Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - III. Spring Song 劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel] III.spring song」

| Episodes: 1 | Score: 8.7 (201072)

Updated every at | Status: Finished Airing

Type: Movie

Producers:Aniplex | Notes | Kadokawa

Streaming: Netflix

Synopsis

The Fifth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City has reached a turning point in which the lives of all participants are threatened as the hidden enemy finally reveals itself. As Shirou Emiya, Rin Toosaka, and Illyasviel von Einzbern discover the true, corruptive nature of the shadow that has been rampaging throughout the city, they realize just how dire the situation is. In order to protect their beloved ones, the group must hold their own against the seemingly insurmountable enemy force—even if some of those foes were once their allies, or perhaps, something more intimate. As the final act of this chaotic war commences, the ideals Shirou believes will soon be challenged by an excruciating dilemma: is it really possible to save a world where everything seems to have gone wrong? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Sugiyama, Noriaki

Nakata, Jouji

Shitaya, Noriko

Asakawa, Yuu

Ueda, Kana

Kadowaki, Mai

News

Reviews

fluidabyss
10/20/2023, 08:06 PM
THIS MOVIE CONTAINS MY PERSONAL PICK FOR THE GREATEST FIGHT IN ANIME HISTORY. Watching this in theaters had me floating out of my seat. The Heavens Feel trilogy is easily the best anime movie trilogy and should be looked at as art. I'm not completely sure if this is the end of the main Fate timeline but it's definitely worthy of the title. This movie has the most jaw dropping animation I have ever seen and along with the superb soundtrack it would be impossible for me to not recommend it. The fights will have your eyes locked into the movie. Don't miss out onthis.
Squatch70
02/22/2023, 06:02 PM
*Only spoiler is for a single fight in the movie, and even then I don't say who the victor is* Although there is no universal hype around new releases to this series the same way other big anime franchises get, Fate still has a solid fanbase. Even with all the jokes about how difficult it is to get into the series, most agree that any work by Ufotable is worth watching, especially the Heaven's Feel movie trilogy. The second movie, Lost Butterfly, left off on a very strong cliffhanger, and I was extremely excited to finish this trilogy. Upon finishing Spring Song, I left with mixedfeelings, though mostly satisfied. The best way to break it down would be into different categories, which seems to be what a lot of people do in these types of reviews: Story: 6/10 Characters: 8/10 Aesthetics: 9.9/10 Action: 11/10 Story The story of Spring Song is... basically what can be expected of Fate. There is a lot of lore dump and talking. If you finish Lost Butterfly and enter this film expecting two hours of action--I honestly entered this expecting a kaiju movie of sorts--you will be disappointed. The first half is a lot of preparation for the Final Battle, and even during the second half the characters talk in between large moments of action. And depending on your expectations, certain moments and outcomes might seem disappointing. It's definitely not the worst story ever, but the ending can be a bit confusing. Characters I separated characters from the story because despite the confusion I had with the plot, the characters still work as well as they always have. Shiro is still the "Hero of Justice," Rin is still tsundere, Ilyasveel is still cute if not a little scary, and Sakura is still precious and must be protected, even if she is the main antagonist of this film. There isn't anyone who stands front and center with how they are characterized in this movie, but there isn't anything bad about them either. Aesthetics Ufotable has provided several stunning-looking projects, especially over the past few years with Demon Slayer, and Spring Song is no exception. The quality of the animation is top-notch, with colors popping even in dark, dreary settings. The sounds as well, whether they be sounds effects or the musical score, are phenomenal. The way the shots pan, rotate, zoom in and out, all feel like this wasn't drawn but actually recorded on an IMAX camera. The only part that stands out as "bad" is a character clearly made entirely out of CGI. Even then, they only look bad in comparison because everything else looks so amazing. Action As to be expected, Ufotable delivers amazing action. While the first couple of fights are disappointingly quick, they don't fail to look incredible with sound effects to match. As the film goes on, the action continues to get better, all the way until the last punch is thrown. However, nothing in this movie, the rest of the Fate franchise, or 95% of action sequences can compare to the greatness that is Saber vs Rider (and Shiro). Rider is, without a doubt, the best part of this movie. The Servant who just had one or two words before getting killed off in UBW has now shown that nobody gets summoned to a Grail War by accident. The way she runs circles around Saber at hyper speeds, flies through the air with complete control over herself, and uses her eyes to slow her foe down steal the show, and the reveal of her Noble Phantasm is nothing less than fantastic. And all of that is without mentioning Saber and her awesome red-and-black armor and weapon, Shiro's moment to shine, the phenomenal sound design, and the bone-chillingly beautiful, operatic music that accompanies it all. In all honesty, any qualms with the rest of the movie are meaningless, because it's well worth watching the movie for just the action. This definitely is only a movie that Fate fans will understand, and it should be viewed after Zero and Unlimited Blade Works, but if you meet those requirements, I highly recommend it. Even though it's my least favorite of the trilogy, it's still worth a watch.
ktulu007
06/10/2021, 08:45 AM
I’ve already gone through the first two films in this trilogy and now it’s time to look at the third. See if, unlike Unlimited Blade Works, it manages to have a satisfying conclusion. Because I’m honestly getting a little frustrated with this franchise and its great premise, decent build ups and complete letdown conclusions. Story: We open with Shirou finding Shinji’s corpse. We quickly learn that the monster within Sakura comes from the Matou family trying to fashion her into a grail and our heroes find themselves in a race against time to save her. Let’s start with the big problem in this film and one that’s starting to look likea common failing of the franchise. The ending is pretty rubbish. The last quarter of the film is almost entirely nonsense. Let me share a revelation I’ve had. This franchise is what happens when you give an amazing concept to writers who are mediocre at best. What I mean by that is that the problems with the endings, both here and with Unlimited Blade Works, come down to the writers not knowing how to build up on things except by making the situation increasingly ore desperate, And once they’ve done that, they don’t have the ovarian fortitude to follow through with the bitter-sweet or tragic endings that would make sense. So they pull some utter bullshit out their asses to get a contrived happy ending. Essentially, it all comes down to the writers not having the skills to build up tension in a less dramatic way or having the guts to follow through with what they do have. To the film’s credit, the underlying good ideas are still there. And there is some strong build up before the writers screwed it. Characters: The characters remain a weakness of the films. Sakura is bland as papier mache. Shirou still sucks, though he actually does get one good sequence when he’s protecting Illya. Kirei is pretty annoying in this one. He just spends a lot of time spouting a bunch of pseudo philosophical bullshit that’s probably intended to sound deep but fails utterly in that regard. The most compelling character is Rin in spite of her being largely on the sidelines. Art: The artwork is definitively the best element in the film. One thing the franchise does well is the character designs. This one also has some really good action sequences. Especially the Rider vs Saber fight. Sound: The acting continues to be well done. Even the actors who voice shallow characters like Nakata Jouji, Shitaya Noriko & Sugiyama Noriaki give good performances. I do also like the music. Credit to Kajiura Yuki for consistently composing strong soundtracks. Not only i the Fate franchise but in anime like El Cazador de la Bruja and Madoka as well. Ho-yay: There isn’t any. This franchise loves its banal het romances. Areas of Improvement: 1. Figure out the ending that naturally stems from your narrative and use it. Don’t consistently chicken out and force a happy ending. Woman up. 2. More complexity for your major characters. Shirou still sucks. Sakura is still boring. I understand that the focus is more on the cool premise and badass action sequences, but the poor characterisation is still letting the film down by a wide margin. 3. If you’re going to have an antagonist who spends a long time explicating on their motivations, you need stronger dialogue and motivations. All of Kirei’s verbal diarrhoea seems to be to tell us he’s a nihilist who can’t shut the fuck up. If you want to see a villain talk a lot and also have compelling dialogue, look at Aion in Chrno Crusade. And a big part of why he works in that regard is that a lot of his dialogue is persuasive and he has very coherent points. The character also has a charisma that Kirei sorely lacks which makes him come across as even more compelling. Final Thoughts: So, at the end of this film trilogy we have yet another disappointing ending with very little improvement on our rubbish protagonist and his dull as dishwater love interest. I’m giving the film a 4/10. Good premise, some strong build up from previous instalments but let down by lacklustre writing.
wildpartyhat
04/01/2021, 09:14 PM
If you are a die-hard fan of the type-moon visual novels, I'm sure this movie has something for you. If, however, you have not played through the VN, it will likely leave you confused as to how anybody could possibly sift through the piles of pseudo-intellectual masturbatory ramblings to find the plot. Character motivations are inconsistent and at times non-existent, and not a single one of them is likable. Why did this character do this thing? You won't know but they'll damn sure wax philosophical about it for five to ten minutes, leaving you with more questions than when they started. In the end,ufotable's stellar animation and admittedly high-tier sound design can't save this film from a soap opera plot based around toxic relationships and unsympathetic teenagers.
Casual_Elite
04/01/2021, 05:38 AM
What a finale. My eyes and heart were glued to the entire two-hour length of spring song. The fight between alter saber and true rider/shiro was alone worth the price of all three movies. So much emotion, excitement, and beauty in that one scene. The ending couldn't have been better. Kudos to UFOTABLE !!! The last two movies were absolutely amazing. Ufotable never stops to amaze me with their animation and visuals in their action and storytelling, The characters are great, the actions great and the story great as well. I know for sure that Fate/stay night heavens feel III. spring song is going to be thebest animated movie this year.
Agent_Redacted
04/01/2021, 04:41 AM
Finally! God knows how long I've been waiting for this absolute masterpiece to appear within my grasp. So this is how it feels after seeing your dad return from the convenience store with his milk. Maybe even better. I still can't believe it's over. I was screaming and crying—my neighbors probably heard me, and before I realized it, it's already over. Like the two prior movies, Spring Song is a masterpiece. A fine piece of art bestowed upon us peasants who aren't even allowed to peer before its presence in the first place, but God was generous enough to let us do so. The art styleand quality are as outstanding as ever, and for some reason, the movie questionably has some Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia camera angles for a certain best girl's fight scene, but I wasn't slightly bothered by it at all. In fact, Arigatou gozaimasu. Other than the art part of the movie, the soundtracks and stuff were as good as always. Fate never lets me down on this one. The characters are also fine, and yeah~ overall, I'd say I really really enjoyed watching the movie. One issue with this movie, however, is the fact that it felt like it could've been even better. Yeah, I cried and stuff, but I still held back. Like 10% water left inside my body? I feel like the ending could've been executed better. Regardless, this movie was surely 11/10, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch it. I can't wait for more of what Fate has to offer. Thank you for this journey, Fate. I'll see you again. p.s. I haven't reviewed anything in ages so sorry if it's a bit scuffed.
KuromakiKun
03/31/2021, 03:00 AM
As someone who didn't came from VN, I probably didn't enjoy as much as those who did but I enjoyed as much everything as possible Here's my take, Story wise obviously it's a clusterfuck (It ain't fate if it isn't) To me the story was really amazing and sad at the same time. It really overwhelmed me by a lot. I literally took a sigh after finishing it. It was a relief that I finally finished this whole overwhelming story. Art wise, I don't think I needed to say anything about it Fate has always been one of the or in fact could be the best anime's withthe best fighting scenes. The fighting scene on this particular ones has been the best enjoyment through out every single other anime I've watch. For the Sound, They sure know how to bring tears :") Character wise, The development was really amazing. This 2 hours felt like more than a 2 hour movie (at least to me). It was really filled with every side of story. I really enjoyed it like a rollercoaster. The way to describe Heaven's feel is It is filled with Heavenly feels.
