First Impressions – Fate/Zero

The awesomeness of Fall is finally here. IS YOUR BODY READY?!

Hoo boy! It feels like I have been waiting for this since the beginning of the year and the only reason for me to watch it live simulcasted for the first time. Usually I shirk away from live streaming because the quality is shit and when we talk about ufotable, their animation is something that one has to enjoy with HD/Bluray quality. Still, it was worth it and I can’t wait to go all out in sharing my experience but before that, let me welcome my other teammates tagging this first impressions with me.

MY BODY IS READY. Fate/Stay wasn’t the greatest (anime wise), but I watched/played it so long ago that it doesn’t really matter now because I forget pretty much everything that happened. Plus I’ve seen the previews and that animation is SO PRETTEH. To say that I’m excited for this is an understatement.

I have been really excited for Fate/Zero ever since I saw the first promo released about like 15 weeks ago or w/e it was. Saturdays are now the day of the 4th Holy Grail War, and I’m sure it’s going to be awesome to watch. MY BODY IS READY too, Karakuri!

As you should know, Kyokai is a big Type-Moon fangirl, it is my duty to enlighten you about the world you are delving into so that you don’t feel lost. From how the episode panned up, rather than wasting my time in going minute by minute breakup; I’d rather summarize the character bios and what they are all about as there are many and it will take you time to grasp it unless you are already a fan. A caution for the type of readers though:

  • Ideal situation is, you love nasuverse. You were getting over yourself and everything else to see this and you were refreshing the niconico page just to see the livestream go live. I’m gonna love interacting with you, so drop by often!
  • Good situation is, you haven’t seen Fate/stay night or Tsukihime, which makes you a fandom nublet. You might have heard of it or even Type-Moon visual novels but you never got around it until now. You are in the right hands.
  • Mildly good situation is, even after seeing Fate/stay night, you ended up somehow reading about nasuverse or even played the visual novel turning you into a mild fanboy/girl. You are in experienced hands.
  • Worse situation is, you have seen Fate/stay night, hated it and had sworn to never see anything near it but still checking it out just because it looks good. I’ll take care of you, good~
  • Worst situation is, you think you know everything calling yourself an elitist, hating on everything. I have no words for you. GTFO!

Like Waver researched, the war started 200 years ago by three families: Einzbern, Tohsaka and Makiri (Matou). Their ultimate goal was to open a gate to Akasha (Akashik record is a recurring term in nasuverse) and gain miracles. However, this seeking the Holy Grail actually ended up making one of them victorious. This started the discord between these old magi families, not to mention when the Church and Magi Association heard of this miracle making machine they wanted in as well. So, now every 60 years at Fuyuki, seven mages gather with their summoned servants (heroes from every age and nation) to battle it out for the opportunity to power. The last one standing takes it all.

Kiritsugu Emiya

The Mage Killer, infamous rogue mage, who was a freelance assassin using unforgivable methods, unlike a mage; sniping, poisoning, bomb blasts in public areas. He played mercenary in warzones where combat was fiercest. It was as if he was chasing after his own death. His feats almost suicidal until he encountered the Einzbern. That is where his killing spree ends with a lull of nine years but he’s still seeking for something true and ideal.

He meets his life partner, Irisviel and they have a daughter together named Illyasviel. Though, he’s wary of these bonds because he knows that everything would end. He’s even afraid of holding his own daughter due to his burdens. However, Iri’s with him in his search for the true ideal; a reality that will save the humanity. Is he looking for utopia? But as the cards are set, it seems he will lose his most prized possession Iri in the process. But there’s definitely something more to just the glory of Holy Grail here because his motives are still unclear as there’s a limit sacrificing oneself for money. Though, he’s all srs bsn for collecting all tools to win this battle.

It literally seems he’s running for a campaign because he’s gathering intel on all other masters along with status checks on relics acquired. The Elder Einzbern manages to acquire the 1,500 year old Excalibur’s scabbard, which is to be used in tandem with a sword wielding summoned hero. Saber-class or not a servant to him is a tool and he will hone it to sprawl a brilliant strategy to overcome all.

