There are no spoilers in this review.
I just completed my watch through of Fate/Zero season 1. I have to say I was so glad I watched it.
My love of Fate/Stay Night the visual novel helped me enjoy this even more, and the fact Saber had the same voice as in the visual novel was also great. There won't be much that is negative in this review.
Story:
The strongest part of Fate/Zero was the story. This was also true for Fate/Stay Night's visual novel. It flows smoothly, easy to follow, well written and well executed. It gathers excitement for waiting for each next episode and brings great entertainment quality.
Although there was less action than expected but nether the less when there was action it was well executed. This story is also helped by the excellent lore the Fate/ franchise has. Backed up by known historical characters not just simply made up ones it makes it allot more interesting.
Presenting us with the genuine article rather than just the names I felt. I can't for the likes of me come up with anything wrong with it. I suppose I might on a rewatch at a later date.
Tech
There is not much to say, the art style is good, the animation is of high quality, the special effects are grand and sound/soundtrack are all A+. There isn't really anything I can say to really state how good it all was and how much it amplified the enjoyment of the story.
I have to make a special mention to the character designs and the art work on the cars as well. I was blown away by these particular aspects, and an additional mention is to go to the design of Berserker.
All aspects of his appearance and execution gain an EX ranking from me, those who have played Fate/Stay Night should know what this means.
Characters
Now onto characters. As I mentioned in the Tech section all their designs are top notch. Especially Berserker. But as Berserker has lost his sanity the other aspects of his character are lacking, but this may be picked up in season 2. Anyway his connection to his master seems to be minimal in comparison's to Berserker and his master in Fate/Zero.
Now in this section there are a few characters worthy of mentioning for excellence. Rider is one, although I disagree with some of his ideals of what it is to be a king, he is a very faithful servant. He is strong and proud of his master and is loyal. These are all great qualities of a man and I am thankful that he is how he is.
Another is Saber, she lives up to my expectations as a character based off my experience with Fate/Stay Night.
Although it appears she is a little weaker willed in Fate/Zero than in Fate/Stay Night, it is very interesting to speculate how this will be built upon in the next season. Her master is also very interesting it's quite exciting to see how Kiritsugu Emiya was through more than just memories and grants me a better perspective of what he was like. But still both Kiritsugu and Saber are still inferior characters in Fate/Zero to Rider.
Now the last characters I will mention are the little baby girls from Fate/Zero who make appearances throughout the series. It's nice to know what Sakura looked like before her transformation, it's equally as nice to see Rin before she became such a bitch too but out of all of them Illyasviel von Einzbern was the cutest of them all.
It's always heart warming to see the characters happy and enjoying themselves as children.
Conclusion
It is rare for a show to really take advantage of all aspects well, characters, story and tech. I find that Fate/Zero is an important example to what anime is capable of when well executed with a solid story and lore.
Score: EX
