Title: Zero no Tsukaima: Princesses no Rondo
Genre: Action/Romance
Company: J.C. Staff/GENCO
Format: 12 episodes
Dates: 6 Jul 2008 – 21 Sep 2008

Synopsis: After the narrow escape from the main forces of Albion, the nation of Tristain has once again returned to an uncertain peace. Louise and Saito continue their romance from their short-lived wedding, but they are quickly interrupted when Saito’s magical rune mysteriously disappears. Now that Saito’s symbol of loyalty to Louise is gone, can their relationship last with so many girls trying to get a hold of Saito’s heart?

The Highlights
Characters: Lost most of the growth from the second series, which lost any growth from the first.
Atmosphere: Semi-serious drama drowned out by cliches and fan-service.
Pacing: Rushed towards the end, but that’s become a trope by now.

Given the opportunity, I’m convinced that the Zero no Tsukaima franchise would become the Dragonball Z of harem anime. The show already has filler, clichéd storylines and pointless character development pat down, so just add a bit more padding, and Louise and friends will remain the same age for the next ten years. If you actually thought that Saito’s heroic stride to the gates of Mordor after tying the knot with Louise back in season 2 would mean anything, you’ve obviously missed the part about the elf and her bowling-ball knockers.

Zero no Tsukaima: Princesses no Rondo is essentially Zero no Tsukaima and Zero no Tsukiama: Futatsuki no Kishi revamped with some new characters, new character development, and a new plot, all of which will be quickly forgotten or obscured by the next season should J.C. Staff choose to fund it. The only thing that stand between season 1 and season 3 in terms of development is about three episodes of content that’s only worth watching for the final episode where Saito makes his awesome display of manliness. Predictably, Saito reaffirms his ability to be awesome in the third season, but this time around, he shares his rays of awesomeness with Tabitha, the loli Rei clone.

To sum up the entirety of this anime, the first episodes are filled with meaningless subplots and fan-service, the middle episodes get to the main plot with a healthy dose of fan-service, and the entire thing ends with a “dramatic” save by Saito showered with fan-service. There’s some trivial bits about hatred, redemption and Louise expressing her love of Saito, but soon enough, the trademark gags take their runs, shouting in the tsunderé, high notes all the way. Zero no Tsukiama has always been run by predictable cliches, lukewarm comedy and fan-service, and these are qualities that only get more and more noticeable with time. Absolutely nothing has improved from the first two seasons, with the animation, music and voice acting coming from the same stock, but there’s a noticeable lack of magic that permeated through the first run.

Zero no Tsukaima: Princesses no Rondo is an anime for those fans who want to get a marginal but reliable sense of pleasure from a dead horse. Much like Dragonball Z, the franchise runs on a laundry list of been-there’s and done-that’s, which are only truly noticeable once you take a step back. However, if you’ve enjoyed the first two seasons, then there’s no reason why this incarnation won’t be be fun. For everyone else, enjoy the sight of fanboys grabbing onto a sinking ship.

The Rating: 4

Reviewed by: Shadowmage