fate/zero 1
Categories: episodic review, fate/zero
Tagged: fate/zero
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“Our preparations are complete.”
My big early complaint about Fate/Stay Night anime is that it dropped us into the action without really explaining everything. I shouldn’t have to read a wiki or play an eroge to figure out what the hell is going on (take note anime directors). Fate/zero does a much better job in providing background and explanation. Almost too good. Ufotable nailed this aspect in explaining the participants, the rules, and the format– to the point I wasn’t sure if I were watching a baseball pre-game show or an anime. More comically, because they went with so much explanation, there were a lot of scenes that feature nothing but talking, but they had to animate something… so we get scenes like Tosaka-papa and Priest-papa circling poor Kirei as if he’s a drunk blonde, and they were frat bros.
I did enjoy how the episode was nothing but posturing with everyone saying how great everyone else is. It’s a circle jerk of the finest magnitude. I can’t wait for Tosaka-papa to get offed next episode (my prediction just from the episode preview). The best part is imagining all the mages creeping each other on Facebook. Because that’s what this episode reminded me of. A bunch of people stalking each other on Facebook… how else did they get the information on each other? Am I to believe that mages have a better information network than Facebook? Ha. What next? I’m to believe Gundams can dodge lasers?
(I kid, I kid, I know Facebook wasn’t around during this time period, but I can joke about Magebook existing, can’t I?)
(And why does Emiya have a laptop? I really hope he is going to apply Moneyball principles to the Holy Grail War. Look for value. Then he summons Saber, which is basically tossing $200 million at A-Rod.)
(I am enjoying this series. It’s the best show I have watched thus far this season. Which probably isn’t saying a lot.)
Is it just me, or does Fate/zero seem to be a mish-mash of time periods? Here we have Tokiomi looking over something that is ripped from Harry Potter. A scene later, we have Emiya using an inkjet printer. And one of the characters was reading blood. Basically, everyone has a time period to fit their image. Not sure if this goes into the “nicely done!” pile or the “let’s further stereotype the characters!” pile. All that was left was for the Sorting Hat to assign Waver into Slytherin, Kirei into Ravenclaw, and Harry Potter into Gryffindor.
(Yes, they only mentioned five masters hand waving that the last two don’t matter. They probably will matter. Especially if one of them turns out to be Harry Potter… come on, this time period coincides nicely with Harry Potter! How awesome would this be if Harry and He Who Shall Not Be Named were the final two mages? Make it happen.)
I like this huge room with no furniture except for an elaborate bed. Not even a nightstand for the bed? What? And more importantly, we know that Irisviel gives birth to Illy, and Emiya will eventually foster father Emiya 2.0 giving way to the Fifth War of the Grail. Which means this ending is going to be fucked up and… see, this is why I don’t like prequels. You’re trapped by the ending. Either redo the timeline and do crazy stuff like insert Harry Potter or just do a Sixth War of the Grail in the far future. Kinda like Fate/Stay Night: The Next Generation. Hey, it worked for both DeGrassi and Star Trek.
One thing will make this series for me: Irisviel sexing Saber. That would as awesome as Kenshin fighting Shishio.
(Is Saber here the Saber 4 version, and we get Saber 4S in the next Holy Grail War? Is that how it works?)
I like how Waver just stole mail, tricked people into hosting him, and magically gaining a Command Seal after that. It’s like pooping into the fridge and eating a wheel of cheese… not angry… just impressed!
(Maybe we can get Waver to be this series’ Billy Beane. He doesn’t have the resources like a Emiya or a Kirei, so he has to find value guys with great UZR with his summon. Hopefully, he can get enough VORP at key spots to pull out a win.)
Animation has been very good. Details are high, and there’s enough animation, just most of it seems to be people pacing or Tosaka-papa shaking a wine glass. Ufotable looks to be on par with Brains Base’s Penguindrum, and the battles will have to be really good to compete against Shaft’s Madoka. It’s a great battle. Who’d know it would only take other studios five years to catch up to Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya?
I would expect the mages to have a more awesome way of displaying information than a photo clipped to a folder. What is this? The doctor’s office? Since they have Magebook, can’t they also have some sort of iPad-ish thing? Or a room like Homura’s from Madoka? Where’s the magic and intrigue in a picture clipped to a paper file?
I hoped for…
Saber: King Arthur, but the Arthur King Version. He’s also a better QB than Tony Romo.
Caster: Kyubey. He will grant any wish. Though Kyubey is probably a more effective summon for the next Holy Grail War as there are more teenaged chix0rs. Gotta love Type-Moon from going from a plethora of cute high school girls in Fate/Stay Night to a huge sausage fest for Fate/zero.
Archer: Simo Hayha. Dude also shot and killed another sniper but shooting him through his target’s telescopic sight and into his eyeball.
Rider: Vin Diesel. Too fast. Too furious. Who cares that he’s not dead yet.
Berserker: Shinji Ikari and Eva Unit 01. Mentally unstable pair capable of world-altering consequences. Sign me up!
tl;dr
1. Harry Potter would have been an impressive addition to the line-up, much like adding Frasier to an already loaded Must See TV.
