Honestly I didn't think I would be writing a review on a magical girl spin-off of the Fate universe, but Fate/Kaleid left such an impression on me that I felt like putting my thoughts down at least. Fate/Kaleid is a great addition to the already expansive Fate universe acting as a pseudo Illya route for the people who wanted one. However, it's strong enough to stand alone as it's own separate show without the need of Fate universe knowledge. The show is just serious enough for the viewer to believe in the peril that the characters get in as well as have several dark tones and themes through the series three seasons. Fate/Kaleid masterfully melds enough slice of life to build up the characters in order to make the drama have impact.
Story:
Fate/Kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya follows Illyasviel Einsbern, a fifth grader, who unwillingly becomes a magical girl in order to collect class cards; a relic from the previous Holy Grail War. Although initially the anime adopts a "monster of the week" formula it slowly unveils it's overarching mystery about the reason for the cards existence, Illya and her friend Miyu backstory.
Art:
The bright colors used throughout the show is perfect for a show about magical girls, I mean they somehow made a fifth grader wearing pink apparel to look cool and badass and that's quite a feat. The animation is solid throughout the show with the fight scenes being a high point although it's no ufotable.
Sound:
Alright I'm slightly bias because the series composer is Tatsuya Kato, and he's just the best goddamn composer in the anime industry. Not only does his tracks fit well with the show itself but there's a few notable tracks that are just fantastic by themselves as well as his take on the famous EMIYA track. The sound effects in Fate/Kaleid work for most of the parts, but some of the attacks lack a bit of "umphf" and sound a tad lackluster especially compared to some of the other anime out there like YZQ or ufotable UBW.
I know I completely ignored the biggest complaint about the show, the yuri and fanservice, but Fate/Kaleid really is much more then that.
