Fate/Zero

Type-Moon have made a habit of finding success with their dark blend of magic and supernatural elements in modern day settings, but with the release of the Fate/Stay Night visual novel on the PC in 2004, the developer seemed to have found its flagship title. Unfortunately things never really work out the way people expect, and while Studio Deen's 2006 anime adaptation of the "Fate" storyline was well received by fans, many who were unfamiliar with the source material found it all a bit ... juvenile.

At the end of 2006 the developer began collaborating with Nitroplus in order to create a prequel light novel series, ... but this time the story was penned by the relatively unknown Urobuchi Gen (with Type-Moon co-founder Takeuchi Takashi providing illustrations). Set ten years before the events in the visual novel, Fate/Zero chronicles the events leading up to and during the fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, Japan - the same place where the battle will be held in Fate/Stay Night. After three successive failures in the contest, the Einzbern family recruits the notorious mercenary Emiya Kiritsugu, also known as the "Mage Killer" - a man who is willing to use whatever means are necessary to realise his goals.

Meanwhile, the other principal magic families - Matou and Tohsaka - are preparing for the coming conflict, and although the church is taking part as well, they have also sent someone to assist the Tohsaka family - Kotomine Kirei.

At first glance it may seem as though Fate/Zero is just another action anime, but nothing could be further from the truth. The series has a very different tone than either Fate/Stay Night or Unlimited Blade Works, and in many ways it has more in common with the dark, brooding atmosphere of the Kara no Kyoukai movies. That said, the series does assume that the viewer has some familiarity with the franchise, but this is balanced by a much tighter plot than that of either of its predecessors, and more focus on preparation, planning, and even dialogue between the different parties. The result is that the narrative has far more depth and structure than one might expect in a supernatural action anime, and there are layers of subtext that are gradually added as the series progresses.

One of the most noticeable aspects of Fate/Zero is that it's a far more mature story than the original visual novel or its adaptations, and unlike many other shows, there are very few occasions where the characters engage in pointless conflicts or endeavours. The series carefully tries to avoid insulting the viewer's intelligence by adopting a patient, methodical build-up to the action set pieces, and on many occasions the story focuses on information gathering and planning. In addition to this, the battle lines shift constantly as the combatants form short-term alliances in order to counter the moves of other opponents, but there's always the understanding that the foundation of these is nothing more than "the enemy of my enemy".

In truth, this anime has far better examples of tactics and strategy than anything found in Code Geass, and certain plots are Machiavellian enough to give Death Note a run for its money.

When it comes to production values, Fate/Zero could be considered the final evolution of everything Type-Moon and Ufotable have learned from each other during their long collaboration on the Kara no Kyoukai franchise. The series looks every bit as good as one might expect, and the darker colour palette is offset by the high standard of animation. That said, although the action sequences are fluid and very well choreographed, the real testament to the quality of Ufotable's work are the subtle differences in the way the characters move.

While there are plenty of new faces in this prequel, it's actually the design of recurring characters like Sabre that really sets the standard. Fate/Stay Night's popularity turned her into one of the most iconic female leads in anime, but while she may appear to be exactly the same in Fate/Zero, there's an edge to her features and a preciseness to her movements that was missing in the original series. This fact is also true for the characters that are unique to this show, and even Tohsaka Rin's "adventure" has been given the same level of care and attention to detail.

The series opens with a well choreographed sequence that blends action with a montage of the main participants in the Holy Grail War, all set to the rather pacey rock song "Oath Sign" by LiSA. Each episode closes with "Memoria" by Eir Aoi, a bittersweet rock ballad that fits well with the images of the heroic spirits as pieces on a game board and at moments in their own history. Fate/Zero also has one of the most diverse scores in a 13 episode anime, with martial themes, operatic pieces, strange little tunes with drums or pianos as the major instrument, and more besides. The audio effects or of a very high quality, and the clash of steel on steel is as sharp and clear as the sound of the lightning whenever Rider makes a dramatic appearance.

One of the areas where Fate/Zero excels is the dialogue, and while there are occasions where conversations go on a bit too long, the script is intelligently written, rational, and insightful. One of the best examples of this is Rider's discourse on the true nature of kingship and Saber's reaction to it, but even that is nothing more than words on paper as everything lies in the delivery - so it's a good thing that the acting is of a high standard.

Kawasumi Ayako reprises her role as the King of Knights (Saber/Arturia) from Fate/Stay Night and Unlimited Blade Works, but her performance here is markedly different. Her portrayal of Saber is colder, deadlier, and far more focused than before, while Tomokazu Seki's performance as the King of Heroes (Archer/Gilgamesh), is more arrogant, more proud. That said, it's Ootsuka Akio in the role of the King of Conquerors (Rider/Iskander), who really steals the show, and his testosterone-fuelled proclamations and battle-born wisdom are one of the pillars that support the series.

When it comes to development, a large group of characters often means that some will undoubtedly fall by the wayside. Fate/Zero neatly sidesteps the entire issue of development because it's first and foremost a prequel of an existing story, but in addition to this the series has created a set of individuals who leave extremely strong impressions on the viewer, and much like Baccano!, there is a distinct lack of a true main character. Because of these factors the series can focus on showing how each of the combatants became what they are, and this plays a major part in one's enjoyment of the anime.

The emphasis on characterisation rather than development allows for a remarkable degree of definition, and although it's ultimately the personalities of each individual that captures the viewer's attention, standing at the top of them all is the King of Conquerors - Rider. His addition to the franchise has been nothing short of a revelation, and while die-hard fans will continue to worship the ground that Saber and Archer (not Gilgamesh, the other one), walk on, Rider's enjoyment of life, his exuberance and almost boyish eagerness for battle and glory, have captured the imaginations of many fans.

In many respects he, more than any other character, is the epitome of the heroes of old, but simply having a bunch of overzealous combat junkies beating each other to a pulp isn't really entertainment (unless you have an IQ equal to your shoe size), so there has to be something to balance it - and there is. Each of the mages taking part in the Holy Grail War is more like a chessmaster, planning as many moves ahead as possible, whilst preparing themselves for anything their opponents may try.

The simple fact is that Fate/Zero wouldn't work as either a story or entertainment if it was just the mages or the heroes, and it's this aspect of the series that separates it from not just its predecessors, but also many other action anime out there.

Unfortunately it's not all sweetness and light.

One of the main criticisms of this series is the episode about the young Tohsaka Rin, which many people found unnecessary. Now although there's some truth to that perception, one could also have the opinion that Rin's actions tie-in to an event in the previous episode, and together they lead up to the end of the series. Both are fair arguments, but in all honesty the whole thing doesn't really fit with the rest of the anime, and it seems like nothing more than an attempt to allow Matou Kariya some long overdue screen-time.

Fate/Zero isn't a perfect show, but while it does have several minor issues (and one "filler" episode), it does exactly what it sets out to do - capture the attention of the audience and make them want more. The story is intelligent, and while conversations and discussions can sometimes feel a little tedious, the dialogue is often quite interesting - moreso than the show's predecessor's anyway. Although the series can boast stylish, fast-aced action set-pieces, it also studiously avoids combat for the sake of gratuitous violence.

That said, Fate/Zero is still a prequel series, and at this point only half of the story has been told. Unfortunately the anime industry has a habit of messing things up, but given the quality of this show, the fact that the original story was written by Urobuchi Gen, and the knowledge that the series is being produced by Type-Moon's long time collaborators - Ufotable, fans can be cautiously optimistic about the second installment.

All we can do is wait and see ...

Animerican Pie (to the tune of "American Pie")

A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that Emiya
used to make me smile.
And I knew if it had a chance
Fate/Zero could make those haters dance
and maybe, we'd all be happy, for a while...
But Studio DEEN made me shiver
As Blade Works was delivered
... Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more ep
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about ufo (in all it's pride)
But something touched me deep inside
The day
That ufotable...

tried.

So bye, bye crappy CGI
Urobuchi writing this stuff (I could really just die)
TYPE-MOON fanboys jerking left and right
Singing this'll be the day that I cry!
This'll be the day that I cry!

Did you read the tale of Bluebeard?
And do you have faith in all that's weird?
(Sakura could tell you so!)
And do you believe in Hassan's code?
Can the grail save your mortal soul?
And... Can you teach me how to lance... r~eal slo~w?
Well I know that Ilya's in love with him,
so's her mom, Saber, and even Rin.
Lancer kicks off his shoes
because he's gruff and cannot choo~se!

Waver's a lonely teenage angsty fuck,
with no parents, no magic, he just sucks
But he knew he was in luck
the day
that Alexander

Rides!

He started singing
"WHY WHY OH AH WHY
BRING THIS CHARIOT DOWN AH
OH NO WHY
RIDER STOP OR I MIGHT JUST DIE!"
Singing this'll be the day that he dies,
Singing this'll be the day that he dies...

Now for ten years, we've gone back in time
To a prequel that is far well rhymed
But that's not how it used to be
When ufo animated the kings and queens
that everyone thought would get picked up by DEEN
In a way that delighted you and me~

Oh and while the DEEN was looking 'round
For another show they could just drown...
It was just absurd
ufotable had returned!

And while they read a book of Gen
The masters started animatin'
The prequel to a decent shonen
The day
That DEEN

was denied!

We were singing bye, bye, cheesy old lines
About people getting killed right when they die
And I saw tons of reviews delicately try
To explain why Fate/Zero must be tried!
Explain why Fate/Zero must be tried!

Animation, pacing, my blood is racing
when I think about Saber's graces
10/10 and growing fa~st!
So land right down on your ass!
Go download this show, it's got a ton class!
It's a show that you will be able to love... a~t last!

But there's a halftime, I must quick presume
You know about, I know it too!
But you should all get up and dance,
before you never get the chance!
Cuz by Spring 2012 the show will be revealed
You'll be behind and unable to feel,
I'm telling you now, I always squeal
the day
that Fate/Zero blo~ws
my mind.

TOGETHER NOW!
RIDE, RIDE,
O ALEXANDER, RIDE!
DRIVE YOUR CHARIOT TO THE BATTLE
AND WIN EVERY TIME!
THIS SHOW IS JUST GREAT!
I COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY
IN ANYTHING BUT RHYME
NO ANYTHING, NOT ANYTHING!
BUT RHYME!

Being the prequel of the well known franchise Fate/Stay Night, Fate/zero certainly captured the attention of many very easily. What is immediately clear about this production though is not only does it match its predecessor, it far surpasses it in every way imaginable. Whether it be the directing, visuals, character exposition, or anything you can possibly think of, Fate/zero manages to move into a class of its own. In the end, this all adds up to a much more complex and interesting tale, which one will certainly not be soon to forget.

