lelia.goldner - 2013-12-29 06:23:01

Premise

In Fate/Zero, the Holy Grail appears every 60 years in our world, but it can only grant one wish. To determine who gets this wish, the Grail selects 7 mages to compete in a proxy war and determine who gets the wish. Each of the selected mages fights the war by summoning the spirit of a mythological hero like King Arthur, Gilgamesh, or Alexander the Great. The series centers mostly on Kiritsugu, an ex-mage assassin and his servant Saber. The show is a prequel to Fate/Stay Night, but watching it is not required at all to understand the show. It consists of a 13 episode season and a 12 episode season.

What’s Awesome About It?
Fate/Zero is easily one of the best anime of all time. To start, the show completely delivers on the action front. There are quite a few high quality fight scenes throughout the run of the show. They combine a good mix of awesome combat and mid-fight character development. The plot is also extremely good. The pacing of the show in the first half serves to thoroughly establish the world and characters while not boring the viewer and the second half is a whirlwind of powerful episodes. The animation is also extremely high quality, mixing fluid style and well-done CG elements that don’t stick out as overtly strange like the CG in some shows. The soundtrack is also very good, consisting of a combination of powerful orchestral score like that found in most blockbuster American films with electronic and rock influences to make a unique and well-fitting soundtrack.

The most impressive part of the show, hands down has to be the characters. The show focuses mostly on three characters: Emiya Kiritsugu, Kotomine Kirei, and Waver Velvet. As the show progresses, each of the three characters, as well as all of the other side characters get complete character arcs. Through a combination of flashbacks and skillfully written dialogue and scenes, the characters seem fully fleshed out, bolstering the quality of the series as a whole, especially in the second part.

My Thoughts
Immediately after watching Fate/Zero, this show quickly entered into my top three favorite anime of all time. I thought the show was particularly great because of the fantastic combination of action and fantastic characters all set within a plot that kept me engaged. My only real issue with the show was its tendency at a few parts to go on tangents of sorts in service to being a prequel to Fate/Stay Night, but if I had watched Fate/Stay Night before this show then I have the feeling that these segments would have made the show even better. Despite its tendency to be a prequel sometimes, it definitely is its own independent work and can be viewed as such. I can’t more highly recommend this anime to anyone who enjoys anime or just great shows.

lucy.dach - 2013-12-05 17:31:20

I'm gonna be the first to admit, I really really like Type/Moon. Because of a severe lack of funds, I haven't been able to play either Tsukihime or F/SN, but I've watched the Fate/Stay Night anime, I'm eagerly awaiting a Tsukihime adaptation(wink) and hell, I've even watched all of Carnival Phantasm. But no matter how much I love them, I really can't avoid a simple fact: The stories of those shows just aren't up to par. Fate/Stay night, beyond an interesting concept, is from the eye of a reviewer, quite average. Which is why Fate/Zero stands up among the best for me. Very few shows can take the momentum of a highly popular series, and not only escape pissing off fans, but can also surpass, in almost every way, its predecessor. Ladies and Gentlemen, today is the day we see who the greatest hero of all time is. At least, until the next Grail war. Let's dive into the world of Fate/Zero.

(sorry for a Low qual video, but it took me forever to even find a good Youtube Video for this)

Fate/Zero's story relies a lot on elements of the Fate/Stay night world, so I'm gonna give a quick explanation of that. Long in the past, three great magically talented families, the Einzberns, the Matous and the Tohsakas united under one cause: to create a tournament in which the magical potential of the world can be tested, and in which they can realize their greatest dreams. They pooled their magic together to create the Holy Grail, an ultimate prize which would choose 7 champions, and would force them to fight to the death in order to claim it. These Champions, better known as masters, then have the capacity to each summon a hero from the depths of history to represent them. With a bit of blood, and a few words, you can have the greatest men in history fighting for you. The world separates the servants into seven classes: Saber, Rider, Archer, Caster, Assassin, Lancer and Berserker. Fate/Zero takes place during the 4th Holy Grail war, acting as a prequel to the events of Fate/Stay night. And the story is basically about the show's characters attempting to kill each other to get their own wish. I can't go any further without divulging significant plot details, but I will go so far as to say that Fate/Zero is one of the best stories in all of anime. The show uses its multitudes of Master/Servant pairs to prevent it from tunnel visioning on one or two characters until the very end, in which there are very few competitors left in the fight at all. The show is written brilliantly, with excellent yet subtle tactics used by all sides, and attacks themes of the meaning of heroism, utilitarianism, and the value of companionship. Gen Urobuchi knocks the damn thing out of the park again with one of the best stories ever written in anime. However, the show is not without issues, and most of that comes from its attachment to the Fate series itself. As much as I love it, it makes next to no freaking sense. There are rules and regulations thrown from every corner of the show's being, and some of them are more confusing than anything else. In addition, the ending of the show is very anti-climactic, and while I understood it, I don't think most will, as it serves as the tie in for Fate/Stay Night. Despite these flaws, I have to give Story a heartfelt 9/10

