u/Krystalgem

(this is a repost with some edits, previous post was deleted for being within 24h of the release of S4 ep24)

As an anime only Bookworm (Honzuki) fan, I was really disappointed by Studio Wit's S4 adaptation. Overall, the pacing absolutely sucked, especially in the 2nd cour. The playful character interactions and gentle tone of the previous seasons was sacrificed needlessly in pursuit of very mediocre fantasy storytelling, and borderline bad character development. Spoilers below...

For me, the best and most critical part of Honzuki is the growth from characters as they interact with (Roze)Myne. The newer characters just weren't properly developed in S4. They were very one-note, and either had no growth, or their "growth" felt emotionless. Some examples:

• Wilfried (brother): Wilfried was too quickly forgiven in the introduction. He made Rozemyne bleed and faint, then it's all forgotten about next episode with no harm done. Later on when he gets in big trouble for entering the White Tower, there's no real sense he really understands why his perspective was wrong. At least give us his point of view, give us his feelings on being disavowed as heir, and show some hints that he's growing as a person
• Angelica (retainer): She's introduced as a rather one-note all brawl no brain character. Show us her motivations, why she's interested in becoming strong
• Bonifatius (grandpa): Another 'brute' with no backstory shown, nor his emotional connections to the other characters. Show us why he's interested in Rozemyne, or at least why he's willing to rush to her aid
• Charlotte (sister): She was introduced way too late, and her friendship with Rozemyne wasn't at all convincing, there just wasn't enough time for that to develop. In comparison, for Lutz, it took 8 episodes in S1 for him to fully trust Myne, and their friendship feel so much more natural and well-earned

Other side characters we grew to like in the previous seasons were severely thrown under the bus:

• Damuel sucked the most. No scenes showing his mana growth at all, and it looked like he was utterly incompetent in the last 2 episodes, both as a fighter and on pursuing Brigitte
• Lutz and Benno were almost reduced to comic relief characters. Why not show them thinking about their own futures? Especially Benno who is making a new company, it's a big risk, so surely that deserves some time to be fleshed out?
• Her real family were reduced to cameos only. They're the main reason why Myne chose to live. Show us more scenes where Rozemyne's actions are inspired by them, especially when she's interacting with her direct step-family!

The fantasy elements, material gathering, highbeasts, feystones etc., felt like hoops the plot had to jump through in order to move forward. The adventures themselves had no charm, there was no challenge (even when the first ingredient gathering went wrong, Rozemyne was plenty protected and there was no real harm done). All this means there was no feeling of victory, the materials weren't well-earned. In short for me, it didn't feel magical, wasn't suspenseful, nor fill the world full of wonder, like a good fantasy should

The whole disaster with Hasse had a lot more potential for meta storytelling. You show how executions are done, highlighting the real power nobles have over commoners. This is a big reveal, but apart from Rozemyne being appalled by violence, there just wasn't enough of a reaction, nor enough social commentary. We've been shown hints of how Myne would change the world for the better, like using Tau fruits instead of expensive magic items to tame the Devouring for commoners like Dirk. I feel Rozemyne should give some insights on how she would repeal the power imbalance nobles have over commoners, or at least reprimand Ferdinand for the brutal methods he and other nobles use

The last 2 episodes were the most egregious for me:

• There wasn't enough well-executed foreshadowing like the previous seasons, the fight broke out very haphazardly from nowhere
• The fight itself had very poor choreography and animation
• The motivations of the other side were very unclear, and the actions they took wasn't at all smart nor calculating like we were lead to believe nobles were
• Plot contrivances: The villains relied entirely on luck that Rozemyne cared for Charlotte enough to fly outside
• Ferdinand appears from nowhere when he's supposed to be inside with the other nobles, esp as they didn't know at that point if it was a larger scale attack on the Aub himself

Finally when the fight got resolved, the 2 year healing process wasn't nearly as emotional as it could've been. They clearly tried, showing only a cameo from her family and Ferdinand, but it wasn't close to enough. 2 years is a long time, esp for a child. We could've had Rozemyne's monologue on her worries about the whole cast, as each of them visit her (or at least the cathedral), read her new books they've made, or reveal parts of their own progress thanks to Rozemyne's help earlier on. I get that this is a convenient narrative time jump, but they could at least make it somewhat emotional as she heals

The saving grace of S4 were the early episodes on book development and Ferdinand's concert. Seeing Ferdinand being flustered vs how the other women reacted was really charming, and were for me by far the best parts this season offered

As I said, I always felt Honzuki was at its best when we see other characters respond and grow thanks to Myne's insatiable appetite for books or societal improvement. I sincerely hope they bring back the charm, slower pacing, and a gentler tone for the next season!

TL;DR: Season 4 felt rushed and had much less charm. Newer characters weren't developed, older characters were sidelined. The fantasy wasn't magical nor satisfying to watch. The ending had poor animation, too many plot contrivances, and wasn't as emotionally executed as it could've been