The very base of Fate/Zero is no different from Fate/Stay Night. It revolves around ... something called the Holy Grail War, a war between 7 magus or masters (Magic users) who through the power of the grail summon heroic spirits who are people of legend, historical fame, or myth to do battle with each other to claim ownership of the grail which is said to be able to grant the owner any wish. But while the base of this story is pretty much the same as Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero is decidedly more dark, gritty, and violent. Any viewer who has taken care to watch the predecessor may initially be disoriented by tonal shifts in the universe, but if one is willing to move past this, there is undoubtedly a rewarding experience awaiting.

There are several things that Fate/Zero does impeccably well, but perhaps one of the most easily enjoyable aspects of the show is the chess like manner in which the war is carried out. The conflicts are enthralling in many ways, but what adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the show is how each move made by the characters is a well thought out, planned action. The masters constantly balance every decision with pros and cons and tries to maneuver through the war in the best manner possible. The war does not consist of mindless brawling and action and it is usually the best prepared individuals that benefit the most throughout the story. As a result, the action in this show is much more layered and hence captivating than that of your standard action show.

Of course though, this show is about much more than seeing entertaining action, and cool magical powers. What the show really is at its heart is a very engrossing spiritual journey. The cast, particularly the masters and servants, are all engaged in a battle that defines their goals, wishes, and motivations in life. They all engage in a conflict for which their fate is solely in their own hands. Each character is forced to understand themselves and their foes as they continue on their quest. Indeed, Fate/Zero is very much so a character study, and a very captivating one at that. This is primarily owed to its excellent cast that surely will manage to intrigue just about anybody willing to look beyond the on the surface elements of the Fate universe.

An interesting note about the cast in Fate/Zero though is that it mostly consists of older men. This is particularly noteworthy because so few anime today dare to make a cast of older men. It showcases just how a story with older cast members, even if they are men, can be quite entertaining and that perhaps the same old tired formulas do not always need to be employed to reach certain audiences. A story does not always have to be about high school kids, and hopefully this show can set an example of that.

One thing that most certainly not be forgotten though in this story is just how much it excels at the simple things. Of course as always, studio Ufotable provides excellent visuals (Though perhaps a bit stagnant at times in animation), the show has very solid direction, a very nice OST as displayed again by the talented Yuiji Kaijura, and excellent writing as expected of the now famed Urobuchi Gen. Perhaps most of all though is that Fate/Zero manages to capture the essence of its source material supremely well. This is made apparent by even the littlest of details such as the way they truly make the servants seem super human in their abilities compared to their masters or the way they frame the dialogues between the characters as they quibble over their philosophies, hopes and goals. Little touches like these just add so much more to the experience and really display how much care and effort are put into the production. This is something I felt was sorely missing in Fate/Stay Night, much to its detriment.

Ultimately Fate/Zero is a high class production. It is something that can be both thrilling, and intellectually satisfying at the same time. It displays a level of care and detail that anyone should be able to appreciate. But most of all, Fate/Zero is a quality piece of entertainment that one will certainly not be soon to forget.


****NOTE****

Fate/Zero is a prequel of Fate/Stay Night. Some of the differences between the two can be quite shocking since really, the Fate/Stay anime was an extremely poor adaption by Studio DEEN. For newcomers into the Fate universe I highly suggest if you can to instead play the Fate/Stay Night game in preparation for watching Fate/Zero if you are interested enough. It is an extremely enjoyable story, that I think is every bit as good as Fate/Zero and I think should really be experienced the way it was meant to be experienced. This means none of DEEN's budget cutting, anime original arc injections, poor scripting, etc. If there is one thing that was made extremely obvious during Fate/Zero it's that Ufotable gets Fate, and DEEN does not. The level of difference between the two studios in their renditions of the Fate universe is truly incomparable as Ufotable's adaption leaves DEEN's adaption in the dust.

Every once in awhile there will be an epic masterpiece that appears which is truly outstanding and fascinating. Fate/Zero is one of them, and i believe it has the potential to be one of the best anime of the year.

Story wise, it's been following the light novel consistently with great precision, picking up almost every single finest detail that are required to elaborate the story into a fine piece. The battle scenes are just simply amazing, you could never get enough of the fighting scenes, some of the episodes filled with action just make your blood boiled when you watch them. The way how they ... assemble the servants together and the relationship in between the servants are also being depicted clearly. I have to say ufotable is doing a great job thus far, their ability to illustrate the art of fate series are second to none. Sound wise, the OP and the ED are just simply amazing. Watching the ED especially brings you into the story, making you wanting to know which era and where does every single servant comes from, and the story behind them in their respective era.

I've watched up to 5 episodes thus far and i only have but one line to say - oh my god its so just damn amazing i almost jizzed my pants off.

This anime so far has been absolutely mind blowing. The first 3 episodes has done an outstanding job of following the original Light Novel's story, as well as capturing Gen Urobuchi's writing. An absolute MUST SEE for everyone this season. Filled with fluid consistent animation, gorgeous art, 3 dimensional characters, and an amazing sound track from Yuki Kajiura. This will be a show to be remembered.

Ufotable probably used the Holy Grail and granted the fan's wish.most of the fans turned their attention to fate/zero the moment they heard about the involvement of ufotable since they knew they could expect great things with other works they had seen from them.as we all know just having a good story won't make an anime good.how to adapt it and include the parts of the story,the good use of music and art and many other things are playing a big role in an anime.this anime didn't disappoint and tried hard to bring out the awesomeness.

Starting with the story the anime made a good use ... of the rich materials it had and the story can be considered one of the great parts.the Events of the story and the dialogues are not cliche or random and most of them happens for a reason and should be taken seriously since fate/zero is not just about battles.Fate/zero happened 10 years before Fate/stay night and the wars of the Holy Grail are about to begin once again.(those that are familiar with the wars can skip this part.the grail first appeared when three great Magus family decided to share their knowledge with each other to summon the holy grail in order to achive the roots of all knowledges.but they realized that the grail can only grant one wish and since they originally had different wishes the wars for the holy grail got started.in each war some masters with the desire for the grail gets chosen and will be granted a servant and three command seals.these masters will have to fight with each other under the control of a judge to win the grail that can grant them their wish.the servants are heroic spirits from our past or future or our legends and the masters are mostly magus with great power or desire for the grail.
now the 4th war is beginning and the Tohsaka family had a good history with the church and got help from them.the Einzbern family hired the famous Magus killer Kiritgusu Emiya and Zouken from the Matou family is using any mean possible to attend this war or getting prepared for the next one.there are other masters as well like Kayneth from the Archibald family or even masters without any famous magus family that got their chance to participate in this war by luck or their hidden desires.)
even though there are some unexplained things in the anime it is still very enjoyable because of the unexpected events and good character design .a good example of character design can be seen in the combination of Masters and Servants.you can almost be interested in all master and servant combinations.for example even if you find Velvet character uninteresting his servant will make up for it big time.as for a bad example i can name assassin since in my opinion the fate universe doesn't like this class.another good thing about it is the protagonist Kiritsugu Emiya which although has a cliche emo attitude he is still enjoyable more than Shirou Emiya in Fate/stay night Route at least but then again this is a matter of opinion.most of the characters are complicated and this makes them interesting and force the audience to think about them.although one things that may bother you is how they survive most of their battles several times even though their death flag is up but still it is enjoyable.one of the great things about F/z is that you can understand F/sn character's background which left unexplained in f/sn anime Specially Sakura and Kotomine.(which is a good thing for those that are not familiar with the VN or LN).speaking about Kotomine he is one of the best examples of character development and the audience can see how he became what he is with the temptations of Gilgamesh with his snake-like eyes at the end of episode 12(tokiomi used the first skin of snake that got shed to summon him ironically)

the art looks very good at first glance considering this is a TV-series anime since it reminded me of another work of Ufotable named Garden of Sinners which was an OVA(and another work by TypeMoon).while the enviroment is dark the battles are flashy and when the art is weird you should expect something big since they are saving the budget for the real deal like the 10th episode with Alexander's Noble Phantasm.they also did the Berserker design in CGI which was weird at first but it fits him and makes him special.the art is clean,shiny and devilishly mysterious that fits the story well.

the Soundtracks may not get your attention until the very end of episode 1 when the summoning begins.and after that there is the next episode OP(counts as the first episode ED)which i think Lisa did a great job.after that there is the real ED from Aoi Air named Memoria that can be seen in the next episode which also gives us a little peak to the servant's legends which is cool.after all of these the battles finally got started and here in my opinion they did a great job on each character's theme specially Berserker which you can here the enchant of Berserker in it like the Sephiroth soundtrack(One-Winged Angel)in FFVII Series.as for voice acting they used some real talented people and most of the people from the VN or f/sn anime got their roles back.they have the sweet voice of Sayaka Ohara for Irisviel(although i think she could do better),and for the protagonist we have the voice of Rikiya Koyama which is the best choice for these kind of characters.for Zouken they got Masane Tsukayama and he did a great job in Kaiji as Hyoudou and both characters resemble each other(and most of the people can recognize him since the second season of Kaiji aired recently).although there are characters that are not talking yet like berserker since he will only make noises for this season but the awesome soundtrack makes up for it.overall they did a good job in this part and used an epic-dark theme in their songs that fits the fate universe.

I tried and recommended the show to some of my friends.some liked it for its historical references or the art and some for its story even though some of em didn't even like animes before.this cannot be considered for everyone and i can't say that this show is for every kind of taste but since it didn't just count on one aspect like story,while it can have its own flaws it can satisfy a vast range of audiences.
combination of a good story and character design,good soundtracks and good art makes this one of the good animes of 2011 that is recommended for those that needs some adrenaline rush.

The main flaws with this anime are that it's dialogue heavy and the fights are ultimately pointless.

Story: 8
The "Holy Grail War" is a battle royale with 7 sets of Masters/Servants partnering together to take out the other 6, winner gets the Holy Grail, which grants a miracle. Masters can use magic or guns to fight, or are completely useless in battle, some staying far away from the action. The servants all have a fighting style unique to their "class", Lancer uses spears, Saber uses a sword, Assassin is an assassin...you get the point. A few more people are thrown in to the war to make ... things more interesting. Sounds good right? Of course it does.

I love me some good planned out fights with logical strategies, thinking about the end game. Unfortunately, that is only the way a few of the masters think. The rest of the cast either does no planning at all or has a plan but then gets pissed and lashes out in anger. With nearly every fight ending anticlimactically with one character (often an enemy) jumping in and saving another at the last second, or retreating after a defeat, the plot has barely moved at all in 13 episodes. Episode 10 served almost no purpose, as it revolves around a daughter of a master, Rin, a side character, with only a couple minor plot points.

