Jan 28, 2012
Story [10/10]: Extremely tight story setting. Perfectly crafted and a perfect blend of action, fantasy, supernatural and historical genres. Set 10 years before the Holy Grail War shown in Fate/Stay Night (the sequel), this is not just any prequel. It is THE prequel that any Fate franchise lover must watch. Newcomers to the franchise will also enjoy the thrill probably to the max since the story in this installment is self-introductory.
***For newbies to this franchise******
The franchise chronicles a kind of War between 7 magus (Magicians)- the Masters and their Servants, who are Heroic Spirits from different eras. The duels between the participants of the War are fought to the death and the last standing Master and his/her Servant are entitled the possession of the Holy Grail- a powerful Magical device that can grant any wish, though only one. Fate Zero as well as Fate Stay Night chronicle the events of the Holy Grail Wars taking place in different decades.
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Okay since I have watched the sequel, I definitely made some comparisons in the two stories. And the only conclusion I have come up with till now- Fate Zero is extremely focused on the Holy Grail War. Apart from a filler episode all the other episodes focus on the strategies meticulously being executed by each of the Masters along with their Servants. Somehow Fate Stay Night lacked this kind of focus. The strategies of the Masters are complex, the Servants are all very powerful. (Its really not too predictable who the last standing two dueling parties will be). They are honorable knights fighting for the Grail but at the same time also maintaining their pride and dignity. I think it is this fact that has really built up a mood of awesomeness visually in all these episodes.
Animation and Art [10/10]: There are a lot of dark scenes in terms of visuals, many shown in the night time or late evenings. Many dark scenes also implied in these settings especially while showing Ryunosuke and his Servant (they are way to grose –so thank heavens they are not explicitly shown in the anime- thank you censorship @_@). The art in terms of the landscapes and city backgrounds is very well made. Characters drawn are fine as well. Animation is top class. All the moves in the fights shown in this season were very clear which added to the thrill of watching them.
Sound [10/10]: OP and ED are real groovy and their words fit the theme of the series perfectly. The background score for the series is by Kajiura Yuki, so expect some Piano and Violin as well but in a very un-shoujo genre manner of course. Kajiura Yuki always sets a musical theme song of every character, it is also the case for this series. Iskander and Gilgamesh have been given themes where some middle eastern or eastern instruments have been used. An extremely strong point of this series is the Voice Actors. Each one of them has breath life into each character. The arrogance in Gilgamesh, the pride of Iskander, Saber, all the voice actors have done an excellent job which help in building up the character of each of the Servants as well as the Masters. The dialogues have been meticulously written. Many philosophical, many filled with pride of the knights. They are just perfect- and personally were a treat to read (in the subtitles). They actually made me think about certain things said in the episodes (watch especially ep 11 for a very interesting conversation between Saber and Iskander)
Characters [10/10]: Okay if you have not got bored and read till this section of my review you might already have gotten a good idea that all the characters are super awesome and cool. I may not be able to put all of my thoughts in good words but to tell the truth I was awestruck seeing all the Servants in Fate Zero. There’s nothing like the abilities of each Servant rises during the course of the show. They are all invincible to begin with. Just the thought of having Heroes from different eras fight on the same battle ground was an awesome and thrilling concept to begin with. The developments in Fate Zero exactly highlight this aspect beautifully (the Servants themselves have dialogues were they acknowledge having been able to fight with a Heroic figure of another era) The Masters are just as manipulative, brutal and come up with complex strategies. The personalities of the cast of Masters and Servants set out for Fate Zero are just perfect and have added hugely for making Fate Zero so good to watch. Personally I was overwhelmed by Iskander’s strength and his thoughts.
Enjoyment and Overall [10/10]: Really no complaints on any aspect of the show. Extremely well planned and executed story. Very interesting plot, perfect for an action thriller. Strong character cast whose actions are enjoyable to watch. Awesome dialogues and strategies shown in the series. Completely recommended.