Harbinger19
12/06/2020, 10:57 AM
I used to hate Shirou Emiya. In this review, hopefully I’ll be able to lay out why that feeling no longer remains, and why this franchise is so special. I hope you’ll bear with me; as an aspiring writer, I find the inspiration of this route so incredibly personal and affecting that I have to put some of it into words. As this is the conclusion of a trilogy, I will also refer back to Presage Flower and Lost Butterfly. Like many anime viewers I started with ufotable’s Fate adaptations. In a weird and convoluted manner, I entered the world of Fateby watching the first episode of Fate/zero, then UBW, then back to Zero. Though my expectations of Fate were defined more by UBW than Zero, I still felt the latter to be more artistically constructed. UBW seemed incomplete. There’s a very good reason for that. So I went to the source, Kinoko Nasu and TYPE-MOON’s visual novel. When I read the visual novel for Heaven's Feel, I found a flabbergasting narrative that leads to a unique place in literature: This is not merely a gripping story with compelling characters, high-stakes battles and powerful emotion. There are so many great examples of those in anime; Hunter x Hunter, Attack on Titan, Re;Zero...the list goes on and on. What separates the Fate franchise from all others is its meta-commentary and broadly "applicable" (as Tolkien might put it) subtext. On some level, this is a story about stories, about the nature of the heroes we vicariously enjoy in media. Admittedly, this may be less apparent in the anime than in the VN owing to sheer length and detail, but careful viewers can pick up on it when reviewing the trilogy as a whole. I will tell anyone who asks that Heaven's Feel is Kinoko Nasu's magnum opus. He debuted with seminal works like Kara no Kyoukai, a psychological and supernatural murder-mystery, and Tsukihime, a more world-building derivative of the former. And after, came Fate stay/night, his most thematically focused and balanced work to date. Spring Song is the final anime adaptation of that work. A number of people, myself included, watched Fate adaptations like DEEN stay/night or UBW and came to the conclusion that Shirou Emiya is an idiot and a hypocrite, an annoying idealist without the character arc or sharpened coolness of Kiritsugu. I was wrong. Shirou’s arc is a 3-part breakdown that is totally incomplete without Heaven’s Feel. The story of Heaven’s Feel involves the heroine Sakura Matou, who is as powerful an example of a Jungian shadow archetype as there is. She is everything Shirou Emiya denies about himself…Victim…Villain, and she represents the ultimate challenge to everything he is. Nasu excels at exploring masculine-feminine polarities, and Sakura’s domestic warmth, expertly built up in the prior films, delivers a hammer-stroke of pain and torment to the would-be Hero of Justice. In this final film, Shirou confronts his Shadows (and Sakura is merely one of several) and surpasses Kiritsugu before the end. Spring Song visually calls back to Zero in a moment of crisis, and the psychological triumph is palpable. All that is true of the source material, and this is an adaptation. I will say that director Tomonori Sudou has not achieved full perfection here, and in an ideal world the trilogy might have 20 or so more minutes of fleshing out. That said, Sudou comes really darn close, and in Spring Song so many scenes hit perfectly. In Lost Butterfly and Presage Flower, so many moments depicted the visual novel’s mood and meaning to nigh-perfection; the shed scene in PF, the rain scene and kitchen knife scene in LB. Spring Song has about as many such scenes as the previous 2 films combined. Every character gets a superlative moment, from Illya, to Rin to Kirei. The brilliant cast of F/SN is at their most human, most emotional, and psychologically impactful here. Admittedly, the film’s ending is a little esoteric and in some ways feels like a finale for ufotable’s Type-Moon work as a whole. If you haven’t seen Kara no Kyoukai, you might be left feeling confused by a certain moment near the end. But all that is forgivable for the exquisite darkness, death, and redemption on display, and Sudou’s ability to bookend is rivaled only by the likes of FMA: Brotherhood and Stein’s Gate. As said, the ending may be confusing if you don’t recall Kara no Kyoukai in detail; no easy feat given the nature of that series. But from the beginning, even in Presage Flower, Heaven’s Feel requires you to bring external knowledge to properly contextualize the story; it is the Infinity War of anime; a story built up by and deployed in contrast and juxtaposition with other stories. Moreso than even that, it is a masterful work. I used to hate Shirou Emiya, but this particular route made him one of my favorite characters of all time. He is not simply a compelling hero (or more accurately, anti-hero) in his own right, but a challenge to literary heroes throughout the ages. He is the anti-Deku, the anti-Araragi, the Shadow of the Seigi no Mikata. The contrast and comparison between him and Sakura Matou and Kirei Kotomine ensures that Heaven’s Feel will be my favorite anime for many years to come. “Rejoice young man; your wish will soon be granted. For a Hero of Justice must have a villain to defeat.”
old_chicken
11/25/2020, 01:12 AM
What a satisfying conclusion to the HF series. Even though they left out some things from the VN, the fights were some of the best ever depicted to date. This movie was a really good payoff coming from a VN fan. Salter vs Rider should win animation of the year. Hopefully they remake the OG route. Saber deserves better and is the best. Ufotable should animate the FGO Lostbelts too. God damn I'm still shook. Fuck Demon slayer, This is easily the movie of the year for me. Looking forward to the Camelot movie, hope that one is good too.
Sibs_Art
11/23/2020, 07:50 PM
Ufotable outdid themselves with this movie. This film easily has the best animation in the entire Fate franchise. Perhaps even Fate's best animated fight, and most epic scenes. If you want an amazing soundtrack, this movie has it. This is the conclusion of this trilogy, and I haven't seen a more epic conclusion in a long time. As a fan of the Fate franchise, I loved these characters from the start, and seeing their stories come to an end here left me satisfied. I love this movie, and I love Fate. Criticisms: The only thing I would like from this movie is that it's ending feltfast paced. There was a lot to process in the last 2 minutes of this movie and most of it may go over most people's heads. Type-Moon is well known for having a connected universe, and there are scenes in this film that may seem confusing without proper context.
Sine-Pai
11/23/2020, 04:18 AM
I had the privilege to watch this in theater, and my oh my what a good movie from ufotable. The pacing of the story is on the fast side, I liked it, just missing out some details, but it's all good. I had high expectations when it comes to fight scenes from ufotable, and it's incredible that it exceeded my expectaion so much. ufotable just never disappoints you on the artwork, sound, fight scenes. The depth of the characters were developed quite well in the previous two movies and this one continued on that. Overall, it was a great enjoyment watching this in theater
ZenSvelte
11/21/2020, 09:33 PM
So, Heaven's Feel III. I had already been expecting high quality animations, but this blew those expectations out of the water. Seriously, this was incredible. I think what I liked so much about this route (besides the animations) was the way characters who didn't get much attention in the previous routes had the spotlight in this one, and we were given a deeper look into the thoughts of each of them (I think this is strongest for Illya). The story was very interesting with the different scenarios, situations, and outcomes, but I honestly have to say I preferred the more personal story of UBW which focusedon Shirou and Archer. Something that was especially interesting in this one though was the new information we're given on Shirou and Archer's abilities, and their effects on one another. I won't get into specifics as not to spoil anything, but I think those who've seen it can understand what I'm getting at. I don't know if this next part is a spoiler or not, but if you're worried about it, don't read it. I only have one complaint for this route, and that's the ending. If you haven't seen Kara no Kyoukai (The Garden of Sinners), you need to watch it, otherwise the ending won't make any sense. I think. I'm pretty sure my guess on how it ended is accurate, but it's not 100%. Even if it is correct it still doesn't make a lot of sense to me, and if someone who understands exactly what happened, please shoot me a message. Overall, this route was truly incredible and a wonderful experience. I would not recommend getting into this if you haven't already seen UBW, but that's ultimately up to you. 10/10, and I will be buying this when the Blu-ray releases. Thank you Ufotable for another incredible adaptation.
natas_rulez
11/07/2020, 11:47 PM
SPOILER FREE REVIEW This movie was so good that putting it into words would require Kinoko Nasu to write it down for me, as only he can come up with shit like tohsaka's defenseless (ok thats a bit overexaggerating), anyways, this movie was just an incredibly satisfying fun roller coaster ride from start to finish with a seasoning of sadness as the topping, this movie is an experience not to be missed in the theatres especially with the amount of budget they dumped into this . The sound design for when saber swings her Excalibur to the ost of choice which should sound familiar to youfellow fate fans, and the song at the end, all of it were excellent, it made scenes that would be very good to absolutely fucking great The story makes sense with fate zero and the previous ufotable fate stay night adaptations and was really well-paced, even with it being a 2hr movie, it does not feel like its dragging out or overstaying it's welcome as they do not waste time having pointless scenes. The action scenes were all decent and very well animated, as expected of ufotable, there is a fight in this movie that managed to successfully top the berserker vs saber alter fight in the previous movie and I'm willing to go the extra mile and say that there are three fights that topped it, and they all are there not to just show off cool action sequences but to progress and develop the characters through it and show the struggle in the battle and reveal new things about them with visually stunning colours as a good bonus in those fights The characters elevate the movie to a huge extent. There are likable characters and hateable ones in this movie, and the characters get good character development. Such as two examples being rin and illya, you will care for them even the ones that you hate will leave an impact on this story. Well established characters get explored more, examples such as shriou and kotomine kirei with their ideals and it is fucking enjoyable to watch all of them. I'm not gonna go into spoilers as you are missing out if you are not watching this movie and I would like you to take your 2hr for this beautifully crafted movie.
Twiggers
11/01/2020, 10:11 PM
Spoiler Free Review Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - III. Spring Song is an mesmerising experience in the theaters, I highly recommend to watch in the cinemas. You would be missing out in the sheer scale of the movie if you were to watch it in any other way. The movie is an entertaining and emotional rollercoaster filled to the brim with amazing moments and fights. Shirou goes through many hardships to reach to the point his in and actions the characters carry out is very much in line with what the story has presented in the past 2 movies and shows. Despite the grand ideas, themovie is able to make sense if you have watched Unlimited Blade Works and Fate/Zero. Even with the scale of everything, this is a deeply personal story for Shirou as he deeply cares for Sakura. The movie did not bore me as exposition was intriguing enough and straight to the point. Significant things happen frequently enough. Even if there were exposition it helps drive characters' motives and add to them as a character. Fights are filled with a wide range of intense emotions making every fight important in a character level. Sakura, Illya, Kirei and Rider are given a lot of care into their characters and into their psyche but slightly less for Rider. The ending of HF is bittersweet. It is cruel to a certain character and what you witness happen in end of the scene is extremely saddening with tiny tinge of sweetness. Overall, My favourite ending from Ufotable's adaptation of the routes
N_Neko18
10/30/2020, 01:05 AM
