Prequel to Fate/stay night.
Story & Characters
If you like simplistic anime with a lighthearted, happy-go-lucky tone from beginning to end or you're just looking
for mindless entertainment, then I'd say Fate/Zero is not the show for you. It's extremely dark, thought
provoking and the rare breed of anime that has nothing to do with highschool, and contains no random fanservice. Yes,
this is an anime catered to a more mature audience, or for those long time anime fans who are looking for something
different which is one of the reasons why it's so epic. Sadly though, as close to perfection as this anime comes
to, it definitely still has its flaws.
Story:
Fate/Zero is the prequel to Fate/Stay night taking place 10 years back during the 4th Holly Grail War: a battle royale
between seven mages or "masters" that are able to summon one servant to aid them in their fight: a heroic
spirit that's become famous through history or notable legends. The master servant combos fight to compete for the
Holly Grail: a powerful artifact capable of granting one wish to the winning master/servant team.
Despite having virtually the same premise as it's predecessor Fate/Stay Night, in terms of caliber you may as well
be talking about two different shows. Interesting concepts that were introduced and for the most part sidelined in
Fate/Stay Night were fleshed out so much more in Fate/Zero. Particularly concerning the super-heroic-ally-of-justice
ideology so loved by the protagonist in Fate/Stay Night and turning it upside down on its head by asking all the
questions Fate/Stay Night couldn't or wouldn't ask. Thus, giving a new perspective on a rather hackneyed
philosophy.
Furthermore, Fate/Zero definitely does well to play more on the battle royale aspect of the Holly Grail War as careful
attention is given to each and every character. While it is true some characters gain more focus as the story progresses
since this is a battle royale and death is inevitable, no single character is sidelined in terms of development.
Everyone has different reasons to covet the Grail, in addition to having a multitude of diverse strategies to win the
war. Fate/Zero is a show i would akin to other anime like Death Note and Code Geass in terms of intelligence. The
difference between them being the levels of subtlety Fate/Zero employs that the other two shows don't. Nothing in
Fate/Zero is broken down enough for the audience to admire, and surprisingly enough, that doesn't boggle down the
quality of the plot in anyway. Moreover, it feels less like the generic clash between good vs evil we saw in Fate/Stay
Night and more of a clash between different ideologies, making you feel like you're watching a seven way mind game.
Still, you definitely have to pay attention to what's going on if you're to appreciate everything. Personally,
I had to watch the series twice before I got everything I could out of it.
So fair warning, it can be very easy to miss the little things in the show in terms of plot and character interaction
and that can effect your view of the anime as a whole since the little things in Fate/Zero is what makes it that much
more enjoyable.
The Characters:
As far as story goes, the characters is where Fate/Zero truly shines.Shows like Fate/Zero that rely heavily on dialogue
and character interactions during their less intense, not as action based moments, need strong characters and a diverse
cast to keep up the interest. As previously explained all of the characters are given equal and detailed amounts of
attention. That being the case, I feel like I'm not exaggerating when I say every single important character is way
to deeply developed to squeeze into one cookie-cut out stereotypical archetype. Even Archer, whom I totally wrote off as
a pompous ass who's intelligence and insight pales in comparison to his enormous ego and wouldn't develop any
deeper than that, surprised me with an unexpected display of impressive judgement and spellbinding levels of charisma
later in the show. To this day his interactions with Kirei are by far my favorite character interactions in Fate/Zero.
Another aspect of characterization I have to give Fate/Zero points on is the diverse cast of characters, particularly
with the masters, since the grail has no problems with choosing anyone from a wimp, to a serial killer, to an assassin,
to a priest, and so forth if it deems that person worthy of it's power. Excluding how they develop throughout the
show, just watching the interactions between all of them never failed to grab my interest--especially with the master
servant combination. Some masters and servants instantly bonded, others hated one another and had terrible dynamics when
forced to work together.
Despite the series having its stand out characters like Rider and Archer, no one character was truly neglected in terms
of back story, dialogue and development. And while it is good to have a pretty looking anime, with an interesting plot
and amazing action, having a strong set of characters, that are either likable or relatable to an extent can, has, and
will make or break any anime. On a side note I'd like to point out how refreshing it felt to watch an anime with a
cast of fully grown adults that weren't associated with a local high school as we are so used to seeing in many an
anime.
Still as good as the story and its characters are, I cannot give them full points and this is ultimately because of its
ties to the Fate franchise and more importantly to Fate/Stay Night. For those who've seen Fate/Stay Night, the
ending can be anti-climatic and predictable. To those who haven't and plan on watching Fate/Stay Night after
Fate/Zero, be prepared to be disappointed because as I previously said, Fate/Stay Night is nowhere near on the same
level as Fate/Zero.
And to newbies of the franchise, I'd recommend doing some research on the lore of the Fate series before watching
this show to better understand the nature of the Holly Grail war. Also be prepared for an informational first few
episodes because the series doesn't pick up its pace until episode three and onward. Fate/Zero is an anime I'd
equate to Game of Thrones or other epic high fantasy shows with mind games and magic and it can get complicated for
those not already familiar with the Fate franchise, despite it's attempt to appeal to the newbies.
