Review of The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of Princesses
Zero no Tsukaima is one of those rare romantic anime that actually allows the viewer some of the pleasures of romance that are rarely ever actually allowed in a series: actual physical contact. You see, most romance anime feature a boy and a girl and 24 episodes of them muddling through genre cliches and stuttering annoyances until finally, they get together in the end, and even then, only about 5% of the time, it ends in a kiss, which really blows my mind about romance anime in general, but that's another matter. Now, to be truthful, there's a lot that can be said against this show.The story is weak in itself, filled with more deux ex than can possibly be explained. It's almost like the creators just don't care about plot holes and rediculous assumptions. Not only that, but the original premise of Season 1 (where Louise is a magic student in a magical academy) has been completely abandoned. I think the academy showed up once or twice in Season 3 and the Professor showed up only in the last episode.
However, somehow, all of the bad things that can be said about this show still gets pushed to the backburner because this anime is just downright fun! I could watch the episodes over and over because the characters are so well done and the dialogue and voice acting are top-notch and the relationship between Louise and Saito is just amazing. (Just watch the boat scene in episode 4 of Season 2 and you'll know what I mean. That kind of thing NEVER happens in romance anime, especially in the middle of the season, so I've watched it so many times, because I just loved it so much.)
Louise is perhaps the most adorable character in the history of tsunderes, if not in all of anime. She hardly ever gets on your nerves like most tsundere types can from time to time, because in every episode you can see how vulnerable she is... how much she needs Saito. And unlike most tundere types, she breaks down quite easily in confessing what she doesn't want to: that she has feelings for him. That hits at the heart of what usually annoys most fans of romance: that it just takes too dark long for the characters to confess their love and that when it does happen, the anime is already concluding and we don't get to see any aftermath. Well, that's not the case with Zero. Louise and Saito confess early and often in Season 1 and after that, it's just more and more development, more and more physical contact that displays their feelings, and more and more love. It's actually amazing what a simple plot change can do when you do it right and let me tell you all: Zero no Tsukaima gets romance right!
Other notables about this anime. The fanservice isn't the best, but its good. There's no nudity, but perhaps in this case, there's no need (although Louise naked would be nice, but that's just me *wink*). Louise's stuttering nervous voice is beyond adorable and I guarantee you'll fall in love with her the minute you hear it. Saito is actually pretty solid as a lead male in this genre and he surprises often. If I had to use one word to describe him, it would be "realistic." Everything about him from his responses to his feelings is spot on and just makes sense. He brings balance to the anime.
Anyways, overall, I would reccommend this to anyone who loves romance anime with strong harem theme, but isn't truly harem. I guarantee you won't find many pairings that matches the strength of Louise and Saito. From the looks of the last episode, it seems they probably aren't doing a Season 4, but luckily the last episode of Season 3 was magnificent.