Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works – 03

Fate stay night Unlimited Blade Works 3-00098

On your mark, get set go!

spring14-kyo

This episode whooshed to its mark. If only in RL it would be the same! I’ve been so busy that I wish for a 48-hour day so that I could do everything I want but alas, it’s not possible… Though, writing about FSN is always fun so let’s dive into another episode, which was filled with quite a lot of excitement! Before that a friendly reminder on spoiler tag usage in comments and same for my post, which is only for Fate/Zero and/or UBW watchers/players.

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Illyasviel Von Einzbern: As promised, meet the loli of this franchise, who is so lovable that an entire spinoff (Prisma Illya) was based on her.  There’s a lot of speculation in the fandom as well that her route was cut during the development of the VN but things are a bit rocky in the execution of that so let’s stick to the episode plot that was handed to us by ufotable. Ms. Illya definitely comes off as a spoiled brat from how she interrupts Rin and Shiro’s conversation. However, behind that extra sugary smile and honeyed voice is a vicious eighteen-years-old—yes, she is that old and there is reasoning behind her slow growth but that we’ll discuss that later—who is almost designed to win this Holy Grail war.

If you have been reading my editorials since Prologue, Einzbern title should have already piqued your interest because along with Tohsaka and Matou, Einzbern was the third family behind the formulation of Holy Grail war. They have their own brand of powerful magic and the alchemy that Illya performed against Rin was just a glimpse of their power. Not to mention, she is the daughter of Kiritsugu and Irisviel, who only had eight years worth of love from her parents. It’s apparent that the previous war was quite complicated so there were a few very drastic repercussions and relevant one to Illya was that she was literally shut-in the Einzbern castle and never saw her father again.

And, yes, it still bothers me that the subbers chose to translate onii-chan to mister/boy even whenever she was said it; she meant the brother title. She knows him being the adoptive son of Kiritsugu and not very happy about how he got to spend time with her father until he was alive instead of her. So, yes, she has developed a nastily sweet personality and her interaction with others would be quite interesting.

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Rin+Shiro Partnership: Rin was not counting on an adversary to show up so soon and let me remind everyone that this is later than midnight because the first visit was to the Church to hear the exposition laden conversation from Kirei. Faced with an enemy that has even more power than the Saber-class, it was nice of Rin to join her forces with Shiro. Though, Shiro being the weak link, suffered with guilt throughout. Being told to run away can hurt any man’s pride. He really needs to up his game if he really wants to help Saber in tight corners. Though, she can pretty much take care of herself.

Rin, on the other hand, was ready for everything like a master should be. She is a good partner to have and Shiro should thank his stars on her quick thinking. Rejoice all Rin fans because we got quite a lot of action from her. But who expected the loli to be this powerful? Though, she is and her alchemic birds and swords were a sight to see. Fate/Zero watchers can reminisce here for Irisviel, like mother like daughter. However, it was a tough match with Illyasviel overpowering Rin sooner than later. Good thing is she knows when to retreat and even better when she handed Shiro’s ass handed to him.

Fate stay night Unlimited Blade Works 3-heroicspirits

Spotlight on Heroic Spirits: Berserker-class servants are usually mad warriors, who are corrupted by one of their wish and thus are summoned without their reasoning intact. However, Illya’s Berserker is more than just a mad warrior rather a very talented and renowned hero. Even being mad, he has not forgotten the way to fight and his true agility was showcased quite well by ufotable. His lava-like glowing skin was an added effect that really went well with his activated stance. Definitely complements the grainy armour of Fate/Zero’s Berserker. His identity should be quite apparent and I’d like our new watchers to at least try a guess.

It’s tough to be Saber, who retains her memories from previous war and thus even after avoiding the Church, faces Illyasviel, a mini-copy of her mother. Out of everyone, she definitely had the hardest night. But even then she proved her first-class ability from her swordplay to matching the maneuvers of an opponent who weighed much more than her. It was a struggle throughout but she strategized to shift their battleground from open space to graveyard, just so that she could use the gravestones as cover to her advantage. However powerful Berserker is, compared to his huge body, hers is nimble. It would have been a good strategy for the final kill but this Berserker is going to be quite hard to kill due to his multiple lives. Saber and Archer teamwork was good but let’s settle for a stalemate for now.