Secondary characters:

  • Wife (Irisviel)
  • Daughter (Illysviel)
  • Einzbern Elder
  • An Assistant (to be revealed)
  • Servant: Saber (Most Outstanding Servant Class)
Kirei Kotomine

A forlorn looking priest from whom the meaning of life still escapes. He was one of the unlikely choices of Holy Grail War and even an earlier one (compared to others), selected to compete. Having no direct magical connection, he’s taken as a pupil by Tokiomi Tohsaka, three years prior to the Holy Grail War commencement. Though, it’s all a conspiracy by Tokiomi to one up on others to get the grail for himself and use his influence over the Church.

Before all of this though, he was an Executioner (heretic hunter), a trait of killing that he shares with Kiritsugu, who he recognizes as a worthy opponent. He studied so many magecraft fields but never went to mastering any one. He throws away everything he learns, abandoning it just before mastering it. Passion seems to be missing in his life and he supposedly believes in nothing. He lost his wife just a few days ago from his command seal appearing. He has no wish to be granted so why was he chosen in the first place? He’s clueless of the why, but he’s foreboding for an answer.

The time before and after his training is still to be revealed. Same goes for when he summoned his servant Assasin. To be revealed later along with some information on the relic he used.

Secondary characters:

  • Wife (deceased),
  • Daughter (Caren)
  • Father (Risei Kotomine)
  • Partner in Crime (Tokiomi Tohsaka)
  • Servant: Assasin (Hassan, master of Stratagem)
Tokiomi Tohsaka

The heir to the Tohsaka name, husband of Aoi (Kariya’s friend) and father of Rin and Sakura. He uses his close acquaintance with the Church to gain an early pawn for the Holy Grail War. He conspires with Risei to possess the all powerful, omnipotent wish granting device. According to him, it’s a mere saved from not letting it fall into the wrong hands. He wants to one up on Einzbern and Matou and readies his victory, playing pretend enemies with Kirie while in shadows working together to defeat the other five masters to get victory in the end.

He keeps close tabs on other masters as well and identifies Kiritsugu as a big threat. Even if it would kill him to lose the Grail, he accepts Zouken’s offer to adopt his daughter Sakura because of no potential found in Byakuya (Kariya’s brother and Shinji’s father from Fate/stay night). He acquires a rare first skin shed by a snake as a relic to summon his servant. He seems to be a manipulative character to the core.

Secondary characters:

  • Wife (Aoi)
  • Daughters (Rin & Sakura)
  • Partners in crime (Risei & Kirei Kotomine)
  • Acquaintance (Zouken and Kariya)
  • Servant: Archer (Gilgamesh)
Kariya Matou

True heir to Matou legacy and one of the only ones to whom sorcery came naturally; however, he left it all in disgust not wanting to be a part of it. But, after he returns from a long business trip and went to see his beloved Aoi (who he eternally loves even if she didn’t marry him), he finds out that her younger daughter Sakura has been adopted by his own family to continue the thinning bloodline. In rage and revulsion, he returns to his father Zouken to trade himself instead of Sakura. He would train and participate in the Holy Grail War to win it even if his life depended upon it, which eventually does happen as Zouken happily infuses him with his creepy crest worms to enhance his mage powers.

By the end, he’s totally deformed by hosting the worms in his body. But Sakura is still not saved as Zouken would continue training her until he won the Grail (one year from war commencement), if he doesn’t she can always replace him in the next one. However bad things are, it’s heartwarming to see that he’s pretty friendly with both Rin and Sakura.  Zouken instructs him to add the ‘Berserk’ line into his incantation as he would require such a hero to balance out his lacking skills of sorcery.

Secondary characters:

  • Love (Aoi)
  • Chibis (Rin & Sakura)
  • Father (Zouken Matou)
  • Brother (Byakuya)
  • Uncle to (Shinji & technically Sakura too)
  • Acquaintance (Tokiomi)
  • Servant: Berserker (Black Knight)
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald

An important nobleman, who stands as a golden rooster over the Mage’s Association. Being an elite lecturer, his goal is to become even more famous. He revels at his nine generations worth of magi blood and doesn’t seem to pay any heed to talent or skill. According to him, Waver is but a bouncing baby as his family came into magecraft only three generations ago. To him bloodline is everything and he uses all his connections and knowledge to acquire not just one but two relics. One of which is actually kidnapped by Waver without his notice, so you can say it was better for him to be cautionary. Expect lots of swiping his hair and pretence from this character. In one word, wishy-washy.

