The animation style is like no other from the rest of Fate media and to be completely honest I don't think it fits at all. If this season used a brand new cast of characters, I would probably enjoy it after getting used to it but that's not the case. The animation style just makes the original characters look like parodies of themselves and I don't like it.
Another main visual difference is the action scenes. Compared to the other Fate titles, this season has barely any action. You get 3 seconds of something that could look like a fight and then it's over. The lack of action wouldn't be much of an issue with the plot was interesting and the environments looked alive.
I've mentioned this but allow me to repeat myself: the plot is terrible. Once it starts revealing bits and pieces of what's really going on, you'll already have a good idea of it anyways. Predictability and being boring is a killer combination. Also, don't expect closure from this 10 episode anime because the 3 extra episodes (no pun intended) are supposed to do that.
The last thing I'll mention will have plenty of SPOILERS about Saber:
1) Saber's design is a joke. It's clearly based on King Arthur's Saber that we all know and love but the only thing in common is the haircut. We get a Saber with a red "dress", green eyes, no armor, lots of clevage, thighs and ass crack all the time. I am not joking: her crack is out all the damn time. I'm okay with fanservice but they completely butchered the King Arthur's Saber design which is also the design of the cover-character of the entire Fate saga. It's obvious that the decision to keep the signature hairtsyle was made in order to bring viewers and fans from the previous seasons but what a way to throw up a middle finger to the entire fanbase.
2) I'm really happy that the original King Arthur's Saber's seiyuu is not involved in this because everything about this "new" Saber is insulting.
3) It's insulting not just because of her character design but also because she's Nero, the Rome Emperor that set fire to his own city. Nero's Saber's personality is super cheerful, something that Nero was not. In fact, Nero's Saber's backstory is presented but is not historically accurate. You are told that Nero wasn't loved by his mother but this is far from the truth. Nero's mother wanted him to become Emperor and so she married the Emperor Claudius and conviced the Emperor to adopt Nero as his son. After the Emperor died, Nero's mother pulled whatever strings she chould so Nero would be declared the new Emperor instead of Claudius' biological son. Five years into his reign, Nero had his mother executed in order to reign independently. This was also the time that Nero's mental health began to deteriorate, the best example of this being the Great Fire of Rome that he caused in order to create more space for a brand new royal palace. He also blamed the Christian Community for the fire and got them persecuted, tortured and executed. Why this looooooong history lesson? BECAUSE THIS MAN WAS CHOSEN TO BE THE HEROIC SPIRIT OF THE MAIN CHARACTER AND WITH A DESIGN BASED ON KING ARTHUR'S SABER. Nero and King Arthur have NOTHING in common so at least they should've come up with an original design. Nero's Saber has the wrong personality and wrong character design. This season makes no sense whatsoever in any possible alternative universe.
All things considered, this season gets a 4/10 from me.
