12 Days of Anime #10 – Type-Moon

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Celebrating 10 years of pure awesomeness.

kyoI hope you are enjoying the surge of posts on Metanorn this weekend, which we meticulously planned. What more, you get a glimpse at our writers’ personalities, who are pouring out their individuality in highlighting some special moments of 2012. Till now lvlln (Ero Toothbrush) and Fosh (Guilty Pleasure), have posted their bit and now it’s my turn to dish out.

I’ll take this opportunity to turn even more people into Type-Moon fans, the fandom I so love (the TM on my twitter handle is not for show!). 2012 was indeed a great year to be a Type-Moon fan, which saw their 10th Anniversary. Being an old timer, I can go on and on about the light and visuals novels before they were even adapted to animanga but hey, let’s talk about this year. A year, which saw the completion of Fate/Zero, Carnival Phantasm and release of Mahou Tsukai no Yoru and re-ported FSN Realta Nua visual novels. Let’s not forget the the amazing news of Mirai Fukuin (Kara no Kyoukai‘s true sequel) project by ufotable, progress on Girls’ Work and Tsukihime remake along with Fate/Extra CCC release next year. Clearly, Type-Moon team has been busy since their doujin days and has accumulated a decade of amazing:

The credit goes to the masterminds Nasu and Takeuchi, who are at it even now revolutionizing the fandom tropes. They made tsundere cool and introduced siscon/brocon when nobody even knew of it, followed by many other taboo/novel ideas. They didn’t evolve the fabric of anime like Evangelion did but played their part in putting forth titles that had wide breadth of spawning a huge franchise. Look at how Fate/stay night played out and is still going on with Fate/Extra CCC (now, if only they would make Fate/Prototype a complete project). I felt the intricacies even more since I started the Type-Moon watch group at SCCSAV (anibloggers-based group for watching anime together), since July. Half a year later, we are still not done. Of course, there were no big marathons but a motley crew of  five to ten people gathered online weekly to enjoy the variety and it has certainly been an experience. Even if not ALL of their projects are masterpieces, they have their own place and novelty.

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Nasuverse is a labyrinthine of twisted plots and evolving characters, evident from their prototype timeline to completed state in later series. Most of the anime-watchers heard of them via Fate/stay night anime but I’d tell you to stay away from that horrible adaptation by DEEN. As I’ve taken most of the routes, I’d like to take this opportunity to suggest an order if you will, to get acquainted with their work. Because, let me tell you it will be worth your while.

  • Kara no Kyoukai movie series was ufotable’s first Type-Moon adaptation that spanned years and to-date. I consider it one of the best anime adaptations to-date, hands down. This is Nasu’s earliest printed work, the light novels were released online on his and Takeuchi’s doujin-site in 1998. (English translation’s available at emptyboundaries).
  • Fate/Zero is a gem of an anime produced by ufotable, who not only raised the animation bar with this but left other studios in the dust in terms of another excellent adaptation. Urobuchi Gen originally wrote Fate/Zero light novels (prequel to Fate/stay night) in 2006 to fight his writer’s block and a job very well done I might add. (English translation available at Baka-tsuki).
  • Fate/stay night visual novel broke all sales record when it was released in 2004 (minus Mahoyo production value, this is their best work). Out of the three main arcs, first was adapted into anime while second into Unlimited Blade Works movie. I can only hope the third, Heaven’s Feel is adapted by ufotable later. (English patch available at Mirrormoon). There are many spinoffs and expansions of this.
  • Tsukihime is their first VN, adapted into both manga and anime; though, the former remains true to the VN, while anime took a lot of liberty with story-line. (English patch available at Mirrormoon). There’s news of a remake and I can only shudder in glee thinking of the possibilities of getting something similar to Mahoyo or even better for this remake, which would be an instant rage for sure (vampires, apostles, mysterious creatures, you know the drill).
  • Carnival Phantasm is always a fun watch but you should at least watch/read/play two of Type-Moon’s series before to understand the jokes and recognize the slew of characters. There are twelve actual OVA episodes with two extras (Season EX and Ilya’s Castle), and they are a ball to watch, leaving you rolling on the floor in laughter.
  • Mahou Tsukai no Yoru originally was Nasu’s first novel that he wrote to get into a writing spree in 1996 (this was only seen by his friends and the only original copy is with Takeuchi). The visual novel has breath-taking visuals and awesome story, almost redefining Type-Moon style once again. English translation is in works by Commie Subs, who are showing quick progress.
  • If you complete the above, pat yourself grandly on your shoulder and then whenever you feel like it, check out below:
    • Canaan anime
    • Light novels: Angel Notes and Decoration Disorder Disconnection
    • Melty Blood fighting game series and its extensions.
    • Kagetsu Tohya and extensions (Tsukihime’s sequel).