-NO SPOILER- I want to say after i watch this anime i want to say OMGGGGGGG ok i think all art in anime.There was so great and make people happy Oh and all music or anything i want to say OMGGGGGGGG IT SO VERY GOOD It make me like i watch Kimetsu no Yaiba lol yeah is true all action scene it so very good i think i don't have anything to say it.It all very very very good But i think if you didn't watch Fate stay night Presage Flower i think you will don't understand or never watch fate series same like me i never watch fate seriesbut nevermine it ok i really like ufotable do this series beacuse i really like they do like Action scene it so cool and beautiful but i don't want to spoil to for you it so very good.If you want answer you have to watch it you will can find answer it.I want in theatre i can find answer it in movie it soooooooo ummm SO VERY GOOD I REALLY LIKE IT.This anime don't have any missing anything And after i will end this review i want to say thank you to ufotable " ufotable thank you for great anime do you know all anime you do it.It make for everyone happy Thank you ufotable you make me happy Thank you so much:) If i use English words wrong I'm sorry Enjoy:) Overall: 10
FarhanAnjum
10/25/2020, 07:59 AM
[CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS] I am one of those lucky people who got a ticket from their friend. I went to watch it and I can safely say that it was a masterpiece and an absolute delight to watch. All three films of the Fate/stay night Heaven's feel trilogy were great but this one was better than the previous two films by a large margin. It had everything you want in a film. Great animation, Great storyline, great soundtrack, great battle choreography, breathtaking fight scenes, emotional moments and a great ending. This film was an overall great ending to the great Fate/ Stay night Heavens feel series justlike the trailer said,"Fate has ended with a big hit." Now I'm going to point out the PROS and the CONS(if there is one) PROS- 1. Great animation 2. Great storyline 3. Thrilling story 4. Music and OST which perfectly complements the scenes 5. Non-stop great fight scenes after Shirou starts using Archer's arm. 6. Each and every fight was well choreographed. 7. An unusual but great conclusion to the explosive package known to us as the "Heavens Feel Trilogy." CONS- There was only one POTENTIAL CON to this film. It was the pacing. The pacing was very fast which I don't have a problem with but many others might have. Other than this one potential CON I don't see any other CONS. Final Thoughts- As a Fate fan who watched and read many Fate novels, VNs, Mangas and watched all the Fate anime(even the 2006 DEEN adaptation) I enjoyed the heck out of this film. This film was truly a masterpiece. It had every good elements of a film and had a very low number of cons. When I heard about these films I thought It will be just a watered down version of the VN just like UBW anime adaptation was, but I was greatly mistaken. This film is truly a masterpiece which has everything from great animation and great battle choreography to great OSTs which complements the scenes perfectly. Everyone should watch it. It truly is a fitting ending to the greatness known as the Fate/Stay night series. Rate- 10/10 Absolutely a fantastic adaptation and every Fate fans and Non Fate fans should watch it. "FATE HAS ENDED WITH A BIG HIT."
animereview69
10/17/2020, 11:35 AM
Anime has offered many amazing works of psychological and philosophical exploration. The medium is ripe for exploring these themes with the ability of animation to depict the surreal in ways live action cannot. These works demand a certain level of risk, as it's far easier to tell the audience what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. Heaven's Feel feels like the excited musings of a young fan of this genre that thinks they're ready to join the ranks of the elite but lacks the modesty to understand they have much to learn. It wants to play with the big boys,but ultimately risks little. It can't seem to decide on any real focus or theme, but rather throws a half dozen at the screen mistaking quantity for quality. And ultimately, it's an unsatisfying mess of a trilogy To avoid giving out spoilers, I think the ultimate problem with the Heaven's Feel trilogy it's just too broad in what it's trying to accomplish. If anything, the author (Nasu) seems at his best when he has time to explore singular themes and limited casts to their fullest extent. If you've played the original Fate VN, I think it's safe to say you are aware Nasu is guilty of rambling at times. Heaven's Feel is known to be the result of what was supposed to be two separate stories smashed together into one due to time and budget constraints, and it shows in almost every aspect of the work. Many have accused the Saber/Shirou romance of being unrealistic, with the author's own writings arguing against the potential of the relationship. If that's the case, the Heaven's Feel trilogy has argued for three movies that the Sakura/Shirou relationship is downright toxic and has led to the near annihilation of the two characters as well as calamitous unintended casualties. And yet, the author seems completely unwilling to admit this, whether he himself doesn't realize it or if editorial mandate from the original work demanded bishounen game fans/shonen anime fans were unable to accept any other ending than the hero gets the heroine. Relationships don't work in reality for a myriad of reasons, even between two genuinely good characters. Most importantly, a relationship built on lies deceit, and surface-level emotional attachment is bound to not end well. It's a lesson the story is begging everyone to understand, yet the author is unwilling to convey, even if it's to the detriment of its two leads. and the end result is catastrophic in a way that is just bizarre. If it wasn't presented so earnestly I'd believe it was satirical Much like the relationship, the dueling stories of Shirou and Sakura are constantly at odds with one another. They compete for dominance rather than enrich each other. Themes of abuse that have been rightly criticized for being exploitive and over the top at times, though have generally been the most interesting part of the trilogy, are almost abandoned toward the end of the film in favor of more obtuse philosophical ramblings that the author won't ever let breath or create the proper environment to discuss. It's dishonest to create this level of consequence, yet handwave it away in the end due to the ability of the genre to get away with whatever it wants via magic. Meanwhile, Shirou's arc has ceased being interesting at this point. He made his decision in the second movie, and it remains unchallenged throughout the third. Rather, the author just shows the consequence of that decision, never quite realizing this Shirou is barely even a character any more. It's not that he's abandoned his ideal or childhood dream, which is a fantastic theme to explore: it's that he's abandoned his sense of self and redefined himself solely in relation to Sakura. If Fate built up the character and Unlimited Blade Works challenged the character from start to finish, this work simply destroys the character and leaves nothing that can be defined as a person remaining. Meanwhile, the emotional center of the trilogy has been the relationship between Rin and Sakura, and this part of the film I can say is fantastic. The trilogy at times seems to realize this, moving Shirou to the background to let the adults in the room do the talking. When the trilogy has worked, it has been when it has allowed these two to shine, and it makes one long for what could have been if Shirou had just been the one to go away in the first movie instead of his servant. While I came away not caring much for either of the two leads, I blame this more on the author's insisting everything ultimately be defined through Shirou for the sake of the shonen fan rather than the innate design of Sakura's character. Then there's the whole weird morality play the trilogy seems to want to explore. This in itself would take a small essay to dissect all the issues with. The problem the author doesn't seem to understand is the moral horizon exists in literature for a reason. You can play around the line, but using the trappings of the fantasy genre to ignore it all together is disingenuous. More to the point, the author doesn't seem to want to allow discussion of this, but rather smother the concerns of audience members unwilling to accept his conclusions. Death of the author exists for a reason. All of this ultimately feels tacked on and has to be ultimately ignored if one is to appreciate anything from the movie. What shocked me the most, and perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this movie and the entire trilogy is the ultimate pointlessness of Saber Alter. The trilogy turned the moral heart and most popular character in his series into Darth Vader, gave her an amazing introduction with the Berserker fight, and showed Shirou's grief for his former friend and mentor. It was a great setup that makes the audience want to know more about who she is. Instead, Saber remains a disinterested, emotionless zombie that just looks like she doesn't want to be there and can't wait to die. Instead of enriching the original character, Saber's role here just feels exploitive, as if the author can't come up with any other way to make the viewer feel grief than rely on a better-developed character. Most will praise her big fight in this film, and while it is a technical marvel, it's just as emotionally unsatisfying as the most erroneous examples in Hollywood popcorn flicks. Nasu wants to argue this is an evil Saber, but instead of evil it's just a soulless plot device he can't even fit in without downright ignoring on multiple occasions Shirou and co should die to the character. On some level you feel he's trying to express Saber is trying to fight the mind control or whatever he wants to call it she's suffering from, but it's never something fully explored. Simply changing a scene or two would have at least salvaged this. Saber's ultimate fate feels more like a fallback by the author to pretend he had some level of consequence than anything, but when Saber's conclusion in every Fate route is well-established given the nature of Heroic Spirits, this was a complete waste of time. If I didn't know Alter was in the game originally, I would accuse the author of being unwilling to write the character out because of her popularity. Saber has been dead for two movies. Alter is just the porn version of the character: existing to look cool and exploit and appeal to the base desires of the fandom rather than anything. Considering the amazing character work in another of Nasu's works, KnK, involving the exploration of dueling personalities, I'm just baffled that this came from the same author. In the end, everything about Heaven's Feel ends up a compromise. Instead of punching home the themes it wants to explore with Sakura, she's shoved aside so we can conclude the entire story of Fate (what many have long-theorized was the cut Illya route). Throughout the three movies, the story has been almost screaming that Shirou is lost in everything going on: his ignorance hurting more than helping, his childish morality being discarded the second it was challenged rather than evolved into something stronger. It wants to be darker and more realistic, and yet of the various Shirou-based Fate routes, it relies on levels of plot armor and logical inconsistencies that the previous two works combined can't create. This Shirou failed to win his own power and failed at every moment of consequence in the first half of the trilogy. To even create a scenario where he can be victorious, the author gives him a devil's bargain: the power of someone else that will cost him his own life. This could have been an interesting idea had it been explored to its fullest, as many have long-criticized the character's suicidal nature. However, in the end the author pulls away from the conclusion demanded the moment he made his choice. Fans will point out there was an in-universe explanation, but of course there was. You can do whatever you want in fantasy works because of fantasy. If the author didn't want the conclusion his story demands, he should have written something else. The result is instead of giving the anime the ending it needed, we arrive at the ending the fans want: a perfectly happy conclusion where all sacrifice has been ignored, all consequences thrown to the side, and a result that feels more for the audience than the characters. The thickest of plot armor piled on top of plot armor allows for a syrupy sweet ending that comes off bizarrely out of place. And much like the anime itself, it feels like the author isn't ready to take the training wheels off to fully explore the motifs he wants to, resulting in an emotionless, flat work that relies on pity instead of earnest grief and requires two previous works to create empathy for much of what is going on.
Jonyeo
09/19/2020, 04:10 AM
