Review of Fate/Zero

WATCH IF: You are into dark, character-driven anime that deals with a lot of mature themes. Also, if you are into sadness, and you just want to feel pain. DON'T WATCH IF: You are just looking for something lighthearted, or if you are in the mood for something more action-based or less dialogue-heavy. --- Wow. What a masterpiece. For my first review on this site, I wanted it to be Fate/Zero because I just love it so much. I will be honest. I watched this without any expectations. I had seen Fate/Stay Night just a few nights past, and while I liked it fair enough, it wasn't the kindof anime that I would be willing to watch again. In two words: pretty forgettable. Still, the premise of the show was fascinating enough that I figured, 'ah, hell, might as well watch the other one.'

The premise for both series is pretty similar. Imagine if you played Celebrity Deathmatch against seven other people, except instead of Justin Timberlake or BritBrit, you got legendary heroes from history and/or folklore. Sounds like an OP heroes crossover wet dream of sorts, which is pretty much why I kept watching even if I didn't like Fate/Stay Night all that much.

Oh boy, oh boy. Look, if you didn't like F/SN, or if you are planning on watching F/SN or UBW, just watch this first. Seriously. It's the best one, and it's the one you can't miss. It's complex, adult, different. It hit the mark in pretty much every aspect.

STORY:

Main premise is simple enough. Honestly, any 10-year-old with a half-decent imagination (and some really cool action figures) must have conjured up such a storyline at one point in their lives. But that isn't why it's so good. The series takes a simple premise and adds in all these little details and nuances to make it seem more real.

It delves into themes that are very mature and very dark. For example, the show actually critiques the kind of radical romanticism that is held by the main character in a lot shonen shows. At the same time, it isn't so cynical; it also goes on to critique absolute pragmatism. Barring some episodes that dwelled too much on telling (dialogue) rather than showing, the writing in this series is absolutely top notch.

Furthermore, it has tons of subplots that develop the characters but at the same time drive the story forward. To do one thing is a feat, but to do both at the same time just takes talent. Pacing is fast enough to keep you on the edge of your seat (although admittedly Season 2 does this better than Season 1), but at the same time it isn't fast enough to keep you from getting attached to the characters.

ART:

I love that they threw in some CGI there. It makes for a very stylish and unique-looking anime. It isn't quite as good as UBW, but hell, I think it's still very good and all the action sequences are very much well-animated.

SOUND:

OST is great. It doesn't stand out, I don't think, not in the way that it stands out because it's so revolutionary. It's standard action-type music - you get some rock-ish and/or operatic vibes. It is effective, though, so I will give them that.

CHARACTER:

The storytelling is top-notch, but it is the characterisations in this series that really pulls you in. You have a diverse set of characters with different motivations and different viewpoints. This is crucial in a show that's pretty much just about 7 people against each other. One moment, you find yourself rooting for someone; the next, you find them yourself hating them to bits. Everyone has a dark or selfish side, but everyone shows signs of redemption as well. It really makes you feel like war is breaking out - because no one is absolute right; everyone is just stuck in a really shitty situation.

Beyond the individual characters themselves, the dynamics between Masters (think of the player controlling the celebrity in our hypothetical celebrity death match) and Servants (the celebrities) are very well-thought out and meaningful. Kiritsugu and his servant, despite having similar end goals, possess ideologies on polar ends of the spectrum; a contrast is also shown between the immature/insecure Waver and his easygoing but confident servant. Other dynamics are forged to create meaningful subplots that reveal a lot about humanity.

OVERALL:

I can go on and on, because I really love this anime so much. I won't be completely biased. There are parts when they just drone on with the dialogue. The first episode in particular, despite having an epic ending, was a massive info dump. However, the strengths of this series completely outshine the very few weaknesses. Don't miss out on this show. It's a classic.