The show focuses heavily on Kiritsugu Emiya and Kirei Kotomine, though no protagonists are entirely selected and all sides get screentime. Even though they both appear to be uninteresting and unlikeable, both of their struggles and their relationships toward other characters and servants are captivating. Kiritsugu wants to “save the world” and be a “hero of justice” and rid it of evil and war, yet he commits a slew of horrible murders and deceptions to reach his goal. Kirei is an empty and confused priest that doesn’t feel much emotion, so he wishes to know what exactly gives him pleasure. Kirei’s plight is explored more in the second season, but from early on Kiritsugu makes the audience question the definition of “hero.” There’s a bunch of internal politics going on, since it involves mage families that have been established and quarreling for hundreds of years. Game of Thrones is an appropriate comparison.
Don’t come into Fate/Zero with the expectation of constant fights and action. Though there are a slew of nicely choreographed and beautifully animated fights, the backbone of the show is honestly the politics and themes; only one servant is defeated by the end of the season and most of episode eleven is literally servants talking about what it means to be a king. If these topics are unappealing, Fate/Zero is not for you.
But that’s not to say that the show has no fights and lighthearted moments in the first season. Waver and his relationship with Rider is often used for comic relief, and though it is blatant, it is enjoyable and their bond ends up being a highlight of the show. The fights are intense and beautiful; the two involving Saber and Lancer stand out especially due to Lancer’s mesmerising spearmanship, Saber’s everything, and the palpable sexual tension between the two.
Ufotable went above and beyond the call of duty with the animation. The character designs are harmonious and appropriate to each character. And though the show’s style features rather amorphous faces, emotion is conveyed scarily well. The music is composed by Yuki Kajiura of Madoka Magica fame, and is equally epic.
Watch the show subbed. Most of the performances in the english dub are uninspired, though it is not the worst dub ever made. It’s strange, because all of the english voices are actually matched rather well. I can only imagine how amazing the dub could have been in the hands of the right ADR director. In contrast, the Japanese cast yielded sound performances with appropriate amounts of emotion. Lancer definitely caught my attention; his voice has a warrior’s strength but is tinged with sadness. Seems like that would be a hard balance to maintain, but he is absolutely perfect and heartbreaking from the start.
The first season of Fate/Zero primarily provides setup for the second. However, the ideals, politics and moral ambiguity displayed make it just as entertaining. The first episode is long and exposition heavy and some may find the show confusing at first, but stick with it, as it gets less so through the course of the show (and consequent rewatches).
