Sensei. He also has a kind of big-brother personality (which i admire a lot).

Yukino Yukinoshita : She was initially shown with a strong personality but she is not. She is weak but hard-working and now trying to help others by herself rather then relying on Hikki. She is kind-of attracted towards Hikki although she don't show it to others.

Yui Yuigahama : She is a nice girl who is totally in love with hikki. Although we already know that Hikki don't like nice girls like her, so in the end she will be sad (which makes me sad as well). She wants to be friends with both hikki and yukino at all costs. She tries everything in her power to help the other 2 members of the club.

Issshiki Iroha : She is not a nice girl but a clever one. She was rejected by Hayato in the 2nd season but she is still trying to win him. She relies on hikki a lot but helps him as well. In this season she has major role, since she wants to hopld a prom and is asking the help from the Service Club. I am kind of confused about her character because sometimes it is hinted that she also likes Hikki although she denies it.

Hiratsuka Shizuka : She is kind of mother to Hikki. She is the one who forced/tricked Hikki to join the club. She gives them advice many times. In this season she will also be having some screen-time. Hikii also likes her^^ (me too).
There are also other characters who were made friends with Hikki during th first 2 seasons. They will be helping them for the prom. The overall school-life shown in this anime is so good, I really want to experience this.

The art is good that's also one of the reasons for this anime to be popular. The OP/ED's in this season are good as well. The enjoyment is 100%. There are sometimes where you might feel frustrated but that's also a part of the story. In the end there will be happy ending so enjoy this anime to your fullest.

Oregairu finishing its final season was certainly something else. Brain’s Base and feel. both did a phenomenal job when it came to adapting their seasons, and I hope that most of the people reading this can agree with that. While I haven’t been with the Service Club for their 7-year animated run, the 5 years wait between the two feel. seasons was certainly worth it in the end. Well, for the most part.

Because I feel like Oregairu Kan is conflicting. Looking at the show without the lens of somebody who’s poured a disgusting amount of time rewatching it, this season is rather disappointing. I’ll save ... you from having to read a summary, but essentially the story boils down to three topics: Prom, Codependency, and Gahamama. I’m kidding. Slightly. The story picking up from where they left off in Zoku, we immediately launch into scenes that feel like they’re from the previous season, and then Irohas comes into the scene. The prom brings up a lot of interesting points, but most notably the point that we come to focus on is something that Haruno plants into all of our minds: codependency. While it may be the harsher view on what those three are, it isn’t wrong. Codependency is a type of relationship where a person needs to be relied upon, to give them a sense of worth, and the person they are relying on also needs to be relied upon by the other, creating a cycle. It highlights a lack of autonomy, or in a sense, a lack of something genuine. While Haruno feels like the three are always hiding what they truly want from each other, thankfully we have Hiratsuka to bring us back towards that sweeter ending, telling Hachiman that it essentially boils down to a word that’s hard to express in simpler terms: love.

And really, that’s all Oregairu is. The series is one of learning how to express our love for other people, to look past all of the superficial things, and experience something genuine. Between Yui’s selfish desires and Yukino & Hachiman’s inability to properly express what they’re aware of, in reality, they’re being broken apart because they go about expressing things differently. It’s what drove the club apart in Zoku, and if a miscommunication happens again, it's what'll shut the doors on their relationship for good.

So what are the issues with Kan? To me personally, it comes to pacing and treatment. To talk about pacing would basically require me to say that, yes, Oregairu as an anime has some issues with adapting. Having read 11 volumes of the LN (I’ll read the last 3 once I find the time), I know what the anime has skipped. Between my favorite parts like Totsuka, Zaimokuza, and Hachiman hanging out and a ramen date between our dynamic teacher/student duo, and better parts like Yukino and Yui entering the fray after Hachiman asks them for help or literally all of Irohas’ development, there’s quite a lot that was sacrificed at the expense of a better focus on the main trio. So sure, Oregairu doesn’t necessarily have the best pacing record and doesn’t adapt everything. But even so, the middle of Kan felt bad. While it picked up and then gave a beautiful finish by the end, by episode 7 I was already pretty disappointed at how it had turned out. We were spending too much time on the prom, and while it is the major point of this season, I am aware of a couple of things that were left out that would’ve been beautiful since this season is coming from feel. Which brings us nicely to the topic of treatment.

When I say treatment I refer specifically to animation. While, yes, the animation buff that feel. brang to the table was nice, it was rather...disproportionate. Because Yukino felt fucking terrible in a lot of the scenes. And I know I’m not crazy either, I’ve seen a decent amount of complaints about this. Sure, the animation is different and so maybe we’re just not used to it, but by the end of the season, we’ve adjusted to that changes. Yes, for the most things we were given a really nice and stylish upgrade, but for Yukino we went from the given cold demeanor she should have to this kinda lost and dumb girl (I don’t really see the dumb bit but to each their own). Yukino’s scenes were rather scarce in this season, making it feel like Yui was going to win as she did in the ANOTHER version of Oregairu (non-canon). So it really didn’t feel like poster girl was being given that poster girl treatment. While the final episode did like, have some really fucking cute scenes and the animation kinda felt right, a percent less than 100 is still not 100.

Yet, I feel like I kinda forgot about these grievances by the time episode 10 came around, but ultimately this season still underperformed. Will I still be giving it a high score? Yes, absolutely. I fucking love this series to death. Watari did an awesome job with the LNs, and both studios (as mentioned before) have done an amazing job with adapting it. But for those of you who watch Oregairu because of the romance or the characters, watch this season. I guarantee you’ll like it. For those of us who watch the series because we want to see all things come full circle, or want to see how the concepts that have been brought up throughout the series are conveyed, I’d still say watch this season, but don’t go into it expecting this to be some grand finale worthy of super high praise. Because while you won’t entirely be disappointed, it just wasn’t performing at the caliber that you would’ve wanted it to.

