Haven't caught up with it.

Thoughts given here:

https://x.com/ReillyMatthews1/status/1824619565432836248

Gaim: This was the season that brought back what I loved about early Heisei and did it excellently.
A great story, great cast, a lot of serialization, good twists, and manages to be pretty dark.
Other than the movie tie-in episodes, this show is fantastic is one of the reason I consider it peak fiction.

The Shadow line and the puppet.

A good writing, a personality, and having something about them that makes them admirable in some way. Even if they don't go through the most changes, there should be at least SOMETHING in there that can grab the audience. Whether or not they go through change, or if they're just fun in their own way.

This is why characters like Takaharu, Lucky, Tagiru, and Sougo don't work. They're basically those characters, but without any of those things, and instead being replaced with traits that make them insufferable and flat out unlikable.

Fourze Is as a good example of a show being positive, but positive in a good way. Despite the show being goofy and chaotic, it didn't constantly get in the way of the story, nor having its moments of being genuinely sincere. Its demonstrates it message about how even in its tough times, we can always push through it together, and doesn't treat its audience like idiots like certain other shows do.
(Cough Ghost. Cough Sabers first half)

Yuko is a great character, my second fave of the Happiness Charge team. She doesn't have much in terms of character development, but much like Ageha in Hirogaru Sky, she didn't need to cause she was great in her own way. Very sweet, sincere, and does provide some interesting insight on a lot of things. A lot of people tend to forget you can have characters not develop, but still shine through with her own traits, and with Yuko, she constantly showed those traits. She served her role as the team Mom well, and I really love that song of hers.

Neither really.

Once again...Takaharu

They're not all that funny, but I'll give them this...they at least try to be useful in situations unlike other wannabe Bulk and Skull clones. (Cough Victor and Monty Cough Jane and J-Borg)

Ethan: Some of the stuff he says does sound a little stereotypically computer geeky, but what helps him stand out is of course how cocky he can get, and I like how even if he gets made fun of, he's afraid to bite back.

Takaharu, cause the worst thing about the latter is that they're boring as sticks.
Takaharu's an annoying screen hogging dickhead.

Its kinda hard for me to recommend it given how awful the first half it is.
I guess maybe if you love fairy tales and books, or maybe if you like the comedy, speeches, then yeah, I'd say check it out if you want.

For me though, there's other series that are good from start to finish that are much more worth recommending.