Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note

Reviewer's note: This is my 20th entry into the Fate franchise.


✪ Genre: drama, contemporary fantasy, detective, magic (magic school, spellcasting), seinen, superpower, with elements of comedy and action (swordplay, gunfights)


✔Positive Aspects✔

◧ Animation: the series roughly follows the character design standards set by the previous studios, a combination of colors of moderate to low saturation/moderate illumination with the internal and external environments being more muted comparison. Even though the characters seem distinct enough, the series' entire 'atmosphere' feels a little more muted than usual.

◧ Soundtrack: seems to be, mostly, comprised of orchestral music (violins, violas, percussion, flute, piano, etc.) with some of it being lower in ... tempo, while other pieces are more upbeat. Also, I've noticed a track or two having Middle Eastern
influences.

◧ Concept: this may have been the first spin-off work that overtly displaces the Fate franchise's general premise, that magicians are searching for the omnipotent magical artifact called "Holy Grail" by summoning Heroic Spirits and fighting it out, in favor of a detective story in the Holmesian tradition early on, and in the Poirotian tradition later on.


✘Negative Aspects✘

◧ Plot: there's not much to speak off. The first 6 episodes are stand-alone, clearly meant to introduce as to the way the protagonistic duo go about their way, while the next 6 episode constitutes a narrative, sort of. Even though I am fairly acquainted with the franchise, this spin-off introduced so many new elements that I did not manage to grasp them all in their entirety, since I've finished the series with quite a few questions.

◧ Character development: once again, there's not much to speak of. Even though the series uses the first 6 episodes to introduce as to the protagonists and deuteragonists, and their way of living, there's only a depiction of their character traits and temperament without anything substantial. Further into the series, there is some biographical information given but it is quite limited and somewhat perplexing.

◧ Action sequences: since the importance of fighting is downgraded and is substituted by Holmesian detective work, it's no surprise that the action scenes are generic, mostly based on a third-person camera perspective. There are few quick zoom-ins/outs, no alternating between different camera 'heights' during battle, and certainly no Michael Bay-influenced, heavily distorted & slowed down sound effects at the beginning of and moments before the impact of high-energy attacks (which are no more than a handful).


Overall: A combination of multiple deuteragonists with both heroic and villainous qualities, along with countless, new story elements and a significant reduction of action scenes in favor of the detectivization of the story, makes for a very substandard end-result.


P.S. For further reviews of the Fate franchise, please take a look at my profile.

The thing I loved most about this anime is the art: the rich colors, the deep detail, the hyper-realism sometimes. It is set in present day, yet the visuals & attire feel Victorian - suitable to a Sherlock Holmes feel.

I was also captured by the idea of Sherlock Holmes operating in the world of magic. I am a big Holmes fan. And the adult Waver character captured many Holmes-isms (tall, dark, slender, brooding but given to sudden intense outbursts, a lot going on under the surface, more concerned about the case than his personal safety), but was still obviously its own character, not a mere ... copy.

I felt the plot was interesting enough. I was distracted enough learning about the magical world to not notice/care about any leaps or weaknesses.

The second thing I most loved was the character, Gray. She embodies such extremes that it’s fascinating seeing how she holds together.

Here’s hoping for more seasons!

This story, follows Waver Velvet, and his assistant Gray, as they engage in solving mysteries, the main one being Rail Zeppelin Grace Note. I was super excited for this anime after watching Fate/Zero, because Waver and Iskandar were my favorite duo in that- so, a story revolving around Waver was a pleasing sight.

Story: The story felt a little spontaneous to start, they kinda attempted to warm you up to the cast and paint an initial picture with some less relevant cases to start, and eventually it transitions into the main case, Rail Zeppelin Grace Note. It does a relatively good job of keeping things interesting ... with a minor plot twist here and there, but nothing too crazy.

Art: The art gets the job done. For a story from the Fate universe, there isn't a ton of combat, so in that regard, the art and animation is a bit tame. It does have its flashy moments where the artistic talents are shown off a bit more indepth, but outside of that, the character art and animation was solid all the way around.