The Characters in Fate/Zero are arguably its strongest part, as they are all given an impressive amount of development for just how many there are. It's very difficult to talk about all of them in real relation to Main Character Status, because there really is no main character, or even a main pair. Every character has his own motivations for winning the holy grail war, every character has his unique desires and his unique personal battles. However, some characters stand out way more than the others, the best example of this being Rider, the spirit of Alexander the Great. Summoned by a human with a weak magical line, Waver Velvet, Rider's charisma and presence on the screen easily tops that of everyone else, and the scenes that he is in are easily the most entertaining in the show. He desires a return to the world, so he can experience what it is to live again. A noble goal indeed. Yet as far as nobility goes, it is the Hero Saber that is the most powerful. The spirit of King Arthur reincarnated in a woman(I would explain if I could), Saber is constantly dealing with guilt over her failure to protect her kingdom when she was alive. Her desire is for a second chance, to go and find a better leader to handle her kingdom's great woes. Finally from the Servants is Archer, aka the giant gilded Douchebag. An incarnation of the spirit of Gilgamesh the King, Archer is good for almost nothing beyond sitting on his ass like a giant douche, talking about how freaking wonderful his kingdom was and how great he is. He is a character, not unlike the infamous Joffrey Baratheon, that we love to hate. My god is he so hateable. These three characters together have an unforgettable relationship, and a gorgeous synchronicity that we rarely find in anime, and it is these three characters that discuss the values of heroism. From the masters, the two most interesting characters are Kiritsugu Emiya and Kirei Kotomine. Emiya represents the dark side of hummanity and is a famous magic assassin. He uses dirty tricks, magic, and manipulation in order to get what he wants. And he is one of the best guys you'll meet, though you'll hate him for a while. He represents the idea of utilitarianism, the goal of providing for the many no matter the costs. His mirror is Kirei, a priest from the holy church, the mediators of the great grail war. He is a very conflicted person, who has no real desire for anything in his life, and his great goal in the grail war is to discover what exactly he wants in his life. He is an incredibly skilled mage and represents the desires of the individual over those of the collective, even if it means screwing over more. The characters in Fate/Zero are positively astounding, but for some of the servants with more obscure historical backgrounds, its very hard to understand their motivations and their personalities, and their struggles. This goes especially for Lancer and Caster, who have positively amazing backstories, but don't really make sense to the outside observer. Despite this, characters get an easy 10/10

The animation for Fate/Zero was done by the production company Ufotable, and, by all measures, is astounding. I have never before seen a Ufotable work that has disappointed, and at this point I don't think I ever will. This show is gorgeous, and pulls off massive scale in a way I have seen only before in Gurren Lagann, and it almost surpasses that. I really have to wonder how in the hell the studio gets the budget they do, because this animation os by all means flawless. The Character designs are remarkable, with each design perfectly representing its character. Even the elements that are ripped from F/SN are changed just enough to show a difference. It's nothing short of amazing. For specifically amazing scenes, look at any time that Saber and Lancer fight, the Air Battle(you'll know what I mean), and when Rider reveals his Noble Phantasm. I have little more to say on the subject, other than that Animation gets a 10/10

The Music for this show was composed by the great composer Yuki Kaijura, and for someone who isn't the greatest fan of her work, this soundtrack is easily the pinnacle of her work, and hell, it's close to the pinnacle of all anime soundtracks. The music makes excellent use of dynamics to cover lulls in the music, it makes excellent use of the traditional and non-traditional orchestral instruments, and, I'll be damned if I didn't say this, excellent use of Choral Vocals. The soundtrack is perfect for the incredibly powerful and intense nature of the show, and couches the battle scenes perfectly. When it comes to acting, I'm honestly at an impasse. Both versions are of such high quality and have such brilliant acting that I can't reccomend one over the other. Special shoutouts go to the Japanese Voice actor for Rider, Akio Ohtsuka, who plays the character's bombastic nature perfectly, and the voice actors for Kirei and Kariya Matou, Crispin Freeman and Liam O'Brian, respectively. Both of them ace their performance, and I honestly prefer the two of them to their Japanese counterparts. So yeah. Go figure. As for openings and endings, I have a confession. I didn't watch the endings to Fate/Zero. I was too busy moving on to the next episode, and I promise you will be too. However, both of the openings to this show are astounding, with a slight edge going to the second, despite a personal preference for LiSA's vocal tone. The sound of Fate/Zero is easily one of the better parts of the show, and one of the parts I have a much harder time finding flaws in. Sound gets a 10/10

I've heard a lot of descriptions being used on Fate/Zero, one of the most common ones being epic, and to some degree, they are correct. Few anime come close to the scale that Fate/Zero plays with, and few stories have their stories down to a science like Fate/Zero's do. Yet I don't consider Fate/Zero a true epic. As big as it may be, and as powerful as it may be, it is simply too narrow, unfortunately. Does that mean it isn't the best show to come out in the past two years? Hell no it doesn't. Fate/Zero is without question the best show that has come out in the past three years, and I don't know if any show will be able to dispel its position. Well, not until ufotable's Fate/Stay night comes out(HOLY SHIT GUYS I KNOW). That being said, this show is not perfect. The show has its own moments of contrition, especially when it uses the ever expanding rules of the Fate series to pull plot conveniences and cover up possible questions. In addition, the ending is a major disappointment, even if it needed to happen. These facts, combined with a slight piece of complexity I find in the characters' backgrounds, detract slightly from the show's amazing pieces, but in no way can they keep them down.

Final Verdict:

FATE/ZERO: 9.75/10(rounded to a 10/10)

ullrich.roger - 2013-10-26 09:58:28

This is a combined review of both seasons, as I watched it all together, so would be hard pressed to separate up my feelings for this show into two parts. For the record though, I do feel the second season was a tad better than the first, with most of my favourite episodes occurring in the second half of the show, and therefore will get 9/10 overall and the first series 8/10 as I was torn between the two scores anyway, so it seems as good a decision as any.

So, Fate/Zero. Going into this one I had pretty high hopes, and I think it’s fair to say that this wonderful show more than met them. It’s only my third anime that I’m watching for myself (I watch some kid ones with my younger brother), with the previous two being FMA:Brotherhood and Cowboy Bebop, both of which I absolutely adored, so the bar was set sky high. It cleared it though, with space to spare.