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I think every aniblogger has a fixation with a certain franchise/series/character, about which/whom they can write forever. Mine goes back years and I am still satisfied. I haven’t played/watched/read everything neither I own all the merchandise but I am happy to nerd out and keep discovering references. In the end, my love for this fandom won’t fade anytime soon and I’ll keep looking forward to their future works in the many years to come. So, readers, do you have a similar fixation with a content creator that you’d like to share? Let’s hear it!

About

The Boss lady of Metanorn, who makes it all happen. An animanga enthusiast, who watches/reads almost anything that strikes her fancy. Just beware of her Death Perception and always keep her happy. Regularly found at @KyokaiTM & #[email protected].
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61 Responses to “12 Days of Anime #10 – Type-Moon”

  1. Flawfinder says:

    You know it’s articles like this that make me feel bad that I’m not a fan of the Type-Moon franchise? I dig Carnival Phantasm fine (maybe I’ll join you on that sometime), but I don’t look at the rest of what I’ve seen very fondly.

    • Kyokai says:

      Well, it’s personal preference after all.

      The Type-Moon viewing is @5pm GMT every Saturday so ping me any weekend that you want to join. Though, we should be done with it in next two weekends.

  2. Foshizzel says:

    I would say I have a huge fixation on the creator of index/Railgun! Which inspired me to work on a similar type of story for my own work in progress light novel…yeah…one day I will work on that! Fufufufu

    • Kyokai says:

      Oh I remember, the one you worked on during NaNoWriMo? Good luck with completion and it’s on my list of to-read as I already like the anime. :3

  3. fragb85 says:

    No mention of Fate/Extra? Its like one of the only two officially licensed Type-Moon games. It also has the best Saber!

    • Karakuri says:

      She did mention Extra CCC.

    • Kyokai says:

      I didn’t see the need of special mention as it’s a spinoff of Fate anyway. Though, in terms of character designs, the later version/expansion did quite well.

  4. BlackBriar says:

    Keep the “12 days of Anime” posts coming. My body is ready. I admire your ambition to create more Type-Moon fans, Kyokai. You’ve made one out of me. Congratulations!!! And quit that kind of talk!! You’re not old!!! My favorite characters are Tsukihime’s Arcueid Brunestud and Fate’s Saber.

    Before I was aware of the studio, I was already into Tsukihime watching the English dub. It was really good in my opinion (and for reasons I’m sure most of the bloggers know me for concerning what kinds of creatures are in it. LOL). The news of a remake is making me grin so much you can’t begin to imagine and now I’m anxious to see it come true. I’m raging during the wait. What I hope now is that it becomes a 24/25 episode series instead of 12.

    The anime that made aware of the studio name was Fate/Zero which was nothing short of amazing from characters to music to visuals. It was top notch. Urobuchi Gen wrote the light novels for this? He’s the author behind Psycho-Pass. No wonder it’s doing so well this season.

    • Kyokai says:

      Glad you are enjoying this particular series and getting into Type-Moon even more. grins happily for another capture *coughs* Of course, I take all the opportunity I get and remember, I’ll always be 18 TILL I DIE! I just meant it as a old timer in TM fandom. xD

      I’m not surprised about your liking Tsukihime because of vampires. I suggest you play the VN if you like it so much, even if the graphics are dated compared to FSN, the story is still very amazing showcased in different arcs and selectable heroines. Here’s the updated Tsukihime designs for the new VN. Anime will take a few years I think.

      Urobuchi Gen is one of Nitroplus’s (game/VN company like TM) main scenario writers and Fate/Zero was kind of his launch pad back into writing, which helped him continue churning out stories after the success of Saya no Uta (a horror VN). I’m loving Psycho-Pass this season and liked this and Fate/Zero more than Madoka Magica.

      • BlackBriar says:

        Hahaha, you and Overcooled sure love capturing Readers/Commenters and converting them. I’m afraid of how big your collection must be.

        I keep forgetting that my passion is public knowledge here at Metanorn. My reputation preceeds me.

