Fate/Zero 2nd Season フェイト/ゼロ 2ndシーズン

2012 spring | Episodes: 12 | Score: 8.5 (729435)

Updated every Sundays at 00:00 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Producers:Aniplex | Nitroplus | Seikaisha | Notes

Streaming: Crunchyroll | Netflix

Synopsis

As the Fourth Holy Grail War rages on with no clear victor in sight, the remaining Servants and their Masters are called upon by Church supervisor Risei Kotomine, in order to band together and confront an impending threat that could unravel the Grail War and bring about the destruction of Fuyuki City. The uneasy truce soon collapses as Masters demonstrate that they will do anything in their power, no matter how despicable, to win. Seeds of doubt are sown between Kiritsugu Emiya and Saber, his Servant, as their conflicting ideologies on heroism and chivalry clash. Meanwhile, an ominous bond forms between Kirei Kotomine, who still seeks to find his purpose in life, and one of the remaining Servants. As the countdown to the end of the war reaches zero, the cost of winning begins to blur the line between victory and defeat. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Irino, Miyu

Koyama, Rikiya

Seki, Tomokazu

Nakata, Jouji

Kawasumi, Ayako

Ohara, Sayaka

News

Reviews

GloriousCount
03/11/2019, 02:56 PM
This review covers both seasons because they're both parts of the same story and reviewing them individually is stupid. Fate/zero is yet another badly written anime by the shitty writer gen urobuchi and this review explains why. I'll talk about the good aspects of fate/zero and then the majority of the review will be the bad aspects (because there are too many) the mediocre aspects are anything that i don't end up mentioning The Good:- 1- Great Visuals that make the scenes and the backgrounds in the anime look great, but the anime doesn't have alot of animation in it. 2- high quality instruments and sound effects, but the soundtrackitself is not that amazing in fact most of it is forgettable. The Bad:- 1- the grail war in this anime never had any clear rules at all. No rules were mentioned at the beginning, instead the writer inserted any rules he wanted as the anime went on, even the basis of how magic works were unclear and he wrote them as he went on and made magic adjust to any given situation, which shows how badly written this anime is. An example of this is Kirei blocking Kiritsugu's origin bullets using command spells which doesn't make any sense. 2- Character problems:- The masters Kiritsugu Emiya: used to live happily in an island and after like five minutes it turns into hell with zombie infection, so cheesy and unrealistic, then he kills his father who raised him because he was only partly and indirectly responsible for the zombie infection and it was only by accident, it seems like the writer doesn't even know how people normally behave. Kotomine Kirei: starts as a normal guy who works with tokiomi but after archer tells him that he seems intrested in kariya's tragedy he gets rewritten into a one-dimensional villan by instantly betraying tokiomi and seeking the grail that will help him understand himself, which is dumb since an individual normally understands himself more than anyone else, like i said earlier, the writer doesn't even know how people normally behave. Matou Kariya: who suffers to join the war so he can save sakura, but fails to do so and suffers even more, the only reason he exists is because the writer is obsessed with tragedy, kariya's story has no point, no meaning, it's a complete waste of time. El-Melloi Archibald Kayneth: an uninteresting and boring asshole. The servants Saber (king arthur): ripping a character straight from historical books into your anime without bothering to include her background which is necessary to understand her unremarkable struggles in the anime, it seems like the writer has achieved new levels of bad storytelling. Berserker (Sir Lancelot):same problem as saber. Caster & his master(Gilles de Rais & Ryuunosuke): both of them don't even care about the grail, they simply spend their time killing kids and talking about how they enjoy killing kids, they're too delusional to even see the possible consequences of their actions like being the first ones killed in the grail war, which actually happens, but why are these characters in the anime anyways? oh yeah because they need SHOCKING scenes in it to attract viewers who only care about SHOCK FACTOR. Archer (gilgamesh): an egoistical asshole with hax god powers (which he used to kill rider) he doesn't have to worry about anything thanks to his hax powers, which lets him remain as an egoistical asshole with zero character development till the end, he could have also won the war straight from the beginning but he doesn't care about the war, why is he in this anime again? You can remove him from the anime without any changes. 3- Shoehorned philosophy & themes. The writer adds unnecessary philosophy & themes to the anime with a very bad handling of them. - the anime wasted time by having rider and archer talk about how they think saber was not a good king, her life as a king was not shown in the anime and wasn't even part of the anime story in the first place, so why are they discussing it? It makes no sense, even if it made sense it still wouldn't matter because it doesn't affect the anime story, and why are they referring to her as king? she's a woman which makes her a queen. - after lancer's death saber complains about Kiritsugu's evil actions in the grail war, out of stupidity she forgets that he will use the grail to end war. then Kiritsugu claims that honor and valor are the cause of war and bloodshed, yet any one with half a brain can tell how stupid that claim is, the people who got honor from war did it by not commiting war crimes against anyone during war and did what it takes to reduce the losses and hatered of war after it was over, the war itself was not caused or started by them ,The people who cause or start a war usually do it for other reasons without bothering to think of the consequences, they can't do it because of honor since it has no way of starting a war by itself, there is always another reason behind it, if the writer knows of significant bloodshed caused by honor he should mention and explain it, otherwise it comes of as pretentious and stupid, another fact is almost everybody nowadays knows that war itself is bad and nobody think's that war itself is honorable or anything, yet Kiritsugu acts like he figured out something special, it's as if the writer lives in his own small world and keeps including topics in the anime that he himself doesn't even understand. 4- The ending:- Which literally ruined the entire story with it's bullshit. At the beginning everyone talks about how the grail will grant any wish and nobody doubts it at all and they do all it takes to win the grail but then right at the end it's revealed that the grail won't actually grant any wish, more specificly it won't be able to grant the wish of the winner (Kiritsugu) and then it explodes and kills everything around him, this happened because the grail was cursed before fate/zero and that's only known in other parts of the fate franchise which you have to through to understand this because it wasn't mentioned or probably foreshadowed at any part of the fate/zero anime, if fate/zero doesn't even make sense on it's own and has many writing problems then how can it be any better than the rest of the fate (porn game) franchise? even if the grail got cursed, then why didn't any of the characters know about the curse or doubt the grail? it makes no sense either. and this ending basically makes the entire anime feel like a pointless waste of time. Kiritsugu, after bad writing destroyed everything he was doing without any explained reason is still happy because he saved and adopted shirou at the end which ties this with fate/stay night, yay i don't care.
TakaCode
11/09/2016, 12:06 PM
Hello everybody Shawn aka TheKazeTrigger here and welcome to my first MVM Entertainment anime review project. For the first anime I will be reviewing is Fate/Zero. Now I have mixed opinions of the Fate franchise because while my thoughts on Unlimited Blade Works by Ufotable are mixed and I personally hate the Deen adaptions of Fate Stay Night. I thought my love with the Fate franchise will die out because of this. Did my love for Fate Zero die out or it's still going strong as ever? Well let's find out. Story.The story of Fate Zero revolves on something call the Holy Grail War. A Holy Grail war is a war between seven servants as well as seven masters (Magic Users) who through the power of the grail summon heroic spirits who are the people of legend, history fame, or myth. They all battle which each other to claim ownership of the grail which is said to be able to grant the owner any wish. The story of Fate/Zero is really good in my opinion because unlike it's squeal Fate Stay Night which was inconsistent Fate Zero stay consistent from start to finish containing some of the best story direction I have ever seen. Fate Zero is the story of the 4th Holy Grail War 10 years pearl to the events of the 5th Holy Grail War in Fate Stay Night what really separates this war for that is the player themselves. Unlike in Fate Stay Night where the war focus on entirely on the main protagonist here it's much bigger more diverse, and more mature and This is war done right! Aliens and betrayals, well planned and thought out strategies and deposition, well directed fight sequences, really relatable characters movable tons, world building that is fully fleshed out. Not to mention I really adore the use of heavy dialogue and exposition as seen in episode 1 and for that reason episode 1 of Fate Zero is one of my favourite first anime episodes in anime and it's in my top 30 favourite anime episodes. In short Fate Zero has it all! The story is original, externally well written, unpredictable, hardly and black and whites and it will keep you edge to your seat when watching, The ending of Fate/Zero is great and it really fits with the theme of Fate/Zero. I won't spoil the ending here because this ending is a experience that you should watch for your own viewing. Fate/Zero also does an amazing job exploring its themes such as prides, responsibilities of being a king, sacrifices, tragicly, survival and future. I honestly cannot find any flaws with the story because the execution of the story is just wonderful. 10/10 Characters. The characters of Fate/Zero are very mature and well written compare to the cast of Fate Stay Night where they immature as hell and they usually fall into generic character tropes. The thing that makes the character cast so special is that doesn't really have a main character least for a while. All of the masters and servants are explored in depth and we get to see the war through each of their perspectives. Completely different to its squeal series Fate Stay Night. Not to mention the character interactions with each other because unlike in Fate Stay Night where the character interactions are stiff, forced and sometimes have no substance at all Fate Zero character interactions are believable, relatable and have a great impact of the outcome of the 4th Holy Grail War. My favourite characters in Fate/Zero is Rider and Waver because not only they are great entrainment character but they are well written from start to finish. Not to mention Rider and Waver are some of the best duo I have ever seen in anime. This is all thanks to Gen Urobuchi. If you guys don't know about him Gen Urobuchi is the series composition of Madoka Magica, Psycho Pass, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet and Fate/Zero. Gen Urobuchi has a habit of writing ideologies rather than characters and fate zero is the prime example of that. Most of the character aren't really fleshed out or well developed They serve more as physical embodiment of the individual ideals rather than actual people. The focus is on the character interactions and not necessarily the characters themselves. All of the characters in Fate/Zero are really complex characters making for a nice change from the typically Black and White approach as well generic that squeal series Fate Stay Night suffers from. Also by the time you figure out who's good or evil chances are they already been killed in the battlefield. Besides that this character cast is nothing but amazing. 9.5/10 Art/Animation. Visually Fate/Zero is one of the best looking anime I have ever seen. Ufotable absolutely really did a wonderful job here as the animation is some of the best animation I have ever seen for a TV series. The action sequences are unbelievably beautiful and the choreography is just perfect. Also unpopular option I think the art/animation here is better than Fate Stay Night UBW (TV) while the fights in UBW (TV) are greatly animated most of slice of life bits were kinda too bright and sometimes the character designs are not properly drawn and feel like plastic at times if you look very closely on the character during those scenes. The character deigns in Fate/Zero well thought out, very well drawn, animated and consistent from start to finish. I personally have no complaints with the art and animation. 11/10 I definitely broke the scale for this one. Sound. The soundtrack is just epic. This is Yuki Kajiura at her best because she utilises those badass choir vocals endlessly to give nearly every track that feel of epicness. Fate/Zero has 2 opening and ending themes and they are all just epic and very catchy in they own way. Now for dub or sub. To be honest go for what you want because both the Japanese and English voice actors really did a great job with they performance making each role more satisfying to the audience. I would say go for both sub and dub for this one. 10/10 Final Thoughts. Fate/Zero is one of the best animes I have ever seen from 2010s era of anime and its one of the most entering rides I have ever been on. The story was addicting and seeing the characters ideologies clash with each other was absolute thrill. The animation is absolutely beautiful and the soundtrack is fitting epic from start to finish. Also both sub and dub are flawless in my eyes. It accomplishes something a few prequels have and far surpassing its sequel Fate Stay Night. At time point I mention why is Fate/Zero is better than Fate Stay Night and that because it is. Fate Zero manages to fix everything that I hated about Fate Stay Night and in my opinion Fate/Zero makes any anime adaptation of Fate Stay Night look like a joke by comparison. Fate/Zero is one of the best animes I have ever seen and its now in my top 15 favourites anime of all time. Fate Zero is a modern classic that should not be missed by anyone. I give Fate/Zero Both Seasons a 10/10 ( Masterpiece of war) Fate/Zero is available from MVM Entertainment in the UK and they currently licensed both seasons on DVD and Blu Ray. If you can Fate/Zero is a must buy on Blu Ray for the better viewing experience. The DVD version of Fate/Zero is surprisingly good compare to the blurry looking Fate/Stay Night UBW (TV) on DVD which was a ugly experience in my opinion Anime recommendations. Fullmetal alchemist Brotherhood Code Geass Kara no Kyoukai Hellsing Ultimate. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu (Legend of the Galactic Heroes) Anyway this was Shawn aka TheKazeTrigger and I will see you guys next time. Next anime review for my MVM Entertainment anime review project will be The Familiar of Zero S1 or Bakemonogatari.
zyke
08/01/2015, 05:38 PM
For a show that heavily relies on dialogue, it sure was lacking in the quality of dialogue. I often found myself bored with whatever they were talking about, mainly because the plot was boring and all the characters had many unappealing traits which made me not care about them. If you want to watch a show with very dull dialogue and irrational people fighting over a fairy tale relic, this show is definitely for you. Only good part in fate/zero was its action sequences, but that alone isnt enough to make show interesting.
awerture
04/18/2015, 04:14 PM
For the love of Holy Grail, if you have never watched anything from Fate/Stay Night franchise under any circumstances DO NOT watch Fate/Zero first! I'll hold an even stronger statement - don't watch it at all. I've just made this grievous mistake, because I had listened to advice given on youtube by several self-proclaimed anime gurus. And now how pissed I am! Sheesh! Firstly, it ruined much of the experience of Fate/Stay Night. And secondly, I strongly believe Fate/Zero is crap. I am aware this warning and review will probably fall on deaf ears, because of the way unfavorable reviews are treated by MAL users. ButI'll be content if I am able to save at least one soul from the disaster this anime is. Let me elaborate on my background - when I started to watch this series I knew only that Fate/Zero is prequel, supposedly much superior to its successor. And that it was written by the same guy who wrote Madoka Magica. I knew nothing about characters, basic premises and how this story ends. So it will be easier for creators to impress me, immerse me in their fantastical world and make me care for what happens. Or so I thought. Oh boy, how I was wrong. This anime has massive flaws in its narrative. And it is not even the main story itself - it's of course ridiculous but it would eventually do. However the pacing of it is atrocious. The anime disguises itself as interesting in its first 5 episodes, there is some introduction, then almost right off the bat we hop into a duel between characters. And then... then almost nothing happens for the next 8 episodes. The entire first season should be actually called Fate/Zero Action or, equally accurately, Fate/All Talk. Ok, maybe I'm somewhat unfair, there were some skirmishes, though utterly insignificant. Then around second half something indeed started to happen - but it was still interrupted by All Talk episodes (I still get shivers remembering an episode containing conversation between certain priest and Gilgamesh). And, don't you have wrong impression - I'm not some action junkie. I was annoyed simply because discussion and character development episodes were just criminally uninteresting. It's beyond describable how one doesn't care for virtually any of the characters in this story. Given how much time the anime spends on exposing their back-stories and motivations it is fail of epic proportions. It is partially because this whole exposition is handled very poorly. After the whole show I still don't understand e. g. what is the actual cause of intense rivalry between main protagonist and main antagonist. Additionally narrative is prone to raise some significantly-looking issue (or character) and then to drop it for long or even forever. And there is this most important issue, which even one character in the story (Gilgamesh I suppose) noticed - how abysmally dull are most of these characters' motivations. It makes you automatically yawn at the mere sight of them. There are some events which simulate plot twists, but there are all so boring and the reasons for them so contrived they are not something to speak of. In other words - it's impossible for a viewer to care if character X treacherously kills character Y, when you couldn't care less neither for X nor for Y. Ok, so maybe at least fight scenes redeem the show? No! Most of them are astonishingly anti-climactic, including two of the three final ones. BTW not only fights are anti-climactic. So is the ending, concluded thanks to idiotic Diabolus ex Machina. And after having watched this I saw juvenile shounen-like Fate/Stay Night anime series from 2006. It's almost beyond my belief that MAL users (as of early 2015) rate Fate/Zero so well and F/SN so badly. Yes, 2006 anime is cliched. Its stereotypical high-school protagonist whines too much. There is a generic romance plot. Hell, the whole coming-of-mage plot is ultra generic. And yes, it's more light-hearted. But still I liked it more, even though I was spoiled by prequel. The creators of F/Zero failed to notice that it's not enough to be "darker and edgier" to have a good plot and interesting characters. The art part of the anime is only thing in which creators didn't fail. But it annoys me that more, when I watch skillfully sound-tracked, brilliantly animated boring fights between inexplicably boring characters. [warning: bad puns ahead] I strongly advice all of you to stay in the dark night when it comes to Fate/Zero. Although the story deserves clear zero points, animation, sound and the fact that Saber is always fully-clothed wind up the total score to 4/10 (or 3/10 for first season alone). Alternatively: It's possible that my above rant is the result of watching this show prematurely. The writers of the series from my perspective put emphasis on such weird places of their story that it makes plausible that I'm seriously missing something. Conclusion, once again, DO NOT WATCH IT BEFORE FATE/STAY NIGHT.
lawlmartz
03/24/2015, 07:13 PM
"Those who desire to rise as high as our human condition allows, must renounce intellectual pride, the omnipotence of clear thinking, belief in the absolute power of logic." -Alexis Carrel Overview: Fate/Zero takes place on the stage of Fuyuki, a city based on modern day Kobe. Here, seven masters chosen by the Holy Grail- an omnipotent wish granting device- gather to do battle. The seven human masters, each from disparate backgrounds, experiences, and creeds assemble, and are granted a "servant", or the spirit of a fallen hero from ages past given physical form. With these servants, the masters wage a proxy war in the formof a battle royale: the last master/servant duo standing is the winner, as declared by the Holy Church. The pair is then granted a wish: that which they desire most. Animation and Art: 10 Here's where Fate/Zero and ufotable really earned their keep. It’s plain to see that this show had an enormous budget: a good percentage of it was spent in the animation department, and spent well. The 3D animation is an absolute gold standard for how modern day AAA anime titles can and SHOULD look. It’s absolutely incredible to behold when the 3D CGI meshes with the hand drawn animation onscreen well, and importantly: doesn’t look incredibly fake. For me, having 3D CGI onscreen can break the immersion, because it’s typically a very jarring difference between the background and hand drawn, but not so in this case. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the vehicles and grotesque monsters that were given life through 3D animation here. I've had a sour taste for 3D for a long time, even in shows with high production values like Ghost in the Shell SAC, by the esteemed Production IG. A few standout moments include Saber's motorcycle, the F-14 jet commandeered by Berserker, and the fire and water effects that looked as realistic as I've ever seen in animation. Vibrant, dynamic lighting and shadow play along with particle effects rendered by the 3D beautifully. Swirling lights, darks, and brilliant displays of energy color the typically dark palettes of the show. Much of it takes place at night, and it really allows the lighting and brightness of the clashes to be cast against the darkness and shadows, further encapsulating the duality that the show embodies. Sound and Voice Acting: 8 Fate/Zero has a rather sizable cast, with seven masters, servants and various supporting characters, but Aniplex didn't skimp on talent at all. Heading up the group are Matthew Mercer as Kiritsugu Emiya and Crispin Freeman as Kirei Kotomine. Bridget Hoffman gives a great performance as Irisviel, and Liam O'Brien appears, nearly reprising his Vincent Law role as Kariya Matou. The ubiquitous Michelle Ruff and Johnny Yong Bosch also appear in supporting roles. The soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura (SAO, usw.) is comprised of many emotional orchestral themes, high tension string sections, and appropriately energetic or heartfelt compositions that mesh well with the action along with the more subdued moments. Story: 9 This production takes a rather unusual route in the means of its storytelling. Rather than having a limited perspective of a single main character, or that of a typical protagonist/antagonist setup, Fate/Zero chooses an ensemble route that is at the same time very intricate, but not difficult to follow. Each master and each servant have their own motives and means at their disposal with which to defeat the others and capture the Grail. At no point in the series is it truly clear who's been dealt the best hand in terms of the abilities and willingness of the servant in conjunction with the cunning and ambition of the master. Again, this duality forms the spine of Fate: an individualistic war waged with individual goals, but having to unite as a team with another for a singular purpose. The Grail's choosing of the combatants is indiscriminate: there are kids with no business being involved in a war; in which the possibility they may lose their life is very real. There are others chosen who've spent their entire lives preparing for the Holy Grail War, ones who care nothing about the Holy Grail or even being involved with the war, ones who fight for the salvation of loved ones, and still others who fight for purely selfish motives- seeking the power of the omnipotent wish granter as a means of personal gain, or mutually assured destruction. This varied group of entrants further serves the dualistic ideal of Fate/Zero, a collection of persons from dissimilar motive and thought unified, yet vying against each other on this quest for the Grail. The prideful, the greedy, the lustful, the wrathful, the gluttonous for power, the envious, and the slothful are equally applicable to this story: 7 masters, 7 servants, each is clearly represented by (at least one of) the Seven Deadly Sins in line with their character traits and history. Characters: 9 Each character has their own morals (or lack thereof) which typically sit juxtaposed to their partner, who serve as a foil in many cases. Again, the duality dynamic that is signature to this series is put to excellent use here in reflecting the strict moral code adherence of the Saber, Arthuria against the postmodernist, win-at-all-costs mentality of her master, Kiritsugu. Arthuria is defined early on as a strong willed woman, whose sole character traits consist of the aforementioned strict adherence to a code of honor, of loyalty, defined by her as chivalry, which is in line with her time period and legends. She has an extreme worldview, believing that even the battlefield should be a place where honor comes first. Part of what makes Arthuria unique is her unwillingness to change, no matter what she's faced with. It's both a noble, and ultimately futile goal. I make point of the speech Kiritsugu gives her in episode 16: ---"to Saber: No. Honor glory, there's no point in talking to a killer who extols such things. A knight cannot save the world. Knights call certain methods of killing 'good' and 'evil', acting as if there were some sacred nobility to the battlefield. Such illusions created by heroes throughout history have led countless young men to their deaths, all for the sake of this glory and honor they extol. " Saber: "Even the taking of a life in battle as a human being must have ideals, otherwise every war would bring the fires of hell to this world." "There you have it, Iri(sviel), our heroic spirit considers a battlefield to be worse than hell... what a joke. A battlefield IS hell itself. There is no hope to be found on it, there is nothing but unspeakable despair. Just a soulless cry we call victory: paid for by the pain of the defeated, but humanity has never recognized this truth. This is because in every era, a dazzling hero has blinded the people with their legends, and kept them from seeing the evil of bloodshed they bring. True human nature has not advanced a step beyond the stone age!"