The appeal and reviews of "Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS": A thorough analysis of the epic battles and profound story

Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

18+ games

■ Release date

January 23, 2010 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Distribution: Geneon Universal Entertainment, Clockworks

■Frequencies

107 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

TYPE-MOON

■ Director

Yuji Yamaguchi

■ Production

Animation Production: Studio Deen Production: Fate/stay night The Movie Production Committee (Geneon Universal Entertainment, TBS, Frontier Works, Notes, Clay, Clockworks)

■Works

©TYPE-MOON / Fate-UBW Project

■ Story

In the midst of a catastrophe that burns down the city, Emiya Shirou, who lost everything, is taken in by a man who calls himself a magician. For ten years, Shirou has been training in magic every day to follow his adoptive father's wishes and become a "hero of justice", but he has little talent and has only mastered one type of magic. One day, Shirou is caught up in a battle between magicians known as the "Holy Grail War" and accidentally makes a contract with one of the servants, "Saber". Shirou becomes a master against his will. However, he learns that the catastrophe ten years ago was also caused by the Holy Grail War, and he throws himself into the battle to prevent a repeat of that tragedy...

■Explanation

They exchange fire because of their respective beliefs. They challenge each other to the ultimate swordplay. The fateful battle finally begins. Originally published by TYPE-MOON, the immensely popular Fate/stay night has been a hit in various media since its debut in 2004. The episode "UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS", which features the most intense battle, has been completely adapted into a movie by the reunited anime staff. In 2010, the true "Holy Grail War" will be revealed. A boy who believes in justice and a man who has given up on his ideals. A girl who carries the name of a prestigious family of magic, the Silver Knight. As their respective feelings intertwine, the battle between the magician (Master) and the summoned heroes of the past (Servants) in search of the Holy Grail, which is said to perform all miracles, becomes more intense.

■Cast

・Shirou Emiya/Noriaki Sugiyama・Saber/Ayako Kawasumi・Rin Tohsaka/Kana Ueda・Archer/Junichi Suwabe・Sakura Matou/Noriko Shimoya・Illya/Mai Kadowaki・Taiga Fujimura/Miki Ito・Shinji Matou/Hiroshi Kamiya・Rider/Yu Asakawa・Kiritsugu Emiya/Rikiya Koyama・Caster/Atsuko Tanaka・Souichiro Katsuragi/Kazuhiro Nakata・Berserker/Tadahisa Nishimae・Kirei Kotomine/Jouji Nakata・Assassin/Shinichiro Miki・Lancer/Nobutoshi Kanna・Gilgamesh/Tomokazu Seki

■ Main staff

・Original work: TYPE-MOON
・Director／Yamaguchi Yuji・Original scenario／Nasu Kinoko・Screenplay／Sato Takuya・Original character design／Takeuchi Takashi・Character design, chief animation director／Ishihara Megumi・Special effects director／Hashimoto Takashi・Storyboards／Yanagisawa Tetsuya, Nishimoto Yukio, Yamamoto Hideyo, Terahigashi Katsumi, Yamaguchi Yuji・Directors／Okamoto Hideki, Yashiro Shun, Ishii Hisashi, Yoshida Shunji・Animation directors／Abe Tomoyuki, Sekino Masahiro, Kato Yasuhisa, Kobayashi Toshimitsu・Color design／Kitazume Eiko・Art director／Koyama Toshihisa・Art／Umino Yoshimi・Art setting／Nagasawa Jun Director of Photography: Kondo Masayoshi 3D Director: Inagaki Akira Editor: Matsumura Masahiro Sound Director: Tsujitani Koji Music Producer: Nishimura Jun Music: Kawai Kenji Animation Producer: Urasaki Nobumitsu Distribution: Geneon Universal Entertainment, Clockworks, Negami Kei, Miyazaki Satoshi Producers: Ogura Mitsutoshi, Watanabe Keisuke, Kamitamauri Sumihiro, Takeuchi Tomotaka, Saito Masaaki, Takechi Tsuneo Animation Production: Studio Deen Production: Fate/stay night The Movie Production Committee (Geneon Universal Entertainment, TBS, Frontier Works, Notes, Clay, Clockworks)

