Um, people. If an entry of my is delayed, It just means that I’m busy with this thing called life. I really try to update fast, but there are times when I’ll be busy with either work or friends. It doesn’t mean that I’ve dropped something, just because I’m late with it.
Now that that’s out of the way, this was a definite improvement over the previous episode due to all of the characters involved. Aside from the Caster-Duo, all of the major master-servant pairs were involved here in this episode, which fits this series much more compared to the previous episode’s duel with lots of talking. There was a lot of stuff that everyone had to take into account, and everyone arrived at the battlefield with a different agenda, and a completely different battle plan. If the rest of the battles are like this the we’re really in for an awesome show.
I’m probably not the only one in this, but the one who really stood out for me was Rider. His chivalry along with his air of just not caring to be careful really stood out. Apart from that I also like Kirei and Kiritsugu, as they seem to know what they’re doing the most. There are a few characters who are still a bit too one-sided at the moment, like Caster’s master and Lancer’s master also needs a bit more attention. I also find it a bit of a pity that Saber is being pushed in the underdog category. That just doesn’t fit this series where the themes as chivalry are huge.
I also have to praise Ufo-Table for their great work on the CG. I mean, it has the bad luck that it airs in a season with both Last Exile and Guilty Crown, but if those two weren’t there it would without a doubt had the best visuals of the season.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]>
Fate/Zero – 05
I was actually kind of scared that they used CGI for berserker. But seeing his fight with Gil was incredibly glorious, it pretty much put saber and lancer’s previous fight to shame.
I for one thought that Saber’s and Lancer’s fight in the previous episode was very well executed and the amount of talk was appropriate. In that fight you can see that they were really feeling out each others abilities, with each move they make calculated and measured, each trying to find an advantage over their opponent. The fact that they talked quite a lot with each other as they fought I attribute to the fact that they both really enjoyed the opportunity to fight an honorable duel as they are both knights who respect the code of chivalry.
I also think that Rider is one of my favourite servant in F/Z. He really wear’s his heart out in the open and for that I really feel thankful that Waver stole his cape to summon him instead of Kayneth. On Saber, I don’t think that she has really become such an underdog. The Saber class is always regarded as the most powerful servant class and her abilities are not to be underestimated. The handicap she got after Lancer incapacitated her left thumb was mostly because she fell for Lancer’s cunning strategy in their fight and not because of her lack of power. Even with that disadvantage, she still has amazing swordsmanship and fighting instincts to hold her own against other servants even if her trump card, her Noble Phantasm is momentarily sealed.
I for one thought that Saber’s and Lancer’s fight in the previous episode was very well executed and the amount of talk was appropriate.
Agreed. Fleshed out Lancer’s character very well. I liked how he dropped hints to Saber about traps he had for her before actually springing them. I would be mighty curious to know if Saber could have beaten him if Rider hadn’t interfered. Also curious what traits this Lancer shares with his Master. I think if Iskander had been summoned by Kayneth, his character would have been very different from his current one. I think he’s taken in Waver’s youthful enthusiasm and idealism. He’s way different from one what would expect.
even if her trump card, her Noble Phantasm is momentarily sealed.
Is it sealed? I think she could still pull it off, only it’s an incredible mana drain (enough to destroy her) and isn’t exactly suited to taking out individuals at close range. At the very least, her opponent would have to be pinned down or otherwise be unable to dodge.
I think if Iskander had been summoned by Kayneth, his character would have been very different from his current one.
I disagree – see the difference between lancer and his master? I think the servants are exactly who they were – with the exception of berseker, who ends up wanting to kill.
About Saber’s NP: it is indeed “sealed” in a way – the wound will not allow her to execute it at full power as the recoil from the blast will throw off the direction of the attack; heck, she might even not be able to keep hold of her weapon if she attempts pulling that off.
She has enough prana to use it twice without disappearing, by the way.
Hi psgel, even though it’s my first comment on ur blog, but i,ve been following ur blog for a long time now.
And i just want to say that being a typemoon fangirl&already read the novel i must say that so far i’m very impressed w/ how ufotable handle this series,it’s awesome&thank god they did better job than deen was w/ fsn. Although is not like it’s flawless, especially to those avid LN fans(i’m sure some of them still not satisfied cuz there’re some scenes being cut,etc2..or it’s not live up to their high expectation yet), but to me it’s still damn good&i have faith in ufotable. I can’t wait to see they animated that scene in the novel where berseker using THAT..as his np against…spoiler…,not to mention to see rider unleash his np in book 2^_^ All in all i’m very excited>_
I disagree – see the difference between lancer and his master? I think the servants are exactly who they were – with the exception of berseker, who ends up wanting to kill.
You could be right. Still, it would be nice to get some confirmation that Masters and Servants linked during this tournament do wind up sharing some trait or another as the original visual novel seemed to imply in several cases. *FSN Spoiler*In the novel, during UBW’s route, sometime after Rin winds up becoming Saber’s Master, there is a little scene between Saber and Lancer, where Saber explodes at Lancer in a very Rin-like way, even borrowing one of Rin’s character portraits with the anger symbol on her forehead. I think it’s the only scene that uses it and even Shirou notes how Rin-like Saber’s reaction was. It seems like a minor thing, but for me it’s an important part of what I understand of FSN’s setting that helps flesh out the relationships between Master and Servant. Masters in each Heaven’s Feel who do not have a summoning artifact usually wind up getting a Servant who is rather similar to the Master’s character. Almost like the Persona series’ summoned personas. For example, there’s alot to think about regarding Kirei getting his specific Assassin servant. (Pretty sure it was completely random as everyone including apparently him was surprised at how he got his Servant so early.) Then again, a schemer like Kayneth getting such an honorable servant is quite a surprise to me too. I’m looking forward to further development.
oh wow, I loved the fight scene between Gilgamesh and Beserker.
This anime really feels a cut above your average magical duke it out last man standing. I guess because the masters aren’t all high school kids.
I love the differences in the relationships between masters and servants as well as the differences between servants as well.
Even though Beserker is just a mad killer, I really can’t help but feel for Kariya and why he’s doing it, and I liked how that the battle between Beserker and Gilgamesh held meaning for him because he was fighting the one who abandoned Sakura.
And I feel sorry for Lancer. I’d speculate that he’d be one of the first to be defeated, because of the conflict between his noble character and the cowardice of his master.