--- Arthuria cannot accept that the truth of battle is relative... what did it matter if someone was killed by unfair/unjust/unrighteous means VS in "honorable" battle? It's both her strength and her greatest hypocrisy, this eternal attachment to the values of Knight's Honor she embodies. The second relationship worth exploring here is that of Kirei Kotomine and well... himself. Kirei, as a clergyman and inquisitor (church assassin) despite the appearance of a fulfilled life, is an extreme nihilist. His duality is that he has no reason to seek the Grail, yet he wishes that the Grail would reveal to him the meaning of his own life. Brutal, bitter, and cunning, Kirei is a formidable adversary for anyone, but takes a particular interest in Kiritsugu Emiya. This interest being the first passion of his empty, desolate life. The man who fights for everything, yet can have nothing, and the man who fight for nothing, yet seeks everything: the crux of Fate/Zero. Enjoyment: 9 What drew me into Fate/Zero wasn't the enormous expo dump at the beginning of the series. (Seriously, a 45 minute long dialogue about the intricacies of the Grail War and the underlying corruption, betrayal, and cutthroatness of the families who continually struggle to possess the Grail is a bit gratuitous) No, what drew me into this show was the tone. I harp about tonal inconsistency a lot, but this time the shoe is on the other foot. Type-Moon's story here is very well fleshed out, and maintains a dark, mature tone throughout. It's never tarnished by silly, untimely comedic moments or thoroughly unnecessary fanservice. Fate/Zero takes themes such as loss, despair, and tragedy and pairs them with idealism, of hope and honor, and justice creating an amalgam of duality that is really impactful. Another bit I thoroughly enjoyed was the inclusion of historical figures as the Grail heroes. I was familiar with about half of them before, by my eyes were opened to some other historical and legendary figures, which I took to reading about immediately after learning their identities. Gilgamesh, King Arthur, Alexander the Great, and the Berserker were known to me upon their appearance, and their character roles fell deftly in line with how they're portrayed in legend and in actual history. The Assassin was modeled after Hassan-i Sabbah, a 3rd Crusade Age Muslim missionary who founded a league of assassins (popularized by a video game series a few people might have heard of). The Caster, Gilles de Rais (or Bluebeard), was a mid-Dark Age companion to Joan of Arc, and also a notorious serial killer, particularly of children. He is also noted to have been interested in the occult, particularly summoning. Finally, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, a legendary hero of 2nd-4th century Irish origin. He was said to have used two spears, one red, and a yellow one which inflicted wounds that did not heal (likely poison). Overall: 9 Overall a very well done show. I was impressed by the lack of pulled punches: this show is very brutal at times, and doesn't shy away from some heavy themes and visuals a lesser show would have avoided or cut. Fate/Zero isn't for the faint of heart, there are some reviling moments, emotionally rending tragedy, and spots of tear inducing exuberance. Fate/Zero wasn't afraid to take some risks, and they paid off excellently. I've thoroughly enjoyed the matureness of this show: it could have easily been an overblown shonen action show, but subtlety prevailed, and took a more nuanced route. A philosopher and a warrior, a scholar and an athlete- Fate/Zero is doing it all. tl;dr + Excellent, diverse cast, all interesting in their own right + The absolute best 3D animation there's ever been + Fantastic, nuanced plot and dialogue to match +/- Ensemble storytelling can be off putting to some +/- Slow, exposition filled first half - Some characters are irritating, perhaps written to be so Recommend? Yes, absolutely. Great dialogue, better characters, and excellent execution and follow through with a very mature, action based plot. "But the tale of humanity will never come to a close, for the struggle of survival is a war without end, and war – war never changes."
MusicalAlchemist
01/08/2015, 12:17 AM
This is mostly a review of the entirety of Fate/Zero rather than the second season in particular. I have not watched or read the Fate/Stay Night material before watching this. Story: 9 Writing a prequel to an already well-established series has proven in many cases to be difficult to do (i.e. Star Wars) but Fate/Zero passes with flying colors. Even if you have seen Fate/Stay Night prior to watching this, it still provides many twists and turns that leave you guessing all the way up until the final episode, all the while seamlessly setting up the story for Fate/Stay Night. The dialogue is genuine and theways the characters interact with each other always make for great moments. The first few episodes are a bit of an information dump, but really help to explain the world you are immersing yourself in. Philosophically, it chronicles the eternal struggle of morality in the face of war that never becomes too preachy, but leaves you wondering what is right and wrong. Art: 9 Staying consistent to the TYPE-MOON art style, it looks very nice in an updated setting. Although there is a rather consistent use of CGI, it does not take away from the action all too much. It does, however, enhance large scale attacks very nicely. The character designs, again, are the highlight as they are able to craft characters of unique traits and avoid making them appear hokey. Sound: 10 In regards to the dub, I watched the English dub which I thought was executed very well. The voices matched the attitudes and statures of the characters and never once felt miscast. Rider’s voice in particular couldn’t have been a better fit. Even the characters with somewhat deadpan personalities like Kiritsugu and Kirei are well acted and the subtleties of their emotions really shine through. The soundtrack is fantastic. Yuki Kajiura creates a very immersive and powerful score that has you on the edge of your seat during every battle. Also, the opening theme of the second season is one of the best anime openings I’ve ever heard. Characters: 10 The character development in this anime is astounding and is easily the best part of the show. Rather than primarily focus on one main character, besides the two episodes of Kiritsugu backstory, the show really helps to flesh out each character’s personality and their ambitions towards why they lust after the Holy Grail. Even if you don’t particularly like certain characters, you still understand the reasons behind their actions and are interested to see how they act because of it. Enjoyment: 10 I can’t talk enough about how much I enjoyed this anime. I was captivated as soon as I finished the first episode. It was difficult for me not to pound out the whole show in a few days, which I have a bad knack of doing. Every character, good or bad, left an impression on me and were memorable no matter how large their role was. I will definitely be re-watching it to enjoy it again. Overall: 10 A great anime that has awesome characters, a compelling story, and an intriguing philosophical battle to go alongside the well-choreographed fights. Definitely in my Top 10 Anime list. Great for both the casual and avid Anime fan. You can also enjoy it whether you've seen Fate/Stay Night or not.
GonzyChan
08/21/2014, 11:51 AM
Tyrannical power and glory are two things that define a sovereign ruler with an iron fist. Many mythologies have been interpreted to fit these notions into their stories to create a different understanding. A series that has been long regarded with acclaim by many die-hard enthusiasts is the Fate series. Starting as a visual novel series, it eventually shifted its form to animation with Fate Stay Night to mediocre reception from fans. It was then that a man named Gen Urobuchi decided to make a prequel light novel series called Fate Zero, and thus a legendary phenomenon was born in animation form four years later. Thoughthis is the 2nd season of Fate Zero that I’m basing this off after finishing it, it would be more tempting to critique it because it is merely a continuation of the series and nothing else. Do not feel disingenuous if you feel like you want to read the visual novels before going into it or suffer through the horrible Fate Stay Night adaptation. Fate Zero is, by and large, its breed, and it wouldn’t necessarily warrant a lesser experience had one not experienced any of them. Going through the entire series to the inevitable conclusion, Fate Zero manages to put a strong emphasis on technical beauty and wonder, while it falls short on some levels. I remember when I first got introduced to the Fate series and couldn’t make heads or tails on what it was about from looking at the plot summaries. Once you dive into it and it starts to explain in great detail about the ongoing war over the holy grail, it does make it more coherent, even if you haven’t followed the visual novel to death. Fate Zero does a great job of explaining it from the first episode alone, which has a running time of an hour. Following the footsteps of several of our protagonists and their goal of achieving the holy grail, they are all given pretty substantial screen-time for us to empathize with their competitive drive against one another. Now this screen-time I mention comes from the pacing this show has with not only how we can identify with the characters but also showcase their unique fighting abilities. I’ll give a lot of credit to the animation studio, ufotable, and bringing out their big guns into the production of Fate Zero. It also helps that they worked on a massive budget that they could workaround, which is a rarity in this day and age. Their attention to detail in the color schemes, especially in the darker moments, is astounding. It’s one of those instances where it is mandatory to watch this in full high definition to get involved with the creative detail of the art and animation. With animation comes action scenes, which Fate Zero is not afraid to show with true greatness. What is quite refreshing to see in an action scene is for characters to plan out their attack moves instead of just swinging their weapon until the enemy dies. It doesn’t needlessly pad out the fighting scenes with constant dialogue in-between, at least most of the time. Visually exciting and epic in their ultimate nature, these will not disappoint your average action show fan. Epic storytelling has its roots in having a large cast of characters. Unfortunately, the characters in Fate Zero are hit or miss depending on the progression we get from the development they have. This includes our relationship with the human characters and the servants that protect them. The best example is the relationship between Rider and Waver based on the level of chemistry these two have whenever they are bickering with one another. However, the rest didn’t speak to me as having great chemistry only because their only purpose was to advance the plot and nothing else. With Rider and Waver, it felt like I was rooting for these people more to win the war because they bolster so many lighthearted moments that make them appealing to watch. Saber gets a lot of praise for being a solid character, and I understand from the perspective that she knows how to protect herself and her master. Other than that, she doesn’t carry the show on her own because of her bland personality, and all she does is tries to get her honor back, which feels so superficial. This is the case for most characters, except for Kiritsugu Emiya, in Fate Zero. Style with no substance is what I would generalize my point as for them. It could be the problem with adaptations that don’t expand enough for people like me who hadn’t read the visual novel, but that is hardly an excuse if you think about it. The worst instance I can give for this is the characters Caster and Ryunosuke. Both of them are pure psychopathic murderers who take pleasure in killing children for fun and nothing else. That should not entail that I take these characters as bad only on the premise that it's wholly frightening or unsettling. What troubles me is that that’s all that we get out of Caster and Ryunosuke. We don’t know what makes Ryunosuke into the person he is, and most of the blame can be put on him since Caster is already based on a real-life serial killer. They are there to emit shock value into the mix to make the show more “adult” when it doesn’t matter in the slightest, not that this was the first for Gen Urobuchi. Nevertheless, the character development kicks into high gear when we explore Kiritsugu Emiya’s troubled past. The only negative aspect to this is that the two episodes that chronicle his past felt unnecessary in the main broadcast and would’ve fit better in a separate OVA. What makes it less of criticism is that it is done very well in delving into the psyche of Emiya and shows how different he has changed throughout his life. So in retrospect, my reactions to Fate Zero’s attempt to construct a narrative and character story are mixed, but they are far from terrible. People wanted to see the epic conclusion to Fate Zero, and they sure got it in good proficiency. Even though I felt the ending was a little anti-climatic to some degree, with some sequences feeling a bit rushed, they give at least some closure to the character arcs. Has this officially made me into a Fate series fan? No, not even close. But there are many things to appreciate about Fate Zero and its attention to spectacle over substance. Sometimes that can work, and Fate Zero rests on that throne as one of the more enjoyable experiences. Does this mean that Type-Moon will not stop milking their franchise and driving it into the ground in the future? You bet your ass they will. Grade: B
Hanburgeric
08/14/2014, 03:18 PM
***This review is comprehensive of both seasons of Fate/Zero.*** If your one and only wish could be granted, how far would you tread down the path colored in blood and embroidered with thorns? Welcome to Fate/Zero, an epic that explores the efforts of seven masters and their servants (heroic spirits such as King Arthur) to obtain the Holy Grail, a device said to be capable of granting any one wish. Sorely disappointed by its sequel, Fate/Stay Night, I, like many others before me, was initially reluctant to watch the show. Turned off by the ridiculously pure ideals of Emiya Shirou and defiled by the constant repetition of thephrase, "People die when they are killed", Fate/Zero's appeal to me was minimal. Oh, how wrong was I. Fate/Zero is a delightfully dark deviation from its sequel and excels in almost every single category. Before I delve into the meat of this review, allow me to comment on the more technical aspects of the series. Artistically speaking, Fate/Zero is incredibly accomplished. The animation quality is outstanding, and falters not even for a second. Ufotable executes everything from simple character movements to brilliantly drawn action sequences in excruciating detail, using dark color palettes that encapsulate the mysterious and somber ambience of the show. As expected of Yuki Kajiura, the mastermind behind several other breathtaking soundtracks, the music is top-notch. Incorporating choir and orchestra into many of her works, Yuki Kajiura creates tracks that fit each scene more or less faultlessly. Each track adds to the complexity of every mystery, complements the sorrow of every tragedy, and intensifies the scale of every battle. All openings and endings add a little something special to the series, providing insight on some aspects of the show that, for the sake of spoilers, you must discover yourself. Between its two seasons, Fate/Zero pulls a stunt that is both admirable from both a production and (in the long term) an entertainment standpoint. Fate/Zero discontinued its story for a rather short period of three months although there was no reason to do so in regards to the plot; that is to say, there was no point in delaying the continuation of such a fluid story. Although it may have vexed some viewers, this method of production ensured that the overall quality of Fate/Zero would be consistent — a wise decision, that, in the long run, provided even greater entertainment for the audience. The most desirable decision would have been to release all episodes at a later point in time, but I would rather have Ufotable do this than rush production and suffer a drop in quality. Now, to discuss the story, characters, and my personal enjoyment...and if you thought there was a lot to read so far, then you've got another thing coming. The story of Fate/Zero is carefully constructed so that there are no missing or remaining pieces of the puzzle upon completion. The concept of battling for an omnipotent wish granting device is not completely novel, but Fate/Zero's execution of the idea is, dare I say it, the best I've ever seen. As the story is told from a variety of perspectives, it is not as easy to discern who the winner will be by the end of it all, unlike most survival game anime that may as well have just told us the victor in the first ten minutes of the first episode. As certain characters begin to get more development, the predetermined victor becomes more and more evident, but this is just a regrettably unavoidable aspect of such works. Regardless, the plot does well to attribute sufficient screen time to each tag team of master and servant to uphold the feeling of uncertainty in its audience. The plot is also made unpredictable due to its dark nature. With such a dreary atmosphere (bolstered by the aforementioned animation style and music), we as viewers are never quite sure of how things will turn out. Things may seem to be heading in a somewhat predictable direction when suddenly, the plot throws a wrench in its works to turn the tables around. However, unlike in some series (such as Mirai Nikki), this technique not employed excessively, allowing the story to be told coherently and without much disruption. Likewise, the characters are also equally as amazing as the plot. It is rare to see an anime with such a large cast give each and every one of its numerous characters enough development to evoke strong emotion in the case that something should occur. Why do viewers feel triumphant at the defeat of a villain? Why do they feel sad at the death of a hero? The answer is empathy. It is specifically because of proper character development that viewers form a collective and (nearly) unanimous feeling toward a specific character. It's the difference between being told a random person has died and being told that the closest person to you has passed away in a tragic accident. Without a comprehensive understanding of character motivations and their circumstances, it is impossible to FEEL anything for them; in other words emotional connections between characters and viewers are of vital importance. Fate/Zero accomplishes this feat beautifully. There is enough development on each character that the viewers can understand each and every one of them (although some less than others). Everything the characters say or do has a purpose and reinforces the former "emotional connections" to the extent that every event holds at least some significance or meaning. To very quickly summarize these thoughts, Fate/Zero has characters that make you actually CARE about what happens to them, whether that be in a positive or negative light. The complexity and relatively unpredictable nature of the plot and the high amount of development that occurs in every single character is what makes Fate/Zero one of the masterpieces of anime, but it is for these exact same reasons that the series suffers. Simply put, these traits are double-edged swords. Going back to the puzzle analogy, although there are no missing/leftover pieces, there are too many to begin with in the first place. Having watched Fate/Stay Night prior to this, I had a full understanding of the concepts of the Holy Grail War. Since the protagonist, Emiya Shirou, was just as new to the Holy Grail War as the viewers were, the show eased its viewers into it. However, it is easy to see how newer members of the Fate franchise may have not had the time to wrap their minds around the basics of the plot before the exposition explodes into action. Moreover, the characters, and the heroic spirits in particular, are difficult to understand from time to time. Again, due to my interest in ancient folklore, I had a rather deep understanding of most servants and their incentives. It is exactly because the show tries too hard to give every character decent developments that it feels as if some characters were not done enough justice. Knowing the fates/stories of each and every one of the heroic spirits gave ten times more weight to every swing of their weapon and every word on their lips. Nevertheless, not everyone may feel the same way — I still would have greatly enjoyed Fate/Zero even if I were not so informed on the pasts of the heroic spirits or on the Fate universe in general. These are merely things that, ideally, should have been done, but realistically, couldn't be done. It's completely unreasonable of me to expect that an anime accomplish so much in such a short period of time, and the truth is that Fate/Zero did an incredibly admirable job fleshing out such an enormous amount of substance in a mere 25 episodes. Although I enjoy a great variety of anime (from the pure and peaceful nature of Usagi Drop to the mindless action in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann), I enjoy nothing more than dark, twisted, and thought-provoking series such as this. Fate/Zero focuses largely on the idea of clashing ideologies, whether that be between two masters, two servants, or even a master and a servant. Do the ends justify the means? Is there defeat to be found victory, or must victory be absolute? Themes like these frequently appear in the world of Fate/Zero, each difficult to give a certain answer to. In particular, the anime delves into the topic of the importance of chivalry and the definition of what it means be a king. How must one lead his or her nation? Is there honor and morals involved in killing others? Why is it that the code of chivalry must be tacitly upheld? Again, these are themes that may appear too foreign to some viewers and may even go unrecognized, but I spent a great deal of time contemplating my own responses to these questions, enjoying every minute and second of doing so. CONCLUSION: Fate/Zero is a masterpiece — yes, a masterpiece. The animation and sound are arguably among the best in any anime, and the story and characters are complex yet adequately developed. Although the series could have benefitted even more by fleshing out more of its material and conveying its universe to potentially new viewers, it does all that it can in 25 episodes. The reason I also endorse Fate/Zero as a "masterpiece", a word I don't like to throw around lightly, is that the show is just so incredibly well rounded. In almost every anime that I have watched so far (which isn't too many), there has always been at least one category in which the anime lacks. Be it story, character, art, sound, or my personal enjoyment, I could find little to no faults with any of these five categories. In fact, the anime is so balanced in everything that it accomplishes that it was only fair that I attribute the same amount of significance to every category in my final rating. So, without further ado... STORY (20%) — 9.2/10 CHARACTERS (20%) — 9.2/10 ANIMATION (20%) — 9.8/10 SOUND (20%) — 9.7/10 ENJOYMENT (20%) — 9.8/10 OVERALL (100%) — 9.5/10 Now... By the power of my Command Seal, I command thee, avid reader, to explore the magnificent universe of Fate/Zero!
incarnate1
07/10/2014, 07:37 AM
Fate/Zero was entertaining at times, with several very good fight sequences and the nice animation, but it doesn't make up for the real lack of any sort of coherent story or character development. Fate/Zero has simple plot hiding behind rhetoric and long-winded speeches from rooftops just to look cool. The dialogue was uninspired at best and often times so dull that I felt that I could walk away to make a cup of coffee and come back knowing I missed absolutely nothing that contributed to the story. The biggest problem is that none of the characters other than Waver and Rider were ever really developed, leavingno emotional impact on their deaths. In fact, when it came to a lot of the seemingly important events, I just didn't care. Pointless monologues and exposition, bad pacing (nothing happened in S1, while characters were dropping like flies in the second season), irrelevant story arcs, topped with shallow characters; Fate Zero puts a good effort at feigning depth and puts forth some interesting ideas, but is ultimately a train wreck of poor narrative with a plot that lacks any real complexity or substance.
Comet1
06/20/2014, 09:46 AM
