Anime: Fate/Zero (2012)

In most of the plots I cannot compassionate with the characters.

Why do they want to compete for the holy grail in the first place? Competitors will very likely die, I don't feel it is worth it to risk your and your families life for any wishes no matter hot great it is. In the end Kiritsugu said his wish is "World peace", are you a beauty pageant?

The characters talk too much gibberish. Archer repeats again and again that he is arrogant guy and have the illusion that he owns everything. Saber and lancer spent a lot of time on Chivalry and integrity in combat
, which I have no patience for. Rider spent time building his character as a dominant conqueror. Caster talks about his ideology as a crazy evil guy. All of these I cannot compassionate.

This is a review of parts 1 and 2 of the series as a whole. Spoiler free.

As someone who has always enjoyed historical legends and heroic fighters in a fantasy setting I was instantly drawn to look into this series. The base concept of the series is a group of magi summoning heroic spirits of legend to fight for them in a battle royal style fight over a magical item said to grant any wish, The Holy Grail.

The setting gives way to an abundant amount of possible outcomes and situations for the viewer to experience and enjoy. The tone of the show is instantly set the moment you begin watching it. It's mature and serious. If you're looking for something lighthearted to watch this wouldn't be it. On the other hand if you're looking for a series that has meaningful character interaction, a powerful story and some well written characters you've come to the right show.

The story can be heavy at first when starting with an hour long episode, but all of the info is needed to understand everything that's going on. As an English speaker I must admit when I first started the show in Sub I was having a hard time and even dropped it for awhile, but since the English Dub had an excellent cast I chose to go with it instead since the series could be dialog heavy at times. This instantly helped me keep track of everything more easily.

At first with all the technical information being shot at the viewer it can be a bit overwhelming at first but as you start to settle in and follow along it all starts to click. As stated before the story is what i would describe as "heavy". The series has dark tones and themes throughout, dealing with human nature and desire. It has some of the deepest character conflict I've ever seen in a series, as characters struggle with their own personal ideals and beliefs. What really stands out in the series is the constant back and forth between characters and their interactions between one another as these ideals clash with each other.

This brings me to the characters. You can have a really good story but with some horrible characters that bring it down completely, but then you can have really good characters with a terrible story that cause you to enjoy the series just from those characters alone. Fate/Zero does have a pretty cut and dry story at its core (Battle Royal style fight for a magical object that can grant a wish), but its the characters who are put into that story's setting and how they interact and their actions that make that story move forward so interesting. The aspects of each character of the series gets explored very well and each one of them has a defining moment in the series. Something special I love about this series is no character is perfect. ALL of them have some kind of flaw like any person would have. This allows for interesting characters that constantly keep you engaged.

As far as the sound quality goes, Yuki Kajiura does a fantastic job on the sound track. The music fits perfectly for this fantasy thriller and the music enhances each scene only to help immerse one's self into Fate/Zero even more. I've found myself going back to listen to the shows OST often just for background music for whatever I may be doing at the time. As far as sound quality goes, the Sub and Dub are both excellent since I have heard them both at this point, but I must say I think if want to give the series a shot as an English speaker I have to say this is one of the few dubs that in some ways surpasses the original Japanese in certain aspects. The emotion the English actors and actress put into this is very clear. Very notably Kari Wahlgren (Saber) and Matthew Mercer (Kiritsugu) do an amazing job at conveying emotions when it really counts, though honestly so does the whole voice cast, those two just deserve a special mention.

The art and animation quality is just astonishing. There is -NEVER- any flat colors. The air itself has texture and life, and any CGI blends nearly effortlessly in with the 2D animation. At no point while watching was I ever jarred or became un-immersed because of it. I cannot stress enough about how mind blowing and well done the animation of this series is. Ufotable did an amazing job with it and I have to say that really only anime movies come close to the level of quality this 25 episode series has. Ufotable really knew how to spend the budge they were given for this.

This series is something that to me is really deserving of words like "Epic" or "Masterpiece" words that get thrown around too often in my opinion. I enjoyed it so much and it had a good deal of re-watch value, I've always found something new and interesting each time I watch it.

This series honestly has made an impact on my life in a few ways, and I think mot anime and even non-anime fans should at the very least give it a try.

Note: This review only covers the last remaining episodes of Fate/Zero. Thus this review may be missing some comments that I found better to leave for the first season. To fully understand my analysis I recommend reading both reviews.

