Review of Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel - II. Lost Butterfly

I wasn’t too pleased with the pacing of the first movie. I’m glad to report that Heaven’s Feel II not only has its events flow together better, but also has more going on. The plot starts getting more interesting. The mystery of the shadow escalates as it gets up to more and more. Shirou not having a Servant anymore yet still being the most active member of the war is easily the coolest part. And all of that buildup from Sakura loving Shirou finally pays off as she starts being doing things, too. The fights this time around have more weight and they fit into thestory better. The first movie felt like it had all of these Servants but didn’t want them for the story it wanted to tell, so it started killing off the loose fat very quickly. Now that we’re in the thick of it, consequences of battles make more sense. Also Berserker maintains his glory from Unlimited Blade Works, so bonus points there.

I think my only gripe is the uptick in horniness this time around. Fate’s no stranger to getting risqué, but those scenes were mostly stepped over. Sakura’s character — and therefore chunks of this movie — is practically (and literally) laced with lewdness here. Granted, it doesn’t feel like it’s done in a fanservice kind of way, but I was wondering if it was necessary whenever it happened. Similar to my thoughts on the Worm Pit being unnecessary in Unlimited Blade Works, I think Sakura’s character could’ve turned out the same way with alternative circumstances.

While being a part of a grander story means Heaven’s Feel II can’t stand on its own, it can certainly stand as a movie experience. Unlike Heaven’s Feel I, it felt like a whole two hours have been filled without my attention wavering. So if you happened to want to give up after the first movie, I’d give it a shot.