Sound: This was okay as well, nothing too crazy, the OP was catchy in its own right, even though, it's not what I think of, when I think about anime openings. They used their soundtrack effectively to portray the feeling of mystery, or danger, when it was prevalent. The voice acting was good as well, but nothing too insane.

Characters: I loved the character work here, and, I hope to see Waver and Gray again in some other rendition of the Fate series. I loved the cameos of characters from all the branches of Fate, you had characters from Apocrypha show, some from Grand Order, and of course, the main character being from Fate Zero. It was a joy to see characters show up, and tie into this side branch.

Enjoyment:I really enjoyed this anime, I think it got a tough bill of goods, considering, it was always watched right after Kimetsu no Yaiba on Saturdays, but, in it's own right, it was solid. Like I said, the story follows some of my favorite characters in the entire Fate universe, so, i might be slightly biased based on that.

Overall: It gets a 7/10. I think, the score is just a bit lower, because everything was a bit tame for the Fate universe, you had tie ins, and explanations of things that happened in that world, but, there wasn't a ton of action revolving around that. I'm hopeful that we'll get to see some of these characters again, when Fate Grand Order kicks off in the fall season.

My english skill is very bad if you want to keep reading go ahead

I think this anime, this storyline is the best fanservice for fate fans, nasuverse fans so far
Normally fate franchise only focus on one thing that is battle royale fight and relationship between normal people (master) and heroes (servants)
at first i'm really interested fate because how cool servants are but i found out the universe of it the fiction character like Masters are interesting too
but they're never dig those character more but always moved on and created new title for their new servants, new battle royale
This anime is what am looking ... for first time they're digging in master universe, mage universe and It's work for me It's pretty interesting even they're still want to keep fate scent so hard the story somehow still go around holy grail, servants im kinda sick of it sometimes
I think this show will better if they're focusing on newb mage just like in harrypotter starting introduce magic of nasuverse little by little but i understand that they want to somehow connect to fate for more attention
but for first time that they're trying something new It's not bad the all of sub character are so interesting I like how they're create character in nasuverse I can tell It's really difference with generic character

as a detective anime and non-nasuverse fans or very new FGO fans not show may not for you

i forgot to mentioned that other show that like this show that is not about servant and holy grail is Garden of Avalon but It's not actually show It's a Drama CD but It's too skippy they're not put effort on that enough to make this one shine too shame

[SPOILERS]

Lord El Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin is a 7/10 in my book which is ok
PROS
Lots of good references to the Type-moon series (Olga Marie, Mystic eyes of death perception, Caules, Kairi, etc)
I like the OST and especially Waver's theme, The op too was stuck in my head for some reason too.
Other than the final battle the fight in episode 1 was cool
I like Karabo he seems like a nice guy
The art is pretty and reminds me of violet evergarden
Waver's character arc was good
... Also, the same studio that did beautiful bones Sakurako's investigation

CONS
After the entire series, we still don't know a lot about Gray
They don't take enough time to develop the cast so they're all really forgettable. Outside characters from other series and FGO I don't know them at all. Like Svin and The other guy, I can barely remember. Also the pink girl.
The final battle is super dull and doesn't feel like a fate fight with a lot of action and a bunch of fancy camera work. Not that it's totally bad but I thought it could be better.
A lot of BS pulled out of nowhere like the train having a giant laser powered by eyes
You cant actually solve the mystery yourself because the show doesn't give you proper evidence to solve the mystery and pulls crap out of nowhere.

Let's make one very important thing clear right away: this anime is tailored to the most seasoned fans of the Fate franchise and in general of the Nasuverse and not for those who have only seen the animated routes of Fate/Stay Night and Zero due to the presence of characters and references from various spin-offs of the series. Furthermore, we must not be misled by the name "Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files" and expect an investigative anime that involves the viewer in the search for the culprit while formulating hypotheses as to how the crime took place. The central theme of the anime is Waver ... Velvet's maturation after the events of the 4th Grail War shown in Fate/Zero.