MINOR SPOILERS

Guys! do you know what fanservice is? you are wrong, it's not just ass and big tits, it's about giving the audience a delusion, for example we like actions and good fight in an anime and companies know about this now they might give us action and good plot with meaningful message and decent dialogues or they might just focus on just the Action and visual effects and just create fake drama

Let me make one thing clear, i am not a fan of turning my brain off

This season is way worse than the previous ones, right of the bat you can smell the dogsh*t, ... the opening starts and you see some Yuri vibe in it, it's episode one the two girls are holding each others hand while gazing at each other for what 15 minutes?! you honestly have to be totally clueless to not see what's going on

This anime or this Series (from the season 1 to 3) is about fake drama, this has always been my problem with it
It’s so poorly written, for example at one point Hikigaya and Yukino have different opinion and they decide to do things on their own (so far so good) but then suddenly Yukino says “hey btw whoever loses will have to listen to one request of the winner”, why did she offer that? it is so obvious that the whole point of this stupid and FAKE prom drama is this moment, so that there can be an excuse so these two Losers demand something from each other, but this isn’t the end yet, after she suggested that idea everyone leaves the room and Yukino pours something in her eye so it look like she is crying, why did she do this? well because yukino is a ((( StRoNg InDePeNdEnT Woman ))) so we are not allowed to see her cry, this whole act is there to give us the idea that she is upset guys! but she is holding it inside, (it’s as stupid as crying under rain, it’s overused garbage),
at some point i was just wondering does this anime thinks so low of it’s audience that it has to play dumb or this is just an awful anime, like this is insultingly unintelligent romance anime which is NOT a Comedy, Cringe is NOT funny, it never has been and it never will be

There is also a problem with dialogues, they don't make sense, in fact the don't make sense AT ALL, what are they talking about?? Yukino suddenly starts saying i want to be stronger or something! and other characters suddenly say but are you sure about that? honestly f*ck this anime

The characters are Extremely shallow, hey i'm sad, hey i'm antisocial, hey i act stupid, hey i'm the popular guy, hey i'm the popular guy's girlfriend , hey i’m the secondary character who exist for some reason, it is embarrassing

Story? well it's still airing but i'm 100% sure it's going into the wasteland

Art? not bad but what's the use? we are here for character development not art

Sound? i like the ending song

Enjoyment? i think you know

All good things must come to an end and here we are, the final season of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax. You know that feeling when you finally move away from your closest friend since childhood? That’s the kind of feeling I got after this final season concluded.

It almost feels too good to be true. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU started as a coming of age show that turned itself into a social storyteller. There’s no anime this year that I can relate more to this anime and in fact, I’m pleased to say it’s one I can relate to the most. As our ... main characters enter another stage in their lives, they have to also face the future together, with their thoughts, feelings, and how they’ve changed. Like teens their age, is it a time to reinvent themselves? What is their purpose in life? How do they see what’s ahead of them in the future? With a stack of questions, this show is much more than just a simple animated story.

I’m not going to recap our character personalities at this point. Even if it’s been a few years, anyone coming back to this show should at least have a gist of idea about Yukino, Yui, and of course, the dead fish eye boy, Hachiman Hikigaya. However, the first episode does require a lot of evaluation to take its ideas in. We have Yukino making her resolve related to her family and furthermore, a deeper look at the trio’s relationship. It’s been 5 years after all and these three are growing up each day to face new challenges. One of the toughest challenges for a teen is growing up and that’s what Yukino is on the road to do. She’s becoming an adult with responsibilities and the relationships with people around her, such as friends and family. This also brings in Yui as she realizes what Yukino really means to Hachiman. Even if it’s reality, she has a hard time accepting the truth. It’s the type of character study that makes Yui a realistic character. Deep down, she has a hard time being honest to others although this season shows that she is changing. Yui becomes more confident and even more open towards others just as Hachiman. Similarly, Yukino becomes more understanding towards others this season. Still, Yukino’s main characteristics still return this season with her competitive side and sometimes being brutally honest. It adds doses of humorous drama while other times, we see vulnerable side of Yukino.

Then, there’s Hachiman Hikigaya, the lonely boy who had the audience’s attention since day one. His personality, combined with his interactions with others, has made him an infamous icon in the show. In Season 3, he still has a loneliness nature and believes that youth is nothing short of an illusion. As the third season is about change, Hachiman also falls into this category as his character blooms into a more mature sociable individual. Don’t get me wrong though. Hachiman doesn’t evolve into the sociable level compared to the likes of Iroha or Yui. That would be near inconceivable. However, he does become much more comfortable with the female cast, in particular Yui and Yukino. In rare circumstances, he isn’t afraid to speak his thoughts anymore. He even begins to trust in Yukino despite her ice queen personality, something that she’s been known for a long time. In some of the most climatic moments of season 3, we see Hachiman’s change reflect his character’s evolution. The show does a fantastic job at building such a character and evolving him in every way possible. He’s growing up, just like everyone in the real world.

As our characters grow up, we are greeted with events that celebrate them. The prom represents the perfect occasion as characters get together at school. It’s also a social event, something that the old Hachiman wouldn’t dream of attending. But now in reality, he is there in a suit and has these new friends to celebrate with – Yui and Yukino. Hachiman even gets involved with helping the prom serving as a lending hand to Yukino. By this point, Yukino has to come to realize that she can’t accomplish everything herself. This is where Hachiman comes in as a helping hand. Yukino’s growth to becoming independent is no easy road and she must accept that everyone needs help along the way, including herself.

Like the previous seasons, the climax is heavy on dialogue usage. What’s unique about the dialogues is how important lines can be interpreted differently. There’s no right or wrong answer and it all depends on how the dialogues apply to different situations and characters. Oregairu’s social commentary also reflects on the different personalities of the cast. Even the deceptively intelligent Iroha and their teacher Shizuka takes advantage of the show’s dialogues. It gives the audience their chance to see what changes about the characters and dialogues are just as important as the previous seasons. Plus, let’s not also forget the occasional blunt sarcasm from Hachiman to bring in the show’s humor. If that’s not enough, are you ready to witness the rap battle of the century?

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the third and final season managed to live up to expectations from the moment it returned. Sure, it’s been 5 years but it felt like the show always had a special place for the fans. Combining elements of drama, socialization, and character evolution, we are treated with this glorious climax. For everything this franchise has delivered since day one, I want to say thank you.

Yahari season 3 is the continuation of the weird and infructuous attempts of the two main characters to open to society. During the second part of season 2 both of them started to express their desires and frustrations, and little by little started to abandon their former twisted personalities.

Sadly this setting is poorly developed and most of the comedy that made the drama watchable and at some point enjoyable at season 1, is gone.

Confusing dialogues:
During most of season 2, in an attempt to depict the social opening and inner struggle of the main cast, they created inconsistent personalities and dialogues. This mixed with the short ... amount of episodes per season and rushed story, ended up with a show that is hard to understand.
Season 3 takes the difficulty of understanding the dialogues even further. First because they are talking about more complex subjects than previous seasons. Second, because you have to remember a lot from the previous seasons and you have to read forums to fill some plot holes. Third because it got so cringy to read what they are saying that it becomes an obstacle.

