For the first anime I will be reviewing is Fate/Zero.
Now I have mixed opinions of the Fate franchise because while my thoughts on Unlimited Blade Works by Ufotable are mixed and I personally hate the Deen adaptions of Fate Stay Night. I thought my love with the Fate franchise will die out because of this.
Did my love for Fate Zero die out or it's still going strong as ever?
Well let's find out.
Story.
The story of Fate Zero revolves on something call the Holy Grail War.
A Holy Grail war is a war between seven servants as well as seven masters (Magic Users) who through the power of the grail summon heroic spirits who are the people of legend, history fame, or myth. They all battle which each other to claim ownership of the grail which is said to be able to grant the owner any wish.
The story of Fate/Zero is really good in my opinion because unlike it's squeal Fate Stay Night which was inconsistent Fate Zero stay consistent from start to finish containing some of the best story direction I have ever seen.
Fate Zero is the story of the 4th Holy Grail War 10 years pearl to the events of the 5th Holy Grail War in Fate Stay Night what really separates this war for that is the player themselves.
Unlike in Fate Stay Night where the war focus on entirely on the main protagonist here it's much bigger more diverse, and more mature and
This is war done right!
Aliens and betrayals, well planned and thought out strategies and deposition, well directed fight sequences, really relatable characters movable tons, world building that is fully fleshed out.
Not to mention I really adore the use of heavy dialogue and exposition as seen in episode 1 and for that reason episode 1 of Fate Zero is one of my favourite first anime episodes in anime and it's in my top 30 favourite anime episodes.
In short Fate Zero has it all!
The story is original, externally well written, unpredictable, hardly and black and whites and it will keep you edge to your seat when watching,
The ending of Fate/Zero is great and it really fits with the theme of Fate/Zero.
I won't spoil the ending here because this ending is a experience that you should watch for your own viewing.
Fate/Zero also does an amazing job exploring its themes such as prides, responsibilities of being a king, sacrifices, tragicly, survival and future.
I honestly cannot find any flaws with the story because the execution of the story is just wonderful.
10/10
Characters.
The characters of Fate/Zero are very mature and well written compare to the cast of Fate Stay Night where they immature as hell and they usually fall into generic character tropes.
The thing that makes the character cast so special is that doesn't really have a main character least for a while.
All of the masters and servants are explored in depth and we get to see the war through each of their perspectives. Completely different to its squeal series Fate Stay Night.
Not to mention the character interactions with each other because unlike in Fate Stay Night where the character interactions are stiff, forced and sometimes have no substance at all Fate Zero character interactions are believable, relatable and have a great impact of the outcome of the 4th Holy Grail War.
My favourite characters in Fate/Zero is Rider and Waver because not only they are great entrainment character but they are well written from start to finish. Not to mention Rider and Waver are some of the best duo I have ever seen in anime.
This is all thanks to Gen Urobuchi. If you guys don't know about him Gen Urobuchi is the series composition of Madoka Magica, Psycho Pass, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet and Fate/Zero.
Gen Urobuchi has a habit of writing ideologies rather than characters and fate zero is the prime example of that. Most of the character aren't really fleshed out or well developed They serve more as physical embodiment of the individual ideals rather than actual people. The focus is on the character interactions and not necessarily the characters themselves. All of the characters in Fate/Zero are really complex characters making for a nice change from the typically Black and White approach as well generic that squeal series Fate Stay Night suffers from.
Also by the time you figure out who's good or evil chances are they already been killed in the battlefield.
Besides that this character cast is nothing but amazing.
9.5/10
Art/Animation.
Visually Fate/Zero is one of the best looking anime I have ever seen. Ufotable absolutely really did a wonderful job here as the animation is some of the best animation I have ever seen for a TV series.
The action sequences are unbelievably beautiful and the choreography is just perfect.
Also unpopular option I think the art/animation here is better than Fate Stay Night UBW (TV) while the fights in UBW (TV) are greatly animated most of slice of life bits were kinda too bright and sometimes the character designs are not properly drawn and feel like plastic at times if you look very closely on the character during those scenes.
The character deigns in Fate/Zero well thought out, very well drawn, animated and consistent from start to finish.
I personally have no complaints with the art and animation.
11/10 I definitely broke the scale for this one.
Sound.
The soundtrack is just epic.
This is Yuki Kajiura at her best because she utilises those badass choir vocals endlessly to give nearly every track that feel of epicness.
Fate/Zero has 2 opening and ending themes and they are all just epic and very catchy in they own way.
Now for dub or sub.
To be honest go for what you want because both the Japanese and English voice actors really did a great job with they performance making each role more satisfying to the audience.
I would say go for both sub and dub for this one.
10/10
Final Thoughts.
Fate/Zero is one of the best animes I have ever seen from 2010s era of anime and its one of the most entering rides I have ever been on.
The story was addicting and seeing the characters ideologies clash with each other was absolute thrill. The animation is absolutely beautiful and the soundtrack is fitting epic from start to finish.
Also both sub and dub are flawless in my eyes.
It accomplishes something a few prequels have and far surpassing its sequel Fate Stay Night. At time point I mention why is Fate/Zero is better than Fate Stay Night and that because it is. Fate Zero manages to fix everything that I hated about Fate Stay Night and in my opinion Fate/Zero makes any anime adaptation of Fate Stay Night look like a joke by comparison.
Fate/Zero is one of the best animes I have ever seen and its now in my top 15 favourites anime of all time.
Fate Zero is a modern classic that should not be missed by anyone.
I give Fate/Zero Both Seasons a 10/10 ( Masterpiece of war)
Fate/Zero is available from MVM Entertainment in the UK and they currently licensed both seasons on DVD and Blu Ray.
If you can Fate/Zero is a must buy on Blu Ray for the better viewing experience.
The DVD version of Fate/Zero is surprisingly good compare to the blurry looking Fate/Stay Night UBW (TV) on DVD which was a ugly experience in my opinion
Anime recommendations.
Fullmetal alchemist Brotherhood
Code Geass
Kara no Kyoukai
Hellsing Ultimate.
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu (Legend of the Galactic Heroes)
Anyway this was Shawn aka TheKazeTrigger and I will see you guys next time.
Next anime review for my MVM Entertainment anime review project will be The Familiar of Zero S1 or Bakemonogatari.