FROM NOW ON THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

The anime is divided into two parts: the first which, in small stand-alone investigative cases, acts as a worldbuilding and presentation of some characters, and the second in which the main events of the anime transpire.

Earlier I wrote that you shouldn't approach this anime with the desire to see cases like those of Sherlock Holmes because the main issue is that Lord El-Melloi II is set in a world of mages. The magic in the Nasuverse, as far as I know, has never been precisely framed with a list of specific spells, rules or limits and therefore turns out to be beyond its users. As a result, the cases presented in this anime become impossible for the viewer to solve. On the contrary, if you look at the anime because you are fascinated by the Nasuverse and its magical system, the cases and the plot can be pleasant and interesting, in particular Rail Zeppelin's arc which explores aspects related to mystical eyes.
A flaw of this arc is certainly the main villain, Dr. Heartless, of which the viewer is almost totally unaware of until his appearance in episode 12 and, until the end, very little is known about him. I hope for a second season that better characterizes this individual since in the finale he and Faker manage to escape and it is said that Heartless and Lord El-Melloi II will be destined to fight again.

As already mentioned before, the central theme of the work is Waver's personal growth after the farewell with his Servant, Iskandar. The protagonist, despite having now become an adult, remains trapped in the past and suffers from this due to the frustration of not having fought in the Holy Grail War but of having remained a spectator. He feels that he is missing something to be worthy of being by Iskandar's side. Although he knows of the enormous danger, he is willing to assert himself by fighting another war, but above all to see his old friend again. During the anime Waver matures and understands that his place is not on the battlefield, but behind the desk: his path is the teaching and education of young people. He manages, in this way, to untie himself from the past and to move forward and feel worthy of being a companion of Iskandar. And this is precisely the teaching that this anime wants to transmit: we must find the strength to get up and always go forward, chasing our dreams.

Speaking of the rest of the cast, the secondary characters do not have a deep characterization like that of Waver and turn out to be very forgettable, except for some characters who, like the protagonist and thanks to the teachings of Waver, manage to mature too. In particular, during the course of the episodes, Gray's maturation path is interesting, leading her to understand herself and her desire to assist Waver.

As for the artistic side, drawings and animations are discreet but nothing exceptional. I found the opening titles (ep 1) that flow during the battle between Iskandar and Gilgamesh fantastic. A note of credit goes to the settings, the backgrounds were well made and very pleasant, in particular those of the train.
The opening has no vocals but this does not mean that it has less value than the "classic opening", indeed, as a lover of OSTs, I love this opening so much that I have never skipped it. In general the OSTs accompany the scenes quite well and there are some that stand out among the others and that I would gladly hear as "they are magicians" or "we call him heartless".
The voice actors all did a good job, in particular Ueda Reina who was able to perfectly interpret the character of Gray and giving to "Rhongomyniad!" the same vibes as "Excalibur!" of the original Saber.

In conclusion Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files is aimed at a small target of people because to enjoy it at its best you need a fairly broad knowledge of the Nasuverse and it turns out to be a good anime if you look at it for the maturation path of the characters but an anime not successful if you look at it for the cases themselves.

STORY: 7
ART: 7
SOUND: 8
CHARACTER: 7
ENJOYMENT: 9
OVERALL: 8

Like a diamond with one, big, deep scratch going through the middle - 8/10.

In short:
What is this anime?
It's a show with a really weak, boring, flawed start, which later - after getting to the point, the titular Rail Zeppelin - evolves into something epic. The pleasure I got from the finale was just out of this world.
What this anime could've been?
A great series which would lock into your memory for months. A series which wouldn't require you to read lore explanations. A series that you just wouldn't want to drop at any point.

Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo: Rail ... Zeppelin Grace Note is a TV anime series produced by Troyca (IDOLiSH7) and directed by Makoto Katou (Re:Creators, Yagate Kimi ni Naru) based off a light novel "Lord El-Melloi II-sei no Jikenbo" written by Makoto Sanda. The series is a spin-off of Fate/Zero, which is a prequel to the most popular visual novel in Japan, "Fate/stay night".
The plot takes place somewhere between 2001 and 2004. The main character, Waver Velvet, AKA Lord El-Melloi II, is a lecturer in the Magus Association headquarters, the Clock Tower. Because of his debts he, together with a girl named Gray which is his assistant of sorts, has to help in many different crime investigations.

I'm gonna start with flaws, because most of them are located before the Rail Zeppelin part (I'm going to call this part "the introduction") started.
To begin with, Gray. Gray is the biggest plus and minus at the same time.
Her voice actor did an excellent job. It's so thrilling to hear her fluently switch between high-note screams full of despise and whispering the level unlock chant. That alone got me madly hyped during the final fight. On the bonus note, she sometimes sounds like my favorite female VA ever, so that's even better. However, while we are at it, I have to mention this: Engrish. I know how R and L work in Japanese so I can let sketchy R pronunciation pass, but "kuleiv" (crave) killed me.

Gray's personality (or rather its remnants that we got to see) is also a big advantage of her character, if not the whole series. She is quite a bit toned down when Waver is around, but when he isn't she gets really interesting. Her personality isn't easily explainable, I can't even assign any character archetype to her. I'm just gonna say she is charming, but not stupid, as the most of alike her are. One example of that which comes to my head is that she once bought a gift for Waver, but was too anxious to give it to him. She tried, but time and time again she would back out a second before making the move. She finally managed to give it in the last episode, and the wait was rewarded with a really happy scene between the two.
Additionally, Add (10/10 pun, ik). This happy little cube (or a scythe. Or a shield. Or a giant King Arthur's lance) and its interactions with Gray aren't the most common thing, sadly, but my god are they funny. I sure got a good laugh at least twice, especially in the last episode. Its irony and friendly taunts are just on point.

Wasn't I supposed to be complaining? Right.
First fatal mistake of the series (funny, like, isn't something fatal supposed to be singular?): Gray's backstory - or rather the not-so-total lack of it.
When it comes to backstories there are two options: give the viewer at least the amount of a character's history that you need to and then use it to thicken the plot, or don't give the backstory at all and don't use it as a story expander. Can you guess which one Troyca chose to go with? Anyway, you are wrong - they chose neither of those.
I know this series is based on 10 long novels and they just couldn't possibly have fit her story in full, but I just don't understand their move here. Why would you unveil just a little of mystery (that Gray was rescued by Waver from some village - like I myself couldn't deduct that he saved her from how loyal and attached to him she is), but then full-fledged use it in the darn climax of the series? I just have too little information to understand what the priest said to her just before he died - I only understand that it was important. Oh well, at least it was short enough to get me just a little mad.
Another got-me-irritated thing: everybody is speaking Japanese, for no apparent reason. The action takes place in Great Britain (and Iraq), why wouldn't they be speaking in English? I've seen only two series with the action going on outside of Japan, the other one being Great Pretender. In the latter authors were able to justify making everyone speak Japanese, why couldn't they do something about it here? It's such a tiny detail, but it breaks the immersion a bit.

Let's get away from the characters for a bit and talk 'bout art style (and the technical execution overall).
I like it. Characters are a tiny bit plain; I'd like for, for example, Waver's coat to be a little bit more detailed, but on the other hand, Gray's outfit is quite pretty - although until like the 11th episode I haven't noticed that it was a dress.
Next up - animations, camera movement, CGI, color palette, shadowing. These are all really nice. Not amazing, no, but for a low-budget adaptation to a spinoff of a prequel, they're great. Colors are nice and more on the colder side, which fits the mood well. Oh, and I'm impressed with how well did they manage to animate magic. Normally it's nothing hard, but when you are restrained by the way it works (eyes glow = on, eyes not glow = off), animating it so captivatingly is surely hard. Also, god damn was the final fight beautiful, no other words to describe it. Lastly, the soundtrack. It's no Monogatari Series, but it's great nevertheless. Only the opening disappoints.

