Review of Fate/Zero

Story: The Holy Grail war is a battle royale between seven mages each paired with a Heroic spirit from Alexander the Great, to gilgamesh and King arthur, with the winning duo allowed to have a wish granted by the grail. Fate/zero is the story of the forth grail war, ten years prior to the events of the fifth war in fate/stay night (2006). What is different about this war from that, is the characters. Unlike in fate stay night, with a war focused almost entirely on the protagonist, here it feels much bigger grander and more mature. Alliances and betrayal, well thought out done anddeception, amazing fight sequences incredibly relatable character motivations, a deeply flashed out world, fate zero has it all. The story is original, unpredictable and enthralling. There are long sequences and exposition now and then. And the first episode is one big info-dump. I personally found it highly intriguing, but some of you may not. Overall fate/zero story is one of the more entertaining I've seen. It has everything you could want in an action series, from gripping drama and shocking plot twists to some of the best fights I've seen in an anime, ultimately concluding at a fitting ending that left a major impact at me. At what point do ends not justify the means? Is it right to sacrifice the lives of the few for the lives of the many? What does it mean to be a king? Fate/zero raises these questions and more making for an incredibly thought-provoking series. Sure the first season can be slow and the dialogue can get a bit heavy. Fate/zero picked my interest from the start and never let go, making for one of the most entertaining rides any show has ever taken me on.

Characters: Fate/zero is an extremely mature series largely due to an ensemble cast almost void of any teenagers which is very refreshing. Interestingly, the show doesn't really have a main character, at least not for a while. All of the masters and servants are explored in depth and we get to see the war through each of their perspectives. Fate/zero's war feels like a much grander spectacle. It's not just one guy checking servants office to-do list. But rather a sprawling strategic fight, you know like an actual war. Every combatant in the war has his or her motives for wanting the grail and each of them are relatable for the most part. All in all, you're left with a lot of really intriguing characters. Fate/Zero sets itself up for tragedy even if you have how it ends because each master presents reason to like them or at least feel for them seeing as how the Holy Grail War is a fight to the death. The show doesn't tell you who you are supposed to root for at the beginning. It leaves you to figure it out for yourself. Highlighting how things aren't always as simple as good versus evil. As fantastic as the fights between servants and masters are, fate zero is more than just clash of swords. It's also a clash of ideals. Most of the master-servant pairings mirror each other in some way. Of course the characters weren't all great. Gen Urobochi has a habit of writing ideologies rather than characters. And Fate/Zero is probably the prime example of that. Most of the characters aren't really fleshed out or that well developed they serve more as physical embodiments of their ideals, instead of actual people. The focus is on the character's interactions and not necessarily the characters themselves.

Animation and sound: From a production's standpoint fate/zero is one the absolute best.The animation is some of the best i've seen for an anime. The action sequences are unbelievably beautiful and the choreography is near perfect. The soundtrack is just epic. Yuki Kajiura utilizes those badass choir vocals endlessly to give nearly every track that grandiose feel. Seriously, this soundtrack has that ability to make anything sound epic. The show has two openings and two endings all of which I like.

NOTE: This review is for both seasons. Season 1 and 2.