Jump to content

Fate/Zero thread


Recommended Posts

hiRoW.jpg

 

Written by Gen Urobuchi, author of Saya no Uta and Puella Magi Madoka Magica, animated by Studio ufotable (Kara no Kyoukai, Toriko, Tales of Symphonia OVAs), with a score by Yuki Kajiura (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Pandora Hearts, Xenosaga Episode III), Fate/Zero is a prequel to Type-Moon's Fate/Stay Night. Originally a light novel series, it was animated in late 2011, with the first season (covering roughly the first two and a half books) running from October 1st to December 24th. Season 2 will begin airing on April 7th - tomorrow, at the time of this writing.

 

Like Fate/Stay Night, it is the story of the Holy Grail War - a battle waged between seven magi, each controlling a heroic spirit of ages past, from Joan of Arc to Hercules to Gilgamesh, for control of the Holy Grail, which can grant any wish. Unlike F/SN, though, there is no focus on everyday life or romance - the contestants in the Fourth Grail War are intelligent, dedicated, and ruthless. Nobody wins through dumb luck - though they very well may lose through it. It's very much a story written by Urobuchi.

 

Fate/Zero also has incredibly good music. Season 2 will be the first time since 2004 that Yuki Kajiura has composed both the OP and ED for a show - season 2's OP will be titled "to the beginning", performed by Kajiura's staple band Kalafina, and the ED is "Sora wa Takaku Kaze wa Utau", performed by newcomer Haruna Luna.

 

With an all-star production cast, season 1's only real competition for best show in the year was Madoka, which shares two of the three key players. Season 2 both lacks that competition and will be better on its own merits - season 1, while awesome, was primarily setup for the absolute insanity that will compose season 2.

 

I'm fine with this thread being used for anything Fate/Zero - both seasons, the light novels, fan art, whatever. The light novels can be found translated here. The first season was aired, subbed in English, legally and free of charge, on NicoNico weekly, almost immediately after the Japanese broadcast. I believe this situation is set to continue for season 2.

 

I am a colossal nerd about both Fate/Zero and Type-Moon stuff in general, and can probably answer pretty much any question anybody has. I'd prefer if any light novel readers whitetext'd anything after the current point the anime has reached, though.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Episode 1 of season 2 is out.

 

Fate/Zero #14 The Mion River Battle

 

It has one of the most awaited moments from the novels: a magically-enhanced jet dogfighting an ancient Babylonian airship above a massive battle against not!Cthulhu. Really.

 

The entirety of season 1 can be found on here if you haven't watched it yet.

 

 

 

Edit: THE GREATEST COOL.

Edited by Alien
Link to post
Share on other sites

I've never read the light novels, only played the original visual novel. So watching this anime I have mixed feelings about certain things, and I can't really tell what is completely cannon and what isn't. I suppose that's a good thing, it allows me to just relax and watch. However it's hard to really get exciting about a plotline you already know the ending to. I suppose there's nothing to do but watch and see how it goes.

Link to post
Share on other sites
I've never read the light novels, only played the original visual novel. So watching this anime I have mixed feelings about certain things, and I can't really tell what is completely cannon and what isn't. I suppose that's a good thing, it allows me to just relax and watch. However it's hard to really get exciting about a plotline you already know the ending to. I suppose there's nothing to do but watch and see how it goes.

 

Everything in Fate/Zero is canon. Urobuchi wrote it with the full approval of Nasu. The anime isn't perfectly faithful to the light novels, but the changes mostly involve stuff like how various abilities are explained or rearranging some content (Papa Tohsaka's explanation of why he gave Sakura to the Matous was originally a monologue from later on in the story, for example).

Link to post
Share on other sites
Everything in Fate/Zero is canon. Urobuchi wrote it with the full approval of Nasu. The anime isn't perfectly faithful to the light novels, but the changes mostly involve stuff like how various abilities are explained or rearranging some content (Papa Tohsaka's explanation of why he gave Sakura to the Matous was originally a monologue from later on in the story, for example).

