Nanatsu no Taizai: Funnu no Shinpan

I know I'm likely in the minority at this point for really enjoying shows that others say are 'bad' due to poor animation, abrupt studio changes, and long drawn out backstory with semi-decent fight scenes tossed in, and that's how I feel. I watched season 3 in two days back in April because I wanted to fall back in love with the series, and enjoyed busting out the show in that span. But with this one I wanted to do a slower approach and appreciate the last season.

Now, I'm not saying that this season, or any for that matter is a 10/10, but I have ... next to zero grievances with the animation, the recycled plot and devices used, overplayed gimmicks and attacks we all knew and thought were boring by this point-- none of that really mattered, because I enjoyed this as much as I did any other season.

STORY - 7/10
Now the story could have been drug out much more than it was, I think we all are and have been groaning at how things weren't solved (that really could have been) in the first three or so seasons. But I guess it had to 'follow' the manga (though not being a manga reader I don't know if it followed or not) I'm just being honest.

Yes, things were said time and again as we learned more about the characters and relationships (which was surely a nice thing for a longer Shonen), but with every episode, what kept me watching more was the dialogue and fighting more than anything.

ART - 7/10
The art in this season was sub-par, I feel the battles could have been better and seeing character's faces for the same expression for more than a few minutes rather than using other expressions and sound to covey the feeling of a scene was another off putting aspect. Still, though I said the battles needed work, they were the driving force that kept my interested in the series as a whole.

SOUND - 6/10
Of course with series that have multiple seasons they have to reuse tracks and things, and that's okay, but the biggest thing was the OPs and EDs, which, I feel didn't really suit the mood or theme of the season AT ALL. I bet something better would have been made or tossed out.

Other than that, hearing Hawk scream and squeal is always funny to hear, as well as the amount of clashing and banging sounds during fights. There's my will to keep going.

CHARACTER - 7/10
The findings from last season with the Archangels being on the Earth and assisting the NnT gang was surely something I feel could have come in earlier, but nonetheless I enjoyed it somewhat. The thing with characters suddenly being another being was a thing for a while and as it did shock me, a few more revelations about characters were even better.

I felt that with the Demon King being the 'final boss' now, it was just saying that everything up to this season was like the butter before putting bread into the skillet--stupid analogy but eh. Everything they had worked for, the powerups weren't really showcased any better than before because we had seen them--save one which made e cry.

There were a few characters that I'd have loved to see actually DO more, but they were side characters, plain and simple, but I digress. The little eventual backstory we got for characters glossed over before was great and made them sink into my heart even more.

I didn't really enjoy hearing the Demon King drone on about wanting to have a different body, and the fact that he was acting unfitting of ANY kind of King by throwing a tantrum about not getting what he wanted, kind of nearly turned me away from even finishing, but I stuck it out and got it done.

ENJOYMENT - 7/10
As much as I feel it deserves an 8 in this, I had to lower it to a 7. My expectations were a bit too high after finishing and being relieved. Though I can say that this season and show made me smile so much, and even taught me to stand up for myself and that I can count on my friends if they say that they have my back.

OVERALL - 7/10
It's not a series or season I'd watch again, but being completely anime only by the end, I can say I do want to read the manga and see how things hold up there. If there was ever a chance the entire show was on DVD, I'd want it in my ranks, just to MAYBE rewatch favorite fight scenes or just have it as background noise.

It's the end of everything...that for a huge series like Nakaba Suzuki's Nanatsu no Taizai a.k.a The Seven Deadly Sins, and what a shit-ton of drama from start to finish: the strong start with A-1 Pictures and Aniplex's backing for the first 2 seasons, then the unfortunate tragedy that is the original canon movie "Prisoners of the Sky" that caused Aniplex (and subsequently A-1 Pictures) to bail because they're in the same business umbrella after the movie bombed, leaving Studio Deen and the outsourced Marvy Jack for the notoriously infamous Season 3, and that brings us here, to the final season with the same co-production, ... which adapts the rest of the manga not adapted yet into anime form, from where Season 3 left off and finally to the manga's true ending. WHAT A rollercoaster of a RIDE.

After the horrible disaster that is Season 3, the reason why the minority of you (me included) just want to watch this to get the entire Seven Deadly Sins adaptation done with. Everything needs no mention because seasons have carried this show for 6 to 7 years (inclusive of this final season), and it's dead obvious by this point for a former Shonen juggernaut that nowadays, series like it are rife across the board today.

At least, both Studio Deen and Marvy Jack took their time to finish this final season the "best" way they possibly can through the same subpar animation, and at least the blood is RED, not WHITE, so at least the botched "censoring" is outta the way. The OST for the final season is no doubt, great on the 2 sets of OP/EDs, though IMO Sora Amamiya's 2nd OP sure does not fit within the other song choreographies all that well. A bust on that one.

Take it or leave it that if you've come this far, your mission is one and only: finish the crap outta The Seven Deadly Sins, and be on your way, once the manga, now the anime. A conclusion that took 6.5 years to reach in animated form, with a strong high, rabbit-hole mid, and a decent ending to Nakaba Suzuki's long running-work.

Welp, a juggernaut finally put to rest in both read and watch forms.