Secondary characters:

  • Fiancé (Sola-Ui), Students (mostly hated) and Acquaintance (Risei and Mage Association friendly magi)
  • Servant: Lancer

Waver Velvet

The youngest master in the running and he’s pretty funny too. According to him, unlike Archibald, bloodline is not everything. A wizard should be known in the new century for his knowledge, delicate control on the skills and how he uses them. He’s provoked by Archibald for thinking up wild and juvenile fantasies and he ends up quitting the class. However, after examining a package that arrived for the said sensei, he researches about the Holy Grail War and decides to participate in it. He travels to Japan with his prized possession (a relic from Macedonia) and ends up at Fuyuki. He uses his abilities to make an elderly couple think that he’s their grandson. His ambition of becoming something invokes the command seal, which he appraisingly owns to prove that he can do all of this and more without any bloodline influence.

Secondary characters:

  • Acquaintance (Hypnotized Old Couple and Archibald)
  • Servant: Rider (Guess who this bad boy is?! Alexander the Great!)
Ryuunosuke Uryuu

(Inserted from episode 2 review). A heartless serial killer, who revels in the act as if it gives him energy because nothing else interests him. He’s amused by the many names given to him from demon to animal and in his own words, “Unemployed. Favourite hobby is to murder, murder and stabbing people; especially, kids and little girls.” In short, killing is highly amusing to him and he’s always on the lookout for doing it in unique ways. In finding more such ‘ways’, he finds an old book from his ancestors at his parents’ house (confirms them as participants of a previous war). As Ryuunosuke doesn’t know anything about magic or even the war, his only goal is to summon a demon following the instructions.

After some failed attempts and still on his usual killing spree, he kills an entire family saving a kid. He uses their blood to etch the summoning circle and while he idiotically makes terror jokes to the kid, his command seal appears, which activates the summoning circle and the last servant Caster makes his entry.

Bad for the kid, this specific pair of master and servant turn out to be peas in a pod. On Ryuunosuke’s itching for sacrifice, Caster shows him that some forms of terrors are more potent than others and as terror is not static but dynamic, fear’s intensity can be played around with and that is what happens with the kid who was set free just for few moments before he’s horribly killed by Caster’s spell. Even if Ryuu can’t care less about the Holy Grail War, he partners up with Caster happily just to get an understanding he hasn’t gotten from anybody earlier. And of course, seeing more murders in innovative ways.

Secondary characters:

  • Too many murdered bodies to keep a count
  • Servant: Caster (Blue Beard – only servant with magecraft ability)

Coming to servants, every Holy Grail War, heroes of past and future are summoned. The major magical assistance is provided by the Holy Grail itself; however, it’s the duty of a master to provide sufficient mana to keep them materialized. The servants can save a lot of mana by reverting to their spirit form (you can say, this is an energy saver mode). Strictly speaking, there are seven types of servants that are summoned (leaving out Avenger for now):

  • Saber: Best all round class with outstanding power and agility. One of the three Knight classes including Archer and Lancer. Kiritsugu’s servant same as Fate/stay night.
  • Archer: Agile and skilled in long-range melee weapons. One of the three Knight classes including Saber and Lancer.  Tokiomi’s servant, different from the Archer-class of Fate/stay night but Gilgamesh was still around then.
  • Lancer: Experts of projectile weapons and pretty agile as well. One of the three Knight classes including Archer and Saber. Archibald’s servant, different from Fate/stay night.
  • Caster: Mage servants, who are very proficient in reality marble (space manipulation). Ryuunosuke’s servant and different from Fate/stay night.
  • Rider: Noble warrior who can use special phantasms. Specialty is riding of course and can expert any kind of mount even if it’s a motorcycle. Waver’s servant and different from Fate/stay night. He’s Alexander the great, if anyone was curious.
  • Assassin: One of the 19 Hassan i Sabbah, the leaders of the clan of the Hashshashins who passed their name down. They are known for stealth and concealment. Kirei’s servant and different from Fate/stay night.
  • Berserker: A powerful hero that has gone berserk during their lifetime. This gives them the powerful phantasm of Mad Enhancement but that pretty much ends up badly every time it’s activated. Kariya’s servant and different from Fate/stay night. Guess, who this bad boy is. :3