        These are some nice changes. Giving life to idea of an ancient princess in a modern world. Arcueid’s updated appearance looks great and I prefer it to her previous one in the Tsukihime anime. The top is still the same but she can do a lot more wearing pants and boots (I don’t even mind the mini skirt) rather than a long skirt and shoes, especially where evading obstacles and chasing enemies are concerned.

        Maybe it’s just me but Ciel looks younger in this version. I hope she gets to do much more things because there wasn’t much of a threatening presence around her until it was close to the end of the anime.

        Not much to say on Akiha. Strangely, she looks the same. Very liitle changes. I guess they didn’t want to re-invent all the characters because of an update.

        A few things I gotta say about Urobuchi Gen. After watching Fate/Zero and currently watching Psycho-Pass, the guy sure has a thing for demented characters and a dark atmosphere.

        • Kyokai says:

          Indeed! We take perverse pleasure in converting people. :3

          Overall, I really liked the redesign, especially of Ciel’s because her previous design was all business and almost strict features but now there’s a soft edge to it and her personality does have those gentle expressions that anime never showed. You should really play the VN to get to know her more and same in case of Arc. About Akiha, as lvlln pointed out to me, her band colour was white before and now it’s black. LOL, BIG CHANGE. I’m sure, staff thought, let’s keep it her natural as her character design is just perfect.

          I call Mr. Gen an absolute sadistic bastard. No really, his specialty is tragic stories and twisted up characters and scenarios. All the games for which he has written had sci-fi/horror/supernatural factor inputted. Even some of the eroge stuff from Nitro Chiral. An interesting read from his acceptance message for this year’s TAF Awards:

          Profile:
          Born in 1972. Employed at Nitroplus Co., Ltd. Responsible for the planning and scripting of many pornographic works featuring nonexistent youths such as Phantom of Inferno, Kikokugai, and Saya no Uta, and also supervised the creation of boys-love titles created by the company’s sister brand, Nitro+ CHiRAL. Began seriously working in anime after receiving guidance from director Ichiro Itano through the process of working on Blassreiter. Responsible for the series composition and the screenplay of every episode of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

          Message:
          I feel greatly honored to have received this award. A society which considers cleanliness to be a virtue may feel that the adult game industry is like sludge. However, the scripts for this work came from the sensibility that I nurtured in that industry.

          I am renewed with joy that the people who praised me realize that even this “lotus flower,” which first found nourishment in sludge, blooms.

          I will not stop praying for a society where all creators, who believe steadfastly in the freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution, need not hesitate to spread their wings of creative endeavors.

          This message came from a shoutout by Gen’s twitter account to his fans. He’s still pretty pissed off with Ishihara’s bill and one of the very few who had the guts to speak out.

          • BlackBriar says:

            I bet you use your Death Perception to keep them in line. Signed a contract with Overcooled with my first comment and converted into a Type-Moon fan by Kyokai. You two are dangerous.

            Overall, it sounds great, the designs look nice and I’m anxious to see the anime come along. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope.

            After all that you’ve just referenced, I can truly say that Urobuchi Gen is a role model for sadists everywhere. We should take notes.

            • Kyokai says:

              It works on the faithfuls after all! 🙂

              Reboot anime on any TM work should be awesome. Minus Kara no Kyoukai and Fate/Zero, reboot of everything else would actually be welcome.

              And I call Urobuchi a sadistic bastard for a reason. I say that fondly of course.

  5. T.K. says:

    Fixation huh, well I won’t delve into my T-M fanboism since Kyokai had already did that but I’ll say that the other content creator that would have me go loco is Maeda Jun. From Kanon to Little Busters and even the subpar Angel Beats, all his written works has been one of the sources of how I find meaning in life and appreciate the things given to me.

    • Kyokai says:

      I really need to get back in Key things. Been a while since I watched Clannad and then Angel Beats! I’ll marathon Little Busters! when it ends but I do get from where you are coming to in terms of Maeda work. ^^

      • T.K. says:

        Though if you have any time left after finishing F/SN, you might wanna try reading Little Busters instead. The anime isn’t exactly the way to go. Sadly this applies to every VN adaption.

        • Kyokai says:

          I really couldn’t watch the anime due to its disjointedness. Will read the VN whenever I have some free time later.

