Review of Fate/Zero
Based off a light novel, Fate Zero is a prequel to the visual novel Fate Stay Night. I believe this is where people new to the Fate series should start because of the extremely high quality. This review is for both seasons. Story: This is the start of a battle royale between legendary historical figures who are summoned by mages to win a wish granting holy grail. Fate Zero has epic battles with long winded speeches. The anime is a lot similar to other battle anime but it has more mature themes and an adult cast of characters. There is heavy doses of dialogue throughout andmost of the first season is build-up for the 2nd. This might throw some people off but I believe the build up is worth the wait.
Art: Ufotable takes over the Fate series from working on Kara No Kyoukai and adds incredible visuals and animation. Sometimes the frames can be stilted and some of the backgrounds aren't very noteworthy but it doesn't detract from everything else.
Sound: The opening and ending credit songs are aesthetically pleasing. The voice actors do a great job in English and Japanese. The OST serves it's purpose excellently to add to the epic battles.
Characters: There are seven mages and servants that get showcased but none more than Kiritsugu Emiya. He is a unique protagonist in the way that he's an adult and that he'll do whatever it takes to win even if it's unethical and justify it as being better for the greater good. His servant Saber/Arturia is showcased as being one of the most noble characters in the story and it's very interesting to see her banter with the rest of the cast. All the master and servant relationships get some time to shine through their quirks and defining personalities. All of the mages and servants paired together mostly have contradictory personalities which adds to create some entertaining character interactions. I personally liked the transformation of one of the masters, Kirei. He doesn't really know what he wants to do at first and mainly follows orders but through meeting and befriending Archer/Gilgamesh, he's able to find a purpose of his own. Another great master servant relationship is Waver and Rider/Iskander. The contrast in their personalities is quite comedic at times and very enjoyable.
Enjoyment: I loved the character interactions and fantastic action scenes. The dialogue and battles are some of the most epic in all of anime. The way it builds off everything in the beginning to create a spectacular second half of the season is very impressive.
Overall: This is one of the best battle anime out there. I can't recommend it enough. If you're willing to be patient, you'll be rewarded with a superb series and a great starter to getting into the massive Fate franchise. I suggest watching Fate Stay Night Heaven's Feel after this but many others would say to watch Unlimited Blade Works.