Also my thoughts on it having the most compact first episode ever haven't changed.
But I've watched through it again. I've matured, and started watching Fate/Stay Night (unlimited blade works) and have come to realize one, discrete fact.
Fate/Zero is simply one of the greatest shows ever.
10/10, 5 Stars, 100% Rotten Tomatoes. Awesometacular (if I may quoteth the one JeremyJahns). Whatever you want.
Like I said, when I first went through it, I thought it was great. The artwork was amazing to me, the story was very deep. But, there were still some things holding it back, like the in and out play of Kariya and how we cut away for two episodes with Kiritsugu's backstory. I didn't get it, nor did I appreciate it.
As such, those were some of the things I went back and took a look at watching again, and I've come to get why those elements are in play the way they are because of it. I also figured out the ending, thank goodness.
So, what's this show about? I won't cheat you guys out of a synopsis even if this is just a re-review. The show centers around what is known as the "Holy Grail War" in which the Holy Grail chooses seven mages from around the world to fight to the death over its omnipotence, and will grant the winner of this battle an undeniable wish.
Part of the mystery of the show is if the Holy Grail is indeed the Holy Grail. You never find out until the end, but it also becomes something of an afterthought compared to its power. Everyone in the show is aware of the fact that the Grail will grant any wish, so eleven out of the fourteen Masters/Servants have a desire for it.
Our main characters are a former mercenary, with some magical abilities, Kiritsugu Emiya who along with his wife, Irisveil von Einzbern, have taken it upon themselves to claim the Grail. The Einzberns in the past have been prominent members of the Grail War, though have yet to claim it, thus Kiritsugu has decided to take it upon himself to fight for them. Their greatest challenge comes in the form of the rival family, the Tohsakas, primarily Tokiomi Tohsaka and his apprentice, a former priest, Kirei Kotomine (voiced by my favorite voice actor Crispin Freeman in the English Dub, by the way).
The whole shtick with the Grail War is how it is fought. The Grail chooses seven mages to become "Masters," and in turn, these Masters are able to summon heroes of legend from Earth's history into modern times to fight for them, calling them "Servants." Our main, protagonist Servant comes in the form of King Artoria Pendragon, whom you may know as King Arthur. Yeah, in this show they have the twist that King Arthur was merely a woman posing as a man the entire time. She's still great, my second favorite character on the show.
There are, of course, other great legends, but I won't ruin who they are. It's part of the fun trying to figure it out before the show tells you.
Each of the Servants have very strong abilities and thus are able to do some major combat. The Masters, most of them, are all pretty skilled, too, so it can make for some great action scenes. Unlike in Fate/Stay Night, it's rare to see a Master and Servant fighting, which is fair in my opinion. The mages in this show know their limits. Not only that, but there are some deadly Master-Servant combinations you don't want to go near.
In terms of story, it's all basically one big game of chess, but it's played out masterfully. There's actually a scene in the show where one of the Servants is trying to figure everything out on his chess board with all of the different statues of the Servants, it's pretty neat to put things into perspective. Typically, the Masters in the show try to make very advanced strategies and then strike when the opportunity appears. There are some storylines that stray off of the war, though, such as the tragic stuff with Kariya or the absolutely horrendous doings of Ryuunosuke.
Speaking of, just to touch on this briefly, this is a mature show. No joke, there are some very twisted and dark elements that make you pretty sick to your stomach watching it. The show is rarely lighthearted and is almost always an intense one. This is especially the case with Ryuunosuke and Caster and what drives them, as well as the upbringing of Kiritsugu.
But it's also a pretty serious matter at hand, when dealing with the Holy Grail and it's wish granting abilities. The person who gets the Grail had better have good intentions, because in the hands of a psycho, things could get ugly.
Though, this is where the show really stands out, in what it means to get the Grail. Kiritsugu fights for the Holy Grail to save the world, to rid it of all evil and death. To do this, though, he sacrifices a lot and makes himself a monster in the eyes of many, including his own Servant, Saber. Kariya Mato fights for the Grail to save, well, someone, and goes through tortures beyond belief for this reason. There are some wishes that are a bit typical, such as Rider wanting reincarnation and Saber looking to go back in time and save Britain from imminent destruction, but that's forgivable.
