Review of Fate/Zero
Note: this is a review of both seasons of Fate/Zero, seeing as it's a singular story that was split into two seasons for reasons not related to the plot. Since the dawn of mankind, humans have been creating stories. Many of these stories centred around lives and adventures of special individuals or groups of people, legendary larger-than-life heroes who performed superhuman feats on a regular basis, defied the Gods and odds and boldly looked Death itself right in the eye. Both Gods and Fate toyed cruelly with many of these heroes, either for the sake of their own amusement or because these legendary individuals dared tooppose or challenge their divine will. Their heroic deeds, whether real or fictional, made them famous for all eternity.
Thousands of years ago, it was the brave Achilies, a warrior who brought down the armies of the famous city of Troy. It was the cunning Odysseus, who managed to outwit the capricious Gods of Olympus and overcome their ploys to keep him away from home. Later it was King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, whose fame and glory are probably unparalleled in the realm of legends. Today we have numerous comic-book superheroes, from the demigod Superman to the rich self-righteous vigilante Bruce Wayne, as well as the more “traditional“ heroes like Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. Each era has its own heroes.
However, much like in the world of Miguel de Cervantes' literary classic, “Don Quixote“, the modern world is no longer a place for heroes of old. Concepts of honour and chivalry have yielded to the growing cynicism and opportunism, and the ends justify the means for most people today. I wouldn't say it's a bad thing per se, but it ( unfortunately ) results in people largely dismissing or even ridiculing any attempts at display of heroism or nobleness. However, while there might not be a place for them in the real world, heroes are still very much alive and kicking in the realm of fiction. Fate/Zero is a work that connects both those worlds.
An adaptation of the novel of the same name, Fate/Zero is a prequel to the widely popular visual novel Fate/ Stay Night which spawned an anime adaptation of its own back in 2006. Studio DEEN's take on the original game was... not that well received by the fans, and the series didn't do much to bring more fans to the Fate franchise. It's been described as “juvenile“, “mediocre”, “overhyped“ etc. The fans were eager to see their beloved game come to life as an anime series, but were largely let down by it, and the hype they created prior to the series' release considerably raised the expectations of the uninitiated, which in turn caused many of them to be just as disappointed. Seeing how dissatisfied the fans were with the Fate/Stay Night anime by DEEN, Type-Moon, the developer of the game, decided to collaborate with a different studio for the adaptation of the Fate/Zero novel – Ufotable, who already had an established relationship with the company and a good record of adapting their works into anime with their series of Kara no Kyoukai movies. Comparing this series to its sequel, I can safely say that, from the technical aspect at least, the decision by Type-Moon to bring Ufotable on board for this project was an act of Providence.
Made with a budget that can buy a small country, Fate/Zero boasts visuals of near-cinematic quality that greatly enhance the feeling set by the story that this series is something else, and not just your typical run-of-the-mill supernatural action shonen show. From character designs and backgrounds to spectacular fight scenes, Fate/Zero is a feast for the eyes. Whether hand-drawn or CGI-rendered, the backgrounds are all highly detailed and blend in with the character models perfectly. Breathtaking backdrops range from a majestic castle of the Einzbern family in the German Alps to the futuristic cityscape of Fuyuki City, the battleground of the Fourth Holy Grail War. Lavishly decorated halls and drawing rooms, cellars corroded by moist, neon-lit city avenues and thick forests shrouded in mist serve as arenas for the spectacular battles between the greatest heroes of History.
The colour palette is as diverse as the set pieces, but leans more towards the darker tones and colder colours, seeing as most of the battles take place at night ( which is perfectly logical as the whole tournament is supposed to be highly secret ). Black, blue and gold are the most dominant ones, but no colour gets neglected and almost each character is colour-coded for your convenience. Gold as the symbol of royalty and power; blue for calmness and coldness; black as the colour of mystery, sadness, death and evil; white, the colour of purity, simplicity and innocence, red for energy, passion and war – the use of colours goes beyond mere aesthetics as each is assigned to a character in accordance to their personality.
