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Story (6): The story takes place in Fuyuki City and depicts the events of the 5th Holy Grail War, following the characters Emiya Shirou and Saber. To simplify things, the Holy Grail War is a deadly battle royale where seven people (usually mages) and their summoned Servants duel each other for the Holy Grail, a device that can grant wishes. (Or you could you read the synopsis…)
Anyways, the low score isn’t really contributed by the simple premise of the series, but it’s really predictable with a few twists here and there. Essentially, this “battle royale” isn’t really much of an actual battle royale… The main cast of Shirou and Saber (Arturia Pendragon) just defeat one foe after another through miraculous and confusing feats. In addition, a great chunk of the show is contributed to explaining how the Holy Grail War works and the way their world works. Yet, in the end, the anime still leaves the viewer confused on the relationships between many of the characters, the way magic works, and other matters concerning the story.
I could continue to rant on minor mistakes within the plot, but it couldn’t change the fact that the story is structured quite well and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The episodes really tied nicely into each other, and the ending was particularly tear-jerking and filled with emotion. The series was filled with satisfying fight sequences, and did a great job in implementing the variety of emotions within it, like humor or grief.
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Characters (5): To me, this field is where the anime is lacking. Granted, the characters all do have their unique personality, wishes, backgrounds, and designs (e.g. Shirou and his wish to become a hero of justice, Saber and her wish to find a better individual to become King of Britain), but most of the characters aren’t really featured much and don’t really have much character development. It is further broken down into 3 more categories.
Main Cast (7):
Saber – Saber is, without a doubt, my favorite female character in all of anime. She is nothing close to being the stereotypical female character, as a legendary warrior of high moral code. She is a rough, straightforward person, but she isn’t your average stoic warrior, as she embodies a softer side that is shown as well. Saber is really the only character who changes across the course of the show, and in my opinion, is the main driving force behind the show.
Emiya Shirou – “People die if they are killed.” Shirou isn’t really the sharpest knife in the drawer, and really lacks common sense throughout the anime. He is characterized by his crazy amount of selflessness, and always seems to get himself into easily avoidable trouble. Even so, he does manage to grow to some degree. Now, I’m not hating on this character, in fact I loved him in ufotable’s adaptation. However his idiocy was really taken to its limits in this particular series.
Supporting Cast (3): In general, the supporting characters are one-dimensional, and just seem to be there to aid in the plot. I mean, they each have their goals and motivations, but it really isn’t there long enough for the viewers to truly experience these characters. A prime example would be Archer, seeing how he only briefly appeared within the series.
Relationships (5): As for the relationships/connections between characters, most were confusing and weren’t really explained. These include the connection between Sakura and Rin or Shirou’s relationship with Archer. Moreover, why would Rin team up with someone like Shirou? I feel like Deen could have done a better job in delving more into these relationships between these particular characters. The one and only relationship that was delved upon and that I enjoyed was between Shirou and Saber. I don’t really know why, but I liked seeing how their relationship blossomed over time.
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Art & Animation (7):
Art (8): The artwork within this particular series is quite good, seeing how it was released in 2006. Although, it really isn’t comparable to anime released nowadays. If you were to be extremely picky about the art of an anime, this most likely isn’t for you. Look at the cover of the anime, if you aren’t sure, as the art is roughly the same as that of cover for duration of the series. Personally, the character designs and background look to be decent with a bit of a darker tone. The only real problem is it lacks detail in both the characters and the setting.
Animation (6): This series has its ups and downs, concerning animation. Sadly, much of the series’ animation is more of being down in that it gets somewhat choppy and doesn’t have the vibe of running so smoothly. One particular scene was with the not-that-good 3D rendered dragon. Although, depending on the exact scene (mostly fight scenes), the quality of animation would spike, but not as much or as long as one would hope for.
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Sound (7): I couldn’t really find any major problems with the sound, as it was actually pretty good. The voice acting was on point, syncing up well with the animation. The sound effects were cued nicely as well, and blended well with the scenes most of the times. As for the openings and endings, they were actually quite catchy and pleasing to my ears, although they weren’t really memorable compared to others. Yet another plus would be the unique and cool way they had implemented German within the series.
Sub v. Dub: Personally, I prefer sub over dub, but it really depends more on you and your own tastes. The main reason I choose sub over dub is that the Japanese voices really compliment and fit the characters, especially Saber with her high code of honor and chivalry.
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Enjoyment (8): Seeing as how I came to this anime hearing how horrible it is, it’s not surprising that I came out thinking to myself that this anime wasn’t all that bad. I actually enjoyed it to some degree, seeing as how I have already been attached to some of the characters (**cough cough** Saber **cough cough**) through the visual novel. Sadly, the series left much of its potential to rot and waste, lowering my enjoyment of it. But that’s just my own opinion…
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Recommendations: This particular series is more suited towards those without high expectations of a show, seeing as how it’s an average anime that doesn’t really excel in any particular field. It’d most likely bore you if you were that sort of person.
Fans of Type-Moon, the Fate series, and Saber will most likely enjoy it. Although, if you are a fan, but already experienced Fate/Zero and/or Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (TV), this series will probably be an eyesore for you, as it doesn’t even compare to ufotable’s works. Although, if you really want to see some more Saber, I’d recommend that watch the first few episode and see if you like it or not.
And for those of you who don’t really know how to get about watching the Fate series, I’d recommend this particular order:
1. This Series
2. Fate/Zero
3. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (TV)
4. Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel (when it comes out in 2016)
Those who take a liking to shonen or any of the other genres this anime falls under should attempt it. Not only is it check off all the requirements for a standard shonen anime, but this series includes numerous of unique elements other anime may not have.
Individuals who take a liking to anime exhibiting elements of romance and comedy may also like this series, seeing as how Shirou and Saber’s romantic relationship plays a large role within the anime.
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Overall, I would give Fate/stay night at 7 out of 10 stars.