(Review for both season 1 and 2, spoiler free) “Glory lies beyond the horizon. Challenge it because it is unreachable. Speak of conquest and demonstrate it.” - Rider The Holy Grail—an omnipotent wish granting device which grants the owner any one wish of their deepest desire. For generations, the Holy Grail Wars were held every 60 years to decide who would be worthy to yield an item of such immense power; seven Masters coupled with seven Servants duke it out in a battle royale to the death, but only one Master and Servant can be victorious. Fate/Zero is a thrilling, engaging, intellectual and mature anime withjaw-dropping visuals. Story: 9.51 Fate/Zero is about the 4th Holy Grail War, which takes place 10 years before the events of the Fifth Holy Grail war, and is set in Fuyuki City. Seven magi are chosen by the Grail as Masters, and by the power of the Grail, they have the ability to summon Heroic Spirits brought forth as familiars to come and fight by their side, which are their Servants. Each Servant that’s summoned is put into one of the following classes, which include: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker; each with their own skills and benefits. The Story is masterfully done and kept me engaged throughout the entire series. You never know what’s going to happen next or what plot twist is going to take place. Watching it is almost as reading a masterfully crafted literature epic; it's that good. This anime is heavily focused around dialogue, and for that reason there aren’t many battles, but when a battle arrives it’s just so amazing that it’ll keep you at the edge of your seat. This isn’t to say that the dialogue isn’t entertaining though, as I personally enjoyed every last bit of it, even if it does sometimes drag on for awhile. The dialogue also tells a lot about some of the characters backstories. Throughout there are some comedic scenes here and there, most of which pertaining to Rider and Waver, though for the most part it mainly stays in a serious and dark atmosphere. Art/Animation: 9.94 The production quality for this anime is just amazing—it really shows how great Type-Moon's productions are, and when they’re mixed with ufotable, EXPECT GREATNESS! The art and animation in this anime are done SO well it’s just breathtaking, to say the least. Every image is animated so well, there were very few animation errors, and everything was just so smooth. And the art was just beautiful! It was so good that in some scenes my jaw was literally dropped for 1-2 minutes. I also really liked the character designs; all of them were just awesome. The art and animation is just masterfully done, not much more I can say about it. Go check it out for yourself if you don’t take my word for it. Characters: 9.70 One of my favorite aspects of this show has got to be how it portrayed the characters. I’m not sure if it’s not entirely focusing on one main protagonist and rather showing all the characters and how their stories eventually unfold, or if it’s the masterful way Gen Urubuchi conveyed how each character thought and why they took the actions that they took, but I loved it. Character development is also very good; you mainly notice it with Kiritsugu Emiya, as there are even 2 whole episodes about his back story in season 2. But my favorite character, like many others, is definitely Rider. Some of the feels you get when he gives his speeches. I also love his attitude and how he acts, one of my favorite characters of recent times. Sound: 9.57 The soundtrack for both seasons was done by Yuki Kaijura, and if you’ve ever heard any of her other awesome soundtracks (most notably SAO and Madoka Magica), you should have a pretty good idea that this one is just as great. Most of the pieces have heavy orchestra and are very powerful; this track also contains some very emotional pieces, like my personal favorite from it, Tragedy and Fate. I absolutely adored the first opening Oath Sign by LiSa, and I doubted the second one would be better than the first… But oh boy was I wrong about that (for my tastes). “To the Beginning” By Kalafina (Yuki Kaijura’s all-female band) quickly become my favorite OP of ALL time. Strong vocals accompanied by a strong orchestra make this piece a pleasure to the ears. I really liked the EDs. Sora wa Takaku Kaze wa Utau by Luna Haruna really set the mood for the end of each episode, and it also quickly became one of my favorite EDs. I watched the dubbed version and it was just great--leagues above many other dubs I've heard. I don’t think they could’ve even picked a better voice actor for Kiritsugu Emiya than Matthew Mercer, and Freeman Crispin (also Alucard from Hellsing), as always, did an amazing job. His deep tone really suited Kirei Kotomine. Enjoyment/Overall: 9.68 What can I say? I absolutely love this anime. It will keep you thrilled, engaged, and satisfied by the ending. It has really high production quality, and a great soundtrack. My highest recommendation for you to watch this truly exceptional anime. One thing I also admire about it how mature it is—it doesn’t need fan service or overused/unoriginal comedy to be successful (not that that's always a bad thing, though). It is truly an original as well as unique anime, and in my opinion, a must watch for fans of the Fate series.
Jaltrogge
05/30/2014, 05:11 PM
Story Score:10/10 -The second season of "Fate/Zero" is, to be straight-forward, beautifully written. The story is engaging and the interesting and thrilling subject and themes explored throughout the show left me on the edge of my seat for every minute it was on. One great thing about the writing of the show are the plot twists(occurring basically every episode). These plot twists kept me engaged and shocked me at every twist and turn, the second you think things are back to normal, another huge plot twist is thrown your way. This show is definitely not predictable, and very dark, which warrants ita 10/10 in story! Art Score:10/10 -Although I'm terrible at art and know next to nothing about it, This show is beautiful! The characters costumes are so well thought out and the look fantastic! Also, the Environment or sets in the show were drawn very maturely and were, for the most part, realistic(The Castles particularly!). Although they used computer animation for some things and that is very apparent(and looks kind of cheesy in my opinion) this show still gets a 10/10 in art! Sound Score:10/10 -I'll keep this one short. The fighting sounds all sounded great, and the voice acting is PHENOMENAL(I watched the sub). Characters Score:10/10 -The characters are one of the high points of the show. Every character(and I mean EVERY character) is extremely well developed and all have their own problems and desires. There are very few static characters in this anime. Also, the writing of the characters is superb, the funny characters don't seemed forced and some of the characters are truly epic. This show absolutely deserves a 10/10 for it's awesome characters Enjoyment Score:10/10 -If you're still reading this I know it's obvious but, I freaking love this anime, It is probably my favorite of all time, it is beautifully written and extremely dark. All while exploring the themes of humanity and truly makes us judge ourselves! Overall Score:10/10 -There it is. This anime is just so fantastic it can barely be put into words. I definitely recommend this to anyone with even the slightest interest. You will not regret experiencing this anime one bit!
wumbmasta
07/31/2013, 05:27 PM
Fate/Zero Review: This is a review for both seasons 1 and 2 After seeing the high praise given to this anime from Gigguk and Arkada on Youtube, I decided to give Fate/Zero a go. After watching it, I now completely understand why this show has such positive reception as it was an enthralling ride with hardly any real "negative" points to it. Story 9/10: Fate/Zero takes place 10 years before the events of Fate/StayNight in the middle of what is known as one of the "Holy Grail Wars." I had not seen F/SN before watching this anime, but thanks to the info dump of a first episode I wasquickly put up to speed. The "Holy Grail Wars" are battles fought in secret a few times each century. The war is between 7 historical or mythological legends that are brought into present time by their "masters" (AKA random people chosen by the grail). The goal is for one of the pairs to ultimately defeat all of the other servants and/or their masters and be the last one remaining. Once this happens, the Holy Grail should appear and grant the victor any wish they desire. Unlike F/SN, Fate/Zero has a VERY serious undertone. As a comparison, I like to akin these two series to the Batman franchise where Fate/Zero is more like the Dark Knight saga, while Fate/StayNight is more like the old tv series with Adam West. Both are good in their own ways, but one is clearly more serious than the other. One of the things that makes Fate/Zero special is that it doesn't rush to pick out a specific main character or good guy, and instead follows the stories of all 7 pairs with an unbiased view point. This let's the viewer really learn about what all the characters are like and their objectives in the war. The different viewpoints really eliminates a lot of the space for plot holes or lack of reasoning, and every event in the story seems to have a purpose. It really is rare to see a show with a concept as ambitious as this, that actually pulls through with barely any plotholes or errors in its writing. Although the ending was somewhat of a cliffhanger, it is also brilliantly done and gave me countless goosebumps as the results of everything that happened were revealed. The story in Fate/Zero was one to remember. Epic is truly the only way to describe it, and its execution was truly in a class of its own. Art 10/10: Hands down the best art I have seen in an anime series. Watching the show, it really feels like they had a very high budget for the animations. Movements are extremely fluid, and thus the fight scenes are spectacular. Facial expressions, character design, settings, lighting, everything was superb and I really haven't seen an anime nail the animation aspect quite this well. I really don't have anything else to say besides that the art was spectacular. Sound 8/10 (edit: 9): Much like everything else in this show, the music was similar to that of a blockbuster movie. Heavy orchestra in the background accompanied by opera singing when battle scenes get intense. The quality of the music was brilliant. However, the show did lack "memorable" or "catchy" songs that you would like to see in an anime. But like I said, the show in general felt more like a long blockbuster movie than an average anime so the music fit the show perfectly. I found both of the OPs very well suited for the show and quite catchy compared to the background music, although the EDs were less spectacular. As far as voice acting is concerned, I found the Japanese voice actors all portrayed their characters brilliantly, particularly in Rider's case. Character 9/10: The fact that the show doesn't focus on a single character really strengthens all of the characters in the show. Due to the changing view points, you really get to see what each character is like, what their motives are, and just their personality in general. The first season really introduces you to the characters and the setting, while the second develops these characters and shifts the story into full swing. None of these characters are your stereotypical archetypes, and some of them really shine. All of the servants are extremely interesting, and Rider is one of the most charismatic characters I've seen in a while. For a good portion of the show, you really don't know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. You may find yourself rooting for one character only to realize he is evil, or hating one only to realize he is very noble. Towards the end, it becomes pretty evident who the main character is due to an emotional and brilliant two episode arc on his past. My only qualm about the characters is that, because of the divided focus, I wasn't able to fully emotionally invest in any of them. And even though I did definitely feel for the characters and their struggles, I wasn't really completely devastated when bad things happened to them like I would be in an anime like Clannad, Steins;Gate, or Code Geass, where they really focused on one character's development. However, I feel that it would have been pretty much impossible to have the vast depth in the cast if they focused on one character, and the show probably would have been much worse. In short, this show has one of the most, if not THE most, fully fleshed out set of characters that I have ever seen, and just barely misses the 10 mark due to it not quite letting me attach to the characters as much as I wanted to. Enjoyment 8/10: Fate/Zero was thrilling to watch. The first season was kind of slow as it was really just setting the stage for the madness in the second season, but was fun none the less. Like I said, watching Fate/Zero is similar to watching a movie like the Dark Knight. Everything felt real and all the decisions that characters made felt important, and this sense of seriousness and realism made the show truly a joy to watch. One of my complaints is once again, that I could not emotionally connect with any of the events as much as I have in other shows. It's weird because I know this show is almost flawless, but something about it just wasn't up to par with those on my top 3 anime from an enjoyment standpoint. I really can't put my finger on why I didn't enjoy this show more, but I did enjoy it more than the vast majority of the other shows I have seen so it still gets an 8. Recommendation: I can't imagine someone hating this show due to it's unbelievable execution, but it is currently ridiculously expensive to buy so I can only recommend you stream it (available on Crunchyroll). Stream it! +.1 Overall 9.1/10: Fate/Zero is probably the most technically sound anime I have ever seen. There are no huge errors to complain about with it due to the high production value in its art and sound, and nearly flawless writing in its story. If you found Fate/StayNight to be unimpressive, but are curious about this show, do not hesitate to watch Fate/Zero because it is truly on another level from most other anime. Fate/Zero is a grade A anime that is a must watch for all. The Verdict: An anime that absolutely deserves its praise and an epic tale at its finest. Pros: + Cinema quality art and sound + Remarkably deep cast of characters + Story is an epic to remember + Brilliant writing left little room for plot holes or inconsistencies Cons (These cons are more "reasons why this isn't quite a 9" than cons, because it really didn't have distinct "negative" aspects or "mistakes"): - Lacked a top tier emotional impact - For ME it missed that "oomph" factor that would push it into my favorites If you liked Fate/Zero, watch... Durarara! Similar storytelling where they don't really zone into a main character til more towards the end, allowing all the characters to grow equally and the story to be viewed from all angles. Fate/Stay Night (by Ufotable): Wait until the ufotable version of Fate/Stay Night comes out because the original Fate/Stay Night, while pretty good, felt A LOT different than Fate/Zero and really wasn't on the same level. 9.1/10 - Brilliant
Archaeon
10/21/2012, 02:28 PM
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" - Lord John Dalberg-Acton, 1837. There are many types of power - financial, military, political, religious, etc - and at one time or another each has been used to further the goals of individuals, organisations, and even nations. The odd thing though, is that even though it has been referenced for thousands of years in everything from legends and myths to folktales and history, magic has rarely been placed in the same category. The problem is that people don't really believe in magic any more, and the subject has been relegated to the realms of fiction andfantasy - even though it was often said that practitioners had the ability to wield primal forces, command spirits, and shake the foundations of heaven. Everything has a price though, and in order to achieve or seize power of any sort you have to be willing to give up certain ... things. So the question is, what would you sacrifice for the chance to be a god? The continuation of Fate/Zero opens with two F-15 jets that have been dispatched by the Japanese Air Force with orders to investigate the situation on the Mion River. Archer/Gilgamesh watches with disdain from on high as Sabre, Rider and Lancer continue their temporary alliance, and the pitched battle with the giant creature summoned by Caster/Gille de Rais rages on. Little do they know that a new player is about to enter the field ... One of the most noticeable differences between the first and second halves of Fate/Zero is the shift from preparation and planning to all-out action - something that is rather eloquently symbolized by the battle on the Mion River. With much of the preamble over, the storyline is able to place the kid-gloves to one side and ramp-up the tension between the combatants. This is most often achieved by drawing on the conflicting ideologies of each of the characters - with some thoroughly unscrupulous tactics thrown in to drive home the fact that the participants are involved in a war. The plot remains as focused as ever, but there's a palpable change in the atmosphere of the series, and many episodes have a less forgiving, more brutal air about them. This shift in "attitude" has been handled extremely well by series director Aoki Ei and his writers, and a great deal of attention has been paid to the impact the numerous action scenes have on the characters - something that's becoming a rarity in modern anime. It's an interesting and effective usage of screentime that is markedly different from the patient build-up of the first half of the story, but crafted with the same care and attention to detail that have become a hallmark of Type-Moon/Ufotable collaborations. This prevents the show devolving into a legendary free-for-all, and allows for some very interesting confrontations - several of which have their roots in the layers of subtext that were added during previous series. With the focus on action instead of intrigue, one might have expected there to be some differences in the visuals. Thankfully there are almost no major alterations present throughout the series - aside from a few cosmetic differences in clothing and apparel. The high production standards have been maintained and character movements are as sharp and crisp as ever. There are a few relatively minor issues with the blending of CG and standard animation, but these are pretty easy to ignore. What does stand out are the rather dazzling visual effects, many of which are bigger and bolder due to the shift from preparation to action. The choreography and timing of these - together with the quality of the character animation - make for some truly stunning combat sequences. Composer Kajiura Yuki's all-female band Kalafina - the long-time muses of Type-Moon/Ufotable collaborations - open the second season with the operatic rock ballad "To the Beginning", while the main participants in the Holy Grail war are re-introduced in a well-choreographed montage that contains a few hints of things to come. On the other hand the closing sequence is a rather simple yet moving account - told through a series of still images - of the relationship between Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel von Einzbern - with Luna Haruna's pop ballad "Sora wa Takaku Kaze wa Utau" adding an uplifting and slightly bittersweet tone. Kalafina also return with the martially themed operatic ballad "Manten" as a special closing track for episodes 18 and 19. The first season of Fate/Zero featured a very high standard of audio production, and it's nice to see that sound director Iwanami Yoshikazu hasn't allowed anyone to rest on their laurels. The background music is as diverse and atmospheric as ever, and while there are a few tracks that may sound a little off-kilter, this appears to be a purposeful move in order to heighten the mood of certain scenes. That said, there are two areas where this series is arguably superior to its predecessor - both of which have been pushed to the fore by the move to action. The audio effects are as sharp and clear as ever, but the increase in combat means that the production standards need to be pushed even higher and more diversity needs to be added. In addition to this the quality of the audio/visual choreography - which was already excellent in the previous series - often went unnoticed because of the focus on preparation and planning. Thankfully Iwanami is arguably one of the most experienced sound directors working in the industry, and his skills - developed over many years working on a variety of different anime - really make the difference. The superb effects and remarkable choreography really set the second series of Fate/Zero apart from other shows released this year, and mark it as a front-runner for any potential awards in this department. Unlike many other anime, the move to an action footing hasn't caused the script to devolve into random shouts, grunts and screams, and the writers have done well to retain the maturity and intelligence of the first season. There is a bit of a change in the delivery though, as with the goal in sight, some of the actors appear to have been encouraged to add more emotion to their roles. This works surprisingly well with characters who were cold or aloof in the first series - Sabre and Archer for example - and the differences in their feelings becomes more pronounced as the story progresses and the battles take their mental toll. One of the biggest criticisms of Fate/Zero is that it has tried to weave a coherent narrative from too many character and plot threads without relying on a lead role. Now this may seem like an anathema to those who prefer their development to follow a distinct linear progression, but those tales often suffer from an age-old problem in storytelling - every good protagonist needs an equally good antagonist. It's an issue that has affected anime for many years as - contrary to popular belief - creating and developing a good opposite (the antagonist doesn't have to be a villain after all), to a hero/heroine is not an easy task. Thankfully Fate/Zero takes its cues from shows like Baccano!, and the lack of a lead role is actually a boon to the series as it allows multiple perspectives to come to the fore. Each of the participants in the war for the Holy Grail is effectively the antagonist of one or more of the other combatants, and all of the players bounce around the plot like peas on a drum - colliding into each other and changing their directions, alliances and enemies in the blink of an eye. It's a rarely used and fascinating approach to character development that highlights in particular the ever-changing nature of the battlefield. One big plus is that while the first season was rather staid in its portrayal of the heroes, the second half of the story pulls very few punches - showing clearly the lengths to which several of the combatants will go in order to win, opening the scars of old wounds, and ensuring that the viewer knows exactly what everyone has put on the line for the ultimate prize. Over the years there have been many anime that have changed focus and tone from one season to the next, but rarely does it happen in the space of one series. The reason for this is because it's often extremely difficult to reconcile what may eventually turn out to be conflicting portrayals of the story and characters - and therein lies the greatest achievement of Type-Moon, Ufotable, and author Urobuchi Gen. The successful blending of two different perspectives has created a remarkable story that isn't afraid to show off its intelligence or maturity, and the second half of Fate/Zero successfully builds upon the carefully laid foundations of the first season - even with the increase in action and combat. Prequels are often tricky to deal with as they are very easy to get wrong, which is one of the reasons why this series is a little bit special. In addition to shedding new light on the events that occur in Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero is also a singular example of just how good seinen action tales can be, and a testament to the quality that can be achieved through long-term studio collaborations.
Stark700
09/06/2012, 09:48 AM
Fate Zero 2nd Season review: Time for a trivia! Are you someone who enjoys watching violence mixed in with action, fantasy, and thriller themes? Are you someone who loves listening to a powerful soundtrack with stunning visuals that will keep you at your seat? Ever wanted to watch a prequel based off a popular series and carving for more? Well luckily, you've probably hit a jack pot because ufotable once again pulls off a spectacular masterpiece out of their hats and present the latest Fate/Zero part 2 that is sure to give viewers a satisfaction like they've never ever experienced before. In today's anime world, prequels arenot too rare. Most of them serves as an introduction and perhaps a trailer of the the true series will unraval for our die hard viewers. Fate Zero Second Season presents the continuation of the battle involving the Holy Grail, the ultimate reward for eternal glory. As more lives are sacrificed, secrets are unraveled. The actors and their directors play their parts in this Holy Grail war and it's only king for him or herself. There is no allies, no true allegiances, no God, no Angels. There is one thing and that is V for Victory. But really, what is victory? Glory? The true throne of king? Or is it perhaps something that unattainable even for a God? First and foremost, this series has gained international attention and is considered to be one of the most popular series. Anyone who has ever set their eyes and played a VN game before would and should know the products of Type-Moon, with FSN being one of its most successful products. I mean, just look at the ratings and the discussion threads. There is daily topics being posted, various discussions regarding the franchise of both seasons, and users comparing who their favorite/strongest servants are from the series. But is this series really worth the hype? Is this series really being worthy to on the Top #10 of MAL along with some other known titles? The fact that one of them is also an anime is based off a VN in the top 10 also makes us wonder. Well...let's put our heads together and see if the series does live up to the hype. [ ----- Story ----- ] As the second half of this highly popular series, the story picks up from part 1 that began in October of Fate/Zero. The producers and director already assumed that you've watched part 1 and have some decent knowledge of the F/Z franchise. If you're scratching your head right now and wondering why there's an overgrown Cthulhu Mythos being in the begnning of the series, then STOP. Watch part 1 first and come back because you're missing out all! And I'm certain Archer is not amused. There is already tension between Saber and Lancer, one you can cut through with an Excalibur. But from where it leaves off, the monster Caster unleashes hell and tries to take the servants deep down with it. It does seem a bit lackluster in that the first part of the series had none of the character die off but death has gotten impatient. In this part 2 of the prequel, death has come back from holiday and is here to claim some of its prize. And by prize, I do mean lives, the lives of the servants and their beloved masters. Indeed, the bodies starts to pile up like pouring rice but there's also more than that. For our main protagonist, an calculating, cold, and indifferent man, we take a trip down memory lane and see some of the dark past that made him the man that he has become. While most series take brief flashbacks and illustrates them shorthand, this prequel depicts a more detailed style involving Kiritsugu "Magus Killer, Kerry" Emiya. His dark past is revealed in details that leaves the viewers at the edge of their seats and with his interactions with his “mother” figure (ironically also on Mother's Day) and childhood friend. It is dark, it is brutal, and it is your face. The past that Kiritsugu had to go through and made him the man that he is today is understandable after watching this prequel. Hell, if I had to go through all that, I'd never be the same person again. The man's got guts and he's live up to the name as the Kiritsugu "Magus Killer, Kerry" Emiya. And of course, Saber once again plays her role as the King of Arturia from the Fate/Stay Night franchadise in this sequel. As a proud king, she respects the values of others and is determined to help those in need. For instance, when she realizes that her dear friend and partner Irisviel von Einzbern has been kidnapped by another proud king, she stops nothing but to save her even if it's at the cost of the Holy Grail war or perhaps her own life. That my friends, is true valor and style of a proud king. While at times the dialogue are as heavy as part 1 of the prequel, the usage of the words defines the intelligence and insight that gives the viewers a reason to continuously watch the show. A clear example is the speeches between Rider and Waver and Archer's often egotistic yet artistically way of getting his words out. As for the Holy Grail War, the rules are still there. There is only one winner and it's winner takes all. Fate/Zero although has similar ties with Fate/Stay Night has some major differences in that it becomes a much more matures style. Even the masters themselves becomes calculating and insightful in their moves. Their servants play their roles accordingly and some have even developed their own solitude of being the one and true king. As Elizabeth I once said: “To be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it.” [ ----- Characters ------ ] Seven servants, seven masters, and more than seven wonders to watch this part 2 of the prequel. The characters of the series is definitely another reason to