■ Main Characters

・Saber A servant of the sword knight, Saber. A beautiful girl with clear golden hair and deep green eyes. Although she has a delicate and petite appearance, she boasts bravery and outstanding fighting power befitting the most excellent class, Saber. She respects her master's orders and is easy to understand, but because she is too serious, she can also be inflexible.
・Emiya Shirou The protagonist of this work and Saber's master. One of the few survivors of the great disaster ten years ago. Rescued from near death by Emiya Kiritsugu, he was adopted and raised. His real parents died in the disaster. He has an extraordinary talent for cooking. He learned magic from his late adoptive father, Kiritsugu, but he can only analyze and strengthen the structure of objects, and his success rate is low. He aims to become a "hero of justice" as Kiritsugu promised him on his deathbed.
・Tohsaka Rin Archer's master. Beautiful, intelligent, and with outstanding athletic ability. On the surface, she appears intelligent and polite, and is something of an idol at school. However, in reality, she is a mischievous little devil who enjoys teasing people. As a magician, she has immense magical powers and can control all five elements. She is an outstanding and strongest class magician.
Archer: Archer Servant, the bow knight. A mysterious Servant who cannot remember his true name, possibly due to an accident during summoning. He has an unexpected talent for all things domestic. He has a sarcastic and nasty tone of voice, but is somehow childish and lovable. He seems to personally view Emiya Shirou as an enemy.
Sakura Matou is the younger sister of Matou Shinji, the protagonist's friend from middle school, and a member of the archery club. A year ago, she started going to the Emiya household to take care of the injured protagonist, and now she feels happy with her life there, and they continue to interact like family. She is shy, and only smiles in front of Shirou.
・After the death of Fujimura Taiga Kiritsugu, she was the only daughter of the Fujimura family who looked after Shirou in various ways, and she dotes on him like a younger brother. She calls herself Shirou's guardian and is his homeroom teacher at school. Her subject is English. She was a kendo expert so highly qualified that she was nicknamed "The Tiger of Fuyuki" when she was a student, but for some reason she is also the advisor for the archery club. Due to her friendly personality, the students call her "Tiger", but she seems to hate that nickname more than anything.
・Illya Illya [Illyasviel von Einzbern]. Berserker's master. A young girl with red eyes and silver hair. She is cruel because of her innocence, and tries to kill Shirou. Outside of battle, for some reason she calls the protagonist "Big Brother" and adores him.
Kotomine Kirei: A priest who serves as an auditor for the Holy Grail War.
A Rider Cavalry Servant. A woman who always hides her eyes, she summons Pegasus and possesses a Noble Phantasm that allows her to control it. Her master is someone Shirou knows well...
・Lancer A spearman servant. His master is unknown, and he is a man with a red spear. When Shirou encounters the Lancers in battle, he is nearly stabbed to death by his spear.
・A Caster magician servant. A woman who can use advanced magic. She is said to be hiding in Ryudou Temple. Who is her master?
Matou Shinji: Shirou's friend from middle school.
・Shirou's late adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya. During the great disaster ten years ago, he rescued the dying Shirou and raised him as his own son.
A teacher at the school Shirou attends. A man who lives in Ryudou-ji Temple.
Berserker: A berserker Servant contracted with Illya. He possesses the Noble Phantasm "The Twelve Trials." He boasts a gigantic body and overwhelming offensive power.
・Assassin Servant. A man dressed as a samurai, he wields a long sword as a weapon. He guards the gate of Ryudo Temple.
・Gilgamesh A mysterious golden servant. He can use countless treasures. What is his true identity?

