Fate/Stay Night: Spoiler Free Review
After I finished watching Fate: Zero, I was excited to watch the original story that had prompted Fate: Zero’s creation in the first place. Unfortunately, I was not as impressed with this entry. Despite being a similar premise of battle royal to obtain a holy grail, this part of the story falls short. The servants summoned to battle it out, while interesting in their own right, do not contribute as much to the story as they could.
Shirou, the main character of Fate Stay Night is the stereotypical Anime Hero which is completely at odds with his adoptive father. This contrast, which had made Fate: Zero such an interesting story was missing in this part of the Fate Universe. Rather, the obnoxious traits that I despise in a stereotypical protagonist such as not letting people he cares about fight and the refusal to kill take center stage.
His nauseating choices are especially overplayed in this route of the Fate Series which made some parts of the Anime almost unwatchable. It should be noted that not everything is a disaster though. This is still a Fate Anime and although not at the level of Fate: Zero, there is a large and colorful cast of characters. The one that I like the most of course is the Queen of Tsunderes herself Rin Tohsaka.
Rin adds the needed depth for this story to function at least acceptably, and any time she is on screen is an entertaining experience. Honorable mentions include Rider a mysterious masked Servant who attacks with some “interesting” weapons. Saber returns as well and as a fan favorite of the entire series, Queen Arturia is always appreciated.
So while this story will not blow one away the way that Fate Zero does, it is necessary to watch this part of the Anime to appreciate the next part: Unlimited Blade Works. I assure you, even though the original Anime of this series can be cringe worthy at times, it ultimately is worth the viewing.