continuously enjoy more of Type-Moon's works. Honestly, there are so many great character interactions between the servants and the masters. It can be digusting and horrid like the relationship of psychopathic killer Ryunosuke and Caster. It can be the estranged relationship between Lancer and his master, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. It can be the indifferent relationship between our star protagonist Kiritsugu and Saber. It can also be the powerful bond between Alexander the Great (Rider) and his master, Waver. There is of course also our cynical man who is discovering his purpose in life, the manipulating, calculating, and stoic man Kirei Kotomine. It is entertaining and strange to watch Archer/Gilgamesh observe his various actions and moments throughout the story. Of course, his later obsession with Saber enters another tone that can be defined as peculiar at its finest. Regardless though, every one of the character is independent and unique to themselves in personalities, goals, ambitions, and style. Even the characters in Kiritsugu's flashback are quite interesting to take insight into. His interactions with them and the bond, whether it's a childhood crush on his friend, or a more motherly/son relationship with his mentor, brings out his character in its most defined form. While not all the characters are perfect (Kariya for instance), they clearly play their various roles well and does what they do best: kicking ass and delivering F/Z style entertaininment. [ ------ Art/Animation ------] Ever been to an art museum before? Ever seen a professional artist's work and made you go “that is just...beautiful”? Well, Fate/Zero part 2 like its prequel will give you the impression of a life time. (at least in terms of anime visuals) In technical terms of production, Fate/Zero Season II is what defines the ultimate form of what Type-Moon's production visuals has came to be. This series just looks bloody amazing and that's not an overstatement. No, it is more than that. The visuals are stunningly beautiful and ufotable deserves the prize of the Holy Grail for producing such powerful animation. Not surprisingly, ufotable already has achieved its praise after producing the Garden of Sinners franchise. The dark edges of the series and the spectacular battle scenes between Beserker/Saber are just a few examples. While it does occasionally employ the usage of CGI, it makes it up into the style of the battle sequences between the servants/masters that almost makes us forget this flaw. But more than that, art defines this series that shows once again that ufotable is able to produce series that lives up to the fan's expectations. And of course, I'm not disappoint. [ ------ Soundtrack/Music ------] Soundtrack plays a powerful role in any series and in this part 2 of the prequel, it is there once again to bring out the style of Fate/Zero. The OP song is changed this time but retains its well coordinated choreography and orchestra. The theme "to the beginning" by Kalafina is a strong piece of work that brings out the strength and power of the servants and the brutality of the Holy Grail War. And once again, the sequences are shown with appearances of the servants and their respective masters. Additionally, it also shows sequences of a child Kiritugu in the beginning to his manhood that shows how much he has changed from what he once was, to what he has become, the proud master of Saber. Yuki Kaijura is once again involved with producing the soundtrack and themes of the series. And once again, she delivers and executes what the fans expected: a glorious soundtrack worthy of a Holy Grail prize. The soundtrack of Fate/Zero part 2 is just as stunningly impressive as part 1. If in fact for anything reason at all to watch this series beyond the characters, beyond the storyline, or beyond the epic speeches of Rider or the stunning visuals is the soundtrack. With the ultra talented Yuki Kajiura in charge, expect the unexpected as your ears will be pleased like never, ever before. [ ------ Enjoyment ------- ] Story, music, animation, characters. What else more is there to say? Well, for another reason to continuously watch the F/Z franchise is the spectacular battle sequences. While the first season lacked some of the expected battle scenes, season 2 of Fate/Zero brings out battle and bloodshed like never before. Even in the very beginning, the aerial dogfight between Archer and Berserker makes a strong impression while Caster takes the ground belong and battles against the remaining servants. More impressively is the final duel between the two proud kings Archer and Rider in the later episodes. With egos that a single king of the seat can be sat on, these two characters battles it out in one of the most artistically and defined ways in the series that truly shows why they are worthy of their masters. Well, Fate/Zero Season 2 is not perfect. In fact, there is in my opinion no series that can be perfect. It does seem that some of the sequences are a bit forced and a a few key scenes cut that left the viewers go “why wasn't that there?” Additionally, the dialogue continues to stay a bit intact and lengthy at times particularly with Archer's egoistic speeches and Kirei's indifferent style of talking. Despite these minor flaws though, this part 2/season 2 of the series captured my attention as much as season 1. The intelligence of the story, the well executed dialogues, the captivating characters, the stunning visuals, the beautiful soundtrack, the quality of the work, and the enjoyable of the battle sequences are just seven reasons to watch this series. Seven servants, seven masters, and seven reasons to watch this part 2. What else can you want more? Well, I guess maybe some of the more detailed explanations for the die hard fans when the BD version debuts. Still though, this series has been crafted and engineered beyond its minor flaws. It is in my book one of the best series there was, one of the best there is, and one of the best there ever will be.
8man226
06/25/2012, 06:42 AM
Well sorry folk for the review that I have given before it was meant to be a troll and yet you give it a serious looks.. well I'll be serious with this review so I hope there's no haters in here.It's really great to watch and I want the UFOTable to release the Heaven's feel too.. so here it goes... It's a perfet 10 afterall.. Story(10/10) A perfect story that concludes what happen in 4th Holy grail war that lead to 5th Holy Grail war and concludes that who is this Emiya Kiritsugu and why Kotomine is angry with him just like that.. But the story iskinda much more brutal than the fate/stay night.. It's really great to watch and I want the UFOTable to release the Heaven's feel too..ok back to Fate/zero.well the story is great but they I don't see Kiritsugu die but I've seen his last moment... well see for yourself I've given you a spoiler afterall Art(10/10) It's a masterpiece it's a combination of 2D and 3D element in animating and the art is very much more detailed than the fate/stay night... it rivals the Unlimited bladeworks it's great.. in every fight scene ... they leave me breathless and mesmerize by it.. Sound(10/10) Well the sound is much more realistic than fate/stay night though. and the Op theme and ED theme really match the anime.. It's really great that they create this anime whew.. Character(10/10) The characters personality are well made especially Emiya Kiritsugu... I like his action.. He do things without hesitation and does not irritates me.. in the other hand the best servant I guess is rider.. he's one of the humor of this series.... It's great that he has his funny side or this anime will be too much serious... Enjoyment(10/10) Well it's very enjoying after I finish downloading everything I watch it from the start once more.. In every fight scene it leaves me breathless and It makes me eager to watch again the episodes.. well it forced me though to watch fate/stay night again.. but it's a great series... I bet you.. You're gonna watch fate/stay night again after you finish this anime :)
Selsica
06/24/2012, 10:15 AM
From the mind that gave us works such as Madoka and Saya no Uta comes a tale spun as a predecessor to the wildly popular series Fate/Stay Night. Of course, anyone who has read or watched Fate/Stay Night knows the outcome of the fourth Holy Grail War, but only half the fun of a journey is the destination. Gen Urobuchi and studio Ufotable guide us through a magnificent world saturated with dynamic characters, a beautiful score, jaw-dropping visuals and fluctuating idealistic views, which all congeal into a compelling narrative. Mistakes are made by Ufotable, but compared to the grandiose story and execution they only serveas minor annoyances. Plot The Grail War has been done before, but never like this. The same rules apply. Seven masters, seven servants, all fighting in a fierce battle royal in order to determine the rightful owner of the Holy Grail. However in contrast to Fate/Stay Nights cast of children struggling to accept the responsibility so prematurely forced upon them we have a plethora of adult men ready to sacrifice anything to achieve their goals. By Juxtaposing the series and its prequel it becomes evident that Fate/Zero is a darker story focusing on the ideals of each characters along with the suffering these ideals bring forth. The plot is essentially a catalyst that lets the characters tragically develop as they spiral closer and closer into despair. But through its greatness Fate/Zero suffers from its link to Fate/Stay Night. As a prequel, its freedom was constrained by the eventual conclusion that loomed just beyond the horizon. But even as a predecessor limited to one conclusion Fate/Zero succeeded in producing a story that left you on the edge of your seat. Art In addition to Fate/Zero Ufotable is also the studio responsible for the Kara no Kyoukai series; a powerhouse in the visual arts department. No corners were cut in producing Fate/Zero, either. Ferocious battles, twisted emotions, and familiar yet exotic settings are illustrated beautifully with the use of hair-raising choreography, movie quality animation and god tier CG. Now, CG is a turn off for most viewers, me usually included. However the CG in this series is so stunningly well done that I can't imagine it would be animated half as well any other way. In addition to CG, Ufotable has once again incorporated a beautiful contrast between neon colors as seen in Kara no Kyoukai. The warm orange glow of a streetlamp beating down on the lifeless world bathed in the hue of moonlight really gives the show a sharp look that is pleasing on the eyes. Fate/Zero also houses THE most amazing fight in anime I've seen to date, I won't spoil which fight it is, but those who have already seen the anime will know. Sound A beautiful orchestrated soundtrack is the icing on the cake. The music accompanying the series is a kaleidoscope of melodies invoking emotional responses when needed; happiness, despair, tragedy, splendor, evil, conflict, etc. The opening and ending songs both intertwine with the story effectively as well. The opening has an emotional feel to it as compared with the upbeat actiony sequence present in season one. It adequately inspires a sense of foreboding in the viewer. Now onto the ending. It serves to flesh out our protagonist Kerry by presenting us with how he and Iri came to be a couple and have their child. Teasing us with Kerry's past and how happy the two lovers were during the short time they spent together only serves to harden the impact of the finale. Characters These are what makes this show shine so brilliantly. There are no exceptions; every single character is quirkily unique, each one sheltering an array of conflicting emotions, and impossible ideals. Labeling any character as an antagonist, protagonist, side character, or otherwise would be insulting as almost every person is artistically created with personalities astonishingly fleshed out and consistent. Gilgamesh for example was once the ruler of pretty much everything on earth. By standing above everyone else figuratively and literally for his entire life, he has fostered an incredible superiority complex. Infinite weapons fill his treasury, and he only expends four on an enemy that is about to destroy the entire city before retreating saying that he "Does not wish for the weapons to be returned because they touched that filthy creature". That is beautiful characterization right there. Enjoyment. I enjoyed the shit out of this. There's nothing more to be said. Overall One episode was filler, some others were rushed because of it, and a certain track wasn't included in the score, but this does not stop Fate/Zero from being one of the best anime in a long time. With a bravura of directing, animation, plot, character development, sound, choreography, and dialogue, Fate/Zero exceeded all my expectations and got better every single episode. Fanboyish as the review may seem, a wonderful story is a wonderful story, no matter which way you cut it.
amirhoss
06/24/2012, 09:14 AM
"Being a hero is something time-limited,when you grow up it's hard to call yourself one" With the success of the first season the creators just passed the hard part and it was time for them to harvest what they planted before.this time the end is near and no one is safe and there is no place for honor nor false hope in this world anymore and those seeking it will only face failure. The 2nd season starts right after the last episode of the 1st season with the battle against Caster.it uses the chance to show that most of the servants are actually heroes that count innocentlives above their war for a grail but it also shows that Fate universe is not kind enough to accept this kinda behaviors too often.even though most of the characters survived the previous season as we all know in this survival game there is only one winner and so the elimination game begun. In this season we also get to know more about those that are less explained before like Kiritsugu.four episodes of flashbacks tries to justify Kiritsugu’s actions for the viewer specially after a cruel move and make him Sympathetic but at the same time it shows us the reason behinds his failure as a hero.as Kiritsugu was living with his past Kirei just forsaken it and became someone new(or old depend on if you played or seen F/SN before this).he finally finds his reason to fight and bought himself a one way ticket to insanity land.also Waver finally mans up and even imitate Alexander’s “lolololo" or w/e! in final episodes viewers will doubt their little hope for any good ending and Kiritsugu’s meeting with grail confirms their doubts.as for the final it had so much to wrap up so it mostly favor those that already read the Light Novel and felt kinda rushed for the others.on the other hand you can say it was one of the few moments in an anime that one could enjoy Shirou.(although he is awesome in VN you know how he turned out in F/SN anime.he was ok in UBW movie too but could be way better).the moment when he tells Kiritsugu that leave everything to me and Saber gets Lights of Hope on herself was Priceless as one of last moments of the series. With a lot of important fight scenes the animators had a lot to deal with this season and they managed to do a good job and they kept it up until the end.the music had to goes all out this season too,using most of the soundtracks from before in the first episode of the new season.also Kiritsugu and his master got their own theme with an special ED song as well.the promised OP song by kalafina for this series also is worth mentioning cause its one my favorites.as for the voice actors they finally found some challenge this season and they did a good job specially Miyu Irino (Kiritsugu’s Voice actor) as he stole the end with his emotional talk with Shirou.you could feel everything that happened to him with his voice alone.also Ayako Kawasumi (Saber’s voice actress) had some material to work with and handled it well. This prequel managed to gave the viewer a better understanding of every character in Fate universe and what they had to go through and it also showed us the dark depths of the Holy Grail Wars.Fate zero Season 2 did justice to the Light Novel and while it puts an end to this epic struggle it marks an start for another and with all its strength or weaknesses it will always be remembered as one of the great animes of this era.
Rootz
06/23/2012, 09:26 PM
If I had to be fair to the greatness of this serie, I had to drop the rate of all the animes I've rated until now by 2 points or more. First, this is not an action show, though it have tons of beatifully done action sequences. This is the story of a man who believed in his ideals and fought for them, but no just him. This is the story of 7 Servants (counting the 1st season) and their troubled, weird, incredible masters, in a way that you can't really choose a villain or a good guy, but you choose the way of thinking thatbetter suits your own. The story is amazing, well done, beautiful. If I have to choose a word to describe it it would be...Type-Moon-ish. Lots of drama, psychological issues and depressive as well as funny moments. The story is well paced and gets you sitting in the edge of the chair, waiting for the next episode. The art, probably the best part of the show. Imagine a show that, when the quality drops, it comes from "godly awesome" to "oh my god, this film is sooo good". Not too much to say for people like us, that like to watch animes, but a word for the directors: WATCH THIS to learn how to make a good animation! The sound is mine personal opinion. It's amazing, and has Kalafina! I love this group and almost anything they do, so I'm kind of biased to talk about sound. The character of the show is well done, so much to like and dislike (based on your mind alone, I've choose my villain and hero, what about you?), they made a protagonist along the 2nd half of the show, but there still some people that think that this one or that one are better, just the individual opinion, that's what make this show so good. Enjoyment? Silly question my friend, by the rates I think you can tell if I liked it. This show is in the top 3 of 11 out of 10 people. This is probably the best show I've ever seen in my life. Sorry for the long post, but I had to make this review and try to show all my passion fot it. I hope I did.
NV2301
06/23/2012, 01:31 PM
This review considers the anime adaptation of Fate Zero (F/Z) Season 2 entirely on its own merit. TL;DR version: The hotly-anticipated second half of F/Z is disappointing in the sense that it leaves the viewer with more questions than answers with a rushed ending. It is especially frustrating when the first half took meticulous care in covering all the nooks and crannies of the Fate universe. On the plus side, the visuals are excellent and the choreography of some of the action and battles is outstanding. Which brings us to to the critical flaw, the *execution* of the story. The carefully crafted build-up inthe first season starts falling apart, as the series switches its focus to action and bodycount. This change of focus and direction just fails to engage the kind of viewer who wants to know the "why" it happened, on top of the "what". "But they were simply constricted by the number of slots they had on TV." Those with bright minds will around it properly. Producers need to know which aspects of the story to prioritize. Steins;Gate for example picked and chose material carefully from the Visual Novel and the result was excellent. The flow and pacing was consistent, despite the amount of material that was not included. This was not the case for F/Z season 2 where the producers made two big errors in pacing. The first error goes back to season 1. I really enjoyed the loli-Rin episode and it was fitting, due to Rin being such an important character in the Fate universe. "But they needed a cliffhanger for the start of season 2, which is why they used lol-Rin as a filler." Ending an arc at the final episode of a sub-season and having a clean-slate start for season 2 is also just fine, especially if it improves the overall product. The second error is the producers' sadistic minds going for big, family kills on Mother and Father's Day respectively, thus affecting the pacing of the story. This is especially so in the middle of the season where 2 episodes are devoted to a flashback. The pacing of the flashback was extremely slow and given the amount of content that needed covering at the end it is questionable whether 2 whole episodes were needed. These decisions therefore cost around one and a half episodes, a valuable amount of time which needed to be saved to wrap up the series. Instead, we get an ending which happened, "because it happened". In hindsight, the loli-Rin episode would make a perfect bonus episode in a Blu-Ray set. Combined with the pacing issues, the quality of dialogue takes a dive as depth and characterization is replaced by shallow, shounen-esque lines. This is disastrous because F/Z started off as a "badass" anime with depth and sophistication. During the latter part of season 2, the show becomes badass, for the sake of being badass. This really affects the characters because instead of developing them and forging a connection with the viewer, they merely become tools of destruction. The connections that were forged in season 1 gradually fade as our characters just drop like dead flies, in a large bodycount, with rushed death epilogues that gives the question "Was that it, after everything?" To top it all off, what was mind-boggling was Sakura's last line in the series. It shows a totally different character to the Sakura we knew prior, and what we know from F/Stay Night. Instead of going for consistency, the producers had gone for the tragic route for the sake of it. This discrepancy across the seasons confuses how F/Z wants to be identified. A sophisticated series (Death Note's first arc) combined with some slick action in the first season, or simply a show to showcase "baddass" (Hellsing Ultimate, Black Lagoon). The art and CGI were very good throughout, with the right amount of detailing on the characters. I also failed to notice any deformities, inconsistencies and incorrect placing of facial features throughout the season. The animation was also fluid, with rendered CGI being used the bulk of the battles to good effect. Everything that meets the eye of the viewer was done extremely beautifully. This was backed by good, convincing sounds effects of metal clanging against metal during battle. The music is an odd one due to Kajiura Yuki abandoning her usual, dominant style for BGM and making it a passive one for F/Z. There was no techno and dramatic opera. Instead, a classical style was used which identified itself with the ancient times of the servants, and the use of ancient mythological magic. The opposite would be the more "techy" weaponry used by present-day people in Mai-Hime, with Kajiura Yuki using her trademark style there. Unfortunately, the passive style means the plot and depth of the story needs to be strong in order for the viewer to be engaged - which as discussed earlier was not to be. This links directly to the overall enjoyment of the series, which took a dive as a result. The final nail in the coffin for enjoyment was the awkwardly paced finale. The placement of actual content felt "off", especially when we were abruptly fed with the idealized wishes of some of the characters. The dialogue which was meant to provide closure was also unsatisfying, with "explanations" actually being descriptive, rather than being explanations. F/Z has been a series that has been extremely interesting from the outset. The extremely high production values is an instant draw, with extremely well animated OP/EDs that set and fit the mood and content of the story perfectly. People who loved the first season's depth and pacing will unfortunately be disappointed. The "less talk, more action" crowd will surely love the excitement suspense from *most* of the battles that were extremely well choreographed. Unfortunately, the flip-flopping of F/Z's genre identity mean both crowds will unlikely be completely satisfied.
Stellio
04/17/2012, 08:44 PM
The Holy Grail War: A war fought between seven selected masters and their servants to determine a sole victor, who will then bless one miracle upon the world. The Holy Grail War can either bring about an ideal wish that saves innocent lives or lead to chaotic destruction in the process. Or both. The Fate Zero series' plot circles around the Holy Grail War, its history and its future. The previous season focused on the characters' backgrounds, and in this season it is now all-out war. The Holy Grail War also involves several sets of conflicts between various supernatural families. All the families for onewants glory for winning the actual war, but the one miracle wish that's blessed by the holy grail is what personally drives the contestants. Would you sacrifice the whole world for the rebirth of your dead, loved ones? Is it worth it? These dark themes are the bane of many of our protagonists and side characters as they approach their psychological breakdowns. Then there's Saber, and all other Honored Heroes. All the characters in the fate zero series have multilateral background stories, but most things are left unexplained in the beginning of the series in order to create a mysterious atmosphere and aura around even the main protagonists. This leaves the audience thirsting for more every upcoming episode, so that they can learn the true intents of each character. And, why they desire the Grail so badly. These essential traits of Fate Zero characters are made to appeal to worldwide audiences, and are elevating at times On another note, the season two of fate zero definitely involves more action than last season. Yet at times, this series still explores some dramas of all proportionals in depth, while being consistent in the flow of its overall plot. Thus, the tension the 2nd season creates a heavier, more intense atmosphere than what someone would usually be used to, partially due to the graphics involved in making this series. Since I brought it up, I must talk about it. The graphics and music in fate zero needs to be pinpointed to an Oscar award soon or there's no hope for future anime franchises. The graphics in fate zero definitely exist as one of the best out there. The artistic aspects not only illuminate the detailed/general setting very well but seems to depict each character's personality as well. Ever since I've seen fate zero, there hasn't been any other series (with a few exceptions) that I have considered a 10/10 when judging its artistic qualities. The music in this series is also nicely executed in fluency with the sound acting and special effects. Most of which raises the level of fierceness in a specific action scene or just makes the actual animation showing on the screen more engaging. Although it would be cool to participate in the Holy Grail war and grant myself a wish, a possible dilemma could result in having to hand over my family, job, and all other responsibilities. So on second thought, I'd rather just be a spectator. And that's exactly what fate zero gives us the opportunity to do, and in the most appealing and qualified graphics possible. That's why, although it's not a perfect anime, the series proves itself to be considered well executed and deserving of all the attention it's getting. All in all, though it really saddens me that the Fate Zero series has finally concluded on a fixed, amiss note, it's very likely the deftly devious creator Urobuchi may provide us with a better and more ideal series sooner or later.