Original plot is gone:
In season 1 and some part of season 2, there was a different plot and pacing, so the drama was exposed softly and was endurable. Now that is gone, this season is even more dramatic than season 2. You won't find the silly group of two antosocials, a silly girl and a violent teacher that solved the problem of the girly tennist or the insane novelist, anymore.
For me, this was one of the worst things, because even with the confusing dialogues, I had fun watching the characters doing their stuff and the silly love triangle starting to bloom in first season. If you take that out, and leave the rest you have nothing.

The way they treat Hachiman, and how it all feels so unreal:
I think that they treated him better in season 1 though.
Sometimes I feel bad for hachiman because they say in his face he is ugly, that they hate him, even his sister and the supposed waifus.
So If this plot intends to depict some degree of real social interactions, I don't understand why Hachiman hasn't left everyone for treating him that way.

Confusing dialogues 2:
I am not exaggerating, all dialogues are like the last dialogue from season 2. You remember how you were happy to understand a bit of the story decoding the dialogues and at some point in the last 10 minutes an avalanche of nonsense ended it? Well all dialogues feel like that sudden not understandingness.

Age of the viewer:
Even if you are a teenager, swimming in the endless sea of depression and hormones of your age, you will find painful to watch the dialogues even if you can bare the over exaggerated drama.

Conclusion:
I don't recommend this to anyone even if you want to see how the story ends. Because you will be better reading the end from a forum, you won't expend 12 x 20 minutes of your life trying to understand the dialogues, your time is more valuable this show doesn't deserve your time.
It is sad but happens, and one has to learn when to abandon an anime because it sank itself in its own trash.

This review will be about s3 ultimately but is heavily based on the experience of the series as a whole.

As we at long last have reached the apotheosis of Oregairu’s, I’ve to look back at all developments and regretfully admit that I’ve never understood Oregairu and its intentions with its commentary essentially. Oregairu has touched a lot of people’s hearts, and at some point, in time I, too, was engaged in Hachiman’s social loneliness endeavours – yet I stand here confused and appalled by how shallow everything turned out to be.

This season was easily an ultimate snorefest if I’ve ever saw one. Outside the ... occasional decent character interaction - which are sparse to find – the entire season focuses on one central task and the resulting conflicts that come with this task. Summarized as the following: The main 3’s relationships as a group, Yukino’s mother problem and Hachiman choosing his waifu. The first two leave room for exploration, yet in a span of 12 episodes the results are deficient.
This task at hand being a prom. Yes, you’ve heard me right. This entire season is focused on planning a simple western-themed prom which is a completely different event organized separately from the other school events. This event is commissioned by Iroha as it is her wish to do a prom and for it to be this year.

Why is this so hard? Because Yukino’s mother, the menace, the villain, the antagonist so to speak – at least as far as this series is concerned – is part of a committee that generally oversees these types of events and because of reasons do not approve this prom to be held. Why? The series never really goes in depth or any details really, on what the exact reasons are for the disapproval and we do get is really vague and odd. One such wishy washy reason is “they didn’t like the images on social media”, but the solution to that is to simply not allow the students to upload any photos to social media then? Right? Sounds easy to me. But no, that is not enough. The committee wants it to be cancelled and done for. Because they are depressed boomers or something.


Henceforth this whole conflict lasts us 10+ episodes where the rest of our time is spent with the characters roaming together the – very easily forgotten and mostly irrelevant – side cast to help with the task and Yui and Hachiman hanging out.

Speaking of Yui, I don’t understand her either. Not her infatuation with Hachiman and Yukino, nor why she is so focused on her “I am a greedy person who wants everything” shtick as if it’s a morally detestable wish or why everyone treats the act of Hachiman choosing his waifu as some act that will ruin the entire dynamic. By the end of the show they make it such a big deal for Yui to arrive to the clubroom yet when they actually meet it is just… fine. Obviously! Because there was never a reason to be concerned about all that to begin with! Yui for the most part in this season runs around in emotional inner monologues that are really corny and cries fat hot tears. And that’s really all she does. She is emotional support and consults Hachiman in his “Yukino won’t speak to me because she wants to do everything on her own now” problem but that’s all there is. Besides that, you would be a fool to think there was ever a chance for Yui to begin with. This whole rollercoaster was a hoax. Simply looking at the first volume cover spells out the answer to the “Who will he choose” question for you, like almost every LN. Don’t let anyone convince you Oregairu is not part of the mold. Yui has always been a third wheel in the romance aspect and as much as the series tries to persuade me that this is not the case, it hardly does a good job in actually executing so.

In regards to Yukino’s mother, the series has been teasing Yukino’s conflict with her for a long while, but it essentially only ever resulted in teasing. This season is allegedly the first time she actually is forced to face her and it ended up being an utter disappointment. I honestly expected a more intense arc about how her family has been imposing very strong authoritarian values about leadership onto her as she is a rich girl coming from an – implied – influential family of some sort, and how that has psychologically ruined her in ways that hinders her to interact with other people. The series tries to imply all these things, and with trying to imply I mean it is vigorously stated - and narrated - by almost every character, that Yukino is socially inept, just like Hachiman, but of a different kind.
Since I have already mentioned it in passing, it is not just that, but literally every character has something to say about the love/friendship triangle. It honestly seems like every single person in this school is highly concerned with the dynamic of these three teenagers. It is repeated ad nauseum and makes up 70% of the runtime. Nobody ever states their relationships and relations to other people as often or even at all as many times as Oregairu characters do it. It is bizarre.


Anyways, what really makes me scratch my head is the presentation of Yukino’s mother and older sister. The older sister especially just seems to appear to spout some pretentious dialogue, pseudo-psychoanalyse the main cast and then leaves with a smug smirk being happy in her accomplishment in making the characters uncomfortable. It’s very lame and obnoxious. She is irritated by her upbringing of having to try hard for her accomplishments and I guess feels insulted by Yukino getting help and support by friends. Boohoo. So sad.

The mother is presented as an ultra conservatist. She has her hair up in a traditional Japanese hair bun, she arrives anywhere she goes in a kimono, she is forcefully friendly and threatening. But that’s it. That’s all to her character. She never insults the characters; she isn’t really that rude. The final – and only, really - confrontation Yukino has with her mom this season is where she tells her that she seeks to continue her father’s business (we don’t even know what these people’s work is) and the mom just… accepts it. It makes the big sis mad but the whole scene was reasonably calm. What are the consequences here? Is Yukino’s mom simply strict? Is this really what tortures Yukino so much? I don’t understand.