It’s no news to anyone that’s strapping in for the final season that Nanatsu no Taizai has been considered to be going downhill after the Commandments arc, both for animation and plot reasons. In my opinion, it’s not so much that this series changed drastically after that point, although that definitely plays a role. I think it has to do with the fact that Nanatsu keeps using the same plot devices and cheap writing choices to keep it going, and the more you look at it, the more you can see the cracks showing. The result is a clusterfuck of plot armors, confusing action and ... forced emotional drama.

**Spoilers**

Let’s dig in the plot of this season. The plot is becoming less and less about this band of powerful fighters we’ve come to love for their unique quirks. The Holy War fight and the 3000 years flashback leave many questions to be answered: Why didn’t Zeldris talk to his father about the vampire clan? How the fuck did Gowther rewrite everyone’s memories about Estarossa with ~magic~? There are so many questions I could add that it could easily fill this text. I don’t even want to get started on Estarossa being Mael plot twist, this was the definition of ridiculously forced drama. He got his name from a puppy... a puppy. Christ.

Just as Estarossa comes to the ‘good’ side, our big baddie is revealed: the terrifying Demon King. You’d think that the final villain should surpass every previous villain’s qualities. However, the Demon King is as bland as dry corn flakes at 6 am. He has no motivation besides ‘more power’, no backstory, no important relationship to understand his character. He’s just the shallowest villain you can get that only says the same generic quotes about defeating the MCs. As the final arc progresses, the author repeatedly makes you think the story is wrapping up, only to say ha gotcha!, and prolong it even more. The fight with the Demon King is prolonged three times at least, but it has no weight. The Demon King is actually a pushover who is easily defeated by the main crew without them breaking a sweat. There are no stakes in this final fight, no suspense, nothing. Each time, the Demon King is defeated only to come back because the author wanted to milk the series to its last fucking drop.

One of the biggest advantages of Nanatsu no Taizai is the author’s boldness in his decision to include romance in a shonen series. Most shonen series shy away from romance and shove it in last minute making it seem out of left field, like in Naruto. It’s clear that almost all members of the Sins have a love interest that motivates them, whether the feeling is reciprocated or not. Exploring the characters’ relationships or feelings and how the dynamics begin to shift, like in Meliodas/Elizabeth’s case, or Escanor's feelings for Merlin for example, is very interesting and refreshing. The problem in this season is that every. single. character. is given the exact same romantic sob story in a very perfunctory way. Estarossa and Zeldris were the newest victims of this modus operandi. Their romantic feelings are shoehorned without properly exploring how their relationship with their loved one is unique or different from the others. We are just told that their goal is to save or be with the women they love. Is that a bad thing? Hell no. However when romantic factors are literally the only motivation to the actions and goals of the entire cast, this writing device feels recycled, boring and lazy. The author also tried to add Meliodas' and Zeldris' sibling bond in the mix, but without any scenes that solely had to do with them in flashbacks, or any development in their relationship it's hard to find this depiction moving in any way.

Watering down the plot and the characters’ goals to romance is not the only thing that is poorly written in this season. The characters are also becoming plot devices to move the story forward. It feels like Holy War is an arc that undoubtedly had to be mainly action, but the fights so tedious you can barely sit through them. Our main crew is receiving power ups out of nowhere only to defeat the seemingly insurmountable obstacle in front of them-- granted with a plot armor of 100 tons of course. You need olympic medal gymnastics to be able to reconcile all these drastic and sudden changes that happen conveniently every time. These power ups are poorly explained and give off the idea that the author couldn’t think of a better solution and settled with the easy options. And it’s not just power ups without build up; The fights are boring both in choreography and inventiveness. That’s no news of course, since Nanatsu has always lacked inventiveness when it comes to action. The characters are using moves we’ve never seen before, and the villains are suddenly turning from invincible to weak when the plot requires it which makes it hard to engage and get invested in anything that’s happening really. Nothing seems much of a challenge or suspenseful when the author keeps making up bullshit to escape the corner he’s written himself into. I never thought NnT’s fight scenes were anything spectacular, but with the action in this season being more prevalent, the poor writing is even more apparent.

Last but not least, the elephant in the room: the animation of this season. As someone who hasn’t read the manga, I recognize that some complaints I’ve had about this season might be the studio’s fault and not the author’s. The artstyle and animation are supposed to elevate the source material, not make it worse. I’m really not a picky watcher when it comes to animation; I barely notice faults others effortlessly take up quickly. Studio Deen’s treatment of Nanatsu has been god awful. The animation is not just bad, it’s practically nonexistent for the majority of the show. The action seems odd and as if in slow motion; the characters’ faces remain emotionless and expressionless because the animators just wanted to use the same frames. When Meliodas was being lied to that Elizabeth was dead for good, his face was literally the :O emoji for a good 5 seconds. My point is, the dramatic effect some scenes could have had falls flat because of the poor animation quality and effort. I understand this is not the studio’s fault and the animators tried their best, but unfortunately the production committee’s decision could only produce a power point slideshow as a result. It’s sad because animation is not even half of what makes an anime good, but when the effort is so low that it undermines the source material you have a problem. The audience can’t engage in the action sequences nor can they feel the dramatic moments the characters are having properly, no matter how excellent the voice actors or the soundtrack are in Nanatsu’s case.

All in all, they say the journey is what’s most important instead of the destination. In Nanatsu no Taizai’s case, I can definitely keep in mind the good things the series as a whole offered us; the quirky characters, the funny moments, the intriguing backstories. But when the destination itself is so bad it washes away what you had in high esteem, you are left with a feeling that this story should have ended much sooner than it did.