Fate/Zero 2nd Season フェイト/ゼロ 2ndシーズン

2012 spring | Episodes: 12 | Score: 8.5 (729435)

Updated every Sundays at 00:00 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Producers:Aniplex | Nitroplus | Seikaisha | Notes

Streaming: Crunchyroll | Netflix

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Irino, Miyu

Koyama, Rikiya

Seki, Tomokazu

Nakata, Jouji

Kawasumi, Ayako

Ohara, Sayaka

News

Reviews

GloriousCount
03/11/2019, 02:56 PM
This review covers both seasons because they're both parts of the same story and reviewing them individually is stupid. Fate/zero is yet another badly written anime by the shitty writer gen urobuchi and this review explains why. I'll talk about the good aspects of fate/zero and then the majority of the review will be the bad aspects (because there are too many) the mediocre aspects are anything that i don't end up mentioning The Good:- 1- Great Visuals that make the scenes and the backgrounds in the anime look great, but the anime doesn't have alot of animation in it. 2- high quality instruments and sound effects, but the soundtrackitself is not that amazing in fact most of it is forgettable. The Bad:- 1- the grail war in this anime never had any clear rules at all. No rules were mentioned at the beginning, instead the writer inserted any rules he wanted as the anime went on, even the basis of how magic works were unclear and he wrote them as he went on and made magic adjust to any given situation, which shows how badly written this anime is. An example of this is Kirei blocking Kiritsugu's origin bullets using command spells which doesn't make any sense. 2- Character problems:- The masters Kiritsugu Emiya: used to live happily in an island and after like five minutes it turns into hell with zombie infection, so cheesy and unrealistic, then he kills his father who raised him because he was only partly and indirectly responsible for the zombie infection and it was only by accident, it seems like the writer doesn't even know how people normally behave. Kotomine Kirei: starts as a normal guy who works with tokiomi but after archer tells him that he seems intrested in kariya's tragedy he gets rewritten into a one-dimensional villan by instantly betraying tokiomi and seeking the grail that will help him understand himself, which is dumb since an individual normally understands himself more than anyone else, like i said earlier, the writer doesn't even know how people normally behave. Matou Kariya: who suffers to join the war so he can save sakura, but fails to do so and suffers even more, the only reason he exists is because the writer is obsessed with tragedy, kariya's story has no point, no meaning, it's a complete waste of time. El-Melloi Archibald Kayneth: an uninteresting and boring asshole. The servants Saber (king arthur): ripping a character straight from historical books into your anime without bothering to include her background which is necessary to understand her unremarkable struggles in the anime, it seems like the writer has achieved new levels of bad storytelling. Berserker (Sir Lancelot):same problem as saber. Caster & his master(Gilles de Rais & Ryuunosuke): both of them don't even care about the grail, they simply spend their time killing kids and talking about how they enjoy killing kids, they're too delusional to even see the possible consequences of their actions like being the first ones killed in the grail war, which actually happens, but why are these characters in the anime anyways? oh yeah because they need SHOCKING scenes in it to attract viewers who only care about SHOCK FACTOR. Archer (gilgamesh): an egoistical asshole with hax god powers (which he used to kill rider) he doesn't have to worry about anything thanks to his hax powers, which lets him remain as an egoistical asshole with zero character development till the end, he could have also won the war straight from the beginning but he doesn't care about the war, why is he in this anime again? You can remove him from the anime without any changes. 3- Shoehorned philosophy & themes. The writer adds unnecessary philosophy & themes to the anime with a very bad handling of them. - the anime wasted time by having rider and archer talk about how they think saber was not a good king, her life as a king was not shown in the anime and wasn't even part of the anime story in the first place, so why are they discussing it? It makes no sense, even if it made sense it still wouldn't matter because it doesn't affect the anime story, and why are they referring to her as king? she's a woman which makes her a queen. - after lancer's death saber complains about Kiritsugu's evil actions in the grail war, out of stupidity she forgets that he will use the grail to end war. then Kiritsugu claims that honor and valor are the cause of war and bloodshed, yet any one with half a brain can tell how stupid that claim is, the people who got honor from war did it by not commiting war crimes against anyone during war and did what it takes to reduce the losses and hatered of war after it was over, the war itself was not caused or started by them ,The people who cause or start a war usually do it for other reasons without bothering to think of the consequences, they can't do it because of honor since it has no way of starting a war by itself, there is always another reason behind it, if the writer knows of significant bloodshed caused by honor he should mention and explain it, otherwise it comes of as pretentious and stupid, another fact is almost everybody nowadays knows that war itself is bad and nobody think's that war itself is honorable or anything, yet Kiritsugu acts like he figured out something special, it's as if the writer lives in his own small world and keeps including topics in the anime that he himself doesn't even understand. 4- The ending:- Which literally ruined the entire story with it's bullshit. At the beginning everyone talks about how the grail will grant any wish and nobody doubts it at all and they do all it takes to win the grail but then right at the end it's revealed that the grail won't actually grant any wish, more specificly it won't be able to grant the wish of the winner (Kiritsugu) and then it explodes and kills everything around him, this happened because the grail was cursed before fate/zero and that's only known in other parts of the fate franchise which you have to through to understand this because it wasn't mentioned or probably foreshadowed at any part of the fate/zero anime, if fate/zero doesn't even make sense on it's own and has many writing problems then how can it be any better than the rest of the fate (porn game) franchise? even if the grail got cursed, then why didn't any of the characters know about the curse or doubt the grail? it makes no sense either. and this ending basically makes the entire anime feel like a pointless waste of time. Kiritsugu, after bad writing destroyed everything he was doing without any explained reason is still happy because he saved and adopted shirou at the end which ties this with fate/stay night, yay i don't care.
TakaCode
11/09/2016, 12:06 PM
Hello everybody Shawn aka TheKazeTrigger here and welcome to my first MVM Entertainment anime review project. For the first anime I will be reviewing is Fate/Zero. Now I have mixed opinions of the Fate franchise because while my thoughts on Unlimited Blade Works by Ufotable are mixed and I personally hate the Deen adaptions of Fate Stay Night. I thought my love with the Fate franchise will die out because of this. Did my love for Fate Zero die out or it's still going strong as ever? Well let's find out. Story.The story of Fate Zero revolves on something call the Holy Grail War. A Holy Grail war is a war between seven servants as well as seven masters (Magic Users) who through the power of the grail summon heroic spirits who are the people of legend, history fame, or myth. They all battle which each other to claim ownership of the grail which is said to be able to grant the owner any wish. The story of Fate/Zero is really good in my opinion because unlike it's squeal Fate Stay Night which was inconsistent Fate Zero stay consistent from start to finish containing some of the best story direction I have ever seen. Fate Zero is the story of the 4th Holy Grail War 10 years pearl to the events of the 5th Holy Grail War in Fate Stay Night what really separates this war for that is the player themselves. Unlike in Fate Stay Night where the war focus on entirely on the main protagonist here it's much bigger more diverse, and more mature and This is war done right! Aliens and betrayals, well planned and thought out strategies and deposition, well directed fight sequences, really relatable characters movable tons, world building that is fully fleshed out. Not to mention I really adore the use of heavy dialogue and exposition as seen in episode 1 and for that reason episode 1 of Fate Zero is one of my favourite first anime episodes in anime and it's in my top 30 favourite anime episodes. In short Fate Zero has it all! The story is original, externally well written, unpredictable, hardly and black and whites and it will keep you edge to your seat when watching, The ending of Fate/Zero is great and it really fits with the theme of Fate/Zero. I won't spoil the ending here because this ending is a experience that you should watch for your own viewing. Fate/Zero also does an amazing job exploring its themes such as prides, responsibilities of being a king, sacrifices, tragicly, survival and future. I honestly cannot find any flaws with the story because the execution of the story is just wonderful. 10/10 Characters. The characters of Fate/Zero are very mature and well written compare to the cast of Fate Stay Night where they immature as hell and they usually fall into generic character tropes. The thing that makes the character cast so special is that doesn't really have a main character least for a while. All of the masters and servants are explored in depth and we get to see the war through each of their perspectives. Completely different to its squeal series Fate Stay Night. Not to mention the character interactions with each other because unlike in Fate Stay Night where the character interactions are stiff, forced and sometimes have no substance at all Fate Zero character interactions are believable, relatable and have a great impact of the outcome of the 4th Holy Grail War. My favourite characters in Fate/Zero is Rider and Waver because not only they are great entrainment character but they are well written from start to finish. Not to mention Rider and Waver are some of the best duo I have ever seen in anime. This is all thanks to Gen Urobuchi. If you guys don't know about him Gen Urobuchi is the series composition of Madoka Magica, Psycho Pass, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet and Fate/Zero. Gen Urobuchi has a habit of writing ideologies rather than characters and fate zero is the prime example of that. Most of the character aren't really fleshed out or well developed They serve more as physical embodiment of the individual ideals rather than actual people. The focus is on the character interactions and not necessarily the characters themselves. All of the characters in Fate/Zero are really complex characters making for a nice change from the typically Black and White approach as well generic that squeal series Fate Stay Night suffers from. Also by the time you figure out who's good or evil chances are they already been killed in the battlefield. Besides that this character cast is nothing but amazing. 9.5/10 Art/Animation. Visually Fate/Zero is one of the best looking anime I have ever seen. Ufotable absolutely really did a wonderful job here as the animation is some of the best animation I have ever seen for a TV series. The action sequences are unbelievably beautiful and the choreography is just perfect. Also unpopular option I think the art/animation here is better than Fate Stay Night UBW (TV) while the fights in UBW (TV) are greatly animated most of slice of life bits were kinda too bright and sometimes the character designs are not properly drawn and feel like plastic at times if you look very closely on the character during those scenes. The character deigns in Fate/Zero well thought out, very well drawn, animated and consistent from start to finish. I personally have no complaints with the art and animation. 11/10 I definitely broke the scale for this one. Sound. The soundtrack is just epic. This is Yuki Kajiura at her best because she utilises those badass choir vocals endlessly to give nearly every track that feel of epicness. Fate/Zero has 2 opening and ending themes and they are all just epic and very catchy in they own way. Now for dub or sub. To be honest go for what you want because both the Japanese and English voice actors really did a great job with they performance making each role more satisfying to the audience. I would say go for both sub and dub for this one. 10/10 Final Thoughts. Fate/Zero is one of the best animes I have ever seen from 2010s era of anime and its one of the most entering rides I have ever been on. The story was addicting and seeing the characters ideologies clash with each other was absolute thrill. The animation is absolutely beautiful and the soundtrack is fitting epic from start to finish. Also both sub and dub are flawless in my eyes. It accomplishes something a few prequels have and far surpassing its sequel Fate Stay Night. At time point I mention why is Fate/Zero is better than Fate Stay Night and that because it is. Fate Zero manages to fix everything that I hated about Fate Stay Night and in my opinion Fate/Zero makes any anime adaptation of Fate Stay Night look like a joke by comparison. Fate/Zero is one of the best animes I have ever seen and its now in my top 15 favourites anime of all time. Fate Zero is a modern classic that should not be missed by anyone. I give Fate/Zero Both Seasons a 10/10 ( Masterpiece of war) Fate/Zero is available from MVM Entertainment in the UK and they currently licensed both seasons on DVD and Blu Ray. If you can Fate/Zero is a must buy on Blu Ray for the better viewing experience. The DVD version of Fate/Zero is surprisingly good compare to the blurry looking Fate/Stay Night UBW (TV) on DVD which was a ugly experience in my opinion Anime recommendations. Fullmetal alchemist Brotherhood Code Geass Kara no Kyoukai Hellsing Ultimate. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu (Legend of the Galactic Heroes) Anyway this was Shawn aka TheKazeTrigger and I will see you guys next time. Next anime review for my MVM Entertainment anime review project will be The Familiar of Zero S1 or Bakemonogatari.
zyke
08/01/2015, 05:38 PM
For a show that heavily relies on dialogue, it sure was lacking in the quality of dialogue. I often found myself bored with whatever they were talking about, mainly because the plot was boring and all the characters had many unappealing traits which made me not care about them. If you want to watch a show with very dull dialogue and irrational people fighting over a fairy tale relic, this show is definitely for you. Only good part in fate/zero was its action sequences, but that alone isnt enough to make show interesting.
awerture
04/18/2015, 04:14 PM
For the love of Holy Grail, if you have never watched anything from Fate/Stay Night franchise under any circumstances DO NOT watch Fate/Zero first! I'll hold an even stronger statement - don't watch it at all. I've just made this grievous mistake, because I had listened to advice given on youtube by several self-proclaimed anime gurus. And now how pissed I am! Sheesh! Firstly, it ruined much of the experience of Fate/Stay Night. And secondly, I strongly believe Fate/Zero is crap. I am aware this warning and review will probably fall on deaf ears, because of the way unfavorable reviews are treated by MAL users. ButI'll be content if I am able to save at least one soul from the disaster this anime is. Let me elaborate on my background - when I started to watch this series I knew only that Fate/Zero is prequel, supposedly much superior to its successor. And that it was written by the same guy who wrote Madoka Magica. I knew nothing about characters, basic premises and how this story ends. So it will be easier for creators to impress me, immerse me in their fantastical world and make me care for what happens. Or so I thought. Oh boy, how I was wrong. This anime has massive flaws in its narrative. And it is not even the main story itself - it's of course ridiculous but it would eventually do. However the pacing of it is atrocious. The anime disguises itself as interesting in its first 5 episodes, there is some introduction, then almost right off the bat we hop into a duel between characters. And then... then almost nothing happens for the next 8 episodes. The entire first season should be actually called Fate/Zero Action or, equally accurately, Fate/All Talk. Ok, maybe I'm somewhat unfair, there were some skirmishes, though utterly insignificant. Then around second half something indeed started to happen - but it was still interrupted by All Talk episodes (I still get shivers remembering an episode containing conversation between certain priest and Gilgamesh). And, don't you have wrong impression - I'm not some action junkie. I was annoyed simply because discussion and character development episodes were just criminally uninteresting. It's beyond describable how one doesn't care for virtually any of the characters in this story. Given how much time the anime spends on exposing their back-stories and motivations it is fail of epic proportions. It is partially because this whole exposition is handled very poorly. After the whole show I still don't understand e. g. what is the actual cause of intense rivalry between main protagonist and main antagonist. Additionally narrative is prone to raise some significantly-looking issue (or character) and then to drop it for long or even forever. And there is this most important issue, which even one character in the story (Gilgamesh I suppose) noticed - how abysmally dull are most of these characters' motivations. It makes you automatically yawn at the mere sight of them. There are some events which simulate plot twists, but there are all so boring and the reasons for them so contrived they are not something to speak of. In other words - it's impossible for a viewer to care if character X treacherously kills character Y, when you couldn't care less neither for X nor for Y. Ok, so maybe at least fight scenes redeem the show? No! Most of them are astonishingly anti-climactic, including two of the three final ones. BTW not only fights are anti-climactic. So is the ending, concluded thanks to idiotic Diabolus ex Machina. And after having watched this I saw juvenile shounen-like Fate/Stay Night anime series from 2006. It's almost beyond my belief that MAL users (as of early 2015) rate Fate/Zero so well and F/SN so badly. Yes, 2006 anime is cliched. Its stereotypical high-school protagonist whines too much. There is a generic romance plot. Hell, the whole coming-of-mage plot is ultra generic. And yes, it's more light-hearted. But still I liked it more, even though I was spoiled by prequel. The creators of F/Zero failed to notice that it's not enough to be "darker and edgier" to have a good plot and interesting characters. The art part of the anime is only thing in which creators didn't fail. But it annoys me that more, when I watch skillfully sound-tracked, brilliantly animated boring fights between inexplicably boring characters. [warning: bad puns ahead] I strongly advice all of you to stay in the dark night when it comes to Fate/Zero. Although the story deserves clear zero points, animation, sound and the fact that Saber is always fully-clothed wind up the total score to 4/10 (or 3/10 for first season alone). Alternatively: It's possible that my above rant is the result of watching this show prematurely. The writers of the series from my perspective put emphasis on such weird places of their story that it makes plausible that I'm seriously missing something. Conclusion, once again, DO NOT WATCH IT BEFORE FATE/STAY NIGHT.
lawlmartz
03/24/2015, 07:13 PM
"Those who desire to rise as high as our human condition allows, must renounce intellectual pride, the omnipotence of clear thinking, belief in the absolute power of logic." -Alexis Carrel Overview: Fate/Zero takes place on the stage of Fuyuki, a city based on modern day Kobe. Here, seven masters chosen by the Holy Grail- an omnipotent wish granting device- gather to do battle. The seven human masters, each from disparate backgrounds, experiences, and creeds assemble, and are granted a "servant", or the spirit of a fallen hero from ages past given physical form. With these servants, the masters wage a proxy war in the formof a battle royale: the last master/servant duo standing is the winner, as declared by the Holy Church. The pair is then granted a wish: that which they desire most. Animation and Art: 10 Here's where Fate/Zero and ufotable really earned their keep. It’s plain to see that this show had an enormous budget: a good percentage of it was spent in the animation department, and spent well. The 3D animation is an absolute gold standard for how modern day AAA anime titles can and SHOULD look. It’s absolutely incredible to behold when the 3D CGI meshes with the hand drawn animation onscreen well, and importantly: doesn’t look incredibly fake. For me, having 3D CGI onscreen can break the immersion, because it’s typically a very jarring difference between the background and hand drawn, but not so in this case. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the vehicles and grotesque monsters that were given life through 3D animation here. I've had a sour taste for 3D for a long time, even in shows with high production values like Ghost in the Shell SAC, by the esteemed Production IG. A few standout moments include Saber's motorcycle, the F-14 jet commandeered by Berserker, and the fire and water effects that looked as realistic as I've ever seen in animation. Vibrant, dynamic lighting and shadow play along with particle effects rendered by the 3D beautifully. Swirling lights, darks, and brilliant displays of energy color the typically dark palettes of the show. Much of it takes place at night, and it really allows the lighting and brightness of the clashes to be cast against the darkness and shadows, further encapsulating the duality that the show embodies. Sound and Voice Acting: 8 Fate/Zero has a rather sizable cast, with seven masters, servants and various supporting characters, but Aniplex didn't skimp on talent at all. Heading up the group are Matthew Mercer as Kiritsugu Emiya and Crispin Freeman as Kirei Kotomine. Bridget Hoffman gives a great performance as Irisviel, and Liam O'Brien appears, nearly reprising his Vincent Law role as Kariya Matou. The ubiquitous Michelle Ruff and Johnny Yong Bosch also appear in supporting roles. The soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura (SAO, usw.) is comprised of many emotional orchestral themes, high tension string sections, and appropriately energetic or heartfelt compositions that mesh well with the action along with the more subdued moments. Story: 9 This production takes a rather unusual route in the means of its storytelling. Rather than having a limited perspective of a single main character, or that of a typical protagonist/antagonist setup, Fate/Zero chooses an ensemble route that is at the same time very intricate, but not difficult to follow. Each master and each servant have their own motives and means at their disposal with which to defeat the others and capture the Grail. At no point in the series is it truly clear who's been dealt the best hand in terms of the abilities and willingness of the servant in conjunction with the cunning and ambition of the master. Again, this duality forms the spine of Fate: an individualistic war waged with individual goals, but having to unite as a team with another for a singular purpose. The Grail's choosing of the combatants is indiscriminate: there are kids with no business being involved in a war; in which the possibility they may lose their life is very real. There are others chosen who've spent their entire lives preparing for the Holy Grail War, ones who care nothing about the Holy Grail or even being involved with the war, ones who fight for the salvation of loved ones, and still others who fight for purely selfish motives- seeking the power of the omnipotent wish granter as a means of personal gain, or mutually assured destruction. This varied group of entrants further serves the dualistic ideal of Fate/Zero, a collection of persons from dissimilar motive and thought unified, yet vying against each other on this quest for the Grail. The prideful, the greedy, the lustful, the wrathful, the gluttonous for power, the envious, and the slothful are equally applicable to this story: 7 masters, 7 servants, each is clearly represented by (at least one of) the Seven Deadly Sins in line with their character traits and history. Characters: 9 Each character has their own morals (or lack thereof) which typically sit juxtaposed to their partner, who serve as a foil in many cases. Again, the duality dynamic that is signature to this series is put to excellent use here in reflecting the strict moral code adherence of the Saber, Arthuria against the postmodernist, win-at-all-costs mentality of her master, Kiritsugu. Arthuria is defined early on as a strong willed woman, whose sole character traits consist of the aforementioned strict adherence to a code of honor, of loyalty, defined by her as chivalry, which is in line with her time period and legends. She has an extreme worldview, believing that even the battlefield should be a place where honor comes first. Part of what makes Arthuria unique is her unwillingness to change, no matter what she's faced with. It's both a noble, and ultimately futile goal. I make point of the speech Kiritsugu gives her in episode 16: ---"to Saber: No. Honor glory, there's no point in talking to a killer who extols such things. A knight cannot save the world. Knights call certain methods of killing 'good' and 'evil', acting as if there were some sacred nobility to the battlefield. Such illusions created by heroes throughout history have led countless young men to their deaths, all for the sake of this glory and honor they extol. " Saber: "Even the taking of a life in battle as a human being must have ideals, otherwise every war would bring the fires of hell to this world." "There you have it, Iri(sviel), our heroic spirit considers a battlefield to be worse than hell... what a joke. A battlefield IS hell itself. There is no hope to be found on it, there is nothing but unspeakable despair. Just a soulless cry we call victory: paid for by the pain of the defeated, but humanity has never recognized this truth. This is because in every era, a dazzling hero has blinded the people with their legends, and kept them from seeing the evil of bloodshed they bring. True human nature has not advanced a step beyond the stone age!"--- Arthuria cannot accept that the truth of battle is relative... what did it matter if someone was killed by unfair/unjust/unrighteous means VS in "honorable" battle? It's both her strength and her greatest hypocrisy, this eternal attachment to the values of Knight's Honor she embodies. The second relationship worth exploring here is that of Kirei Kotomine and well... himself. Kirei, as a clergyman and inquisitor (church assassin) despite the appearance of a fulfilled life, is an extreme nihilist. His duality is that he has no reason to seek the Grail, yet he wishes that the Grail would reveal to him the meaning of his own life. Brutal, bitter, and cunning, Kirei is a formidable adversary for anyone, but takes a particular interest in Kiritsugu Emiya. This interest being the first passion of his empty, desolate life. The man who fights for everything, yet can have nothing, and the man who fight for nothing, yet seeks everything: the crux of Fate/Zero. Enjoyment: 9 What drew me into Fate/Zero wasn't the enormous expo dump at the beginning of the series. (Seriously, a 45 minute long dialogue about the intricacies of the Grail War and the underlying corruption, betrayal, and cutthroatness of the families who continually struggle to possess the Grail is a bit gratuitous) No, what drew me into this show was the tone. I harp about tonal inconsistency a lot, but this time the shoe is on the other foot. Type-Moon's story here is very well fleshed out, and maintains a dark, mature tone throughout. It's never tarnished by silly, untimely comedic moments or thoroughly unnecessary fanservice. Fate/Zero takes themes such as loss, despair, and tragedy and pairs them with idealism, of hope and honor, and justice creating an amalgam of duality that is really impactful. Another bit I thoroughly enjoyed was the inclusion of historical figures as the Grail heroes. I was familiar with about half of them before, by my eyes were opened to some other historical and legendary figures, which I took to reading about immediately after learning their identities. Gilgamesh, King Arthur, Alexander the Great, and the Berserker were known to me upon their appearance, and their character roles fell deftly in line with how they're portrayed in legend and in actual history. The Assassin was modeled after Hassan-i Sabbah, a 3rd Crusade Age Muslim missionary who founded a league of assassins (popularized by a video game series a few people might have heard of). The Caster, Gilles de Rais (or Bluebeard), was a mid-Dark Age companion to Joan of Arc, and also a notorious serial killer, particularly of children. He is also noted to have been interested in the occult, particularly summoning. Finally, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, a legendary hero of 2nd-4th century Irish origin. He was said to have used two spears, one red, and a yellow one which inflicted wounds that did not heal (likely poison). Overall: 9 Overall a very well done show. I was impressed by the lack of pulled punches: this show is very brutal at times, and doesn't shy away from some heavy themes and visuals a lesser show would have avoided or cut. Fate/Zero isn't for the faint of heart, there are some reviling moments, emotionally rending tragedy, and spots of tear inducing exuberance. Fate/Zero wasn't afraid to take some risks, and they paid off excellently. I've thoroughly enjoyed the matureness of this show: it could have easily been an overblown shonen action show, but subtlety prevailed, and took a more nuanced route. A philosopher and a warrior, a scholar and an athlete- Fate/Zero is doing it all. tl;dr + Excellent, diverse cast, all interesting in their own right + The absolute best 3D animation there's ever been + Fantastic, nuanced plot and dialogue to match +/- Ensemble storytelling can be off putting to some +/- Slow, exposition filled first half - Some characters are irritating, perhaps written to be so Recommend? Yes, absolutely. Great dialogue, better characters, and excellent execution and follow through with a very mature, action based plot. "But the tale of humanity will never come to a close, for the struggle of survival is a war without end, and war – war never changes."