Let's just take a look at the implication here, though: to get the Grail, to win, you have to do the exact opposite of what you should do. The show really asks the question: if given the opportunity and without boundaries, what would you do for the ultimate wish? If on the battlefield with no way out but death for both sides to get the wish to save the world or get your life back, how many will you take down before you end the bloodshed?
Not once does it answer this question, because it's essentially impossible to answer. Instead, it gives you the reason why the characters do what they have to, with Kariya and Kiritsugu's coming the quickest and Kirei's coming only toward the end, a very slow-building advancement toward the revelation of what his true wish is. The reasons themselves are very in-depth and add a lot to the characters.
In Fate/Zero, you get attached to the small cast of characters very quickly, because it's so compact. Even Servants not in major roles like Lancer are still held pretty high. Just to side-track, Lancer is also my favorite character in the show. Why? Because he's a knight, true and through to the end. He expresses chivalry and loyalty throughout the show and you really do feel for the guy that he gets such a punk master. Then again, there really are only two Masters that are decent people. He's just such an awesome character and he's a blast to watch and see how he reacts to various situations. Not one to turn down a fight and back away from having to kill his opponent, but knows when it's time to fight the good fight, too.
With such a tight cast, it really hits home when characters start dying. Last time I reviewed this, I attributed this show to HBO's Game of Thrones, where if you get attached you will feel it eventually. I'm not going to argue with that point, it's just that GoT has a much larger cast. With this, you get a grip for who you're rooting for early on. Be it Saber, Lancer, or Rider. If you find yourself liking Archer, then, well, I mean you're entitled to your opinion but I really hate Archer. Can't stand the guy.
Character deaths and big character moments also play out in a very dramatic fashion. No music, no other noise but their final words. It's always something that resonates in the episode it is in, even if it's in an episode that is already packed with events happening. Most of the big moments come with the Servants, as they are the ones on the front-lines and they are the battle-hardened heroes of old. But, there are also some pretty dramatic moments with the Masters, such as with Kiritsugu and Ilya in the beginning or with Kirei and Tokiomi toward the end. There's a great big mess of stuff that happens with Saber and Lancer in the direct middle that rips my heart out every time.
Every. Time.
But, guys, what is a fantasy anime without two key factors: fight sequences and music. Since I talked about the fight sequences a lot last time, I'll get to that first.
They're awesome. Seriously, the fights here are very fast-paced and beautifully animated. I don't think I've seen better animation in fight sequences. There's a perfect blend of slight CGI with the already great animation of the characters that goes very well. Almost every move is enunciated when the Servant takes a strike, and the use of magic in the fights between Masters is great.
Overall, though, I'd say that the animation for the show is amazing. It captures the expressions on everyone's faces perfectly in every situation that comes their way. There is some gore, but, not too much of it. Just enough that you would expect in a mature series. For it's time, too, the animation is awesome. Particularly when it came out the same year as Sword Art Online, which was great as well. I just think that the fantasy yet almost realistic feel of the animation elevates it to essential perfection.
The same composer for Sword Art Online also did the score for Fate/Zero, and I absolutely love this score. The music isn't always very intense but it's always right there for when the moment calls for it. Since there are very few battles in the show that are low-key, the music is always very epic, almost music you would expect in a huge war-fantasy movie but is instead a battle between two or three Servants. The music is most shown off at the end of the season in the great battle that involved literally all but one Servant--because, you know, they died and stuff.
Combined with great music, amazing fight sequences, and a story that captures you from the very moment you figure out what the hay is going on, Fate/Zero is a show you need to check out/ put on your bucket list. Be prepared for very grotesque moments that may make you cringe, but they are far outweighed by the moments where you're staring open-mouthed at the screen at what has just gone down. It's some serious stuff. And don't be confused at all the other "Fate/" shows, because, I was at first and it confused me and took away form it a little.
All you really need to know is that you should watch Fate/Zero now, and when done, watching Fate/Stay Night (unlimited blade works), because the latter is so far serving as a wonderful sequel to the former. Just saying, it's very good as well.
If you want to stay up to date on when I post, be sure to follow me on Twitter @seanovan13 and Instagram @seanovan13. Thanks for reading!
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