What really happened?! Well… A LOT. Being the first episode, it set the stage for all the characters, catching them on different time frames, spanning from eight years previously to present day (in terms of the fourth Holy Grain War timeline), and showed their progress on how seriously everyone has been working towards their goal. However, there are contrasts like Kirei, who supposedly doesn’t have a reason for a command seal as he would go wherever directed by the church even if it’s a burning building. But that’s popular opinion by his father; he definitely has reason of his own and even if he has to find it in the process, he will.

For everyone else who has been introduced, they have more than a reason to take part in this war. Kiritsugu seems to be the most ‘driven’, gathering intel on everyone to being under the tutelage of the Einzbern family and their prized skill: alchemy. He seemingly loves Iri but is still unable to free her from the chains of destiny that is set out by her Mage blood. Something like Aoi, who couldn’t do much but to give up on her daughter Sakura to the Matous because they so desired.

The strongest contenders are definitely the top three, the ones who started it all. Kariya has played right into the hands of Zouken, sacrificing himself for Sakura’s case just because he still loves her mother and is dreaming about a better tomorrow with them later even if it’s looking fleeting to him with the parasite worms eating him from the inside. Tohsaka Tokiomi is using his influence with the church to sway not only the judge but his son in siding with him to conspire and win. Einzbern has taken in a Mage killer to assassinate all masters just to reach the Heaven’s feel (door to Akasha/miracles).

Though, I’m pretty sure things would not go as they planned because some new and old Mages have entered the fray as well. Big examples are Waver and Archibald, having new and old connections to the mage blood. Not to mention Kirei who had no connection except his family serving as observer to the wars. We’ll find out more about the last and still to be introduced Ryuunusuke in the next episode. Leaving him, every master has a servant now and I can bet you can’t wait for the next episode to air.

And of course, I have to add in the EPIC awesome summoning spam, whatever the post length maybe. :3


Kara
Oh lord, it’s going to take me at least 3 weeks until I start learning all of their names. BUT AFHKLDSAFSDLKHFA!!!!!!!  Kajiura Yuki was most definitely the right choice for music. Also, that opening! I haven’t seen anything from LiSA since her collab with (my favourite vocaloid composerEVER) hachi and then her whole thing in Angel Beats. Not only is the music great, but the animation is as spectacular as I thought it would be, if not more. WHERE WAS THIS IN THE ORIGINAL?! But yeah, great job by ufotable. I quite liked the seiyuu they have here too (I recognized Namikawa Daisuke right away~!).

This served as a pretty good introduction. There were probably a lot of things that were revealed back in Fate/Stay that were casually mentioned here, but hell if I recognized any of them. I had no freaking clue that Illya was Emiya’s daughter. Same goes for Sakura and Rin being sisters. In any case, now I know. As always, seeing the servants was awesome and I’m probably most excited about learning who each one is. Also, Gilgamesh is awesome. While it was a bit tedious to watch them shift from character to character when I had no idea who was who half the time, they got the introductory stuff over with right away. This leaves the rest of the 20 whatever episodes open for more action and less dialogue (and judging from this, the action will be amazing provided that the animation level doesn’t drastically drop). An hour episode was a pretty smart move on the production staff’s part if you think about it that way. So yeah, this went above and beyond my expectations and I’ll be sticking with this for a while.

Going the 40+ minute premiere route certainly allowed Fate/Zero time to get everybody introduced along with their motivations (or in the case of Kirei and Kiritsugu, unknown motivations) for being a part of the 4th Holy Grail War. There’s a whole lot of information to take in, so it can be a little tough to digest all of it in one straight run. It maybe could’ve been done in two episodes to space things out, but the 40+ minutes does a good job in setting the table for the 4th Holy Grail War, which will surely look amazing just looking at how the animation is in the OP.

Kiritsugu seems awesome and Kirei is as well, but the character I’m really interested in Waver. Every other character has a “badass” quality to them and are very dark and secretive about their motivations, but Waver comes off as sort of an underdog and I actually really liked watching the exposition of his character the most. Seeing 3 of the F/SN characters (Ilya, Sakura and Rin) brought me back to the days of watching Fate/Stay Night, and seeing how they are involved was a really interesting tidbit for someone like me who’s only watched the F/SN anime series.