Art: 8
In the beginning the animation was some of the worst I've seen in the past decade, but after it gets its head on straight it does a fine job. Fight scenes are well animated. Facial expressions are pretty hit or miss. Backgrounds are well done. The fog/lighting also stood out. Be aware that they use CG to animate Berserker.

Sound: 6
The Opening song is decent, the ending song is nothing special. Background music goes for a minimalist approach and succeeds, nothing special about it, nothing bad, it sets the tone for the most part. Voice acting and sound effects are average/slightly above average.

Character: 7
With over a dozen "main" characters, it's hard to make them all unique and memorable. About a third of the characters are, a third are generic and can quite accurately be described in one word, and the other third have basically the same personality.

Berserker gets so little screen time it's criminal. Assassin was downright disappointing. Rider easily has the most appealing personality out of the servants. Caster and his master are serial killing psychopaths who would rather kill random people then participate in the war. Very few characters have any development.

Enjoyment: 7
The main reason I couldn't fully enjoy this anime is that almost all the characters are still around, with only 1, maybe 2 of the characters dying or otherwise no longer being able to participate in the war. With characters saving enemies from certain demise for no reason other than honor, when they are trying to eliminate each other, it leads me to the conclusion that honor is just another way to say ass-pull.

Would I recommend this anime? Yes. Do you absolutely have to watch it? No.

If you can get past the long conversations and anticlimactic fights, give it a shot. It is an above average anime.

“Mature, innovative, fun and mesmerizing. A journey of epic proportions in a well-grounded mythological world based on reality, a masterpiece”

REVIEW FREE OF SPOILERS!

As I have stated before in my reviews I’ve been watching anime shows for a short period of time -3 years-. And as I’ve said before, thanks to the help/aid of some of my friends, I’ve had one of the best beginnings/introductions to the anime world, and here’s where “FATE/…” comes in, more specifically FATE/STAY NIGHT. [I know this is a “FATE/ ZERO” review]
FATE/S. N. Was the third anime that I watched. I’ve been a fan of magic stories since I can remember, ... and when you connect: Magic, the modern world and a “dark” “mysterious” mood in the story you have my whole attention –as long as the story is interesting of course-.

So naturally after watching –and loving it- FATE/S.N. I heard that the prequel of FATE/ S.N. was going to be broadcast, so obviously, I was ecstatic.
Back in the day I didn’t really knew about the previous story of “FATE/…” except for the things that where told on STAY NIGHT. So I knew was going to be on an amazing journey on this new chapters/episodes.

Let’s begin…! :D

-STORY: 10-
To put it bluntly it’s a masterpiece. From the first seconds of the first episode, I could see that the story/idea had matured, it wasn’t a show focused –mainly- for a younger audience, now it was darker, more mature story. It revealed more, the preparations that the main characters/fighters had. Comparing S.N. with ZERO, ZERO immerses you -from the start- in the lives of those who were about to compete for the “Holy Grail”, revealing not just characters and situations but the mythology behind it all, AND the magic in it, giving it –the show- a well-grounded myth and not just a plain story that will unfold in the next episodes.

If you’re interested in the occult, or the mysteries, or simply if you like well-founded or good ”epic” stories this IS the anime for you.


-ART: 10-
Colorful. Probably the first thing that catches everyone’s eyes from F/Zero is the Art. The animation IS flawless, perfect, an “eye-candy” to call it somehow. The surrounding ambient is perfectly detailed and believable and the characters are mesmerizing to the point in which you ask yourself what will come on the near future.

If you’re interested in art design, by all means this is for you.


-SOUND: 10-
Personally I’m a guy that places the “sound/music” of a show as one of the most important things of all. And I must say the ambient sounds and music of this show are hypnotizing. Leaving aside the “ambient” sound which are breathtaking and perfect I will “talk” mainly of the music behind the anime.
The soundtrack/score of this anime was composed by Yuki Kajiura (Sword Art Online I & II, Pandora Hearts and Noir)

Yuki Kajiura’s work in this anime is as usual –for her- a work beyond words. To put it bluntly the first song of the score “Fate to Zero” resumes her work perfectly. Its dark, it’s sad, it makes your skin crawl reaching deep in your bones, it’s a soundtrack filled with emotions, and it’s a work of epic proportions, a journey into the dark world of “FATE”. A very memorable soundtrack.
A-MUST-HEAR-SOUNDTRACK.

If you like/love or you’re just interested in not great but amazing music arrangements, this is the show for you.


-CHARACTER: 10-
FATE/ZERO shines for its uniqueness and most importantly for the uniqueness of its characters. This is one of those shows that have a very high amount of MC’s. Usually I avoid this kind of shows/movies for they fail amazingly in one important aspect: the focus, and this –the focus- is one of the most remarkable things in this anime, each character or correctly put each “group” of characters is given a very important place/moment. Each one has their own goal and believes which makes each and every one of these characters believable and most importantly, you can get “close” to them.

Another incredible aspect of the characters within “FATE/ ZERO” is the “character development” department in which many shows fail –which is not the case of FATE- Each character changes, matures during the whole season/show. Some change ideologies, some find a new way to fulfill their beliefs, revealing things of themselves to the audience.

If you’re interested in character development THIS IS your show.


-ENJOYMENT & OVERALL: 10-
FATE/ ZERO is one of those shows that leaves you wanting more, and not because they fail to answer things, it leaves you wanting more because of the superb way the show is made.

Another masterpiece in my books.

Fate/Zero is a show as confident in its storytelling as it is confused in its aims. After many tries, I've filed it away still unable to describe what point Urobuchi is trying to make with this. The closest I've come is that it's a condemnation of idealism, but this is only weakly supported by the text, and I suspect that impression is more a function of it being a prequel to a visual novel that thoroughly affirms the great moral significance of ideals. In that light, Fate/Zero's grim, cynical ending merely serves a narrative purpose. This doesn't make it unwatchable or even bad, but it ... does make it a fairly predictable addition to the Fate continuity—if you've read Fate/stay night, this will be exactly what you expect it to be and not much more than that.

Still, that isn't to say that Fate/Zero is boring. The art and animation are sharp and precise, Urobuchi's excellent storytelling makes Fate/Zero as thrilling as anything Code Geass has to offer. The characters, themes, and mood of Fate/stay night are flawlessly transferred to this show; Kotomine remains among the best antagonists I've ever seen in a genre show, and Kiritsugu's backstory does him justice, bringing to life that strange, cold silhouette hanging over Shirou's every action in the VN. Urobuchi's Saber is somewhat one-dimensional—though there are certainly less attractive sides to the character than the whole honorable knight routine—but then it isn't really her story. It's also tough to complain when she receives such a heartbreaking character moment at the end of the show, dragging her down to the nadir she needs to be mired in to set up her for Fate/stay night. Without giving away too much, it's a deeply affecting portrayal of Saber's lowest ebb, anticipating the sequel in which she is finally rewarded for her martyrdom, for all the years that she shouldered the shame and sin of her people in the name of justice and honor. Nonetheless, you'd be forgiven for thinking that she's little more than a gender-swapped Lancer after watching this.

I suspect the problem with Fate/Zero is that Urobuchi does not write characters in the same way that Nasu does and there's an odd disconnect there. This wasn't an issue in Madoka because it was purely an Urobuchi creation, but it hurts Fate/Zero simply because Fate/stay night, for all its many faults, had some extremely distinctive character writing. Whenever Kotomine or Kiritsugu are onscreen, this show comes to life. Kotomine is a devilish twist on the fairly played-out some-men-just-want-to-watch-the-world-burn Joker-type villain in that he's wracked with confusion and contradiction—a man who became a priest just to avoid confronting his darkest impulses. Watching him come to terms with himself over the course of Fate/Zero is absolutely thrilling. Some of his dialogue with Gilgamesh might be a little on-the-nose, but the tendency to tell rather than show is a trait Urobuchi shares with Nasu, and it doesn't detract from the intrigue. Unfortunately, the new characters, as well as those without any backstory established for them in Fate/stay night, are all exceptionally dull and predictable by comparison. Kariya is a character with plenty of potential that was entirely squandered; the same goes for Tokiomi and Aoi, whose stories only affected me because of my familiarity with Rin and Sakura and the legacy left for them. Kayneth and Sola-Ui are indescribably bland villains—so bland that Urobuchi apparently didn't even bother to resolve their storyline with Lancer.

I'm darting around the main point here, though; these plot devices masquerading as characters are nothing compared to this show's attempt to introduce a pair of legitimately developed characters in Rider and Waver. These two are almost entirely superfluous besides their involvement in plot development—especially Waver—and are by turns irritating, predictable, or both. Urobuchi is not a very funny writer, and though there's nothing on the level of Madoka's "girls shouldn't like girls" gag, Rider and Waver's painful attempts at lightening the mood in the early episodes of the show come off as dull and obvious. The show starts taking them more seriously later on, but this doesn't improve things, as I'm fairly sure that they have the same conversation about twenty times—Waver's inferiority complex acts up, Rider makes some gruff, paternal gesture to stop his navel-gazing and cheer him up, and they ride off on their chariot. The principal problem is that Waver's arc is damnably obvious. The first time you see him, you just know that he's going to end up finding the respect he wants by entering the Grail War and stepping up to the challenges it presents. That's exactly what happens, and though that might be forgivable if that story was told in a way that you don't expect, it just isn't. The ponderous tone of the Fate universe means that we spend a painstakingly long time listening to these two repeat themselves, so if you hadn't figured out where Waver's character was headed after the first few scenes with him and Rider, don't worry—you'll get a hundred more opportunities to witness this shallow development again and again. Waver's story has no particular thematic congruence with the rest of Fate, nor a deep connection with the other characters. At this stage, he's just some kid, and the focus on him dilutes Fate/Zero far too much.

Rider is significantly better, though he still comes off as a little superfluous thanks to his interactions with Waver, and never really ascends beyond the level of archetype despite some interesting backstory. He's an obvious foil to Saber, a Nietzschean font of vitality living selflessly by living selfishly, indulging in his passions and laughing all the way to Valhalla. In other words, he's Gilgamesh, Saber's preexisting foil, without the potent streak of nihilism that made Gilgamesh that much more unpredictable. Rider justifies his behaviour through a belief in master morality and rational self-interest; Gilgamesh doesn't even think such things are worth justifying, and that's what makes him the more interesting character. To give Rider his due, the idea of a journey to seek out an impossible ideal—his principal motivation—has some thematic weight in the broader context of the Fate universe, but there's no real point to him as he relates to the other characters. There is one thing that he contributes to the dialogue: his beliefs mean that he can challenge Saber on her principles, while Gilgamesh is devoid of principles in the first place. It would simply be out-of-character for Gilgamesh to question Saber. Gilgamesh sees the tragic beauty of Saber's condition without necessarily endorsing or dismissing it—he merely beholds it as it is, caring only if it serves his own interests. Still, with the emergence of plot developments at the end of Fate/Zero that throw Saber into despair and self-doubt, it's questionable whether Rider even needed to challenge her, especially when she already has Kiritsugu's cold utilitarianism to contend with. The overarching problem remains that the dialogue about idealism was already set up by Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero largely just mimics it. The addition of Rider to that dialogue seems like an afterthought.