The character designs themselves might seem typically “anime“ at first glance ( large eyes, bright hair colours etc. ), but a second look reveals a plethora of rich designs with a lot of attention payed to detail and harmony. Heroic Spirits are naturally very distinctive, particularly Archer, Rider and Saber, featuring a range of impressive outfits and weaponry. For the fans of the franchise: there is a marked improvement in the designs of recurring characters from Fate/Stay Night, most notably Saber, who leaves a much more regal and knightly impression in this incarnation, and these improvements aren't just budget-related – Ufotable simply has better artists. Their Masters, as well as other human characters, are right behind them, sporting some nice and distinctive outfits, and there really isn't a single character whose design could be considered dull or boring.
As gorgeous and eye-catching as the artwork is, though, the real testament to Ufotable's dedication to this project, and a shameless display of their gargantuan budget for the series is the animation. Not only are all the fight scenes beautifully choreographed and a joy to watch, they are complemented by animation of cinematic quality with absolutely no shortcuts taken. Forget about speed lines or sword-flashes on a black background - Fate/Zero features battles that could give most Hollywood blockbusters a run for their money. Be it one-on-one duels or massive free-for-all brawls, the action in Fate/Zero is a thrilling spectacle that will not disappoint those who're in just for some awesome fight scenes. CG animation is widely used and, thankfully, blends extremely well with the 2D artwork for the most time, allowing for some excellent gimmicks, effects and set pieces that would otherwise be extremely difficult to pull off.
However, while undoubtedly great and high-end, the animation isn't 100% perfect. The CG models are painfully obvious on a few occasions, but it's really only just a few. Also, while the action scenes can make your jaw drop and the studio makes sure you see that they saved no expenses on them, outside the fight-scenes and a few chases, it is clear that this is still a TV series, no matter how high the budget is. There is plenty of dialogue and exposition in the series, and these scenes play out with minimal changes of camera angles and the person talking is often either off-screen or far away, so as to eliminate lip-flaps where possible.
In the end, while a few corners had to be cut, the cuts were placed wisely and where they felt natural, and all these issues with the visuals are really minor, bordering on nit-picking.
But as always, what is a visually impressive show worth without an equally impressive soundtrack? Well, a lot, but a great score raises the viewing experience to a whole new level. The composer brought on board for this tour-de-force of a story is Yuki Kajiura, one of the greatest composers in contemporary anime industry whose vast opus includes the soundtracks for .hack franchise, Kara no Kyoukai movies, Tsubasa Chronicles, Sword Art Online and Madoka Magica. While I wouldn't say it's her best, the score for Fate/Zero is certainly one of the most powerful works she composed.
Music is probably the most subjective thing in the world, almost completely subject to personal preferences. However, I think there are two criteria by which you can easily assert whether a soundtrack is good or not – if it makes you cry and/or gives you goosebumps. There are only a few tracks that could bring tears to your eyes, but the number of times the music will give you shivers more than makes up for this. To complement the nature of the story and the grand size of some of the battles, Kajiura brings us a score full of epic choirs that make your heart race and give the entire series an epic feel during the high points, and make the already intense and dynamic action scenes even more engaging. Haunting female choruses are accompanied either by an orchestra or electronic instruments or both, and this blend of modern and “classical“ music does wonders for setting the tone and pace for each scene. There aren't really any stand-out pieces, but they are all excellent and don't lose any of the quality or impact if you listen to them on their own.
When it comes to opening and ending tunes, Fate/Zero is quite diverse. Since the series is split into two seasons, there are two pairs of opening and ending themes, both of which are pretty good, especially the Season 1 ending theme song, “Memoria“, and Season 2 opening theme “To the Beginning“ by Kalafina. Season 2 has another track by Kalafina, named “Maten“ and featured in ep 18 & 19, which is... well... sung by Kalafina! Listen to it, it's great, even if it's sad.
