The Holy Grail War has consumed all who have entered
it. Some have lost their lives, others
have lost their way. With the combatants
down to the final numbers, the time has come to conclude the epic affair. As Saber confronts Berserker, Rider makes a
final stand against Archer. And at the
end of the path, Kiritsugu and Kirei begin their ultimate duel. Little do they all know, the outcome of these
battles will determine no winner. For
this whole ordeal has been but a prologue to a greater battle yet to come. The 4th Holy Grail War reaches a
horrific conclusion…as the 5th Holy Grail War looms beyond in the
coming darkness.
After 20+ episodes of build up, I have to say that while
it did have a bit of a stumble towards the very end, Fate/Zero still managed to
deliver a gut wrenching finale. Kings
shared final toasts, rivals finally faced each other and the Holy Grail turned
out to be a weapon of mass destruction disguised as something that doesn’t look
like the cup of a carpenter (bonus points if you get that reference).
The finale definitely earns a lot of praise for ending
the amazing journey of Waver and Rider on the best possible note. At last, Rider let Waver in on a little
secret: not only was Waver always his master, he was always his friend as
well. Of all the masters and servants in
this war, no bond has been more genuine in its admiration. Unlike Lancer, Rider was never screwed over
by his master and was given the most glorious ending of any of the
servants. I mean, yes he didn’t kill
Gilgamesh (this series isn’t that kind).
But to see Rider die with a smile on his face, seeing his final dream
destination reached at his death (sort of like Ryunosuke but Rider likeable),
you couldntve asked for a better send off.
What’s more, Waver looks set to follow Riders example and travel the
world, learning new things and finding new experiences. I cant even believe im about to type this…but
cudos to Gilgamesh for actually having me like him during this little arc. He still talks in a belittling tone to Rider
but respects the hell out of him. In
another lifetime, they might very well have been friends…nahhhhh Gilgamesh
isn’t that sentimental. If anyone in this show truly lived up to their title of
“hero” it was definitely Rider and Waver…he couldntve asked for a better
teacher of life.
As it was time to wrap everything up, it was also time
for the final showdown between all rivals.
Studio Ufotable saved their best for last with the three big battles in
the finale: Rider vs Gilgamesh, Kiritsugu vs Kirei and Saber vs.
Berserker. Each one was animated with
precision and there were no flaws to be found.
Even the 300 style esque final charge of Rider was fitting. But Kiritsugu and Kirei lived up the most to
their much built up face off. It
reminded me a lot of Alucard fighting Father Anderson in Hellsing, what with
one opponent using guns and regeneration techniques against a mad priest with
really big knives. The battle was brutal
and awesome in all the right ways. I do
feel like it was cheated out of a proper ending but ill talk about that in a
bit. Finally, Saber vs Berserker took an
interesting turn when the big guys secret was revealed, the man under the
helmet. It shook Saber to her core and
drove in Rider’s correct understanding that Saber had failed to live up to her
title of King. So lost in her own
legend, Saber never knew those closest to her were hurting the most because
she’d never judge them for their actions.
But that was just the beginning of Sabers tragic bookmark on this
chapter of the Fate Franchise.
Once Kiritsugu finally got to the Holy Grail, things went
a little End of Evangelion. As the Grail
spoke to Kiritsugu and showed him just how his “wish” would be granted,
Kiritsugu finally saw what should have been obvious from the start…his wish was
a bad idea. Because of course, it’s
impossible to rid the world of all evil and save the good without a little
annihilation on a global scale. The
“Whatever it takes” philosophy Kiritsugu has long lived by was thrown in his
face hard and in the end, he accepted it wasn’t what he wanted, even if it
meant reuniting with his wife and daughter.
I’m glad he rejected the Grail…but did we really need to see him
actually kill the manifestations of Iri and Illiya, that was a bit too much.
And really, Kiritsugu rejecting the Grail and then
commanding Saber to destroy it is really where Fate/Zero could have ended and
it might’ve been spared a bit of my criticisms.