There's also the matter of Caster and Ryuunosuke, who are either deployed to meet Fate/Zero's edgy grimdark quota or played for laughs; it might not surprise you that I didn't partake in any. That said, they are far more interesting antagonists than Kayneth and his phoned-in villainous arrogance, and I appreciated Caster mistaking Saber for Joan of Arc—quite a clever and appropriate little touch—but in many scenes, they're merely buffoonish and pad out the show even further. In a universe so concerned with little details and thematic cohesion, characters ought not to be playing such shallow roles.

The best episodes of Fate/Zero are the ones that cut out the fluff; Kiritsugu's backstory, told over the course of two episodes, is particularly good—revealing any of it would spoil it, even if you've read Fate/stay night. It's baffling that Urobuchi is so very good when he's dealing with someone else's characters, but is incapable of introducing any new character here whose purpose and relevance I can fully describe beyond their role in the plot—Rider is the lone exception, and even with him, it's pretty shaky. There is, however, one episode of Fate/Zero that is definitely superfluous, and yet I can't help but enjoy it. That episode is Rin's Adventure, a sweet little diversion around midway through the show that focuses on one of Fate/stay night's best characters, Tohsaka Rin. In Fate/Zero, she's still an elementary schooler, and it's a real treat to see here the beginnings of the sharp-tongued, reluctant heroine she would become.

Ideally, one would read Fate/stay night before watching this, but for those unwilling to slog through a visual novel, this is better directed and more accessible than Studio DEEN's Fate/stay night. It's good rather than great, but it's entertaining above all. If you like tight plotting, high production values, and men talking in dark, earnest tones, this is worth a watch.

I have been waiting for this for so long, my wish finally granted by the Golden studios ufotable! It’s not every day that a Type-Moon fangirl like me (who has to yearn for VN & light novel translations to keep her company) gets such a treat. After finally getting a closure on Kara no Kyoukai after reading the light novels, Carnival Phantasm and Fate/Zero were the beacons I wanted to grasp. I say, forget the Fate/stay night anime right now, srsly right now! DEEN simply raped it badly and the VN’s epicness was never captured but if you’ve seen it, at least it gives you ... enough information about the characters that you are seeing in a new light in this two-cour series.

This comes from a God studio ufotable, who had done such a brilliant job on Kara no Kyoukai. If you've read the novels and seen the movies, you already know they really worked on being faithful to the original material. In this case Urobuchi's words and nasuverse character come alive on screen and complimented by not only production quality but hours and hours of work done on it. Even if you have not seen Fate/stay night or played the VNs, don't fret, this is a brilliant series to get into nasuverse and Type-Moon goodness. Being an expert, I guarantee you that you'll never regret it.

I'm writing this review just after episode one but seriously THIS is what you call an awesome start or as Chaos Neco Arc would say, Hajimari, yo~ The around 48minute run of this episode was ideal for introducing all the Holy Grail jargon along with the first take on all the masters. Sure, not everyone was given the limelight as Caster’s master Ryuunosuke is still MIA but that would come in the next episode for sure. The finished product in terms of first episode was nothing short of brilliant. It’s not every day that you see HD quality animation on a series. In movies, sure! But in a two-cour series like this; is definitely one of the firsts. It’s a treat for the sore eyes and looks brilliant even on low quality stream. BGM by Yuki Kajiura is spine tingling sometimes and I recommend to use quality headphones for this one because while the scenes play; from the sound of wind blowing to even flicker of candles, dialogue quality and BGM placement all enhances the viewing experience.

Every character is voiced perfectly and from being an arrogant bastards to cute lolis, this has everything that you might be looking forward to. Also, there are so many badass men! Sure, Saber rocks and including her delivery of “Anata ga watashi o Master ka?” but man! Kiritsugu and Kirei are something else; especially Kiritsugu and his guns and his smoke. Yep, lots of gun and smoke porn on this one…

Anyways, from the looks of things and the summoned servants, this series is going to be full of schemes, conspiracies and back stabbing with the right dash of drama and romance. Kirei and Kirutsugu are going to play very strong roles in shaping up the plot and even if they are opposites in terms of values, they share more similarities than any other master. So, keep watching this for awesome development and even bet calls on who dies first because after all, this will be a cutthroat deluxe with winner taking all the glory and supremacy.

So, quickly:
Story - scheming, conspiracies, war and spine-tingling action. What more can a watcher ask for?
Art - Simply beautiful, just look at those detailed backgrounds!
Sound - Yuki Kajiura, do I have to say anything else?
Characters - Many and far between, yet you will end up remembering everyone and even side with some to their twisted motives to glory.
Enjoyment - Brilliant. I want my fill of mystery and action, shaken and stirred.
Overall - 9/10 and this might actually increase while the series continues. I'm blogging this series on Metanorn so you can drop by to fangirl/boy anytime.

In almost all forms of media, spinoffs, sequels, and prequels all have one thing in common. They are a crap shoot. Most of the time these spinoffs suck. Fortunately in anime, that is not always the case. In fact there are several times where I find myself enjoy the sequel/ prequel better than the original. However this anime is true rarity, in which the prequel just about outdoes the original in virtually every aspect. This review focuses solely on the first season of fate/zero. I'll write a separate review for season 2.
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O.K. here is the actual review with my IADb rating system:
Story: Fate ... Zero takes place ten years before the events of Fate/stay night, and Chronicles the 4th Holy Grail War. The whole grail war consists of seven teams, with each team consisting of a master and a servant. These servants are heroic spirits that fight each other to the death, with the last servant standing winning the power for him and his master to make any type of wish on the holy grail. After failing to win the grail three times in a row, The Einzbern family have elected to bring the hated magus murderer, Kiritsugu Emiya (who is also the father of the main protagonist in Fate/ Stay Night), into their ranks and compete for the grail. When Emiya ultimately summons Saber as his servant, the two form one of the most unique relationships that I have ever seen. One of the primary things you watched fate/ stay night for was the battles, and while the battles are great here, it is the unforgettable dialogue that drives the anime home.

The Battles: While the dialogue is amazing, fate zero is part of the fate franchise, and hence the battles are a must see. What makes these fights so interesting though is the dialogue that goes on in them. Unlike fate/ stay night, where to many extents you were presented with a typical shounen fight, you get so much more here. You really do learn the back story of every combat tent and are forced to pick sides.

The Characters: There are over 7000 animes on this website. I have seen almost 500 of them and will be reviewing all of them this year. Out of those 500 animes, the cast in this anime ranks 4th, with the only 3 having a better cast being Steins Gate, rainbow nisha rokubou no shichinin, and full metal alchemist brotherhood. Virtually every master and every servant here plays its part perfectly. You have rider, the fan favorite who is just epic. (yes i just said "epic"). You have caster, the child murdering servant who couldn't give two sh*ts about the grail war. Than there is saber, one of the greatest female characters of all time. Archer is a great villain, but slightly over powered. Lancer proved himself to be a formidable opponent for Saber.

Art: When i review the 2nd season this section will pretty much be a carbon copy. Fate/ Zero quite simply has the best animation that I have ever scene. It is just mind blowing how beautiful and life like everything looks. Ufotable knows how to produce a beautiful anime.

Sound: All of the voice actors sound their age. All of the background music is perfectly used. The opening is great and the ending is one of the best in anime.

Enjoyment: While the first episode is a complete info dump, and while there is technically no climax to this season as the finale is a regular episode that ends with "to be continued in April," every other episode in this series left me baffled with amazement. Yes there are some flaws, and yes I can safely say that in the three month span between season1 and season 2, those flaws are seemingly eliminated, Fate/ Zero Season one is definitely an anime to watch.
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The IADb official scoring:

Plot, Sequence, Flow: 2.6/3 Points
Overall Characters: 1.6/2 Points
Visual Effects: 2/2 Points
Soundtrack: 0.8/1 Point
Enjoyment/ Lust to watch the next episode: 1.6/2 Point

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Final Rating: 8.6
NY Grade: B+

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW OF BOTH SEASONS (NOT FATE/STAY NIGHT)**
"Say that humanity has been narrowed down to merely 500 people. 300 of them are packed onto one ship, 200 are on another, sailing toward an irrelevant destination. Suddenly, both ships suffer massive structural damage simultaneously and begin to sink; you are the only one who can repair them. However, there is only time to repair one ship: What do you do?"
"The answer is simple. Repair the ship with 300 people."
"Suppose that upon learning this, the ship of 200 people captures you and demands that you fix their ship first. Now what do you do?"
"...Kill all 200."

The ... concept of sacrifice is something that anyone who has watched the masterpiece that is Fate/Zero is all too familiar with. From interesting, complex characters, to an intriguing story-line, to stellar animation, there are very few things to NOT like about this anime. For those of you unfamiliar with the Fate series, here is a short synopsis:
Fate/Stay Night is an anime that is part of the same series as Fate/Zero and was released years before Fate/Zero, but Fate/Zero (which was made by a completely different studio and has a completely different writer) is a prequel and chronologically comes 10 years before the events of Fate/Stay Night (BTW, DON'T watch Fate/Stay Night. It sucks, and the same studio that made Fate/Zero has announced it is remaking it, so wait for the remake).
Fate/Stay Night may be garbage in my opinion, but that only makes the fact that Fate/Zero is stunningly good all the more impressive. It likely would have gotten 10/10 if it didn't have to carry the dead weight of its retarded older brother.