Production of this series comes with very high expectations, and Fate/Zero gets very high marks. The summoning scene was beyond exhilarating to watch with superb animation and music by Yuki Kajiura (you’ve probably read her name multiple times in this post already). The only scene that was a bit awkward was Tokiomi and Risei circling around Kirei as they were explaining what his role would be; the information was important and interesting, it’s just that the method it was presented in came off as very pretentious to me.

Now, THIS is what you call an awesome start or as Chaos Neco Arc would say, Hajimari, yo~ The around 48minute run of this episode was ideal for introducing all the Holy Grail jargon along with the first take on all the masters. Sure, not everyone was given the limelight as Caster’s master is still MIA but that would come in the next episode for sure. Let me take this opportunity to declare that I haven’t read the light novels by Urobuchi but I know enough about Type-Moon and nasuverse, including Fate/stay night. But I will make good use of my nasuverse knowledge in unveiling the layered mysteries and motives of the characters that you will come to know. This is going to be a journey of discovering for the both of us, you and me, readers.

I think relevant Meta team and I have fangirled enough about the cast, crew and producers of this nonstop not only on our Fall review but at different times on twitter as well for being extraordinarily awesome. The finished product in terms of first episode was nothing short of brilliant. It’s not every day that you see HD quality animation on a series. In movies, sure! But in a two-cour series like this; is definitely one of the firsts. It’s a treat for the sore eyes and looks brilliant even on low quality stream. BGM is spine tingling sometimes and I recommend to use quality headphones for this one because while the scenes play; from the sound of wind blowing to even flicker of candles, dialogue quality and BGM placement all enhances the viewing experience.

Every character is voiced perfectly and from being arrogant bastards to cute lolis, this has everything that you might be looking forward to. To all Fate/stay watchers/players, wasn’t Rin and Illaysviel kawaii?! I was highly amused by the beating down of Kirei by the tsundere Rin. And who screamed and wanted to gouge their eyes out when Sakura was shown with those detestable worms?! The CG creeped me out. Also, there are so many badass men! Sure, Saber rocks and including her delivery of “Anata ga watashi o Master ka?” but man! Kiritsugu and Kirei are something else; especially Kiritsugu and his guns and his smoke. HHHNNGGG, I don’t think I ever liked a smoking man but he makes smoking look good; oh my fangirl heart can’t take the awesomeness of all these characters. You can already see it from the post length of …

Anyways, from the looks of things and the summoned servants, this series is going to be full of schemes, conspiracies and back stabbing with the right dash of drama and romance. Kirei and Kirutsugu are going to play very strong roles in shaping up the plot and even if they are opposites in terms of values, they share more similarities than any other master. So, keep watching this space for awesome development and even bet calls on who dies first because after all, this will be a cutthroat deluxe with winner taking all the glory and supremacy. So readers, I’ll need your continuous support while reviewing this long series. I can bet we’ll have lots of fun in discussing the motives, rife conspiracies and kill count. I leave you with the opening sequence “Oath Sign” by LiSA. Ja ne~

Preview:

If you have been keeping track of Fate/Zero CMs then, you’ve already seen a glimpse of Caster/Ryuunosuke. They seem to be pretty interesting as I dubbed them a wilder version of Light and Ryuk. Also, it seems along with the introduction of some servants in preview, Kirei will soon be turning against Tohsaka?! There goes the supposed promise with Aoi and Rin.

Extra Notes:

Episode Count: 1/25 | Online Streaming: NicoNico | Recommended subs: UTW  | Facing Video tiling? Updated your Player Codes now!    

About

We live, laugh, enjoy and strictly believe on "more the merrier". When together, we usually come up with very chatty, conversation-based episodics and interesting posts.
Blinklist BlogMarks Delicious Digg Diigo FaceBook Google MySpace Netvibes Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Twitter

41 Responses to “First Impressions – Fate/Zero”

  1. Metalsnakezero says:

    This was a really good set up episode since it gets most of the information heavy parts out of the way to that we can drive right in to the bigger parts of the story. I also a good intro to the series for new comers even if some of it is more for fans.
    Also Saber + Tuxedo = Sexy 😀

    • Kyokai says:

      Oh definitely, I agree. Good for the newbies to settle things. But of course, it could be too much information or talking heads for some. I thoroughly enjoyed it though.