MusicalAlchemist
01/08/2015, 12:17 AM
This is mostly a review of the entirety of Fate/Zero rather than the second season in particular. I have not watched or read the Fate/Stay Night material before watching this. Story: 9 Writing a prequel to an already well-established series has proven in many cases to be difficult to do (i.e. Star Wars) but Fate/Zero passes with flying colors. Even if you have seen Fate/Stay Night prior to watching this, it still provides many twists and turns that leave you guessing all the way up until the final episode, all the while seamlessly setting up the story for Fate/Stay Night. The dialogue is genuine and theways the characters interact with each other always make for great moments. The first few episodes are a bit of an information dump, but really help to explain the world you are immersing yourself in. Philosophically, it chronicles the eternal struggle of morality in the face of war that never becomes too preachy, but leaves you wondering what is right and wrong. Art: 9 Staying consistent to the TYPE-MOON art style, it looks very nice in an updated setting. Although there is a rather consistent use of CGI, it does not take away from the action all too much. It does, however, enhance large scale attacks very nicely. The character designs, again, are the highlight as they are able to craft characters of unique traits and avoid making them appear hokey. Sound: 10 In regards to the dub, I watched the English dub which I thought was executed very well. The voices matched the attitudes and statures of the characters and never once felt miscast. Rider’s voice in particular couldn’t have been a better fit. Even the characters with somewhat deadpan personalities like Kiritsugu and Kirei are well acted and the subtleties of their emotions really shine through. The soundtrack is fantastic. Yuki Kajiura creates a very immersive and powerful score that has you on the edge of your seat during every battle. Also, the opening theme of the second season is one of the best anime openings I’ve ever heard. Characters: 10 The character development in this anime is astounding and is easily the best part of the show. Rather than primarily focus on one main character, besides the two episodes of Kiritsugu backstory, the show really helps to flesh out each character’s personality and their ambitions towards why they lust after the Holy Grail. Even if you don’t particularly like certain characters, you still understand the reasons behind their actions and are interested to see how they act because of it. Enjoyment: 10 I can’t talk enough about how much I enjoyed this anime. I was captivated as soon as I finished the first episode. It was difficult for me not to pound out the whole show in a few days, which I have a bad knack of doing. Every character, good or bad, left an impression on me and were memorable no matter how large their role was. I will definitely be re-watching it to enjoy it again. Overall: 10 A great anime that has awesome characters, a compelling story, and an intriguing philosophical battle to go alongside the well-choreographed fights. Definitely in my Top 10 Anime list. Great for both the casual and avid Anime fan. You can also enjoy it whether you've seen Fate/Stay Night or not.
GonzyChan
08/21/2014, 11:51 AM
Tyrannical power and glory are two things that define a sovereign ruler with an iron fist. Many mythologies have been interpreted to fit these notions into their stories to create a different understanding. A series that has been long regarded with acclaim by many die-hard enthusiasts is the Fate series. Starting as a visual novel series, it eventually shifted its form to animation with Fate Stay Night to mediocre reception from fans. It was then that a man named Gen Urobuchi decided to make a prequel light novel series called Fate Zero, and thus a legendary phenomenon was born in animation form four years later. Thoughthis is the 2nd season of Fate Zero that I’m basing this off after finishing it, it would be more tempting to critique it because it is merely a continuation of the series and nothing else. Do not feel disingenuous if you feel like you want to read the visual novels before going into it or suffer through the horrible Fate Stay Night adaptation. Fate Zero is, by and large, its breed, and it wouldn’t necessarily warrant a lesser experience had one not experienced any of them. Going through the entire series to the inevitable conclusion, Fate Zero manages to put a strong emphasis on technical beauty and wonder, while it falls short on some levels. I remember when I first got introduced to the Fate series and couldn’t make heads or tails on what it was about from looking at the plot summaries. Once you dive into it and it starts to explain in great detail about the ongoing war over the holy grail, it does make it more coherent, even if you haven’t followed the visual novel to death. Fate Zero does a great job of explaining it from the first episode alone, which has a running time of an hour. Following the footsteps of several of our protagonists and their goal of achieving the holy grail, they are all given pretty substantial screen-time for us to empathize with their competitive drive against one another. Now this screen-time I mention comes from the pacing this show has with not only how we can identify with the characters but also showcase their unique fighting abilities. I’ll give a lot of credit to the animation studio, ufotable, and bringing out their big guns into the production of Fate Zero. It also helps that they worked on a massive budget that they could workaround, which is a rarity in this day and age. Their attention to detail in the color schemes, especially in the darker moments, is astounding. It’s one of those instances where it is mandatory to watch this in full high definition to get involved with the creative detail of the art and animation. With animation comes action scenes, which Fate Zero is not afraid to show with true greatness. What is quite refreshing to see in an action scene is for characters to plan out their attack moves instead of just swinging their weapon until the enemy dies. It doesn’t needlessly pad out the fighting scenes with constant dialogue in-between, at least most of the time. Visually exciting and epic in their ultimate nature, these will not disappoint your average action show fan. Epic storytelling has its roots in having a large cast of characters. Unfortunately, the characters in Fate Zero are hit or miss depending on the progression we get from the development they have. This includes our relationship with the human characters and the servants that protect them. The best example is the relationship between Rider and Waver based on the level of chemistry these two have whenever they are bickering with one another. However, the rest didn’t speak to me as having great chemistry only because their only purpose was to advance the plot and nothing else. With Rider and Waver, it felt like I was rooting for these people more to win the war because they bolster so many lighthearted moments that make them appealing to watch. Saber gets a lot of praise for being a solid character, and I understand from the perspective that she knows how to protect herself and her master. Other than that, she doesn’t carry the show on her own because of her bland personality, and all she does is tries to get her honor back, which feels so superficial. This is the case for most characters, except for Kiritsugu Emiya, in Fate Zero. Style with no substance is what I would generalize my point as for them. It could be the problem with adaptations that don’t expand enough for people like me who hadn’t read the visual novel, but that is hardly an excuse if you think about it. The worst instance I can give for this is the characters Caster and Ryunosuke. Both of them are pure psychopathic murderers who take pleasure in killing children for fun and nothing else. That should not entail that I take these characters as bad only on the premise that it's wholly frightening or unsettling. What troubles me is that that’s all that we get out of Caster and Ryunosuke. We don’t know what makes Ryunosuke into the person he is, and most of the blame can be put on him since Caster is already based on a real-life serial killer. They are there to emit shock value into the mix to make the show more “adult” when it doesn’t matter in the slightest, not that this was the first for Gen Urobuchi. Nevertheless, the character development kicks into high gear when we explore Kiritsugu Emiya’s troubled past. The only negative aspect to this is that the two episodes that chronicle his past felt unnecessary in the main broadcast and would’ve fit better in a separate OVA. What makes it less of criticism is that it is done very well in delving into the psyche of Emiya and shows how different he has changed throughout his life. So in retrospect, my reactions to Fate Zero’s attempt to construct a narrative and character story are mixed, but they are far from terrible. People wanted to see the epic conclusion to Fate Zero, and they sure got it in good proficiency. Even though I felt the ending was a little anti-climatic to some degree, with some sequences feeling a bit rushed, they give at least some closure to the character arcs. Has this officially made me into a Fate series fan? No, not even close. But there are many things to appreciate about Fate Zero and its attention to spectacle over substance. Sometimes that can work, and Fate Zero rests on that throne as one of the more enjoyable experiences. Does this mean that Type-Moon will not stop milking their franchise and driving it into the ground in the future? You bet your ass they will. Grade: B
Hanburgeric
08/14/2014, 03:18 PM
***This review is comprehensive of both seasons of Fate/Zero.*** If your one and only wish could be granted, how far would you tread down the path colored in blood and embroidered with thorns? Welcome to Fate/Zero, an epic that explores the efforts of seven masters and their servants (heroic spirits such as King Arthur) to obtain the Holy Grail, a device said to be capable of granting any one wish. Sorely disappointed by its sequel, Fate/Stay Night, I, like many others before me, was initially reluctant to watch the show. Turned off by the ridiculously pure ideals of Emiya Shirou and defiled by the constant repetition of thephrase, "People die when they are killed", Fate/Zero's appeal to me was minimal. Oh, how wrong was I. Fate/Zero is a delightfully dark deviation from its sequel and excels in almost every single category. Before I delve into the meat of this review, allow me to comment on the more technical aspects of the series. Artistically speaking, Fate/Zero is incredibly accomplished. The animation quality is outstanding, and falters not even for a second. Ufotable executes everything from simple character movements to brilliantly drawn action sequences in excruciating detail, using dark color palettes that encapsulate the mysterious and somber ambience of the show. As expected of Yuki Kajiura, the mastermind behind several other breathtaking soundtracks, the music is top-notch. Incorporating choir and orchestra into many of her works, Yuki Kajiura creates tracks that fit each scene more or less faultlessly. Each track adds to the complexity of every mystery, complements the sorrow of every tragedy, and intensifies the scale of every battle. All openings and endings add a little something special to the series, providing insight on some aspects of the show that, for the sake of spoilers, you must discover yourself. Between its two seasons, Fate/Zero pulls a stunt that is both admirable from both a production and (in the long term) an entertainment standpoint. Fate/Zero discontinued its story for a rather short period of three months although there was no reason to do so in regards to the plot; that is to say, there was no point in delaying the continuation of such a fluid story. Although it may have vexed some viewers, this method of production ensured that the overall quality of Fate/Zero would be consistent — a wise decision, that, in the long run, provided even greater entertainment for the audience. The most desirable decision would have been to release all episodes at a later point in time, but I would rather have Ufotable do this than rush production and suffer a drop in quality. Now, to discuss the story, characters, and my personal enjoyment...and if you thought there was a lot to read so far, then you've got another thing coming. The story of Fate/Zero is carefully constructed so that there are no missing or remaining pieces of the puzzle upon completion. The concept of battling for an omnipotent wish granting device is not completely novel, but Fate/Zero's execution of the idea is, dare I say it, the best I've ever seen. As the story is told from a variety of perspectives, it is not as easy to discern who the winner will be by the end of it all, unlike most survival game anime that may as well have just told us the victor in the first ten minutes of the first episode. As certain characters begin to get more development, the predetermined victor becomes more and more evident, but this is just a regrettably unavoidable aspect of such works. Regardless, the plot does well to attribute sufficient screen time to each tag team of master and servant to uphold the feeling of uncertainty in its audience. The plot is also made unpredictable due to its dark nature. With such a dreary atmosphere (bolstered by the aforementioned animation style and music), we as viewers are never quite sure of how things will turn out. Things may seem to be heading in a somewhat predictable direction when suddenly, the plot throws a wrench in its works to turn the tables around. However, unlike in some series (such as Mirai Nikki), this technique not employed excessively, allowing the story to be told coherently and without much disruption. Likewise, the characters are also equally as amazing as the plot. It is rare to see an anime with such a large cast give each and every one of its numerous characters enough development to evoke strong emotion in the case that something should occur. Why do viewers feel triumphant at the defeat of a villain? Why do they feel sad at the death of a hero? The answer is empathy. It is specifically because of proper character development that viewers form a collective and (nearly) unanimous feeling toward a specific character. It's the difference between being told a random person has died and being told that the closest person to you has passed away in a tragic accident. Without a comprehensive understanding of character motivations and their circumstances, it is impossible to FEEL anything for them; in other words emotional connections between characters and viewers are of vital importance. Fate/Zero accomplishes this feat beautifully. There is enough development on each character that the viewers can understand each and every one of them (although some less than others). Everything the characters say or do has a purpose and reinforces the former "emotional connections" to the extent that every event holds at least some significance or meaning. To very quickly summarize these thoughts, Fate/Zero has characters that make you actually CARE about what happens to them, whether that be in a positive or negative light. The complexity and relatively unpredictable nature of the plot and the high amount of development that occurs in every single character is what makes Fate/Zero one of the masterpieces of anime, but it is for these exact same reasons that the series suffers. Simply put, these traits are double-edged swords. Going back to the puzzle analogy, although there are no missing/leftover pieces, there are too many to begin with in the first place. Having watched Fate/Stay Night prior to this, I had a full understanding of the concepts of the Holy Grail War. Since the protagonist, Emiya Shirou, was just as new to the Holy Grail War as the viewers were, the show eased its viewers into it. However, it is easy to see how newer members of the Fate franchise may have not had the time to wrap their minds around the basics of the plot before the exposition explodes into action. Moreover, the characters, and the heroic spirits in particular, are difficult to understand from time to time. Again, due to my interest in ancient folklore, I had a rather deep understanding of most servants and their incentives. It is exactly because the show tries too hard to give every character decent developments that it feels as if some characters were not done enough justice. Knowing the fates/stories of each and every one of the heroic spirits gave ten times more weight to every swing of their weapon and every word on their lips. Nevertheless, not everyone may feel the same way — I still would have greatly enjoyed Fate/Zero even if I were not so informed on the pasts of the heroic spirits or on the Fate universe in general. These are merely things that, ideally, should have been done, but realistically, couldn't be done. It's completely unreasonable of me to expect that an anime accomplish so much in such a short period of time, and the truth is that Fate/Zero did an incredibly admirable job fleshing out such an enormous amount of substance in a mere 25 episodes. Although I enjoy a great variety of anime (from the pure and peaceful nature of Usagi Drop to the mindless action in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann), I enjoy nothing more than dark, twisted, and thought-provoking series such as this. Fate/Zero focuses largely on the idea of clashing ideologies, whether that be between two masters, two servants, or even a master and a servant. Do the ends justify the means? Is there defeat to be found victory, or must victory be absolute? Themes like these frequently appear in the world of Fate/Zero, each difficult to give a certain answer to. In particular, the anime delves into the topic of the importance of chivalry and the definition of what it means be a king. How must one lead his or her nation? Is there honor and morals involved in killing others? Why is it that the code of chivalry must be tacitly upheld? Again, these are themes that may appear too foreign to some viewers and may even go unrecognized, but I spent a great deal of time contemplating my own responses to these questions, enjoying every minute and second of doing so. CONCLUSION: Fate/Zero is a masterpiece — yes, a masterpiece. The animation and sound are arguably among the best in any anime, and the story and characters are complex yet adequately developed. Although the series could have benefitted even more by fleshing out more of its material and conveying its universe to potentially new viewers, it does all that it can in 25 episodes. The reason I also endorse Fate/Zero as a "masterpiece", a word I don't like to throw around lightly, is that the show is just so incredibly well rounded. In almost every anime that I have watched so far (which isn't too many), there has always been at least one category in which the anime lacks. Be it story, character, art, sound, or my personal enjoyment, I could find little to no faults with any of these five categories. In fact, the anime is so balanced in everything that it accomplishes that it was only fair that I attribute the same amount of significance to every category in my final rating. So, without further ado... STORY (20%) — 9.2/10 CHARACTERS (20%) — 9.2/10 ANIMATION (20%) — 9.8/10 SOUND (20%) — 9.7/10 ENJOYMENT (20%) — 9.8/10 OVERALL (100%) — 9.5/10 Now... By the power of my Command Seal, I command thee, avid reader, to explore the magnificent universe of Fate/Zero!
incarnate1
07/10/2014, 07:37 AM
Fate/Zero was entertaining at times, with several very good fight sequences and the nice animation, but it doesn't make up for the real lack of any sort of coherent story or character development. Fate/Zero has simple plot hiding behind rhetoric and long-winded speeches from rooftops just to look cool. The dialogue was uninspired at best and often times so dull that I felt that I could walk away to make a cup of coffee and come back knowing I missed absolutely nothing that contributed to the story. The biggest problem is that none of the characters other than Waver and Rider were ever really developed, leavingno emotional impact on their deaths. In fact, when it came to a lot of the seemingly important events, I just didn't care. Pointless monologues and exposition, bad pacing (nothing happened in S1, while characters were dropping like flies in the second season), irrelevant story arcs, topped with shallow characters; Fate Zero puts a good effort at feigning depth and puts forth some interesting ideas, but is ultimately a train wreck of poor narrative with a plot that lacks any real complexity or substance.
Comet1
06/20/2014, 09:46 AM
(Review for both season 1 and 2, spoiler free) “Glory lies beyond the horizon. Challenge it because it is unreachable. Speak of conquest and demonstrate it.” - Rider The Holy Grail—an omnipotent wish granting device which grants the owner any one wish of their deepest desire. For generations, the Holy Grail Wars were held every 60 years to decide who would be worthy to yield an item of such immense power; seven Masters coupled with seven Servants duke it out in a battle royale to the death, but only one Master and Servant can be victorious. Fate/Zero is a thrilling, engaging, intellectual and mature anime withjaw-dropping visuals. Story: 9.51 Fate/Zero is about the 4th Holy Grail War, which takes place 10 years before the events of the Fifth Holy Grail war, and is set in Fuyuki City. Seven magi are chosen by the Grail as Masters, and by the power of the Grail, they have the ability to summon Heroic Spirits brought forth as familiars to come and fight by their side, which are their Servants. Each Servant that’s summoned is put into one of the following classes, which include: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker; each with their own skills and benefits. The Story is masterfully done and kept me engaged throughout the entire series. You never know what’s going to happen next or what plot twist is going to take place. Watching it is almost as reading a masterfully crafted literature epic; it's that good. This anime is heavily focused around dialogue, and for that reason there aren’t many battles, but when a battle arrives it’s just so amazing that it’ll keep you at the edge of your seat. This isn’t to say that the dialogue isn’t entertaining though, as I personally enjoyed every last bit of it, even if it does sometimes drag on for awhile. The dialogue also tells a lot about some of the characters backstories. Throughout there are some comedic scenes here and there, most of which pertaining to Rider and Waver, though for the most part it mainly stays in a serious and dark atmosphere. Art/Animation: 9.94 The production quality for this anime is just amazing—it really shows how great Type-Moon's productions are, and when they’re mixed with ufotable, EXPECT GREATNESS! The art and animation in this anime are done SO well it’s just breathtaking, to say the least. Every image is animated so well, there were very few animation errors, and everything was just so smooth. And the art was just beautiful! It was so good that in some scenes my jaw was literally dropped for 1-2 minutes. I also really liked the character designs; all of them were just awesome. The art and animation is just masterfully done, not much more I can say about it. Go check it out for yourself if you don’t take my word for it. Characters: 9.70 One of my favorite aspects of this show has got to be how it portrayed the characters. I’m not sure if it’s not entirely focusing on one main protagonist and rather showing all the characters and how their stories eventually unfold, or if it’s the masterful way Gen Urubuchi conveyed how each character thought and why they took the actions that they took, but I loved it. Character development is also very good; you mainly notice it with Kiritsugu Emiya, as there are even 2 whole episodes about his back story in season 2. But my favorite character, like many others, is definitely Rider. Some of the feels you get when he gives his speeches. I also love his attitude and how he acts, one of my favorite characters of recent times. Sound: 9.57 The soundtrack for both seasons was done by Yuki Kaijura, and if you’ve ever heard any of her other awesome soundtracks (most notably SAO and Madoka Magica), you should have a pretty good idea that this one is just as great. Most of the pieces have heavy orchestra and are very powerful; this track also contains some very emotional pieces, like my personal favorite from it, Tragedy and Fate. I absolutely adored the first opening Oath Sign by LiSa, and I doubted the second one would be better than the first… But oh boy was I wrong about that (for my tastes). “To the Beginning” By Kalafina (Yuki Kaijura’s all-female band) quickly become my favorite OP of ALL time. Strong vocals accompanied by a strong orchestra make this piece a pleasure to the ears. I really liked the EDs. Sora wa Takaku Kaze wa Utau by Luna Haruna really set the mood for the end of each episode, and it also quickly became one of my favorite EDs. I watched the dubbed version and it was just great--leagues above many other dubs I've heard. I don’t think they could’ve even picked a better voice actor for Kiritsugu Emiya than Matthew Mercer, and Freeman Crispin (also Alucard from Hellsing), as always, did an amazing job. His deep tone really suited Kirei Kotomine. Enjoyment/Overall: 9.68 What can I say? I absolutely love this anime. It will keep you thrilled, engaged, and satisfied by the ending. It has really high production quality, and a great soundtrack. My highest recommendation for you to watch this truly exceptional anime. One thing I also admire about it how mature it is—it doesn’t need fan service or overused/unoriginal comedy to be successful (not that that's always a bad thing, though). It is truly an original as well as unique anime, and in my opinion, a must watch for fans of the Fate series.