 

After how much they changed for the Fate/Stay Night anime, I find it hard to believe that Zero is 100% accurate to the lore and other media. But I'll take your word on it.

Link to post
Share on other sites
After how much they changed for the Fate/Stay Night anime, I find it hard to believe that Zero is 100% accurate to the lore and other media. But I'll take your word on it.

 

Vastly different studios and teams behind them. The Stay Night anime was by Deen, who have a spectacularly bad track record with adaptations (see also Umineko). Zero is done by ufotable, who have previously done a Type-Moon adaptation (Kara no Kyoukai) that Nasu said he thought was better than the original. KnK was early in Nasu's career, but still.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The changes seem to be superficial and are a problem of the differences of the technologies used to present them. There's a term for this--isomorphism--that can be used to describe an equal bearing between two adaptions, which is lost when changes in pacing and storytelling techniques must be used. For example, sight gags are wonderful on video, but lose snappiness as text, and simply don't work on radio. On a similar level, books emphasize detail: Thing like extended soliloquies, description porn, scene context; on the other hand, videos are amazing at bringing fight sequences to life.

 

I would say the studio on the Fate/Zero anime adaption works much like a good fansub. They capture the emotional and narrative gist of the story, without fumbling over breaking narrative flow, losing time that is better on other things (ahem), and being overly literal to the point of losing focus. A good example of a great, though altered, adaption in cinema is Apocalypse Now, adapted from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. There is another film adaption that is more faithful at transplanting the text, but Apocalypse Now is infinitely regarded as the better adaption. Some of the scenarios, such as defending a lost fort with exposions in the sky, or listening to a crazy person on a tape recording, are brilliant techniques, and harrow a much darker atmosphere, and is more of what the author intended.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I gotta say, I'm really disappointed with the second season at present. Thirteen episodes just isn't enough time for life and death decisive battles between all of the Servant and Master participants. I know it's reached the "slaughter" part of the anime, but everyone is dying too quickly.

Link to post
Share on other sites
I gotta say, I'm really disappointed with the second season at present. Thirteen episodes just isn't enough time for life and death decisive battles between all of the Servant and Master participants. I know it's reached the "slaughter" part of the anime, but everyone is dying too quickly.

 

Yeah... Lancer was defeated by kiritsugu's strategies pretty quickly in just a single episode... I just hope that doesn't happen with the other servant battles, specially with berserker...

Edited by VNHunter
spelling
Link to post
Share on other sites
Yeah... Lancer was defeated by kiritsugu's strategies pretty quickly in just a single episode... I just hope that doesn't happen with the other servant battles, specially with [expunged]...

 

Mind whitetexting/switching that to the class name?

 

From what I know, the remaining fights all occur pretty close to simultaneously. They'll probably end up across 3~4 episodes. That's long enough for me; the battles in Zero are supposed to be quick, brutal affairs.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Mind whitetexting/switching that to the class name?

 

From what I know, the remaining fights all occur pretty close to simultaneously. They'll probably end up across 3~4 episodes. That's long enough for me; the battles in Zero are supposed to be quick, brutal affairs.

 

sorry about that... suddenly typed it...

 

if that will happen, then it's all good...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Fate/Zero #18 Distant Memories

 

This episode is a bit different. It seems to focus on Kiritsugu's childhood; how he became the crazy mage killer badass that he is. This sequence is supposed to span two episodes, but I'm not sure if both of them focus on his childhood or they go on to his later life. This is actually into territory I didn't read in the light novels.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Fate/Zero #18 Distant Memories

 

This episode is a bit different. It seems to focus on Kiritsugu's childhood; how he became the crazy mage killer badass that he is. This sequence is supposed to span two episodes, but I'm not sure if both of them focus on his childhood or they go on to his later life. This is actually into territory I didn't read in the light novels.

 

really appreciate the info... Thank you very much... looking forward to it...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...