Making Sense of Fate/Stay Night
By the time
this post is published, I would’ve been halfway through the second season of
Fate/Zero, after completing Unlimited Blade Works more than half a year ago
(Yes, the Ufotable anime adaptation that’s often dubbed Unlimited Budget Works,
and not the Studio DEEN one).
To the more
ardent Fate/Stay Night fans out there, my viewing order would’ve been
blasphemous but oh well, the damage has been done. Making things worse would be
me liberally reading the Fate/Stay Night wiki.
I’ve managed to avoid any major
spoilers for the routes which I’ve not covered but I doubt that will last. Then
again, it’s a testament to how well-written the franchise is.
Since the
Unlimited Blade Works anime was released in 2014, I was intrigued by the
Fate/Stay Night franchise as a whole. Initially, it was due to the amazing
fight scenes in the anime and as I delved deeper into the Fate/Stay Night
world, the amount of effort put into constructing the different plotlines and
various characters.
For clueless
folks out there, Fate/Stay Night was originally a Japanese visual novel created
by Type-Moon detailing the 2-week long Holy Grail War in fictional Fuyuki City,
Japan. It has three different plotlines, with each one having a different theme
and heroine, although they all have an identical starting point and setting.
Each
storyline serves a different purpose, with Fate explaining the setting,
premise and characters. The Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel routes
assumes that you have at least some knowledge and focuses more on storytelling
instead.
Each route
has their own anime adaptation, with Studio DEEN adapting Fate as a 24-episode
series and Unlimited Blade Works as a movie. The latter was not successful to
say the least and this was where Ufotable stepped in, adapting it as a
24-episode series instead. The studio is currently working on a Heaven’s Feel
adaptation as a movie and was responsible for Fate/Zero, the prequel to
Fate/Stay Night.
For the most immersive experience and one that most hardcore Fate/Stay Night fans would recommend
is to finish playing the visual novel, with every ending, unlocked, only then
can you move onto the anime adaptations. Oh, don’t forget the sequel, titled
Fate/hollow ataraxia along with the mobile game Fate/Grand Order. Now you can
call yourself a true fan, but I jest.
The easiest
way to get around the franchise would probably be reading the visual novel for
the Fate route and watching the Fate/Zero, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s
Feel anime adaptations. Not forgetting the whimsical Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA spinoff
that is set in an alternate timeline and Carnival Phantasm anime.
The latter
title is right up your alley if you’re a fan of Type-Moon’s visual novels as it
pokes fun at the many characters and situations they face in their respective
games. For newer
viewers or even veteran fans, I hoped I’ve managed to make sense of the
Fate/Stay Night franchise and even entice people who have never considered the
series at all.
This was one of the more complicated titles out there but I’m
glad I spent the time watching and reading the material available, even the
silly memes and literal translations of what Shirou said.
Written by ET
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