And of course, I still don’t understand whatever horrifying implications it would bring to rely on your friends and ask them for help occasionally, but this series makes it a really big deal that helping your friends is somehow awful. I can understand that letting your friends handle all your real-life problems is bad, especially if these real-life problems are rooted in abuse, but it is hardly presented in a mature, understandable way. Hell, we don’t even know if there is any abuse here. The only way I can tell that this hurts Yukino in any way is by the show telling me constantly, as well as Yukino acting like a kicked dog anytime Hachiman takes initiative in any way. There seems to be zero psychological consequences otherwise. So basically, inconsequential. As are most conflicts and headaches in this show.

The dialogue is – unironically – pretentious and on the nose. Episodes will end with puffed-up monologues leading to title cards so pompously worded it almost never not made me erupt in hysterical laughter.

The characters range from archetypical to bland background characters - basically anyone except the main 3. The series wants to act like the side characters actually matter to the plot and anything that happens in it, but no matter how many key visuals with 15 characters on it you throw at me I am aware of the truth, and the truth is they are accessories at best.
Oregairu was always very ‘anime’. The characters are very typically ‘anime’ and the drama is predictably ‘anime-ish’. A little over the top drama has never hurt a good man but it will become repetitive and exhausting if the drama comes from presumptions and alienating thought processes by the characters. Season 2 already pushed the limits of my suspension of disbelief and this season has put the final nail in the coffin. Oregairu has to have the roughest mono- and dialogues in any anime I’ve seen. It edges on poetic parody.

Nobody talks like this, especially not teenagers. All in all, I can only describe watching Oregairu as an alienating experience. Nobody communicates in human ways, nobody words things in human ways, nobody is even socially awkward in ways that are believable. Characters have weird, up-their-arse life philosophies about the world and feel morally just or superior in comparison to other characters because of shallow non-explored reasons, because this is only highschool and not an epic thriller like ‘Monster’. Essentially it results to barely any commentary in regards to anything. Conflicts are completely inconsequential to anyone psychologically and do not impact their life significantly whatsoever. It is true that eventually Hachiman becomes a more likeable person, but I also think Hachiman was occasionally right in calling out people on their bullshit.

And then there is the show’s production too. Hand on asscheeks: It looks like shit. This anime has the worst lighting I’ve seen in my goddamn life. Especially modern productions. The series manages to completely overlight scenes and any light emits light from a 3k Watt source apparently. Imagine opening your phone in the middle of the night, now imagine that feeling but it’s the middle of the day from several different spots around you. That’s what it looks like.

The backgrounds are generic rubbish: Badly drawn, pseudo-realistic, plasticy, generic buildings inseparable from any other, use of CG chairs, and such a heavy blur over the entire thing, it feels like you forgot to clean your glasses. Everything is orange. Am I wearing glasses with an orange filter or is the show like that? I can guarantee you it’s just the show. This Oregairu season is simply hideous. The only saving grace is that the character art isn’t off model for most of the characters and general lack of animation errors but dear god is it ugly. So damn ugly.

The female characters have a constant blush effect on their cheeks and below their eyes (you know the rosy spot), glossy lips and shiny eyes. The show is just “shiny” now, but not in good way. You can tell they are trying to gloss up the girls so you just think “They are so pretty OwO” the whole time. This overpolish actually diverts your attention away from the serious intentions, and when compared to every male character just looks jarring.

Music and voice performances are all generic, forgettable, nothing to say about these. One track sounds like it is straight from animal crossing. Another from Clannad.
One tiny thing I also wanted to mention is the teacher. She is Hachiman’s mentor character and has a few scenes with him in this season as well and I consider her role in the story kinda odd and problematic? In season one she hits him over the head a few times, and there are semi-romantic implications between them. In the last episode they dance together and she – deadass – falls on-top of him. They don’t touch but I very deeply clenched my teeth together at that scene. She seems to be there to up the harem factor more so than anything.

And with that I am at the end of my review. I do not like Oregairu. I do not like this season especially. In fact, I would even say I hated it. Whatever anyone says, do not be fooled by anyone that Oregairu actually does social commentary, love triangles or highschool drama well. If you want a cynical MC watch Hyouka. If you want a great RomCom watch KareKano or Love is War. If you want better romance, especially watch KareKano. If you want a good highschool show all these 3 are miles ahead of this one. Or you know, watch this whole 7 year long built up disaster and judge for yourself.

Overview


Story: 2/10 – Boring, pretentious, self-important. Inconsequential conflicts.
Art & Animation: 3/10 – Ugly as fuck
Sound: 5/10 – Mediocre
Character: 3/10 – Nothing humane.
Enjoyment: 2/10 – I absolutely hated it.
RomCom: 1/10 – It speaks for itself
Overall: 3.0 (range: 2.5 – 4.0)

As someone who had their fair share of drama and romance during my high school days, I’ll provide my two cents on this finale season.

What initially drew me to this anime was the comedy and wittiness of the MC, Hachiman, and his little funny monologues. I watched the first season maybe four or five years ago and I went through a kind of “edgy,” nihilistic outcast phase, so I found him funny and somewhat relatable. In this season, Hachiman still has that vibe, but he just doesn’t seem as funny as before. Comedy-wise, this season is greatly lacking. I think the the biggest portion ... of humor is usually derived from Hachiman’s internal quips, but they feel very misplaced due to the nature of the plot.

Speaking of the plot, this season is 100% drama. I think that’s my biggest issue with this season. There is virtually no comedy. I guess Isshiki is comic relief, but her whole “wait, are you actually trying to hit on me because I’m your cute kouhai” thing gets stale. There’s the ironic “siscon” between Hachiman and his sister too if that’s supposed to be funny. Oh yeah, the hands guy was pretty neat I guess, until the weird rap battle. The rest of the characters are practically irrelevant.

The “plot” generally revolves around making a prom, with the subplot being the trio in the Volunteer Service Club trying to express their feelings to each other. And man, is it slow and boring. There are some cute moments between Yui and Hachiman sprinkled in. But most of the time, I feel like the dialogue and storyline are just complicated nonsense that would make most viewers confused. We have the Yukinoshita family drama intertwined with the prom drama, which is also intertwined with the drama between our trio. It just seemed like a huge overblown mess and it made me feel confused and nearly indifferent to times when the plot actually moves. I was not drawn into the plot whatsoever and the whole “story” being ambiguous did not help. Like at certain points, I was thinking, “oh, is this supposed to be a good thing? Was this important? Am I supposed to care this happened?”