Fate/Zero is a series depicting the events of the fourth Holy Grail War. A Holy Grail War is a proxy war, fought by seven magic wielding magus and their legendary servants, heroes from the past reincarnated by their respective magus, with the final victor gaining possession of the eponymous Holy Grail, a so called omnipotent wish granting device.

The series follows the plights and battles of the seven magus and servant combos, both physical battles between each other and battles of ideals with themselves or so called partners. Each servant is classified into a specialist class, and has their own personal strengths and weaknesses, as well as a specific noble phantasm, which is a sort of superpower linked to their legend.

It really had everything: a compelling story, a wide array of characters all with their own motivations that really made sense, gripping action scenes, beautiful design, a soundtrack that complimented the visuals perfectly, a fantastic cast of voice actors (I watched it dubbed)… I could just go on and on.

Even the concept was fantastic. I came into the show without any knowledge of Fate/Stay Night or any other piece of the Fate series as many others did, so I was basically going in bling to the whole concept of the Holy Grail War. It’d be accurate to say I loved it. Seven teams of super powered legends, reincarnated to team up with their own unique mage each with different strengths and weaknesses, all in an epic fight to the death for “an omnipotent wish granting device”! How much cooler can you get than that?

One of the real strengths of this show was that it didn’t focus on one particular character or side of the Holy Grail War, but instead took time to develop the motivations and emotions of the fourteen characters. There was nobody who was a bad guy just for the sake of being a bad guy, and every character had their own reason for wanting the Holy Grail. This really paid off in the long run as you cared about every single character, and so every single death or near-death felt like a major event. It also helped the show avoid a problem that many tournament styles shows fall into, and one that it could have easily fallen into itself: predictability. When a show has a defined and obvious main character, and he or she is in anything even vaguely resembling a tournament, then you know at the very least he or she is going to be in the final two. By having all seven competitors feel like “main characters” Fate/Zero finds its way around that. Although a single main team does eventually come to the forefront, there is still enough focus put upon the other groups to make you care about them enough that there’s still no certainty there at all, and, while avoiding spoilers, I’d say that that feel of unpredictability really pays off at the end; but I’ll get to that later.

As an example, my favourite character was Kariya Matou and his servant Berserker. At its core, Kariya’s motivation for wanting to win the grail is to save a little girl from an unimaginable pain. In doing this, he has to endure the same unimaginable pain himself just to give himself a small chance of winning the Grail in order to save the girl. He fully knows that he will almost certainly die, and even if he wins he’ll only be aiding his grandfather, one of his greatest enemies. If that’s not a noble motivation, I don’t know what is. So when, er… what happened er… happened, it made for an extremely powerful moment. I’m avoiding spoilers there, but once you’ve watched it you’ll know which bit I mean. It’s the one in the church.

But the best bit is that ALL SEVEN sides have this level of emotion. I’ve heard of people having their favourites be every single one of the seven sides, and if that doesn’t tell you how good the characters are, I don’t know what does. Every character had their own story, and the way they intertwined was fascinating to watch unfold. Ever character had real depth, and it lead to a brilliant show.

Now the way I’m gushing about this show probably makes you think that I’m on my way to giving it a full five stars. So you may be surprised when you glance down to the bottom (or wherever the score happens to be on the specific site you’re reading this on) and see that I’ve only given it ****1/4. That’s because I had a few little gripes.

Now overall this show looked great. The character designs were both varied and beautiful, the animation was very smooth, and the action scenes were fantastic, being both gripping to watch and stunning visuals too. So don’t get me wrong, I thought Ufotable did a fantastic job, as this anime was an absolute pleasure to look at. However, there were three fairly minor things that annoyed me, and strangely enough two of the involved eyes.

I’ll start with the first of the eye things. For some strange reason, whenever the hair of a character covered their eyes partially, you could still see the outline of the characters eyes over the top of their hair. It’s such a minor thing, but it annoyed the hell out of me, and it made me break immersion, , which is one of the worst things an anime can ever do. It occurred almost continuously throughout the series, but maybe I got used to it a bit, as I noticed it less towards the end.

The second eye thing was how anybody looked when they got stabbed/ Their eyes went really bulgy and looked as if they were going to pop out of their skull. I get that they were looking to go for an effect with this, but it really didn’t work for me.

Finally, the non-eye thing was how anybody looked whenever they were on fire. It only happened a couple of times, but the art style completely changed for the character while everything else in the scene remained the same. It’s hard to explain really, but when you see it you’ll understand. I just found it a bit strange.

Now the second thing that I found detracted from the show, and on this point I’ll probably have a lot of people who disagree, was the noble phantasms. Now I won’t deny that they made for some awesome visuals. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy seeing a vast army marching through an imaginary plain, or an almost unlimited amount of swords being fired through portals at a target. However, once you get past the coolness of it all, and start thinking about it, then, for me at least, they took away from the show as a whole. I had two main gripes with them: they ruined the balance of the show, and retrospectively they made the early battles feel very unimportant.

So let me just say, I don’t have anything against the concept of the noble phantasm. In fact I quite liked the fact that each hero had their personal super attack. My problem was with the vast variance in how powerful each hero’s phantasm was. I get that some of the heroes are more powerful than others, but the void in power took away from the show for me. I mean, one person has a spear that causes wounds that can’t be healed, while another has an unlimited supply of swords that can be fired out of the thin air on his cue. It just means you realise some of the characters never had a real chance in the first place.

If I had the opportunity to change them, this is how I’d do it:

Sabre – Just have Avalon, but scale down its healing power

Archer – Unlimited supply of weapons, but can’t be fired from the sky

Lancer – Spear that inflicts wounds that can’t be healed

Caster – Ability to summon monsters

Berserker – Amazing agility

Rider – Badass Ox Chariot

Assassin – Multiple copies of him/herself

Those powers would balance out all the characters, and make every battle seem important, and make every character feel like they had an actual chance of winning.