However, we not only had to tie up the loose ends of Kiritsugu, Saber,
Kirei, Gilgamesh and Kariya but we also had to set up the stories for the next
generation. Shiro, Rin and Sakura all
make appearances in lengthy segments setting up their characters. Shiro takes over the reigns of Kiritsugu’s
heroic dream…lets hope it goes better in another route. Rin tearfully accepts her role as head of the
family, oh and her mothers alive but her brain is permenantly damaged from
Kariya’s attack. And Sakura just
creepily stands by as Kariya dies in his own fantasy…ok not exactly the end I
expected for Kariya, who probably should have died right after he tried to kill
Rin’s mom but that’s just me. Oh and
Kirei finally accepts his wish for more global devestation while Gilgamesh
watches him with glee…and naked WHY IS HE NAKED!!!???
All this focus on the future, to me, feels a bit like a
cheat to the Fate/Zero narrative. The
events of this series take place a decade before Fate/Stay Night, so I do feel
like the characters here could have all gotten some extra recognition at the
very end. Only Waver seems to get this,
coming out of his trails in the Grail War better than he was before. And I know, im not sure how story there was
left to dedicate to the end of this Holy Grail War before putting the pieces in
place for the next one. Its just…ugh
maybe I could have done without a Shiro moment cause we get enough of why he
gets started with his hero fetish later on.
The Rin scene was ok because it’s Rin and they had to bury her
father. Also, if Sakura is so darkly
corrupted, why doesn’t she have more focus in the main series? As much as I praise most of Fate/Zero’s final episodes, I cant ignore
that I have more critiques and questions than I do universal praise.
So, my final thoughts on Fate/Zero? This is the Anime equivalent of Game of
Thrones in my opinion and stands head and shoulders above its parent
series. The characters are far more deep
and complex and enjoyable (the good, the bad and the ones you really shouldn’t
find any joy in watching). The story is
dark, appropriately so for a battle with stakes such as this. The action ranks up there as some of the best
ive seen in Anime (matching legends like Dragon Ball Z, Black Lagoon and One
Punch Man). The animation…come on it’s
Studio Ufotable, the worst you can say is, “they’ve animated Fate/Zero,
Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel…can we just have them do the first
series again with better animation too?”
And Yuki Kaijura proved why she is the equal of Yoko Kanno in my eyes
with her amazing musical score (now if only we could get them to do a remix of
the Escaflowne “Dance of Curse” with “Magia” from Madoka Magica, then we’d have
the ultimate battle theme). Had the
ending not felt so rushed to get things right into Fate/Stay Night, this show
could have earned itself a 10/10. But
faults are where they are besides the ending.
The cast is overly packed and not everyone gets their proper due,
they’re either hyped up and don’t deliver or are given good material but never
any decent screen time to develop. It’s
also hard to find someone, besides Waver and Rider, to root for because
everyone in this series is selfish and does something unlikeable at least once. Still, Game of Thrones has a cast alot like that
so I guess it isn’t that big of a deal.
My final word: if you’re looking to get into the Fate
Franchise, this is the perfect starting point.
Just be prepared if other entries aren’t as strong going forward. Fate/Zero is a prequel that takes an already
average bar and raises it to new heights.
It’s one of the best Anime of the decade and one that shouldn’t be
missed. Hell even if you take one trip
into this Holy Grail War, this would be the one to experience. There’s even familiar Fate elements and
characters who have plenty of time to show you why the fans love them (looking
at you Rin, Saber, Gilgamesh and Kirei).
Fate/Zero is a freaking awesome show from start to finish and is one I
would recommend to anyone looking to see a taste of the pure storytelling power
Anime is capable of. Summon your spirit,
get together with a friend who loves the franchise and get ready for one
helluva ride.
9/10
Now let’s hope that the next chapter lives up to the
example set here. Yep, the summer rolls
right into Ufotable’s next crack at the Fate franchise with Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works. Which means my waifu Rin is back and so is
Shiro…oh how ive missed bashing his stupid philosophy. This is going to be fun. See ya next time.
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