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Review
Fate/Zero made a good impact. It delivered quite a powerful show, full of darker elements, some nice degree of complexity in the Holy Grail War, a nice initial cast, and as a whole it felt as a super-improved version of Fate/Stay Night. The decentralized cast was also another big strength of the show, making it more unique and with a far better narrative. It had its issues, like too much dialogue, heroic spirits praising each others power far more than necessary, and a lack of truly impactful and important events for the plot. This second season is all about creating these impactful moments. It does a good job, but also loses itself and offers a lighter and more shounen-like experience than before.

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1. Some bizarre combats
   Well, combats got a step above. The first season's last episode already showed a big CGI monster, promising combats would get quite large and important. That certainly happens but... hell, an airplane? Jet fights? Motorcycle races? I wasn't expecting these kind of combats or even the presence of such things. They are nicely done, doing a far better job than the 2D-based fights and pursuits, but can be labeled as unfit. The rest is basically the same as the first season, so there's little to comment.
   
   Resuming where it left
   So the big, cthulhu-like enemy was not a good cliffhanger to the last season. However, it managed to make the second season start with a bang. Action, lots of action. The whole backstabing and scheming from the first season gives space to combats, aircraft pursuits, motorcycle, army-attacks, and tons of other stuff that are all about impact and pleasing those who demanded more excitement. Surely the aircraft at the first episode seems completely useless and out of place, especially when one of them is piloted by a medieval king... how did he manage to get an alien-like jet back in the years of ancient Babylonia? Well.. better not ask, the guy is psycho.
   
   Finally the importat stuff comes to screen
   Besides some unfit happenings, we finally get loads of important events to the plot. Characters finally start to truly die. Servants start to get more spotlight. And most importantly, the story unfolds in a very good pace. Most events are filled with action-oriented events and we still have more dialogue than normal, but a few episodes returning to the past, schemes put into work, and the outcomes of most of the fights are far more interesting and addictive. It's exactly everything the first season missed.
   
   Character focus
   Fate/Zero lacked character development in the first season, mainly because it focused on introducing them to the viewer. It made the show feel decentralized, and the different points of view offered a very good understanding of the whole Holy Grail War. In this second season the decentralization is reduced. You'll see Kiritsugu taking the role of a protagonist and Kirei finally becoming the villain. The rest of the cast is reduced drastically mostly due to their permanent deaths. This makes more room to show Kiritsugu's past and develop Kirei's mysterious side, as well as giving lots of shinning time to Archer.
   
   This is exactly what was expected from the heavy character building in the first season. And while the cast remains fairly cliche'd at the end, they get their load of development and have a few little changes in their personalities. One important aspect to note is that Fate/Zero, unlike many shows that divided its seasons, does not present you a new cast here and avoid the common mistake of overflooding the show with flashy characters. This may look something simple to do, but most anime and mangas fail, so it's worth giving Fate/Zero a praise to keep its cast focused.
   
   It's a refresher
   Fate/Zero in the end is quite a remarkable show. It uses a good premise to give you a nice plot, cast, and a a few great moments. It's execution is nicely done, only suffering with more dialogues than necessary and the unfit aircraft fight. In resume, it's a show that has very few issues, and most importantly, it's one of the rare shows these days to fully adopt a serious atmosphere from start to finish. It has its loads of nice fights and flashiness to please a younger audience, but it serves better as a refresher to fans of a more mature story. It's good to see a few shows today still want to please an older audience and those who like plots full of schemers and backstabbers. This gives hopes that perhaps we can be saved from the lolis and ecchiness that every show falls unto.
   
   Addicting value
   Fate/Zero, in its first season, lacked important events and had fights that were constantly interrupted by large explanatine dialogues. Here we are saved with loads of important events, exciting moments, and a far smaller amount of dialogues to break the mood of a fight. The overall show is more about addicting the viewer, using deaths and twists to force you to watch one episode after the next. There are even some episodes dedicated to development and showing a few past events, so it's not overwhelmed by the shounen fights. Those who liked the first season will certainly enjoy this conclusion. Those who didn't liked won't find much of a change in the atmosphere besides more action.
   

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Comments
Fate/Zero is what we are missing in these recent seasons. A show that combines nice fights, dramatic moments, plots that are complex without being utterly insane, and the most important thing: without resorting to sexy young girls and loads of fanservice. The small cameos and a few fights are a bit stupid, but nothing harmful. In fact, the only fight that really frustrated me was one of the last ones... so much hype about it, the whole series making you expect it... and it simply ends in a second without anything truly happening besides a few thrown swords (hell, how I hate how Gilgamesh barely moves... it's like the animators were lazy to make him move a sword or even walk).

