Sequels are driven by nostalgia, and sometimes that sense of nostalgia diminishes as more seasons of a show come out, and it gets boring. Thankfully, the third season of Takagi-San uses all its nostalgia and themes from its first two seasons, and builds upon them effectively. The quality was as good and consistent as the first two seasons, and the characters are starting to get a bit more development.

Now, if I may not be so formal for a second, let me just say that AHHH THIS IS SO SWEET! Ok, and there was my scream about how pleasant this show is. Alright, let's get on with the review.

My episodic grading scale:

Story: /10 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /25 Enjoyment: /15 Thematic Execution: /30

STORY: 6.9/10

Much like previous seasons, this show is very episodic, filled with various skits that build up to a conclusion. I will admit that the earlier portion of the show was a bit of a drag, but the latter portion of the show was great! The narrative more or less stays the same, and the endgame is obvious, and many plot points are predictable, as I predicted two big scenes to happen as soon as I saw what they were trying to do. It's pleasant for sure.

ART: 9/10

I enjoy the simple, yet beautiful art style. The composition of shots is good, and direction overall was well executed.

MUSIC: 8.4/10

Probably my least favourite set of openings and endings, but that's not to say they don't fit the direction of the story.

CHARACTERS: 21.5/25

Pure sweetness! I noticed quickly that in this season, Takagi says way more bold things to Nishikata, and that's a sign of development. Nishikata, while still incredibly dense, at least figures some things out, and he got more exciting to watch as the narrative went along, and sometimes got me all up in my emotions (yes I cried by the way). A common gripe I'm sure some of you have is the side characters. That continues to be my complaint as well, but I think they handled the side characters well and used them more effectively than before, which is a step in the right direction.

ENJOYMENT: 14.2/15

Probably the show I enjoyed the most out of everything this season, it's just very wholesome and gets you emotional sometimes.

THEMATIC EXECUTION: 24.5/30

The romance theme here was flushed out very effectively, and it made the story all the more enjoyable. The comedy isn't that great, but it functions well enough. Overall, a definite improvement in emphasizing the thematic elements of the show than any of the first two seasons.

OVERALL: 84.5/100

This was fun to watch, no doubt about it. Story slowed down in the first half, but the latter half made it all worth it. The ending to each season always knocks it out of the park, and for this season, there was no exception. The movie is coming soon, and you bet I'll be ready for that when the time comes!