On the subject of voice-acting, the series hasn't received an English dub as of yet, but if it does this review will be updated. However, the Japanese dub is so good and distinctive that it most definitely warrants a comment. Koyama Rikiya delivers a powerful and impressive delivery as Emiya Kiritsugu, keeping a cool and emotionless voice for the most part, while still successfully portraying many different emotions that occasionally slip through his cold exterior. His main opponent, Kotomine Kirei, is voiced by Nakata Jouji, probably best known for his role as the vampire Alucard from Hellsing. His deep and mighty voice is a joy to listen to; at the same time both fitting for the character's personality and in contrast to his more youthful exterior. But while both these two, as well as Kawasumi Ayako as Saber, do a brilliant job at portraying their respective characters, it is Ootsuka Akio ( Batou from GITS franchise ) as Rider that delivers the most powerful and striking performance, intensifying the qualities of his character several times. The sheer impact of his performance is hard to describe – simply put, without Ootsuka, there is no Rider. Honorable mention goes to Satoshi Tsuruoka as Caster; you can tell in every line he utters that the man is having an incredible amount of fun, and has no qualms about going way over the top with his insane overacting. He's a lot of fun to listen to and when the series is dubbed they should cast Jeremy Irons for this role.
With the technical aspects of the series out of the way, let's have a look at the story.
The word “epic“ has lost a lot of its former weight in the modern Internet generation. Today, anything more entertaining than a dog using a laptop or a cat stuck in a jar can be dubbed “epic“, which results in people largely forgetting what the word originally stood for. It is therefore quite refreshing to see something that really earns the title of an epic. If the inclusion of heroes and legends of old in a tournament for the Holy Grail, and the mentioning of grand and spectacular battles didn't tip you off already, then the themes and ideas presented and debated over the course of the series should illustrate why Fate/Zero is an epic.
Possibly inspired by the ( annoying ) personality and actions of Emiya Shirou, the protagonist of Fate/ Stay Night, the basic idea and main underpinning theme of Fate/Zero is the concept of chivalry and honour and the question of what it really means to be a hero. Selfless heroes are no strangers to movies and books, and they are very much a hallmark of shonen action anime. Noble individuals who never hesitate to sacrifice themselves for the cause; determinators who rarely, if ever, doubt their ideals; goody two-shoes who always endeavour to do the right thing and so on and so on... Perhaps it's needless to say that most of these heroes are rewarded for their goodness in the end and they manage to achieve their goals fully.
But this series was written by Gen Urobuchi.
As the question it poses suggests, Fate/Zero is a deconstruction of sorts of the shonen anime, but it also goes way beyond that in many questions it asks. There are very, very few examples in anime industry ( and I dare say, Hollywood as well! ) of writers that ask the tough questions as cuttingly as Urobuchi does. What makes a hero a hero? What would it take to be a hero of justice? What does it mean and take to stay true to one's own ideals? Are they even worth it? The maturity of the writing and the genius of Urobuchi's storytelling is that the show never pretends to hold any definite and universal answers to these questions. True, he’s better at asking the questions than answering them, but there’s a very good reason for that – I don’t think Urobuchi believes there *are* any answers to be had, seeing as he is more or less a Nihilist with a healthy twist of despair. Various viewpoints and ideas are presented by a number of different characters, and each of their beliefs holds both something true and misguided at the same time, and the ratio differs from character to character and is also largely open to perspectives and judgements of both the characters and viewers. Urobuchi doesn't treat any of the views as inherently right or wrong, or one morally superior to the others, which provides for some great food for thought for those who wish to entertain themselves with some brain work, while not offending or alienating anyone with his personal views and opinions.