The other problem I had was that the early fights never featured the use of the phantasms, so looking back retrospectively they felt rather unimportant. Almost as if the servants weren’t trying.

So yeah, that’s quite enough negatives, because this show was awesome. Another thing this show did really well was pacing. Towards the beginning some episodes are sometimes a little slower, but at episode 16 it really hits its stride, and then just keeps building and building until it reaches its fantastic climax. From episode 16-23 the standard really is five star, but it’s only able to be that because of the previous 15 have got you so invested in the characters. The last run of eight episodes is so good; it left me begging for more.

Speaking of begging for more, how about that ending! Now I’m going to be honest, at first the ending confused the hell out of me. But sometimes that’s a good thing; I like an ending that makes me think. And I did think, and after a good think I’d say that I understood what happened. There are still a few questions I have, but at the end of the day this was a prequel, it’s supposed to leave questions for its successor to answer. As I have said, I haven’t seen the old Fate/Stay Night, so I didn’t have the answers. Now I’m sure all the answers are out there if I wanted to give it a quick google, but I didn’t really, I wanted to reach my own conclusion from the material that was presented to me. Then if I’d got it wrong, all would be explained to me when I watched the sequel.

Problem was, I’d heard the sequel was terrible. It was made by a different company quite a while ago, and all of my favourite reviews whose opinions I value highly said it wasn’t worth watching. This put me at a dilemma somewhat. Did I watch a subpar show that would sour my memories of this great show by association, or should I not watch it and have to get my closure via google. I wasn’t happy with either option, so you can imagine my ecstasy when I heard on an anime podcast which I was listening to (shout out to Podtaku) that Ufotable were going to be making a sequel to Fate/Zero by remaking Fate/Stay Night. It’s over a year away, likely even longer for the dub, and I’m counting down the days. If that doesn’t tell you how much I loved this show, then I don’t know what does.

So yeah, I should probably start wrapping up this review, as I’m coming to the end of my fifth A4 page and I’m running out of paper to write on. I haven’t even mentioned the music, which is divine, or the fantastic openings and endings, nor the brilliance of the voice actors’ performances. At the end of the day this show is fantastic in so many ways. Sure I have a few minor gripes, but nothing is perfect (except FMA:B). If you haven’t seen this show already then go watch it, you won’t regret it. And if you have then I’m sure you’re with me eagerly awaiting the sequel.

This show filled the void I’ve had ever since finishing Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Now I just need to find the show that’ll fill the void for this.

Star Rating ****1/4

leannon.soledad - 2013-10-15 00:39:05

Fate/Zero - Spoiler-free review

(This review will cover both first and second season)

Have you ever wished for something? And if you have, what did you wish for? World peace? A real life Evangelion? A third season of Haruhi? And if you had the chance to grant that wish, how far would you go to make that wish come true? Would you waste all your life savings, or be prepared to kill someone for it. Fate/Zero is basically a death match between seven mages dueling for a magical cup called the Holy Grail that could grant any wish you desire. The idea if a survival deathmatch isn't anything new in anime and has been seen before, like in Fate/stay night or Mirai Nikki, but Fate/Zero does it really well. Those who've already watched Fate/Zero know how great this anime is. For those who haven't watched it, I'll say: "What the hell? Why haven't you seen this yet?"

Story: 9/10
As you may already know, the story is about seven different mages/masters that compete for the Holy Grail. They summon out very powerful servants that help their masters fight. The story is fantastic with plenty of awesome battles, unpredictable plot twists, and mind-blowing events. I could easily give it a 10 out of 10, but the story isn't perfect. The first episode is a 40 minute long introduction to the characters and story. It isn't very enjoyable watching 40 minutes worth of introduction, but it helps you get to know the story and characters well. But if you could get past the first episode, you're gonna be in for one hell of a ride 'cause everything else is amazing. And although some people complained that they didn't like the ending, I personally liked it because I'm a big fan of happy endings.

Art/Animation: 10/10
The art and animation is simply perfect, actually...I don't even think "perfect" is enough to describe it. It's beyond perfection and is more than I could ever ask for. I guess you could call it a masterpiece. If you don't know what I mean, the animation could probably compare to "The End of Evangelion", or "Sword Art Online." The animation was done by ufotable, the same people who animated the Kara no Kyoukai series and if you haven't seen that either, boy, you've been missing out on a lot.

Sound:10/10
To me, the best kind of soundtrack for an action anime, is epic orchestra, and Fate/Zero does that. The soundtrack only make the perfect animation even better to watch, if that's even possible. It will get you hyped. It will give you Goosebumps. And it will make you sit on the edge of your seat with your jaw dropped, while your eyes glued to your computer screen. Maybe I'm just over exaggerating. But in the simplest terms, it's just epic.

Character: 8/10
All the characters in Fate/Zero were all great with different personalities. Kiritsugu receives quite a bit of character development and so do a few other characters like Waver and Kariya. The main problem I had with the characters was that there was very little backstory that was actually told except for Kiritsugu. Lancer's backstory was short and I barely knew anything about him, I wanted to know more about him since he was a cool character. And sometimes I didn't know a character or their backstory because my goddamn english and history classes are boring as hell. But besides all that, Every character was great and were really interesting, especially Caster, he masters the rule of cool.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Fate/Zero delivered everything I could ever want in an anime. Action, great characters, awesome soundtrack, mind-blowing events and more. The only thing I didn't enjoy as much as the rest of Fate/Zero was the first episode, it's a 40 minute long introduction, that's not a very good start if you think about it, but everything else was amazing if you can get past that.

