Overview:
Fate/Zero takes place on the stage of Fuyuki, a city based on modern day Kobe. Here, seven masters chosen by the Holy Grail- an omnipotent wish granting device- gather to do battle. The seven human masters, each from disparate backgrounds, experiences, and creeds assemble, and are granted a "servant", or the spirit of a fallen hero from ages past given physical form. With these servants, the masters wage a proxy war in the form of a battle royale: the last master/servant duo standing is the winner, as declared by the Holy Church. The pair is then granted a wish: that which they desire most.
Animation and Art: 10
Here's where Fate/Zero and ufotable really earned their keep. It’s plain to see that this show had an enormous budget: a good percentage of it was spent in the animation department, and spent well. The 3D animation is an absolute gold standard for how modern day AAA anime titles can and SHOULD look. It’s absolutely incredible to behold when the 3D CGI meshes with the hand drawn animation onscreen well, and importantly: doesn’t look incredibly fake. For me, having 3D CGI onscreen can break the immersion, because it’s typically a very jarring difference between the background and hand drawn, but not so in this case.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the vehicles and grotesque monsters that were given life through 3D animation here. I've had a sour taste for 3D for a long time, even in shows with high production values like Ghost in the Shell SAC, by the esteemed Production IG. A few standout moments include Saber's motorcycle, the F-14 jet commandeered by Berserker, and the fire and water effects that looked as realistic as I've ever seen in animation.
Vibrant, dynamic lighting and shadow play along with particle effects rendered by the 3D beautifully. Swirling lights, darks, and brilliant displays of energy color the typically dark palettes of the show. Much of it takes place at night, and it really allows the lighting and brightness of the clashes to be cast against the darkness and shadows, further encapsulating the duality that the show embodies.
Sound and Voice Acting: 8
Fate/Zero has a rather sizable cast, with seven masters, servants and various supporting characters, but Aniplex didn't skimp on talent at all.
Heading up the group are Matthew Mercer as Kiritsugu Emiya and Crispin Freeman as Kirei Kotomine. Bridget Hoffman gives a great performance as Irisviel, and Liam O'Brien appears, nearly reprising his Vincent Law role as Kariya Matou. The ubiquitous Michelle Ruff and Johnny Yong Bosch also appear in supporting roles.
The soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura (SAO, usw.) is comprised of many emotional orchestral themes, high tension string sections, and appropriately energetic or heartfelt compositions that mesh well with the action along with the more subdued moments.
Story: 9
This production takes a rather unusual route in the means of its storytelling. Rather than having a limited perspective of a single main character, or that of a typical protagonist/antagonist setup, Fate/Zero chooses an ensemble route that is at the same time very intricate, but not difficult to follow. Each master and each servant have their own motives and means at their disposal with which to defeat the others and capture the Grail. At no point in the series is it truly clear who's been dealt the best hand in terms of the abilities and willingness of the servant in conjunction with the cunning and ambition of the master. Again, this duality forms the spine of Fate: an individualistic war waged with individual goals, but having to unite as a team with another for a singular purpose.
The Grail's choosing of the combatants is indiscriminate: there are kids with no business being involved in a war; in which the possibility they may lose their life is very real. There are others chosen who've spent their entire lives preparing for the Holy Grail War, ones who care nothing about the Holy Grail or even being involved with the war, ones who fight for the salvation of loved ones, and still others who fight for purely selfish motives- seeking the power of the omnipotent wish granter as a means of personal gain, or mutually assured destruction.
This varied group of entrants further serves the dualistic ideal of Fate/Zero, a collection of persons from dissimilar motive and thought unified, yet vying against each other on this quest for the Grail. The prideful, the greedy, the lustful, the wrathful, the gluttonous for power, the envious, and the slothful are equally applicable to this story: 7 masters, 7 servants, each is clearly represented by (at least one of) the Seven Deadly Sins in line with their character traits and history.
Characters: 9
Each character has their own morals (or lack thereof) which typically sit juxtaposed to their partner, who serve as a foil in many cases. Again, the duality dynamic that is signature to this series is put to excellent use here in reflecting the strict moral code adherence of the Saber, Arthuria against the postmodernist, win-at-all-costs mentality of her master, Kiritsugu.
Arthuria is defined early on as a strong willed woman, whose sole character traits consist of the aforementioned strict adherence to a code of honor, of loyalty, defined by her as chivalry, which is in line with her time period and legends. She has an extreme worldview, believing that even the battlefield should be a place where honor comes first.