  6. CarVac says:

    Man, because of this post I just wasted half a day getting Mahoutsukai no Yoru working… -_-

    • Kyokai says:

      I’m sure it was time worth spent! If only I knew how to read Japanese, I would be like canon_rap breezing through this novel without a care in this world.

      • CarVac says:

        I can read it, but sloooowwwly. I’m probably not going to finish it by the time translations are out, unless it helps me learn esoteric kanji that much faster…

        • CarVac says:

          this is really REALLY mind-breaking when there’s a telephone ringing in the background and it WON’T SHUT UP and i really don’t want to skip what it says and the phone has been ringing for an hour and my mind is starting to melt please stop all the mood building and description soon because this telephone is ringing again and again

          • Kyokai says:

            Are you talking about the first chapter when Aoko gets that call? I dunno if it rung for that long but damn, must have been distracting. D:

  7. belatkuro says:

    Fellow Type-Moon fagn reporting o7

    I’m a huge fan of Type-Moon, as you can see from my MAL profile.
    My first exposure to it was actually the FSN anime. While it didn’t blow me away, I liked it that much to check out the VN. Finished it within 2 weeks on top of exams and projects ;). Since then, I’ve delved into more and more TM stuff.
    I played the Tsukihime VN next, watched the nonexistent anime, read its sequel VN Kagetsu Tohya and read the manga. I’ve only played MB and MB Re:Act but I plan to play the others(though I suck at it -.-)

    For the FSN side, aside from the VN, anime and the movie, I’m reading the manga, read the spinoff Fate/Kaleid(which I’m eagerly waiting for the anime) and read the Fate/Zero novels. Of course I’ve watched the anime of F/Z as well and, in my opinion, it’s the best show of 2012.
    I’ve also read and watched Kara no Kyoukai and am planning to read Mirai Fukuin before ufotable
    releases it.
    I’ve yet to play Tiger Colosseum but I’ve played Unlimited Codes and Fate/Extra(Tamamo is my waifu :3).

    So with this much exposure to TM, Carnival Phantasm was truly an enjoyable show. I love getting all the references and inside jokes. Plus seeing all the characters interact in a setting far from their story and just interact naturally, it really gives the true meaning to the word “fanservice”. Yet I know I still haven’t explored all the parts of the Nasuverse. I haven’t read Notes or DDD yet. Plus I’ve only read some spoilers of
    Ataraxia(how many percent is it now?)

    Granted I may not have been a fan for a long time as I only started 3 years ago but I’m still a big a fan as anyone and love this franchise just as much. I will probably still love TM for a long long time even if they don’t chalk up new stuff but they’re still going strong so my support for it is strong as well. I’m eagerly looking forward to more stuff from Nasu and Takeuchi.

    tl;dr I love Type-Moon.

    • Rakkyo says:

      Excellent! That is certainly an impressive amount of TM stuff you’ve watched/read/played and you’re quite modest about it. I like you already. Kyokai seemed to think so too 😉

      Kyokai missed a few things which I’d like to highlight and recommend to you(or anyone else interested). There are 2 more titles under the Type-Moon banner, which are Tsuki no Sango and Shigatsu no Majo no Heya.

      Tsuki no Sango is a light novel and is fully translated by Mazui so you can check it out. There’s also a manga in the works and so far 1 chapter is released. It’s a romance story with rather eccentric characters, much like Kara no Kyoukai.

      Shigatsu no Majo no Heya, on the other hand, is written by Hoshizora Meteo. He’s the same guy who’s writing the script for Girls Work. Unfortunately, this work is rather obscure and there’s no translation for it.

      I suppose I should mention Koori no Hana but it was never published. It’s a novel written by Nasu during their doujin circle days. Well, I don’t think it even exists anymore so that’s that.

      Also, Angel Notes is fully translated while DDD is partially translated. Both of them are quite short so if you have the time you should read them. If you can’t find both of these(since they’re pretty old), come find me in IRC and I’ll upload them for you.

      Spread the Type-Moon love :3

      • belatkuro says:

        Forgot about Tsuki no Sango but I’ve already read it. Just didn’t include it since I don’t think it’s part of the Nasuverse, or is it? The characters were all weird but it was a beautiful story.
        Haven’t heard of the second one but thanks for telling me.
        As for Notes, Kyokai already gave a link below so thanks ^^

    • Kyokai says:

      @ belatkuro, you are my next favourite person, you sharer of my birthday! *high five* Maybe we should try to brainwash more September babies or something. xD

      I’m pretty impressed by the number of titles you have read/played and watched. For me Kara no Kyoukai is that special gem that would not compare to anything Nasu but that’s just me (I’m sure you have such a favourite of your own).