Overall, Fate/Zero is an anime you definitely shouldn't miss, it's one of the few anime out there today that we could actually call mature. Unlike other anime out there nowadays that are filled with fan-service, tits, cleavage, and panty shots, Fate/Zero maintains it's maturity and has little to no fan-service. So if you don't like over the top fight scenes, mind-blowing story, great characters and prefer ecchi, fan-service, and panty shots, you shouldn't watch this anime, instead go watch something like KissXSis. To everyone else, go watch Fate/Zero because it's freaking amazing. I'm ohhenry2, and I give Fate/Zero, an Amazing 9/10

parker.tyree - 2013-09-06 16:31:54

An interesting story with superb fight scene whic is really quite enjoyable to watch because Fate/Zero doesn't just remove boredom.....it kills them. Although im it is still missing some element which make the story a little twisted....but the Fate/Stay Night cover it up but thats anoother story. Again Fate/Zero is a cool anime

leone.cassin - 2013-08-23 07:29:38

How should I start this?

Well, Fate/Zero is my "Rediscovery of Anime", meaning it is the first anime I watched after several years of not watching one. I did watch some anime shows casually, usually to pass the time and not care how it ends and how the boo-- I mean the plot thickens, as it is aired in the local channels back in the Philippines. I was busy with college to pick-up one to watch a full series as most of the series I watch are in the category of long-running animes with hundreds of episodes with nowhere in its sight planning to end. So, after graduating in college (2011), I had a lot of time in my hands to do anything I want. The time that the passing month that gave me that year went to watching Korean dramas, variety shows, and listen to K-pop. As months passed by the following year, with a lot of time still in my hands, I got tired of overused plot lines of Korean dramas and boring shows, with the exception of some, in the American cable channels that I decided to waste my time in YouTube. During that boredom stage, the entertainment that is called "Anime" re-lit in my mind and decide to search for it on YouTube. After scrolling down countless of search pages, I somehow clicked on one video by a well-known - not known during the time by me - personality among the Anime community named Gigguk. I have no idea what made me interested to click that thumbnail (blonde girl with a sword) of that video. Well, before I stray away from what I am suppose to write, lets write something about this Fate/Zero.

What is it about?

Read the synopsis.

Story

I have no prior knowledge of the Fate series franchise with the exception of an obvious kid that has a philosophy of "People died when they are killed" - FACT! that son! - that was repeatedly mentioned in Gigguk's review. Also, gave me an idea that it was from a "Hentai Game" a.k.a Visual Novels, that made me think their might be some "sex" scenes. My take on its story from Episode 1 to the last episode of Season 2 was a fresh view after watching (Korean dramas) predictable plot lines and story recycling of episodes as if they are trying to keep the planet Earth clean from the garbage that they piled up in an attempt to prolong their shows. It was fresh because there was an interesting system in its world that was explained in that 40-plus minutes of Episode 1. Though not liked by others ( Fate series fans and Gigguk), the information dump of an episode, I actually favor it. That information dump played a big part in me staying interested to watch the anime for more episodes as it also reminded me of the system and story line that are portrayed in one of the type of anime I used to watch and a fan of several years prior, which is Shounen - the beat them ups and power-ups. With the explanation of the "Holy Grail War" and the summoning of the Servants at the end of Episode 1 brings me back to my childhood cup of tea of a show. As I have mentioned before I love me some information and what Fate/Zero did was that in the sense of the real world historical stories and notable fables even though I have to search some of them (Servants) myself. But at least the show got me interested in actually searching and reading about them. The idea of the show having a battle of Ideology instead of the most usual battle of Good vs Evil as mentioned by Gigguk, was also something new for me seen in anime, as I was used to Good triumphing over Evil with super power-ups through the magic of friendship because friendship is magic. Thus, one of my favorite scene was when the "3 Kings" had a "tea" in a garden and discuss about Leadership and Management as if they are having a group study. Overall the story was good: explanation of the happenings in its world, introduction of characters through their personal beliefs and retelling their history as if you were in History class but have that hated part of researching more about them for homework, which I did not mind because I love me some information. Also, some plot twist from here and there in which was not much of an impact to the story.

Score: 8

Animation

Ok, I have a confession to make, I do not have an idea the concept of production companies, I only care about me having fun what I am watching. Also, another confession, since I practically grew up in the era of anime and cartoons where most of the animated series that came out were presented as hand drawn that as a kid give me hope that I can copy the very character I like that I am watching through drawing in my class notebook. Why am I confessing this? It is because of what technology gave animators to make their animation look good called CG, which to this day I have no idea what the acronym of it really is - Cell Generated or is it Computer Generated - I do not know. I actually encountered the term during the question portion of my high school Senior Project presentation on Anime. If you are interested on what I wrote read it here: Senior Project: Anime (Note: I have limited access to information back then so pretty much its like me retelling what I see in Anime with limited resources to back it up) One of the panel asked me on which style I preferred, the hand drawn one or the computer generated one in which I answer the former, the hand drawn ones. Enough about the back story, the animation in Fate/Zero were superb. As much I prefer hand drawn the CG in this anime was a fine quality. Though different from each other, the combination of manual drawing and computer quality blended wonderfully. One thing I noticed though and nitpick on and its that most of the time Berserker came into the screen, his whole body is CG or maybe I'm wrong but I could not see an ounce of a talented artist drawing it - well maybe its just me. Oh yeah its by Ufotable. All in all the animation was fluid, movie-quality, and amazing to watch in HD. Oh yeah the Opening and Ending theme animation was amazingly synchronized with the song.

