Review of Fate/Zero
Fate/Zero pits historical heroes and their contemporary human partners against each other in a slow-burning battle for the holy grail. This anime focuses on the different motivations for ambition, how rulers see the world around them, and the personal relationships between legends and their partners. Although the series has philosophical undertones, there are several fight scenes between the opposing teams. The anime falls somewhere between anime for college students and anime geared towards teenagers. The first season introduces the characters, and the second season develops the two primary antagonists. I group both seasons together in this review. Although this anime is part of a larger universe, youdo not need to be familiar with other Fate works to enjoy this anime.
One strength of the show is the way in which the anime develops the historical legends. The author takes characters that are well known---such as Alexander the Great and King Arthur---and introduces something new to their characters so that they move beyond their traditional depictions. The series also touches on gender roles / gender fluidity, and has an interesting philosophical conflict between utilitarianism and individualism. I recommend looking up the backstory for Gilles de Rais if you are unfamiliar (as I was), it's totally wild. The production and art quality is high.
My concerns with this show revolve around the pacing. I thought that the first season was unnecessarily slow, and---in my opinion---the ending to the second season became very rushed. Some episodes focused on side stories that were not important for the central plot. I wonder if the narrative could have been improved by having fewer teams fighting for the grail, or fewer overall characters within the show.
I recommend this anime to viewers who are interested in philosophical themes, historically inspired characters, and strong inter-character relationships. If you are looking for a more faced-paced story, or are not interested in fight scenes, try elsewhere.