Story: 9/10
A pretty straightforward story. It's another "death game" type show: 7 "masters" (who are highly skilled mages) summon 7 "servants" (who are legendary epic heroes or historical figures) and fight to the death for possession of the Holy Grail; the artifact that is said to grant any wish.
Not only does Fate/Zero have an excellent concept, but it has nearly flawless execution. While Fate/Stay Night spent time trying to develop their horribly written characters rather then focus on the plot , Fate/Zero shows them how it's done by creating a much darker, suspenseful, and convincing environment. Part of what makes it work so well is that (again) unlike Fate/Stay Night, there is no single protagonist, and therefore no clear winner to the war. The viewer is legitimately kept unsure of what is going to happen next, and more importantly: who is going to win. Essentially every character is major and you will develop some sort of emotional attachment to them. You will love the characters you are supposed to love, hate the characters you are supposed to hate, fear the characters you are supposed to fear, and be left to form your own opinions about the characters with controversial motives. There are loads of massively entertaining plot developments,fantastic writing decisions, and there are a couple epic plot twists.
The only real complaint I have about the story and the reason I can't give it 10/10 isn't really Fate/Zero's fault in the first place: it's Fate/Stay Night's. The first episode of Fate/Zero is an hour long as opposed to the normal 20-25 minute length, and it is NOTHING but exposition. Fate/Zero is forced to basically summarize everything relevant to the plot in it's first two or three episodes that Fate/Stay Night took 24 episodes to explain. If you watch Fate/Zero and didn't watch it's predecessor, you better pay attention to the first episodes pretty damn carefully, because you won't believe how fast they blow by backstory! Once they finish the exposition and get to the real plot though, it is absolutely fantastic.

Art: 10/10
Stellar, absolutely breathtaking animation. The style perfectly compliments both the dark and light portions of the anime. I don't give 10/10 art ratings lightly, but Fate/Zero knocked it out of the park.

Sound: 9/10
Great openings (especially the 2nd one), good endings, and an EPIC soundtrack that goes along with the fast-paced action atmosphere excellently. Great voice acting in both the dub and sub. No complaints here.

Characters: 10/10
I am still marveling at how masterfully these characters were written. There are WAY too many major and significant characters to bother trying to get to them all in a review. Nothing I say here will do these characters justice, but I'll do my best:
Nearly single character is complex, has his/her own specific morals and desires, and has a distinctive/recognizable personality. Saying that alone doesn't mean much to someone who hasn't seen the show, but consider that there are 7 masters, 7 servants, and several side characters on top of that! From the sympathy and despair you feel for Kirisugu Emiya, to the heart-warming, lovable Rider, to the sheer badassness of Kirei Kotomine, to the intoxicating pride of Archer, to the tragedy of Kariya Moto; I could go on forever. Masterful masterful masterful masterful MASTERFUL characters. I couldn't even hazard to pick my favorite one, because there are so many greats. You'll have to take my word on this one; best character development for such a huge cast of characters I've ever seen. Fate/Zero really did the impossible.

Overall: 9/10
The over-saturation of exposition in the beginning is the only real reason Fate/Zero falls short of a 10/10, and because it's a prequel to an anime the studio had nothing to do with, even that isn't really its fault. Fate/Zero is a dark, compelling tragedy filled with constant suspense, unparalleled character development, fantastic writing, and top of the line animation. Fate/Zero is not only entertaining, it is a thought provoking masterpiece that really sets new standard for what a thriller anime should be like. If you are planning on watching the Fate series (which I highly recommend), my recommendation is to watch Fate/Zero and then wait for the remake of Fate/Stay Night (which has already been announced), because the current version of Fate/Stay Night is just humiliatingly bad, particularly if you watch Fate/Zero first and expect a decent continuation.

tired of ridiculous fan catering anime and manga with annoying wimpy protagonists and bad production values with terrible plot lines?

you've come to the right page. now please enjoy my first review.


fate/zero is the prequel for the extremely popular fate/stay night visual novel.

the fate/stay night anime received mixed reactions and if you ask me, its extremely overrated.

studio deen known for butchering adaptations did it again. and the result wasn't pretty.
...
fate/stay night was a pretty bad anime if you ask me, even if the animation was pretty good for its time.
all the story was presented in the most boring way possible. the fights werent exciting, the voice actors did a much better job on the obviously superior visual novel.

and the unlimited blade works movie was a mixed bag of bad storytelling compared to the counterpart visual novel route. the only good things about the unlimited blade works movie were the animation and the fights.

and then, in 2011, ufotable who is known for the amazing kara no kyoukai movies decided to adapt the fate/zero novel to a full fledged anime, spanning 25 episodes (after that it was decided that one cour will air on october 2011 and the other cour will air in april 2012).

finally, the talented type moon visual novel staff gets an excellent adaptation to their amazing work. i already forgotten about the tsukihime anime adaptation and fate stay night adaptation.

story - 10

the story may be not that original, but even if its not original it doesnt mean its not good.

seven masters fight a deadly battle for winning the holy grail war to acquire the holy grail and to fulfill their biggest desires. accompanying each master is a servant, and each servant is a heroic spirit summoned by magic from the past.

the concept is the same as the fate stay night visual novel, but with mostly different characters and different setting (10 years prior to the events of the fate stay night visual novel).

the story is battle of wits and strength. each master has a unique personality and each servant has a different measure of strength and heroism/anti-heroism. the servants fight for their masters and the masters command the servants splendidly. each master is a magus skilled in the arts of magic and the spirit of the masters and servants are connected.

just from what im describing here you may already notice its not a silly generic romantic harem anime. it doesnt have any fanservice. it has a real story with believable characters and exciting setting and fights.

the story has no major flaws. its not presented in episodic fashion (a thing i really hate about anime). its like reading the novel, just animated. it doesn't stray from the original source material.

art - 10

i mentioned the kara no kyoukai movies. remember the animation in them? yes, the animation in fate/zero is movie-like, just in a tv series. ufotable did it again. and the result is very pretty.

the animation is extremely fluid. even the cg, that is usually bad in anime shows (gonzo, deen etc) is done extremely well. berserker is made from 100 percent cg. and he moves so good my eyes tear from the prettiness!

sound - 10

the voice actors do an amazing job.
the music is by kajiura yuki. i said enough.

character - 10

notable characters:

saber - the best character in the series. she is also mai waifu.

emiya kiritsugu - a magus that is an expert in firearms. this guy is a machine.

kotomine kirei - this motherfucker is back, and more badass than ever.

irisviel - adorable.

gilgamesh - mongrels!

rider - an extremely well written character. he and waver are one hell of a combo.

lancer - this guy shits heroism out of his ass. that's how heroic he is.

caster - janneeeeee~! a bit of a freak. but i like him.

assassins - not much to say, aside that i like their design.

kayneth - this dude is in my profile avatar. he's pretty cool.

kariya - being kariya is suffering.

ryuunosuke - a mass murderer. he and caster like to make people suffer in the most horrible ways.

waver - without rider this dude is invisible.

tokiomi - i like his voice.

loli sakura - oh god the suffering.

loli rin - hngg.

illyasviel - she doesn't have many appearances. she becomes much more important to the story in fate/stay night.

enjoyment - 10

i cant remember how i enjoyed a series to this extent. a winning formula for every anime lover.

overall - 10

if you want to watch anime, don't watch some moe slice of life that swarms the market these days. you better watch something good, something with meaning and depth. watch fate/zero. read the fate/stay night visual novel. play fate/extra. thank me later.

Fate/Zero is about as close to a masterpiece as you can get in terms of quality.

This anime is, put simply, freaking amazing. I had heard about the fate series since before I even got into anime. I gave stay/night a try, and wasn't able to get into it. So I saw fate/zero, and at the time, I had been in the middle of the stay/night visual novel, so I was reluctant to watch it for fear of spoilers. But, after it was recommended to me by a friend, I chose to watch it, and thank god I did.

Art/Animation 10/10

I was instantly drawn into this series. ... The animation was near flawless, and the art was beautiful. It makes use of CG at times, but they do it very well, this is made clear with Berserker and another creature who, for now, I will call tentapus. The CG just feels natural with the series instead of sticking out like a certain dragon from a certain series bearing a similar name...

The animation is nearly flawless, I sat there trying to find a problem with it, and while it isn't smooth as what you might expect after eating some really spicy Vietnamese food, it is still some of the best animation you will find with modern anime. I guarantee you will not be disappointed by the animation, or the art shown in the series.


Sound 10/10

Another marvelous work by the wonderful Yuki Kaijura. Some, such as myself, may even consider it some of her best work. If you are unsure who Yuki Kaijura is, some of her works include Elemental Gelade, Pandora Hearts, Sword Art Online, and Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. The soundtrack features many beautiful orchestral pieces as well as some very nice choirs. The soundtrack sets the mood perfectly, it makes use of epic choirs during the fight scenes, and slow orchestral pieces in the slower, or more darker parts. Overall, the Fate/Zero soundtrack is one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard, and easily takes the place as one of my favorite soundtracks of all time.

Character 9/10

Another area where this anime shines is in it's characters. There are around 14+ "Main" characters that you should be aware of. And that would be the 7 servants, the 7 masters, and a few others that you will see when you watch the series. Instead of using common archetypes such as "dere" or unbeatable badass that I like to call the "Kirito-Complex", Fate/Zero has a set of characters that are all very unique, and very interesting.Every character acts according to his or her moral compass and ideology.It's always interesting to see different characters interact, in fact, there is one episode dedicated to a few of the servants discussing their beliefs and ideology. If there is one thing I would like to complain about is that some of the characters, I feel, don't get very much focus. Some examples are Berserker, his master, and Assassin. But I don't feel this is too much of a problem, seeing as it did very well with the characters it did focus on in it's 25 episodes.

Story 9/10

Before I begin, let me mention my one other complaint with the series, the first episode. I don't feel like it drew me in enough, it was around 50 minutes long, and it was basically an explanation on what the Holy Grail war is, how it originated, and what it is now. Now, this is great, but the episode was kind of slow, and some may even find it boring. Now, assuming you have already read the synopsis, you should have a general idea on what the story is, a battle royale between 7 different teams, each consisting of a legend or historical figure, and a mage. The story is full of twists and turns, and it manages to keep you interested and wanting to keep watching. There were close to no flaws in the overall way the story was executed, except for the first episode. Overall, I loved the story, and I think it was executed very well.

Enjoyment 10/10

This was the first series I had seen in awhile where I had been up at 12 in the morning continuing episode upon episode in the couple of days I spent watching it. Still to this day, I think I enjoyed Fate/Zero more then I enjoyed most anime I have seen to this day.

Overall 10/10

As a whole, Fate/Zero is about as close to a masterpiece as you're going to get when it comes to overall quality. I feel that with this series, you could hate the overall story, but you could still admit that it was pretty damn good. This anime is amazing, and I recommend it to everyone. So if you find the time, go check it out, because you might have the same feelings about it as I do, in which case you would love it!

Fate/Zero was the very first experience I had with the Fate franchise by Type Moon; I never played/read the Visual Novels/Light Novels nor watched anything Fate/Stay Night or Fate/Kaleid related before, so I’m not going to make endless comparisons to any other things Fate related. Just to make that clear. Also, this review covers both seasons for convenience.

