If there was ever a black sheep attached to the Fate franchise's name, many will without a doubt point to the 2006 lackluster adaptation of Fate/Stay Night and the 2010 Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works movie by Studio DEEN. The Fate franchise isn't new to multiple studio collaborations as Silver Link have already taken on the role of adapting Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya and has manage to keep a consistent presentation. But that still left Stay Night up in the air until now, as Ufotable tackles the adaption of the Unlimited Blade Works route, attempting to shine new light where DEEN have dragged it through the mud.
Now with all that said you may be wondering why the score is so low, did something go wrong? Well no not really, as far as production goes Ufotable's track record with Fate is still spotless but that doesn't mean what they adapt was. You see the Fate franchise always boast a "battle royal" and the closet thing we got to that came with Fate/Zero but it seems like no matter how you dress it, Stay Night when it all boils down to the inescapable facts, is simply another "run of the mill" story of empowered bishounen teens and silly cock fights that leads nowhere. Today we'll break down the overlooked truths of this anime, a show with high production value but a subpar script.
1st we'll get the positive aspects out of the way: Art/Animation: 9.5/10, Sound 8/10
Art/Animation: 9.5/10
There's good animation and then there's Ufotable animation. For many anime fans already familiar with the studio's work it should go without saying that it is absolutely gorgeous. The amount of heart and effort presented in every frame is clearly evident with richly saturated color palettes and smooth textured backgrounds. The attention to detail is worthy of immense praise, as it doesn't take long to be immersed into the show's setting. Every movement from our characters show consistent fluidity and just the little things like their hair moving as they walk or the ruffling of someone putting on a jacket brings a sense of realism.
They also excel in cinematography showing unique camera angles and well crafted camera panning shots. It feels like you're watching a Shinkai film at times and that kind of consistent quality from a series is almost unheard of. But for most of us the greatest enjoyment comes from the solid fight choreography. This is where the studio really shows their stuff as they brilliantly use all the tricks they have up their sleeves, from contrasting color pallets to cinematic compositions making every action carry a sense of weigh behind it. You can feel every blow and strike from the characters, this is an eyegasm worthy of multiple rewatches. Although it isn't all perfect as little nitpicks like the CGI cars still feel out of place from the immense detail surrounding it but it certainly isn't a huge issue when compared to everything else it had going for it.
Sound: 8/10
to accompany the strong animation we're given a great song composition to boot. Brought to life by the highly praised Yuki Kajiura, a woman made famous for her gripping orchestic pieces and her atmospheric somber ballads. The soundtrack fits the show like a glove and really enhances every scene to new elevated highs. The only downside being that their was very little to distinguish this score from any of Kajiura's other works, as her signature style almost feel like carbon copies of each other. Despite that it is still a wonderful attachment and one welcomed any day.
The voice actors were also good, many fitting into their roles without any qualms to speak of. Standouts being Suwabe's role as Archer, as he gives him that no nonsense aura and Ueda as Rin as the chemistry she brings between the other cast feel quite natural.
Now with the praise out of the way let's address the elephant in the room: Story 5/10, Characters 5/10
Story: 5/10
Definitely one of the biggest offenders, the story is noticeably flawed, even a casual viewer who pays little attention to it can easily spot the missteps. When it comes down to it the presentation and execution of the show is the only thing separating this from your "run of the mill" bishonen fighting show. Hiding under the guise of a "battle royal" it seems like the only episodes that showed true progression were the 1st, one in the middle and the last. Everything else was obvious padding to reach the shows desired length, with lots of dead time and fights that lead nowhere. For a "battle royal" it seems like everyone is more concerned with chivalry and throwing praise at their opponents than actually eliminating them. Every fight seem to boil down to "I'm going to kill you... wow I'm impressed with your skills... nevermine I won't kill you, let's fight some other time".. Now this isn't always the case as the last confrontation in episode 12 actually yielded something other than the monotonous cycle. But that doesn't excuse the rest of the show from dicking around with needless slice of life moments, unnecessary harem-esc comedy and aimless fights.
Again this isn't a fault with the studio but with the poor script they have to work with. It's one thing to stay faithful to your source material but it's another to let said material bog you down. This sense of stagnation lead to very tension-less encounters since all that comes out of it are wounded opponents that simply retreat to recuperate for the next empty encounter.
Characters: 5/10
As much as I like the cast of the Fate franchise it isn't hard to see them for what they truly are, which are simply characters. Only a few of them feel like actual people while the rest feel like simple 1 note puppet pieces dancing across the screen.
Our main protagonist Shirou isn't as offensively idealistic as portrayed in his DEENs counterpart but he isn't any better either. He still spouts naive ideologies found in your typical bishonen MCs. Your "fight for what's right" kind of archetype, one I'm sure many of us are tired of seeing.
thankfully Rin Tohsaka is more tolerable as she isn't your Asuka level of tsundere, but she feels more well rounded. However their is very little dimensions to her character, as it seems the show relies heavily on your prior knowledge of her placement in the Fate universe.
The shows other biggest offenders come in the form of the supporting cast, with bombastically 1 dimensional characters like Shinji Matou and for the most part a majority of the Servants. Archer says it best, as he describes the servants as being nothing more than instruments for the masters to use and that's exactly what they feel like. Most of them exudes 1 note archetypal characteristics that defines them. May that be Archer's "no nonsense" archetype, Caster's "big bad witch" 1 dimensional villain representation or Saber's "lady of honor" 1 note portrayal. All the the servants show little to no layered characterization and depends to heavily on pseudo-history to hold any merit. They simply can't stand on their own as people and that keep them from being anything more than 1 note characters.
Enjoyment: 7/10
Any qualms I have with the shows characters & story is easily washed away with the great presentation. Ufotable is simply a studio that can't be faulted as they always succeed at bringing wonderful eye candy to the screen that will keep you hooked from beginning to end.
Overall: 6/10
Despite its lackluster cast and story Unlimited Blade Works is truly pure entertainment. As popcorn material it is only rivaled by its predecessor Fate/Zero. For anyone seeking awesome fights, fluid animation and easy consumption look no further, this title is truly an addicting watch. There is something here for anyone, may you be a fan of the franchise or not. With that said I recommend giving this title a go.
