Review and impressions of "Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works": A fusion of an epic story and beautiful visuals

Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

18+ games

■ Broadcast period

October 5, 2014 - June 28, 2015

■Broadcasting station

TOKYO MX

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

13 episodes (first season) + 13 episodes (second season) = 26 episodes

■Original Story

Nasu Kinoko, TYPE-MOON

■ Director

Takahiro Miura

■ Production

Animation production: ufotable

■Works

©TYPE-MOON・ufotable・FSNPC

■ Story

The setting is Fuyuki City, a city surrounded by sea and mountains. There, a certain ritual takes place. In order to make the Holy Grail come true, which grants the wish of whoever holds it, seven magicians chosen by the Holy Grail are given seven familiars chosen by the Holy Grail. Knight "Saber", spearman "Lancer", archer "Archer", cavalryman "Rider", magician "Caster", assassin "Assassin", and berserker "Berserker". The Master makes a contract with one of the seven familiars, and the seven pairs of familiars seek the Holy Grail and kill each other until only one pair remains. It is called the "Holy Grail War". The war begins in the fall of 2014.

■Cast

・Emiya Shirou/Sugiyama Noriaki/Tohsaka Rin/Ueda Kana/Saber/Kawasumi Ayako/Archer/Suwabe Junichi/Mato Sakura/Shimoya Noriko/Illyasviel von Einzbern/Kadowaki Mai/Lancer/Kanna Nobutoshi/Caster/Tanaka Atsuko/Assassin/Miki Shinichiro/Rider/Asakawa Yuu/Fujimura Taiga/Ito Miki/Magi Shinji/Kamiya Hiroshi/Ryuudou Kazunari/Madono Mitsuaki/Kotomine Kirei/Nakata Jouji/Emiya Kiritsugu/Koyama Rikiya/Gilgamesh/Seki Tomokazu

■ Main staff

・Original work: Kinoko Nasu, TYPE-MOON
・Character design: Tomonori Sudo, Toshiyuki Tabata, Atsushi Ikariya ・Color design: Emi Chiba, Mika Matsuoka ・Art director: Koji Eto ・Director of photography: Yuichi Terao ・3D director: Kojiro Shishido ・Music: Hideyuki Fukasawa ・Animation production: ufotable

■ Main Characters

・Shirou Emiya
A young man who aspires to be a champion of justice. He is the only survivor of the great fire that occurred in Fuyuki City 10 years ago.
Saber: A swordsman Servant who has made a contract with Shirou.
・Tohsaka Rin
The heir to the prestigious Tohsaka family of magic. A popular girl who is in the same class as Shirou and an honor student at school.
Archer: A servant of the archer who has made a contract with Rin. He is persistently hostile towards Shirou, but his true intentions are unknown.
Lancer: A spearman Servant. His master is unknown, but he has the ability to fight on equal terms with Saber.
・Fujimura Taiga
She is an English teacher at Homurahara Academy, where Shirou and Rin attend, and is also the advisor for the Kyudo club. She has known Shirou since they were children and is like an older sister to him.
・Mato Sakura
A junior of Shirou, she is like a family member to him. She has a quiet personality, but...
・Shinji Matou
He is Sakura Matou's older brother and has been Shirou's classmate since middle school. He is popular with the female students, but he is actually very proud and has a habit of looking down on others.
Gilgamesh is the eighth Heroic Spirit (Servant) who is not supposed to exist. He seems to have some kind of relationship with Kirei, but he has made a contract with Shinji, who has lost his Rider.
・Kirito Kotomine
A priest at Kotomine Church, he oversees the Fifth Holy Grail War. He is a survivor of the Fourth Holy Grail War and is also Rin's guardian.
Illyasviel von Einzbern A girl with silver hair and red eyes who goes by the name of Einzbern. Her nickname is Illya. She has made a contract with Berserker.
Berserker: A berserker Servant who has made a contract with Illya. Due to the madness class trait, he has extremely powerful abilities.
A cavalry heroic spirit (Servant) who has made a contract with Rider Shinji. He has excellent mobility and can use magic, such as setting up a barrier around the school.
・Soichiro Kuzuki
A teacher at Homurahara Academy, where Shirou and Rin attend, and a Caster master, he has the fighting ability to fight on equal terms with Heroic Spirits.
A magician Servant who made a contract with Caster Katsuragi. In addition to Assassin, he also captured Saber and Archer, and moved his base to the church.
Assassin: A servant summoned by Caster. He possesses sword skills that are strong enough to fend off Saber.