To be honest, Fate/Zero's premise sounded rather cheesy to me at first. But I'll promise you, the execution is fantastic, thrilling, and mature. That ranges from the fantastic visuals to the excellent soundtrack, the interesting and intriguing characters, their dialogues, as well as to the very well realized ... fight scenes in between.

The story is set place in an alternate reality, in which Magis (mages) exist, magic can be studied and used to bring back old heroic personalities from across the history, such as King Arthur or Alexander the Great, to fight in a battle royal to the death with the goal of obtaining the "omnipotent-wish granting device" called the "Holy Grail", said to grant one miracle to the winner of said battle royal. This battle is called "The Holy Grail War" and takes place in Fuyuki City every 60 years. Seven Mages (“Masters”) are chosen, and each of them get a Servant to join the fight. These Servants are separated into seven different classes; Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Assassin, Caster and Berserker. Each Servant is, as already mentioned, a Heroic Spirit from the history books, brought back to life to fight for honor and the power, which the Holy Grail supposedly possesses. After three failed attempts, the 4th Holy Grail War takes place and that's where the story of Fate/Zero begins.

The backstory of the Fate series is huge and could literally fill books. The very first episode plays it nice and safe for everyone not familiar with the franchise and takes a 50 minute long, almost exposition dump, on you, explaining some important details about the history of the war, the main families involved in it, their connections and so on. We also get introduced to the several different Mages and get a small glimpse of what they are fighting for. While I agree that it was necessary to understand what the hell is going on, it also was one of the less entertaining parts of the show, but I personally didn't have a problem with that. I'd rather “suffer” a huge info dump instead of having to scratch my head at everything that's happening during the show any time. The story of the show flows pretty well actually and the balance between lengthy dialogues and impressive battles was handled really nicely. The cliffhanger at the end of the season was really nasty though. I still don't see why this was split into two halves anyways…

Each Servant gets a different Master of course, and each Master has different reasons to participate in this battle alongside different tactics to win it. Some are playing it out honorable in a traditional fashion and others are going on rampages with their new best friends because they can and feel like it. That makes every one of the different characters never feel really dull and especially as the cast of characters mostly consists only of fully grown adults (meaning no high school-girls, tsunderes, no token lolis and so on) very refreshing and it also includes no random fan service to ruin the otherwise serious and dark mood of the show. Fate/Zero is a mature anime but it can seem a bit “edgy” sometimes, especially as one Master is a psycho who loves to torture and kill children with his new Servant and said Master doesn't really get much explanation for his behavior, other than "It's art and so coooooool!". The characters are a mixed bag; on one hand some are intriguing and on the other hand some were barely fleshed out or just contribute nothing to the main story then sitting around and talking. I’m looking at you, Tokiomi! But my overall impression of the characters was genuinely positive though and I rooted for a lot of them. They weren't perfect though and tend to act stupid at times, but nothing that would make me upset or dock a lot of points for.

So with being a battle royal in its core you might think that it's quite obvious who is the winner because there is a main character and everything, but it's really not. Yes, there are some characters that get (a lot) more screen time and dialogue than others, but among the main ones it's always a struggle because every Servant and Master has different strengths and weaknesses and especially one fight between two Servants in the early parts of the show was really gripping to watch. But sadly, most battles between Servants boil down to dialogues and speeches about honor and chivalry and it makes the characters appear a bit dumb at times, when they let the enemy get away for like the 10th time instead of just finishing them off. It may be necessary for the continuation of the plot, but as a viewer it wasn't that enjoyable all the time and I sometimes ended up shaking my head. But some fights between the Masters and their use of magic and weapons are where shit really hits the fan. You really feel the difference when watching the Masters and Servants fight. The Masters act a bit more realistic and out to really win the war and have their wish granted, while the Servants mostly fight in and for their honor. It makes a real nice change of pace to see the Heroic Spirits fight one another in a duel like fashion and the Masters fighting one another like it was an extermination, so the action doesn't get old fast and some Master/Servant combos even have a clash of ideologies sometimes as they don't agree on their methods used in the war. It was really interesting to watch how some relationships between Master and Servant didn't bloom perfectly but were also spread with doubt and hatred for each other.

Speaking of relationships between Master and Servant... What also spiced the whole thing up more were these different interactions between some Masters and their Servants. Especially the duo of Waver and Rider made for two solid developed and likeable characters, the same goes for Irisviel and Saber. Sadly that’s not true for all of them; those two groups definitely took the cake in this first season for me. Another honorable mention goes to Archer helping Kotomine Kirei to develop as a character and changing his view on the whole situation he is in. While their interactions mostly consisted of talking and can be boring for some, I found them to be interesting and necessary to get a better view on the character of Kirei, who starts of as a pawn by Tokiomi but becomes a strong and more confident stand-alone character later on. But the character interactions didn’t just consist of the Master and Servants, but dialogues and discussions between some multiple Servants as well. They also get to talk with each other, share their thoughts and ideals – and not always for the better. For some people Fate/Zero may be too much talking and too less fighting and I would agree with those to an extent. But all in all I was pleasantly surprised with the aforementioned balance between dialogues and crossing swords this show has to offer, especially since the pacing in Season 1 is a slow, steady build-up, only to have it all tumbling down in Season 2. It was a worthy pay-off and I really loved the ending, though some scenes might confuse people not familiar with anything else Fate related.

Another thing which made this already well executed story even more stand-out was the great animation done by ufotable, which most notable works include the famous Kara no Kyoukai - The Garden of Sinners movie series. Everyone who saw their films know how they make an anime appealing and exciting, this is also helped by the excellent visual and sound direction the show has. The art is detailed; the animation smooth and fluent, the use of lighting and shadows brilliant and even the obligatory ufotable 3DCG looks really good. The quality got even stepped up in Season 2 and it looks even more impressive. Truly a sight to behold.

The soundtrack was made by Yuki Kajiura and if you already listened to a soundtrack done by her, you know how most of her music sounds; epic choirs, orchestra and so on - Fate/Zero is no exception. At some points I could have sworn I was listening to a Madoka Magica or Kara no Kyoukai OST instead, they really sound that familiar. While that's a good thing to those fond of her style of music, it's also off putting for those, who don't like the “typical Kajiura flair” that much. I personally like her style and tracks like "Point Zero", "the beginning of the end", "fate to zero", "this day, and never again" or "The Battle is to the Strong" made a lasting impression on me and got into my favorites on iTunes. The rest of the audio design is fantastic as well, with good sound effects and the voice actors did a solid job as well. They really made the characters feel alive. I can't speak for the English dub, but the German dub was slightly above average. To all German speaking readers: Stick to the subs please, it’s not worth the money. All in all Fate/Zero is one of the best looking and sounding anime I had the pleasure with yet, it was a feast for my eyes and ears in 1080p Blu-Ray quality. It was a great experience to say the least.

Let's get to the verdict of Fate/Zero:

I really had a good time with this show, I like it a lot. But as much as I enjoyed the intriguing characters, the well animated fight scenes and the dialogues, it of course felt rather incomplete and the cliffhanger at the end of Season 1 left a bad taste in my mouth. I can just imagine all the disappointed faces when they had to wait for so long for this to continue airing back in the days. But I didn't have that much of a problem with it. Another thing which put me off was some of the decisions some Masters and/or Servants made during important fights. If they wanted to, they could have ended this all in one season, but no. Also, some characters didn't get any real light shed at all, but I think everyone will have someone to root for at the end. Another thing which could be a bummer is the extremely slow pacing at times, especially in Season 1 and compared to the very dynamic events in the "Second Season”. In my opinion, though, that’s what makes the whole watch of Fate/Zero all the more rewarding. The first season is the slow and careful buildup while in the second one everything comes crashing down (in a good way). All in all, Fate/Zero is a fantastic anime with few misteps here and there and a rather week plot. I still recommend it to anyone looking for something a bit different from the generic moe-blobs and ecchi harems we usually get these days. It's worth checking out for this reason alone. And on top of that it's well made and exectued and you get an interesting story with great looking action.

STORY SECTION: 6/10
Premise 1/2 (not that mindblowing)
Pacing 1/2 (kind of slow in S1, too fast in S2)
Complexity 2/2 (a lot of mindgames, intrigue etc.)
Plausibility 0/2 (all the technobabbling still amounts to lose rules)
Conclusion 2/2 (great setup for Fate/stay night)

CHARACTER SECTION: 7/10
Presence 2/2 (cool and strong)
Personality 2/2 (well founded for the most part)
Backdrop 2/2 (a bit forced but fits well and rounds the characters a lot)
Development 1/2 (only a few get it)
Catharsis 1/2 (overblown, but it's there)

ART SECTION: 9/10
General Artwork 2/2 (very detailed and creative)
Character Figures 2/2 (stand-out and distinct)
Backgrounds 1/2 (great looking, but very samey)
Animation 2/2 (very fluent)
Visual Effects 2/2 (great for a TV series)

SOUND SECTION: 9/10
Voice Acting 2/3 (solid)
Music Themes 4/4 (all around great and fit the show very well)
Sound Effects 3/3 (great for a TV series)

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 8/10
Art 1/1 (looks great)
Sound 2/2 (sounds amazing)
Story 2/3 (lots of intrigue and the grand scale of things felt epic)
Characters 3/4 (I liked and rooted for most of them, but some are weak)

VERDICT: 7,8/10 (putting it up to 8/10)

One of the most impressive achievements a writer could make is to take an existing concept and make you look at it in a completely different light. This is a feat that is often demonstrated in the works of Gen Urobuchi, and perhaps “Fate/Zero” is the work that exemplifies this in the most literal sense, as it is Urobuchi’s way of making his own imprint in the already existing “fate” franchise. It is the prequel story of Nasu Kinoko’s original “Fate/Stay-Night” visual novel, telling all about the events of the Holy Grail war of 10 years ago. With a level of ambition that goes through ... the roof, and the production value to match, “Fate/Zero” becomes nothing short of an epic.

Taking hold of the protagonist’s role is Emiya Kiritsugu. A trained assassin that uses unconventional methods to reach his goals of making the world a better place regardless of what it takes to get there. Who is the antagonist? A priest by the name of Kotomine Kirei. A former executioner of the church whom struggles with an inner conflict that he believes only Kiritsugu has the answer for. They as well as five others which includes a serial killer, a professor, his student, two mages of noble families (one of which had turned his back on magic), are contenders in an internal war that will grant the winner the prize of the Holy Grail which holds the ability to grant its user any wish imaginable.

To their help, they each have a legendary hero of the past that has been summoned into separate classes such as “Saber”, “Archer”, “Lancer”, “Rider”, “Caster”, “Assassin”, and “Berserker”.