Jaltrogge
05/30/2014, 05:11 PM
Story Score:10/10 -The second season of "Fate/Zero" is, to be straight-forward, beautifully written. The story is engaging and the interesting and thrilling subject and themes explored throughout the show left me on the edge of my seat for every minute it was on. One great thing about the writing of the show are the plot twists(occurring basically every episode). These plot twists kept me engaged and shocked me at every twist and turn, the second you think things are back to normal, another huge plot twist is thrown your way. This show is definitely not predictable, and very dark, which warrants ita 10/10 in story! Art Score:10/10 -Although I'm terrible at art and know next to nothing about it, This show is beautiful! The characters costumes are so well thought out and the look fantastic! Also, the Environment or sets in the show were drawn very maturely and were, for the most part, realistic(The Castles particularly!). Although they used computer animation for some things and that is very apparent(and looks kind of cheesy in my opinion) this show still gets a 10/10 in art! Sound Score:10/10 -I'll keep this one short. The fighting sounds all sounded great, and the voice acting is PHENOMENAL(I watched the sub). Characters Score:10/10 -The characters are one of the high points of the show. Every character(and I mean EVERY character) is extremely well developed and all have their own problems and desires. There are very few static characters in this anime. Also, the writing of the characters is superb, the funny characters don't seemed forced and some of the characters are truly epic. This show absolutely deserves a 10/10 for it's awesome characters Enjoyment Score:10/10 -If you're still reading this I know it's obvious but, I freaking love this anime, It is probably my favorite of all time, it is beautifully written and extremely dark. All while exploring the themes of humanity and truly makes us judge ourselves! Overall Score:10/10 -There it is. This anime is just so fantastic it can barely be put into words. I definitely recommend this to anyone with even the slightest interest. You will not regret experiencing this anime one bit!
wumbmasta
07/31/2013, 05:27 PM
Fate/Zero Review: This is a review for both seasons 1 and 2 After seeing the high praise given to this anime from Gigguk and Arkada on Youtube, I decided to give Fate/Zero a go. After watching it, I now completely understand why this show has such positive reception as it was an enthralling ride with hardly any real "negative" points to it. Story 9/10: Fate/Zero takes place 10 years before the events of Fate/StayNight in the middle of what is known as one of the "Holy Grail Wars." I had not seen F/SN before watching this anime, but thanks to the info dump of a first episode I wasquickly put up to speed. The "Holy Grail Wars" are battles fought in secret a few times each century. The war is between 7 historical or mythological legends that are brought into present time by their "masters" (AKA random people chosen by the grail). The goal is for one of the pairs to ultimately defeat all of the other servants and/or their masters and be the last one remaining. Once this happens, the Holy Grail should appear and grant the victor any wish they desire. Unlike F/SN, Fate/Zero has a VERY serious undertone. As a comparison, I like to akin these two series to the Batman franchise where Fate/Zero is more like the Dark Knight saga, while Fate/StayNight is more like the old tv series with Adam West. Both are good in their own ways, but one is clearly more serious than the other. One of the things that makes Fate/Zero special is that it doesn't rush to pick out a specific main character or good guy, and instead follows the stories of all 7 pairs with an unbiased view point. This let's the viewer really learn about what all the characters are like and their objectives in the war. The different viewpoints really eliminates a lot of the space for plot holes or lack of reasoning, and every event in the story seems to have a purpose. It really is rare to see a show with a concept as ambitious as this, that actually pulls through with barely any plotholes or errors in its writing. Although the ending was somewhat of a cliffhanger, it is also brilliantly done and gave me countless goosebumps as the results of everything that happened were revealed. The story in Fate/Zero was one to remember. Epic is truly the only way to describe it, and its execution was truly in a class of its own. Art 10/10: Hands down the best art I have seen in an anime series. Watching the show, it really feels like they had a very high budget for the animations. Movements are extremely fluid, and thus the fight scenes are spectacular. Facial expressions, character design, settings, lighting, everything was superb and I really haven't seen an anime nail the animation aspect quite this well. I really don't have anything else to say besides that the art was spectacular. Sound 8/10 (edit: 9): Much like everything else in this show, the music was similar to that of a blockbuster movie. Heavy orchestra in the background accompanied by opera singing when battle scenes get intense. The quality of the music was brilliant. However, the show did lack "memorable" or "catchy" songs that you would like to see in an anime. But like I said, the show in general felt more like a long blockbuster movie than an average anime so the music fit the show perfectly. I found both of the OPs very well suited for the show and quite catchy compared to the background music, although the EDs were less spectacular. As far as voice acting is concerned, I found the Japanese voice actors all portrayed their characters brilliantly, particularly in Rider's case. Character 9/10: The fact that the show doesn't focus on a single character really strengthens all of the characters in the show. Due to the changing view points, you really get to see what each character is like, what their motives are, and just their personality in general. The first season really introduces you to the characters and the setting, while the second develops these characters and shifts the story into full swing. None of these characters are your stereotypical archetypes, and some of them really shine. All of the servants are extremely interesting, and Rider is one of the most charismatic characters I've seen in a while. For a good portion of the show, you really don't know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. You may find yourself rooting for one character only to realize he is evil, or hating one only to realize he is very noble. Towards the end, it becomes pretty evident who the main character is due to an emotional and brilliant two episode arc on his past. My only qualm about the characters is that, because of the divided focus, I wasn't able to fully emotionally invest in any of them. And even though I did definitely feel for the characters and their struggles, I wasn't really completely devastated when bad things happened to them like I would be in an anime like Clannad, Steins;Gate, or Code Geass, where they really focused on one character's development. However, I feel that it would have been pretty much impossible to have the vast depth in the cast if they focused on one character, and the show probably would have been much worse. In short, this show has one of the most, if not THE most, fully fleshed out set of characters that I have ever seen, and just barely misses the 10 mark due to it not quite letting me attach to the characters as much as I wanted to. Enjoyment 8/10: Fate/Zero was thrilling to watch. The first season was kind of slow as it was really just setting the stage for the madness in the second season, but was fun none the less. Like I said, watching Fate/Zero is similar to watching a movie like the Dark Knight. Everything felt real and all the decisions that characters made felt important, and this sense of seriousness and realism made the show truly a joy to watch. One of my complaints is once again, that I could not emotionally connect with any of the events as much as I have in other shows. It's weird because I know this show is almost flawless, but something about it just wasn't up to par with those on my top 3 anime from an enjoyment standpoint. I really can't put my finger on why I didn't enjoy this show more, but I did enjoy it more than the vast majority of the other shows I have seen so it still gets an 8. Recommendation: I can't imagine someone hating this show due to it's unbelievable execution, but it is currently ridiculously expensive to buy so I can only recommend you stream it (available on Crunchyroll). Stream it! +.1 Overall 9.1/10: Fate/Zero is probably the most technically sound anime I have ever seen. There are no huge errors to complain about with it due to the high production value in its art and sound, and nearly flawless writing in its story. If you found Fate/StayNight to be unimpressive, but are curious about this show, do not hesitate to watch Fate/Zero because it is truly on another level from most other anime. Fate/Zero is a grade A anime that is a must watch for all. The Verdict: An anime that absolutely deserves its praise and an epic tale at its finest. Pros: + Cinema quality art and sound + Remarkably deep cast of characters + Story is an epic to remember + Brilliant writing left little room for plot holes or inconsistencies Cons (These cons are more "reasons why this isn't quite a 9" than cons, because it really didn't have distinct "negative" aspects or "mistakes"): - Lacked a top tier emotional impact - For ME it missed that "oomph" factor that would push it into my favorites If you liked Fate/Zero, watch... Durarara! Similar storytelling where they don't really zone into a main character til more towards the end, allowing all the characters to grow equally and the story to be viewed from all angles. Fate/Stay Night (by Ufotable): Wait until the ufotable version of Fate/Stay Night comes out because the original Fate/Stay Night, while pretty good, felt A LOT different than Fate/Zero and really wasn't on the same level. 9.1/10 - Brilliant
Archaeon
10/21/2012, 02:28 PM
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" - Lord John Dalberg-Acton, 1837. There are many types of power - financial, military, political, religious, etc - and at one time or another each has been used to further the goals of individuals, organisations, and even nations. The odd thing though, is that even though it has been referenced for thousands of years in everything from legends and myths to folktales and history, magic has rarely been placed in the same category. The problem is that people don't really believe in magic any more, and the subject has been relegated to the realms of fiction andfantasy - even though it was often said that practitioners had the ability to wield primal forces, command spirits, and shake the foundations of heaven. Everything has a price though, and in order to achieve or seize power of any sort you have to be willing to give up certain ... things. So the question is, what would you sacrifice for the chance to be a god? The continuation of Fate/Zero opens with two F-15 jets that have been dispatched by the Japanese Air Force with orders to investigate the situation on the Mion River. Archer/Gilgamesh watches with disdain from on high as Sabre, Rider and Lancer continue their temporary alliance, and the pitched battle with the giant creature summoned by Caster/Gille de Rais rages on. Little do they know that a new player is about to enter the field ... One of the most noticeable differences between the first and second halves of Fate/Zero is the shift from preparation and planning to all-out action - something that is rather eloquently symbolized by the battle on the Mion River. With much of the preamble over, the storyline is able to place the kid-gloves to one side and ramp-up the tension between the combatants. This is most often achieved by drawing on the conflicting ideologies of each of the characters - with some thoroughly unscrupulous tactics thrown in to drive home the fact that the participants are involved in a war. The plot remains as focused as ever, but there's a palpable change in the atmosphere of the series, and many episodes have a less forgiving, more brutal air about them. This shift in "attitude" has been handled extremely well by series director Aoki Ei and his writers, and a great deal of attention has been paid to the impact the numerous action scenes have on the characters - something that's becoming a rarity in modern anime. It's an interesting and effective usage of screentime that is markedly different from the patient build-up of the first half of the story, but crafted with the same care and attention to detail that have become a hallmark of Type-Moon/Ufotable collaborations. This prevents the show devolving into a legendary free-for-all, and allows for some very interesting confrontations - several of which have their roots in the layers of subtext that were added during previous series. With the focus on action instead of intrigue, one might have expected there to be some differences in the visuals. Thankfully there are almost no major alterations present throughout the series - aside from a few cosmetic differences in clothing and apparel. The high production standards have been maintained and character movements are as sharp and crisp as ever. There are a few relatively minor issues with the blending of CG and standard animation, but these are pretty easy to ignore. What does stand out are the rather dazzling visual effects, many of which are bigger and bolder due to the shift from preparation to action. The choreography and timing of these - together with the quality of the character animation - make for some truly stunning combat sequences. Composer Kajiura Yuki's all-female band Kalafina - the long-time muses of Type-Moon/Ufotable collaborations - open the second season with the operatic rock ballad "To the Beginning", while the main participants in the Holy Grail war are re-introduced in a well-choreographed montage that contains a few hints of things to come. On the other hand the closing sequence is a rather simple yet moving account - told through a series of still images - of the relationship between Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel von Einzbern - with Luna Haruna's pop ballad "Sora wa Takaku Kaze wa Utau" adding an uplifting and slightly bittersweet tone. Kalafina also return with the martially themed operatic ballad "Manten" as a special closing track for episodes 18 and 19. The first season of Fate/Zero featured a very high standard of audio production, and it's nice to see that sound director Iwanami Yoshikazu hasn't allowed anyone to rest on their laurels. The background music is as diverse and atmospheric as ever, and while there are a few tracks that may sound a little off-kilter, this appears to be a purposeful move in order to heighten the mood of certain scenes. That said, there are two areas where this series is arguably superior to its predecessor - both of which have been pushed to the fore by the move to action. The audio effects are as sharp and clear as ever, but the increase in combat means that the production standards need to be pushed even higher and more diversity needs to be added. In addition to this the quality of the audio/visual choreography - which was already excellent in the previous series - often went unnoticed because of the focus on preparation and planning. Thankfully Iwanami is arguably one of the most experienced sound directors working in the industry, and his skills - developed over many years working on a variety of different anime - really make the difference. The superb effects and remarkable choreography really set the second series of Fate/Zero apart from other shows released this year, and mark it as a front-runner for any potential awards in this department. Unlike many other anime, the move to an action footing hasn't caused the script to devolve into random shouts, grunts and screams, and the writers have done well to retain the maturity and intelligence of the first season. There is a bit of a change in the delivery though, as with the goal in sight, some of the actors appear to have been encouraged to add more emotion to their roles. This works surprisingly well with characters who were cold or aloof in the first series - Sabre and Archer for example - and the differences in their feelings becomes more pronounced as the story progresses and the battles take their mental toll. One of the biggest criticisms of Fate/Zero is that it has tried to weave a coherent narrative from too many character and plot threads without relying on a lead role. Now this may seem like an anathema to those who prefer their development to follow a distinct linear progression, but those tales often suffer from an age-old problem in storytelling - every good protagonist needs an equally good antagonist. It's an issue that has affected anime for many years as - contrary to popular belief - creating and developing a good opposite (the antagonist doesn't have to be a villain after all), to a hero/heroine is not an easy task. Thankfully Fate/Zero takes its cues from shows like Baccano!, and the lack of a lead role is actually a boon to the series as it allows multiple perspectives to come to the fore. Each of the participants in the war for the Holy Grail is effectively the antagonist of one or more of the other combatants, and all of the players bounce around the plot like peas on a drum - colliding into each other and changing their directions, alliances and enemies in the blink of an eye. It's a rarely used and fascinating approach to character development that highlights in particular the ever-changing nature of the battlefield. One big plus is that while the first season was rather staid in its portrayal of the heroes, the second half of the story pulls very few punches - showing clearly the lengths to which several of the combatants will go in order to win, opening the scars of old wounds, and ensuring that the viewer knows exactly what everyone has put on the line for the ultimate prize. Over the years there have been many anime that have changed focus and tone from one season to the next, but rarely does it happen in the space of one series. The reason for this is because it's often extremely difficult to reconcile what may eventually turn out to be conflicting portrayals of the story and characters - and therein lies the greatest achievement of Type-Moon, Ufotable, and author Urobuchi Gen. The successful blending of two different perspectives has created a remarkable story that isn't afraid to show off its intelligence or maturity, and the second half of Fate/Zero successfully builds upon the carefully laid foundations of the first season - even with the increase in action and combat. Prequels are often tricky to deal with as they are very easy to get wrong, which is one of the reasons why this series is a little bit special. In addition to shedding new light on the events that occur in Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero is also a singular example of just how good seinen action tales can be, and a testament to the quality that can be achieved through long-term studio collaborations.
Stark700
09/06/2012, 09:48 AM
Fate Zero 2nd Season review: Time for a trivia! Are you someone who enjoys watching violence mixed in with action, fantasy, and thriller themes? Are you someone who loves listening to a powerful soundtrack with stunning visuals that will keep you at your seat? Ever wanted to watch a prequel based off a popular series and carving for more? Well luckily, you've probably hit a jack pot because ufotable once again pulls off a spectacular masterpiece out of their hats and present the latest Fate/Zero part 2 that is sure to give viewers a satisfaction like they've never ever experienced before. In today's anime world, prequels arenot too rare. Most of them serves as an introduction and perhaps a trailer of the the true series will unraval for our die hard viewers. Fate Zero Second Season presents the continuation of the battle involving the Holy Grail, the ultimate reward for eternal glory. As more lives are sacrificed, secrets are unraveled. The actors and their directors play their parts in this Holy Grail war and it's only king for him or herself. There is no allies, no true allegiances, no God, no Angels. There is one thing and that is V for Victory. But really, what is victory? Glory? The true throne of king? Or is it perhaps something that unattainable even for a God? First and foremost, this series has gained international attention and is considered to be one of the most popular series. Anyone who has ever set their eyes and played a VN game before would and should know the products of Type-Moon, with FSN being one of its most successful products. I mean, just look at the ratings and the discussion threads. There is daily topics being posted, various discussions regarding the franchise of both seasons, and users comparing who their favorite/strongest servants are from the series. But is this series really worth the hype? Is this series really being worthy to on the Top #10 of MAL along with some other known titles? The fact that one of them is also an anime is based off a VN in the top 10 also makes us wonder. Well...let's put our heads together and see if the series does live up to the hype. [ ----- Story ----- ] As the second half of this highly popular series, the story picks up from part 1 that began in October of Fate/Zero. The producers and director already assumed that you've watched part 1 and have some decent knowledge of the F/Z franchise. If you're scratching your head right now and wondering why there's an overgrown Cthulhu Mythos being in the begnning of the series, then STOP. Watch part 1 first and come back because you're missing out all! And I'm certain Archer is not amused. There is already tension between Saber and Lancer, one you can cut through with an Excalibur. But from where it leaves off, the monster Caster unleashes hell and tries to take the servants deep down with it. It does seem a bit lackluster in that the first part of the series had none of the character die off but death has gotten impatient. In this part 2 of the prequel, death has come back from holiday and is here to claim some of its prize. And by prize, I do mean lives, the lives of the servants and their beloved masters. Indeed, the bodies starts to pile up like pouring rice but there's also more than that. For our main protagonist, an calculating, cold, and indifferent man, we take a trip down memory lane and see some of the dark past that made him the man that he has become. While most series take brief flashbacks and illustrates them shorthand, this prequel depicts a more detailed style involving Kiritsugu "Magus Killer, Kerry" Emiya. His dark past is revealed in details that leaves the viewers at the edge of their seats and with his interactions with his “mother” figure (ironically also on Mother's Day) and childhood friend. It is dark, it is brutal, and it is your face. The past that Kiritsugu had to go through and made him the man that he is today is understandable after watching this prequel. Hell, if I had to go through all that, I'd never be the same person again. The man's got guts and he's live up to the name as the Kiritsugu "Magus Killer, Kerry" Emiya. And of course, Saber once again plays her role as the King of Arturia from the Fate/Stay Night franchadise in this sequel. As a proud king, she respects the values of others and is determined to help those in need. For instance, when she realizes that her dear friend and partner Irisviel von Einzbern has been kidnapped by another proud king, she stops nothing but to save her even if it's at the cost of the Holy Grail war or perhaps her own life. That my friends, is true valor and style of a proud king. While at times the dialogue are as heavy as part 1 of the prequel, the usage of the words defines the intelligence and insight that gives the viewers a reason to continuously watch the show. A clear example is the speeches between Rider and Waver and Archer's often egotistic yet artistically way of getting his words out. As for the Holy Grail War, the rules are still there. There is only one winner and it's winner takes all. Fate/Zero although has similar ties with Fate/Stay Night has some major differences in that it becomes a much more matures style. Even the masters themselves becomes calculating and insightful in their moves. Their servants play their roles accordingly and some have even developed their own solitude of being the one and true king. As Elizabeth I once said: “To be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it.” [ ----- Characters ------ ] Seven servants, seven masters, and more than seven wonders to watch this part 2 of the prequel. The characters of the series is definitely another reason to continuously enjoy more of Type-Moon's works. Honestly, there are so many great character interactions between the servants and the masters. It can be digusting and horrid like the relationship of psychopathic killer Ryunosuke and Caster. It can be the estranged relationship between Lancer and his master, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. It can be the indifferent relationship between our star protagonist Kiritsugu and Saber. It can also be the powerful bond between Alexander the Great (Rider) and his master, Waver. There is of course also our cynical man who is discovering his purpose in life, the manipulating, calculating, and stoic man Kirei Kotomine. It is entertaining