      I am literally waiting for FHA to be fully translated for installation but seeing 87.3% progress and partial patch release, I really want to check it out now (ah, see, the game DL’s already on… -_-)

      Also, for being a fan, you really don’t need to see it in years. In the end, it all depends on your enthusiasm and how much invested you get to spend hours on it. I’m sure Nasu and Takeuchi are not done yet with their creativity as even when they have gotten busier with many projects, their root of awesomeness would be there and we’ll keep getting cool projects with time. Yeah, I’m a believer just like you! ^^

      @ Rakkyo, You did half of work for me with linking my tweet. xD I’ve heard of Majo no Heya and Koori no Hana but never of Tsuki no Sango. I gotta get that translation for sure. For DDD, I had it on pdf but I’m unable to find it right now, got a working link? I have one for Angel Notes.

      Definitely, let’s keep spreading the TM love all~~~

      • belatkuro says:

        Shares my birthday and loves TM as well? I think I found my other half *gets shot by Kyokai’s legion of fanboys* XD
        I would gladly join you in the quest to brainwash more people XD

        I would say that out of all of them, FSN is still my favorite. The diverse cast and the complexity of the story is something that I loved in it. It’s special for me not because it’s the first VN I played but I was drawn to the world and the story it presented. So yeah.
        I think I’m correct in saying that people who don’t like Shirou hasn’t played the VN yet.

        I’m holding off playing Ataraxia for now despite the partial patch. Better to read it fully translated, but waiting is suffering D:
        Same reason I haven’t touched the demo version of Mahoyo yet. The translation seems to be going smoothly.

        And yeah, they’re still going strong with their projects. My love for them will never go away as long as they continue ^^

        And oh wow, thank you for that link for Notes! *bows down in praise*

        And that link for the new designs of Tsukihime you posted above is <3.
        Arc's design is great. The miniskirt will take getting used to since I'm used to the long skirt but the sweater and big boobs are still there ^^. I was actually reminded of a chapter in the Take Moon manga where the girls(Akiha, Ciel and Arc) are arguing about miniskirts because of Sion and how Shiki can't take his eyes off it XD
        Ciel's new design is so much better now. The longer hair must be the trick. It really suits her. Plus the glasses and the innocent look. A better facade for her true identity.
        Akiha is also beautiful. Somehow it reminds me of loli Rin's outfit in F/Z, only longer.

        It's good to be a fan 🙂

    • Rakkyo says:

      @belatkuro, Nasu said that Tsuki no Sango was the “concept of Tsukihime 3000” whatever that is. XD
      For DDD, the only thing translated is JtheE(Junk The Eater), which is the first part of Volume 1. There are also partial translations of HandS and formalhunt, the rest of Volume 1 but they’re web translations and not compiled into a pdf.

      Here’s a link for both DDD JtheE and Tsuki no Sango.
      http://www.mediafire.com/?69k6cg13jpj37v3
      http://mazuisubs.com/184

      random fact: I bought the Tsuki no Sango set and it comes with 2 CDs in which Maaya Sakamoto reads the story out loud. It’s beautiful. The illustrations are also amazing on paper.

  8. d-LaN says:

    I see kyokai is at her usual brainwashing again XD But yeah, this is a franchise tht is worth brainwashing ppl to enter 😉

    The series that actually got me into the T-M franchise is Fate/zero. (So yeah, beginner level T-M fan) You see, when I am interested in something, I will look up more info on it. So I went and look up more info on F/Z (and spoiled myself in the process) and then I found out tht there a TONK of entries in the T-M franchise…. Tht how I become a fan of T-M franchise.

    So far my progress on T-M franchise:

    -Reading the F/SN, tsukihime and MB manga (Ppl tell me F/SN manga is bad, is it true?)
    -Watched F/Z then stopped somewhere in S2, still need to catch up on it…
    -Watching the last KnK movie (**** you Lio Shirazumi, poor Kokutou ;_;)
    -Reading the LP on F/SN and Tsukihime (My GOD the wall of text in F/SN)
    -Watching the LP of F/Extra on Utube
    -Finished reading Tsuki no Sango, waiting for the manga…
    -Read a bit of DDD

    Now if only ufotable get the anime rights of F/SN frm DEEN…. Why u tease us with the RN Vita OP ;_; Also, some1 plz localise tht port… Just look at the comments at the PV in Youtube!!