Rating: 8
Art
Considering production studio Ufotable is well known for creating amazing looking anime such as Kara no Kyoukai, and the
horror anime movie Gyo, my expectations for Fate/Zero were extremely high and I was in no way disappointed. With
Fate/Zero, no expenses were spared, and I mean that quite literally since I can only imagine the astronomical budget
used to produce this anime.
Animation:
This is where I talk about the fight scenes in Fate/Zero because that's where you can see the animation at
it's best. It exhumes a fluidity that can blow other anime with epic battles such as Bleach and Naruto out of the
water. There are no choppy movements or flash step moments where the only thing you can see are blurry figures and not
the characters themselves. In Fate/Zero there are no cases of cutting corners in the animation even during the most
intense action moments in the show. Moreover Fate/Zero does well to keep their animation quality consistent even during
the most ardent of fight scenes.
Other than that the animation especially, is where you can see all the time, the effort and money invested into the show
as its so well done you've literally got scenes from one battle to the next containing a cinematic quality without
the usage of crappy cg. It does well to give the anime a grand sense of scale, so for those who're just in it for
the action, you will not be disappointed.
Fight scenes aside, its well worth mentioning the animation on a smaller scale. How it's used in the little things
like the scenery, the weaponry, the vehicles and most importantly the characters. From the liquid gold look to
Archer's Gate of Babylon to the three dimensional appeal of the Invisible air that disguises Saber's sword to
the amazing amount of detail and effects on Berserker that makes him look like an entity on his own. Especially with
Fate/Zero studio Ufotable outdid themselves on giving the little things the aesthetic appeal to make the anime that much
more immersible.
Color Palette and Lighting:
For those of you who haven't figured this out by now, Fate/Zero is an extremely dark and mature anime and the
artwork shows it. The colors lean more towards the cool side, and even when you've got a warmer color, lighting
effects add such a rich contrast to nearly every scene that gives it a more serious atmosphere. From an artistic
standpoint, Fate/Zero's art is great not only because its gorgeous but because it can really set the atmosphere
with its appeal. When the mood is light, the colors and effects can reflect that. For instance, the snowy white beauty
of the Einzbern mansion where Kiristugu plays with his daughter. But when the tone becomes dark and more intense, damn
can you see it. From the dank greens and opaque shadows of the worm room to the horrors inside Caster's hideout.
The characters are given just as much attention with effects and colors unique to them. The golden glow of Archer's
armor and Berserker's smoky appearance had my eyes glued to my laptop every time they appeared on screen.
Rating: 10
Sound
Once more, it comes as no surprise that the sound in Fate/Zero is right up to par with it's art when you've
got a composer like Yuki Kajiura working on the musical score for this anime. Especialy when you consider Kajiura's
success in composing for animes that carry extremely dark undertones such as Madoka Magicka and Kara no Kyoukai, both of
which are considered to be benchmarks for modern anime.
Soundtrack:
Yet again I'm going to discuss the fight scenes in Fate/Zero considering that's pretty much where you'll
find most of the high points in this anime. Coupled with the cinematic experience the animation provides during the
action you've got tracks like Point Zero or Battle to the Strong that combine orchestra, electronic guitars and
epic choirs that will give you goosebumps from the amount of awesome the series radiates in its intense moments. Still
as energetic as this soundtrack gets it never escapes it's dark undertones much the same way of the show it was
composed for.
Rating: 10
Presentation
Ultimately, the only things that keep this anime from getting a perfect score is the first three episodes, the
anti-climactic ending, and how overall the complexity of the story, while not as mind boggling as Kara no Kyoukai or
Evangelion can be, is certainly potent enough to ward away a younger audience. This is especially if they're not
entirely used to anime or even somewhat familiar with the Fate franchise as a whole. But other than that, as much as I
tried to see if I could find any other discrepancies with my reviewer mindset, I couldn't.
Presentation:
The strongest part of the way Fate/Zero was presented to its audience, is it's sense of purpose. Nothing in the
anime seems unnecessary or unneeded. from the dialogue to the action to the animation to the story, to the music every
aspect of this anime is focused. Not even from the end of one episode to the beginning of the next does the show lose
any of its momentum, making it one of those rare anime you can waste a night marathoning from start to finish.Another
thing thing Fate/Zero deserves points for in presentation is balance. No one aspect of Fate/Zero outshines the other.
The art, the music, and the story play expertly off each other to create an anime that's easy to immerse yourself
in.
Once again I'm going to take the time to say that Fate/Zero is an anime catered to a mature audience so don't
expect any sort of comedy or popcorn material from this show because even in it's lighter moments, it's still
relatively somber.
Overall:
You heard it from me ladies and gentlemen, if there's a show that sets a benchmark for the current generation of
anime then it's Fate/Zero. When you put the best of the best under one project this is what you get. From a
technical perspective the set-pieces to come out of this show have got to be visual/audio crack, considering how
addictive they are in appeal. Combine this with a well written story and characters and you've got one of the best
and overall well balanced anime I have seen in a long time. Fate/Zero is a show that not only taps into the hidden
potential of the Fate franchise but also into the potential anime can have overall. Along with other benchmark shows
like Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, and Kara no Kyoukai, Fate/Zero is an example of an anime that can appeal to an
adult audience and completely destroy the childish-adolescent image the medium inspires from many non fans as a whole.
Rating: 9
Final Verdict
9.0000 (very good)
Reviewed by animefreak114, Apr 28, 2013