Just watched it last night and I want to preface this (non-spoiler) review by saying that I feel blessed to have been able to catch this in a cinema despite these unprecedented times. I hope that all Fate fans will get the opportunity to experience watching this in a cinema as the world recovers. Story: Spring Song is the 3rd and final film in ufotable’s adaptation of the Heaven’s Feel route of Fate/stay night and it picks up exactly where the 2nd film left off. Heaven’s Feel is definitely the most unique and complex route of the 3 routes of Fate/stay night, even shedding light onbackstory not revealed in the previous 2 routes. Compared to Fate and Unlimited Blade Works, can’t say I expected things to unfold the way they did when I read the VN. Heaven’s Feel is not my personal favourite route but I still really enjoyed it nonetheless. For anyone who is looking to get into the Fate series, this is not the place to start. The Holy Grail War, which the plot of Fate/stay night revolves around, does not play out like how a Holy Grail War was meant to be, especially in this route. If anyone cares, this is the order in which I covered Fate. As Fate/Zero is a prequel, it assumes some knowledge of Fate/stay night and so I wouldn’t recommend watching it first if you don’t wish to read the VN as it spoils an important plot point of Heaven’s Feel. Fate/stay night Réalta Nua (VN) > Unlimited Blade Works (2014-15) > Fate/Zero (2011-12) > Heaven’s Feel (2017-20) Characters: Each route of Fate/stay night has its own heroine and as Heaven’s Feel is Sakura’s route, it is expected that the plot will focus more on Sakura. Compared to the previous 2 routes where Sakura was pretty much a background character, she plays a major role in Heaven’s Feel and receives plenty of development. Shirou, as the protagonist, also plays a major role. Being forced to come to terms with what he has always aimed to become, he is required to make an important decision which would contradict his very way of life up till now. Kotomine also has his largest and most active role in Heaven’s Feel out of the 3 routes. Art: Vibrant colours and backgrounds. This has always been a selling point of anime in general for me. I have always really liked ufotable’s character designs of the Fate/stay night characters and they look even cleaner and sharper here than in Unlimited Blade Works. Animation: Top notch. ufotable has delivered once again. There was fair use of CGI, as with many of ufotable’s works. However, I personally didn’t find any problem with it as there wasn’t any scene which looked overly unnatural. Production quality is distinctly higher than an episodic series and the amazing animation of the fight scenes was truly a sight to behold. Music: OST by Yuki Kajiura and ending song by Aimer, both of whom are pretty much staples of the Fate series at this point. The OST was epic and emotional when it needed to be as always and Haru wa Yuku playing during the epilogue felt like a fitting end to the Heaven’s Feel trilogy. Score: 10/10. Some scenes were inevitably cut from the VN since the longest route was being adapted into just 3x 2 hour movies, compared to Unlimited Blade Works which had a 2-cour series. That didn’t take away from my enjoyment though and I feel that ufotable has done an exceptional job in adapting such a complex story. A must watch for Fate fans. Now that all routes of Fate/stay night have been adapted at least once, a Fate route remake and a Fate/hollow ataraxia adaptation by ufotable will always be welcome. SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED DO NOT READ BEYOND HERE Just wanted to detail some of my favourite scenes from the film and my thoughts. 1. When True Assassin tries to kill Kotomine with Zabaniya but fails since Kotomine’s heart is an artificial one granted to him by the Holy Grail, giving Kotomine an opening to perform the baptismal sacrament on Zouken to purify his soul. Great link to the events of Fate/Zero. 2. When Shirou decides to use Archer’s arm and he sees a vision of Archer asking “Can you keep up with me?” only for Shirou to ask back the same question. Shirou projecting Nine Lives Blade Works to protect Illya from the corrupted Berserker while the iconic EMIYA track was playing in the background was epic. I somehow felt this scene was a bit short? Or maybe I just felt it to be short because I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. 3. Rider and Shirou vs Saber Alter. Definitely my favourite fight in the film. I was really looking forward to seeing this fight animated and I wasn’t disappointed. Shirou putting an end to Saber and thanking her for the countless times she’d saved him wasn’t any less heart wrenching. It was really sad that Saber didn’t receive any form of salvation in this route. It would have been nice if there had been at least a short conversation between Shirou and Saber before she disappeared but it is what it is. Here’s hoping Sparks Liner High gets animated as an OVA. 4. When Rin couldn’t bring herself to kill Sakura when it came down to it despite having gone on about it as her duty, risking getting herself killed in the process (not gonna lie I thought she was a goner when I read the VN). Rin telling Sakura that she was glad she continued wearing the ribbon she gifted her when they parted 11 years ago and Sakura finding herself again after realising her sister truly cared about her was really emotional. Just goes to show that at the end of the day, blood is thicker than water and familial bonds cannot be broken that easily even with time and distance apart. Just a small sidetrack, in the 1st ED of Unlimited Blade Works, there is a shot of Rin looking at Sakura from afar in school. I thought that was a nice touch showing Rin watching over Sakura even though the viewer still wouldn’t be aware of their relationship at that point in time. 5. When Illya appears to close the Greater Grail and tells Shirou that as his older sister, she should protect her younger brother, offering him a chance to go on living. And when Illya gets to see her mother Irisviel again with a bright smile on her face, freed from her duty. Really emotional scenes.
Landauryllis
09/17/2020, 01:21 AM
First of all, would like to state that this film has popped my review cherry after hundreds of anime/movies watched. That in itself would mean of either two things, that it is terrible or that it is a masterpiece. Fortunately, it is the latter that is true. This masterpiece of a film has managed to make it my personal favourite route of the big three routes with three 2-hour films compared to two seasons of 20+ episodes each and one single 24 episodes anime. Now proceeding with the review. ‘Heaven’s Feel III: Spring Song’ the final part of the trilogy of the original visual novels with“Heaven’s feel” being the last to be animated and ‘Spring song’ being the third and final part of the “Heaven’s feel” movies by ‘Ufotable’ bringing the conclusion with it following after the previous two parts. Bringing about topics like Emiya Shirou’s determination, fate and goal of being an ‘Ally of justice’, the losing battle of Matou Sakura against herself, the goal of Matou Zouken and the biggest question of all, who or what is the black figure and what are its intentions. Animation and Art – It’s perfect… great, no one’s surprised. With the cliff hanger left on ‘Heaven’s feel II’, ‘Ufotable’ surely knew that their fans would be hyped as f****** maybe more hyped than ever before especially with the delays due to you know what, they had the time to perfect their craft to fulfill on said infinitely high expectations, and they delivered, with many scenes from this movie being desktop worthy, some may even want to hang it on a wall somewhere to showcase such amazing art and animation that catches your attention every fight scene. Even if you by the means somehow dislike the film you can surely still appreciate the art and animation. Sound and Music – ‘Ufotable’ had managed to make every sound effect immersive and in fight scenes, impactful, with close ranged shots seeming that every hit, could be fatal and wide ranged background shots portraying the intensity of the battles. With background music being extremely pleasant to the ears, portraying the scenes it was allocated to very well and last but not least, music. Aimer bringing yet another f****** banger, ‘Haru wa Yuku’ ‘Spring goes’ giving us a perfect representation and view of Sakura’s current mindset of the start of the movie. Personally, I waited for a couple months to listen to it, so I could get the first-hand experience while watching the movie, and it was god da** worth it. Extremely good song. Sasuga Aimer THE FOLLOWING WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS If you haven’t watched the movie yet, shoo…. shoo… Come back after watching, it's great. still here? alright, here we go Characters – Everybody gets development and reaches their highest potential including Kotomine Kirei, a welcomed surprise and Shirou for once, rejecting his goal of being an ‘Ally of justice’ for Sakura. Story – Absolutely incredible, paced amazingly leaving me no time to feel bored and was thoroughly watching the film. Some scenes that I personally really liked were firstly, the scene with Kotomine Kirei at the start, them having their little talk where it Shirou got to learn more about his Kiritsugu and to further confirm that he is indeed not following his Father’s footsteps like in Unlimited blade and the ‘saber route’ but instead, he chose to save Sakura, a minority over the majority even though it might be at the cost of many other innocent lives, something which Kiritsugu would never do. Secondly, the scene where he used Archer’s arm of course with the classic music in the background and, “Can you keep up with me?”, “No, can YOU keep up with ME”, not going to lie, was pretty hyped at that part lol. Leading to the fight with Heracles him using ‘Nine lives blade works’ instead of the usual ‘Unlimited blade works’ was a surprise, but a welcomed one and the tad bit at the end with Heracles’s backstory/lore of him holding his greatest regret, killing his children in a feat of madness caused by a god, proceeding to look at Illya and proceeds to SPEAK, that’s right, SPEAK, I personally didn’t even know he had a voice actor even in FGO I do not think he has ever spoke once, so that was an epic moment. Thirdly, the scene with the founders which sidenote kind of funny how it resembles the story of how Singapore came to be, just a funny thought. Continuing on, it was pretty incredible seeing how the ‘Holy grail war’ came to be, with the founding families each sacrificing something of their own for this project and Kischur making an appearance. It also shows who I presumed to be young Matou Zouken where he isn’t this fucked up parasitic dried raisin but rather, what seems to be a compassionate man, with maybe even a romantic interest in the head of the ‘Einzberns’ at the time, showing his reluctance to sacrifice her life for their shared goal. Fourth scene, the scene of the Tohsaka sisters battling it out with Sakura’s over confidence in the power she obtained and her sister blowing that confidence away with the ‘Jeweled Sword’ a f****** 3 star common ce in fgo I might add *ahem* went of in a tangent there, continuing on, with the end of the battle seeming as though Rin was going to strike down her own sister but….she couldn’t….even though her provoking at outright saying that she’ll kill her, she simply couldn’t kill the little sister that she loves. An amazing scene portraying familial love. Fifth scene is the scene of the renewal of the Emiya vs Kotomine battle where instead of Kiritsugu, it is now Shirou’s time to fight them going at each other just bare-knuckle brawling each carrying their own beliefs and goals competing with their fists. With Shirou winning by a slight chance, with the sword portraying from his body at the right spot, impaling Kirei’s heart, immobilizing him bringing victory to ‘Emiya-kai’ once again lol Sixth scene is the scene where Shirou takes steps to try and prevent the birth of Angra Manyu like his ‘father’ once did, but this showing his reluctance to when the time came. That’s where Illya came in, and gave him an option where he did not have to die, where she could take his place, asking the question “Do you want to live?” Shirou ultimately finally cementing the fact that he’s not Kiritusugu, states that he does indeed want to live, proceeding to Illya’s ‘death’ where she reunites with her mother in the grail. (Still no Kiritsugu reunion :,c I’ll do it in fgo xD) Last but not least, the finale where they show the lives of the characters after the events of the movie. Showing that Sakura and Rin have bonded over the time trying to regain the time that they lost, leading not showing Shirou anywhere, but nearly in the last moments, “But one thing never changed.” Showing Shirou alive and well, “but how? They clearly stated that his body was gone.” you might ask, that’s due to some smart***’s play on words with his body gone but soul still present lol. Now the scene beforehand showing them going into a shop with a puppet body and them releasing some light (Shirou’s soul) into it, making the puppet the host for his soul. Ending the movie with what I presume a class reunion with a flower viewing and showing Sakura taking a step forward with Shirou beside her, symbolising that she is moving on. SAKURA FINALLY GETS A TRUE HAPPY ENDING F*** YEAH!!! Honourable mentions to the scene where Shirou using rulebreaker to free Sakura, didn’t realise he could do that for some reason, pretty smart. Overpowered noble phantasm lol and the dried parasitic raisin finally dying and taking a look at what he has done and become over his life of 500 years. All in all, it is a fantastic film and what I believe to be the best of the three, maybe even topping zero, still debating on that spent $50 for some merch and an early viewing rip wallet but entirely worth it, hopefully everybody gets to watch this masterpiece. 10/10 P.S.(pls saber route remake Ufotable) Now if you’ll excuse me, time to FGO
Taitoru
08/18/2020, 10:25 PM
Watched it yesterday 10/10 for me a Masterpiece for fate fan A perfect ending of stay night and heaven's feel you can hope for Been a fan of typemoon since I'm in middle school almost 15 years ago watching this every hype scene every sad scene made me tears up so many time I can't count I don't want to spoil anything for people who didn't read Visual Novel but me as a VN reader This is probably the best adaptation you can hope for After finishing it made me feel empty inside a little bit now hope we get Fate route remake so we can finally get perfectwatch order of fate series

Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - III. Spring Song 劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel] III.spring song」

| Episodes: 1 | Score: 8.7 (201072)

Updated every at | Status: Finished Airing

Type: Movie

Producers:Aniplex | Notes | Kadokawa

Streaming: Netflix

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Sugiyama, Noriaki

Nakata, Jouji

Shitaya, Noriko

Asakawa, Yuu

Ueda, Kana

Kadowaki, Mai

News

Reviews

fluidabyss
10/20/2023, 08:06 PM
THIS MOVIE CONTAINS MY PERSONAL PICK FOR THE GREATEST FIGHT IN ANIME HISTORY. Watching this in theaters had me floating out of my seat. The Heavens Feel trilogy is easily the best anime movie trilogy and should be looked at as art. I'm not completely sure if this is the end of the main Fate timeline but it's definitely worthy of the title. This movie has the most jaw dropping animation I have ever seen and along with the superb soundtrack it would be impossible for me to not recommend it. The fights will have your eyes locked into the movie. Don't miss out onthis.
Squatch70
02/22/2023, 06:02 PM
*Only spoiler is for a single fight in the movie, and even then I don't say who the victor is* Although there is no universal hype around new releases to this series the same way other big anime franchises get, Fate still has a solid fanbase. Even with all the jokes about how difficult it is to get into the series, most agree that any work by Ufotable is worth watching, especially the Heaven's Feel movie trilogy. The second movie, Lost Butterfly, left off on a very strong cliffhanger, and I was extremely excited to finish this trilogy. Upon finishing Spring Song, I left with mixedfeelings, though mostly satisfied. The best way to break it down would be into different categories, which seems to be what a lot of people do in these types of reviews: Story: 6/10 Characters: 8/10 Aesthetics: 9.9/10 Action: 11/10 Story The story of Spring Song is... basically what can be expected of Fate. There is a lot of lore dump and talking. If you finish Lost Butterfly and enter this film expecting two hours of action--I honestly entered this expecting a kaiju movie of sorts--you will be disappointed. The first half is a lot of preparation for the Final Battle, and even during the second half the characters talk in between large moments of action. And depending on your expectations, certain moments and outcomes might seem disappointing. It's definitely not the worst story ever, but the ending can be a bit confusing. Characters I separated characters from the story because despite the confusion I had with the plot, the characters still work as well as they always have. Shiro is still the "Hero of Justice," Rin is still tsundere, Ilyasveel is still cute if not a little scary, and Sakura is still precious and must be protected, even if she is the main antagonist of this film. There isn't anyone who stands front and center with how they are characterized in this movie, but there isn't anything bad about them either. Aesthetics Ufotable has provided several stunning-looking projects, especially over the past few years with Demon Slayer, and Spring Song is no exception. The quality of the animation is top-notch, with colors popping even in dark, dreary settings. The sounds as well, whether they be sounds effects or the musical score, are phenomenal. The way the shots pan, rotate, zoom in and out, all feel like this wasn't drawn but actually recorded on an IMAX camera. The only part that stands out as "bad" is a character clearly made entirely out of CGI. Even then, they only look bad in comparison because everything else looks so amazing. Action As to be expected, Ufotable delivers amazing action. While the first couple of fights are disappointingly quick, they don't fail to look incredible with sound effects to match. As the film goes on, the action continues to get better, all the way until the last punch is thrown. However, nothing in this movie, the rest of the Fate franchise, or 95% of action sequences can compare to the greatness that is Saber vs Rider (and Shiro). Rider is, without a doubt, the best part of this movie. The Servant who just had one or two words before getting killed off in UBW has now shown that nobody gets summoned to a Grail War by accident. The way she runs circles around Saber at hyper speeds, flies through the air with complete control over herself, and uses her eyes to slow her foe down steal the show, and the reveal of her Noble Phantasm is nothing less than fantastic. And all of that is without mentioning Saber and her awesome red-and-black armor and weapon, Shiro's moment to shine, the phenomenal sound design, and the bone-chillingly beautiful, operatic music that accompanies it all. In all honesty, any qualms with the rest of the movie are meaningless, because it's well worth watching the movie for just the action. This definitely is only a movie that Fate fans will understand, and it should be viewed after Zero and Unlimited Blade Works, but if you meet those requirements, I highly recommend it. Even though it's my least favorite of the trilogy, it's still worth a watch.
ktulu007
06/10/2021, 08:45 AM
I’ve already gone through the first two films in this trilogy and now it’s time to look at the third. See if, unlike Unlimited Blade Works, it manages to have a satisfying conclusion. Because I’m honestly getting a little frustrated with this franchise and its great premise, decent build ups and complete letdown conclusions. Story: We open with Shirou finding Shinji’s corpse. We quickly learn that the monster within Sakura comes from the Matou family trying to fashion her into a grail and our heroes find themselves in a race against time to save her. Let’s start with the big problem in this film and one that’s starting to look likea common failing of the franchise. The ending is pretty rubbish. The last quarter of the film is almost entirely nonsense. Let me share a revelation I’ve had. This franchise is what happens when you give an amazing concept to writers who are mediocre at best. What I mean by that is that the problems with the endings, both here and with Unlimited Blade Works, come down to the writers not knowing how to build up on things except by making the situation increasingly ore desperate, And once they’ve done that, they don’t have the ovarian fortitude to follow through with the bitter-sweet or tragic endings that would make sense. So they pull some utter bullshit out their asses to get a contrived happy ending. Essentially, it all comes down to the writers not having the skills to build up tension in a less dramatic way or having the guts to follow through with what they do have. To the film’s credit, the underlying good ideas are still there. And there is some strong build up before the writers screwed it. Characters: The characters remain a weakness of the films. Sakura is bland as papier mache. Shirou still sucks, though he actually does get one good sequence when he’s protecting Illya. Kirei is pretty annoying in this one. He just spends a lot of time spouting a bunch of pseudo philosophical bullshit that’s probably intended to sound deep but fails utterly in that regard. The most compelling character is Rin in spite of her being largely on the sidelines. Art: The artwork is definitively the best element in the film. One thing the franchise does well is the character designs. This one also has some really good action sequences. Especially the Rider vs Saber fight. Sound: The acting continues to be well done. Even the actors who voice shallow characters like Nakata Jouji, Shitaya Noriko & Sugiyama Noriaki give good performances. I do also like the music. Credit to Kajiura Yuki for consistently composing strong soundtracks. Not only i the Fate franchise but in anime like El Cazador de la Bruja and Madoka as well. Ho-yay: There isn’t any. This franchise loves its banal het romances. Areas of Improvement: 1. Figure out the ending that naturally stems from your narrative and use it. Don’t consistently chicken out and force a happy ending. Woman up. 2. More complexity for your major characters. Shirou still sucks. Sakura is still boring. I understand that the focus is more on the cool premise and badass action sequences, but the poor characterisation is still letting the film down by a wide margin. 3. If you’re going to have an antagonist who spends a long time explicating on their motivations, you need stronger dialogue and motivations. All of Kirei’s verbal diarrhoea seems to be to tell us he’s a nihilist who can’t shut the fuck up. If you want to see a villain talk a lot and also have compelling dialogue, look at Aion in Chrno Crusade. And a big part of why he works in that regard is that a lot of his dialogue is persuasive and he has very coherent points. The character also has a charisma that Kirei sorely lacks which makes him come across as even more compelling. Final Thoughts: So, at the end of this film trilogy we have yet another disappointing ending with very little improvement on our rubbish protagonist and his dull as dishwater love interest. I’m giving the film a 4/10. Good premise, some strong build up from previous instalments but let down by lacklustre writing.
wildpartyhat
04/01/2021, 09:14 PM
If you are a die-hard fan of the type-moon visual novels, I'm sure this movie has something for you. If, however, you have not played through the VN, it will likely leave you confused as to how anybody could possibly sift through the piles of pseudo-intellectual masturbatory ramblings to find the plot. Character motivations are inconsistent and at times non-existent, and not a single one of them is likable. Why did this character do this thing? You won't know but they'll damn sure wax philosophical about it for five to ten minutes, leaving you with more questions than when they started. In the end,ufotable's stellar animation and admittedly high-tier sound design can't save this film from a soap opera plot based around toxic relationships and unsympathetic teenagers.
Casual_Elite
04/01/2021, 05:38 AM
What a finale. My eyes and heart were glued to the entire two-hour length of spring song. The fight between alter saber and true rider/shiro was alone worth the price of all three movies. So much emotion, excitement, and beauty in that one scene. The ending couldn't have been better. Kudos to UFOTABLE !!! The last two movies were absolutely amazing. Ufotable never stops to amaze me with their animation and visuals in their action and storytelling, The characters are great, the actions great and the story great as well. I know for sure that Fate/stay night heavens feel III. spring song is going to be thebest animated movie this year.
Agent_Redacted
04/01/2021, 04:41 AM
Finally! God knows how long I've been waiting for this absolute masterpiece to appear within my grasp. So this is how it feels after seeing your dad return from the convenience store with his milk. Maybe even better. I still can't believe it's over. I was screaming and crying—my neighbors probably heard me, and before I realized it, it's already over. Like the two prior movies, Spring Song is a masterpiece. A fine piece of art bestowed upon us peasants who aren't even allowed to peer before its presence in the first place, but God was generous enough to let us do so. The art styleand quality are as outstanding as ever, and for some reason, the movie questionably has some Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia camera angles for a certain best girl's fight scene, but I wasn't slightly bothered by it at all. In fact, Arigatou gozaimasu. Other than the art part of the movie, the soundtracks and stuff were as good as always. Fate never lets me down on this one. The characters are also fine, and yeah~ overall, I'd say I really really enjoyed watching the movie. One issue with this movie, however, is the fact that it felt like it could've been even better. Yeah, I cried and stuff, but I still held back. Like 10% water left inside my body? I feel like the ending could've been executed better. Regardless, this movie was surely 11/10, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch it. I can't wait for more of what Fate has to offer. Thank you for this journey, Fate. I'll see you again. p.s. I haven't reviewed anything in ages so sorry if it's a bit scuffed.
KuromakiKun
03/31/2021, 03:00 AM
As someone who didn't came from VN, I probably didn't enjoy as much as those who did but I enjoyed as much everything as possible Here's my take, Story wise obviously it's a clusterfuck (It ain't fate if it isn't) To me the story was really amazing and sad at the same time. It really overwhelmed me by a lot. I literally took a sigh after finishing it. It was a relief that I finally finished this whole overwhelming story. Art wise, I don't think I needed to say anything about it Fate has always been one of the or in fact could be the best anime's withthe best fighting scenes. The fighting scene on this particular ones has been the best enjoyment through out every single other anime I've watch. For the Sound, They sure know how to bring tears :") Character wise, The development was really amazing. This 2 hours felt like more than a 2 hour movie (at least to me). It was really filled with every side of story. I really enjoyed it like a rollercoaster. The way to describe Heaven's feel is It is filled with Heavenly feels.
Harbinger19
12/06/2020, 10:57 AM
