New Saga episode 3 review: Sotsu x Studio Clutch's new installment explores the consequence of time travel

New Saga episode 3 premiered on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at 2:15 am JST. While the anime's third episode was indeed fun to watch due to Sildonia Xarles's addition, something that intrigued us even more was her explanation of how Kyle's time travel may have affected him and the world.

Needless to say, while the anime had a slow start, it seems like the plot is finally picking up, supporting Kyle's hero journey speedrun. Surprisingly, the production has only gotten some improvements. So, let's analyze the anime episode's narrative, production, and cast to see what Sotsu and Studio Clutch did right in the anime's third episode.

New Saga episode 3 review: How did the narrative improve?

Kyle as seen in New Saga episode 3 (Image via Sotsu, Studio Clutch)

Up until now, Kyle's hero journey speedrun was purely reliant on the protagonist's memory and what he could decipher. However, with the addition of Sildonia Xarles, the anime effectively gave Kyle a supporting character who not only knew his secret but could also support him with her years' worth of insights.

As part of this, Sildonia explained to Kyle what his time travel to the past meant. According to Sildonia, there wasn't a single timeline but multiple branches. So, when Kyle travelled back in time, he did not go back on his own timeline, but fused with his former self from another branch. This was why he became stronger than he originally was during his timeline.

Urza as seen in New Saga episode 3 (Image via Sotsu, Studio Clutch)

Apart from this, the anime also featured a touching yet chaotic moment between Kyle and Urza, as he kissed her during their contract ritual, thinking it was part of the ceremony. Notably so, Urza was furious at him. Later in the anime, Kyle could be seen planning his next step to become a hero. For this mission, he planned on rescuing Princess Mileina in Archen from her imminent death.

This development will likely see the anime introduce several new characters and take the story one step closer to Kyle's goal.

Production and cast

Sildonia Xarles as seen in New Saga episode 3 (Image via Sotsu, Studio Clutch)

Surprisingly, unlike other anime that see a drop in production quality after the first episode, New Saga anime has remained quite consistent, with some signs of improvement as well. That said, the notable improvement in production could be something the staff worked on specially due to Sildonia and Mileina's introduction.

As for the cast members, fans finally got to hear more of Minami Takahashi as Sildonia Xarles. The voice actor not only managed to make the character sound knowledgeable and wise but also young, adhering to her physical appearance.

Final thoughts on New Saga episode 3

Liese as seen in New Saga episode 3 (Image via Sotsu, Studio Clutch)

New Saga episode 3 was quite a fun watch. While the episode indeed helped the anime's story progress, the most enjoyable segment of the episode was the party purchasing their new gear. This is because the segment effectively gave fans the same feeling they get while booting up a new video game. In doing so, the anime helped its viewers feel involved. Keeping up with the same emotions, the anime's next episode will likely show the characters take on their first hostile mission.

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Edited by Gokul Chettiyar