And now make way for the fabulousness of Archer. This was one of the first reveals on why us old fans love to call Archer, GARcher. This is literally one of his first forms and there is so much more going down. Not only he can shoot arrows like a boss but from such distance! For fun’s sake, I have to repeat Rin, “Archers are really Archers.” Yep, they are and this one is quite special. Even from such a distance, he not only backed up Saber and Rin in tight pinches but also mounted the final blow to Berserker. That was a fine use of Caladbolg II and all props to him for living up to his name. But he sure has some misgivings because that grin in the end is definitely more than just smugness. This is what you call proper hinting.

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In Brief:

  • We finally get a glimpse of Gilgamesh and he’s as wily as ever along with Kirei. From the short conversation, it’s clear they share some history. Not to mention our fake priest is up to no good!
  • For a note Illyasviel is indeed very powerful. Show ▼
  • Rin kicked Shiro’s butt just because she can.
  • There was a slight change in how things went down though. Saber gets wounded while facing off Berserker in the VN. As well, Rin and Illya don’t face off each other but this scenario adds to their clear animosity. Both scenarios don’t have any major repercussion so it still works.
  • Caladbolg II Show ▼

Extra Unlimited Works

FSN-UBW-Berserker-VN

VN to Anime adaptation.

Full Character Portraits: Saber, Illya and Archer+GARcher. You are welcome.

Click for more Show ▼

Sasuga, ufotable, on yet another amazing episode! They have surely spent quite a lot of budget on action and I’m quite happy on their decision from special effects to perfect BGM. Those Archer jumps before Saber and Berserker faced off was basically ufotable showing off on how much of a better job they can do on an adaptation even when it wasn’t necessary. But I forgive them on the overall prefect Unlimited Budget Works!

They are also simplifying the whole master-servant relationship for the new watchers, which is fine. The message is clear that everyone has to fight and people who don’t are the losers. People like Kirei would actually like to see the masters getting their hands dirty rather than servants doing all the work. Shiro has a long way to go for becoming Seigi no Mikata.

Show ▼

Things are going in interesting direction so stay tuned and enjoy the ride!

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Preview: Time to find out about other masters and it seems next in line is Caster.

Spoiler alert: Even when most of our readers are Fate oldies, do make sure to add spoilers under the [*spoiler]text[*/spoiler] tag (remove * while using), so that the new watchers are not spoiled out of the fun.

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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82 Responses to “Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works – 03”

  1. skylion says:

    I initially saved this too watch on my bus ride home yesterday. Even 720p on a Nexus 7 isn’t enough to capture the awesome! Had to watch it again when I got home.

    This is not my Illya. And that makes me quite happy in some regards. But also sad in a way.

    • Foshizzel says:

      I waited to see what you thought about this version of Illya! She is completely different and I guess Chloe in Prism illya is this version of Illya? Aka murderous intent and that is how I was taking it after seeing both series. I know she has an interest in Shirou which is sorta the same in this and her spin-off series? I could be mistaken thou.

      DAT FIGHT wow Saber vs Bezerker vs Archer <3 <3 the animation is mind-blowing! I always forget how destructive Bezerker was in Fate/Stay Night vs Fate/Zero.

      • skylion says:

        I had wanted to say something about Chloe/Kuro, but my thoughts ran away from me.

        …and what really blew me away was some of the sound design. Those birds sounded creepy…

      • Di Gi Kazune says:

        Mini-Mommy~~ “Onii-chan~~ you know incest is fine when you are not related? *heart* Berserker, rip off his arms and legs so that onii-chan can be my toy and not run away~ The hag you can smash. *heart*’

        This shows why no matter in what route, Illya >>> Rin~
        Prismaverse Illya >>> Rin
        UBWverse Illya >>> Rin

        Rin: … T_T Then my ass shaking last episode was in vain? T_T
        GARcher: Do worry Rin, you’re the main female character here.

        Kuro is the GARcher version of Illya. Wait, wrong spelling. ‘CLO’ is the GARcher version of Illya. This is the Illya that has given in to her anger and been seduced by the Dark Side(tm).

        • Kyokai says:

          Mommy might disown her but Show ▼

          For me, Rin will always be the best get. Her DAT ASS included. xD

          • Di Gi Kazune says:

            That’s why I’ve said it before, Prismaverse Illya is the Illya that has grownup wholesomely with a family, Papa, Mama and her two meido!

            • Kyokai says:

              Point, this Illya still has her meidos. They are just a bit more covered. 😉

      • Kyokai says:

        @ skylion, Action-wise, this was the best episode.