But I said this anime is flawed, didn't I? As for now, I brushed off every flaw I pulled out, right? It ends here.
The second fatal mistake. The one which actually influences on the score I'm going to give, the one which made the introduction such a hassle. Lore explanations.
Sounds stupid. Everyone loves to experience some juicy lore. I also do. Some context: I am a Nasuverse (is El-Melloi even a part of Type-Moon? I don't know anymore) fan; I watched Fate/Zero; I saw Fate/stay night both in the original and adapted form; I watched Kara no Kyoukai. In short, I have a bigger than average knowledge on how does magic in Nasuverse works... and I heavily struggled to understand Waver's explanations of not only the lore, but also on what just happened and why it happened (heh, whydunit). Thus, each and every episode of the introduction is just a big question mark to me. Things, however entertaining they wouldn't be, are happening pretty much randomly and Waver is pulling his brilliant answers out of thin air. Even my initial (after episode 0) impression was "I'm hooked, but I'm not really sure on what exactly...".
Of course, our heroes gettin' on the magic train didn't change anything in that regard, but the explanations then were easier and happened much less often. Wow, who could have guessed that not trying to pack 700 pages into 40 minutes of screen time would make everything clearer.
Ah, this really aggravated me. Listen, I've seen Danganronpa, I can sense when something from the source material is getting skipped. In Lord El-Melloi my plothole detector was ringing a lot more than it should. Example? I said this before - dying priest's words. They were darn important, but without context provided from omitted parts, they just made no sense.

Ok, I'm good now. Let's praise it some more.
Humor. It's great! You already know my opinion on Add, but it isn't the only comedic aspect of this anime. I swear, I have at least five saved screenshots of Yvette's dialogues and more or less the same goes for Reines (her jokes just couldn't age any better). A subtle reference to the F/sn ("King Arthur was a guy, right?") made my day once.

We are getting closer and closer to the meat of the matter, but just one thing before that: Waver. I didn't like him at first because he was kinda cold and seemed haughty, he also definitely ain't my favorite Fate/Zero character, but after we got to know him a bit more and learn of his depression after Iskandar's sacrifice, it's easy to start feeling sorry for him. He often spaces out during lectures or unintentionally lets his sorrow out, those moments were sad. On the other hand, his brain is just massive. Remember "Murder on the Orient Express"? He would've solved that case in a day.

Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself. The plot.
Or rather just the part that is understandable and not rushed (let's keep a conspiracy of silence over the rest, hm?). The titular "Rail Zeppelin". Incredibly captivating, making you think, inducing heart-throbs and thrills.
A quick summary: Iskandar's coat (very powerful and even more important magic artifact) gets stolen and the thief leaves Waver an invitation to the Rail Zeppelin, a mystic eyes train. Mystic eyes are like superpowers and on this train is the only place in the world where you can buy/sell them (yes, sell eyes. Your own, of course. This happened). Not so long after the train gets off, a murder happens, and the victim's head is nowhere to be found. While the mystery of the crime slowly unveils, the thief from before attacks Waver, seriously wounding him and knocking him unconscious for some time. While he is unavailable the train suddenly changes tracks and goes into a cursed forest. The rest is solving the mysterious murder and theft, which are strangely connected to each other.
It seems pretty basic. Like just another detective story. Let me assure you, it's not. The viewer is kept in suspense to the end (hell, even after it, the epilogue leaves just another cliffhanger!). Whydunit and whodunit are supposedly unveiled multiple times, but the real answer remains to be seen. It isn't, however, only a crime investigation. There is another plot thread - a direct attack from the thief. There are some fights (better or worse, depending on the story progress - at first they are kinda static, the characters would just grapple with their weapons and talking over it. They get more creative and nonlinear with time), and there is an absolutely epic final battle scene where Gray uses her full potential (I mentioned this moment like 7 times already, that's how good it is).
I liked a lot of little things about narrative. The narrator does not give us any more information than Gray knows (Gray, not Waver, because he knows everything), which does happen from time to time in other series and aggravates me heavily. When there are two plots threads happening at the same time the one we are following would constantly switch in a Hollywood-like way (the camera moves and the scene changes etc.). Flashbacks are greatly balanced, they are never annoyingly long. I could go on and on, but I don't want to spoil all the plot lol.



