Review of Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front - Babylonia

"Hey, that's hell you're walking into" The Fate Series is undoubtedly one of the biggest franchise in anime, and to even start it, seems to be a very daunting task. When I decided to start my journey on the Fate Series, I got taken aback by its storytelling. Whether it is Unlimited Blade Works or Heaven's Feel, Fate has one of the most captivating stories out there to tell. So when I heard that Babylonia is getting an anime adaptation, I was so hyped. Among the many singularity stories in FGO, Babylonia was one of the best due to it being written by Nasu ( Thecreator of Fate/stay night ), so I had my expectations of this adaptation. But my god, I did not expect it to be this good.

OVERVIEW:
Babylonia is the 7th singularity, which is an unobservable region that does not exist within Chaldea's recorded history. Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash Kyrielight are tasked to fix this singularity that takes place during the Age of Gods in Mesopotamia, and we follow them on this journey.

STORY: 9
Though the first few episodes may come as slow and boring to some people, I especially loved the world building. The way they showed how Fujimaru and Mash manages to find allies and win battles after battles is relatively satisfying to watch. But then the 2nd half of the story kicks in, and its just packed filled with plot twists and actions. Even as a person who have played through the game, there were times where I was taken aback, as the anime have improvised on some scenes and flashed out others.

ART: 9
Cloverworks was the one that animated Babylonia and I got to say, I'm impressed. In my mind, Ufotable had always been the best studio for outstanding animation but Cloverworks really did make Babylonia into something special. Some of the fight scenes were just pure eyegasm, with BEAUTIFUL impact frames and smooth animations. The character designs are also very faithful to the ones in game, and I dare to say some are better :)

SOUND: 9
The OSTs in this anime is just phenomenal, and a personal favorite of mine is ' absolute demonic front '. Sometimes, just by having the OST in the background, it manages to elevate the scenes to up to a whole new level. This anime also introduced me to a very talented singer, milet. The EDs by milet " Tell me " and " Prover " are now two of my favorite songs to listen to. The OP is also a banger. And not to forget the sound design for some of scenes are just out of this world and so enjoyable.

CHARACTER: 10
I have always been fascinated by Gilgamesh ever since I saw him in FSN. So to see him again in this series is a treat. Caster Gilgamesh showed me a different side of Gilgamesh that I liked more than the archer variant. His wisdom, the way he treated his subjects made me respect the character more than ever. In addition to that, Gil and Enkidu's relationship is by far one of my favorite in the Fate series, so to see it fleshed out in the anime is just pure fan service for me. Even the side characters like Ushiwakamaru and Leonidas are made much more enjoyable compared to the game. And not to forget our favorite support Merlin is also here along with two Rin Faces, Ishar and Eresh that all of us can appreciate. The dynamic between Mash and Fujimaru is also one that I really enjoy as both of them really love and care for each other. Other characters like Quetz and Ana and Siduri etc, all of have their moments to shine. This is one of the rare cases where I enjoyed the presence of every charter in the series.

ENJOYMENT: 10
I really enjoyed this series. This is one of the anime where I hated having to wait one week for the next episode. Episode 19 was something special to me, some say its rushed ( and I understand where they are coming from ) but the combination of the animation, characters, soundtrack really got me emotional. Thank you Cloverworks for adapting this story so well :D

OVERALL: 9
If you are already interested in Fate DEFINITELY give this a shot, you won't regret it. However to those without having any background knowledge of this anime, I suggest putting it on hold first. Yes it is not impossible to enjoy this anime without any prior knowledge, but it will definitely affect your enjoyment of this series to some extent. I think the reason why some of us really enjoyed this series is due to the fact that we are already invested in it. So if you haven't started your journey on the main Fate series yet, this is prime time to start! Give it a shot, and you may be surprised how good it is xD