    >Jap trailer
    >Chock full of english comments

    It will sell like hot cakes IMO.

    And wow reading the comments on MahoYo TL site =___= Welp as long as we get to play it I don’t care lol.

    @kyokai your thoughts on F/E CCC Sakura lookalike trio and Tsukihime remake Arc and Ciel design?

    • Kyokai says:

      Well, you can’t really blame me with such a golden opportunity can you? ^__~

      From wherever you started, it was a good choice as Fate/Zero was pretty awesome and you should definitely complete it. I am loving your progress into fandom and you should keep it up! *pats back*

      About FSN manga, I have no idea but VN was the ultimate medium for me and its animanga really don’t exist for me at all. Do watch Kara no Kyoukai Epilogue as well and wait for Mirai Fukuin, whenever that releases. >>;

      I would give ANYTHING to get a heaven’s feel anime from ufotable. I don’t know what would DEEN do with FSN anime rights but if Type-Moon wants it, I’m sure ufotable can do a remake with their consent.

      With Type-Moon such foreign fanboyism/fangirling is common. I think Japanese fans go -__- seeing English comments but hell, NO ONE CAN STOP THIS FANDOM LOVE YEAH~ And don’t even read comments on subbing sites; they are all about >, screenshots, degrading comments mostly. If I’m getting Mahoyo translated, it’s fine with me however.

      On to thoughts:
      F/E CCC:
      Sakura in a silhouette, who are you trying to fool, TM?! Also, that triplet design inspired from Sakura has a very booby version! -__- Archer looks hot but DAT DOG COLLAR. -__- Lancer is too moe for my taste -___- Karuna looks mysterious and with Yusa Kouji voicing him, well, interesting.

      Tsukihime redesign: Love it till now. Ciel looks perfect and gentler. I dunno the reasoning behind Arc’s double ahoge but I’m not really digging her short skirt; though, I can change my mind seeing her in action. If the presentation is similar to Mahoyo, I think I will fangirl like crazy!

      • d-LaN says:

        Now I think its time for me to talk on F/E CCC, F/Apocrypha and ReTsukihime design XD

        The Sakura triplets design is actually good….if there have some decency -__- Passion Lip and BB needs to get a boob reduction and Meltlilith just need to wear a pants.

        I am totally fine with Lancer and Jinako. Gil… he looks and sound the same so I guess its still a love/hate relationship? No more nude Gilgamesh plz.

        Karna redesign is fantastic! Especially the fan he wears on his back XD

        Arc design….. welp its shocking but its not as bad as ppl said. Just need time to get used. And she can move more easily now XD
        Totally fine with Ciel and Akiha one. Ciel looks less…. nerdy?? She is giving off Kumin vibes (at least for me) in her new design lol.

        Its another Saber clone in Apocrypha!! Yaaaaaayyyyyy~ Also, Sakata Kintoki and Musashibo Benkei got axed in favor of tht Saber clone and another servant.

        Thk guys for the links!! Also, just to add, Meteor Hoshizora also wrote Fire Girls. I heard there a 3D KnK too :O Any reviews?

        And some stuff I found on T-M wiki!
        Cover for Fate/Apocrypha out. There a few detail of it on the T-M wiki. It seems like Apocrypha timeline diverged frm F/SN after Fate/Zero??

  9. skylion says:

    Wow. This is a lot of stuff to backlog. I honestly don’t know if I could approach most of the stuff that you have so graciously listed. But, it is wonderful to see it one place, from a true fan no less.

    I don’t know if it counts as a creator, but the chardesign and work of KyoAni ; with K-ON, Hyouka, and now my new favorite show Chu2Koi at the top of my list. I’ve passed on watching any more FMP, and even taking away all of Endless Eight, I found Haruhi to be more bland than good. But those three top shows are programs that I love to revisit. So sad that K-ON ended. But with that there magic-egg-mochi market thing coming up this Winter ’13, I expect a new favorite show in the making.