It's getting kinda long, isn't it? Let's get to the verdict.
8/10.
Why so high? Hm. You know, I tend to say that "a good series can be destroyed by a horrible ending and vice versa. In the end, the part you are going to remember the most vividly is going to be the climax". This is true here. Is this series a masterpiece? Nah. It's flawed, rushed and it just doesn't have this 'something'. The first half is mostly forgettable, because you can't remember something without understanding it. There is nothing really fresh or innovative here, everything I have seen before in one form or another. Before the Rail Zeppelin part started I thought of giving it a 5/10 at most. However, the ending - especially the climax - managed to change this series for better. Again, no masterpiece, but a great way to spend four hours. Must-watch for a Fate fan. Watch out for the cliffhanger - it's spicy.
I'm hooked. I would happily read the books... but they are getting translated at a speed of a monkey with a writing machine. I guess I'm better off learning Japanese on my own...

Gray... Rave... Crave... Deprave... Grave... me. Grave for you.

Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files emerges as a commendable show that successfully marries mystery and magic, drawing viewers into a captivating world of intrigue and supernatural enigmas. With its intriguing premise and the enigmatic protagonist, Lord El-Melloi II, the series entices audiences with a blend of intellectual deduction and fantastical elements.

The anime showcases a meticulous attention to world-building, delving deep into the complexities of magecraft and constructing a magical society that feels both authentic and immersive. This richly developed setting serves as a backdrop for the engaging cases that Lord El-Melloi II undertakes, adding depth and substance to the overall narrative.

Throughout the show, we encounter ... a diverse and intriguing cast of characters, each contributing their unique perspectives and motivations to the unfolding mysteries. Lord El-Melloi II's interactions with these individuals provide moments of humor, emotion, and intellectual challenge, forging an endearing connection with the viewers.

The animation and art style in Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files are generally of high quality, effectively capturing the wonder and spectacle of magical occurrences. The visuals heighten the allure of magecraft, adding visual flair to the various spellcasting and magical elements featured in the series.

However, it is essential to acknowledge the show's drawbacks, namely, some unnecessary episodes that could have been omitted without compromising the overall narrative. Additionally, the initial half of the series before the Rail Zeppelin arc might have felt slow-paced and less gripping compared to the latter half. Despite these shortcomings, Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files still manages to redeem itself through its intriguing mysteries and the charm of its central characters.

Ultimately, the anime deserves praise for its well-executed blend of mystery and fantasy, weaving together a compelling tapestry of magical investigations and intricate cases. Its strengths lie in the well-developed world, the engaging cast, and the intellectual stimulation provided by the mysteries tackled by Lord El-Melloi II. With its delightful mix of magic and detective work, Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files proves itself as an enjoyable and commendable show, earning a solid rating of 7 out of 10.


BEST EPISODE
The second to last episode of Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files stands as an absolute standout, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of viewers. It is an episode that masterfully culminates the series' buildup, delivering a breathtaking and emotionally charged experience.
In this pivotal installment, the narrative reaches a crescendo, as the threads of mystery and magic are intricately woven together, leading to a climax that leaves us on the edge of our seats. Lord El-Melloi II's intellect and determination shine brilliantly as he faces his most formidable challenge yet. The unraveling of the central mystery is nothing short of exhilarating, as we are treated to a cascade of revelations that shed light on the intricate web of secrets.
What sets this episode apart is its ability to strike a delicate balance between intellectual intrigue and heartfelt emotion. The intellectual stimulation of piecing together the puzzle is accompanied by a profound emotional impact as the characters confront their deepest fears, regrets, and vulnerabilities. The series has skillfully built up these characters throughout, making this emotional climax all the more impactful and resonant.
Furthermore, the animation and visuals in this episode are top-notch, bringing the magical battles and spellcasting to life with an impressive display of artistry. The action sequences are thrilling, and the spellbinding visuals enhance the sense of wonder and awe within the fantastical world of mages.
This episode's mastery lies in its ability to leave a lasting impression on viewers, evoking a myriad of emotions that linger long after the credits roll. It is a testament to the series' ability to deliver on both narrative and emotional fronts, creating a truly immersive and unforgettable experience.
In conclusion, the second to last episode of Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files is an absolute triumph, serving as a pinnacle of the series' storytelling and emotional resonance. With its masterful blend of mystery, magic, and heartfelt moments, this episode leaves us in awe of the artistry and depth of the anime. It solidifies its position as the best episode, leaving a lasting impression on viewers and serving as a testament to the brilliance of the series as a whole.

