After the sublime experience that was Fate/Zero and the entertainment extravaganza that was Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, I went into Fate/Apocrypha with high-expectations and also to quench my thirst for a Fate story by the time Heaven's Feel would be released. Sadly, while Apocrypha began on an enjoyable and intriguing note, the story really lost steam after the first 10-12 episodes or so.
While I appreciate the underlying theme of the story (a person getting his/her desired wish), it is the execution that I have a problem with. The selection of historical/mythological personalities who act as servants are varied and entertaining, however, their powers and abilities are a bit incongruous especially the Assassin of Red who's talents and abilities lean more towards that of a Caster.
As the series drags on you are gripped by a sensation of fatigue and annoyance and yet you have invested too much time into the series to leave it half-way. I frequently found myself skipping through scenes upon scenes of predictable emotional turmoil and existential crisis just so that I could advance through the main-story. There are a few things however that keep things interesting, namely the Lancers of both factions along with the Caster of the Red faction who deserved a bit more screen-time in my opinion. Other than that, some Servants were reduced to being comedy-reliefs with little else to do than make cute faces and provide awkward moments for the lead characters.
The Soundtrack deserves mention because the title-track was especially fitting for the epic-scale battle sequences as well as the one-one fights. The Art and Animation too was a treat to watch but not throughout the series. In some episodes the art was a bit too stiff and 'Trigger' like for my taste.
All in all, it was an experience that was as my rating suggests 'Fair'. It could easily have turned bad were it not for the characterizations of a few of the servants and some genuine moments of emotional depth displayed by the masters.