As a casual viewer, I approached this season mostly expecting some cheap laughs, a nice story, and a little drama, which made this anime very difficult to enjoy considering how nearly every dialogue between characters is ambiguous and convoluted. I understand that high school is a very confusing time and it’s hard to properly comprehend and express feelings to one another. But this anime takes it to another level. Nearly all dialogues have confusing nuances and are left inconclusive on purpose, probably to let the viewers understand them on their own. Which is fair. But realistically, normal people don’t talk in metaphors and deliberately leave things ambiguous. Even if you were to understand every subtle nuance in the dialogues, you’d still be in the same place as most confused viewers: nothing really important was said, right? Even the characters’ internal monologues are ambiguous, which doesn’t make any sense. If they’re going to give audiences internal monologues of characters, it should at least be clear exactly what they’re thinking and how they’re feeling. But it’s not clear. Which makes it hard to get attached to the characters and storyline, and ultimately makes it pretty boring.

One thing I did appreciate was the development between Yui and Hachiman. I feel like she had the least confusing monologues and it was much easier to at least feel some sort of attachment to her compared to the rest of the characters. She was the only character I feel like I could truly understand and empathize with because her feelings and thoughts were clear. The animators did a good job on her facial expressions and reactions which would convey certain things, whereas the rest of the characters felt like watching dead fish. Her voice actor did a stellar job too.

The anime also redeems itself in the final two episodes when the characters stop beating around the bush. Meaning, there is some romance. Even then, the dialogues are still fairly ambiguous, but it should be clear enough to understand what actually happens. The first ten episodes are generally just pseudo-complicated filler made to appear important. But thankfully, watching until the end wasn’t a complete waste of time.

If you’re just looking to turn your brain off, get some laughs, and watch a cute romcom unfold, I suggest looking elsewhere. In general, this is just a slow-burning high school drama.

TLDR: A very poor buildup to what is a generally good ending to an outstanding anime series. Sprinkled with some emotional moments supported by the amazing production done by Studio feel. I will miss this series for the experience for the foreseeable future.

[Light Spoilers Ahead]

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru, or My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected is many things. A pilgrimage destination for people who set out to quench their thirst for finding something genuine masterfully created genre-breaking romantic comedy full of ironic tension and witty dialogue, a journey exploring the themes of self-realization, inferiority complex, cynicism, and social ... awkwardness.

At least, that was what we were promised. The first two seasons of Oregairu did this well by introducing its characters, showing how each of them interacts with each other, unpacking everyone's secret desires and motivations with a conclusion of a competition overarching this entire series/

So now, after five years of waiting, we get our conclusion, and all I can say is that Oregairu Kan (meaning climax in Japanese by the way) is one massive letdown.

Let's break it down, shall we?

Story: (3/10) Starting with the positives, the most remarkable aspect of Oregairu is how deep the superficial scenarios are. I'm not going to spoil anything because I want you to read this knowing nothing but a general analysis, but many scenes in the stories, if you look hard enough, have profound significance all surrounding one central concept, "there is no happy ending for everyone in a romantic comedy." So if you're going to watch Oregairu Kan, keep a mindful eye and notice how the characters interact, the environment around them, and the relationship dynamic everyone has with each other to notice trends you don't usually see in romance dramas.

Now we get to the bad stuff. As good as Oregairu is at making their scenarios have deeper meanings, it also screams melodrama. The main goal of the entirety of Oregairu Kan is nothing special, planning a high school prom, but they made it seem like a life or death scenario that it was almost laughable. The worst part of it was that the whole planning of the high school prom lost focus and at some points, forgot about what they were trying to do. At one point, it jumped quickly from "we're concerned about how this will turn out" to "okay, it's fine let's just do it" out of nowhere. I thought I missed something, so I went back, but no, I was right that it jumped the gun on the prom idea without much resistance with the "main antagonist" saying that "you know, the people will still get mad over this", which is basically saying that the conflict was never even resolved in the first place.

The story also focused way too much on one character and essentially, the story became about her when she shouldn't have become the focus because she's not the love interest in the end. A lot of the story evolved from a story about acceptance about losing your love to becoming a cry bait for audiences over the fact that she lost. But I'll talk more about this in characters.

Characters: (2/10) Not enough Saika this season? Automatic one.

Okay, but on a serious note, my statement has some truth in it. But not just Saika, just everyone else. A lot of the characters we saw and were built upon in the previous seasons were all rendered useless in this season. Either the characters have no plot significance or impact, plot devices to remind Hachiman of one fact that he forgot, or literally background noise to what's going on.

But the largest offender was that Yukino, the main girl of this story, was pushed to the sides. No, the main focus of this story was Yui, or as the light novel readers will say, "Yui cry bait." I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, a few episodes dedicated to that should have been good enough, but the worst part was that so much of the airtime was dedicated to Yui and Hachiman together, implying that they will be together in the end. But no, in the last-gasp effort, Studio felt realized that this story was entirely about Yukino and quickly wrapped it up towards the end with no buildup at all of the chemistry between Yukino and Hachiman.

Art: (10/10) As for art, I can describe it as "unnecessarily beautiful." We saw it with the drastic art style change in Zoku: the subtle facial expressions from the characters, ESPECIALLY Yui, the sunset shading on all of the characters' faces and setting, even the iconic finger/hand animations, all of it is unnecessarily beautiful. I understand the fantastic animation is to bring out how tangible the emotional scenes are between the character interactions, so I'm going to keep the art at a 10 because of how effectively Studio feel pulled it off, but it still doesn't take away the fact that Oregairu is unnecessarily beautiful.

Sound (9/10): I think out of all the OSTs even from the first and second seasons, this season definitely stood out the most. The opening and ending themes doesn't only sound good with the seiyuu singing spectacularly, but the lyrics as well have a special connection to the message of the anime itself. Take the example from the opening theme: "One after another, Happy ever after, At the end credits roll, What I hoped for, Won't appear on the screen, No matter how long I wait" just talking about how Oregairu needs a conclusion, but it won't damn right be a happy one. I also can't mention sound direction without talking about the ending theme. The cherry ending theme with both Yukino and Yui sings speaks volumes, especially when the more mellow single seiyuu versions of the ending theme plays in the more emotionally impactful scenes. And oh, do those scenes hit like a truck(-Kun)!

Besides the openings and endings, the rest of the OST was also really good, even at times calling back to some old themes and OSTs from the past Oregairu seasons.

Enjoyment (4/10): All in all, I can say that Oregairu Kan could have been great. The art and sound direction were impeccable, the past two seasons had good buildup to this point, all for it to be "destroyed" in the final season, the "Kan" as you can say. It wasn't bad by any means, the emotional scenes hit hard, the art was outstanding, the soundtrack was great, and everything was wrapped up very nicely. I'm just saying that this season could have been so much better.

Now would you excuse me while I go read the light novel so I could have a better experience with a writer that actually knows how to write a good buildup to a good conclusion.

