What makes this season watchable is that it's emotionally compelling. There are actual stakes here that were established briefly during S2 and we see Kazuya actually rise to the occasion to help Chizuru with a situation we've long known about that is hitting its final notes; and credit due where credit's due, it made me cry a bit and was really sensitive about it. Unfortunately it's still RaG and after that episode the series sort of fumbles the ball and it's back to the status quo. That doesn't negate the impact of the narrative shift or entirely takes away Kazuya's major character development in that arc, however, but it still is disappointing to see the series fall back to it's usual tropes after such a heavy arc. I don't know, kicking the can on these issues isn't unrealistic but that doesn't make for a good narrative.
There's a new girl named Yaemori introduced here. She's...she's fine, not great, but sort of a needed addition since she actually makes Kazuya act on stuff; unfortunately feels like she's just here to add another chick to fill a female character type, but whatever. Ruka is a lot more tolerable this time compared to S2, Sumi still shines like she did in the last season and proves to be one of Kazuya's better matches, and mercifully Mami is almost entirely absent.
A good season, still falls for it's eye-rolling tropes but better than what came before even if it couldn't entirely maintain the momentum. I only fear if the studio is choosing to not start cutting the manga's fat in future seasons.
