The Fate series has been a very special series to me. After watching the original 2006 and 2010 DEEN adaptions, I was disappointed, at the least. However, I watched Fate/Zero and loved it. Now we are here at the Fate/Stay Night UBW. And I also loved it.
Originally a visual novel, Fate/Stay Night has a critical problem when it becomes an anime - all the details. To me, the novel will always surpass the TV. However, Ufotable was accurately able to portray a great amount of detail from the novel, making it a fairly loyal adaptation. Of course, many will say that there was a problem with the pacing, others saying monologues were disregarded. It would be hard to include all these monologues in an anime without boring the audience. They put in a fair amount, allowing the story to progress, and provide overall enjoyment.
Many people came in to the series expecting a Fate/Zero sequel. While there are moments in the series that require Fate/Zero in knowledge, it is important to mention that UBW was not meant to be a sequel to Zero. Therefore, it is not the best idea to compare Fate/Stay Night to Zero. Zero was a light novel coming after the Visual Novel meant to explain the events of Fate/Stay Night. As a light novel, it was much easier to incorporate the version into an anime. When making a decision about this, I did not compare my thoughts to zero because even though they are related, they are almost separated works.
The Story is a kind of a middle ground. Out of Fate, UBW, and Heaven's Feel, UBW is my favorite because of its clash of ideals rather than a gigantic battle. While the outline of the story is the Holy Grail War, a gigantic magical war between Servants, it delves into the protagonist's subconscious often, focusing on Shirou's dream of a "hero of justice." If it were simply just a straightforward war, the anime would, in my opinion be seen as mundane and tiring. The clash of ideals and opinions, combined with slight romance and innocence, makes to be a great story. It will never reach the VN's full detailed complex, but for an anime, it's very detailed.
The Sound is a very interesting piece. This is when I will compare to Zero a little bit. In Zero, the compositions generally were powerful, moving pieces. UBW doesn't have that necessarily. The music is rarely put on high importance. However, I think in comparison with the anime itself, it is a perfect combination. The music does not overshadow the plot at all, at times supporting the actions with a graceful melody. I do agree that Zero's music was a bit more "heart-clenching and pulling" but I think UBW does great in the regard to the music. If you listen to some of the soundtrack online you can see that it's not flamboyant, but a very well-composed piece that's enjoyable to listen to.
Now, while this is an action anime, the characters usually in Fate take the spotlight. Honestly, in my opinion, Shirou himself was written a bit more mundane than the novel. I think it's because he's the most affected by the adaptation. Since the novel is written in his point of view, Shirou loses a lot of his monologues and makes him a bit annoying. However, I don't think he is an unlikeable character. I still enjoy him to a high extent. A person can truly see Shirou's conflicts and make it face inward. I still enjoy the struggle of Shirou's ideals. Now, for the the girls. The heroine of Fate, Saber, takes a backseat in the UBW adaptation (on purpose, because she isn't the main heroine unless its the Fate route). As a result, she becomes a polite, quiet, young lady. She however, becomes a very likable character, because of her battle intuition, her loyalty and kindness. It's no wonder people like her most. Then the main heroine of UBW, Rin. Rin is a fun character. She really is. She is a perfect student on the outside, but on the inside she has her own flaws. She is the combination of a perfect human being with a bit of flaws. However, she does not remain idle, like a damsel in distress (not all the time at least). She fights Servants as well as maintains a high mage threat through the story. Then the male servants. Lancer is a great guy. Honorable, modern personality, you enjoy him in the story completely. However, what makes Lancer fun is he remains himself through the entire plot. He has a pride of a hero, is truthfully kind, kind of cocky but fun. Then Archer comes into play. Archer is personally my favorite character ever, so its hard for me to portray without a bit of bias. His personality is complex, his actions are perplexing. However, he remains a character UBW enjoys thoroughly. Like Shirou, Archer loses some important monologues, however his remaining speeches are very thought-provoking and essential for Shirou. His heart is white, but conflicting with the darkness around him. While Archer on the outside is very much a badass, on the inside you can see he's a kind person. If you're wondering, Saber and Archer are consistently the top of Fate's character polls for male and female, and I totally comply with that idea.
Now the art. Well, I'm pretty sure if you're watching the show, you know how the art is. It's on another level, truly making the title, "Unlimited Budget Works" make sense. The characters are drawn elegantly and the fight scenes are beautiful and enticing. The art alone puts the anime on a different level. I won't put much detail into this because it's unnecessary, but lots of money produced results. The fight scenes are short, but captivating, while magic scenes are beautiful and, forgive the irony, magical.
I think it's very hard not to enjoy this anime. If you are a VN reader, like me, or a very observant anime watcher, you can see UBW has flaws. Usually its mainly because its hard to adapt, the story is cut short a few times and character development shortens. However, the amount they gave is still astounding. It's fully an enjoyable tv show, in my opinion a perfect anime, while a very good adaptation.
All I can say is, I can't wait for Heaven's Feel. Many people also want the Fate route and Hollow Ataraxia to be adapted, which I believe would be fun entertainment as well. I really want a sequel to Hollow Ataraxia (come on Type-Moon, please) or another OVA like Carnival Phantasm to see more of the characters. You can truly get attached to so many. I truly hold the fate series to my heart, and I hope this review can help someone later on.
Thank you.