My Equation Total Overall: 4/10

(TLDR at the bottom and spoilers ahead)

Each season on oregairu has a distinct identity, while not much happens in the first season it is enjoyable seeing the constant back and forth between Hachiman and Yukino while Yui tries to mediate between the two personalities. The second season has the bonds between the characters deepen, so it’s kind of enjoyable as a character drama. If the first season is the comedy part of the title the second season is the love part of it.

So how does season 3 create its own identity?

It doesn’t, it is a an overgrown tumour ripped of the back of the second ... seasons back and presented as its own season and were forced to see It crawl to what can hardly be considered ending.

The third season can be split into two distinct sections, Yui getting over the fact that she won’t be with Hachiman and the club will eventually grow apart and the rest of the series. This first part conceptually sounds quite interesting but then why does some thing that could be solved in a few episodes take up the majority of the series? I'll tell you why pacing. Season 1 adapted 6 light novels, season 2 adapted 5 and season 6 adapts 2. Because of this the final season is a slog, stretching every moment as far as it can go, and because of it the final season isn’t a triumphant finale but a boring conclusion that takes too long to finish.

“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

This also largely revolves around Yukino's ability to decide things for herself and stop being "co-dependent" the issue with this, apart from taking the whole season to sort out, is that it is nothing new. In the second season Hachiman had to learn not to shoulder everyone's burdens so we have seen these struggles before, making the season just feel even similar to the previous season, further preventing this season to have its own identity.
Oregairu is often praised for its deep philosophical themes, but I ask you what are they? The so-called "philosophical themes" are just surface level nonsense that you can get an even better Idea about by reading a Wikipedia page on it, which would take significantly less time and probably be more interesting.

And then the ending, what this called "love story" has been building up to for 38 episodes (Ignoring the ova's) is a confusion and then Yukino runs away, 38 episodes for this. No satisfying payoff, no conclusive finale, just this and then a minute of extra stuff that purposely avoids giving us any information about Hachiman and Yukino and then credits roll leaving nothing but disappointment.

TLDR:

If you like the previous seasons you'll like this. For everyone else though it is a boring slog through uneventful arcs leading to a disappointing conclusion.

Finally. This is the last season right? I hope so because I'm bored since S1. Here's probably an unpopular opinion but I'll try to point out why I don't go with the flow of all the praise this anime gets.

STORY:
It picks up from the horrible ending of S2 (even fans would probably agree). Well first few episodes in, I've never placed my full focus watching it. Why? It's boring. I didn't bother reviewing S1 and S2 because so many already flooded it with 9-10. Here, however, I'll comment on the anime as a whole. OreGaIru is correct with its title. Never once did I feel ... that it was romcom. It's more of drama with very little romance progression on the first 2 seasons. I'd rather rewatch something like CLANNAD for a school romcom + SOL + drama or Ore Monogatari (and I don't even like shoujo). The story of OreGaIru is just their club helping out people, that's it. The drama and all that just drags out everything like people who cause drama Irl do. And I'm watching anime to get out of all that unnecessary drama real life throws at me, but here it is again, only much more exaggerated. Some people say the issues are realistic, but Idk man, I've never experienced such drama Irl. So that's probably why it didn't appeal much to me.

ART:
It was bland. Color is too. It fits if I think it's a drama trying to be real-life. This made it more unappealing for me though.

SOUND:
Aside from an okay OP/ED, I barely hear music. Well again if it was trying to be real, obviously it's not going to be a musical. And comparing it to some drama animes which emphasizes the dramatic scenes with music, will just show how quiet it is. It's not bad, but I wish there was more.

CHARACTER:
This is where a lot of praise went to, saying something like they are not generic. They say they are realistic, and that Hachiman is unorthodoxed which makes him funny and self-insertable. Compared to other anime, yes they are more real. However, there are 2 types of loners I've encountered Irl, one who literally is alone and is quite anti-social, and one who pretends (deliberately or not) that they're loners but actually have friends. Hachiman is the latter so to me, ihe feels fake. Like man, how often is there a love triangle with a loner + 2-3 more potential backup. Even a non-loner doesn't get that Irl. Some characters are superficial and are between realistic and anime level of exaggerated. And it's like trying to chase two rabbits - you get neither. tl;dr I can't relate and self-insert and I even tried being apathetic and all that but I still can't.

ENJOYMENT:
It was a drag. But then, why did I watch the first 2 seasons? I enjoyed first season somehow then I wanted to see it through. Not for the romance, or comedy, but for the plot that the MC's club help out others. I am so close to dropping it everytime though.

OVERALL:
It feels overrated. It has good and bad points. Sadly, if you can't relate to them, the bad points will weigh more with you. I know it did for me. I'll try my best to see this through but I have my fingers crossed that:
1. This is the last season.
2. The ending will have closure, aka he picks a girl.
UPDATE: I dropped it.

Well, Oregairu is undoubtedly one of the best romantic comedies I've ever seen, the plot of the anime is a bit cliché, but the characters are the strongest point of the plot, Hachiman or Hikki is undoubtedly one of the best characters I have seen in any other anime .. The story and thoughts of the protagonist Hachiman are, for many people, as phrases of inspiration for the character's sarcasm . The way he portrays life makes most people feel a connection and empathy for him, getting more and more involved in the story he tells; his own, and how he reads between the lines. ... His relationship with the other protagonists of the series made him mature and perceive the world in a different way, they learn from him and he learns from them. There is drama involved in this wonderful plot as well and in how each man deals with his problems according to his personality. Remembering that they are all different in relation to each other...

Yukino, even having a way of thinking even similar to Hikki's, she still bonds a lot and trying to overcome her sister, maintaining scattered and distant relationships. Yukino keeps a lot of what he feels hidden, for having a weak and submissive personality. And Iroha, even though she has a strong personality, she hides it all behind a fax for everyone to like her, leaving no space to get to know her real "me". Yui, being the character that makes the plot level comic, she has a happiness in being able to make new friends. In my opinion I think it would be interesting if the author made different endings, that is ... An end for each of the heroines, I think that not only me but many people think the same way. But, I would be happy anyway who would be the girl chosen by Hikki..

The closer you get to someone, the higher the chances you get hurt, and the higher the risk of you ruining your relationship with them. The more time you spend with them, the stronger the bond becomes. However, at some point, you must face reality i.e. to farewell them. It may be due to several reasons like shifting abroad, changing or graduating from school. Once you no longer have a common interest/goal, you become distant willingly or unwillingly. Those bonds you once formed with others rusts away. Even if you promise to keep in touch with them, either you move on or they do. Those ... bonds you once formed, break apart and now only serve as your memories; memories you may look back on with melancholy or a smile. If you’re one of those who moves on unwillingly i.e. you keep in touch with them but they no longer do. People that were so close to you gradually become distant over time. At one point of your life, you may question the value of forming these bonds with others. The genuineness of the bonds you once formed with others. The value of these bonds which eventually fall apart once you part your ways with them. Does friendship only last till you/them are useful/convenient to them/you? Having a delightful conversation infrequently with others makes one your friend? Is friendship mainly dependent upon self-interest? Is it even worth it to engage in such superficial things? That is the point when you begin distancing yourself from others. You don’t need to form these fake bonds anymore. OR you just like others wear a veil and continue to repeat the cycle of forming and breaking these bonds.