      And heck yeah, Saber rocks that suit~ :3

      *first comment cookie*

  2. Shey says:

    YES! Thanks for the great post! Last year I was searching the web for the manga but couldn’t find it, though I read that the story was awesome – even better than Fate Stay Night. I remember that I said to myself that I hoped they would make an anime of it and they DID 😀

    • Kyokai says:

      You’re welcome, Shey! ^^

      It’s so difficult for a Type-Moon to get stuff easily, especially when you can only understand English and have to wait for some good souls to finish translating. After what DEEN did to Fate/stay night (><), I'm so glad ufotable took this up as a project and now all fans like us can rejoice happily. xD

  3. Karakuri says:

    Kyo, you have not idea how much that character thing you did is going to help me in later episodes. I might actually start remembering names now.

    • Kyokai says:

      Hahahaa, you are welcome. I’m here to make your journey into Type-Moon fandom pleasant and without a glitch. 😉

  4. Reaper says:

    Kita~~!! Fate/Zero, probably the best series of the season is finally here! Nasuverse (Even though it’s by Gen Urobochi)? Check. ufotable (Studio Deen, you mad?)? Check. Saber in black suit? Check. Kiritsugu in BAMF mode? Check…the list of approvals from me just goes on and on, especially the magical communication device…Tokiomi! I want that! It was great they made the first ep 48mins, gives a better introduction for the different characters, showing off the awesome better than they could in the norm 24mins; maybe it’ll become a standard thing from now on (hopefully!).
    Now, we strap ourselves in for another 24 weeks of awesome and yes; my body is ready! 🙂

    • Kyokai says:

      HELLS YES! It’s still nasuverse though even if the story was written by Urobuchi because who do you think provided the world and characters and concepts? xD All my favourite characters and even some new ones look BAMF with some old ones returning as cute chibis and tsunderes.

      This is definitely going to be the highlight of my weeks for the next 24 but I’m afraid that the time length would go back to the normal 25min running but hey, it’s still going to be awesome. :3

  5. Elyon says:

    “Also, Gilgamesh is awesome”

    THIS. x1000
    ;D
    I wasn’t particularly impressed with the first episode, but I guess it’s good that all the exposition is out of the way now. Maybe once the action starts it will get more interesting.
    And Waver is adorable. XD

    • Kyokai says:

      You know what, I stopped myself from fangirling on the servants because then I would end up giving up too much away. I still did though as I’ve already revealed most of their identities (Ack, I can’t help my too-much-information mode when it comes to nasuverse ><). Gilgamesh is awesome and so is Saber. I definitely like Kariya and Waver more among the five masters, but of course my top two are Kiritsugu and Kirei. I guess, this episode was necessary to get all the information out of the way. I'm definitely looking forward to more action next episode. :3

  6. Kitty says:

    I really loved this episode. I was not expecting it to be 45mins long but it was well done. Little Rin-chan so kawaii~~~~ <3 It was interesting that this Holy War players are all male compared to Fate / Stay Night where the mixture was one sides. So happy to see our lady Saber back. Missed her. Defiantly the series I was most looking forward to this season.

    Congrats on the first anime of the fall season post Metanorn *bows*

    • Kyokai says:

      You and me both. The length really helped in setting the ground work for the rest of the series. Loved all the little glimpses of characters we’ve come to love. And you know what, Iri would’ve participated in the war but due to being weak because of knowing alchemy alone, Einzbern appointed Kiritsugu to take her place. Also, if Kariya hadn’t shown up, it could’ve been Sakura participating from the Matous so possibility was definitely there but never got fulfilled.

      Thank you for the wishes and I hope you enjoy the rest of my reviews of Fate/Zero. xD

  7. BlackBriar says:

    Excellent post, Tag Team. I’m new to the whole Fate franchise but making the first episode nearly an hour long was a step in the right direction to cover the story. The same thing was done with Kamisama no Memo-chou. A pretty good way to explain the origins. This is one of the animes I will definitely be following this season.

