)Story 9/10
BanG Dream's 3rd season ditches the mobile gacha like story setting into a much more prevalent and powerful story. Instead of focusing, on the "main band" Poppin' Party, this season switches focus to the much unknown Raise A Suilen. This was extremely refreshing and intriguing as RAS was presented as an antagonistic rival group in the previous season with not much explored about them. This unpredictable approach of focusing on these 'antagonists' and developing them into a lovable group pushing through internal conflict had me extremely intrigued in what direction would happen, and had me continuing to click on the next episode. The BanG Dream anime has a track record of completely under-developing every group other than Poppin' Party and somewhat Roselia, so this was ultimately a breath of fresh air. A competitive factor is also introduced with the Girls' Band Challenge, with the stakes of playing at The Budoukan. Poppin' Party's part of the story still did feel a little messy but I ultimately didn't care much and enjoyed it. The final victor of the competition was deserved and everything made sense with no plot BS. Thus, with how different the approach in this season was, which had turned this series into a carefully crafted musical drama, I can admit I loved the story.
Characters 9/10
The characters focused on in this season actually receive backstories and development with substantial depth. Chiyu's back story of her struggles as the daughter of a musical prodigy and her battle with those expectations pleasantly surprised me as she had came off as generic villain #25 in the previous season. Her development alongside PAREO was great. Masuki had only been flashed as an ominous and mysterious character in the previous season, however, seeing her dynamic with Rokka could not help but bring a smile to my face, who doesn't love a wholesome delinquent. Rei also received great development with her taking the lead in restoring certain tensions, mantling the role that she believed a lead vocalist should act on. All in all, I loved every second of these character interactions and stories. Even RAS aside, Poppin' Party working extremely hard to catch up in the Girls' Band Challenge was awe inspiring as they challenged the two powerhouses of RAS and Roselia and showed not through cliche means but genuine effort that hard-work can get you places. Roselia learning of their fan's support and responding with the extremely meaningful Avant-garde HISTORY also had gotten me in the feels.
Art and Animation 7/10
There was never really anything too special about Bang Dream's art and animation. It's full CGI, although this season felt far more fluid than the previous seasons and ultimately I didn't mind it at all. There's not much to say about it other than if you don't like CGI this probably isn't your thing.
Music and Sound 9/10
It is no surprise that BanG Dream would be getting a high score on it's music, this season I believe was the best of it. The songs used in these were much more meaningful, the inspiring StepxStep, Roselia's Avant-Garde HISTORY, and RAS's Beautiful Birthday which splendidly concluded Chiyu's character arc. The sound quality was great and the voice acting was phenomenal in these season, there is a tremendous difference if you compare Kasumi's voice in season 1 to her voice in season 3, EXTREMELY better.
Enjoyment 10/10
This season was an absolute blast to watch, it has been a while since I could just seemingly fly through episodes despite being busy. There was nothing that turned me off, it was just a superb watch.
Overall 10/10
In conclusion, BanG Dream's 3rd Season was an extremely compelling and wonderfully crafted music drama. An anime I watched to poke fun at became one of my most valuable experiences. Would I recommend it though? it's all up to you. There are still quite a bit of turnoffs including the Full CGI and the prior seasons being quite poor. If you do give it a shot though, you might have an experience you never regret.