Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei 3rd Season

By now, Mahouka fans know what to expect from new instalments of the series. Some really cool and detailed world building, one of the most complex magical systems you’ll ever see, political drama and Tatsuya being a badass. Season 3 is no exception. 8bit have shown by now they have the ability to bring the same level of love and care to this franchise that Madhouse did, and on occasions have even surpassed them in terms of pacing and production values. Mahouka S3 might not cover my favourite arcs of the story, but it does a good job bringing the light novels to life and ... is very fun watch.

A lot of people were understandably concerned when Madhouse went bankrupt and 8bit took over Mahouka. But the last two seasons of the mainline series haven’t missed a beat. If anything, the pacing has improved quite a bit in these latest arcs. That’s not to say there’s no rushing, with a series as detailed as Mahouka it’s inevitable that some things get left out. But for the most part I’m happy with the adaptation and feel the studio properly conveyed the spirit of the story. As always, if you want everything spelled out, read the books.

Following the events of season 2, season 3’s big theme is about Magicians being used as tools/weapons and its ethicality. Factions from the military, to the various high ranking magical families begin making their move and it feels more like a political thriller than ever with a lot of moves being made in the shadows. This season expanded upon the world quite a bit by introducing several new characters, families, abilities and threats. The world of Mahouka is so complex and while some people think of it being a power fantasy in which Tatsuya just dominates everyone, that’s not the case. Perhaps more than ever, in this season he’s challenged and forced to rely on others for help. Especially in the ancient city insurrection arc and steeplechase. I wouldn’t say this was my favourite season storywise, that has to go to season 2 with Angie and all the craziness with the alternate dimension spirits etc etc. But this was definitely over season 1’s story and the climax with Zhou was some of the best stuff in Mahouka yet. It also felt like Miyuki and Tatsuya’s relationship finally took a step forward with him learning to rely on her more and open up.

Production wise, 8bit did a really good job with the action scenes. Episode 1’s final fight scene was arguably the best in the franchise, but we never really reached those heights again in the season. The art looked great, subsequent fights were decent and as usual Hayamin and the other seiyuu turned in a great performance. I just wish we would’ve got more scenes like that opening fight because that was insane. Also, LiSA is back on the OP so you already the quality you’re getting there.

It’s a no brainer to watch if you’ve seen the first two seasons. Mahouka S3 has some awesome world building, cool fights and all the great characters we’ve come to love. It’s the last of a dying breed of urban fantasy stories from the early 2000s and 2010s and I’m glad it’s still going.

Mahouka s3 gets 9 out of 10.

I like the series and all. But this season of Mahouka wasn't as enjoyable as the previous ones. The pacing felt off, the character interactions and whatnot was off and random too. In terms of the arcs that were included this season, it stayed pretty true to the light novel source. But I can't really say there was a wow factor that brought out anything special about these few arcs.

Initially, the anime uses flashback scenes to convey the story but then does away with it after a few episodes. Honestly seemed OK as a tool to use but I can understand if people are just ... straight up confused.

Overall, I'd say it was an OK season but not as exciting as it could have been.

This is the first time I write a review. The only reason I do that is because I LOVE this series.

The season 3 can't be compared to any of the other season and neither to the movies. It's subpar through and through.
All the actions, all the adrenaline, all the emotions from the other installments are missing here. Clinging to the minor moments and tropes/cliché that didn't help.

The first 11 episodes do not add anything. The entire season is just the 2 last episodes. Taking that in consideration, they could have done something super interesting in the first 11 episodes and added minor links to the ... last two episodes and called it a day. That would make the entire season a 8/10 or 9/10.... but no... an entire uninteresting build, slow burned subplots that ends into nothing and disconnected.

It was a very sad season.