Just watched it last night and I want to preface this (non-spoiler) review by saying that I feel blessed to have been able to catch this in a cinema despite these unprecedented times. I hope that all Fate fans will get the opportunity to experience watching this in a cinema as the world recovers.
Story: Spring Song is the 3rd and final film in ufotable’s adaptation of the Heaven’s Feel route of Fate/stay night and it picks up exactly where the 2nd film left off. Heaven’s Feel is definitely the most unique and complex route of the 3 routes of Fate/stay night, even shedding light on
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backstory not revealed in the previous 2 routes. Compared to Fate and Unlimited Blade Works, can’t say I expected things to unfold the way they did when I read the VN. Heaven’s Feel is not my personal favourite route but I still really enjoyed it nonetheless. For anyone who is looking to get into the Fate series, this is not the place to start. The Holy Grail War, which the plot of Fate/stay night revolves around, does not play out like how a Holy Grail War was meant to be, especially in this route.
If anyone cares, this is the order in which I covered Fate. As Fate/Zero is a prequel, it assumes some knowledge of Fate/stay night and so I wouldn’t recommend watching it first if you don’t wish to read the VN as it spoils an important plot point of Heaven’s Feel.
Fate/stay night Réalta Nua (VN) > Unlimited Blade Works (2014-15) > Fate/Zero (2011-12) > Heaven’s Feel (2017-20)
Characters: Each route of Fate/stay night has its own heroine and as Heaven’s Feel is Sakura’s route, it is expected that the plot will focus more on Sakura. Compared to the previous 2 routes where Sakura was pretty much a background character, she plays a major role in Heaven’s Feel and receives plenty of development. Shirou, as the protagonist, also plays a major role. Being forced to come to terms with what he has always aimed to become, he is required to make an important decision which would contradict his very way of life up till now. Kotomine also has his largest and most active role in Heaven’s Feel out of the 3 routes.
Art: Vibrant colours and backgrounds. This has always been a selling point of anime in general for me. I have always really liked ufotable’s character designs of the Fate/stay night characters and they look even cleaner and sharper here than in Unlimited Blade Works.
Animation: Top notch. ufotable has delivered once again. There was fair use of CGI, as with many of ufotable’s works. However, I personally didn’t find any problem with it as there wasn’t any scene which looked overly unnatural. Production quality is distinctly higher than an episodic series and the amazing animation of the fight scenes was truly a sight to behold.
Music: OST by Yuki Kajiura and ending song by Aimer, both of whom are pretty much staples of the Fate series at this point. The OST was epic and emotional when it needed to be as always and Haru wa Yuku playing during the epilogue felt like a fitting end to the Heaven’s Feel trilogy.
Score: 10/10. Some scenes were inevitably cut from the VN since the longest route was being adapted into just 3x 2 hour movies, compared to Unlimited Blade Works which had a 2-cour series. That didn’t take away from my enjoyment though and I feel that ufotable has done an exceptional job in adapting such a complex story. A must watch for Fate fans. Now that all routes of Fate/stay night have been adapted at least once, a Fate route remake and a Fate/hollow ataraxia adaptation by ufotable will always be welcome.
SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED DO NOT READ BEYOND HERE
Just wanted to detail some of my favourite scenes from the film and my thoughts.
1. When True Assassin tries to kill Kotomine with Zabaniya but fails since Kotomine’s heart is an artificial one granted to him by the Holy Grail, giving Kotomine an opening to perform the baptismal sacrament on Zouken to purify his soul. Great link to the events of Fate/Zero.
2. When Shirou decides to use Archer’s arm and he sees a vision of Archer asking “Can you keep up with me?” only for Shirou to ask back the same question. Shirou projecting Nine Lives Blade Works to protect Illya from the corrupted Berserker while the iconic EMIYA track was playing in the background was epic. I somehow felt this scene was a bit short? Or maybe I just felt it to be short because I was at the edge of my seat the entire time.
3. Rider and Shirou vs Saber Alter. Definitely my favourite fight in the film. I was really looking forward to seeing this fight animated and I wasn’t disappointed. Shirou putting an end to Saber and thanking her for the countless times she’d saved him wasn’t any less heart wrenching. It was really sad that Saber didn’t receive any form of salvation in this route. It would have been nice if there had been at least a short conversation between Shirou and Saber before she disappeared but it is what it is. Here’s hoping Sparks Liner High gets animated as an OVA.
4. When Rin couldn’t bring herself to kill Sakura when it came down to it despite having gone on about it as her duty, risking getting herself killed in the process (not gonna lie I thought she was a goner when I read the VN). Rin telling Sakura that she was glad she continued wearing the ribbon she gifted her when they parted 11 years ago and Sakura finding herself again after realising her sister truly cared about her was really emotional. Just goes to show that at the end of the day, blood is thicker than water and familial bonds cannot be broken that easily even with time and distance apart. Just a small sidetrack, in the 1st ED of Unlimited Blade Works, there is a shot of Rin looking at Sakura from afar in school. I thought that was a nice touch showing Rin watching over Sakura even though the viewer still wouldn’t be aware of their relationship at that point in time.
5. When Illya appears to close the Greater Grail and tells Shirou that as his older sister, she should protect her younger brother, offering him a chance to go on living. And when Illya gets to see her mother Irisviel again with a bright smile on her face, freed from her duty. Really emotional scenes.
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Sep 19, 2020
Just watched it last night and I want to preface this (non-spoiler) review by saying that I feel blessed to have been able to catch this in a cinema despite these unprecedented times. I hope that all Fate fans will get the opportunity to experience watching this in a cinema as the world recovers.
Story: Spring Song is the 3rd and final film in ufotable’s adaptation of the Heaven’s Feel route of Fate/stay night and it picks up exactly where the 2nd film left off. Heaven’s Feel is definitely the most unique and complex route of the 3 routes of Fate/stay night, even shedding light on ... |