I used to hate Shirou Emiya. In this review, hopefully I’ll be able to lay out why that feeling no longer remains, and why this franchise is so special. I hope you’ll bear with me; as an aspiring writer, I find the inspiration of this route so incredibly personal and affecting that I have to put some of it into words. As this is the conclusion of a trilogy, I will also refer back to Presage Flower and Lost Butterfly. Like many anime viewers I started with ufotable’s Fate adaptations. In a weird and convoluted manner, I entered the world of Fateby watching the first episode of Fate/zero, then UBW, then back to Zero. Though my expectations of Fate were defined more by UBW than Zero, I still felt the latter to be more artistically constructed. UBW seemed incomplete. There’s a very good reason for that. So I went to the source, Kinoko Nasu and TYPE-MOON’s visual novel. When I read the visual novel for Heaven's Feel, I found a flabbergasting narrative that leads to a unique place in literature: This is not merely a gripping story with compelling characters, high-stakes battles and powerful emotion. There are so many great examples of those in anime; Hunter x Hunter, Attack on Titan, Re;Zero...the list goes on and on. What separates the Fate franchise from all others is its meta-commentary and broadly "applicable" (as Tolkien might put it) subtext. On some level, this is a story about stories, about the nature of the heroes we vicariously enjoy in media. Admittedly, this may be less apparent in the anime than in the VN owing to sheer length and detail, but careful viewers can pick up on it when reviewing the trilogy as a whole. I will tell anyone who asks that Heaven's Feel is Kinoko Nasu's magnum opus. He debuted with seminal works like Kara no Kyoukai, a psychological and supernatural murder-mystery, and Tsukihime, a more world-building derivative of the former. And after, came Fate stay/night, his most thematically focused and balanced work to date. Spring Song is the final anime adaptation of that work. A number of people, myself included, watched Fate adaptations like DEEN stay/night or UBW and came to the conclusion that Shirou Emiya is an idiot and a hypocrite, an annoying idealist without the character arc or sharpened coolness of Kiritsugu. I was wrong. Shirou’s arc is a 3-part breakdown that is totally incomplete without Heaven’s Feel. The story of Heaven’s Feel involves the heroine Sakura Matou, who is as powerful an example of a Jungian shadow archetype as there is. She is everything Shirou Emiya denies about himself…Victim…Villain, and she represents the ultimate challenge to everything he is. Nasu excels at exploring masculine-feminine polarities, and Sakura’s domestic warmth, expertly built up in the prior films, delivers a hammer-stroke of pain and torment to the would-be Hero of Justice. In this final film, Shirou confronts his Shadows (and Sakura is merely one of several) and surpasses Kiritsugu before the end. Spring Song visually calls back to Zero in a moment of crisis, and the psychological triumph is palpable. All that is true of the source material, and this is an adaptation. I will say that director Tomonori Sudou has not achieved full perfection here, and in an ideal world the trilogy might have 20 or so more minutes of fleshing out. That said, Sudou comes really darn close, and in Spring Song so many scenes hit perfectly. In Lost Butterfly and Presage Flower, so many moments depicted the visual novel’s mood and meaning to nigh-perfection; the shed scene in PF, the rain scene and kitchen knife scene in LB. Spring Song has about as many such scenes as the previous 2 films combined. Every character gets a superlative moment, from Illya, to Rin to Kirei. The brilliant cast of F/SN is at their most human, most emotional, and psychologically impactful here. Admittedly, the film’s ending is a little esoteric and in some ways feels like a finale for ufotable’s Type-Moon work as a whole. If you haven’t seen Kara no Kyoukai, you might be left feeling confused by a certain moment near the end. But all that is forgivable for the exquisite darkness, death, and redemption on display, and Sudou’s ability to bookend is rivaled only by the likes of FMA: Brotherhood and Stein’s Gate. As said, the ending may be confusing if you don’t recall Kara no Kyoukai in detail; no easy feat given the nature of that series. But from the beginning, even in Presage Flower, Heaven’s Feel requires you to bring external knowledge to properly contextualize the story; it is the Infinity War of anime; a story built up by and deployed in contrast and juxtaposition with other stories. Moreso than even that, it is a masterful work. I used to hate Shirou Emiya, but this particular route made him one of my favorite characters of all time. He is not simply a compelling hero (or more accurately, anti-hero) in his own right, but a challenge to literary heroes throughout the ages. He is the anti-Deku, the anti-Araragi, the Shadow of the Seigi no Mikata. The contrast and comparison between him and Sakura Matou and Kirei Kotomine ensures that Heaven’s Feel will be my favorite anime for many years to come. “Rejoice young man; your wish will soon be granted. For a Hero of Justice must have a villain to defeat.”
old_chicken
11/25/2020, 01:12 AM
What a satisfying conclusion to the HF series. Even though they left out some things from the VN, the fights were some of the best ever depicted to date. This movie was a really good payoff coming from a VN fan. Salter vs Rider should win animation of the year. Hopefully they remake the OG route. Saber deserves better and is the best. Ufotable should animate the FGO Lostbelts too. God damn I'm still shook. Fuck Demon slayer, This is easily the movie of the year for me. Looking forward to the Camelot movie, hope that one is good too.
Sibs_Art
11/23/2020, 07:50 PM
Ufotable outdid themselves with this movie. This film easily has the best animation in the entire Fate franchise. Perhaps even Fate's best animated fight, and most epic scenes. If you want an amazing soundtrack, this movie has it. This is the conclusion of this trilogy, and I haven't seen a more epic conclusion in a long time. As a fan of the Fate franchise, I loved these characters from the start, and seeing their stories come to an end here left me satisfied. I love this movie, and I love Fate. Criticisms: The only thing I would like from this movie is that it's ending feltfast paced. There was a lot to process in the last 2 minutes of this movie and most of it may go over most people's heads. Type-Moon is well known for having a connected universe, and there are scenes in this film that may seem confusing without proper context.
Sine-Pai
11/23/2020, 04:18 AM
I had the privilege to watch this in theater, and my oh my what a good movie from ufotable. The pacing of the story is on the fast side, I liked it, just missing out some details, but it's all good. I had high expectations when it comes to fight scenes from ufotable, and it's incredible that it exceeded my expectaion so much. ufotable just never disappoints you on the artwork, sound, fight scenes. The depth of the characters were developed quite well in the previous two movies and this one continued on that. Overall, it was a great enjoyment watching this in theater
ZenSvelte
11/21/2020, 09:33 PM
So, Heaven's Feel III. I had already been expecting high quality animations, but this blew those expectations out of the water. Seriously, this was incredible. I think what I liked so much about this route (besides the animations) was the way characters who didn't get much attention in the previous routes had the spotlight in this one, and we were given a deeper look into the thoughts of each of them (I think this is strongest for Illya). The story was very interesting with the different scenarios, situations, and outcomes, but I honestly have to say I preferred the more personal story of UBW which focusedon Shirou and Archer. Something that was especially interesting in this one though was the new information we're given on Shirou and Archer's abilities, and their effects on one another. I won't get into specifics as not to spoil anything, but I think those who've seen it can understand what I'm getting at. I don't know if this next part is a spoiler or not, but if you're worried about it, don't read it. I only have one complaint for this route, and that's the ending. If you haven't seen Kara no Kyoukai (The Garden of Sinners), you need to watch it, otherwise the ending won't make any sense. I think. I'm pretty sure my guess on how it ended is accurate, but it's not 100%. Even if it is correct it still doesn't make a lot of sense to me, and if someone who understands exactly what happened, please shoot me a message. Overall, this route was truly incredible and a wonderful experience. I would not recommend getting into this if you haven't already seen UBW, but that's ultimately up to you. 10/10, and I will be buying this when the Blu-ray releases. Thank you Ufotable for another incredible adaptation.
natas_rulez
11/07/2020, 11:47 PM
SPOILER FREE REVIEW This movie was so good that putting it into words would require Kinoko Nasu to write it down for me, as only he can come up with shit like tohsaka's defenseless (ok thats a bit overexaggerating), anyways, this movie was just an incredibly satisfying fun roller coaster ride from start to finish with a seasoning of sadness as the topping, this movie is an experience not to be missed in the theatres especially with the amount of budget they dumped into this . The sound design for when saber swings her Excalibur to the ost of choice which should sound familiar to youfellow fate fans, and the song at the end, all of it were excellent, it made scenes that would be very good to absolutely fucking great The story makes sense with fate zero and the previous ufotable fate stay night adaptations and was really well-paced, even with it being a 2hr movie, it does not feel like its dragging out or overstaying it's welcome as they do not waste time having pointless scenes. The action scenes were all decent and very well animated, as expected of ufotable, there is a fight in this movie that managed to successfully top the berserker vs saber alter fight in the previous movie and I'm willing to go the extra mile and say that there are three fights that topped it, and they all are there not to just show off cool action sequences but to progress and develop the characters through it and show the struggle in the battle and reveal new things about them with visually stunning colours as a good bonus in those fights The characters elevate the movie to a huge extent. There are likable characters and hateable ones in this movie, and the characters get good character development. Such as two examples being rin and illya, you will care for them even the ones that you hate will leave an impact on this story. Well established characters get explored more, examples such as shriou and kotomine kirei with their ideals and it is fucking enjoyable to watch all of them. I'm not gonna go into spoilers as you are missing out if you are not watching this movie and I would like you to take your 2hr for this beautifully crafted movie.
Twiggers
11/01/2020, 10:11 PM
Spoiler Free Review Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - III. Spring Song is an mesmerising experience in the theaters, I highly recommend to watch in the cinemas. You would be missing out in the sheer scale of the movie if you were to watch it in any other way. The movie is an entertaining and emotional rollercoaster filled to the brim with amazing moments and fights. Shirou goes through many hardships to reach to the point his in and actions the characters carry out is very much in line with what the story has presented in the past 2 movies and shows. Despite the grand ideas, themovie is able to make sense if you have watched Unlimited Blade Works and Fate/Zero. Even with the scale of everything, this is a deeply personal story for Shirou as he deeply cares for Sakura. The movie did not bore me as exposition was intriguing enough and straight to the point. Significant things happen frequently enough. Even if there were exposition it helps drive characters' motives and add to them as a character. Fights are filled with a wide range of intense emotions making every fight important in a character level. Sakura, Illya, Kirei and Rider are given a lot of care into their characters and into their psyche but slightly less for Rider. The ending of HF is bittersweet. It is cruel to a certain character and what you witness happen in end of the scene is extremely saddening with tiny tinge of sweetness. Overall, My favourite ending from Ufotable's adaptation of the routes
N_Neko18
10/30/2020, 01:05 AM
-NO SPOILER- I want to say after i watch this anime i want to say OMGGGGGGG ok i think all art in anime.There was so great and make people happy Oh and all music or anything i want to say OMGGGGGGGG IT SO VERY GOOD It make me like i watch Kimetsu no Yaiba lol yeah is true all action scene it so very good i think i don't have anything to say it.It all very very very good But i think if you didn't watch Fate stay night Presage Flower i think you will don't understand or never watch fate series same like me i never watch fate seriesbut nevermine it ok i really like ufotable do this series beacuse i really like they do like Action scene it so cool and beautiful but i don't want to spoil to for you it so very good.If you want answer you have to watch it you will can find answer it.I want in theatre i can find answer it in movie it soooooooo ummm SO VERY GOOD I REALLY LIKE IT.This anime don't have any missing anything And after i will end this review i want to say thank you to ufotable " ufotable thank you for great anime do you know all anime you do it.It make for everyone happy Thank you ufotable you make me happy Thank you so much:) If i use English words wrong I'm sorry Enjoy:) Overall: 10
FarhanAnjum
10/25/2020, 07:59 AM
[CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS] I am one of those lucky people who got a ticket from their friend. I went to watch it and I can safely say that it was a masterpiece and an absolute delight to watch. All three films of the Fate/stay night Heaven's feel trilogy were great but this one was better than the previous two films by a large margin. It had everything you want in a film. Great animation, Great storyline, great soundtrack, great battle choreography, breathtaking fight scenes, emotional moments and a great ending. This film was an overall great ending to the great Fate/ Stay night Heavens feel series justlike the trailer said,"Fate has ended with a big hit." Now I'm going to point out the PROS and the CONS(if there is one) PROS- 1. Great animation 2. Great storyline 3. Thrilling story 4. Music and OST which perfectly complements the scenes 5. Non-stop great fight scenes after Shirou starts using Archer's arm. 6. Each and every fight was well choreographed. 7. An unusual but great conclusion to the explosive package known to us as the "Heavens Feel Trilogy." CONS- There was only one POTENTIAL CON to this film. It was the pacing. The pacing was very fast which I don't have a problem with but many others might have. Other than this one potential CON I don't see any other CONS. Final Thoughts- As a Fate fan who watched and read many Fate novels, VNs, Mangas and watched all the Fate anime(even the 2006 DEEN adaptation) I enjoyed the heck out of this film. This film was truly a masterpiece. It had every good elements of a film and had a very low number of cons. When I heard about these films I thought It will be just a watered down version of the VN just like UBW anime adaptation was, but I was greatly mistaken. This film is truly a masterpiece which has everything from great animation and great battle choreography to great OSTs which complements the scenes perfectly. Everyone should watch it. It truly is a fitting ending to the greatness known as the Fate/Stay night series. Rate- 10/10 Absolutely a fantastic adaptation and every Fate fans and Non Fate fans should watch it. "FATE HAS ENDED WITH A BIG HIT."
animereview69
10/17/2020, 11:35 AM
Anime has offered many amazing works of psychological and philosophical exploration. The medium is ripe for exploring these themes with the ability of animation to depict the surreal in ways live action cannot. These works demand a certain level of risk, as it's far easier to tell the audience what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. Heaven's Feel feels like the excited musings of a young fan of this genre that thinks they're ready to join the ranks of the elite but lacks the modesty to understand they have much to learn. It wants to play with the big boys,but ultimately risks little. It can't seem to decide on any real focus or theme, but rather throws a half dozen at the screen mistaking quantity for quality. And ultimately, it's an unsatisfying mess of a trilogy To avoid giving out spoilers, I think the ultimate problem with the Heaven's Feel trilogy it's just too broad in what it's trying to accomplish. If anything, the author (Nasu) seems at his best when he has time to explore singular themes and limited casts to their fullest extent. If you've played the original Fate VN, I think it's safe to say you are aware Nasu is guilty of rambling at times. Heaven's Feel is known to be the result of what was supposed to be two separate stories smashed together into one due to time and budget constraints, and it shows in almost every aspect of the work. Many have accused the Saber/Shirou romance of being unrealistic, with the author's own writings arguing against the potential of the relationship. If that's the case, the Heaven's Feel trilogy has argued for three movies that the Sakura/Shirou relationship is downright toxic and has led to the near annihilation of the two characters as well as calamitous unintended casualties. And yet, the author seems completely unwilling to admit this, whether he himself doesn't realize it or if editorial mandate from the original work demanded bishounen game fans/shonen anime fans were unable to accept any other ending than the hero gets the heroine. Relationships don't work in reality for a myriad of reasons, even between two genuinely good characters. Most importantly, a relationship built on lies deceit, and surface-level emotional attachment is bound to not end well. It's a lesson the story is begging everyone to understand, yet the author is unwilling to convey, even if it's to the detriment of its two leads. and the end result is catastrophic in a way that is just bizarre. If it wasn't presented so earnestly I'd believe it was satirical Much like the relationship, the dueling stories of Shirou and Sakura are constantly at odds with one another. They compete for dominance rather than enrich each other. Themes of abuse that have been rightly criticized for being exploitive and over the top at times, though have generally been the most interesting part of the trilogy, are almost abandoned toward the end of the film in favor of more obtuse philosophical ramblings that the author won't ever let breath or create the proper environment to discuss. It's dishonest to create this level of consequence, yet handwave it away in the end due to the ability of the genre to get away with whatever it wants via magic. Meanwhile, Shirou's arc has ceased being interesting at this point. He made his decision in the second movie, and it remains unchallenged throughout the third. Rather, the author just shows the consequence of that decision, never quite realizing this Shirou is barely even a character any more. It's not that he's abandoned his ideal or childhood dream, which is a fantastic theme to explore: it's that he's abandoned his sense of self and redefined himself solely in relation to Sakura. If Fate built up the character and Unlimited Blade Works challenged the character from start to finish, this work simply destroys the character and leaves nothing that can be defined as a person remaining. Meanwhile, the emotional center of the trilogy has been the relationship between Rin and Sakura, and this part of the film I can say is fantastic. The trilogy at times seems to realize this, moving Shirou to the background to let the adults in the room do the talking. When the trilogy has worked, it has been when it has allowed these two to shine, and it makes one long for what could have been if Shirou had just been the one to go away in the first movie instead of his servant. While I came away not caring much for either of the two leads, I blame this more on the author's insisting everything ultimately be defined through Shirou for the sake of the shonen fan rather than the innate design of Sakura's character. Then there's the whole weird morality play the trilogy seems to want to explore. This in itself would take a small essay to dissect all the issues with. The problem the author doesn't seem to understand is the moral horizon exists in literature for a reason. You can play around the line, but using the trappings of the fantasy genre to ignore it all together is disingenuous. More to the point, the author doesn't seem to want to allow discussion of this, but rather smother the concerns of audience members unwilling to accept his conclusions. Death of the author exists for a reason. All of this ultimately feels tacked on and has to be ultimately ignored if one is to appreciate anything from the movie. What shocked me the most, and perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this movie and the entire trilogy is the ultimate pointlessness of Saber Alter. The trilogy turned the moral heart and most popular character in his series into Darth Vader, gave her an amazing introduction with the Berserker fight, and showed Shirou's grief for his former friend and mentor. It was a great setup that makes the audience want to know more about who she is. Instead, Saber remains a disinterested, emotionless zombie that just looks like she doesn't want to be there and can't wait to die. Instead of enriching the original character, Saber's role here just feels exploitive, as if the author can't come up with any other way to make the viewer feel grief than rely on a better-developed character. Most will praise her big fight in this film, and while it is a technical marvel, it's just as emotionally unsatisfying as the most erroneous examples in Hollywood popcorn flicks. Nasu wants to argue this is an evil Saber, but instead of evil it's just a soulless plot device he can't even fit in without downright ignoring on multiple occasions Shirou and co should die to the character. On some level you feel he's trying to express Saber is trying to fight the mind control or whatever he wants to call it she's suffering from, but it's never something fully explored. Simply changing a scene or two would have at least salvaged this. Saber's ultimate fate feels more like a fallback by the author to pretend he had some level of consequence than anything, but when Saber's conclusion in every Fate route is well-established given the nature of Heroic Spirits, this was a complete waste of time. If I didn't know Alter was in the game originally, I would accuse the author of being unwilling to write the character out because of her popularity. Saber has been dead for two movies. Alter is just the porn version of the character: existing to look cool and exploit and appeal to the base desires of the fandom rather than anything. Considering the amazing character work in another of Nasu's works, KnK, involving the exploration of dueling personalities, I'm just baffled that this came from the same author. In the end, everything about Heaven's Feel ends up a compromise. Instead of punching home the themes it wants to explore with Sakura, she's shoved aside so we can conclude the entire story of Fate (what many have long-theorized was the cut Illya route). Throughout the three movies, the story has been almost screaming that Shirou is lost in everything going on: his ignorance hurting more than helping, his childish morality being discarded the second it was challenged rather than evolved into something stronger. It wants to be darker and more realistic, and yet of the various Shirou-based Fate routes, it relies on levels of plot armor and logical inconsistencies that the previous two works combined can't create. This Shirou failed to win his own power and failed at every moment of consequence in the first half of the trilogy. To even create a scenario where he can be victorious, the author gives him a devil's bargain: the power of someone else that will cost him his own life. This could have been an interesting idea had it been explored to its fullest, as many have long-criticized the character's suicidal nature. However, in the end the author pulls away from the conclusion demanded the moment he made his choice. Fans will point out there was an in-universe explanation, but of course there was. You can do whatever you want in fantasy works because of fantasy. If the author didn't want the conclusion his story demands, he should have written something else. The result is instead of giving the anime the ending it needed, we arrive at the ending the fans want: a perfectly happy conclusion where all sacrifice has been ignored, all consequences thrown to the side, and a result that feels more for the audience than the characters. The thickest of plot armor piled on top of plot armor allows for a syrupy sweet ending that comes off bizarrely out of place. And much like the anime itself, it feels like the author isn't ready to take the training wheels off to fully explore the motifs he wants to, resulting in an emotionless, flat work that relies on pity instead of earnest grief and requires two previous works to create empathy for much of what is going on.
Jonyeo
09/19/2020, 04:10 AM
