Fate/Grand Order – Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia is from a hellish gacha game Fate/Grand Order, which I unfortunately didn’t play yet. You don’t need to play the game before watching this. What I would recommend is to watch Fate/Zero and the prologue Fate/Grand Order as they explain how the system works and what has happened before hand.
---- Art ----
Visually an absolute shit AND a masterpiece! Let me tell you first that the CG is absolutely demonic and that’s why I didn’t rate this anime a 10. On the other hand, the hand drawn shots are absolutely amazing. The fighting sequences follow up as smooth as butter. The animators love to throw some but shots into the fights and that is absolute amazing. The way weapons are used is so satisfying that it looks more than simply wacking bad creatures. It gives importance to the use of noble phantasms. They are meant as trump card and that is presented in a visually stunning sequence of blasts and explosions.
---- Sound ----
The sound effects are there to enhance the fight, but at a certain moment the bassdrop when something happens gets annoying. It isn’t really a problem but they could have made better use of it.
---- Voice Acting ----
What was absolute amazing was the voice acting. Every scene, battle or speech felt so good. When you hear Ritsuka talk about good being a good goddess or when he buys Ishtar is simply marvelous. The speeches of Gilgamesh gives me goosebumps. You can almost feel Gils raw power. Or when Mash nervously talks about marriage is just so cute. Ishtars va was super good to, her highlight is when they were in the underworld and the gate asked who the best girl was. You can definitely hear that the VAs had fun voicing this.
---- Characters ----
ALL LOVEABLE, ALL BEST GIRLS AND BOYS. Yeah I can’t say much more about it. The characters fit so well in the anime and their growth, although subtle, is amazing to see. But for the apocalyptic setting, they all seem a bit to happy sometimes. The scenes which are laid back gives a relaxing feeling and melts away anxiety, like the scene where the whole team had diner together. It feels warm and wholesome and melts away anxiety and stress. At other times, like in battles you can feel their tension and battle spirit. When I think about the battle with Spartacus I still get goosebumps. The characters feel very much alive and warm and actually convinces you they are characters and not just a drawing.
Ritsuka: Ritsuka is the master we would wish for in Stay Night. He knows what his duty is and tries to carry that out with all his might. He’s soft on the inside and also on the outside. He is just a soft boi. But he can also be levelheaded. He is an admirable character with love for those around him. He isn’t idealistic but he isn’t naïve either. He is a well balanced character.
Mash: she is best girl. With her big shield she will protect her precious master from dying, time after time again. As a demi-servant she has some nice ass-sets which can be admired in battles. I wished to see some more interaction from here as she almost becomes a single line character.
Ishtar: useless but very cute. Well you can worship Rin as a goddess now. She is a lovely goddess who brings humor to the battlefield. She should be faired as the most useful goddess and owner of the bull of heaven. She will absolutely wipe the ass of anybody she fights with. She is cute and cares about her people. Perfect tsundere.
Quetzalcoatl: yes it took me a few episodes before being able to say her name. A goddess of all that’s good and of the sun. And that is clearly visible in her behavior as she just beams with confidence and happiness. Her last battle was simply a visual orgy.
Merlin: dickwizard.
Gilgamesh: if you have seen Stay Night or Zero then Gilgamesh is extremely enjoyable in this version. This absolutely tyrannical ruler will seize your heart. He gives off the aura of a marvelous leader. He is levelheaded, hot, smart, powerful and an absolute chad. His reason and speeches are that of a natural ruler and his action of a king. The way he treats Isthar reminds me of how Kazuma treats Aqua and it totally understandable. I would love to see more of this version of Gil. It was also adorable to see how he cared about Siridu.
---- Story ----
The story is pretty straight forward and let it tells itself. There are no side distractions or unclarities which makes watching the story unfold really relaxed. It is about a master, Ritsuka, who tries to save humanities future by eliminating threads in the past. This time it happens in the age of gods, where gods still walked along humans.
Ritsuka, together with his (underaged) servant Mash, goes on a journey like adventure to stop the goddesses from wreaking havoc and restoring the future. How this story unfolds in an all-out battle against primordial gods and the extinction of entire regions is absolutely thrilling to see. The best part is that this isn’t a simple story of good vs bad (the main premise is) but it is a lot more nuanced. It does however rely on “bad guys turn good guys” but it doesn’t get annoying.
---- End ---
Fate/Grand Order Babylonia is definitely one of the highlights of anime 1019/2020. Visually amazing, top notch voice acting and great characters. Also a waifu granting device. On top of that if you play the game, it would greatly enhance your experience as the anime gives much more lore and background to the characters playable. After every episode I had the feeling that it was my favorite episode. I have a blog where I write how I feel about every episode. I would recommend it to most people who like anime in general.