    I like how everyone has a particularly different goal to win the Holy War and I’ve already taken a liking to Lady Saber. The armor suits her well.

    • Kyokai says:

      Why, thank you~ I worked for two days just to get these together. I just couldn’t go the summary and end thoughts way because of information provided and my own knowledge. The first episode set the stage really well.

      Oh btw, there will be black suit incoming. I’ll be ready to make the ‘suit up!’ joke. xD

  8. Renn says:

    Great guide as usual! It’s really helpful considering all the different names, characters, and terms thrown around in the first episode. I didn’t find the first episode that engaging (lots of talking heads), but this looks like it’ll be really good.

    Favorites so far are Waver and Kariya, but I’m not that hopeful for either of them. xD

    • Kyokai says:

      Thanks, Renn! xD

      I can bet the first episode was a bit overwhelming with so many terms and characters being introduced. I expect lots of development from next episode and definitely looking forward to some death matches. I know I’m a sadist. xD

      I really like Kariya and his nobility, while Waver is just silly and Namikawa Daisuke did such an awesome job with him. These two would probably one of the first few to go but at least we can cheer them on, right? xD

  9. Mad Chemist says:

    Nice character chart, that’ll help a lot with character motivations and such. There’s a pretty huge cast and I’m a Fate newb, so it’s always nice to have a reference like this.

    This episode didn’t set me on fire, and I thought that the exposition could have been more engaging, but it wasn’t bad and hopefully this means we have a straight shot to the meat of the story from episode 2 and on. I like the concept of the war and I thought the scene contrasting Kiritsugu and Kotomine was well done, so I’m looking forward to seeing where things go from here. Not too much to say about the cast just yet, though I feel sorry for Kariya since those insects under his skin were really nasty. Also Kayneth seems incredibly smug, so I can’t wait to see him get taken down a peg.

    • Kyokai says:

      You are welcome. ^^ I went an extra mile just so if there are newbies, they get to enjoy this as much as old peeps following this series. It’s definitely going to be an experience.

      There will be lots of character development so take your time in selecting your favourites. Kirei and Kiritsugu are definitely up for a long fight, while Kariya is the only nobleman of this whole competition. I hate Kayneth’s guts, such a pretentious guy. >< It's going to be so fun discovering how different motives lead them to different paths. :3

  10. Alynn says:

    My friend is like strangling me to watch this. Now I know that she is not pulling airs on how amazing this is. (I have to watch Fate/Stay Night first though)

    Loving the layout of this guide though. So detailed!

    • Kyokai says:

      LOL, give some points to your friend. You HAVE to and NO, you don’t have to watch Fate/stay night first. The anime was SHIT, if you don’t have time to play the VN, I would rather tell you to watch this instead.

      Thanks for the compliment. <333

  11. Toori-chan says:

    Great post and guide. I love the servant picture with the statues. I was strangling myself while watching Commie Subs’ first episode with all the glitches. I’m so grateful that UTW picked this up to sub.

    I’m still in the third book of the light novel. Guess I’ll wait for the anime to reveal the story for me. I’m having my exams as well in a month! How am I gonna study with Fate/Zero on my list?! It’s so hard to keep myself away from anime now.

    • Kyokai says:

      Thanks, Toori-chan~ <3 UTW is awesome and I would tell you to update your player codecs so that you don't have to see all that annoying tiling.

      I haven't even read the first one but I plan to once the series finishes. Good luck with your exams because anime will always be here. :3

  12. Dan-go says:

    Rather little action and a lot of setup hopefully for an absolutely brilliant plot, i found it interesting purely with the way it relates to the fate/stay night series. Mini rin is adorable. But i imagine as a standalone episode there wasn’t much that caught the eye

    • Kyokai says:

      You can deem this as setting the stage. This was needed because of such a huge cast. I definitely liked the tsundere Rin and same for chibi-Illyasviel. Can’t wait for the action!

  13. Dan-go says:

    Also. i can’t w8 to see the real identities of all the servants. I recall often wikipediaing references mid show to the Irish Lancer/gae bolg or to uruk and the like. It’s animeducational!

