Not like we don't have much that or anything.
I vividly remember, when I completed Heavens Feel 2 and thought, "Damn! I should binge the third movie rn!" Only to realize I've to wait for nearly 1 more year for the third feel movie (this was also the same time I was waiting for Dawn of the Deep Soul). And this happened nearly... 3 years ago?! Wtf? Was it already 3 years from the pandemic?
...
Anyway, I'm feeling a very similar emotion with Strange Fake. I didn't expect much when the announcement was made nearly 3 seasons ago but after watching this, I kind of wanna see where this'll go.
But of course, there's always one burning question regarding Fate, that I'm pretty sure even typemoon can never answer.
Where do I start?
Now there are many people n forums n sites that do wayy better job at this than I do, but since I'm kinda bored, I'll try to assume a few of your thought process on why you might've wanted to get into Fate. But here's a rule I followed that made my life easier when getting into Fate;
Just because someone's recommending it, doesn't mean it's necessary.
Most anime recommendations of Fate are basically telling, "In this way, you won't be having trouble", which is a very false statement when getting into Fate Anime. The only way everyone collectively agreed but still ignored is to "Read the Visual Novel", which most anime-only won't commit because it takes like a 100 hours, and a day doesn't have 100 hours.
With that aside;
(Assuming you are new);
You: I've never consumed a single piece of media regarding Fate
Me: Good. Let's keep it that way.
- I only want to watch this because of this one random clip I saw on YT (or something).
If you promise me that you won't get into this series or anything regarding Fate ever again, then go ahead. But I'm placing my bets most of you are going get into. Eventually.
- Is this special standalone?
Yes, you shouldn't have a problem following what's happening in this special
But many spinoffs of Fate kind of assume that you are familiar with the franchise, because they do such a shit job at explaining plot points. They just info dump it in a couple of minutes, while Fate/Zero takes nearly 3 episodes to do that. Basically, the narration won't be a problem but some plot points might not make sense without prior knowledge.
- Is there anything I have to watch before watching Strange Fake?
If you have watched every Fate made by ufotable (i.e., Zero, Unlimited Blade Works & Heaven's Feel), you are good to watch any spinoff you want. There isn't any particular order for watching spinoffs.
(Assuming you watched all the ufotable ones)
Maybe watch Lord El-Melloi case files (I should watch this too) and Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia to understand what's Waver is doing here all grown-up and a small background between Gilgamesh & Enkidu.
The fake Holy Grail War in Strange Fake doesn't have a Saber in it, and you don't need those incarnation circles to summon legends. And instead of Japan, this war is happening in Snowfield, USA. This special is like a prologue.
Being a special in Fate, the animation is top notch. The entire segment with Gil and Enkidu is a visual eye candy, and there are a bunch of other moments that were neatly packed in a 50 minute special.
What I'm really looking forward to is the plot. Holy Grail war opens the curtain for some interesting ideas. You have legends with their larger than life personalities stealing every moment they are in and you have mages in a cat-&-mouse battle royale. With nearly 20 characters, and this entry being written by the same guy behind Baccano! and Durarara!!, I'm kinda excited to see his spin on Fate.
Conclusion
Hope this helped.