Part of what makes Arthuria unique is her unwillingness to change, no matter what she's faced with. It's both a noble, and ultimately futile goal. I make point of the speech Kiritsugu gives her in episode 16:
---"to Saber: No. Honor glory, there's no point in talking to a killer who extols such things. A knight cannot save the world. Knights call certain methods of killing 'good' and 'evil', acting as if there were some sacred nobility to the battlefield. Such illusions created by heroes throughout history have led countless young men to their deaths, all for the sake of this glory and honor they extol. "
Saber: "Even the taking of a life in battle as a human being must have ideals, otherwise every war would bring the fires of hell to this world."
"There you have it, Iri(sviel), our heroic spirit considers a battlefield to be worse than hell... what a joke. A battlefield IS hell itself. There is no hope to be found on it, there is nothing but unspeakable despair. Just a soulless cry we call victory: paid for by the pain of the defeated, but humanity has never recognized this truth. This is because in every era, a dazzling hero has blinded the people with their legends, and kept them from seeing the evil of bloodshed they bring. True human nature has not advanced a step beyond the stone age!"---
Arthuria cannot accept that the truth of battle is relative... what did it matter if someone was killed by unfair/unjust/unrighteous means VS in "honorable" battle? It's both her strength and her greatest hypocrisy, this eternal attachment to the values of Knight's Honor she embodies.
The second relationship worth exploring here is that of Kirei Kotomine and well... himself. Kirei, as a clergyman and inquisitor (church assassin) despite the appearance of a fulfilled life, is an extreme nihilist. His duality is that he has no reason to seek the Grail, yet he wishes that the Grail would reveal to him the meaning of his own life. Brutal, bitter, and cunning, Kirei is a formidable adversary for anyone, but takes a particular interest in Kiritsugu Emiya. This interest being the first passion of his empty, desolate life.
The man who fights for everything, yet can have nothing, and the man who fight for nothing, yet seeks everything: the crux of Fate/Zero.
Enjoyment: 9
What drew me into Fate/Zero wasn't the enormous expo dump at the beginning of the series. (Seriously, a 45 minute long dialogue about the intricacies of the Grail War and the underlying corruption, betrayal, and cutthroatness of the families who continually struggle to possess the Grail is a bit gratuitous)
No, what drew me into this show was the tone. I harp about tonal inconsistency a lot, but this time the shoe is on the other foot. Type-Moon's story here is very well fleshed out, and maintains a dark, mature tone throughout. It's never tarnished by silly, untimely comedic moments or thoroughly unnecessary fanservice. Fate/Zero takes themes such as loss, despair, and tragedy and pairs them with idealism, of hope and honor, and justice creating an amalgam of duality that is really impactful.
Another bit I thoroughly enjoyed was the inclusion of historical figures as the Grail heroes. I was familiar with about half of them before, by my eyes were opened to some other historical and legendary figures, which I took to reading about immediately after learning their identities.
Gilgamesh, King Arthur, Alexander the Great, and the Berserker were known to me upon their appearance, and their character roles fell deftly in line with how they're portrayed in legend and in actual history.
The Assassin was modeled after Hassan-i Sabbah, a 3rd Crusade Age Muslim missionary who founded a league of assassins (popularized by a video game series a few people might have heard of).
The Caster, Gilles de Rais (or Bluebeard), was a mid-Dark Age companion to Joan of Arc, and also a notorious serial killer, particularly of children. He is also noted to have been interested in the occult, particularly summoning.
Finally, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, a legendary hero of 2nd-4th century Irish origin. He was said to have used two spears, one red, and a yellow one which inflicted wounds that did not heal (likely poison).
Overall: 9
Overall a very well done show. I was impressed by the lack of pulled punches: this show is very brutal at times, and doesn't shy away from some heavy themes and visuals a lesser show would have avoided or cut. Fate/Zero isn't for the faint of heart, there are some reviling moments, emotionally rending tragedy, and spots of tear inducing exuberance. Fate/Zero wasn't afraid to take some risks, and they paid off excellently.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the matureness of this show: it could have easily been an overblown shonen action show, but subtlety prevailed, and took a more nuanced route. A philosopher and a warrior, a scholar and an athlete- Fate/Zero is doing it all.
tl;dr
+ Excellent, diverse cast, all interesting in their own right
+ The absolute best 3D animation there's ever been
+ Fantastic, nuanced plot and dialogue to match
+/- Ensemble storytelling can be off putting to some
+/- Slow, exposition filled first half
- Some characters are irritating, perhaps written to be so
Recommend?
Yes, absolutely. Great dialogue, better characters, and excellent execution and follow through with a very mature, action based plot.
"But the tale of humanity will never come to a close, for the struggle of survival is a war without end, and war – war never changes."