    • Kyokai says:

      Best thing, these are all real heroes. Hech yeah, awesome reference for anime education~ :3

  14. SPIRAL says:

    Beautifully organized post, despite myself being THE BIGGEST TYPE MOON FAN BOY (anyone reading this should challenge me). What gets a lot of people is that Gilgamesh is an Archer class not a Saber class, because in FSN it wouldn’t make sense having Saber (Arturia) and Gilgamesh being both Saber classes.

    • Kyokai says:

      Thanks, Spiral! :3 You should meet flags.
      Also, people should know better to think that as Saber and Gilgamesh both are kings, also from the Knight-class so whenever they face-off, it’s always awesome. ^^

  15. T.K. says:

    Kinda spoiled myself on some bits too but it’s the journey that counts. Really nice post, contains enough information for any type-moon newbies to digest and not spoil anything amazing to them.

    I personally haven’t been this hyped for an anime since Code Geass ended. Saturday nights will never be the same. Have already set up a dedicated funding for the delicious OST, now for the painful 6 month wait until release….

    • Kyokai says:

      Thanks, TK. I got so hyped up that ended up writing more than I ever expected. ^^ Now weekend definitely has a very special meaning with Fate/Zero releasing.

      Btw, your wait might be extended to nine months for the OST because there’s a season’s gap between the first and second cours. >< Though, I would hope, they divide it into two volumes.

      • T.K. says:

        Most likely it will split into 2 volumes which is what I feared since that would mean separate shipping cost for each volumes, and that would also means it’s gonna be pricier compared to the KnK OST. >.<

        December will hurt….loads!

  16. Joojoobees says:

    “full of schemes, conspiracies and back stabbing” Gotta love it!

    I am definitely a newbie to the nasuverse, but I think I got a good understanding of what was going on, nevertheless, it was VERY helpful to have such a detailed character guide, that I will no doubt review on more than one occasion as I continue to watch Fate/Zero.

    • Kyokai says:

      Being the Zero series, this is an awesome starter for anyone who wants to enter into the Type-Moon/nasuverse fandom. Thank you for the compliment and let’s hope for more excitement from this series. xD

  17. From a strong TYPE-MOON fan, I have only this to say: This is such an awesome post and just great for newcomers. We need more people to recognize the greatness of TYPE-MOON!

    The first episode exceeded my expectations and so much more. I really enjoyed the exposition and dialogues, and the animation quality is sooo good. My favorites thus far are Kariya (for his strong desire to save Sakura) and Irisviel (for her absolutely charming atmosphere). ^_^

    • Kyokai says:

      We need more people to recognize the greatness of TYPE-MOON!

      HECK YEAH! Bring on MOAR PEOPLE! Just because it takes a long time to translate their projects/ light novels, doesn’t mean their stuff is not excellent. I definitely look forward to most of their releases and this series definitely deserved all the hype that it has received. I’m just here to clap the progress. ^^

      Kariya is definitely one of my favourites and I love it how soft and understand they’ve portrayed Iri; she along with Saber is going to be very important to Kiritsugu’s drive. Oh also, glad to see your first comment here. ^^

  18. amado says:

    you guys probably got all reminded of KnK due to how long the episode was eh?
    now this one has enough running already that it might even replace my vote for madoka magica as the best anime of the year.

    • Kyokai says:

      You know what? If I had started like that, this post would have been even longer! This is an amazing gift from ufotable and PWNS ALL year’s worth of releases for me. ^^

  19. I think that this serie is for fans of Fate/Stay night and for people who actually watched FST.
    I came across few opinions in the Internet that this serie is too hard to understand of you shoudl watch it first before FSN ( if you a new fan)
    I don’t agree with them..

    For thsi serie has grat fulfillment to whole serie and situation/issue of this “holy war”..
    In my opinion it was good move of director to make longer ep with full basic and extra inforamtions which make you absorb into whole story…

    • Kyokai says:

      I would say, this is great for both, new ones entering the fray and the ones who liked Fate/stay night anime/VN. Though VN > anime any day in case of this adaptation.

      First long episode was definitely a very good decision though next episode onwards, it’s going to be around 25min like any other series running. ^^

  20. […] you’ve already memorized all the masters I described for you in the previous post; time to get down and remember the servant identities too. I might make a quick guide once […]

Leave a Reply to amado