Still, those looking for a good shounen show with enough amounts of complexity won't find many like Fate/Zero these days. A great refresher and a solid show to all anime fans.

Art & Animation
The animation work compared to "Fate Stay Night" is way better. The details are awesome and the special effects are above average. The characters are nicely done and the anime itself is like sending you to a fantasy world a tad different than the real one - with monsters, mages, knights and other things. The battles are very nicely animated as well as the other stuff you will get to see in this anime.

Sound
For me the voices and soundtracks in Fate/Zero were not as great as I expected them do be. There are other anime out there that have better sounds than Fate/Zero, but I believe that it was done a good job on it. From the emotions of the characters to the background sound and music - I see not many fails at all.

Story
Fate/Zero is the prequel of Fate Stay Night and shows the actions and masters of the previous Holy Grail war.
The story of Fate/Zero is captivating for those who like the series or any other person who understands the meaning behind the words. The development is good and there is even some background on the characters so I believe any viewer will be satisfied with it.

Characters
The show presents a variety of characters that will captivate any anime lover.


Value
Although the anime itself is good and enjoyable, I would rather say it's something that I would watch only sometimes like 1-2 times per year to get to feel the story all over again. If combined with Fate Stay Night it makes a good way to spend a week of doing nothing at home and relaxing. The historical figures in the show make the watcher see other points of view and seeing it more than once may change your view of some charracters and moments.

Enjoyment
I personally enjoyed watching Fate/Zero, because I am a fan of the series. Although it wasn't made exactly as I imagined it would be it still had its moments to surprise , make me cry and laugh. Seeing the relationships between masters and servants is really amusing and watching some of the battles takes the breath out of ya.

FATE ZERO SUXXX AND IF YOU LIKE IT YOU ARE BAD AND SHOULD FEEL BAD. RAWAWAWAWAWAWAWR.

There. Do I have your attention now? And naw. I didn't dislike the second season of F/Z at all. On to the review, which will be more or less a comparison to the first season.

Animation and Sound:

As with the first season, non-CGI animations are gorgeous and smooth. Character models and backdrops are still detailed, rich and unique... all of which is a good thing.

However, this season also inherited the fact that anything CGI that they throw at us stands out like a... like a... an elephant in the middle of an open field during a sunny day. And that is not good. Apart from the creatures mentioned in my review of the first season,
I, for one, would have liked to see some improvement in this department, but... you can't always have nice things, can you?

As for sound, once again it is very well executed, both in voice acting, sound effects and music. Once again, however, the OP and ED songs were passable. And, once again, too many anglicanisms for my liking. But, as I said once before, this is most likely not the fault of the sound department. But still, too many engrish words hurt my ears.

Story:

One must give kudos where kudos are due, and I believe that this is an area that was done better than in the first season. Pacing gets better after the first few episodes, and even the talking during the action scenes was handled in a better way. And the two episodes that could be considered 'fillers' actually had a purpose this time (character development), although I do believe they could have been condensed into a single one and still have the same effect.

This does not change the fact that I am (and will probably always be) at odds with the whole Fate lore and its inconsistent thingamajigs, but from a purely technical standpoint, this part of the second season was handled well... after the extremely disappointing first few event of the season, that is.



Characters:

We get a fully established cast for this, from the first season, and that's actually cool. A few of them develop further, a few not at all, but, all in all, they never really outgrow their two-attribute personalities. Okay, so maybe a few of them get extra attributes added, such as "evil", "who wants to save the world" or "confused", but those new sparkly things don't really change their previous attributes, and usually come with a lot of added angst. Not that I dislike angst, but sometimes (and in excess), it does feel forced.



And the historical innacuracies did continue to bother me, especially those concerning Saber and, as a consequence of that, Berserker.

Value and Enjoyment:

While clearly the best show of this season, I don't think I'll be watching this one again, and I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone else, as I dislike the lore of the whole Fate universe. Actually, I would recommend it to anyone who happened to like F/S N. But then again, anyone who likes F/S N has probably watched F/Z as well.

Definitely a good show, and better than its first season, but just not really my cup of tea.

AND one thing that seriously hampered my enjoyment of this was knowing how it would end and, consequently, that it would have to be what gives birth to the overhyped atrocity called Fate/Stay Night.

All in all, Fate/Zero is a good anime, especially in this second season, but I believe that, to anyone who is not a fan of the whole Fate thing, it's definitely not all that people say it is.