        @ Fosh, you are right on Illya, she’s always fixated with him whatever the timeline or spinoff. She loves her onii-chaaaan!

        Also, loved how Berserker was animated. This here is exactly how he should be portrayed, not like a slow hulk by DEEN previously. This dude has power, agility and amazing fighting style. Glad to see it finally realized.

  2. Di Gi Kazune says:

    MLRS GARCHER! When in doubt, saturation by artillery works! Hmm.. did not work…

    Show ▼

    Shirou was being pretty useless here. His job here was basically trying not to be ‘people die when they are killed’. 😛

    Also, the only thing to say about Berserker here is: BERSERKER MAD! BERSERKER SMASH! PUNY SHIROU! 😛

    • BlackBriar says:

      Also, the only thing to say about Berserker here is: BERSERKER MAD! BERSERKER SMASH! PUNY SHIROU!

      Hulk type references, eh? PUNY HUMAN!!

      • Di Gi Kazune says:

        Hmmm…

        Berserker = Hulk
        Archer = Clint
        Assassin = Natasha
        Caster = Tony
        Rider =
        Saber =
        Lancer =

        Welcome to the Avengers Holy Grail War: There can only be One!

    • Kyokai says:

      @DGK, Show ▼

  3. Martin says:

    The fact that F/Z exists actually makes an adaptation of the original VN even more enjoyable now – there’s more weight behind Saber’s decision-making, and the dialogue between Shirou and Ilya carries a lot more meaning as well. It sort-of filled in gaps in the story that were never there to begin with, but makes UBW more enjoyable now.

    Ilya’s cool. Although she’s strictly speaking older than she looks, her character gives off this aura of a playful child being given an extremely powerful toy (as in, a living toy that can flatten buildings!) The form of the familiars was a nice nod to Iri I thought, and the anime-original fight scenes were very well done.

    Rin is still the best girl. ^_^ In fact, I had a twitter conversation just yesterday where both I and another viewer agreed that UBW would do just fine without Shirou as a main character at all. As fun as the sibling rivalry between Shirou and Ilya is, and as cool a character as Saber is, I really hope the story focuses on the relationship between Rin and Archer instead as the war progresses. TBH, Shirou’s had plenty of screen time in previous Fate adaptations, and Rin is so much more interesting and fun to watch.

    • skylion says:

      Hmmm Sabre!nstalled Miyu had problems with Berserker in the original Prisma Ilya, and Ilya herself mopped up that Class Card with no problems…

    • Kyokai says:

      Yes! I enjoyed this version of UBW just because Fate/Zero was animated and done so well. There should be a rule now for ufotable to produce all Type-Moon adaptable work. They are literally the best and I am loving all the little reference trinkets they have been dropping.

      Illya’s personality literally is homed by this episode because it was not just ‘Hey, Berserker, go kill them,’ rather we saw her superior/bratty personality through her battle with Rin, “why should I even care talking to you becausae you’ll be killed here.”

      Rin is awesome and I would totally take that version with her being the MC but then again, we will be seeing her maximum in this route. And as I love it whenever there’s interaction between Rin and Archer, I hope we get more than just glimpses of their relationship.

  4. BlackBriar says:

    Another TM-hard meeting has been convened! Bring on the walls of text and spoiler tags! 😀

    This Illya presented before me is not the Illya I’ve come to know. If someone said it was an evil, I’d easily believe. Instead, she’s a calculating, sadistic sociopath and talks about killing and death so lightly. Appearance-wise, one might say she and Berserker don’t look suitable together but he might represent how she is on the inside, beneath that cute face. Given her way of speaking to Rin, she’s anti-social, has a habit of looking down on people and probably has an ego.

    I’m glad the episodes I download are high quality. Because the fights continue to be well animated as they are epic. Fast and fluid. So compelling the whole length of the episode felt real short. This Archer is badass and much easier to tolerate than Gilgamesh from Fate/Zero. Speaking of him, I wonder what he’s been doing the past 10 years. Clear enough he hasn’t left Kirei’s side.

    Since Kiritsugu is Illya’s biological father and he adopted Shiro, that makes them step-siblings. And one is targeting the other. That’s messed up. Plus, I have a feeling she’s no intention in telling why she harbors such animosity. Don’t blame him for circumstances beyond his control.