Score: 10

Sound

The days where I see Classical and Instrumentals as a use for showing a drop of my musical talent using a Recorder playing Ode to Joy, the days where I use it to make myself sleep, the days where its rock/hip hop version were the best version, the days where I actually download it because of a certain Korean Rom-Com movie, and the days where its only cool to hear them as background in movies. Yes those were the days and now I can add it to the days where it was always prominent in Anime. Fate/Zero being the first show that I have watched as a comeback to the anime world, its Original Soundtrack a.k.a OSTs was just as what I liked about Classical and Instrumentals as I grew up showing appreciation. As Gigguk says, "the use of choir to make battles epic" the use of music was excellent.

J-Rock we met again! Asian Kung-fu Generation's "Haruka Kanata", Flow's "Go", and Snowkel's "Namikaze Satellite" - yes I'm a Narutard - after all those years not hearing them and listened to Fate/Zero's Opening by a girl named LiSa brings back them memories and the choir sisters (the 3 are not related) Kalafina. The use of instrumentals - oh yeah Instrumental - mixed with the band - wooo!!!.

Sound effects was exceptionally placed especially during the aerial fight, you can hear the engines and missiles.

The Japanese voice actors/actresses synced well with the characters personality. Props to the guy who made Berserker's growls - if he actually did that. BTW, loved Saber's voice actress, that sexy semi-deep serious voice.

Score: 10

Character

Having characters that are tied with the real world (our world) history and legends one might say that it is unoriginal as there are basis of ones personality and the story teller would just copy-paste like a middle school student cramming on his book report and write off from that. But by having this, the characters would not be as cliche' as what is popular on anime story telling in particular Shounen series. As far as I know a loudmouth, get beat first heal later, and signature attack/weapon yelling is rare to become a notable hero in history - if they did this yelling thing then they can kiss their advantage goodbye, according to Fate/Zero system of tactics. Well you can not really call it unoriginal as one of them is a supposed King that is a ____ and a little bit of cheating in the height and muscle department. Plus I learned a lot more of this historical/fabled characters in this anime than in History or Literature class in high school - did not really pay attention though. The characters in this series have their own colors through their stories, beliefs and agendas that clashes with each other instead of having a black and white battle where you know who would win in the end. The characters were introduced as their present self and retold through their history or their back story so for a character development to happen the character needs to move forward which most of the Fate/Zero characters lacks with them stagnating through their past self, along with their beliefs and ideals.

Score: 8

Enjoyment

Did I enjoy it? Yeah! It took me out of the "Cancer"/"Amnesia" as a plot point in a story - them Korean dramas - and reintroduced me to what I liked watching as a kid, SUPERPOWERS and MAGICS! Having grown to love and be a fan of reading and watching something with a good story and a world with a system, I was able to enjoy them through Fate/Zero.

Score: 10

Overall

The battle of beliefs instead of the good old Good vs Evil scenario, the use of well known historical and fabled heroes as its character to have me keep up with my History and Literature, the use of CG even though I liked hand drawings was amazing, the world system usage to lessen overpowered-ness (though one shiny one is too stronk), and the iTunes worthy Openings and Endings.

Score: 9

jimmy.harber - 2013-08-20 19:09:12

Fate/Zero Review:

This is a review for both seasons 1 and 2

After seeing the high praise given to this anime from Gigguk and Arkada on Youtube, I decided to give Fate/Zero a go. After watching it, I now completely understand why this show has such positive reception as it was an enthralling ride with hardly any real "negative" points to it.

Story 9/10:
Fate/Zero takes place 10 years before the events of Fate/StayNight in the middle of what is known as one of the "Holy Grail Wars." I had not seen F/SN before watching this anime, but thanks to the info dump of a first episode I was quickly put up to speed. The "Holy Grail Wars" are battles fought in secret a few times each century. The war is between 7 historical or mythological legends that are brought into present time by their "masters" (AKA random people chosen by the grail). The goal is for one of the pairs to ultimately defeat all of the other servants and/or their masters and be the last one remaining. Once this happens, the Holy Grail should appear and grant the victor any wish they desire. Unlike F/SN, Fate/Zero has a VERY serious undertone. As a comparison, I like to akin these two series to the Batman franchise where Fate/Zero is more like the Dark Knight saga, while Fate/StayNight is more like the old tv series with Adam West. Both are good in their own ways, but one is clearly more serious than the other. One of the things that makes Fate/Zero special is that it doesn't rush to pick out a specific main character or good guy, and instead follows the stories of all 7 pairs with an unbiased view point. This let's the viewer really learn about what all the characters are like and their objectives in the war. The different viewpoints really eliminates a lot of the space for plot holes or lack of reasoning, and every event in the story seems to have a purpose. It really is rare to see a show with a concept as ambitious as this, that actually pulls through with barely any plotholes or errors in its writing. Although the ending was somewhat of a cliffhanger, it is also brilliantly done and gave me countless goosebumps as the results of everything that happened were revealed. The story in Fate/Zero was one to remember. Epic is truly the only way to describe it, and its execution was truly in a class of its own.

Art 10/10:
Hands down the best art I have seen in an anime series. Watching the show, it really feels like they had a very high budget for the animations. Movements are extremely fluid, and thus the fight scenes are spectacular. Facial expressions, character design, settings, lighting, everything was superb and I really haven't seen an anime nail the animation aspect quite this well. I really don't have anything else to say besides that the art was spectacular.

Sound 8/10:
Much like everything else in this show, the music was similar to that of a blockbuster movie. Heavy orchestra in the background accompanied by opera singing when battle scenes get intense. The quality of the music was brilliant. However, the show did lack "memorable" or "catchy" songs that you would like to see in an anime. But like I said, the show in general felt more like a long blockbuster movie than an average anime. I found both of the OPs very well suited for the show and quite catchy compared to the background music, although the EDs were less spectacular. As far as voice acting is concerned, I found the Japanese voice actors all portrayed their characters brilliantly, particularly in Rider's case.

