Which Season Is Best? (Quicklink)
It depends on what you want.
There is no “perfect season” of Symphogear - each one has some things that it does better than the others, and some that it doesn’t do as well. And I mean, you kinda need to watch them all anyway, it’s not like you can just skip them. But it’s really cool how distinctly each season has its own strengths.
S1 (Quicklink)
Pros (Quicklink)
+ Strongest, most intimate character arcs
+ Earnest scrappiness shines through the most
+ Most iconic villain plot
+ Unique design and color sense
Cons (Quicklink)
- Less detailed/consistent animation
- Can feel more edgy than campy at times
G (Quicklink)
Pros (Quicklink)
+ Best symphogear-vs-symphogear fights
+ So many concerts, so many insert songs
+ New characters that the series now feels incomplete without
+ Huge boost in animation quality
Cons (Quicklink)
- Some plotlines near the end feel kinda forced
- Dr. Ver is kind of a creep
GX (Quicklink)
Pros (Quicklink)
+ Full of new ideas and experiments with what Symphogear can be
+ The most recognizable highlights of the series
+ Carol and the Autoscorers
+ Evan Call going ham with the orchestration
Cons (Quicklink)
- Some of the experiments didn’t come together in execution
- Most notably the dad stuff and the rushed single-episode individual character arcs
AXZ (Quicklink)
Pros (Quicklink)
+ Strongest thematic conflict
+ Pair-ups between characters who don’t usually fight together
+ Globe-spanning plot with all sorts of new settings
+ Cagliostro
Cons (Quicklink)
- Doesn’t really stand out, loses some “Symphogear” feel
- No concert scene??
XV (Quicklink)
Pros (Quicklink)
+ Brings together a little bit of everything Symphogear
+ Absolutely absurd animation quality
+ Thrills and fan service are nonstop
+ Most solidly-constructed narrative
Cons (Quicklink)
- Very dependent on callbacks
- Epilogue ended too soon