Fate/Zero answers the problem with prequels. How do you make something compelling when the audience already knows how it will all end? Embrace the darkness and finality.
A word of warning, the rest of my review will assume that the reader has already watched Fate/stay night and the first season of Fate/Zero. If you have not, then the best thing you can do is stop now and return after you have seen those chapters in the Fate series.
Fans of Fate/stay night already know that things will end badly for the main characters, after all this is necessary in order for the setup of what the audience has already seen. But unlike the most infamous of dark prequels, Star Wars 1-3, Fate/Zero has the guts to take that challenge and turn it into an opportunity.
The protagonist of Fate/Zero, Kiritsugu Emiya, is presented as a cypher in the first and most of the second seasons. He is shown as absolutely ruthless, a fitting characteristic for the ultimate victor of this round of the Grail war. At the same time, Kiritsugu is oddly compelling since he is the badass of the series -- taking down opponents with guile and strategy rather than the nobleness of his character unlike his successor in Fate/stay night.
Like another cypher in the famous TV series Breaking Bad, Gustavo Fring, the writers eventually take the viewer into the backstory of Kiritsugu with a monster payoff. In an effort to avoid giving out spoilers, lets just say that after you watch the two finest episodes in the franchise, you will not look at the main character in the same light.
Similarly, the primary antagonist in the series, Kirei Kotomine, is also fleshed out nicely. Although his motivations are more unclear then Kiritsugu, the viewer is rewarded with actions that flesh out his "big bad" credentials nicely.
Combined with fan favorite Servants Saber and newcomer Alexander the Great, an excellent supporting cast, and none of the boring filler-subplots that plagued Fate/stay night to its detriment, Fate/Zero provides an excellent story for the anime fan craving more than the typical shounen of broody adolescents grappling with inner doubt and awesome powers. Destined to become a classic piece of anime storytelling Fate/Zero provides the viewer with excellent animation, sound, story, and characters. 10 out of 10, for those that like their anime dark and action packed!