The plot itself is tight and very well written, full of twist and turns. Granted, they aren't really on the same level as Death Note, the King of Twists, but it does stand apart from almost every other action show barring maybe Code Geass. Rather than simply throwing the characters into as many fights as possible and resorting to cheap power-up cop-outs when the situation becomes too thick, Fate/Zero dedicates a lot of time to careful planning and strategy, especially in the first half of the story. A battle royale to end all battle royales, it features some quite diabolic schemes, clever stratagems and a lot of conspiracies. Temporary alliances are often created, but more out of necessity or common threat rather than goodwill or nobility. To tell the truth, compared to the elaborate planning of each next move and a hefty amount of character interaction, the fight scenes are very much not at the forefront of the story. Sure, the battles are mesmerizing, but are spread thinly throughout the series, with the natural exception of the grand conclusion. This sets the show apart from its shonen brethren and makes it a much more “intellectual“ story than a strictly action-packed thrill-ride.
However, as rich in substance and breathtaking in scope as it is, Fate/Zero's story does suffer from some flaws in presentation; the storytelling itself.
The pacing is very uneven, and reminded me a bit of Mamoru Oshii's directional style – there's a ( relatively ) small number of intense action scenes separated by long periods with very little action or plot twists, mostly dominated by long and in-depth dialogue. The amount of dialogue is enormous and can take a strain on the viewer, so it's extremely fortunate that the dialogue itself is engaging and interesting in its own right, otherwise the show would have lost its audience. There are a few occasions when an interaction between characters seems forced or tedious, but it's really rare and doesn't detract from the overall quality of the writing. I doesn't bother me if there's endless talking as long as the dialogue is meaningful and relevant to the story and character development, which is all true for Fate/Zero.
Apart from the somewhat awkward pacing and a hefty amount of talking, there is one other problem with the writing. Well, one and a half to be precise. Although it's a prequel to the already popular Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero attempts to bring in more fans and thus appeal to the newbies of the franchise. For this purpose, most of the double-length first episode is one big and not very subtle exposition dump on the backstory of the Holy Grail War and the workings of the story's universe. While it can unnerve many an older fan of the Fate series, as someone who was completely ignorant about the franchise I found it to be pretty useful and didn't have any major issues with it ( and I usually abhor force-fed exposition! ). All things considering, the exposition dump was handled rather well, and the decision by the writers to include it in the anime adaptation was a good one.
Less excusable is the episode 10, which revolves around a certain side character that plays a major role in Fate/Stay Night. This episode baffled many a fan, for it doesn't really follow any of the main plot threads and has almost no bearing to the overall plot progression. It seems to be a rather forced attempt at giving some characters much needed screen time and tying things up for the series' sequel. Yes, it's practically filler.
To tell a good story, you need an interesting plot. To tell a great story, you also need a great cast of characters, and this is where Fate/Zero shines the brightest.
I'm not trying to demote the show's other strengths, but I found the characters and their interactions to be the most interesting aspect of the series, partly because this is an intensely character-driven story. Each of the main characters could warrant a lecture and an essay on their own, but since the review is already long as it is and since it would inevitably include some spoilers, I'll try to keep it general and speak in broad strokes.
The seven Mages, called the Masters, are all quite interesting and memorable characters in their own right. The seven Servants are maybe even more interesting – who wouldn't want to meet a legendary hero and see what they were really like? Watching the Masters and their Servants interact with each other and seeing how their ( differing ) approaches to winning the war affect their relationships is incredibly enjoyable and engaging. Some of them are kindred spirits that immediately create a strong bond between them while others get to know and connect with each other more gradually. Some downright despise each other while others develop more one-sided love or hate relationships. Then there's the interactions between members of opposing teams and all the rivalry and confrontation that the Holy Grail War brings with it, all of them displaying Urobuchi's more than formidable qualities as a writer.
Both the Masters and their Servants are primarily defined by their ideals and motivations, which dictate their actions over the course of the story and drive it forward, sometimes in ways you could never have predicted at the outset. They can range from chivalric knights, willing to die for their honour, to the troubled and cynical pragmatists, to incredibly pompous and conceited arrogant douchebags.
Some characters develop and change more over the course of the story than the others, and some inevitably get more screentime and development than the rest, but no one is left unchanged by the War in which they participate, cementing the feeling that this is an event of proportion and importance.
