Grand Blue Season 3 was WILD – Anime Review
At a glance:
- Much stronger character work, giving Iori, Chisa, Aina, and Kohei some surprisingly great development.
- Still absolutely hilarious, with Season 3 delivering some of Grand Blue’s most unhinged gags yet.
- Another incredibly fun season, earning an 8.5/10 despite not quite reaching Season 1’s legendary highs.
I think I will remember Grand Blue Season 3 a lot more than Season 2. Not that Season 2 was bad or anything, just that Season 1 was way too iconic lol. I don’t think Season 3 quite reaches the highs of Season 1, but man, did Season 3 have some absolutely insane stuff. What I’ll say Season 3 does better than both of the previous seasons is character work. Season 3 really did an amazing job of showing Iori’s good side, along with giving us a lot of good development for Kohei, Chisa, and Aina. So yeah, welcome to my full review for Grand Blue Season 3!
I don’t think I need a spoiler warning for something like Grand Blue, but just in case, there will be spoilers ahead for Grand Blue Season 3. But with that said, let’s just get started.
Plot
I don’t think I need to spend a lot of time analyzing the plot of Grand Blue. We all know the plot exists just to give us some utterly mad scenarios that lead to some very funny gags. Season 3 did have a lot more interesting plot beats compared to Seasons 1 and 2, but that’s mainly because Season 3 does a lot more character work. I will say, though, Season 3 doesn’t really have a proper “climax” compared to Seasons 1 and 2 lol; it just ends on a random episode with a crazy cliffhanger. So it’s great that they’ve already confirmed Season 4. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long to see what happens after that crazy cliffhanger ending.
Characters
Easily the strongest part of Grand Blue Season 3. I really don’t know how they managed to develop all 4 of our main characters so much in just 12 episodes. Iori himself doesn’t change that much, but the season does a great job of showcasing his diligent and more mature side. Even if it is pretty rare to see him that way. The Palau arc was not only a good development moment for Chisa, but it also showed how good-natured Iori is despite acting like an absolute sleezebag at times.
Chisa and Aina have to be the biggest benefactors of the Season 3 character focus. Chisa is forced to contend with the reality of what she wants to do for the future. She actually starts treating Iori as a person and seeing how kind he is at heart. Season 1 Chisa would absolutely NOT go on a trip alone with Iori, but now, it feels natural for her to accept going to Okinawa alone with him. And it’s the same with Aina. Her feelings for Iori were developed so naturally and subtly over time; it was good to see. Crazy that an insane slapstick, gag anime like Grand Blue is capable of such subtle but noticeable character development.
Production
They really stepped up their meme face game in Season 3. Grand Blue Season 3 has some utterly insane visual gags. I have to bring it up, but Yamamoto getting drunk with his crotch was something I did not need to see, but it was damn hilarious. That whole episode, I believe it was Episode 9, was the hardest I’ve laughed in a good while. Aside from that, pretty much the same production quality as Season 1. Which is not bad at all.
The OP and ED are good as always, and yep, insane voice work from all the cast.
Summing Up
Here are my final review scores for Grand Blue Season 3
- Plot – 7/10
- Characters – 9/10
- Production – 8/10
- Enjoyment 10/10
- Overall – 8.5/10
That concludes my review for Gran Blue Season 3. And yep, another banger of a season. Definitely enjoyed this season a lot more than Season 2. But yeah, let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. Can’t wait for Season 4 to see what insanity follows. With that said, see ya!