Character 9/10:
The fact that the show doesn't focus on a single character really strengthens all of the characters in the show. Due to the changing view points, you really get to see what each character is like, what their motives are, and just their personality in general. The first season really introduces you to the characters and the setting, while the second develops these characters and shifts the story into full swing. None of these characters are your stereotypical archetypes, and some of them really shine. All of the servants are extremely interesting, and Rider is one of the most charismatic characters I've seen in a while. For a good portion of the show, you really don't know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. You may find yourself rooting for one character only to realize he is evil, or hating one only to realize he is very noble. Towards the end, it becomes pretty evident who the main character is due to an emotional and brilliant two episode arc on his past. My only qualm about the characters is that, because of the divided focus, I wasn't able to fully emotionally invest in any of them. And even though I did definitely feel for the characters and their struggles, I wasn't really completely devastated when bad things happened to them like I would be in an anime like Clannad, Steins;Gate, or Code Geass, where they really focused on one character's development. However, I feel that it would have been pretty much impossible to have the vast depth in the cast if they focused on one character, and the show probably would have been much worse. In short, this show has one of the most, if not THE most, fully fleshed out set of characters that I have ever seen, and just barely misses the 10 mark due to it not quite letting me attach to the characters as much as I wanted to.

Enjoyment 8/10:
Fate/Zero was thrilling to watch. The first season was kind of slow as it was really just setting the stage for the madness in the second season, but was fun none the less. Like I said, watching Fate/Zero is similar to watching a movie like the Dark Knight. Everything felt real and all the decisions that characters made felt important, and this sense of seriousness and realism made the show truly a joy to watch. One of my complaints is once again, that I could not emotionally connect with any of the events as much as I have in other shows. It's weird because I know this show is almost flawless, but something about it just wasn't up to par with those on my top 3 anime from an enjoyment standpoint. I really can't put my finger on why I didn't enjoy this show more, but I did enjoy it more than the vast majority of the other shows I have seen so it still gets an 8.

Recommendation:
I can't imagine someone hating this show due to it's unbelievable execution, but it is currently ridiculously expensive to buy so I can only recommend you stream it (available on Crunchyroll).
Stream it! +.1

Overall 8.9/10:
Like I said in my Toradora! review, I will not round up this 8.9 to a 9 because I feel that it is unreasonable to the shows that actually got a 9 or higher from me. If you want to understand it better, read my Toradora review. Anyways, Fate/Zero is probably the most technically sound anime I have ever seen. There are no huge errors to complain about with it due to the high production value in its art and sound, and nearly flawless writing in its story. If you found Fate/StayNight to be unimpressive, but are curious about this show, do not hesitate to watch Fate/Zero because it is truly on another level from most other anime. Fate/Zero is a grade A anime that is a must watch for all.

The Verdict:
An anime that absolutely deserves its praise and an epic tale at its finest.

Pros:
+ Cinema quality art and sound
+ Remarkably deep cast of characters
+ Story is an epic to remember
+ Brilliant writing left little room for plot holes or inconsistencies

Cons (These cons are more "reasons why this isn't quite a 9" than cons, because it really didn't have distinct "negative" aspects or "mistakes"):
- Lacked a top tier emotional impact
- For ME it missed that "oomph" factor that would push it into my favorites

8.9/10 - Remarkable

fgoodwin - 2013-06-28 08:18:31

This Review is out of 100. 35/100 for Story, 35/100 for Characters, 15/100 for Sound, and 15/100 for AnimationStory - 27/35 - The story for this show is good, but gets way better later on in the show. The first hindrance to this show is the incredibly boring info dump that happens in episode 1. 45 minutes of boring dialogue makes it hard for anyone to get into this series. The other problem that hinders both season 1 and 2 is the fact that it is tied to Fate/Stay Night, which is pretty bad (at least, the anime and movie are). Now that we got all the bad out of the way, lets talk about the good. The Fate series as a whole is very original in the fact that it takes heroes from across time and has them fight to the death for the chance to make one wish. The best part is that it is done during the present day, making the setting here pretty special. Some things might fly over your head if you aren't the best at history, especially since many of these guys are lesser known people. The pacing isn't that good. For an action series there is not much action in the first half. It really is just a bunch of characters trying to outsmart each other while talking a lot about a specific topic at hand. There is a lot of buildup in season 1, as season 2 is when the real party starts.Characters - 30/35 - I really like the characters in this show. No two characters are the same, and each one has their own ideologies and reasons for being in the war. Hearing what they have to say on the different topics at hand all while fighting can be very cool. The topics range from chivalry to what it means to be a king and a hero. The most notable characters in this series are easily Rider, who commands everyone's attention once he hits the stage to Gilgamesh, who is just badass. While not every character is particularly interesting, none of them are bad or all that boring. Considering the huge cast of characters, I'd say this is pretty impressive. I will say this though, the pasts for some of the servants should be expanded upon more, like for Assassin. Sound - 14/15 - The sound in this series is amazing, mostly because of the amazing composer behind it. The opening and endings aren't the best, but the epic chorus' during each fight make every interaction between the characters all the more intense. I have heard a little bit of the dub, and I find it acceptable. Although if you don't mind reading subtitles I suggest you watch it subbed. Animation - 15/15 - The best I have ever seen in an anime that isn't a movie. Fluid, great looking, and some very detailed backgrounds. You can't ask for more in this regard. Overall - 86/100 - A very good series, especially since this is only the buildup to something better. The characters and setting really shine in this show, and the story is no slouch either. Fate/Zero could have used some better pacing and more fighting. I like hearing all these philosophies as much as the next guy, but I wanna see some fighting too.