    • skylion says:

      Instead, she’s a calculating, sadistic sociopath and talks about killing and death so lightly

      She told Rin she was an Einzbern to Rin…oh how that just has subtext upon subtext. I hope they explore that later. It was somewhat hinted at in Prisma.

      • Di Gi Kazune says:

        Everything is in the walls of spoiler text in the last episode’s discussion.

        But the summary is:
        Show ▼

    • Kyokai says:

      Ready as always!

      Actually, this is the real Illya, being the original character and all. Though, I have explained the reasoning behind her brattiness. Life was kinda hard on her and there were no loving parents to keep her away from all of it. The reason behind her animosity is how he got her father for his own, when she didn’t. Let’s see how ufotable fleshes out her character, IF they do.

      Production values are nowhere near dropping so really loving all the quality. And I’d like to tell you what Gil has been doing but yeah spoilerssss. xD

      • BlackBriar says:

        With strict training sessions to become a mage and no one to form a true bond with her in the absence of her parents, that would be the surest link to her possible anti-social tendencies.

  5. belatkuro says:

    Where to even begin in commenting about the episode. It was just fantastic from start to finish. And this had to be watched in HQ to savor every moment. I should plug up our wide screen sometime when I rewatch this.

    For starters, BahsahkahBerserker. Definitely a monster. All that power and speed in that body. Great to see that Berserker is shown to be very agile(that breakdance). He does have an A rank in his Agility stats wise. In fact, every stat of his is insanely broken. Nerf pls. This should shut up anyone doubting which Berserker of the two HGW is stronger. Though it’s another matter entirely when faced against our gold friend from the Yuestu club. TM fights are all about compatibility after all.
    Saber at least did a good job in killing Berserker but it’ll take more than that.

    Like I said before, coming off from 2wei and knowing Illya’s fate in this route leaves a very complicated feeling. I love the additional part of her and Rin fighting. Definitely shows that she’s not a pushover and an excellent Master on her own.

    Rin’s preparations were good but she didn’t expect Illya to be even better. She still handled the fight well on her own. I liked it when she manhandled Shirou when they met. Definitely shows that she has some physical training.Show ▼

    And finally, the red man. Clearly stole the show with that nuke attack. I love the way the sword smoothly transformed as he pulled back the bow. All that power that totally devastated that place and not a single scratch on the big man. It still did its job of making Illya retreat though.
    I love that visual cue of Shirou noticing his attack. He at least did something for today.
    Though one would question why Archer didn’t try to snipe Illya when she was pretty visible at the start of the fight. I would say that between Illya’s defensive spells and the speed of Berserker, they can easily intercept those shots. And there’s one more reason but that’s for later. Hint: that smirk.

    So much Fate goodness for me. A glorious 3rd episode of UBW, finally getting to play Fate/Hollow Ataraxia and loving every interactions with the characters and some great spoilers in the 3rei manga. It’s good to be a fan.

    • Kyokai says:

      My feeling exactly when I begin writing my weekly editorials. It takes a bit of time and musing over before I decide on the outline. And I definitely rewatch twice/thrice before writing anything on 1080p quality. xD

      Hats off to ufotable for proper portrayal of Berserker because before playing the game and via the anime, I thought he was a mountain. Sure he had strength but agility? Paaah no! But here you go, this is how Show ▼

      should be.

      The bonus scenes between Rin, Illya and even Rin with Shiro were a nice surprise. Not in the VN but nicely put there without any continuation break. Good showcase of Tohasaka power and an early glimpse of her mana bullets but hey, it still was good.

      I’ve waited long to see the GARcher moment and of course this is just the beginning. Everything was perfect and I hope we see more of him and Show ▼

      One of these days I’ll start on ataraxia but I’m contended with watching UBW for now. :3

  6. belatkuro says:

    A little help on Spammy please.

  7. skylion says:

    “Do you want a hug?” What skylion imagines, while seeing this.

    Oh, no! If she said that during Prisma Ilya, then yes. But she is an entirely different character here; as Fosh says above, we see where Kuro get’s her aggression.

    Show ▼

    • Kyokai says:

      Berserker is definitely still berserk. It’s just his sheer heroism and battle-worn body that makes him a great warrior during fights.

      Show ▼

  8. Soliloquy says:

    Perhaps, Shiro is definitely a bit different from the fate route. At least he realises his powerlessness and knows when to be useful. Even so, I would like UFOtable to give more screentime to Rin and Ilya as well. I’m always so curious about what they are thinking.

