AUTHOR'S NOTE:
With 4 seasons under its belt, Zero no Tsukaima has quite the history of being a popular anime. I'm not a fan of magic/fantasy animes but the first season impressed me enough to continue watching the 2nd and 3rd season. The reason why I want to take the final season into account is to wrap Zero no Tsukaima up in a package and show you why it fell into oblivion in its final premise.
STORY (5/10):
It was expected. Before I even touched the first episode, I closed my eyes and used my clairvoyant magic to predict what this story would be about. Miraculously, I was able to stay ten steps ahead of the anime, as it went on. An anime with such predictable plot can't be enjoyed, as viewers like twist and surprises (unless, you don't...?). I was able to hold my patience for the 1st season, but I had already grown tired of the repetitive storyline at the middle of the 2nd season. I had hoped at the final season, the writers would come up with a well-crafted ending. No, it was not a well-crafted ending, in fact, it left me sitting there unsatisfied and possibly annoyed. For the last season, the writers somehow mustered all of their powers to create as much plot holes as possible, in order to create their own disastrous ending. Even with two worlds they could play with (the real world vs the magic world), the writers could not handle such large responsibilities and decided to keep Japan out of the loop until the very end of the anime.
There is no storyline in the final season. In 12 episodes, many of them were fillers, while the real plot felt like Groundhog Day, cases of villainy acts which are outdone by the magical words: deux ex machina. This anime should have been re-titled: "Zero, the Duex ex Machina" because that's all you are going to see in the battles in Zero no Tsukaima F.
ART (5/10):
A lot of laziness. Since the final season mostly focuses on Halkeginia, we see copy and paste backgrounds and recycled animations. What were the production team thinking? I highly doubt the art will impress viewers, especially if you have been watching the previous seasons. It's the same old, same old. Dull and inexpensive, even the Academy, which looked detailed and beautiful in the first season now looks like a Barbie playhouse.
The action scenes aren't very moving either. And with half of the episodes being fillers, we don't get to see much action. In fact, the only notable scene in the final season is the final battle...though it's not impressive at all.
SOUND (8/10):
Ichiko and Rie Kugimiya must be amazing artists (they are), as they were featured in the OP and the EP for all four seasons. I've enjoyed all of the OPs and EPs in the Zero no Tsukaima series and was pleasantly surprised that they were all sung by these two wonderful artists. The OP "I'll Be There For You" by Ichiko has an adventurous melody which keeps the viewers interested and pumped up while the EP "Kiss Shite Agenai" sung by Kugimiya is catchy and bouncy, which brings the anime to a nice close. However, it does get awkward when the anime begins to take its cliffhangers to a darker turn. The EP seems to disturb whatever emotions the anime tried to display.
CHARACTERS (5/10):
Saito Hiraga has been our main hero of Zero no Tsukaima for four seasons. Throughout these years, I've tried to comprehend and analyze his personality and his growth. You want to know what I found out? He's a tortured boy, leashed and whipped by a girl who has a permanent, problematic personality called here in America...well, a bitch. Now, I know that may sound misogynistic but hear me out, ladies. I don't care how much you love your man, but if you have any of the personalities of the characters here in Zero no Tsukaima -- please get out of my face. That is extremely unattractive. And having to see Saito still fall for any of these characters is utterly baffling. Despite his mysterious charm towards Louise and the other weirdos in the anime, I applaud his loyalty and patience.
Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière is our main heroine. Despite her fancy, bourgeoisie, exaggerated name, her personality does not match to that caliber. If there was a game called "Tsundere", Louise would be the final boss. A complete super-ultra tsundere, she may become your favorite anime character (if you're an M) or you may want to slap her upside the head and tell her to shut up (if you're an S). However, she does a cute side to her -- just don't provoke her or speak of, think of, or touch another woman. Whether it was a misunderstanding or your true intentions, our heroine will pour down her wrath on you before listening to your reasoning, no matter how convincing they are.
The villains in Zero no Tsukaima F are not interesting at all. Actually, if you technically take out the characters that have died off extremely quickly or allied with the hero/heroine, there is only one villain in the entire season, which is complete laziness on the production team's part.
I feel like we are supposed to learn from the allies and friends more than the hero/heroine. They are willing to sacrifice limbs in order to protect the main characters and we see this in each episode consecutively. Whether they are love rivals, or ex-villains, they always give way to the main characters so they can shine.
OVERALL (5/10):
I've had my share of fun in the first and second season, but it has become too bland. It's like taking a lick of a never-ending lollipop (Tootsie-pop, anyone?). The Zero no Tsukaima series has given us the perfect picture of a well-versed anime with a lot of potential, slowly rotting around the edges. Although I've tried to recall the comedy and romantic moments, I couldn't fully enjoy the final season due to its poor execution.
*cough* Louise is overrated. *cough*