Right off the bat, you can tell that this is a show that is setting its bars very high, because pretty much every recognizable aspect of “Fate/Zero” seems to have been enhanced to its fullest potential. If all you know of the “fate” series beforehand is the “Fate/Stay-Night” anime adaptation, then the difference in animation quality is going to be noticeable immediately and I suspect provide quite the shock as well. The difference there is as night and day, and it illustrates perhaps more than anything else the difference in what level of ambition went into these works, as well as further showcasing the talents of studio ufotable.

The music by Yuki Kajiura is every bit as amazing as it gets. The “FSN” anime already had a soundtrack made by the great Kenji Kawai, and although it too was really good, Yuki Kajuira makes it pale in comparison, which is pretty impressive to say the least.

It doesn’t stop there though. The real difference is in the story itself. The character development is a good example. “Fate/Zero” isn’t told through any single character’s perspective. It has the narrative of a third person omniscient’s point of view. The focus shifts from character to character at the story’s own convenience which gives it a good way of establishing the characters of the story without necessarily having them interact with the protagonist or any of the other rival characters. Thus, the characters themselves are not just treated as hurdles for the protagonist to pass, but are treated instead as actual people, representing their own sets of thoughts and ideals. These ideals mainly manifest themselves in answering questions revolving around one of the two central themes of the story. The first question being “what makes a king?”, and the second being “what makes a hero?” They all have different answers to provide, but none of the answers are treated as the correct one. Even Saber’s ideals, although they seem like they are the noblest ones, become subjects of mockery for Kiritsugu and Rider respectively, and yet both of these characters are treated overall as sympathetic. Even Archer whom originally comes across as a typical villain, gradually manages to build an air of dignity around himself. The show itself is different from “Fate/Stay-Night” in that it is the characters that drive the plot forward, and not the other way around.

Though as interesting as the characters are on their own, where “Fate/Zero” really starts to shine is once the characters do interact with each other. Not only does each character have a “master/servant” relationship with at least one other character, they also find dynamic relationships with other characters that are constantly changing as the story progresses. Some characters become enemies, some become allies. Some enemies become friends, and some allies become foes. Pretty much all possible forms of interactions are explored at one point or another. The only character that is seemingly left out would be assassin, which is only fitting because assassins shouldn’t be interacting with anyone in the first place.

The smart thing about the character dynamics is that because there are so many of them, if it is your first time watching (or reading), it becomes pretty hard to predict where each one will lead because a lot of times they conflict with each other. The use of red herrings is all over the place. One example is the setting up of Waver Velvet’s character as someone seeking a way to prove his worth against those who doubted him. You would think that he was being set up to go against Kayneth El-Melloi at some point and yet the only time they interact, Waver is too scared to even move. Kayneth is instead set up against Kiritsugu, as well as to some degree Sola-Ui. Eventually, Waver grows out of his previous mindset completely and recognizes that he is powerless. Something you would probably never see if this had been any other conventional story. A similar example can be seen with the character Tohsaka Tokiomi. One of the most interesting aspects of “Fate/Zero” is to just look at where each character starts out, and compare it to where they eventually end up. There are many surprises throughout.

Now the content of the story is as you would expect from Urobuchi’s reputation, very dark. It doesn’t have the typical crapsack setting that you’d usually see in dark stories, but it is dark in other ways. There is a point where a man almost strangles the love of his life to death because she doesn’t understand that he is killing himself, trying to save her daughter. The darkness of it has a sort of poetry to it that makes it emotionally provocative. At another point, a man and his wife are shot to death in cold blood, even after giving up their only chance at winning the war, believing in the deceptive promise that they would keep their lives for doing so. Much of the story contains moments like these, which provide a taste of cynicism and irony.

There is also an interesting “outside the box” sort of thinking when it comes to some of the ideas used that I want to bring attention too. First off, just the idea of having a main character that uses modern guns when everyone else is using magic, and swords, and whatnot is pretty brilliant. I remember having conversations with a friend when we talked about how easy it would be to kill Voldemort if only you just shot him. Just because magic exists, it may not be the optimal way to go. Then there is the moment when Berserker uses his power to take control of any object and use it as his weapon, which he uses to take hold of a jet, and then its machine guns. You shouldn’t bring a knife to a gun fight, but there is no reason to not bring a gun to a magic fight. Speaking of fighting, if you are only looking to see some great battle animation then you would definitely enjoy the show even for that alone. The Berserker vs Archer fight especially is a sight to behold.

Now of course, one can’t really talk about “Fate/Zero” without drawing comparisons to “Fate/Stay-Night”. The writer of the original visual novel Nasu Kinoko, has a passion for writing exposition and lore. One of the reasons that the setting of the story is as rich as it is can be credited solely on his vivid and detailed explanations that go as far as to tell us for example of the difference between a mage and a sorcerer, what kind of authority a command spell has, what attributes a servant gets from being of a certain class, etc. All of this has created an impressive platform for the story, and it is something you can see consistently throughout his work.

With that said though, Nasu Kinoko is not the best storyteller, and it becomes very apparent when compared to Urobuchi’s writing in “Zero”. The character aspects mentioned above is one example. Another example is the structure. For some reason, “FSN” chooses to tell its story in a day by day fashion. This quickly becomes formulaic and in many ways makes the story illogical; because it gives the story a strict pattern to follow that becomes predictable. The mornings are always spent at goofing off, the middle of the day is spent at doing all the serious talking, and the night is when they head out to fight a single specific enemy. Then they return back to their homes and repeat the same thing the next day. Compare this to “Zero’s” more versatile storytelling, in which the characters are constantly on the move, hardly ever staying at the same place all the time, with some battles taking place immediately after one another, and with varying amounts of participants each time. Any time could be a time to rest as well as a time to be alert, because you never know when the enemy will strike, just like how it would probably play out if this was in real life. Not only does “Zero” contain no filler, but it would be impossible to have filler because there would be nowhere to put it. The story simply doesn’t pause. If one character is taking a break then someone else is up to something in the meanwhile. That is quite the difference from having the luxury of being stuck in a magical battle royale and yet finding the time to casually go to high school like a regular student.

Thematically, “Fate/Zero” is most reminiscent of the “Unlimited Blade Works” route of the “FSN” visual novel. It deconstructs the notions of heroism and challenges the concept of a noble warrior. As the story goes on, the morality of the characters become cloudier, and the focus of their battles shift. For the characters, it becomes not so much a fight against others as much as it becomes a fight against oneself.

“Fate/Zero” is pretty much what you get when you take a concept that exists, figure out how to elevate it to its highest form, and then pour as much ambition and effort as you could possibly muster into it to make it all come to life. Studio ufotable has done a remarkable job, and the end result is something completely out of the ordinary.

This a review of only the first half of Fate/Zero

Fate/Zero is the prequel to the VN Fate/Stay Night. Set during the 4th Holy Grail War, Fate/Zero lived up to what i expected but more. I had watched part of studio Deen's adaptation of Fate/Stay Night and ufotable's Fate/Stay night Unlimited blade works and thought i should give Fate/Zero a try.

Story:

Fate/Zero take place during the 4th Holy Grail War, 10 years before the events of Fate/Stay Night. The grail selects 7 master to take part in the war by assigning each master a servant. The story take itself very seriously and very well written The ... servants all are based on past heroic spirits. The main plot of the story is simple with each master and servant having their own desire for the grail. But the depth of the characters is what really stands out. The story starts out with battle between servants, but slows down toward the end of the first half explaining the motives a bit more.
Characters:

Fate/Zero focuses heavily on the depth of the characters. From learning about the past of the heroic spirits or the desire and planning the Master provides. Fate/Zero does a good job not letting any of the characters feel like they are a side character and make the holy grail war feel more like a free for all. The way the character are described make you feel there is not really a main villain except maybe for caster and his master but I wont go into that much else

Art and Sound:

The style is great for Fate/Zero and very well done. The battle that happen are very intense and the emotion in the characters really show it in the art. It is up to standard of what a 2011 and maybe even better. The sound effects are very realistic and soothing. The OP and ED are great too.

Fate/Zero is a great anime that is not to be taken lightly. The feel of this anime very different from Fate/Stay night (from what I've watched) The show makes sure that the characters stay relevant and that none of them are left out like a support character. The show i feel gets dull during a part where the motives are being explained but there is little to no action. Its a series to watch if you want a strong character development and awesome battles. Ufotable did a great job at this adaptation and can not say much more about that.

After rewatched this anime about 3 times i believe that now i am in a position of writing a proper review about it without any mistakes about my judgement. Fate/Zero is a prequel to the popular anime Fate/Stay Night(Main route) and Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works(Another route). I would like to mention here that if you havent watched any of the Fate/Stay Night then just go to Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works because compared to the other one, this one is just a masterpiece.

Story - 10
Just like the other Fate series the plot is about the same. The fourth Holy Grail War is about ... to begin in which seven masters must spawn seven servants and fight each other to the death until one of them remains and claim the Holy Grail which will grand him one wish. The story at the begining looks pretty simple but thats just wrong. There are a deeper meaning to everything thats happening and if you are distracted while you are watching then you should just stop watching because you are not going to understand anything at the end. The story is really well writen with intense moments and strong dialogues that are part of the most popular Anime Amv in Youtube.

Art - 10
What can i say.. Just outstanding. Ufotable became my favourite after this anime. The movement of the characters are smooth and amazing. There are beautiful colours and effects during the battles and there were moments that i just paused the episode just to admire how perfect were the graphic details and how well designed were everything even the most unimportant stuff. Just amazing.

Sound - 10
I dont know who made the soundtracks of Fate/Zero but he deserves an Oscar or something like that. They are just perfect for the core of this anime. As i said before there were a lot of intense moments, battles and dialogues but what made those scenes trully epic to the point of giving me chills every time i watched them were the soundtracks. They are among my favourites that for sure.

character - 10
That is the most dificult part to judge of this anime because compared to others there is a uniqueness to this sector. First of all every character has a different and unique personality and thats just amazing and finally an anime where the main characters are not children. What i found unique in this anime is the fact that the most of the characters introduced to me as main characters. And that was truly epic. There is not the classic stuff of the good guy and the bad ones but every one of them has his own unique reasons of fighting and you have to dicide which one of them is your main or just worship all of them. I dont know about you but this is the first anime that i could actually had this choise and i enjoyed it a lot.

Enjoyment - 10
I dont believe that there were even a single scene in Fate/Zero that i didnt enjoy. Humor, battles, mind games, dialogues, emotions. There are scenes with all that kind of stuff and i enjoyed every one of them and how i couldnt when everything you see and hear is part of an one of a kind anime? . I dont believe that there could be more.

