Fate/Stay Night

Genre:
Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural, Action 

Duration: 24 Episodes 

Synopsis:
Emiya Shirou is a not-so-normal teenager with the ability to sense and change what an item is made of. Adopted by a magician after his parents died in a fire, he is brought up with the mindset of helping others and putting others before himself. His ability to ‘Trace’ makes him special, and also makes him a magician, although he is not taught any of it by his now-deceased magician father. One day, Shirou comes across a fighting scene between a swordsman and a lancer, both having unbelievable mystical powers. Having witnessed such a sacred battle, one of the men chases Shirou and kills him. But he is brought back to life by a fellow magician Tohsaka Rin, and is instantly included as a competitor in a war to win the Holy Grail, an artefact that will grant anything, and is strongly sought after by magicians participating in the war, called Masters, and their mystical companions, called Servants. Saber, Shirou’s Servant in the Holy Grail War, is summoned when he is nearly killed by the lancer who once eliminated him for witnessing a battle he was not supposed to know of. Their story unfolds as they try to fight through and survive the Holy Grail War, battling six other Masters and their Servants, and pursuing to be the only last-standing pair of Master and Servant. 

Story:  9.5/10
Original plot consisting of seven magicians trying to kill one another off and obtaining the Holy Grail in the end. Typical plot consisting of one male lead and several female leads, however, there are no significant feelings between them, only mostly mutual feelings, except for Shirou and Saber. Great build-up which leads to the ending of this story, which may make some of you weak-hearted ones cry. There is also a mystery that involves the male lead character Shirou. See if any of you can figure it out by the 14th episode, the only episode with a different ending song (apart from the last episode). To a certain extent funny, to a large extent enjoyable, especially if you enjoy fighting and action scenes. For somebody who prefers Comedy/Romance type of animes, I’m quite hooked to this one. Very fast-paced, action-packed scenes which will keep you glued to the screen. Although quite boring for the first episode, since it is only introductory, from the second episode onwards (when Saber is summoned by Shirou), it gets interesting to watch. Trust me, this is one irreplaceable anime. 

Characters:  9/10
The development of the characters are quite complete, especially Shirou and Saber, who manage to find their true selves in the end. Shirou, at the beginning of the series, is a simply guy who only knows how to ‘trace’ a substance and either stabilise it or change it to another form of matter. Towards the ending, however, he learns how to use his powers to the full extent, by being able to create weapons just by imaging it in his mind. Saber, Servant of Shirou, is a woman of few words, and rarely changes her facial expression. She does not give up easily, and never shows signs of affection towards the opposite gender. However, that changes towards the end, thanks to brilliant teamwork and sacrifices made by Shirou. For the other leads, Tohsaka Rin is simply unpredictable, from having a hardcore I-want-to-win-it-no-matter-what kind of behaviour, to having a soft spot for helping others, in this case, Shirou. Another Master, namely Ilyasviel Von Einzbern, is a small and cuddly-looking child, but with the ability to control the strongest Servant. Very contradicting, don’t you think? But since she is one notch higher as a magician than any character in the anime, it is no surprise.   

Animation:  9/10
The characters are well-drawn, the backgrounds are well-painted, the actions are well-animated. Special effects take full flight when weapons meet and spells are cast. Character moves are natural and smooth enough to be called ‘near-realistic’. Details are strongly emphasised, although some of the animation might be too fast or quick, some details can actually be seen, like the patterns on swords and the shapes of spears and knives. Some 3-dimensional feel can be felt whenever the characters jump from one building to another, showing the entire town and its magnificence, or when the camera chases a character when he or she sprints across an area. There are, however, some ‘Chibi’ (cute/child-like drawing) animations can be witnessed, especially around Shirou’s teacher, Fujimura Taiga, who has a comical sort of personality. These instances can be regarded as attention-getters, or something which makes viewers look at the screen again. Whenever the ‘Chibi’ is not present, the actions will take its place, and it never fails to make me stare at the screen and watch the whole sequence of fighting between the Servants and Masters. 

Music:  9.5/10
The music and songs for the anime are very emotional and strong at the same time. I didn’t particularly like the first opening, Disillusion, but the others are my favourites, especially the endings Anata ga Ita Mori and Hikari, and the second opening Kirameku Namida wa Hoshi ni. The songs are fairly addictive to me, because I like strong and emotional songs that have deep meanings to each of their sentences. All of the songs are worth listening to, and if you’re like me, you can repeat them infinitely. The background music for the fighting scenes is nice, and it blends perfectly with the motions and actions. Although the background music is worth listening to, it is not encouraged to repeat it infinitely, since it consists of mostly opera-like singing. 

Overall:  9/10
A great anime, one worth watching, maybe again and again. Although the first episode might not make as great an impact on its viewers, it is wise to watch and understand the introduction to know what the anime is going to be like. Full of action, just-enough servings of comical events, and romantic build-up of the two lead characters, this anime has almost all the elements to satisfy the hearts of any and many anime fans, no matter what kind of genres you prefer. A conclusion, one of the most marvellous animes ever created.

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