2. 48 minute long Facebook– err– Magebook stalkfest.
3. Irisviel sexing Saber would top Senjougahara sexing Ararararagi as “Most awesome scene of 2012.”
21 Responses to “fate/zero 1”
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“Basically, everyone has a time period to fit their image.”
This is actually discussed in the novels a bit, and was gestured at in the episode: most mages don’t like using modern technology. So Tohsaka is using some sort of magical telegraph, and Kiritsugu had the Einzbern castle wired so a fax machine would work. Kiritsugu is unique in not only using modern technology, but preferring it: he abuses mages’ preference for old/magical stuff to surprise them.
Only hit on danbooru for an Irisviel + Saber + Yuri search
http://hijiribe.donmai.us/post/show/555524/
Dammit Japan. You disappoint.
Makes you realize how much wincest… I mean, incest there is in FSN.
I’m a huge fan of F/SN, as it’s in my top 5 favorite Anime series of all time, but wow! Even though F/Z was a lot of talking for the first episode – it was amazing! The visuals are amazing as well, I cannot wait to see if it lives up to F/SN and even surpasses it!
Anchorman reference.
Nicely done. Nicely done.
ufotable also did Kara no Kyoukai, but until now it’s still like a noname studio huh …
@Asch,
F/SN was… bland. The Visual Novel is good – drags out at points but has many awesome moments that make up for it. The anime just didn’t know how to adapt it and had poor writing and animation. Of course, I blame Studio Deen but that’s nothing new.
It’s clear that Fate/Zero is ufotable going with the same style and quality as Kara no Kyoukai which, in itself, practically guarantees an excellent series. Then there’s the fact that the writer of these novels is Urobuchi Gen (Madoka) and you can’t go wrong.
Now if only TYPE-MOON would actually release something new…
LMAO THAT LAPTOP. How did I miss that?
I really hope he is going to apply Moneyball principles to the Holy Grail War. Look for value. Then he summons Saber, which is basically tossing $200 million at A-Rod.
in Emiya’s defense, he is not the team owner. Emiya wanted Caster or Assassin but the Elder wanted Saber. Same thing with Yankees, Cashman wanted to let Arod go but the steinbrenners wanted to keep Arod.
UFOtable is bidding to join the elite studios with this franchise. I have doubts as to how much they can keep the quality up over 26 episodes (one double-length). One thing I noticed was that in the original series, Saber didn’t show up until the end of the second episode, which was just absurd. That would have been the same here, but UFOtable solved it neatly by having a double-length episode.
Huh, didn’t expect you to blog this.
I almost wish I didn’t watch Fate/Stay Night, since it kinda gives you an idea on how this will end.
Sweet, you’re watching this too.
We better get plenty of saber in black suit. Are there any maids in this series?
This show was just as awesome as I hoped it’d be. Hope it keeps up.
@Toboggan
“We better get plenty of saber in black suit”
If this adaption is faithful, we will.
“Are there any maids in this series?”
hmm…. I don’t think so, and I don’t think Illy maids make anymore appearances.
“Either redo the timeline and do crazy stuff like insert Harry Potter or just do a Sixth War of the Grail in the far future. Kinda like Fate/Stay Night: The Next Generation. Hey, it worked for both DeGrassi and Star Trek.”
Sequel? Fate H/A was as close as you would get to an official sequel, but it was more like a f’d up Groundhog. It was interesting, but I’d be terrified to see what an anime adaption of that would look like. Also, the end of the ‘Heaven’s Feel’ arc of Fate S/N kind would kind of rule out an outright 6th war.
So reboot I guess, or perhaps a direct continuation from the UBW arc… so long as Urobuchi Gen writes it or course.
If you’re still having trouble with Hi10 on the Mac, try using MPlayerX here: http://mplayerx.org/
(Is Saber here the Saber 4 version, and we get Saber 4S in the next Holy Grail War? Is that how it works?)
This is why you’re awesome Jason
I’m all for UFOtable coming back and re-doing Fate/Stay Night after this. Make us forget about Studio Deen, please.
*sigh* looks like we won’t be getting a full 26 ep. run, but a cut in December, and then a start of the second half in….
wait for it…
April, after which we will see the end in June.
Needless to say, I ‘m a little miffed… but so long as the quality’s good before and after the break I don’t mind… I guess.
“I did enjoy how the episode was nothing but posturing with everyone saying how great everyone else is. It’s a circle jerk of the finest magnitude.”
Expect more of that later, with each servant being introduced as being the most awesomest, sure-win, godlike hero evar.
It works because it makes you anticipate the battles more. (And they do not disappoint)
I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.
There are already a few plot inconsistancies from the visual novel. For one: Emiya Kiritsugu was a rogue magician and an unknown; he has no reputation!
2) It shouldn’t be possible for the kid to read about the holy grail war in a book because the war was secret! They held it in Japan at the far corner of the world, originally so as to be far away from the prying eyes of the government.
But yeah, I’m starting to think the original was better when they didn’t fill in the blanks in the back story.
sorry but I’ve played the visual novel enough times to say, no more Fate/Stay Night. If i have to watch the same thing 1 more time, im going to throw a kitten out the window