Review of Fate/Zero

I thought you weren’t supposed to divide by zero. Story: If you think about it, the story is rather ludicrous. I mean, seven mages summon mythical heroes to fight for the Holy Grail? If that were the synopsis for a brand new show, I am pretty sure I wouldn’t consider watching it. On the other hand, experience taught me that it isn’t so much about the subject of an anime but about how it utilizes it. And boy, does Fate tell a thrilling story. As this was the first of two associated seasons (something I personally despise), there isn’t much action yet, but the few fight sceneswe get to see are pretty cool. But the better parts are the dialogues between all kinds of different personalities. The clash of very different, very interesting philosophies is quite something and none of them is portrayed as superior (even though Rider “won” the argument with Saber, that was more because of his rhetoric than him being right). Alignments are fluid for most of the cast, giving the whole thing an extra layer of suspense. Urobuchi once again proves to be a formidable writer.
9/10

Art:
Fate/Zero has been said to have insane amounts of budget compared to other works and that is hardly debatable. It is fascinating to see what an anime can look like if money is apparently no issue. The animation is incredibly fluid, even movements that aren’t technically necessary get animated, like the larynx moving when somebody drinks. The details are what make this stand out enormously. They even managed to add some GOOD CGI, something I thought I’d never see in an anime. The human character design is kept more realistic (with the exception of the Einzbern girls) while the servants are all very unique-looking and man, some are extremely handsome, damn. Suit Saber is my new fetish.
10/10

Sound:
Yuki Kajiura is a goddess of soundtrack composing. This, as well as the Madoka one, are the only two anime soundtracks that do the formula that was perfected by Back to the Future: Fittingly accompanying the scenes on screen without distracting the least bit, yet being full of awesome tracks that you can easily blast through your earphones on their own. I also positively noticed the sound effects. Much like the animation, sounds are used where they technically don’t NEED to be, but having them there enhances the experience, like Gilgamesh’s armor clinking whenever he moves in it. The voices were all well done and befitting the characters without exceptions and opening and ending were solid choices with recognition value. I’m “afraid” I can’t find a single flaw in the sound department.
10/10

Characters:
Much of the good things I had to say about the story can easily be applied to the characters of Fate/Zero, like the philosophical dialogues. The cast is incredibly colorful and memorable, very few can be put down as side characters. The dynamics between masters and servants is just as big in variety and goes from best pals (Ryuunosuke & Caster), odd couple (Rider & Waver), reluctant obedience (Saber & Kiritsugu) all the way to renunciation (Gilgamesh & Tokiomi). Most of the masters are (naturally) hostile towards one another while multiple servants have quite some respect for each other. Saber and Lancer can even be argued to have built a friendship. Despite Saber being the main protagonist of the show, it is very easy to root for your own favourite instead if they are more to your liking. Speaking of Saber, it’s a shame she isn’t portrayed more badass (which she supposedly was in Fate Stay/Night from what I have heard), but I am optimistic that this will change in the second season. The few that are clearly villains (which is basically just Caster and his master) are just as easy to hate as they commit some of the most horrible and disgusting acts that a villain can do. Despite the rather gloom initial position of this anime, there are some surprisingly fuzzy relationships, like Saber & Irisviel or Rider & Waver (who also double as fantastic comic relief) to ease your mind in between all the fierceness of the situation…though knowing Urobuchi, they will probably not meet a happy ending. The biggest strength is the ambiguity of most characters, making them neither heroes nor villains and wether they are good or bad guys depends on where the viewer draws the line on what is justifiable and what is not. A slight criticism I have is the Rin episode. She is unimportant (so far, maybe the second season will prove me wrong here) for the plot of Zero and the fact that she got a whole episode for herself feels like pandering to her (allowedly big) fan base she got from other installments of the franchise.
9/10

Enjoyment:
Fate/Zero is one of the few anime I plowed through this quickly, which is a sign of quality for me. While slice of life or comedy shows are very easy to binge, a drama or action flick needs to captivate me to keep me glued to the screen and that is exactly what this show did. I was unsure whether this was the right point to start the franchise, as there seems to be no one right answer to that, but looking back at it now, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was for me, who knew next to nothing about Fate, to follow the anime without having to look up lore or character backgrounds. What tarnishes my enjoyment slightly is the absence of a conclusion, but that one is easily available by watching season two. I would like the second part to amp up the action a little, which I have little doubt it will do. If the general quality can be held up to the very end, Fate/Zero as a whole will surely get the full points here.
9/10

Overall:
9.4/10