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
9.00 (very good)
Reviewed by animefreak114, Apr 28, 2013