Overall - 10
Difinetely a must watch anime. Recomended to anyone. A masterpiece.

"Glory lies beyond the horizon. Challenge it because it is unreachable. Speak of conquest and demonstrate it"

Rider (Fate/Zero)

And thus, I shall try conquering the hearts of my readers, as every soul deserves to see the jewel of an anime that is Fate/Zero.

*This review accounts for both season 1 and season 2 of Fate/Zero.

Fate/Zero, prequel to the widely known series Fate/stay night, details the events of the 4th Holy Grail War; 10 years prior to the events as seen in Fate/stay night, which covers the 5th Holy Grail War. The setting is not any different:
- 7 Masters, which are usually magicians, all with the ... goal of obtaining the Holy Grail
- 7 Servants, summoned by these magicians, to fight for them in their quest to obtain this Grail
- 1 Holy Grail, a relic which has the power to grant any wish.

Just like in Fate/stay night, this all takes place in Fuyuki City, in Japan: it is here where you will see some incredibly epic fights between the 7 so called "Masters" and their "Servants”. Now what makes this setting any different from your generic action anime?



Story: 10/10
Yes, from the plot synopsis, the story might seem like your generic action anime: a Battle Royale setting, where several chosen ones fight to their deaths, all for one goal. What makes Fate/Zero different (and also different from its sequel) is the great execution of this story, the perfect pacing that it provides and the amazing atmosphere that you find yourself in. Fate/Zero doesn’t fool around - it is a story with a very serious atmosphere. You will find hardly any comedy or romance, but In this case it did not bother me at all. In fact, I’m glad that Fate/Zero went with a “no bullshit” policy, because it keeps you focused throughout the whole series. Fate/Zero has quite the complex storyline, which might leave you to think it over at times. But it is this complexity in which Fate/Zero excels: they managed to create a perfect plot, in which every event that you see has its own purpose and consequences. Because there is no clear protagonist in Fate/Zero, you will find yourself wondering what’s going to happen next the whole time, which makes this anime a thrilling experience by itself. Moreover, because you get a good view into each and every Master’s personality traits, background, and desires, you are able to develop some kind of feelings for every single one of them. You will most likely find yourself having a clear favourite in this war, and you will most likely detest some of the others. There are no plot holes, and the ending is so well thought through, that it leaves the viewer astonished.


Art: 10/10
Stunning. Fate/Zero features the best animation I have seen in an anime so far. They managed to create an atmosphere that perfectly resembles the story. The character design is amazing as well.


Sound: 9/10
The sound is the only field on which Fate/Zero did not manage to score a 10 for me – but that does not make it any worse. The voice acting (I watched in sub) is nothing to complain about – in fact, I enjoyed listening to every character as they all have great voice acting. The openings are great (I particularly like the first opening), and the BGM is very good, and fitting to the story as well. It is just (barely) not exceptional enough for a perfect score.


Character: 10/10
The characters are another field in which Fate/Zero truly excels. I personally have yet to see any characterization which can compete to the brilliance that is provided in Fate/Zero. Not only every master, but every servant as well, plays a key role to the plot – and every character is complex. Every character is written so well, that you are bound to have some form of feelings for each and every one of them. The easily loved servant Rider, one of the most charismatic characters in existence, Archer, a villain with an unmatchable pride, and of course, Saber, one of the greatest female protagonists, are all written in such a way that you might even have trouble picking your favourite. And these are only 3 characters out of an never-ending list of complex characters. I feel like I could not describe every single character well enough, or at least not well enough to give it the credit it deserves. Fate/Zero just did an amazing job with the characters. Period.


Enjoyment: 10/10
This one is easy; absolutely a 10. There’s not even a handful of anime which I have enjoyed as much as Fate/Zero. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole series, and left me with a feeling of darkness. It is this feeling that made me feel obliged to write this review, as I cannot let other anime fans miss out on the sheer amount of brilliance that Fate/Zero provides.
If you are seeking a thrilling experience, a story which leaves you questioning, a plot without holes, and amazing characterization, then do not hesitate to watch Fate/Zero, for it is certain that you will enjoy this anime.

The first half of Fate/Zero is a tour de force of character building, technicality and the portrayal of ideologies and conflict, while also serving as a strong foundation for Ufotable’s ever expanding Type-Moon animated universe. In spite of occasionally awkward structure, unclear character motivations and questionable directorial decisions, Fate/Zero succeeds on so many levels that these flaws may almost be forgiven.

The story of Fate/Zero begins with the introduction of the seven masters, who have been selected to fight in the Holy Grail war, and their respective servants. During this time, the focus is given to their motives, beliefs and nature, allowing the characters to (with ... some exceptions) be established firmly. The first few episodes, mainly spent following the scheming and strategizing masters, are relatively slow paced, though there are few redundant or unnecessary scenes. Once the fighting does begin, however, great satisfaction is granted to the viewer as they watch familiar characters, each with their own unique set of skills, battle each other with all their might, wit and passion. However, in the first half of Fate/Zero these fights rarely reach a meaningful resolution, though they do effectively foreshadow more important future conflicts and provide a much-needed break between dense exposition and horrific imagery. As the first half continues, the battles become larger, more threatening and more frequent, as each master gradually learns more about the others. However, though the individual conflicts are engaging and memorable, how and why certain characters are in certain places at specific times doesn’t always make sense. Additionally, though the first two episodes give all the masters abundant screen time, some characters have their time cut down for the sake of others. However, neither of these flaws are too detrimental to the story, as even if the pacing and character focus is uneven, the story always knows who to follow and where to go, even if it isn’t always sure of how to get there. The first half of Zero, consisting heavily of build-up, does not provide much in the way of resolutions, but the intriguing philosophical and psychological themes and consistent, brooding tone allows this weaker half to still feel like a strong series.

The characters of Fate/Zero are perhaps its most outstanding component, with the relationships between the individually interesting masters and servants making for some truly memorable dialogue and action sequences. The masters all have strong desires for the Grail, with their motives varying from the desire to protect family, the attain glory or something even more ambitious. This serves as a brilliant method through which characterisation can be delivered, with subtle details about the masters’ mysterious pasts or hidden agendas being presented through their wishes. The masters contrast and parallel each other in a way that allows them to complement each other, rather than cause the narrative to feel bloated under too many philosophies. This is partially what makes the beginning episodes feel so meaningful and powerful, bubbling with the anticipation of eventually pitting these powerful, resolute personalities against each other. However, though the masters themselves are all unique and complex, the heroic spirits are what really solidify Fate/Zero’s character cast as one of the strongest in recent years.


Many of them are from completely different time periods and places in the world, and each of them have strong beliefs and morals that not only allows them to play off their masters, but the other servants even more so. Towards the end of the first season, a conversation between two of the most relevant servants doesn’t only serve as strong characterisation for both of them, and not only does it contrast two conflicting philosophies in a convincing and believable way, but it also serves as a highly thought provoking discussion that will likely leave many viewers questioning their views about the world and themselves. The conflict between servants, and their respective masters, drives both the story and themes of Fate/Zero forward. From themes like utilitarianism, what defines a true hero and what an individual’s purpose in life is, this anime is rich in compelling and intricate themes which it delivers in a way that feels like human conflict, in spite of the fantastical nature of the setting and characters.

In terms of visual presentation, Fate/Zero shows exactly what Ufotable are capable of, delivering a series with a variety of detailed and tonally appropriate colour choices and shading. Takeuchi Takashi’s character designs fit the story of Fate/Zero brilliantly, with each character reflecting their cultural identity and heroic status without feeling too alien or unfamiliar. Each individual character design manages to stand out, leaving an impression on the audiences so that, even if they disappear for a while, they are may be easily recalled when they return. The backgrounds are also very detailed and fitting to the story, with an abundance of lavishly coloured and designed set pieces giving the viewer and sense of scale and position. The action sequences are quite spectacular, making use the aforementioned strong character designs with effective cinematography, fluid animation and some well-written battle strategies. The weakest point of the series, visually, would have to be Ei Aoki’s occasionally stiff and lifeless style of directing. When characters are not fighting, they are often reduced to talking heads with negligible expression or attitude, which is very problematic, given the dialogue-driven nature of the series. On top of that, there are several still shots that go on for a little too long at the beginning of the series, with the slow editing adding to the slow story pacing to leave the characters to stand completely on their own. On top of that, even though the backgrounds are stunningly and appropriately coloured, they sometimes feel very monochromatic and lacking in character. These problems do lessen as the series progresses, though in the hands of a more experienced director, the artistic potential of this series would possibly have been reached (ironically, each of the aforementioned flaws have been rectified in the sequel, Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works). In spite of Aoki’s weak directing, Zero is still a visually splendid and well-designed series that stands among the best of its respective year.

In the category of sound, LiSa’s opening song, “Oath Sign”, is a fast and energising listen which, combined with the stellar production values, makes for a good opening, though tonally the song and its lyrics don’t quite match Zero’s bleak nature. Eir Aoi’s ending fares slightly better, though contains what some may consider a spoiler, and also feels like it may be more at home in a less grim series. Yuki Kajiura’s OST is a fitting and suitably epic soundtrack that further invigorates the action to make it stand out even more. Even more impressive, however, is how the elegant violins seep into meaningful interactions between characters, giving them a sense of weight in terms of both emotion and plot significance. Though most of the more impressive tracks do not play until the second half of Fate/Zero, the first half is still a strong series in terms of music. Whether you choose to view this series in sub or dub, the acting is strong and the little meaning is lost. Both the original Japanese voice actors and the English dub providers do have some flaws, though in both cases they are few. Jouji Nakata’s performance as Kirei Kotomine doesn’t quite feel natural, contrasting Kirei’s youthful exterior and feeling oddly unusual, in contrast to Crispin Freeman’s much more natural and fitting vocals. Bridget Hoffman does take a little while to get into her character, though by the mid-point is able to deliver lines on par with her Japanese counter-part, which sadly cannot be said for David Vincent, who never quite manages to capture the cocky arrogance tempered with wisdom and experience that Gilgamesh is known for. For both casts, Saber, Kariya and Kiritsugu all manage to stand out, which may be due to their characters having more emotional scenes that most of the others. On the whole, Fate/Zero is a very high quality, though not flawless, production.

Fate/Zero is a powerful and evoking series that has earned its status as being one of the best anime of the decade thus far, presenting many ideas and philosophies, meaningful conflicts and questions, that many lesser series would collapse under the weight of even a fraction of this content. However, it holds together, and this first half presents enough foreshadowing that it is unbelievable that anyone who can make it to the mid-point would desire not to continue.