1/31/2015 - 9:18 PM - GMT +8
By: Seth Legaspi
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| Yes, it must begin with Saber |
I know... I know... It's been quite a while since the last episode of the first arc aired, but for me, simply re-watching one episode reignites that fire immediately! Of course, seeing Saber in each episode helps, since she has that famed B-ranked charisma that livens up each scene she appears in.
By Ufotable, the Fate series takes on another route that is based on the brilliant Visual Novel by Type-Moon; "Fate/stay Night."
This time, it's based on the route that its title is named after, "The Unlimited Blade Works" route.
To begin, I would first like to say thank you to the people who made this anime adaptation. It truly awed me. I don't want to repeat what I stated in the previous article relating to this series' prologue, but I have to applaud the staff whose creative takes on the story were easy to adapt to, and not too absurd to make it too different from the original.
An example would be Illyasviel's mystic codes,
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| Her ladyship Illyasviel von Einzbern |
Another would be this scene:
Yes, different, but again, the story is told in such a way that it does not disrupt the original canon plot-line, thus giving these creative liberties a natural feel to them as they are introduced.
The show also exceeded my expectations by introducing and showing characters that weren't really introduced, or even shown a shadow of, in the canon plot-line. So when the show showed some of these characters (a number of which I introduced in an earlier article), some of whom I thought would never make an appearance, my admiration for this show rose up.
Moving on, the art style is also really smooth, though I noticed that the artist has a thing with really 'sharp' chins. Just take a look at Rin here:
The show also exceeded my expectations by introducing and showing characters that weren't really introduced, or even shown a shadow of, in the canon plot-line. So when the show showed some of these characters (a number of which I introduced in an earlier article), some of whom I thought would never make an appearance, my admiration for this show rose up.
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| (Left - Right) Leysritt - Sella |
Moving on, the art style is also really smooth, though I noticed that the artist has a thing with really 'sharp' chins. Just take a look at Rin here:
Next we have the OP and ED, and these two parts of the show were segments that I really looked forward to, in each episode. This was mostly due to the excellent timing and placement of the two, as well as the cool and beautiful visuals that complimented the song.
The OP, 'Ideal White,' by Mashiro Ayano is a song that impassioned me every episode. Mixed with the stunning visuals, Ayano was able to really build up anticipation, while keeping me glued on the screen watching and listening to the OP. It also sustains the overall theme of the route that the series is taking, which I won't delve too much into here.
The ED, 'Believe,' by Kalafina is a chorus that really gave me those 'chills.' It was a song that applied to this series with Fate/Zero as the prequel, as well as the overall theme of "Unlimited Blade Works." With the visuals that came with it, the ED made me feel truly nostalgic with regards to the series, and with its placement at the end, it really gives that bitter-sweet message about the entirety of the story.
During the last episode, a familiar tune started playing... 'This Illusion,' sung by LiSA is a shout-out towards the Visual Novel, which uses this song as its tune. Compared to 'Disillusion,' by Sachi Tainaka, LiSA's version has a higher pitch, along with a more active tune, a tune which I believe is, in part, due to the higher number of instruments used.
Speaking of songs, there are also the sound effects, as well as the background music that was utilized in each scene throughout the show. They simply helped in immersing a viewer, such as myself, in the world of Fate/stay Night.
Heck, the background music by itself adds tension to 'discussion scenes,' such as the one I took a screenshot of below.
For the first arc of the 'Unlimited Blade Works' route, this was surprisingly action-packed. With the good mix of creative battle scenes, 'new' characters, as well as the music and sound effects; this series turned out to be absolutely fantastic.
What I truly loved about this series despite knowing the overall story already, is the creative touch that the staff applied throughout the entire show. Added to this would be the way they introduced the other side-characters without having an overall effect on the entirety of the plot, in fact, they also alluded to some things related to the 'Heaven's Feel' route of the Fate/stay night story. Of course, the action scenes really tipped my interest a lot... They were just that well-made.
I highly recommend this anime series to Type-Moon fans, as well as people who are interested in knowing more about the Fate franchise, since this show by Ufotable really did justice on the 'Unlimited Blade Works' route so far. Of course, for people new to the series, I'd recommend you all watch Fate/Zero first since it's the prequel to this series, and if possible; the earlier series based on the 'Fate' route of the visual novel, 'Fate/stay night', by Studio DEEN.
Speaking of songs, there are also the sound effects, as well as the background music that was utilized in each scene throughout the show. They simply helped in immersing a viewer, such as myself, in the world of Fate/stay Night.
Heck, the background music by itself adds tension to 'discussion scenes,' such as the one I took a screenshot of below.
For the first arc of the 'Unlimited Blade Works' route, this was surprisingly action-packed. With the good mix of creative battle scenes, 'new' characters, as well as the music and sound effects; this series turned out to be absolutely fantastic.
What I truly loved about this series despite knowing the overall story already, is the creative touch that the staff applied throughout the entire show. Added to this would be the way they introduced the other side-characters without having an overall effect on the entirety of the plot, in fact, they also alluded to some things related to the 'Heaven's Feel' route of the Fate/stay night story. Of course, the action scenes really tipped my interest a lot... They were just that well-made.
I highly recommend this anime series to Type-Moon fans, as well as people who are interested in knowing more about the Fate franchise, since this show by Ufotable really did justice on the 'Unlimited Blade Works' route so far. Of course, for people new to the series, I'd recommend you all watch Fate/Zero first since it's the prequel to this series, and if possible; the earlier series based on the 'Fate' route of the visual novel, 'Fate/stay night', by Studio DEEN.
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| Sakura's still waiting for her turn... |
Watch it! If you need another reason to... Well...
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