    If they are adding a lot of new scenes to reference Fate/Zero, this series will do fine and achieve the epic level its predecessor reached many times.

    Ufotable worked their magic to deliver in every department firing all cylinders. Hope they succeed for their efforts in living up to the impossible hype. This is why I think I’m already confident in saying this is the anime of the year.

    • skylion says:

      I very much want more screen time for Rin and Ilya..especially Ilya as her story I have found in bits and pieces from covering 2wei to be very unique in many regards.

      I like how some of the references to Zero are blink and you miss it, which makes re-watching much more fun!

      Ufotable is a great studio. If you want to see them outside the Fate universe, look for Majokko Shimai no Yoyo to Nene. Beautiful film.

      • Di Gi Kazune says:

        Illya’s story is in the Heaven’s Feel route.

        In UBW,
        Show ▼

      • Soliloquy says:

        Definitely this anime feels so dense with reference in not just the dialogues but these expressions in the faces of servants give nice touch to the anime that is already great.

        About Ilya, I’d be happy at least to watch the circumstance behind the summoning of Berserker and how she reacted and whom she expected to summon. In fact, reading more into the lore of Fate Universe, Einsbern family becomes much more mysterious. Even the Prisma series just leaves at basic information.

        Yeah, even before watching Fate/Zero, I always had a very good impression on UFOtable after checking out Manabi Straight. I have never heard of the film you mentioned but I’m curious, so I will check that out.

        • Kyokai says:

          Kara no Kyoukai movies series should be first on your list being the ultimate Type-Moon prototype story for all their released work.

          But yes, I do agree with highlighting more on Rin and Illya because Shiro we know. Good thing is that the UBW route Shiro is much more grounded and even show proper character development, which was lacking in fate-route.

          Let’s hope ufotable keeps up with their guns blazing for this adaptation.

      • Kyokai says:

        @skylione, Oi oi, don’t forget their first TM masterpiece: Kara no Kyoukai. You are still on my thread yo! 😛

    • skylion says:

      ..and now I get swallowed by the Spam Monster. Which for the Fate threads we should call Caladbolggy…?

  9. Di Gi Kazune says:

    I bet that new guy is Lancer’s Master! Or at least another Master whose servant hasn’t been revealed!

    Show ▼

    He does look so handsome and charismatic. *heart*

  10. Di Gi Kazune says:

    In other news: Kotomine Tanuki. Tricking everyone with his good deeds.

  11. fragb85 says:

    You know what’s interesting? This episode could have very will been considered filler. The Saber + Archer vs. Berserker battle was quick in the VN and literally ended with a bang. I had thought they would spend maybe 7-10 minutes of screen time for the fight then move to the next day. Instead the entire episode run time is devoted to this one night.

    So other than the servant battle that gets expanded, the episode is padded with anime original material. And I enjoyed every minute of it. More screen time for Rin is always good and having a battle between Masters is something the VN itself really needed. There is even some extra moments of Rin being tsundere for Shirou.

    I call BS on one thing though.
    Show ▼

    • Di Gi Kazune says:

      Your answer:
      Show ▼

      Pardon me but was playing Beyond Earth over the weekend and there is a True SABR! But it doesn’t spam excallyburr.

    • belatkuro says:

      If I remember correctly, Show ▼

      • Kyokai says:

        Show ▼

    • Kyokai says:

      This reminds of that anime original Fate/Zero Rin episode. That was fanservice; though, this one I deem as proper adaptation. Show ▼

      • fragb85 says:

        The F/Z Rin episode wasn’t anime original, that was on the novel too as a side chapter. Though the ending was changed. Show ▼

        • Kyokai says:

          I’ve read the novels and there was no Rin chapter there. Was this published later? Something like the one-shot on Kiritsugu and Natalia adventures?

          Show ▼

          • belatkuro says:

            Volume 2, Act 8, Part 4. This was the Rin chapter/episode.

            • Kyokai says:

              I read this part but Show ▼

  12. Irenesharda says:

    You know Kyokai, I don’t know if I can read these editorials too closely since they seem to be pretty spoiler heavy for F/Z, but I guess it’s my fault for just not watching it first…

    Anyway, a pretty good episode. I liked the second half a little more than the first, though I have to say the ending with Archer was very good. I sense there’s a connection between Archer and Shirou (and I think I have a bit of an idea what it is, but I shall wait and see).

