Review of The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of Princesses

This review assumes you have seen the first 2 seasons. This review may also reference some content in my reviews of this series. This review will contain spoilers. The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of Princesses is S3 of this anime. While i got why the 2nd season was called what it was, here? S3 has no right to call itself by the name of Rondo. (A musical note fyi) and doesn't make sense. (Unless there is a hidden meaning like in the names for example) But putting that aside I have to say that is the LEAST of the problems with S3... first let me getthis out of the way, this season does some things right, while doing MANY things wrong. Lets start out with what it does right.

1. Louise gets SOME character development (Emphasis on some btw)
2. They brought back Kirche & Tabitha (Charlotte) and made them MC (main characters) again, unlike in S2 where they were made side characters, sadly this isn't until the 2nd half so yeah...
3. They intro'd 2 new MC girls whom you'll prolly like, I did. They also intro'd a bunch of new side characters too whom imo, you could remove them from the anime and nothing would change much.
4. While I won't say, we get some surprises you may not see coming, really happy for one of those involving a certain character.
5. While the MC of S2 were made side characters in S3, they don't feel like we lost anything from them, well, that's how it feels to me anyway.
6. Reveals some plot points of whats been going on since S1 and also tries to tie up some of the plot points from S1 & S2 that were not finished.

All those points above sound super great right? Yeah, I'd say so, but even though i had a smile on my face a moment ago, I now have a frown because I know what am about to type... Here is what S3 botches... due note some spoilers will be mentioned, my apologies but I cannot do this review properly otherwise, however I will try to for as much as I can, still be vague, but some stuff i have to specifically point out what happens... hop out now or risk getting spoiled.

S3 picks up where S2 leaves off... except somehow time has passed (8 months though I forget if that's since the war started or since it ended as the Princess mentions one of the two) yet at the same time apparently not becus some plot points that one would discuss ASAP, rn't discussed either at all or till later... Yes for those who hated the war in S2 its done, over, ended off screen. So, DUMB. Like i myself didn't like some stuff that was just forced in S2, like the marriage (fyi, never mentioned here, but shown so it did happen) and how Saito became a murderer for the girl he loves which just felt so bad and forced in that scene where he asks that question. The flower wilting meaning he died yet somehow came back to life got explained here and imo, was done poorly, more so because Guiche also died in S2 (off screen, shown only through him telling what happened) and he made the same story of how he was saved as Saito did, yet Tiffa had to use her ring to save Saito and she isn't able to revive anymore because the ring lost its power. Based on what was said and shown, it seems like the ring was a 1 time use only item, so here we have a plot hole involving Guiche. I read a review that the anime is its own adaptation, while the LN are different, I can certainly believe it and that would explain the plot hole here as it was just teasing Tiffa in S2 which was still dumb. I dunno if the LN and anime are different or not, but I cna honestly say I have no intention of reading any book form of this series, though am not into books anyway but yeah, S3 really burned me here. Anyway, with that out of the way, let's get onto the other problems this season has... which are significantly worse than what i just wrote... before that, almost forgot, the flowers from their wedding are never shown or mentioned again besides maybe in a flash back.

So, in S1 you know I loved Saito's personality because he was respectful to women, shy, reserved, would look away if a woman was naked in front of him. S2 however made him gawk and stare at breasts, clothed or not. ... S3 however... *sigh* let's just turn him into a cheating bastard shall we? Oh? Let's also make him a bigger perv than he was in S2 while we're at it! :D ... >:( I lost my respect for Saito in S3, Louise called hima water flea in S3, but me? I call him scum. It was just Saito I lost respect for. The Princess (Henrietta) lost my respect too. In S2 she only forced herself on Saito to fool the guards searching for her, while she wore plebeian's clothing. In S3 I won't say what leads to this, and i GET and understand admiring someone and wanting to be like them and i also get loneliness BUT! You crossed a line Hime and worse, Saito also crossed a line and legit straight up cheated on Louise, where as before it was mostly just staring, this one went FAR too far. Oh and, Saito already cheated by fondling breasts out of lust when he was asked too and ofc they weren't Louise's breasts. Saito is scum, and an absolute idiot. His excuse in soem of these sitches is "I may never get a chance too" and I don't give a CRAP, I actually feel sorry for Louise in this season, mean while Saito gets near everything he deserves in this season, what scum. Side note. Though i harp on him and others/plot point I mention/am about to mention, keep in mind I don't hate the characters, I just hate how they were handled in S3 and so on.

As if that wasn't bad enough, there's not much plot in S3, certainly not interesting plot... and that plot doesn't even come up till episode 6 or 7... the "plot" b4 that is just setting up new charcters, not bothering to explain why Elvs are hated and feared and ofc, pointless fan service. There is some comedy here, including a whole episode almost of yuri (You'd understand why it can be funny if you saw it, the sitch that unfolds is well, something lol) but then we still get inappropriate stuff like asking if Tiffa's breasts are real just because they're ginormous, which elads to her asking if they're real herself (I dunno hun, you tell me, you should know best after all, they're your breasts ya know :P) and crap like that, is just so dumb. Tiffa is not an idiot btw. So that sitch shouldn't have happened.

Ultimately there's more I am sure i could mention including the last episode's BADLY tacted on and forced plot to try to make the episode more interesting and strengthen bonds which could've been handled and done MUCH better without that, but I'll end it here. S3 ultimately has some good points, has some character dev and so on, but the bad things I mentioned here and how it ruins some characters for me are why i have to rate The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of Princesses (S3) a 4.0 out of 10.0

Onto the specials and S4 for me, here is hoping for better...