    • Kyokai says:

      Well, thank you skylion. I have given you my suggestion in terms of anime (Kara no Kyoukai and/or Fate/Zero) and VN (Fate/stay night and/or Mahoyo), both so you can make your mind anytime. xD

      In terms of KyoAni, they sure have added their perspective in animation and the top three you mentioned will definitely be the most memorable of this decade. In defense of Haruhi, you can say, it invented moe when it released (novel in 2003, while anime in 2006), in a completely different way. This was the first time that moe was shown with girls doing silly and even erotic things (boob grabbing by Haruhi and don’t forget that bunny suit cosplaying), in public without a care. It was the foundation that gave birth to K-On! and chu2koi of today. Endless Eight was a bad experiment but damn, the novels are amazing and you should definitely watch that movie; you’ll forget the dated anime animation instantly.

      • skylion says:

        Silly me, I forgot to mention Disappearance. It’s actually one of my favorite films. Which is an oddity. You don’t get as much feel, as much resonance for the story the film tells, unless you watched every moment of the television series’. With that in mind, it was breathtaking, and I fell in love with Yuki; as many of us did.

        Well, I won’t kidnap the thread. Thank you for the recommendation. I actually have F/Z tucked away. And I just got my new large screen. All I need is some a good scotch…..

  10. skylion says:

    Oh, Spammy, you wicked little thing.

  11. AllenAndArth says:

    type-moon is great, i love his novels
    gilgamesh and medusa are my favourites
    i also like “dark” saber(Arthuria) to some extent
    and
    Kara no Kyoukai is great too
    carnival and mahou tsuki not soo much but…i still like them

    • Kyokai says:

      Glad to know, you are into this fandom too. Gilgamesh is one of those servants who rarely changes even in later expansions but goddamn keeps his awesomeness in check. He’s literally Barney Stinson of Nasuverse.

      The fun of Carnival Phantasm is knowing the previous characters. I do enjoy making a fool out of themselves.

  12. Highway says:

    So, a problem I have with all of this is that I just don’t really see the entry point for someone who hasn’t been into any of it, and is really only interested in the anime part. I understand Fate/Zero is a ‘prequel’ of Fate/Stay Night, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you could watch it first, or is one better than the other, etc.

    So for someone who’s not going to read VN’s or LN’s, not going to read mangas, and just going to watch anime, where’s the place to start?

    • skylion says:

      Seconded….

    • d-LaN says:

      Lol they say you should start the F/SN VN 1st then watch/read Fate/Zero….. Well since you don’t want to read the manga or the VN…. You can try to watch F/SN anime but most ppl wouldn’t recommend it. Or just jump into F/Z anime.

    • Rakkyo says:

      The Type-Moon franchise can be divided into 3 huge parts. Tsukihime, Fate series and Kara no Kyoukai. While all 3 does take place in this huge “Nasuverse”, the characters and plot do not overlap, just some concepts. That means any of those 3 can be a suitable entry point. In terms of anime exclusively, I would recommend one to start with Fate/Stay Night TV series(and possibly the UBW movie if you like what you see), then from there move either to Tsukihime or Kara no Kyoukai. The reason is because Fate is at that middle point of the 3 big series. If you are interested in Type-Moon after F/SN and can stomach kinda bad anime, you can try and watch Tsukihime. Otherwise, the KnK movies are a huge step up in quality, though it has a completely different genre and all.

      tl;dr
      Start with F/SN TV series. Then decide if you’re still interested in the franchise or not. Try not to start with KnK or F/Z coz everything else may look like crap not be as enjoyable afterwards.

    • lvlln says:

      Fate/Zero is actually a great one to start with, not because it’s a prequel, but rather because Fate/stay night anime is not worth watching. There are, of course, references you might miss, but seriously, don’t waste 24 episodes of time watching FSN.

      Type-Moon works might have a loose continuity, but each work stands on its own, so you really can check out any of them. The Kara no Kyokai movies are good if you enjoy urban fantasy horror action, while Tsukihime anime, while rather dated, is a good horror romance tragedy. Canaan is pretty weak, but if you like well animated gun play action, it’s not too bad.

      • CarVac says:

        Unlimited Blade Works is a great movie, but it’s blindingly fast and thus not great as an introduction to the series. At least for me.

        I really got into it with the Tsukihime manga, then Fate/Zero (which was good but in my opinion not on the level of some other TM stuff), then UBW, then Carnival Phantasm.

    • Kyokai says:

      @ Highway and skylion, if you want to start with anime only. My suggestion would be either Fate/Zero and/or Kara no Kyoukai movie series. Both of them are complete stories and amazing introduction to a verse that is rich in genre and creativity.

