IDOLiSH7 Third BEAT! Part 2

(Review for whole of S3 - including Third Beat Part 1) Want an anime that will rip out your heart and stomp on it repeatedly after cradling it a few times with warmth and promises of sunshine? This is it. I shit you not, I7 is both the world's greatest comfort series and primary source of head pain. The writers deserve a damn pat on the back and a brutal choke for creating a plotline with god-tier writing that has multiple fans WEEPING. Story (9/10): You've probably already watched First Beat and Second Beat. And honestly, "whiplash" is an understatement when you go back and re-visit S1'sbubbliness with foreshadowing. And Good Heavens Almighty Above does I7 cash in on foreshadowing. I (un)affectionately call this series Chekhov's Armory after the term 'Chekhov's gun' - a narrative principle that states that every element in a story must be necessary, and irrelevant elements should be removed. This series doesn't just simply utilize the countless amounts of Chekhov's guns loaded beforehand in S3, no. The guns from back in S1 CAN and WILL fire. The seemingly meaningless, harmless jokes you all laugh at rear around and strike you in the face with the realization - "Oh my god, this was foreshadowed." Everything going down in S3 is just emotional damage and TRIGGER torture p*rn. Seeing a plot point suddenly drop in your face from way back in S1 gain relevance in S3 is honesty such a brain-exploding experience, especially when you've never put any importance or emphasis on the little foreshadow-y bits. And it's all because you weren't. You weren't supposed to. So many moments that bite you back in the ass were foreshadowed so subtly that only a re-watch would reveal them. It's genius, honestly. There are a lot of lighthearted moments as usual, but the main vibe of this season has turned to something more melodramatic and tense. It really makes you question and step back if you're still watching an idol anime. Art (9/10): As usual, it's great. I don't have much to say except for the fact that I find it hilarious that IDOLiSH7 had better art than the CGI + slideshow animation Blue Lock the anime had during 2nd cour. Characters (9/10): I. Hated. ZOOL. ...At first. You know a story does well when eventually that hate eventually turns into love - partially due to me picking up the game in Chinese out of impatience, and I promise you future I7 watchers it CAN and WILL get so much worse. The character writing is superb, but I have nitpicks with this season's antagonist for being pretty bland. One thing that makes him different is that he's super annoying which makes him a perfect dude to hate without remorse, unlike Kujo Takamasa (who's just a pathetic borderline psych ward patient obsessed with his dream). If you're a TRIGGER fan, prepare to tear your hair out. If you're a Yamato fan, prepare to tear your hair out. If you're a Re:vale, hell even Three:vale (Banri/Yuki/Momo) fan, prepare to tear your hair out. If you're an Iori and/or Riku and/or Tenn fan, your hair will not be saved from its demise for sure in both this season and the upcoming ones. As for Nagi fans, hold the edges of your seats. ZOOL fans, don't worry. Your boys don't get much worse before they get better. They get some nice development and become the kings of comedy in the future so look forward to that. Whatever the hell kind of drug the writers were on when making these backstories and plot lines, I want it. The pain my heart went through is earth-shattering. Sound (10/10): The VAs went all out on this one. Don't watch this show without sound, you're essentially handicapping yourself as the delivery of every dialogue never missed. The music is great, too - the OP and ED both slap and have great visuals. Ryo Tsukumo's voice actor delivered super well, and I7's rendition of a certain iconic song at the end was just beautiful. Ryuu's solo vocals for Negai wa Shine on the Sea were really powerful and hit hard. Overall (9.5/10): Beautiful series with beautifully painful writing. Of course, for an idol anime it might become a tad unrealistic at times, but as a character-driven story, the amount of love and care put into the characters is very very evident. Rooting for the next season to get animated. Boy are you guys in for some more insane drama.