Fate/Stay Night (Review)
Fate/Stay Night Kicks Off a Really Great Anime Franchise.
I’m a huge fan of the Fate anime franchise, but I’ll admit that despite being the first chapter, Fate/Stay Night is far from the best in the series. That isn’t to say that it’s a terrible anime, but if I’d started with it instead of accidentally Fate/Zero first, I might not have given the other series a chance. It also feels the most out of place in the franchise, which, again, is strange since it is the first one. I suppose it just does to show that first doesn’t always mean best. That being said, if you are getting into the Fate series, you will probably want to watch Fate/Stay Night, for the simple fact that it acts as a great point of reference for the rest of them.
Fate/Stay Night introduces the concept of the Holy Grail War. A battle-royale fought by mages who summon heroic spirits to fight on their behalf. These servants are divided into seven classes: Archer (Liam O’Brien), Saber (Kate Higgins), Lancer (Tony Oliver), Berserker (Michael McConnohie), Assassin (Todd Haberkorn), Caster (Tara Platt), and Rider (Karen Strassman). Each of the spirits summoned takes on special skills and abilities related to not just their legend but also which class they are assigned. Using those powers, they partake in an epic free-for-all to determine who will get the Holy Grail. The recipient of which will be granted one wish, which is a pretty nifty prize. At the same time, it’s one that carries grave implications depending on the wish it does grant. That means those involved in the war are willing to do whatever it takes to not only win but to also ensure certain other mages don’t stand a chance, from forming alliances with others to backstabbing.
As I mentioned before, Fate/Stay Night isn’t my favorite in the series, but it still has a lot of things that I enjoyed. First, the whole idea of the Grail War is fascinating to me because of how much potential it has. Heroic spirits from throughout time both fictional and based on real figures (they are most definitely exaggerated versions), brought to the present with special powers based on a predetermined combat style? I’m like a kid in a candy shop with the ideas spinning through my head. I know that an anime is onto something special when it causes my mind to race like that. Unfortunately, director Yūji Yamaguchi seems unsure of what to do with all the potential at his fingertips. I understand that he’s kind of stuck with the source material (a visual novel developed by Type/Moon), but it’s clear from the “reboot” Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works that came out a decade later that there was much that could have been done with the concept (to be fair, Unlimited Blade Works technically follows “a different story path,” but still).
One of the main things I found distasteful about Fate/Stay Night is how it shoehorns in the melodrama. Of course, anime is no stranger to rambling monologues that grasp at philosophical straws in order to say something vaguely insightful between action sequences, and a lot of series pull this off spectacularly with some keen observations. However, Fate/Stay Night kind of bumbles along as it primarily pits Saber and her master (Sam Riegel) in a battle to see who is the most stubborn when it comes to self-sacrifice. Fate/Stay Night clings to its core philosophical ideals with a grip that would make Charlton Heston envious. It maintains this stranglehold as it chokes the life out these ideas as Saber argues back and forth with her master over which of them should “live for themselves, not for others” and “stop putting themselves in harm’s way to protect everyone else.” It basically becomes a self-righteous martyrdom dick-measuring contest, and it gets old fast.
I suppose all that bickering creates chemistry between them as the series feigns a becoming a harem anime. Luckily, it doesn’t quite go that far, but the romance between the two feels unwieldy and, more important, totally unnecessary. Not every series has to have the guy getting the girl, and I like it most when Fate anime stick to the action instead of awkward romances. Certainly, having chemistry between characters is never a bad thing but there’s an uncomfortable aspect to a woman falling in love with someone that she is bound to serve and call master. With so much focus on that aspect of the story, Fate/Stay Night never gives the characters a chance to really grow into themselves. By the end, it’s hard to tell if any of them have really changed or learned anything from the adventure. It certainly feels like a lot happened, but none of it felt especially meaningful.
If I’ve turned you off to the Fate anime with my thoughts on Fate/Stay Night, that’s most definitely not my intent. It’s a really fun series that definitely gets better and better. It’s just that the first outing is shaky, like a baby deer trying to stand for the first time. You can certainly be a purist and start with Fate/Stay Night, but I suggest beginning with Fate/Zero instead. Heck, you could probably skip Fate/Stay Night all together and just watch Unlimited Blade Works instead. Whatever you do, don’t let Fate/Stay Night be the determining factor in if you’re going to continue on with the series.
