Ep 1 Impressions – Fate/Zero

It’s quite rarely that a show could be a contender for series of the year 12 months before it airs, but Fate Zero is exactly that.  With a stellar cast on top of great original story, this show already has tonnes of hypes surrounding it, and the one hour episode one certainly did not disappoint.

Fate/Zero, the light novel  prequel written by Urobuchi Gen on the established Fate/Stay Night universe. The setting of the story is on the previous Holy Grail War which happened 10 years prior to the one set place in FSN. The tragic ending is already set in stone due to this story being the prequel, and the main focus of this series is to see how that all plays out.

Episode one focuses on the backstory of the mages involved. We gained a slight glimpse into their motivation, their desire, and their personalities. Contrast to what many people expect from this series, I’ll see Fate/Zero primarily as a story heavy one instead of the action heavy horrible adaptation from DEEN. There were a lot of talking, a lot of explanation to the newcomers as to what the whole war is about in this episode. Granted it it quite dialogue heavy and might put off some people, but it just sets up the stage so well that I couldn’t think of any other ways to do this section. Having an 1 hour premier certainly helped. The tension builds up so well that I can’t wait for the next episode.

Ufotable came to mainstream with the wonderfully looking Kara no Kyoukai series, and with Aniplex giving them a huge budget, the first episode of Fate/Zero looks absolutely stunning. While there isn’t much animation to speak of due to this one being mainly an exposition episode (unless you count the circling walk), every single scene is just delicious to look at, especially the worms. That final incantation scene is just orgasmic.

I am a firm believer that one of the biggest reasons Madoka Magica succeeded is the flawless combination of Urobuchi’s script and the music from Yuki Kajiura. She once again brought out several great tracks in Fate/Zero that just sets the mood so well. The OP played at the end of this episode did an adequate job at continuing that high energy in the final scene.

Emiya Kiritsugu, the assassin with a cause. Kotomine Kirei, the hitman without a purpose. Tohsaka Tokiomi, the arrogant mage. Waver Velvet, the naive newcomer. Matou Kariya, the tragic hero. Each of them has the potential to venture into hell and enter the Urobuchi purgatory. The scene involving Kariya and Sakura is one of the best scenes in the first episode simply because you know what his outcome would be. Knowing the outcome of this battle simply puts each characters upcoming ordeal in a different light. I will certainly enjoy this ride.

There has been several debates as to whether you would need to watch that abomination from DEEN or play the awesome Visual Novel from Type Moon to enjoy the story. Personally I knew a little of the aftermath and the setting, and was able to enjoy the character interaction immensely. There aren’t many characters that carry on to Fate/Stay Night, and this episode handles the tutorial process quite nicely. So I’d say that give it a go anyway.

Urobuchi brought me countless moments of enjoyment with Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I’m sure I will have the same awesome experience with this series. If you haven’t yet seen this episode, I urge you to do it as soon as possible.

Highly recommended

 

lastly, the OP

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