The show is extremely entertaining, just as America's funniest home videos or Keeping up with the kardashians is, except unlike those shows, you don't end up with a lower brain cell count afterwards.
The show is a classic stereotypical anime, and a pretty good reason why people who don't watch anime think all of us who do are fucking wierdos'. There is blatant cringe worthy yaoi, almost to an excessive amount, made worse by the fact it is often seen as a running joke(Wolfram being gay, and Yuri sort of not really being gay?- They are "engaged") and never actually given a reason. It's not like "Wolfram is gay" because nobody, including the character himself, would admit it or say it. Then, you're like, Yuri, just tell him you don't like dick, but then there's scenes where he is alone with a guy and says shit like "he smells nice" or "he has nice features" and then blushes like a fucking schoolboy who just got asked who is crush is by his own crush.
The yaoi alone kills me, sometimes so much that I have to pause the anime and go for a walk. Then there's the matter of the characters them selves. All characters are hilariously cliche, and almost always the same person honestly. There is very rarely two characters who aren't like the other. Yes, there's aspects that are different-in personality and background- but only just enough for a lazy writer to say "job well done, I think I'll go check out an anime cafe"
Yuri himself is likable, but very cliche. He's trustworthy to a fault, and never learns not to be, despite it literally causing nearly every story arcs problems. Does he have character development? Sort of. But really all he does is just understand more people, more. He really never changes or learns from anything, and him, and nearly every character in the show, is waaaayyy over the top. Like, Jim Carey over the top, except with post 2005's quality.
One character they do add, King Sara, is likable only because he is rather different from everyone else. He is mysterious, manipulative, sociopathic, and influential, all the while being 2 years older than Yuri. While the character is still not great by any means, it's certainly a better character than the villains in the show. They are about as forgettable as the show itself.
That's actually an apt way to describe the anime: Forgettable. I liked the first series, but if you were to ask me what the fuck happened, I would space out for about 4 minutes, remembering only the tense yaoi moments and sincere stupidly of yuri himself. I can't even recall villains in the first series, other than Adalbert, and if you think he was a villain, then you might need to higher your standards.
In a nutshell to describe characters of this series- Largely likable, largely forgettable, but entirely entertaining.
The plot is what it is as well. It isn't so much messy as it is just plain bad. So, really, that's sort of a good thing. The main plot in this third series often had me mouthing obscenities and face palming myself. It's like "Okay, yuri did this again" or "Yuri, how are you this stupid".
Then, the show can't even make up for it's over the top cliche sincerity, with adding cool fight scenes or even blood or gore. Nobody ever seems to die in this show. It's like it's made for 9 year olds but could only be appreciated by 14 year olds.
The art, given the year it was made, is passable, but considering other shows made the same year, is pretty crap in comparison. It's not really bad per say, just underwhelming and sometimes, like when it comes to the animation of the show, hilariously bad. The animation is so mediocre it makes the art appear above average in comparison.
What the show does really suffer from at all, is sound. The background music, just as in the first series, is lovely, potent, and always fitting. It's not amazing, but certainly the best aspect of this entire show.
To conclude: The 3rd series of Kyo Kara Maoh's cringe worthy cliche moments and characters, as well as it's childlike tone and attitudes, are only saved due to the likability of the show- a likeness that's rather embarrassing that even among anime fans, I rarely mention this as something I watched and actually enjoyed.
You probably will too.
