Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia - Initium Iter

This Special is mostly about the background story of Mash and Doctor Romani but also shows a few other different scenes in order to create hype about the upcoming season.

The animation is solid and it was really enjoyable to watch a younger Mash and younger Romani grow as characters.


Something short and sweet to watch. It gets a 7/10 from me.


MAL is requesting that I type a few more lines to this review in order for it to be approved but to be fair I don't feel like spoiling the Special so this here is just a random phrase that I had ... to type if I ever wanted this review to be posted.

I very much enjoyed this prequel more than I have anticipated!

However, viewers who are unfamiliar with Fate and even more so, Fate Grand Order, will find themselves often lost or confused about the setting. For maximum enjoyment, it is suggested that you should play the mobile game. The anime is under the assumption that the viewer has played the game and as such caters towards that viewer base.

NOTE: I will be reviewing this in the perspective of a Fate Grand Order Player.

Story - 7
While it is short, I very much enjoyed the pacing. It doesn't give us any additional new information but rather further expands ... on previous character backstories. It gives us a glimpse to Romani's past as well as his relationship with Mashu in her younger years. While it might not be any new information, seeing it animated is quite lovely and welcoming!

Art - 8
The animation is rather brilliant with stunning visuals and great incorporation of CGI effects. The initial 'fight' sequence is a great example of brilliant anime battle choreography. The rest of the episode is also just as great as it makes great use of colors and visuals.

Sound - 9
Beautiful. From the background OST to the ending song, it simple is beautiful. The background soundtrack does a wonderful job conveying and setting the tone. The voice acting as well is exceptional especially with Rie Takahashi's being lovely as ever. This is not to say that the rest of the cast wasn't as good, they all played their characters really well.

Character - 7
The characters are pretty great. They feel natural and true to the game and gives us a great backstory to Mashu's development as a Designer Baby.

Enjoyment - 10
From the beginning to around 2/3rds of the runtime, it had been fairly good for the above-mentioned reasons...until the ending sequence. That's when my excitement as an FGO Player went through the roof! It truly was pure fan service to all Fate Grand Order fans. I had goosebumps throughout the whole duration of the sequence and was in true awe of what I was witnessing. Very unexpected but very welcomed!

Overall: 9
At first, I was very skeptical of the production of the anime as the previous Fate Grand Order adaptations have been subpar but all those worries have been blown away by this prequel.
The purpose of this prequel is to generate hype and a sneak peek to what will be coming soon, and this prequel certainly did the job! From its initial eye-catching fight scene to the beautifully executed ending sequence, it did its job in that regard. I cannot wait for the anime to air in October!

Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia - Initium Iter Checklist

Story- Who needs story when you have waifus? Check

Dialogue - 90% exposition dumping with Pseudo-philosophical conversations to hide the lack of character depth for these cardboard cutouts? Check

Characters/Character desings - All main waifu/husbando cardboard cutouts given enough detail to look presentable with little to no care put into any other empty shells on screen? Check

Animation - over done action scenes with no weight mixed with static shots of characters sitting and talking with no unnecessary amount of movement to make them feel as little as human as possible? Bonus points for CGI ... fire the looks like trash* Check

Sound - Boring VAs trying and failing to bring any personality into these husks of characters mixed with the over done action sound effects that last all of 4 mins before 20 mins of sitting and dumping? - Super Check

Enjoyment - Another year another shit Fate shill to give new waifus and husbandos

3/10