No, really, why are you even reading this?
Do you seriously need someone's confirmation that Fate Kaleid is good? At this point it's almost blasphemous to even question the quality of the series. We didn't start watching this latest arc to find out if it's good, we started watching it because we knew it was good. And of course it is, of course it's always gonna be. The sky is blue, the grass is green, Fate Kaleid is pedoph... Good.
After all 8 cards have finally been gathered, disturbances start happening in the mountain where the battle with Gilgamesh Jr. took place, with parts of the land completely disappearing and getting replaced with others. Alerted by this, Illya and crew go up there to investigate, only for two mysterious intruders to appear. These two women are using the same install power that Miyu has been using for saber, and with it quickly fend off both Illya and Bazzett, while kidnapping Miyu. Trying to run after them, Illya gets wrapped in a parallel world, where the city she lives in has been abandoned and the Ainsworth family rules everything through their install abilities.
SPOILERS
And let me tell you folks, the install ability KICKS ASS. By far one of the most interesting ideas and the central plot of the series, the install ability allows for far more variety in combat that almost forgets it's a magical girls anime. In a later mock battle, Illya defeats Kuro by transforming from lancer to rider to saber. The enemies are also formidable, possessing far more cards than the main cast, including both Gilgamesh'es power and Thor's. The main villain, head of the Ainsworth family, is a black wizard that will honestly send chills to your spine with his creepy over-exaggerated poses and eye-movements (kinda reminds you of Petelgeuse from Re: Zero only slightly lase insane)... (emphasis on "slightly"), who wants to create a new grail out of Miyu.
Keep in mind, I'm leaving A LOT out here. Gilgamesh Jr., who has sided with Illya's crew to get his powers back from the Ainsworth card, basically steals the show in every scene he's in. Erica, Ainsworth's heir is also a glorious addition, with her twisted upbringing being in complete contrast with her kind personality, as the girl completely confuses the meaning of "good" and "evil" and ends up plain f@cked-up. Kudos for Kirei Kotomine as the crew's rip-off cook. Tanaka is the only one who didn't click me the right way, but she has shown great chemistry with some characters other than Illya so I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt.
Normally I'd comment on the quality of the animation now but... Do I actually have to?
Pros:
-Heart-wrenching moments, excellent humor, big battles, fantastic animation etc etc. Basically everything you love Fate Kaleid for.
-Intimidating villains that are more cruel than anything we've seen in the series so far.
-By far the most interesting battle mechanic in the series, "install" is utilized to its fullest.
-Kuro reaches new cuteness levels despite the arc not being remotely focused on her.
-Illya's getting more pussy than the average harem protagonist.
-Gilgamesh Jr.'s "You mongrel!"phrase on episode 3.
-The entirety of episode 4.
-Erica's completely wrapped mind.
-Mjolnir!!!
-Miyu's character develops nicely.
-For the first time in anime history the kidnapped person doesn't spout bullsh!t about how they don't want to be saved, thus creating useless internal conflict for the main lead, but instead properly begs for help. Good job Miyu, good job. See Rukia? See Innoue? See Hinata? THIS is how a good hostage behaves.
Cons:
Keep in mind I'll be neat-picking to death here:
-To be honest I preferred it when Kuro was all meek during mana-sucking, it feels a tiny bit disappointing here.
-Up until now the battles have ended somewhat fast. Don't get me wrong, they're still well-made and don't feel rushed, just none of the overly-dragging stuff we had gotten used to in previous seasons. Then again only 6 episodes have come out thus far and Fate Kaleid usually picks up the pace as it goes.
-The fights do feel "slightly" worse than the rest of the series. We didn't have a big boss battle either.
-Ends in a cliffhanger.
-The villain saying he didn't want to hurt Miyu more than needed was kinda out of character.
-It feels like the Ainsworths have too few servants. Illya's crew basically outnumbers them 2 to 1 at this point. New characters might be revealed later though.
-Does this even qualify as a magical girls anime anymore? I'm all for the "install" battles mechanic but I can see how other people wouldn't like it as much.
-Tanaka's character does feel slightly annoying at times (nothing unbearable though).
