There's nothing out there doing it quite like Thunderbolt Fantasy, full stop. Gorgeous, ambitious, and oozing with theater kid energy, it's by far one of the more creative shows out there. Less self-contained than previous seasons, this particular season of Gen Urobuchi's puppet wuxia begins with Shāng Bù Huàn and his comrades attempting to retrieve the Seven Blasphemous Deaths following the events of Season 2. It can be easy to forget that at times, however, as things quickly get derailed by the group's sudden and unexpected arrival at the Phoenix Light Palace. But lest you think it gets lost in all this, rest assured, the whereabouts and status of the Seven Blasphemous Deaths still ends up being important as the season goes on—but at the risk of spoiling anything, I'll leave it at that.

While it's not to say the stories in previous seasons and movies of Thunderbolt Fantasy haven't also been great (they have), the events of season 3 are, I'd say, the most gripping yet, making the story easily one of the biggest highlights of this season of Thunderbolt Fantasy. Not only does it build upon much of what we've seen in previous seasons, but it also sets the stage very well for the series' finale in season 4 and the final movie. Of particular note, we delve deeper into the backstory and worlds of Shāng Bù Huàn, Làng Wū Yáo, and, among all the possible returning characters, Xíng Hài. This isn't necessarily the first time we've seen Shāng and Làng in the spotlight, though so much has happened to them (Làng especially) that seeing their stories expanded upon even further is always a treat. Urobuchi's trademark darkness fits this series like a (stylish, and expertly crafted) glove, and the further you get into Thunderbolt Fantasy, the clearer that becomes. As for Xíng Hài, it's largely (though not entirely) through her that we finally start to learn more about the War of the Fading Dusk—something that's been mentioned in passing, but never explored in much depth.

I definitely think a big part of the story strength of season 3 of Thunderbolt Fantasy, in particular, is how well it integrates the fresh and the familiar—new characters and concepts, but plenty that we've at least heard about up until now. It builds on the previous seasons and movies much better than its predecessors, and it at least made me feel much more invested in the story because of that. But even if that weren't the case, I have little doubt I'd find a way to get interested anyways, since as always, this season of Thunderbolt Fantasy shows off how great it is at making charming characters, and making some of the best… well, I think puppetry should count as live action fighting scenes, so I'm going with that.

Whether you count puppetry as live action or not, there's no denying that the battles in Thunderbolt Fantasy get your blood pumping in an unmatched way. Every fight, no matter how small, feels like such a love letter to both martial arts and puppetry. And indeed, you can't talk about Thunderbolt Fantasy in general, let alone the secret spice that makes its fight scenes as captivating as they are, without talking about the most obvious thing that sets it apart from just about everything else: the puppetry. The movements, the battle choreography, their costumes, the blending of practical and digital effects—there's no denying that artistically, Thunderbolt Fantasy has knocked it out of the park every time with its puppets, and the third season is no exception. The excellent music, voice acting, direction, and camerawork have further helped this season of Thunderbolt Fantasy, like the others, to shine at its absolute brightest. If you were looking for a series that's exemplary in what it means to have A+ production value, this is absolutely it.

So basically, the storytelling, characters, puppets, and production value are all great—but that's pretty typical for Thunderbolt Fantasy. By now, you might be wondering what really sets this season apart. And the story is more or less it. Make no mistake: that's not necessarily a bad thing; everything Thunderbolt Fantasy does, it does exceptionally well. But when I try to think of the qualities that differentiate season 3, specifically, apart from 1, 2, or the movies, there's nothing that really springs to mind apart from the story. It just feels business as usual for Thunderbolt Fantasy—it's just that business as usual is still brilliant.

If you've watched this far enough into Thunderbolt Fantasy, I'm betting there was already a pretty good chance you were planning on watching this season. And the good news is that if you've enjoyed what you've seen so far of Urobuchi's puppet perfection, I have no doubt you'll enjoy the third season as well.