English Dub Review: Record Of Ragnarok Season Three
Overview:
Record of Ragnarok revolves around the Gods’ Council, which comes together each millennium to decide whether or not humanity has had a good run. Humans have a chance at saving their existence with the tournament, Ragnarök, which pits them against the gods. Recently, the series has returned for a third season on Netflix. The previous seasons premiered on the platform back in June 2021 and the second was split between January and July 2023.
Our Take:
This season was a real emotional rollercoaster. The action scenes are impressive and well-animated, but the best parts are arguably the flashbacks that led each fighter to the stadium. Viewers already know they are not going to see these stories get a happy ending, especially with lost loved ones watching the show from the sidelines. History and mythology buffs will especially see how the series adapts various figures, even with some artistic license. Still, it’s the moments of pain, loss, and heartbreak that will likely stay with the viewer after they watch the show.
It can be very easy for series like this to become too emotionally manipulative and make things so bleak that the viewer stops caring. This season avoids this, even while revealing that all of the characters have some sort of past. The anime accomplishes this by never dwelling too heavily on a character’s heartbreak. As the backstories show, one simple thought or moment can be enough to break the viewer’s heart. Likewise, even history’s winners can admit that they have some respect for the fallen in this series.
Normally, the series is a serious action-driven drama as the fate of humanity rests in the hands of the fighters. The series does know when to keep things light at times with some comedic moments. This also gives viewers a good contrast with the more serious and tense moments. That said, Göll acting surprised whenever she meets a new character can get tiresome quickly, especially when ths season is watching altogether.
This isn’t quite the end of the story, so some characters and ideas introduced don’t quite get a satisfying conclusion. However, this will just get some Record of Ragnarok fans thinking about what to expect next. After all, the mind of an anime fan can go to all sorts of places when Rasputin is name-dropped in the final episode.