As for the former one, that is just the beginning. You begin to see the world from a different view. You see through people and their conversations. The same conversations you may have held in your past with others now seem fake. You avoid those conversations which involve pointless/fake laughs just for the sake of it. You seek genuineness in your bonds with others now. However, the outcome of you finding one may be unpredictable. You’re no different than the other except you seek genuineness in your relation with others and dismiss fakeness. Yet, despite seeking genuineness, you yourself may not know what exactly it means to be genuine. How can you define something as genuine? The pain of genuineness? In other words, that is a question/curiosity to be held when the former goal is achieved.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS

That is how Hikigaya Hachiman was. Throughout the course of the story, we see his harsh views and hateful snarks towards people. People deluded by the “magic” of youth. Declaring youth a lie, deceit and a vain delusion. The reason why Hikigaya was like this wasn’t that he hated and despised everything, or had no choice but to live this way. He lived the way he did because he didn’t trust the world enough to express himself to others. He disregarded such superficial things as meaningless. He didn’t need to be a part of these superficial relations with others. However, there was something he wanted. Something he always longed for. He hated everything except for that. But he never had it so he had thought it didn’t exist. All he wanted was something genuine. Something devoid of false understandings or deceptive relationships. A request to the service club from Hikigaya himself...

“What I want isn’t words. I surely had something I really wanted. It’s probably not mutual understanding, to be friendly with, to be together or anything like that. I don’t want to be understood. I want to understand. I want to know. I want peace of mind from knowing. I want tranquility. To want complete understanding is an extremely self-righteous, overbearing and an arrogant thing. It really is despicable and repulsive. I can’t help but be disgusted at myself for wanting that. But what if they feel the same way? What if there’s a chance we can have a relationship where we can push that ugly self-satisfaction on to each other? I know that won’t ever happen. I also know that something like that won’t ever come within reach. But still I want something genuine.”


Story:

“Given that we clearly know how each other feels, we can’t go on like this…”

“The loser has to listen to anything the winner says…”

“I don’t want to forgive my errors or mistakes. Because I can’t afford to be wrong anymore.”


Despite being really close friends, it’s about time Yuigahama and Yukinoshita ended it properly. As things can no longer continue to be the same as they used to be. No matter how fun, mesmerizing their time spent together was. It’s time to end it. And it’s up to Hikigaya to decide. Deeply pondering, constantly thinking, wanting to understand, coerced by his peers, guided by his teacher, making sure not to make the same mistakes as before, to arrive at an answer. Something that can be declared genuine. Something that he or the others won’t regret. Running away isn’t an option. It’s time Hikigaya made the decision. He can no longer continue doing things the way he did before. It’s about time to come to a conclusion without affording to be wrong.

“If something were to not change no matter how much time passes, and if it didn’t fade away no matter how long it was cast aside, then I would have no reluctance in calling that genuine. This was different from those false feelings that would vanish after waiting for so long that you end up parting from them.

If something does not disappear despite turning your face away, or averting your eyes from it, or pretending not to see it, or being forgotten, then it shouldn’t be wrong to call it a genuine desire.”

However, before things were to be ended properly. There was something that still needed to be corrected. That was the relationship between Yukinoshita and Hikigaya. A relationship not based on trust, but something more severe which required a correction. Something like a trial to prove she can do things herself without always relying on him, so she could be more open/confident about her future choices as well. Which came in the form of managing the prom all by herself, an event proposed by Isshiki Iroha.


Characters:

The character cast of this series is absolutely outstanding. And the conversations and dialogue held amongst the characters is phenomenal as well. With the characters, even side characters, having remarkable personalities and the show having a rather distinct premise compared to others, it makes the whole series undeniably stunning and captivating. Something you would delightfully look forward to. From those painful or heart-breaking times to extremely humorous and heart-warming moments, this show possesses it all.

At this point, you watching this series already have an understanding of the main and side characters of this series. The only point that comes to mind would be explaining Yukinoshita's intention behind managing the prom all by herself which may have seemed unreasonable. This is a test, something which happens all the time. From getting the results for your music or manga entry, to competing in a sports event, participating in the auditions of a singing contest, taking an exam or starting your career. There will always be that one period where you’ll have to face yourself honestly.


Art/Sound:

The art style is the same as the previous season which perfectly fits the theme. The visuals were great, and the animation created was optimum for this type of show.

The opening shows the montages of the events that are about to happen while the ending covers nostalgic moments of the past; the time spent together as the service club. Both the opening and the ending songs are fantastic, and are sung by Nagi Yanagi and the voice actresses of Yui and Yukino; just like the previous two seasons.

The voice cast once again does a splendid job at delivering the thoughts and many emotions of our characters. And it couldn't have been any better. The soundtracks of this show are exceptional as well. They help compliment the mood and enhance the viewer's watching experience. The most outstanding soundtrack in my eyes is "Yui no Ketsui". A soundtrack which gets played many times in the show and it's such a heart-warming soundtrack; to the point I recommend listening to it individually.


Overall, feel. studio did its best to fit and deliver such detailed content in only 12 episodes. Something which was really humorous and entertaining, yet didn't lose sight of the premise of the show. If there was something I'd complain over, it would be about the number of Hikigaya's monologues adapted; which were very few.

To me, this show isn't all about who gets to be chosen. As both of the female characters had a great personality, making each really attractive in its own way. So disregarding everything else that the show offers doesn't seem right to me. At the end, seeing Hikigaya develop over time is so satisfying and exhilarating to watch. And well, who doesn't want to see Hikigaya rap?! Do desu ka, Kamakura-san?

I want something Genuine


How about shut the fck up? lul

Oregairu is the type of stuff that is killing the writing in Anime industry. At least the generic isekai openly admit that they suck. This, however tries to be more than what it really is and that is a very poor highschool drama filled with extremely cringe-worthy and corny characters acting way too unrealistic for their age.

Honestly this didn't deserve past the first season. Problem with Anime like these are that characters acting far too unrealistic and mature for their age and that makes things extremely uninteresting like NO. I am not going to take them ... seriously unless it's a seinen show with actual grown up characters.