batz.lou - 2013-06-11 19:43:21

" I ask of you, Are you my Master?"Saber's words are still on my head as the First episode cuts on this line.Yes, Fate/stay is a Really A-W-S-O-M-E Anime, whether you have seen Fate/stay Night or Not.As everyone by now know, its a prequel to the super hit - Fate/Stay Night series.After watching the first episode, here is my Viewpoint for FSZSTORY:i'm not good at this part so i'm taking a bit of help- (source- Wikipedia)Fate/zero takes place 10 years prior to the events of Fate/stay night, detailing the events of the 4th Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City.[1] The War of the Holy Grail is a contest in which seven magi summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete to obtain the power of the "Holy Grail," which grants a miracle. After three inconclusive wars for the elusive Holy Grail, the Fourth War commences.(detail synopsis- Wikipedia)ART:Really good! Also the animation is detailed and really fits in with the aura of the show. the lights and main entries of the characters is really cool!!!! The masters and servant pairing also seems to be a good for each team, as far as the first episode is concernedSOUND:Sound for FSZ is given by the great- Yuki Kajiura, (Also given for Tsubasa Chronicals) the theme is nice and catchy in come parts. the emotion of the situation is nicely known by the music- good work Yuki Kajiura-san !! CHARACTER:hum......... what to say...well all the characters are just introduced, so there is nothing much i can write.Kiritsugu Emiya is the center character and is a cool guy. his wife is really pretty. there is also a Mini Rin and Sakura who look so adorable. and skipping the goons, lastly is SABER!! yaya..... i'm really happy to see her. i'm a suber SABER fan! only a glipse of saber and the other heros are shown, but I'm eager to see some good Kick-ass fights!ENJOYMENT:you have to be with the story to enjoy the story. If you are a FSN fan, then you are going to enjoy this, as the story reveals the REAL logic, fights, and concepts of the HOLY GRAIL!OVERALL:9/10The anime still loses 1 point, as it lacks little something..(even i don't know what!)Still if you are a "Fate" lover, grab this one, or if you love super action, thrill and magic concepts, watch FSZGo catch the anime and enjoy the epic history of FSZ and hope to see some real Kick-ass fighting!!(sorry if a messed up anywhere.! gomen^^)

htorp - 2013-05-02 20:01:28

Fate/Zero is about as close to a masterpiece as you can get in terms of quality.This anime is, put simply, freaking amazing. I had heard about the fate series since before I even got into anime. I gave stay/night a try, and wasn't able to get into it. So I saw fate/zero, and at the time, I had been in the middle of the stay/night visual novel, so I was reluctant to watch it for fear of spoilers. But, after it was recommended to me by a friend, I chose to watch it, and thank god I did.Art/Animation 10/10I was instantly drawn into this series. The animation was near flawless, and the art was beautiful. It makes use of CG at times, but they do it very well, this is made clear with Berserker and another creature who, for now, I will call tentapus. The CG just feels natural with the series instead of sticking out like a certain dragon from a certain series bearing a similar name... The animation is nearly flawless, I sat there trying to find a problem with it, and while it isn't smooth as what you might expect after eating some really spicy Vietnamese food, it is still some of the best animation you will find with modern anime. I guarantee you will not be disappointed by the animation, or the art shown in the series.Sound 10/10Another marvelous work by the wonderful Yuki Kaijura. Some, such as myself, may even consider it some of her best work. If you are unsure who Yuki Kaijura is, some of her works include Elemental Gelade, Pandora Hearts, Sword Art Online, and Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. The soundtrack features many beautiful orchestral pieces as well as some very nice choirs. The soundtrack sets the mood perfectly, it makes use of epic choirs during the fight scenes, and slow orchestral pieces in the slower, or more darker parts. Overall, the Fate/Zero soundtrack is one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard, and easily takes the place as one of my favorite soundtracks of all time.Character 9/10Another area where this anime shines is in it's characters. There are around 14+ "Main" characters that you should be aware of. And that would be the 7 servants, the 7 masters, and a few others that you will see when you watch the series. Instead of using common archetypes such as "dere" or unbeatable badass that I like to call the "Kirito-Complex", Fate/Zero has a set of characters that are all very unique, and very interesting.Every character acts according to his or her moral compass and ideology.It's always interesting to see different characters interact, in fact, there is one episode dedicated to a few of the servants discussing their beliefs and ideology. If there is one thing I would like to complain about is that some of the characters, I feel, don't get very much focus. Some examples are Berserker, his master, and Assassin. But I don't feel this is too much of a problem, seeing as it did very well with the characters it did focus on in it's 25 episodes.Story 9/10Before I begin, let me mention my one other complaint with the series, the first episode. I don't feel like it drew me in enough, it was around 50 minutes long, and it was basically an explanation on what the Holy Grail war is, how it originated, and what it is now. Now, this is great, but the episode was kind of slow, and some may even find it boring. Now, assuming you have already read the synopsis, you should have a general idea on what the story is, a battle royale between 7 different teams, each consisting of a legend or historical figure, and a mage. The story is full of twists and turns, and it manages to keep you interested and wanting to keep watching. There were close to no flaws in the overall way the story was executed, except for the first episode. Overall, I loved the story, and I think it was executed very well.Enjoyment 10/10This was the first series I had seen in awhile where I had been up at 12 in the morning continuing episode upon episode in the couple of days I spent watching it. Still to this day, I think I enjoyed Fate/Zero more then I enjoyed most anime I have seen to this day. Overall 10/10As a whole, Fate/Zero is about as close to a masterpiece as you're going to get when it comes to overall quality. I feel that with this series, you could hate the overall story, but you could still admit that it was pretty damn good. This anime is amazing, and I recommend it to everyone. So if you find the time, go check it out, because you might have the same feelings about it as I do, in which case you would love it!