■ Related works

・Fate/stay night
・Fate/stay night TV reproduction
・Fate/Zero
・Fate/Zero 2nd Season ・Fate/Zero Remix I
・Fate/Zero Remix II
・Fate/Zero Cafe ・Onegai! Einzbern Counseling Room ・Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] 1st Season ・Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] 2nd Season ・Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]

■ Theme songs and music

・TM1
・Voice ~The place you reach~
Lyrics: Sachi Tainaka Composition: Yusuke Yamamoto Arrangement: Kohei Koyama Vocals: Sachi Tainaka

・IM1
・Imitation
Lyrics: Keita Haga Music: Kenji Kawai Arrangement: Masanori.T
・Song: Sachi Tainaka

Review and Recommendation

"Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS" is a particularly noteworthy episode of TYPE-MOON's popular series "Fate/stay night," and is a fascinating work with its epic storyline and deep character portrayals. The film was released in theaters in 2010 and was highly praised by fans. Below, we will provide a detailed review and recommendation of this work.

Story and Themes

"Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS" begins with the story of Emiya Shirou, who becomes embroiled in the Holy Grail War. Shirou lost everything in a great disaster ten years ago and was taken in by the magician Emiya Kiritsugu. He aims to carry on Kiritsugu's will and become a "hero of justice", but he has little talent for magic and the only magic he has mastered is "enhancement". However, he accidentally makes a contract with the servant Saber and unwillingly becomes the master of the Holy Grail War.

The theme of this work is "belief" and "destiny." Shirou tries to stick to his belief of becoming a "hero of justice," but the path is full of difficulties. Meanwhile, his conflict with Archer (Shirou's future self) is also a test of Shirou's beliefs. Archer denies Shirou's ideals and confronts him with the harshness of reality. Through this conflict, Shirou reaffirms his beliefs and is depicted as growing.

character

The characters in this work are extremely fascinating and deep. In particular, the protagonist Emiya Shirou's attitude of pursuing his ideals and his growth are inspiring. Saber is a brave and loyal servant who supports Shirou. Her past and conflicts are also depicted, leaving a deep impression on the viewer. Tohsaka Rin appears calm and intelligent on the surface, but in reality she also has a mischievous side, and her character adds color to the story. Archer is characterized by his sarcastic attitude and hostile attitude towards Shirou, and his presence adds tension to the story.

In addition, each character has their own unique personality, such as Sakura Matou's purity, Taiga Fujimura's humorous personality, and Illya's innocence, and they enrich the story. Characters such as Kirei Kotomine and Gilgamesh also have deep backgrounds and attractive portrayals, which draw the viewer in.

Visuals and Music

The visuals of "Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS" fully demonstrate Studio Deen's technical capabilities. In particular, the depiction of the battle scenes is extremely beautiful, and you can enjoy the power of the swordplay and the splendor of the magic visually. The character designs are also beautifully recreated by Ishihara Megumi based on Takeuchi Takashi's original ideas, and the individuality of each character is conveyed through the visuals.

The music also adds to the appeal of this work. The theme songs "Voice ~The Place We Arrive~" and "Imitation" are sung by Sachi Tainaka, deepening the emotion of the story and resonating with the viewers. Kenji Kawai's music effectively creates tension in the battle scenes and dramatic developments.

Recommendation

"Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS" is a work that can be recommended not only to TYPE-MOON fans, but to anyone who loves action and fantasy. It is especially perfect for those who want to enjoy deep themes and character growth. In addition, the beautiful visuals and music are also one of the attractions, so you will be satisfied both visually and aurally.

This is a particularly important episode in the series, and serves as the foundation for enjoying other "Fate" works. By watching "Fate/stay night" and "Fate/Zero" as related works, you can gain a deeper understanding of the world of the "Fate" series.

"Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS" is a magnificent story about belief and destiny, and is a work that will provide viewers with a lot of emotion and excitement. Please give it a try.