The pinnacle of the interactions between the members of the cast has to be the “Banquet of Kings“ in ep 11, a brazen and unapologetic philosophical debate that, through a more specific theme of kingship, set in its sights the entire world and mankind’s role in it. It is not often that you get to see such a brilliant take on philosophy that manages to overcome elitism or pretentiousness usually fettering such discussions, because it was incredibly direct, natural, pointed and free of BS. Seriously, they should show that episode in university courses for years to come.
Another aspect of character development for which I have to praise the writers has to be just how well researched the backstories of the Heroic Spirits are. Archer's, Lancer's, Rider's and Caster's stories stand out in particular, tying a lot of elements from their legends into their character development during the story, including some very inconspicuous details that can just fly over your head if you're not familiar with their stories. Wikipedia is your friend if you don't want to miss them.
Certainly, the writer took many liberties with the original legends ( Saber being a prime example ), but the effort put into researching the originals, as well as all those details and little things that can go unnoticed, show that these liberties don't stem from ignorance. Rather, one should view the changes made as Artistic License or intentional disregard.
However, while Fate/Zero fields a stellar cast of almost Shakespearean characters that only a few other shows ( like Baccano! ) could match, not all the characters are perfectly shaped or used.
The sheer size of the cast makes it clear that not everyone can get the same amount of development, and that some take more spotlight than others, but there are still some characters that I feel are underused and even squandered, not achieving the potential they had. Namely, it's Matou Kariya and his servant, Berserker. That doesn't mean that they are plain or ineffectual, far from it, but I would have preferred had they played a larger role in the story.
Which brings me to probably the most important part of the story, and the one that ultimately sealed Fate/Zero's fate and final score – the ending. This part might contain some minor, minor spoilers, but I think it might be better for you if you watch the series emotionally prepared.
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No matter how brilliant Gen Urobuchi is as a writer, no matter how amazing the story he created is, and no matter how great of an addition it is to the franchise, there is one giant flaw that cannot be overlooked, and it's the one that prevented it from being a masterpiece it could have been. That flaw is the unfortunate shackle to the Fate series itself. In the end I think Fate/Zero couldn’t escape the prison of Fate/Stay Night. . Whatever else Urobuchi wanted to do with this story and these characters, he had to point them all at a very specific place and deliver them as advertised.
The ending itself is handled very well, tying up some of the plot threads and leaving some loose ones for the preexisting sequel to tie up. As a prequel, Fate/Zero does the job perfectly and even improves some aspects of Fate/Stay Night, so I have no complaints about that. As a stand-alone work, though, it fails to achieve perfection it strives for, and not due to any fault of its writer or the production crew.
Urobuchi had a misfortune of having his hands tied by an obligation to tie his story to a preexisting one. This severely limited the boundaries of his artistic expression, and it was very obvious during the final episode that his hand was forced and that he wouldn't have ended the story quite that way if it was completely up to him. It's still very much a Urobuchi ending, but no the one I think he really would have wanted to create.
To look for conventional character arcs with conventional satisfactions in an Urobuchi series is asking for disappointment. Heroes aren’t rewarded and villains punished because the universe doesn’t recognize heroes and villains – only those with power and conviction and those without it. That’s why his series don’t tend to emotionally satisfy in the end so much as leave you dazed and bleeding by the side of the road. Existence is suffering – that’s Urobuchi’s fundamental truth. However, a quick glance at the series’ ending and a comparison with his other great work, Madoka Magica, in which he was free to do as he pleases, shows that Urobuchi knows that a good tragedy needs purpose. A good tragedy must be inspiring, not depressing. He won’t give you anything more than simple final hope, but it is that hope that gives meaning to all the darkness and suffering prior to it. He gives a bit of it at the ending of Fate/Zero too, but it’s not really the same fulfilling kind of hope from Madoka, and the series thus strikes me as incomplete and imperfect.
