Just finished.
Easily the best season, from the standpoint of character development and setting up additional plotlines and characters. I'd have forgiven Season 3 if *all* it tried to do was lay the groundwork for something better -- something it absolutely does -- but it still manages in all of that to use its extra 2 episodes to create a more meaningful, lore-filled world, let every single character breathe and grow, and let the world broaden its horizons. It reminds me of Game of Thrones back when I cared about it (before S4). Season 3 is practically psychedelic in its presentation and content; this is the most violent, sexy season, and though S1 and S2 were mature enough with full-bodied characters and deep stories behind them, S3 really amps up everything that propels this series far outside of roots into something more beautiful, and more interesting than its source material. I literally cannot believe that an anime based on CV is this fucking good.
If S4 continues this trend, we are in for a goddamn treat.