Just watched it last night and I want to preface this (non-spoiler) review by saying that I feel blessed to have been able to catch this in a cinema despite these unprecedented times. I hope that all Fate fans will get the opportunity to experience watching this in a cinema as the world recovers. Story: Spring Song is the 3rd and final film in ufotable’s adaptation of the Heaven’s Feel route of Fate/stay night and it picks up exactly where the 2nd film left off. Heaven’s Feel is definitely the most unique and complex route of the 3 routes of Fate/stay night, even shedding light onbackstory not revealed in the previous 2 routes. Compared to Fate and Unlimited Blade Works, can’t say I expected things to unfold the way they did when I read the VN. Heaven’s Feel is not my personal favourite route but I still really enjoyed it nonetheless. For anyone who is looking to get into the Fate series, this is not the place to start. The Holy Grail War, which the plot of Fate/stay night revolves around, does not play out like how a Holy Grail War was meant to be, especially in this route. If anyone cares, this is the order in which I covered Fate. As Fate/Zero is a prequel, it assumes some knowledge of Fate/stay night and so I wouldn’t recommend watching it first if you don’t wish to read the VN as it spoils an important plot point of Heaven’s Feel. Fate/stay night Réalta Nua (VN) > Unlimited Blade Works (2014-15) > Fate/Zero (2011-12) > Heaven’s Feel (2017-20) Characters: Each route of Fate/stay night has its own heroine and as Heaven’s Feel is Sakura’s route, it is expected that the plot will focus more on Sakura. Compared to the previous 2 routes where Sakura was pretty much a background character, she plays a major role in Heaven’s Feel and receives plenty of development. Shirou, as the protagonist, also plays a major role. Being forced to come to terms with what he has always aimed to become, he is required to make an important decision which would contradict his very way of life up till now. Kotomine also has his largest and most active role in Heaven’s Feel out of the 3 routes. Art: Vibrant colours and backgrounds. This has always been a selling point of anime in general for me. I have always really liked ufotable’s character designs of the Fate/stay night characters and they look even cleaner and sharper here than in Unlimited Blade Works. Animation: Top notch. ufotable has delivered once again. There was fair use of CGI, as with many of ufotable’s works. However, I personally didn’t find any problem with it as there wasn’t any scene which looked overly unnatural. Production quality is distinctly higher than an episodic series and the amazing animation of the fight scenes was truly a sight to behold. Music: OST by Yuki Kajiura and ending song by Aimer, both of whom are pretty much staples of the Fate series at this point. The OST was epic and emotional when it needed to be as always and Haru wa Yuku playing during the epilogue felt like a fitting end to the Heaven’s Feel trilogy. Score: 10/10. Some scenes were inevitably cut from the VN since the longest route was being adapted into just 3x 2 hour movies, compared to Unlimited Blade Works which had a 2-cour series. That didn’t take away from my enjoyment though and I feel that ufotable has done an exceptional job in adapting such a complex story. A must watch for Fate fans. Now that all routes of Fate/stay night have been adapted at least once, a Fate route remake and a Fate/hollow ataraxia adaptation by ufotable will always be welcome. SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED DO NOT READ BEYOND HERE Just wanted to detail some of my favourite scenes from the film and my thoughts. 1. When True Assassin tries to kill Kotomine with Zabaniya but fails since Kotomine’s heart is an artificial one granted to him by the Holy Grail, giving Kotomine an opening to perform the baptismal sacrament on Zouken to purify his soul. Great link to the events of Fate/Zero. 2. When Shirou decides to use Archer’s arm and he sees a vision of Archer asking “Can you keep up with me?” only for Shirou to ask back the same question. Shirou projecting Nine Lives Blade Works to protect Illya from the corrupted Berserker while the iconic EMIYA track was playing in the background was epic. I somehow felt this scene was a bit short? Or maybe I just felt it to be short because I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. 3. Rider and Shirou vs Saber Alter. Definitely my favourite fight in the film. I was really looking forward to seeing this fight animated and I wasn’t disappointed. Shirou putting an end to Saber and thanking her for the countless times she’d saved him wasn’t any less heart wrenching. It was really sad that Saber didn’t receive any form of salvation in this route. It would have been nice if there had been at least a short conversation between Shirou and Saber before she disappeared but it is what it is. Here’s hoping Sparks Liner High gets animated as an OVA. 4. When Rin couldn’t bring herself to kill Sakura when it came down to it despite having gone on about it as her duty, risking getting herself killed in the process (not gonna lie I thought she was a goner when I read the VN). Rin telling Sakura that she was glad she continued wearing the ribbon she gifted her when they parted 11 years ago and Sakura finding herself again after realising her sister truly cared about her was really emotional. Just goes to show that at the end of the day, blood is thicker than water and familial bonds cannot be broken that easily even with time and distance apart. Just a small sidetrack, in the 1st ED of Unlimited Blade Works, there is a shot of Rin looking at Sakura from afar in school. I thought that was a nice touch showing Rin watching over Sakura even though the viewer still wouldn’t be aware of their relationship at that point in time. 5. When Illya appears to close the Greater Grail and tells Shirou that as his older sister, she should protect her younger brother, offering him a chance to go on living. And when Illya gets to see her mother Irisviel again with a bright smile on her face, freed from her duty. Really emotional scenes.
Landauryllis
09/17/2020, 01:21 AM
First of all, would like to state that this film has popped my review cherry after hundreds of anime/movies watched. That in itself would mean of either two things, that it is terrible or that it is a masterpiece. Fortunately, it is the latter that is true. This masterpiece of a film has managed to make it my personal favourite route of the big three routes with three 2-hour films compared to two seasons of 20+ episodes each and one single 24 episodes anime. Now proceeding with the review. ‘Heaven’s Feel III: Spring Song’ the final part of the trilogy of the original visual novels with“Heaven’s feel” being the last to be animated and ‘Spring song’ being the third and final part of the “Heaven’s feel” movies by ‘Ufotable’ bringing the conclusion with it following after the previous two parts. Bringing about topics like Emiya Shirou’s determination, fate and goal of being an ‘Ally of justice’, the losing battle of Matou Sakura against herself, the goal of Matou Zouken and the biggest question of all, who or what is the black figure and what are its intentions. Animation and Art – It’s perfect… great, no one’s surprised. With the cliff hanger left on ‘Heaven’s feel II’, ‘Ufotable’ surely knew that their fans would be hyped as f****** maybe more hyped than ever before especially with the delays due to you know what, they had the time to perfect their craft to fulfill on said infinitely high expectations, and they delivered, with many scenes from this movie being desktop worthy, some may even want to hang it on a wall somewhere to showcase such amazing art and animation that catches your attention every fight scene. Even if you by the means somehow dislike the film you can surely still appreciate the art and animation. Sound and Music – ‘Ufotable’ had managed to make every sound effect immersive and in fight scenes, impactful, with close ranged shots seeming that every hit, could be fatal and wide ranged background shots portraying the intensity of the battles. With background music being extremely pleasant to the ears, portraying the scenes it was allocated to very well and last but not least, music. Aimer bringing yet another f****** banger, ‘Haru wa Yuku’ ‘Spring goes’ giving us a perfect representation and view of Sakura’s current mindset of the start of the movie. Personally, I waited for a couple months to listen to it, so I could get the first-hand experience while watching the movie, and it was god da** worth it. Extremely good song. Sasuga Aimer THE FOLLOWING WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS If you haven’t watched the movie yet, shoo…. shoo… Come back after watching, it's great. still here? alright, here we go Characters – Everybody gets development and reaches their highest potential including Kotomine Kirei, a welcomed surprise and Shirou for once, rejecting his goal of being an ‘Ally of justice’ for Sakura. Story – Absolutely incredible, paced amazingly leaving me no time to feel bored and was thoroughly watching the film. Some scenes that I personally really liked were firstly, the scene with Kotomine Kirei at the start, them having their little talk where it Shirou got to learn more about his Kiritsugu and to further confirm that he is indeed not following his Father’s footsteps like in Unlimited blade and the ‘saber route’ but instead, he chose to save Sakura, a minority over the majority even though it might be at the cost of many other innocent lives, something which Kiritsugu would never do. Secondly, the scene where he used Archer’s arm of course with the classic music in the background and, “Can you keep up with me?”, “No, can YOU keep up with ME”, not going to lie, was pretty hyped at that part lol. Leading to the fight with Heracles him using ‘Nine lives blade works’ instead of the usual ‘Unlimited blade works’ was a surprise, but a welcomed one and the tad bit at the end with Heracles’s backstory/lore of him holding his greatest regret, killing his children in a feat of madness caused by a god, proceeding to look at Illya and proceeds to SPEAK, that’s right, SPEAK, I personally didn’t even know he had a voice actor even in FGO I do not think he has ever spoke once, so that was an epic moment. Thirdly, the scene with the founders which sidenote kind of funny how it resembles the story of how Singapore came to be, just a funny thought. Continuing on, it was pretty incredible seeing how the ‘Holy grail war’ came to be, with the founding families each sacrificing something of their own for this project and Kischur making an appearance. It also shows who I presumed to be young Matou Zouken where he isn’t this fucked up parasitic dried raisin but rather, what seems to be a compassionate man, with maybe even a romantic interest in the head of the ‘Einzberns’ at the time, showing his reluctance to sacrifice her life for their shared goal. Fourth scene, the scene of the Tohsaka sisters battling it out with Sakura’s over confidence in the power she obtained and her sister blowing that confidence away with the ‘Jeweled Sword’ a f****** 3 star common ce in fgo I might add *ahem* went of in a tangent there, continuing on, with the end of the battle seeming as though Rin was going to strike down her own sister but….she couldn’t….even though her provoking at outright saying that she’ll kill her, she simply couldn’t kill the little sister that she loves. An amazing scene portraying familial love. Fifth scene is the scene of the renewal of the Emiya vs Kotomine battle where instead of Kiritsugu, it is now Shirou’s time to fight them going at each other just bare-knuckle brawling each carrying their own beliefs and goals competing with their fists. With Shirou winning by a slight chance, with the sword portraying from his body at the right spot, impaling Kirei’s heart, immobilizing him bringing victory to ‘Emiya-kai’ once again lol Sixth scene is the scene where Shirou takes steps to try and prevent the birth of Angra Manyu like his ‘father’ once did, but this showing his reluctance to when the time came. That’s where Illya came in, and gave him an option where he did not have to die, where she could take his place, asking the question “Do you want to live?” Shirou ultimately finally cementing the fact that he’s not Kiritusugu, states that he does indeed want to live, proceeding to Illya’s ‘death’ where she reunites with her mother in the grail. (Still no Kiritsugu reunion :,c I’ll do it in fgo xD) Last but not least, the finale where they show the lives of the characters after the events of the movie. Showing that Sakura and Rin have bonded over the time trying to regain the time that they lost, leading not showing Shirou anywhere, but nearly in the last moments, “But one thing never changed.” Showing Shirou alive and well, “but how? They clearly stated that his body was gone.” you might ask, that’s due to some smart***’s play on words with his body gone but soul still present lol. Now the scene beforehand showing them going into a shop with a puppet body and them releasing some light (Shirou’s soul) into it, making the puppet the host for his soul. Ending the movie with what I presume a class reunion with a flower viewing and showing Sakura taking a step forward with Shirou beside her, symbolising that she is moving on. SAKURA FINALLY GETS A TRUE HAPPY ENDING F*** YEAH!!! Honourable mentions to the scene where Shirou using rulebreaker to free Sakura, didn’t realise he could do that for some reason, pretty smart. Overpowered noble phantasm lol and the dried parasitic raisin finally dying and taking a look at what he has done and become over his life of 500 years. All in all, it is a fantastic film and what I believe to be the best of the three, maybe even topping zero, still debating on that spent $50 for some merch and an early viewing rip wallet but entirely worth it, hopefully everybody gets to watch this masterpiece. 10/10 P.S.(pls saber route remake Ufotable) Now if you’ll excuse me, time to FGO
Taitoru
08/18/2020, 10:25 PM
Watched it yesterday 10/10 for me a Masterpiece for fate fan A perfect ending of stay night and heaven's feel you can hope for Been a fan of typemoon since I'm in middle school almost 15 years ago watching this every hype scene every sad scene made me tears up so many time I can't count I don't want to spoil anything for people who didn't read Visual Novel but me as a VN reader This is probably the best adaptation you can hope for After finishing it made me feel empty inside a little bit now hope we get Fate route remake so we can finally get perfectwatch order of fate series

Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - III. Spring Song 劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel] III.spring song」

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Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel - III. Spring Song 劇場版「Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel] III.spring song」

North American Anime & Manga Releases for August

Anime Postponements Due to COVID-19 Outbreak [Update 2/5]

Spring 2020 Anime Postponements Due to COVID-19 Outbreak [Update 1/14]

PV Collection for Dec 30 - Jan 5

PV Collection for Dec 16 - 22

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Q4 2019 Anime & Manga Licenses [Update 12/19]

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Q4 2018 Anime & Manga Licenses [Update 12/31]

'Fate/stay night Movie: Heaven's Feel' to be Released in Three Parts Beginning 2017