Fate/stay night

Recently, I have been diving into the world of anime. I'm honestly not an anime guy. I do read a lot of manga but being a fully functioning adult, I don't really have the time to be fully committed to anime. I mean, with manga, I can just finish a chapter within a few minutes but an episode of anime would take around 15 to 30 minutes to watch. However, I now have the urge to start something new and anime was the most accessible door to knock on. 

I watched some clips of Fate/stay night on TikTok and was intrigued to watch the whole series. I did watch some episodes during my university semester breaks years and years ago but I didn't have the chance to finish the series because there were no streaming platforms back then. I watched those episodes on Astro TV where each episode came out weekly. There were no binge watching back then, no skipping the intro and outro, just an agonizing wait for new episodes weekly. 

To summarize the story for those who are not familiar with this anime; mages exist in this world and they battle one another to claim The Holy Grail - a magical artifact that could grant any wish. There are 7 mages referred to as Masters and each one of them summons a powerful warrior of history to fight side by side known as Servants. 

I asked Gemini on the order of the series I have to watch and it suggested Unlimited Blade Works as the start for optimum viewing pleasure. 

The first thing I noticed was the sheer quality of the animation. Well, it's no surprise because it was animated by ufotable - the same studio that has been doing Demon Slayer. The battles are beautifully choreographed and visualized that even the smallest details are not overlooked. The anime community even refers this anime as "Unlimited Budget Works" because of the high quality of animation. 

I felt a bit off at first because the Fate/stay night that I remembered focused more on Saber but Unlimited Blade Works seems to be all about Shirou and Rin. So I did some research and found out that the one I watched back in the day was the Studio Deen version of Fate/stay night (2006). I was a bit disappointed because I adore Saber so much and was excited to see more of her but the 2006 version was so dated that I had trouble finding the anime on current streaming platforms. Therefore, I decided to just go on with Unlimited Blade Works. 

I have to admit that the pacing can be slow. The fights are awesome to see but most of the time, the characters are chatting and cleaning and eating. I'm not saying that it is totally boring as the series do bring up some interesting arguments like what is justice and what makes a person a real hero and is it worth it to sacrifice everything for the sake of the world when the world itself never want to change for the better. The most intriguing of all for me is the paradox of Archer and Shirou. I can't get into that in detail without spoiling the biggest plot twist of the series but that specific paradox stayed with me for a long time even after I finished the series. 

Even though Shirou Emiya is the protagonist, I found myself falling for Rin Tohsaka. She’s the classic 'tsundere'—sharp and guarded at first—but when she lets her guard down, she’s incredibly affectionate and caring in her own way. At first, characters like Sakura and Rider felt unnecessary to the plot, but after watching the Heaven's Feel movies, I finally understood why their presence in Unlimited Blade Works is so vital. It’s all part of a much larger, darker puzzle.

​All in all, I enjoyed the series, but I still find myself craving something darker and more fast-paced. That’s why, at the end of the day, I have to say I enjoyed Fate/Zero more than Unlimited Blade Works.

 

I wasted no time diving into Fate/Zero which works as the prequel of Unlimited Blade Works.

If Unlimited Blade Works is a high-octane battle shonen, Fate/Zero is a dark, psychological war thriller. I immediately noticed how dark the series is even at episode 1. This isn't a 'high school' story. Instead, it is truly a war between mages who are also pro killers, sociopaths and renowned kings. 

For me, the most compelling character is Kiritsugu Emiya, dubbed Magus Killer. He doesn't rely solely on magic but he uses everything at his disposal to win the Holy Grail War. He kills, lies and cheats as he strongly believes that the end justifies the means. He has no pride as a mage; he is a pragmatist driven by a desperate wish to make the world a better place.

Then, there's his nemesis, Kirei Kotomine, The Executor. Unable to feel emotions like most people, Kirei seeks the meaning of his existence through violence. For him, Kiritsugu's existence is most intriguing as he relates to the man's emptiness but cannot comprehend his drive. Kirei is a physical beast. Even using only simple blades, he goes toe to toe with Kiritsugu's modern strategies and weaponry. 

While I was a bit sad to see Saber not being the main focus, that feeling is easily overwhelmed by the extreme collision of Kiritsugu and Kirei's personalities. Of course, the action parts were also engaging as the all battles are high stake and beautifully animated.  

Animated by the same studio, Fate/Zero doesn't lose in terms of quality. If Unlimited Blade Works is beautifully vibrant, Fate/Zero can be said as cinematically dark, fitting their themes. 

So, yeah, I want to say it again, I prefer Fate/Zero over Unlimited Blade Works. Not that latter is bad in terms of quality but it's more of preference kind of thing. I prefer animes that are fast paced and dark. 

 

The last on the list of recommended order of Fate/stay night is the movie trilogy; Heaven's Feel. I feel that the studio combined the themes of Unlimited Blade Works and Fate/Zero together in order to make Heaven's Feel their ultimate masterpiece. It retains the high school elements of the former and the dark horrors of the latter. In fact, it arguably surpasses Fate/Zero in terms of grimness as it is dubbed the darkest, most R-rated version of the Holy Grail War.

The animation is peak! I can't express enough how beautiful these movies are. When you combine high quality animation with high stakes battles, the viewing experience is indeed satisfying. I watched sneak peeks of Saber Alter VS Berserker on Tiktok so I know what to expect. But! I never watched any videos on the last battle in the third movie so I was really surprised to see how awesome Rider can be when facing Saber Alter. That specific fight finally answers the question of why Rider is classified as Rider when she appears more like an Assassin. I have to tell you, I replayed that final battle so many times. 

 

 

So, after weeks of binging through different timelines and legendary wars, I have to say that I enjoyed the Fate/stay night series very much. If you ask me to choose which one is the best, well I would tell you that it is an extremely hard decision to make. Choosing between the dynamic of Rin and Shirou, the brutal rivalry of Kiritsugu and Kirei, or the tragic depth of Sakura and Shirou is too difficult. 

Instead, I view these three chapters as one singular masterpiece. Even though the Heaven's Feel trilogy explores an alternate route, to me, they feel like one grand, interconnected story.