It's very hard to adapt a VN. Especially Fate, with 15+ hours a route. In order to adapt an anime, you lose a lot of Shirou's monologues and more detail of the story. A novel will always be better than the anime. Despite this, UBW is probably one of the best anime to come of this year.
I have read the VN, and UBW is my favorite route. Not as light as Fate, not as dark as Heaven's Feel. It's a melancholy balance. The anime was put a bit in an awkward place. To truly understand it, you have to finish the Fate Route of the VN. However, UBW by itself is a ruby. Perhaps when the others come out it will become a pearl.
The Characters are always the most important part of the VN. Shirou loses the most because his point of view is hard to depict, but he is an enjoyable protagonist who you can understand. Rin and Saber are the heroines with a past. They are fun, enjoyable, and make the anime fun. We have Archer, personally my favorite character in all anime, who is a realistic, cool, badass. Lancer, a champion with a heart of gold, gets a few episodes in the spotlight. Then we have Shinji, who we're supposed to hate, and Kotomine, a thoroughly enjoyable villain. The anime did very well to adapt intricate characters that we can thoroughly enjoy or despise. However, all the characters are interesting.
The music and art are obviously the center of this piece. They beat all the other anime. There truly is no comparison for the "Unlimited Budget Works." It makes the story much more enjoyable and a visual marvel for everyone.
The story is strong by itself, despite the setbacks of its awkward position (Needs a fate route to give a bit more info). The Holy Grail War is an interesting marvel, the clash of ideals regarding a "hero of justice", all of the story makes you both enticed and inquisitive.
Truly, this is an enjoyable anime no matter what. It deserves a 10 from me and you guys too.