By the fall of the curtain in final episode, almost all of the character arcs have been concluded. The dead are...well, dead, and the survivors have gone through a defining change, especially the two main human characters, Kiritsugu and Kirei. While Kirei’s story continues in Fate/Stay Night, his character arc and gradual transformation in Fate/Zero is definitely concluded. Kiritsugu’s story also reaches a final conclusion, and a satisfying one at that. Gilgamesh, another character from Fate/ Stay Night, remains more or less unchanged over the course of the series, quite naturally seeing as he is the Eldest Hero and an individual who affects and changes others. His adventures shall continue, but his part in this story has also effectively concluded.
But there is one major character whose arc is left unfinished, the only one who is yet to see the conclusion of their story. I am talking about Saber, the heroine of both series and one of the most iconic female characters in anime. She and her Master, Kiritsugu, are the Tragic Heroes of the story, the ones who get to see their ideals and hopes shattered before their very eyes. Both are driven to the point of despair because of their ideals and how their ideals betray them in the end. However, only Kiritsugu gets a conclusion to his story. His character is redeemed and his path completed, whereas Saber’s is not. Her character development takes the route of “Breaking the Heroine“, but she is left only halfway through, in the depths of her despair, and without either a positive or negative resolution. This incompleteness of her character arc is the proof of a shackle that tied Urobuchi's hands. A writer like him wouldn't have left a character's arc unfinished, but was in this case forced to do so, since Saber's arc spans Fate/ Stay Night as well, and is only concluded at the end of that series.
Being a Hero of Justice is never a good thing in a story by Urobuchi, but even though he broke Saber completely in his novel, even though he uncompromisingly smashed her ideals, he never spits on them or finds them morally inferior to either Kiritsugu's or Kirei's. Even though he stated that Kirei and Gilgamesh were his favourite characters in the story, I think that he is much more like Kiritsugu then Kirei, and I cannot but see his sadistic handling of her character development as anything other than a defence mechanism of a man who cannot help himself but adore and hate such idealistic heroes at the same time. I believe he, too, wanted to be a Hero of Justice.
While Urobichi is a bit too cynical and depressed to do so, the writers of the anime did slightly redeem her character at the end of the series although only slightly. Even though he would never say it himself, I believe that Urobuchi wanted to give Saber the same words as a certain character in episode 25. His redemption of Saber’s spiritual successor, Miki Sayaka, at the end of Madoka Magica makes me think so.
In the end most of the satisfaction you’ll get comes from Rider and his master, Waver, who were the leading lights of hope in a hopeless universe. People can change – and not in the way Kirei changes, or because of limitless suffering (caused and felt) as in Kiritsugu’s case. They changed because of their relationship with each other, and for the better at that. And it’s no coincidence, I think, that as characters they didn’t carry the heavy burden of having to confirm to their Fate/ SN archetypes. They could simply *be*, and exist fully as Urobuchi imagined them. And in doing so, perhaps they reveal that Urobuchi hasn’t completely given himself over to hopelessness and despair.
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Finally, time for me to conclude the review. Both the fans of Fate/Stay Night and those not familiar with the franchise can enjoy Fate/Zero, each in a different way. If you saw F/SN and found it underwhelming, the vast difference in scope and quality between the two series will be very refreshing for you, and seeing how F/Z puts pieces into places left empty by its sequel will be a rewarding experience. The uninitiated, on the other hand, can enjoy the uncertainty and suspense of the series that is largely lost to those who have seen F/SN ( since they already know who lives to fight another day ).
Despite its flaws, Fate/Zero is an excellent series. Minor problems like the pacing could have easily been forgiven, but the unfulfilling and anti-climactic ending stripped it of a perfect score, which is a great shame, as it's a series of exceptional scope and potential - the unfortunate shackle imposed by its preexisting sequel prevented it from becoming a masterpiece that it could have been.
Nothing Gen Urobuchi does is ever less than fascinating, and Fate/Zero is no exception.- its story, characters, animation, soundtrack and sheer scope and enjoyability give it such a wide appeal I can recommend it to almost anyone. A series of such impact and quality only comes about once in a while and really should not be missed.
I can say with much certainty that it is one of the greatest series I’ve ever seen.
8,8/10.