and strange to watch Archer/Gilgamesh observe his various actions and moments throughout the story. Of course, his later obsession with Saber enters another tone that can be defined as peculiar at its finest. Regardless though, every one of the character is independent and unique to themselves in personalities, goals, ambitions, and style. Even the characters in Kiritsugu's flashback are quite interesting to take insight into. His interactions with them and the bond, whether it's a childhood crush on his friend, or a more motherly/son relationship with his mentor, brings out his character in its most defined form. While not all the characters are perfect (Kariya for instance), they clearly play their various roles well and does what they do best: kicking ass and delivering F/Z style entertaininment. [ ------ Art/Animation ------] Ever been to an art museum before? Ever seen a professional artist's work and made you go “that is just...beautiful”? Well, Fate/Zero part 2 like its prequel will give you the impression of a life time. (at least in terms of anime visuals) In technical terms of production, Fate/Zero Season II is what defines the ultimate form of what Type-Moon's production visuals has came to be. This series just looks bloody amazing and that's not an overstatement. No, it is more than that. The visuals are stunningly beautiful and ufotable deserves the prize of the Holy Grail for producing such powerful animation. Not surprisingly, ufotable already has achieved its praise after producing the Garden of Sinners franchise. The dark edges of the series and the spectacular battle scenes between Beserker/Saber are just a few examples. While it does occasionally employ the usage of CGI, it makes it up into the style of the battle sequences between the servants/masters that almost makes us forget this flaw. But more than that, art defines this series that shows once again that ufotable is able to produce series that lives up to the fan's expectations. And of course, I'm not disappoint. [ ------ Soundtrack/Music ------] Soundtrack plays a powerful role in any series and in this part 2 of the prequel, it is there once again to bring out the style of Fate/Zero. The OP song is changed this time but retains its well coordinated choreography and orchestra. The theme "to the beginning" by Kalafina is a strong piece of work that brings out the strength and power of the servants and the brutality of the Holy Grail War. And once again, the sequences are shown with appearances of the servants and their respective masters. Additionally, it also shows sequences of a child Kiritugu in the beginning to his manhood that shows how much he has changed from what he once was, to what he has become, the proud master of Saber. Yuki Kaijura is once again involved with producing the soundtrack and themes of the series. And once again, she delivers and executes what the fans expected: a glorious soundtrack worthy of a Holy Grail prize. The soundtrack of Fate/Zero part 2 is just as stunningly impressive as part 1. If in fact for anything reason at all to watch this series beyond the characters, beyond the storyline, or beyond the epic speeches of Rider or the stunning visuals is the soundtrack. With the ultra talented Yuki Kajiura in charge, expect the unexpected as your ears will be pleased like never, ever before. [ ------ Enjoyment ------- ] Story, music, animation, characters. What else more is there to say? Well, for another reason to continuously watch the F/Z franchise is the spectacular battle sequences. While the first season lacked some of the expected battle scenes, season 2 of Fate/Zero brings out battle and bloodshed like never before. Even in the very beginning, the aerial dogfight between Archer and Berserker makes a strong impression while Caster takes the ground belong and battles against the remaining servants. More impressively is the final duel between the two proud kings Archer and Rider in the later episodes. With egos that a single king of the seat can be sat on, these two characters battles it out in one of the most artistically and defined ways in the series that truly shows why they are worthy of their masters. Well, Fate/Zero Season 2 is not perfect. In fact, there is in my opinion no series that can be perfect. It does seem that some of the sequences are a bit forced and a a few key scenes cut that left the viewers go “why wasn't that there?” Additionally, the dialogue continues to stay a bit intact and lengthy at times particularly with Archer's egoistic speeches and Kirei's indifferent style of talking. Despite these minor flaws though, this part 2/season 2 of the series captured my attention as much as season 1. The intelligence of the story, the well executed dialogues, the captivating characters, the stunning visuals, the beautiful soundtrack, the quality of the work, and the enjoyable of the battle sequences are just seven reasons to watch this series. Seven servants, seven masters, and seven reasons to watch this part 2. What else can you want more? Well, I guess maybe some of the more detailed explanations for the die hard fans when the BD version debuts. Still though, this series has been crafted and engineered beyond its minor flaws. It is in my book one of the best series there was, one of the best there is, and one of the best there ever will be.
8man226
06/25/2012, 06:42 AM
Well sorry folk for the review that I have given before it was meant to be a troll and yet you give it a serious looks.. well I'll be serious with this review so I hope there's no haters in here.It's really great to watch and I want the UFOTable to release the Heaven's feel too.. so here it goes... It's a perfet 10 afterall.. Story(10/10) A perfect story that concludes what happen in 4th Holy grail war that lead to 5th Holy Grail war and concludes that who is this Emiya Kiritsugu and why Kotomine is angry with him just like that.. But the story iskinda much more brutal than the fate/stay night.. It's really great to watch and I want the UFOTable to release the Heaven's feel too..ok back to Fate/zero.well the story is great but they I don't see Kiritsugu die but I've seen his last moment... well see for yourself I've given you a spoiler afterall Art(10/10) It's a masterpiece it's a combination of 2D and 3D element in animating and the art is very much more detailed than the fate/stay night... it rivals the Unlimited bladeworks it's great.. in every fight scene ... they leave me breathless and mesmerize by it.. Sound(10/10) Well the sound is much more realistic than fate/stay night though. and the Op theme and ED theme really match the anime.. It's really great that they create this anime whew.. Character(10/10) The characters personality are well made especially Emiya Kiritsugu... I like his action.. He do things without hesitation and does not irritates me.. in the other hand the best servant I guess is rider.. he's one of the humor of this series.... It's great that he has his funny side or this anime will be too much serious... Enjoyment(10/10) Well it's very enjoying after I finish downloading everything I watch it from the start once more.. In every fight scene it leaves me breathless and It makes me eager to watch again the episodes.. well it forced me though to watch fate/stay night again.. but it's a great series... I bet you.. You're gonna watch fate/stay night again after you finish this anime :)
Selsica
06/24/2012, 10:15 AM
From the mind that gave us works such as Madoka and Saya no Uta comes a tale spun as a predecessor to the wildly popular series Fate/Stay Night. Of course, anyone who has read or watched Fate/Stay Night knows the outcome of the fourth Holy Grail War, but only half the fun of a journey is the destination. Gen Urobuchi and studio Ufotable guide us through a magnificent world saturated with dynamic characters, a beautiful score, jaw-dropping visuals and fluctuating idealistic views, which all congeal into a compelling narrative. Mistakes are made by Ufotable, but compared to the grandiose story and execution they only serveas minor annoyances. Plot The Grail War has been done before, but never like this. The same rules apply. Seven masters, seven servants, all fighting in a fierce battle royal in order to determine the rightful owner of the Holy Grail. However in contrast to Fate/Stay Nights cast of children struggling to accept the responsibility so prematurely forced upon them we have a plethora of adult men ready to sacrifice anything to achieve their goals. By Juxtaposing the series and its prequel it becomes evident that Fate/Zero is a darker story focusing on the ideals of each characters along with the suffering these ideals bring forth. The plot is essentially a catalyst that lets the characters tragically develop as they spiral closer and closer into despair. But through its greatness Fate/Zero suffers from its link to Fate/Stay Night. As a prequel, its freedom was constrained by the eventual conclusion that loomed just beyond the horizon. But even as a predecessor limited to one conclusion Fate/Zero succeeded in producing a story that left you on the edge of your seat. Art In addition to Fate/Zero Ufotable is also the studio responsible for the Kara no Kyoukai series; a powerhouse in the visual arts department. No corners were cut in producing Fate/Zero, either. Ferocious battles, twisted emotions, and familiar yet exotic settings are illustrated beautifully with the use of hair-raising choreography, movie quality animation and god tier CG. Now, CG is a turn off for most viewers, me usually included. However the CG in this series is so stunningly well done that I can't imagine it would be animated half as well any other way. In addition to CG, Ufotable has once again incorporated a beautiful contrast between neon colors as seen in Kara no Kyoukai. The warm orange glow of a streetlamp beating down on the lifeless world bathed in the hue of moonlight really gives the show a sharp look that is pleasing on the eyes. Fate/Zero also houses THE most amazing fight in anime I've seen to date, I won't spoil which fight it is, but those who have already seen the anime will know. Sound A beautiful orchestrated soundtrack is the icing on the cake. The music accompanying the series is a kaleidoscope of melodies invoking emotional responses when needed; happiness, despair, tragedy, splendor, evil, conflict, etc. The opening and ending songs both intertwine with the story effectively as well. The opening has an emotional feel to it as compared with the upbeat actiony sequence present in season one. It adequately inspires a sense of foreboding in the viewer. Now onto the ending. It serves to flesh out our protagonist Kerry by presenting us with how he and Iri came to be a couple and have their child. Teasing us with Kerry's past and how happy the two lovers were during the short time they spent together only serves to harden the impact of the finale. Characters These are what makes this show shine so brilliantly. There are no exceptions; every single character is quirkily unique, each one sheltering an array of conflicting emotions, and impossible ideals. Labeling any character as an antagonist, protagonist, side character, or otherwise would be insulting as almost every person is artistically created with personalities astonishingly fleshed out and consistent. Gilgamesh for example was once the ruler of pretty much everything on earth. By standing above everyone else figuratively and literally for his entire life, he has fostered an incredible superiority complex. Infinite weapons fill his treasury, and he only expends four on an enemy that is about to destroy the entire city before retreating saying that he "Does not wish for the weapons to be returned because they touched that filthy creature". That is beautiful characterization right there. Enjoyment. I enjoyed the shit out of this. There's nothing more to be said. Overall One episode was filler, some others were rushed because of it, and a certain track wasn't included in the score, but this does not stop Fate/Zero from being one of the best anime in a long time. With a bravura of directing, animation, plot, character development, sound, choreography, and dialogue, Fate/Zero exceeded all my expectations and got better every single episode. Fanboyish as the review may seem, a wonderful story is a wonderful story, no matter which way you cut it.
amirhoss
06/24/2012, 09:14 AM
"Being a hero is something time-limited,when you grow up it's hard to call yourself one" With the success of the first season the creators just passed the hard part and it was time for them to harvest what they planted before.this time the end is near and no one is safe and there is no place for honor nor false hope in this world anymore and those seeking it will only face failure. The 2nd season starts right after the last episode of the 1st season with the battle against Caster.it uses the chance to show that most of the servants are actually heroes that count innocentlives above their war for a grail but it also shows that Fate universe is not kind enough to accept this kinda behaviors too often.even though most of the characters survived the previous season as we all know in this survival game there is only one winner and so the elimination game begun. In this season we also get to know more about those that are less explained before like Kiritsugu.four episodes of flashbacks tries to justify Kiritsugu’s actions for the viewer specially after a cruel move and make him Sympathetic but at the same time it shows us the reason behinds his failure as a hero.as Kiritsugu was living with his past Kirei just forsaken it and became someone new(or old depend on if you played or seen F/SN before this).he finally finds his reason to fight and bought himself a one way ticket to insanity land.also Waver finally mans up and even imitate Alexander’s “lolololo" or w/e! in final episodes viewers will doubt their little hope for any good ending and Kiritsugu’s meeting with grail confirms their doubts.as for the final it had so much to wrap up so it mostly favor those that already read the Light Novel and felt kinda rushed for the others.on the other hand you can say it was one of the few moments in an anime that one could enjoy Shirou.(although he is awesome in VN you know how he turned out in F/SN anime.he was ok in UBW movie too but could be way better).the moment when he tells Kiritsugu that leave everything to me and Saber gets Lights of Hope on herself was Priceless as one of last moments of the series. With a lot of important fight scenes the animators had a lot to deal with this season and they managed to do a good job and they kept it up until the end.the music had to goes all out this season too,using most of the soundtracks from before in the first episode of the new season.also Kiritsugu and his master got their own theme with an special ED song as well.the promised OP song by kalafina for this series also is worth mentioning cause its one my favorites.as for the voice actors they finally found some challenge this season and they did a good job specially Miyu Irino (Kiritsugu’s Voice actor) as he stole the end with his emotional talk with Shirou.you could feel everything that happened to him with his voice alone.also Ayako Kawasumi (Saber’s voice actress) had some material to work with and handled it well. This prequel managed to gave the viewer a better understanding of every character in Fate universe and what they had to go through and it also showed us the dark depths of the Holy Grail Wars.Fate zero Season 2 did justice to the Light Novel and while it puts an end to this epic struggle it marks an start for another and with all its strength or weaknesses it will always be remembered as one of the great animes of this era.
Rootz
06/23/2012, 09:26 PM
If I had to be fair to the greatness of this serie, I had to drop the rate of all the animes I've rated until now by 2 points or more. First, this is not an action show, though it have tons of beatifully done action sequences. This is the story of a man who believed in his ideals and fought for them, but no just him. This is the story of 7 Servants (counting the 1st season) and their troubled, weird, incredible masters, in a way that you can't really choose a villain or a good guy, but you choose the way of thinking thatbetter suits your own. The story is amazing, well done, beautiful. If I have to choose a word to describe it it would be...Type-Moon-ish. Lots of drama, psychological issues and depressive as well as funny moments. The story is well paced and gets you sitting in the edge of the chair, waiting for the next episode. The art, probably the best part of the show. Imagine a show that, when the quality drops, it comes from "godly awesome" to "oh my god, this film is sooo good". Not too much to say for people like us, that like to watch animes, but a word for the directors: WATCH THIS to learn how to make a good animation! The sound is mine personal opinion. It's amazing, and has Kalafina! I love this group and almost anything they do, so I'm kind of biased to talk about sound. The character of the show is well done, so much to like and dislike (based on your mind alone, I've choose my villain and hero, what about you?), they made a protagonist along the 2nd half of the show, but there still some people that think that this one or that one are better, just the individual opinion, that's what make this show so good. Enjoyment? Silly question my friend, by the rates I think you can tell if I liked it. This show is in the top 3 of 11 out of 10 people. This is probably the best show I've ever seen in my life. Sorry for the long post, but I had to make this review and try to show all my passion fot it. I hope I did.
NV2301
06/23/2012, 01:31 PM
This review considers the anime adaptation of Fate Zero (F/Z) Season 2 entirely on its own merit. TL;DR version: The hotly-anticipated second half of F/Z is disappointing in the sense that it leaves the viewer with more questions than answers with a rushed ending. It is especially frustrating when the first half took meticulous care in covering all the nooks and crannies of the Fate universe. On the plus side, the visuals are excellent and the choreography of some of the action and battles is outstanding. Which brings us to to the critical flaw, the *execution* of the story. The carefully crafted build-up inthe first season starts falling apart, as the series switches its focus to action and bodycount. This change of focus and direction just fails to engage the kind of viewer who wants to know the "why" it happened, on top of the "what". "But they were simply constricted by the number of slots they had on TV." Those with bright minds will around it properly. Producers need to know which aspects of the story to prioritize. Steins;Gate for example picked and chose material carefully from the Visual Novel and the result was excellent. The flow and pacing was consistent, despite the amount of material that was not included. This was not the case for F/Z season 2 where the producers made two big errors in pacing. The first error goes back to season 1. I really enjoyed the loli-Rin episode and it was fitting, due to Rin being such an important character in the Fate universe. "But they needed a cliffhanger for the start of season 2, which is why they used lol-Rin as a filler." Ending an arc at the final episode of a sub-season and having a clean-slate start for season 2 is also just fine, especially if it improves the overall product. The second error is the producers' sadistic minds going for big, family kills on Mother and Father's Day respectively, thus affecting the pacing of the story. This is especially so in the middle of the season where 2 episodes are devoted to a flashback. The pacing of the flashback was extremely slow and given the amount of content that needed covering at the end it is questionable whether 2 whole episodes were needed. These decisions therefore cost around one and a half episodes, a valuable amount of time which needed to be saved to wrap up the series. Instead, we get an ending which happened, "because it happened". In hindsight, the loli-Rin episode would make a perfect bonus episode in a Blu-Ray set. Combined with the pacing issues, the quality of dialogue takes a dive as depth and characterization is replaced by shallow, shounen-esque lines. This is disastrous because F/Z started off as a "badass" anime with depth and sophistication. During the latter part of season 2, the show becomes badass, for the sake of being badass. This really affects the characters because instead of developing them and forging a connection with the viewer, they merely become tools of destruction. The connections that were forged in season 1 gradually fade as our characters just drop like dead flies, in a large bodycount, with rushed death epilogues that gives the question "Was that it, after everything?" To top it all off, what was mind-boggling was Sakura's last line in the series. It shows a totally different character to the Sakura we knew prior, and what we know from F/Stay Night. Instead of going for consistency, the producers had gone for the tragic route for the sake of it. This discrepancy across the seasons confuses how F/Z wants to be identified. A sophisticated series (Death Note's first arc) combined with some slick action in the first season, or simply a show to showcase "baddass" (Hellsing Ultimate, Black Lagoon). The art and CGI were very good throughout, with the right amount of detailing on the characters. I also failed to notice any deformities, inconsistencies and incorrect placing of facial features throughout the season. The animation was also fluid, with rendered CGI being used the bulk of the battles to good effect. Everything that meets the eye of the viewer was done extremely beautifully. This was backed by good, convincing sounds effects of metal clanging against metal during battle. The music is an odd one due to Kajiura Yuki abandoning her usual, dominant style for BGM and making it a passive one for F/Z. There was no techno and dramatic opera. Instead, a classical style was used which identified itself with the ancient times of the servants, and the use of ancient mythological magic. The opposite would be the more "techy" weaponry used by present-day people in Mai-Hime, with Kajiura Yuki using her trademark style there. Unfortunately, the passive style means the plot and depth of the story needs to be strong in order for the viewer to be engaged - which as discussed earlier was not to be. This links directly to the overall enjoyment of the series, which took a dive as a result. The final nail in the coffin for enjoyment was the awkwardly paced finale. The placement of actual content felt "off", especially when we were abruptly fed with the idealized wishes of some of the characters. The dialogue which was meant to provide closure was also unsatisfying, with "explanations" actually being descriptive, rather than being explanations. F/Z has been a series that has been extremely interesting from the outset. The extremely high production values is an instant draw, with extremely well animated OP/EDs that set and fit the mood and content of the story perfectly. People who loved the first season's depth and pacing will unfortunately be disappointed. The "less talk, more action" crowd will surely love the excitement suspense from *most* of the battles that were extremely well choreographed. Unfortunately, the flip-flopping of F/Z's genre identity mean both crowds will unlikely be completely satisfied.
Stellio
04/17/2012, 08:44 PM
The Holy Grail War: A war fought between seven selected masters and their servants to determine a sole victor, who will then bless one miracle upon the world. The Holy Grail War can either bring about an ideal wish that saves innocent lives or lead to chaotic destruction in the process. Or both. The Fate Zero series' plot circles around the Holy Grail War, its history and its future. The previous season focused on the characters' backgrounds, and in this season it is now all-out war. The Holy Grail War also involves several sets of conflicts between various supernatural families. All the families for onewants glory for winning the actual war, but the one miracle wish that's blessed by the holy grail is what personally drives the contestants. Would you sacrifice the whole world for the rebirth of your dead, loved ones? Is it worth it? These dark themes are the bane of many of our protagonists and side characters as they approach their psychological breakdowns. Then there's Saber, and all other Honored Heroes. All the characters in the fate zero series have multilateral background stories, but most things are left unexplained in the beginning of the series in order to create a mysterious atmosphere and aura around even the main protagonists. This leaves the audience thirsting for more every upcoming episode, so that they can learn the true intents of each character. And, why they desire the Grail so badly. These essential traits of Fate Zero characters are made to appeal to worldwide audiences, and are elevating at times On another note, the season two of fate zero definitely involves more action than last season. Yet at times, this series still explores some dramas of all proportionals in depth, while being consistent in the flow of its overall plot. Thus, the tension the 2nd season creates a heavier, more intense atmosphere than what someone would usually be used to, partially due to the graphics involved in making this series. Since I brought it up, I must talk about it. The graphics and music in fate zero needs to be pinpointed to an Oscar award soon or there's no hope for future anime franchises. The graphics in fate zero definitely exist as one of the best out there. The artistic aspects not only illuminate the detailed/general setting very well but seems to depict each character's personality as well. Ever since I've seen fate zero, there hasn't been any other series (with a few exceptions) that I have considered a 10/10 when judging its artistic qualities. The music in this series is also nicely executed in fluency with the sound acting and special effects. Most of which raises the level of fierceness in a specific action scene or just makes the actual animation showing on the screen more engaging. Although it would be cool to participate in the Holy Grail war and grant myself a wish, a possible dilemma could result in having to hand over my family, job, and all other responsibilities. So on second thought, I'd rather just be a spectator. And that's exactly what fate zero gives us the opportunity to do, and in the most appealing and qualified graphics possible. That's why, although it's not a perfect anime, the series proves itself to be considered well executed and deserving of all the attention it's getting. All in all, though it really saddens me that the Fate Zero series has finally concluded on a fixed, amiss note, it's very likely the deftly devious creator Urobuchi may provide us with a better and more ideal series sooner or later.

Fate/Zero 2nd Season フェイト/ゼロ 2ndシーズン

North American Anime & Manga Releases for October

New 'Fate/stay night' TV Anime Announced For Fall 2014

North American Anime & Manga Releases for December

Trailers of Spring and Summer Titles: Fate Zero, Sword Art Online etc.

Episodes 14 - 25 of Fate/Zero To Be Aired in Spring 2012

Fate/Zero 2nd Season フェイト/ゼロ 2ndシーズン

North American Anime & Manga Releases for October

New 'Fate/stay night' TV Anime Announced For Fall 2014

North American Anime & Manga Releases for December

Trailers of Spring and Summer Titles: Fate Zero, Sword Art Online etc.

Episodes 14 - 25 of Fate/Zero To Be Aired in Spring 2012