    The first half was just okay, You guys seem to be enamored with Illiya or whatever her name is, but while I found her a but cute, I also found her a major brat and just was kind of glad when she was gone. I thought that it was strange that they translated her “onii-chans” to “mister”, but I guess since Shirou doesn’t seem to react at all the to the title, nothing was really lost. I reminds me of Gundam G-reco and how they continue to translate “hime-sama” as “lady” even though, pretty much everyone knows that that that’s the address of a princess, and then they only reveal that she’s a princess in the fifth episode as if it’s some sort of surprise.

    I personally thought the fight a little boring, especially since it’s just Saber and Berserker going at each other with the Masters just standing around. I’m sorry, it wasn’t until Rin finally attacked the little blond Hell princess, that I was actually starting to wonder how stupid this world is. If the whole purpose is really to get rid of the masters, and if you get rid of the masters than the servants disappear, why the heck, aren’t the masters attacking each other while their servants are preoccupied with battle?!

    Thankfully, they answered that question well enough, though I’m thinking that will be a more valid question later on when some characters who we know are magic weakling, aren’t being assassinated.

    I don’t care for Kirei, but the blond guy seems cool. I was going to ask who that was, but Madame Kyokai unintentionally let his identity slip, and so I know know that he is Gilgamesh who I believe was a servant fighter in the F/Z? (people mention him a lot 🙂 ), now my question will be why is he still around? But I guess that will be revealed in time.

    I like Shirou more now, so I hope he’s okay. Saber’s a nice girl, and I of course like Archer and Rin. I’m hoping we get more development and not just a bunch of battles, but so far so good.

    • Di Gi Kazune says:

      You have been touched by the Charisma of Mr. Kinpika. No doubt if he were an AUO, he’d likely have Rank A Charisma.

      As for onii-chans~:…
      ..

      Hey, how come metafap doesn’t have the cute Emi screencaps going ~onii-chan~ I am shocked.

    • Kyokai says:

      I try my best to keep the spoilers out with tags but I do provide information that would enrich the viewing experience. However, I definitely did one slip of a tongue with Gilgamesh, who I should have referred to as blondie or Kinpika than his actual name. Oh well, what’s done is done, there will be more of him soon.

      I’m usually fine with subbing slips but this mister was just one too many and for this specific fandom, such mistake is literally unacceptable. Sure, the reveal will be done soon enough but c’mon!

      About the masters, not all of them are trained magus and thus are weak in combat. There were some in previous war and same in the current version, when masters will literally hide while the servants do their dirty work. You can call this a loophole/weakness of the system/grail but that’s how it is. I’m glad ufotable showed that not every master tends to fight or even has the power to.

      You’ll get all your answers in time but yeah, watching Fate/Zero would definitely help because this adaptation seems to be littered with a lot of referencing from there. And rest assured the story is developed with proper exposition along with battle action. xD

  13. Di Gi Kazune says:

    I had a dream last night… Of being protagonist in War#5. There was GARcher, and Saber, and probably Rin, but definately Berserker there. When all of a sudden, Caster came out and tried to beamspam us to death…

  14. Highway says:

    I thought translating ‘onii-chan’ to mister was perfectly acceptable. We’re watching this from Shirou’s perspective, and it doesn’t matter what Illya *actually* means, it’s acceptable for a younger child to call an older boy that with no familial relationship, and that’s how it would be heard by Shirou. I thought the translation was a clever way to avoid spoiling something that will come later, and avoids confusing the viewer. People who already know that will get the joke, the other people don’t get spoiled: win-win.

    • Di Gi Kazune says:

      2 cents here. East Asian culture dictates that honorifics should be used appropriately or it be a faux pax. It is all related to respect in social standing and age is part of it. If Highway were say… and old grandpa(ma) years older than me, I would still call him Uncle/Auntie eventhough we are unrelated. Similarly, it applies to children calling their older peers big brother/sister. So yes, mister does work, but to those who understand the nuances of East Asian honorifics, it is like Illya is a little girl and Shirou is a perverted old man. 😛

      And TECHinically, Illya should be calling Shirou otouto-chan, she is the older of the two but she just want to look cute.

      Illya: Fufufufu, now that you are tied up Shirou, you shall start calling me ONEE-san! 😀
      Shirou: T_T Yes onee-san… T_T

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