Season 3 wasn't anything different. In fact, it somehow surpassed the first 2 seasons in being absolute cringe-fest. It became more dramatic than the first 2 seasons combined. The producers being biased towards Yuigahama and we were forced to see her cry at every single thing.

Yukino continued to had mommy issues. Yukino's sister continued being an annoying shit with her half-assed dialogues that were supposed to carry some heavy weight but since this anime just tries way too hard, they weren't.

Yui... Yui is genuinely one of the most annoying characters I've ever seen in Anime.
Someone gets in an accident, Yui starts crying. Someone forgets to eat their breakfast, Yui starts crying. Pattinson tested positive for Covid-19, Yui starts crying. Nvidia launches 3000 series, Yui starts crying. Microsoft buys bethesda, Yui starts crying even though she has an xbox.

This girl will just start crying at anything. From Episode 4-11, everything else was on one hand but Yui being annoying was constant.

The comedy in this show is really poor. Whenever Hikigaya try to pull out a Arraragi by start rapping out of nowhere it results in nothing but absolute cringe.

Hikigaya's younger sister was still liable for a punch in the face with all her "Points" thing.

Rest of the side characters were just as forgettable.

Oh yea, season 3 revolved around the idea of the "Prom" as if it wasn't a borefest enough. They kept on going with what kind of "relationship" they have and they have "requests". Again, making too big of a fuss of issues that aren't even that big because that's what this show literally is.

Other then that, there really isn't much to say since 70% of the whole season was just Yui crying.

People who wanted Hikigaya x Yukino would cream their pants and that's about it.

to put it shortly, no. Do not bother with this please. There's other Anime out there or other mediums too. This season 3 should've never existed. Heck, in a parallel universe we might actually get Kaguya-Sama season 3 for this dumpster fire

The announcement of Oregairu getting a season 3 was definitely an emotional moment for me. In the 5 years that have passed since I watched the first two seasons, I went from being an ignorant teenager thinking that Hachiman in season 1 was some sort of philosophical genius, to realising that his behaviour represented how flawed he was as a person. These flaws of his are what make up the core of the series, which takes me to my main point about this season:

Oregairu season 3 is not the most interesting season of the three since the main problem in the story has already been ... addressed in season 2.

Some people put this down to poor writing, but I honestly feel like this works out pretty well. You see this "genuine" thing has two layers to it. One is just the mutual acceptance of the nature of the feelings involved, while the other is the mutual acceptance of the severity of the feelings involved as well. The former is what the whole story was about up until the end of season 2, as Hachiman manages to embrace how he must continue to struggle and fight for proper connections with people, irrespective of his past failures with relationships. The latter is what season 3 is about. The service club members now fully embrace that they all like each other, but they are not quite ready to embrace a status quo where everyone's romantic feelings are put on the table as well.

For my review of the season itself, I'll go through the common criticisms I have seen directed towards it, and try to either defend it or agree with them. That should give you a general idea about whether you'll enjoy this season or not.

"Oregairu season 3 is nothing more than a generic love triangle"
I'd beg to differ. The way the characters have developed so far makes it a lot more interesting than just an average love triangle. One must also consider what happened at the beginning of season 2. Hayama and his clique were criticised by Hachiman & Yukino for trying too hard to protect the status quo instead of embracing and moving on with Tobe's romantic feelings being known. And now Hachiman and the service club are put into a similar situation. This is excellent, because embracing the fact that you're friends with some people is way easier than embracing the existence of romantic feelings in a small group of friends and still being able to carry on with comfort. So Hachiman criticising Hayama's clique for failing to do the latter and now finding it hard to do it himself makes him somewhat hypocritical. And that has been a theme with Hachiman's character development. He realises his hypocrisy then works on fixing it with help from the brilliant Hiratsuka-sensei.

"It is way too dragged out and overdramatic"
I do agree that it got dragged out a bit more than necessary, but not to the point where it's a huge deal for me. This was partly due to how much I love these characters, and partly due to the fact that the characters are shown to be socially inept throughout the story. Being able to express their emotions properly is not something they know much about. As a result, I'd give Oregairu the benefit of the doubt that I wouldn't give to many other shows where there is way less of a justification for why things got dragged out. As for overdramatic, these kind of shows tend to walk on a thin line between compelling display of a dramatic story, and nonsensical melodrama. How you see it would depend on how attached you are to the characters going into the third season, or what your tolerance is like when it comes to drama stories.

"The comedy is either non-existent or rather cringe"
My thoughts on Oregairu comedy are rather mixed. Anime comedy rarely makes me laugh, so things like traps, fujoshis, and chuunibyou people are rather disappointing when I see them pop up, and they're all present in Oregairu. But I still found plenty to laugh at when it came to the main characters. Hachiman's primary character arc is over, so in season 3 he comes across as a lot more chill and funnier than he was in season 2. Some of the comedy is cringe (such as a rap battle), but it's self-aware cringe rather than pretentious cringe, which can be funny for many people.

"The adaptation was too nice to Yui over Yukino"
This I completely understand. Yui moments were given a lot more importance than Yukino moments, possibly in order to create a level of balance between the two main girls. It's one thing that I did find myself feeling a tad frustrated by. This is also why I'd recommend everyone to read the LN. Hachiman's feelings towards Yukino and vice-versa are expressed a lot better over there.

Overall, it was sweet. I laughed, I smiled, and for the first time while watching a show, I cried as well. It has been well over five years of me waiting for a third season, and I am not disappointed. A lot has changed over this period of time, but my love for this series hasn't. 10/10.

Sorry, what I'm saying may be selfish, but please raise your standards.
This anime could be fun. However, many of the stories in the anime were not logical at all and the exaggeration was too much.
But my main problem was the end of the story, especially the last two episodes.
hachiman, who in the rest of the anime cared a lot about their friends' feelings, suddenly became badly selfish in the last two episodes, so much so that in the end I hated the male character. Of course, not because he chose Yukino Yukinoshita. Because this issue was clear from the first part. But because of the ... way he treats Yui Yuigahama.
The anime seems to have a happy ending and everyone is happy, but I think the Yui was very neglected by her two main friends. The male character who cared for all the characters in the anime throughout the story and did everything to help them, but did not pay the slightest attention to the feelings of Yui Yuigahama, while he could have rejected her much better.
Yukino was somewhat the same in the last two episodes, and while she knew that her best friend had been rejected, she did not sympathize with her in the slightest.
I hope the site's rating system provides a section for professional critics to see the real rating of an anime. Because one of the reasons I chose this anime was its seemingly high score, but in the end I was disappointed with that.