■Subtitle

・#00/Prologue・#01/Winter's Day, A Fateful Night・#02/The Opening Moment・#03/First Battle・#04/Where is the Will to Fight?・#05/Dancing After School・#06/Mirage・#07/Rewards of a Deadly Battle・#08/Winter's Day, Where is the Heart?・#09/The Distance Between Us・#10/The Fifth Contractor・#11/The Visitor Comes Lightly・#12/The Final Choice

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Ideal white
1-9, 11-12
・Lyrics by meg rock
・Composer/Carlos K., Toshi-Fj
・Arrangement: Carlos K.
・Song: Mashiro Ayano

・ED1
・Ideal white
・0
・Lyrics by meg rock
・Composer/Carlos K., Toshi-Fj
・Arrangement: Carlos K.
・Song: Mashiro Ayano

・ED2
・believe
1 to 11
Lyrics: Yuki Kajiura; Composition: Yuki Kajiura; Arrangement: Yuki Kajiura; Singer: Kalafina

・Insert song 1
・THIS ILLUSION
12
・Lyrics by Keita Haga ・Composition by NUMBER 201
・Arrangement/Hideyuki Fukasawa ・Song/LiSA

■ Evaluation and impressions

"Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works" is an animated version of one of the routes of TYPE-MOON's popular visual novel "Fate/stay night", and is characterized by beautiful visuals and a deep story by ufotable. Below, we will discuss the appeal and evaluation of this work in detail.

■ Story and Characters

The story of "Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works" is that Shirou Emiya makes a contract with Saber and participates in the Holy Grail War. While faithfully recreating the "Unlimited Blade Works" route, one of the routes in the original game, the anime also includes original direction and additional scenes. In particular, the relationship between Shirou and Rin, as well as Archer's past and the conflict he faces, are carefully depicted, deeply moving viewers.

The appeal of the characters is also a major point. The protagonist, Emiya Shirou, is portrayed as a young man with a strong sense of justice, and his growth and conflicts are at the heart of the story. Saber is Shirou's partner, and it is moving to see her support him while also facing her own past. Tohsaka Rin is charming as she is torn between her pride as a magician and her friendship for Shirou, and Archer's cold-hearted attitude and the tragic past behind it are also not to be missed. Additionally, supporting characters such as Matou Sakura and Illyasviel are also unique, adding depth to the story.

■Video and Music

The visual beauty of ufotable is one of the biggest attractions of this work. The battle scenes are particularly stunning, with each servant's Noble Phantasm and magic being depicted realistically, creating a visual impact. Even in everyday scenes, the beautiful backgrounds and character expressions, which are carefully crafted down to the smallest detail, add to the atmosphere of the story.

The music is also wonderful, and the background music by Hideyuki Fukasawa enhances the tension and emotion of the story. In particular, the opening theme "ideal white" and the ending theme "believe" are beautiful songs that symbolize the theme of the story and remain deeply in the hearts of viewers. In addition, the inserted song "THIS ILLUSION" also plays an important role in livening up the climax.

■Evaluation

"Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works" is a work that is widely supported not only by fans of the original work but also by anime fans. The depth of the story, the charm of the characters, the visual beauty, and the music are all of a high standard, making a strong impression on viewers. In particular, the depiction of Shirou's growth and Archer's past deeply moved viewers, and the tension and drama of the Holy Grail War are beautifully expressed.

For fans of the original game, this work will provide an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the worldview of the original work, and for anime fans, it will provide new excitement and emotion. This work, which combines the visual beauty of ufotable with Hideyuki Fukasawa's music, can be said to be the pinnacle of the "Fate" series.

■Recommendation

If you haven't seen "Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works" yet, we highly recommend watching it. This is a must-see work, especially for fans of the original game and those who want to enjoy beautiful visuals and a deep story. It is also recommended for those who want to enjoy the battle scenes and character growth. This work, which combines the visual beauty of ufotable with Hideyuki Fukasawa's music, will provide viewers with strong emotions and excitement.

Furthermore, if you enjoyed this work, we also recommend "Fate/Zero" and "Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel]", also produced by ufotable. These works also allow you to fully experience the charm of the "Fate" series, so be sure to check them out.