This is a really interesting spin off concept. As a fate fan, there a lot of hits and misses in this family series but I am actually looking forward to see how this one plays out.

You see a lot of conglomeration, especially of character uses in this, that are easy to miss if you are not paying attention. I just finished re-watching apocrypha so it was fresh on my mind when I saw some pop outs in the background.

It is a school type series but more in like a Harry Potter way than a typical school type anime. The art style is good ... and the writing is alright. The episode was long but kept me entertained throughout.

Story: 7/10
Characters: 8/10
Animation: 9/10
Music: 8/10
Enjoyment: 7/10
Overall: 8/10

In all honesty I love the fate franchise and just honestly happy we got more content from it. This anime was a unique take on the Fate series. From all the action based anime with a little drama we got a from the fate series, this was a mystery based drama with action sprinkled in there and I was here for it. One problem with the story was how confusing and hard it was to understand the mysteries in this anime. Trying to grasp the root of the mystery was really hard and I could only get about half ... of it when the case was solved. One thing I did love about the story was the world outside the fate stay night series. Information on Mage society and the infrastructure on how they live was intriguing. Character interactions was the highlight of this show. I love how people act with Waver. They sprinkled in a few funny moments that made me chuckle. One thing I love about this show was Waver maturity. He went form daddy step on me energy to Oh Oh Oh STEP ON ME DADDY and I fucking love it. Just seeing the inner chad in him just pop out was one of the greatest highlights of the fate franchise for me. Ost wasn't memorable for me but the OP just makes me want to bust. Animation was also very clean. For a studio that wasn't ufotable I am impressed. I really have to say I am grateful that this series was created.

An adaptation of Fate/Zero, this anime is highly enjoyable for those who enjoy the fate world. Instead of focusing on a glorious treasure, this anime focuses more on the life of Mages and the strife they go through. The anime goes through several murder mysteries that make you realize its not just enemies that have to fear mages; their friends and families are not as safe as they would prefer to be. Before beginning this anime, watchers should make sure they have a basic understanding of how the Fate world works as the anime takes you through one fantastical scenario after the next. Although the ... main character does explain his thought process in finding the culprit, similar to novels for Sherlocke Holmes (mc even says Elementary a few times lol), the magic and mysteries in the Fate world is quite advanced. I found this anime to be a lovely change of pace for the Fate World and am sure for people who like fantasy, mystery, and character development, you will enjoy it as well.

I was a bit unsure of whether I wanted to review this series, partially because I watched it spread out over a decent amount of time, and partially because I am not as well versed in Fate lore as I could be. I have not read the F/SN visual novel, and I have watched only two of the animated routes (UBW and HF), as well as F/Z. Still, I was familiar with Waver's story going in, and I thought that would be enough to understand this series. I was wrong.