      I’d agree with lvlln on how bad FSN anime is. @CarVac, UBW movie was better than the anime but for a newbie, half of the concepts in UBW would go over their head because they don’t know what went down in fate route. I personally love GARcher and it’s my favourite route in VN but sadly, anime doesn’t do it justice.

      For a trial though, you can try a few episodes of FSN to test the water because as Rakkyo said, old releases have dated feel to it while KnK and Fate/Zero have supreme animation and story to get you in the vast nasuverse.

      And a note about VNs, they are damn interesting and almost feel like watching a long anime (if you turn on your auto-read option), because they have voice-over from the same awesome seiyuu cast along with awesome BGM/sfx (sword clashing would never be the same again in my imagination).

  13. Ansatsu-shi says:

    Hey, does anyone have any news on Type-Moon’s ‘Firegirl’?
    You know, the one in which the illustration looks strikingly similar to abec-san’s?

    • Ansatsu-shi says:

      Oh yeah, and I am also interested in both Fate/Prototype and Apocrypha~
      Any info you can throw at me?

    • D-LaN says:

      Lol BUNBUN and abec artstyle is so similar it got them mixed up XD

      http://www.typemoon.com/products/tmbooks/index.html
      FG will be released in Comiket along with Fate/Apocrypha. FG is so far a 2 part LN and Apocrypha will be a multiple volume one. T-M wiki have more info on both LNs.

      F/P is the 1st ver of F/SN tht nasu write. So far aside frm the OVA/tease there no plan to turn it into a full work.

  14. skylion says:

    I dipped my toe into the Fate part of this thing. Watched the double episode debut of Fate/Zero. I rather enjoy how they make a big deal about the Summons, but hold that off as a cliffhanger. Instead they concentrate on character development (such as it is with such a huge cast, but the broad strokes they paint are worth observing), and the basis of the Magi families as personality archetypes. The info dumps are rather dense, but by changing scenes and characters, they invigorate what could be a boring excersise. I’m forgetting names at this point, but I rather enjoy the Berserk folks the most. Everyone else seems rather straight-forward, but this family is just so bloody and corrupt. Plus bugs and magic are kinda a thing that gives me the creeps (in an entertaining way).
    I look forward to more.

  15. anaaga says:

    I remember, I think someone needs to give me the link for the Tsuki no Sango animation, or whatever it is *glance at Rakkyo*

    I’m cool with the new Tsukihime design (especially Akiha’s new band), but for Arc’s… I don’t know man, I effing love that long skirt of hers. It’s so classic and iconic, and it has been there for YEAARRSSSSS. Also, it definitely fits Arc’s true identity and personality when she first meet Tohno. The short skirt looks so… Generic. ASDFGHJKL I DON’T KNOW. But if there’s an option where I can change the outfit, I would choose Arc’s long skirt anytime of the day

    • Rakkyo says:

      ahem, well… *looks away*
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQH62tPvFH8

      I agree. If you take away Arc’s long skirt it’s like taking away a part of her personality. The Arc I know is a mature, princess-like but really childish vampire. If you take the long skirt away and replace it with that miniskirt, she now looks like your everyday cutesy anime bishoujo.

  16. Hawthorne says:

    I wish I had more time to really get into the Type Moon universe. Fate/Zero was amazing, and the KnK movies I’ve seen were all outstanding. Thanks for all the patch/translation links Kyo, definitely bookmarking this for the future~

    • Kyokai says:

      Do it slowly and steadily; you’ll enjoy it even more (I did the same). I’m just spreading the TM love and I’ll look forward to fanboy with you over the progress you make. xD

  17. Ansatsu-shi says:

    Man I have so many questions: this one’s about Fate Hollow Ataraxia.
    I know that the translation is still under way (and nearly done), but i am wondering whatever happened to the voices in that game. i looked at bits and parts of other people playing the game, but i heard none of the characters’ voices. was this meant to be and is there a way to get the voices on there?

    • belatkuro says:

      The VN originally had no voices to begin with.
      The reason that the VN has voices is because those were from the FSN Realta Nua version for the PS2 released in 2007. The Realta Nua version is an all ages version of the VN that includes voices from the same cast as the anime, more CGs for the game and an additional ending but removed the H-scenes due to censorship.
      The English fan translation Mirrormoon just took those voices and added it in their patch. That is also the reason why the H-scenes in the VN had no voices as well.
      Ataraxia was released in 2005 so no voices there.

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