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

*Spoiler-free review* I love Fate. I love Fate/Grand Order. However, as all things, it does have some faults, some even severely affecting my enjoyment of the show. The beauty of this particular arc of the game was that it was the end of a long journey, and you enter the Age of the Gods with hopeful expectations that are in, one way or the other, fulfilled. However, for anime-only watchers, this feeling won't be present, and thus snatching away what made me, as a F/GO player, love this arc in the first place. They also changed some parts of the story, which I was not afan of.

The art and animation is great, especially in the beginning and certain, later fights. A huge problem I have with the animation, though, is the CGI of the final boss. While it certainly gave off the feeling of an other-worldly being, it took me out of my immersion and made me cringe each time I saw it in what was supposed to be mainly a 2D-format. The monsters first seen in the anime didn't bug me that much at all, as it was easier to hide and somehow blended in better. Other than this, the art was definitely above average.

As for the characters; they are all loveable, except for the main character, Ritsuka, who takes on a larger role than needed. I understand the logic behind a main character needing to "do something" and trying to expand upon his personality, but when his role is already established from the beginning as being a support to his Servant, and his non-existing personality trying to be developed... well, it feels off, to say the least. The other characters all mostly come across the same as in the game, and Merlin in particular was very interesting to see animated. Most were portrayed well, although the quality certainly fell in some of the later episodes, which was a pity.

All in all, even if I was disappointed with certain episodes, I felt that it did the game justice as an adaptation. I'd recommend it to anyone who has played F/GO, as some knowledge of the earlier singularities and the game itself makes this anime more enjoyable.