Rail Zeppelin (I'm not typing out the whole title) is less the mystery series it claims ... to be and more of a 13 episode convoluted dump of Fate lore. Dozens of people, organizations, magic abilities, and artifacts are mentioned so rapidly I could hardly keep track of what was going on. The first half of the show consists of episodic mystery storylines which in theory would be easier to follow but in practice introduced too many moving plot elements. The second half, taking place on the Rail Zeppelin train, follows a single storyline, but the amount of different events going on at the same time was dizzying. It is not a mystery whose solution you can guess by paying attention to the show. Plot twists are introduced seemingly out of thin air at least three times an episode. This may not be an issue for some, and if you don't mind that, you are perfectly valid and may wish to check out this show if you're a Fate fan. However, while I personally am rather poor at guessing plot twists or solving mysteries ahead of time, during a good mystery series I can look back after a reveal and go "Oh! THAT'S what that was about!" With this show, it's nearly impossible. Not to mention the countless moments where characters are shown to have predicted many complex and improbable events in advance. Again, this is more of a personal pet peeve of mine. It's much more compelling when a character encounters a shocking roadblock and must adapt or risk a terrible failure. Plus, given how convoluted the events of this show becomes, it breaks my immersion when characters has a "just as I planned!" moment for something so unpredictable. Finally, while keeping this complaint as vague as possible to avoid spoilers, a series falls flat for me when the grand reveal of the entire series involves an entity which was completely unmentioned by the plot until the very end of the show. While this show sets up such a moment with heightened drama and tense music, I could not care less about the reveal since I had no investment in what was involved.

One more extremely nitpicky thing. The "WHYDUNIT" and "Grave... crave... deprave..." moments were so comically clunky that they killed any drama I might have felt during whatever scene was going on.

There were a few things I did enjoy about the show, however. Waver was one of my favorite characters in F/Z, and I loved seeing his journey continue here. Seeing how much of an impact Rider left on him was emotional and interesting to watch. Gray was also an interesting character, though I found her somewhat sadly underdeveloped. The art, animation, and music are gorgeous, and I really liked the opening and ending themes. I liked some of the side characters like Melvin and Caulas (though most of them just irritated me). Some of the humor fell flat, but there were some genuinely funny moments too.

Overall, if you are a Fate fan, this series might be worth checking out for the lore, character building, and beautiful production quality. However, don't expect too much of the story.

I like this anime for it's art. So...

1. Art.
These anime has very beautiful opening & ending. I can add a point for them.
Wonderful backgrounds. Many frames so beautiful that I want to take them for wallpapers.
The characters have nice designs. I understand that it was taken from the original source. But it was not screwed up. At times there are problems with the movements of the characters, it is not realistic. But it is a problem from the beginning of the anime. It does not apply to action scenes.

2. Story
You have to watch Fate/Zero to understand the anime.
The plot blends several ... detective stories that later become a whole history. The stories are spiced with anguish of the main characters. The anguish will be resolved by the end, but I cannot say so about the detective line. And you cannot guess who is the criminal, because you have not enough knowledge. This is why the detective-story is not very good. Overall, following the progress of the investigation is somewhat enjoyable -- if you ignore that almost all minor characters become detectives too... And other minor characters are strongmen. And there are strongmen-detectives. Sometimes I thought it was a parody of a detective story. Perhaps it was intended?

3. Characters
The main characters. Waver looks & acts like quite alive. Also he often crouched in fdeshbacks with story, that had long ten years ago. But he lives, changes, develops, and in general, he is a man of integrity.
Gray is a kawai girl with a powerful weapon. She is boring, melancholy, strongly devoted to the Lord. She could be ok, but according to the plot, she has a prototype — epic hero. And she is completely different in character from this hero. Also about appearance. There is a hint of an explanation as to why this could be. The anime includes a hint of an explanation as to why this could be. But only one hint.
Reines. I like her. She has her goals, preferences, friends, enemies. But she is not so originally.
As for the minor characters, I found a few interesting. At first it's Melvin. He is not often shown, but he has its own story and It looks like he has hidden character traits and motives.
Second. Karabo: he acts in an unusual way for a representative of the church. His actions are unpredictable to the end.
Flatt & Svin I found boring.

4. Music
The music in this anime is very beautiful.

5. Enjoyment
If you are interesting in Waver's fate, and if you would ignore periodic problems with drawing movement and the number of detective characters, you can get pleasure. Also, you shouldn't expect much from the end of the anime.