The third film in a trilogy adaptation of the 3rd route of the popular visual novel: Fate/stay night.
To save the girl, to enact the justice he's chosen...The young man will no longer turn a blind eye to
the truth. Mages (Masters) and Heroic Spirits (Servants) work together in the battles of the Holy
Grail War, a fight for an omnipotent wish-granting container called the Holy Grail. However, this
war has become horribly twisted.
A young woman named Sakura Matou, with the sins she has committed, drowns in the murky
darkness. A young man named Shirou Emiya, who vowed to protect Sakura, works together with
Rin Tohsaka and throws himself into the raging battle to put a stop to the Holy Grail War. Illyasviel
von Einzbern, as one of the few who knows the truth behind the conflict, confronts her own fate,
while Zouken Matou uses Sakura to try to fulfill his own desires.
Will the young man’s wish reach her even as he challenges fate itself, battling against the rising
tide? The Holy Grail War is coming to an end... The final battle is about to begin.
(Source: Aniplex of America)
That moment Shirou decided to use Archer's arm. That was where the non-stop action started. Connecting his present self to Archer in the future, he saw a mirage of Archer challenging him, "Can you keep up with me?", to which he refuted, "No, can YOU keep up with me?", followed up by the powered-up green Trace On coursing through all his magic circuits. Story: 9.5/10 I thoroughly enjoyed the pacing and the prose. While not nearly non-stop action as I'd have hoped, the slow paced moments were like the silence before the storm. It keeps you on your toes, and many a time I had expected Tohsaka to cower and die then and there - what a brave girl! - but she didn't. There were so many touching moments, such as the entire Shirou vs Heracles scene, where he traced all the way back to Illya's and his past; the trust between Shirou and Rider, leading to the combination of Rho Aias + Rider's Noble Phantasm, which I'll leave it up to you to discover, and Illya's reveal at the end. The ending did feel a bit rushed though, and slightly anti-climatic, but other than that it was perfect. Art: 10/10 No qualms here. I wish I could draw well enough to illustrate what I saw, so that everyone else can appreciate just how epic it was. I was blown away by how a simple exorcism(?) of Zouken could look so peaceful yet so cool. Sound: 10/10 Every bgm fit and nothing felt out of place. I particularly appreciated how the sfx illustrated how deadly each attack was, and yet act as a fitting backdrop for those scenes where a character expresses shock or sadness. Character: 10/10 Heaven's Feel is the arc where everyone reaches their max potential. We're given development for every character, including Kotomine Kirei. During the fist fight with Shirou, he revealed his true motives that he has been reiterating for ages. Not only did they mutually accept each other - something which Kiritsugu couldn't do in Zero - no dirty tricks were used, which was very unlike the Kirei we have been shown. The same goes for Tohsaka. We're shown how she is unwavering, seemingly uncaring and knowing the right thing to do, as well as fully committing to it. But yet in the end, at the crucial moment, she couldn't. Similar for Shirou - he was willing to give up everything just to save Sakura. But yet, his wavered before he was about to conjure his final projection, instead choosing "I want to live on", Enjoyment: 9.5/10 It was a rollercoaster of emotions. What dies might not say dead, and people do not simply die when they are killed. No matter how dead they may look. The final master did his job thoroughly and skipped past the True End into the Good End. All's well that ends well, and we're even given the cameo of some characters from the Clock Tower. There were no plotholes, but maybe just a tad too much plot armour. Overall: 10/10 I'd recommend everyone to watch this movie. There was also a present at the live screening, which is related to the upcoming FGO movie - stay tuned for the trailer which should be released soon!
# ~~~Intro~~~ I just saw this in theaters, and never before has an anime left me feeling so unbelievably blue balled. I’ll preface this with that there are spoilers that aren’t marked, so don’t read if you’d like to be spoiler free. # ~~~Jaw-dropping Visuals~~~ I’ll start out with this movie’s strongest point: the animation. Never in my life have I seen animation, fights, just everything with such a jaw-dropping quality. I will never forget the battle between Black Saber, Rider, and Shirou. Each slash, the choreography, Rider’s triumphant horse charge, it was amazing from start to finish. My mere words cannot do justice to how beautiful this movie is. To see it in a theater experience is something that will never leave me, it is easily the best animated work I’ve seen at the time of this writing. It’s not even that fight specifically either, each and every moment of this movie is eye candy so sweet it will make you pass out in a proverbial sugar coma. Really, it’s worth watching it just for the visuals alone. So why did I negatively preface this review saying I got blue balled? Let’s get into it. # ~~~I Paid to be Blue Balled~~~ Going from the previous movies, we’re all here to see how Sakura ended up as this dark figure draped in shadow, we’re all here to see what happened to Saber, and most of all, we’re all here to see how it wraps up. Picture this: it’s the last 10 minutes of the movie. We just saw that amazingly animated fight I mentioned above and in a last moment of clarity, Saber returns to herself before blissfully dying. Rin and Sakura duked it out and then embraced in a way that pulled my heart strings more than anything else in this series. Longfinger Kirk Shirou just resoundingly pummeled Kotomie in a way that crushed everything he stood for, so now what? There’s still the task of taking care of an evil fetus, a supposed “eighth servant” that is supposedly the purest concentration of evil to ever grace the face of the Earth, but Shirou’s a bit messed up. What’s going to happen next? At this point, Shirou literally has swords coming out everywhere all over his body (a mechanic not well explained either) and looks pretty close to death himself. To seemingly save Shirou, Illyasviel comes out of nowhere draped in white, looking exactly like the angelic Einzbern founding member seen earlier in the movie, and next all we see is a bright column of white and the eighth servant disintegrating. I don’t know about you, but I was on the edge of my seat. I was unbelievably excited to see what happens next, but the last ten minutes just drop the ball so hard it made my heart just sink equally low in my chest. We are then greeted by Sakura and Rin being siblings together and growing up, making up for all the lost time during their 11-year separation. They then walk around and gradually grow older as they do until they open a crate with a manikin inside, and get this, this manikin eventually becomes Shirou. That’s it, that’s the ending. ___Shirou died and he’s just a fucking manikin love doll for Sakura___. We see over 8 hours of beautiful movies, fantastic artwork, and the most enthralling fights to have ever been witnessed by my eyes, and the end result? ___Shirou’s a fucking manikin.___ No loving family moment, we don’t see Shirou become Archer, and Rin is just…doing something? I see Shirou and Sakura hold hands, waiting to see some kind of explanation, some resolution, but no, that’s it. I waited five minutes watching the credits roll, desperately hoping to see some kind of post-credits epilogue, but no, there’s nothing. The lights come on, everyone starts to shuffle out of the theater, and I am left stunned. I have never felt more blue balled by an anime ever before in my life. I was on a roller coaster, the incline started, I heard the *click click click* as I slowly went up the incline, I *just* reached the summit, I braced for the dramatic fall down, but then the roller coaster just ends. No loops, no anything, just incline…and then it’s over. That’s what this movie is. There was so much wrong with Unlimited Blade Works that Heaven’s Feel did right that I could write a full review on it. There’s no annoyingly overpowered Gilgamesh wielding an instant-death stick, the serial rapist Shinji isn’t saved (not to mention that Shinji who raped Sakura for a whole decade is pictured holding hands with Sakura at the end of UBW), and Sakura, the girl who was staying with Shirou for years making him meals, isn’t just suddenly out of the picture. But you know what? UBW honestly has a better ending than Heaven’s Feel. To put it simply, Heaven’s Feel has the best journey, but the worst destination, and UBW has the worst journey, but the best destination. The ending of UBW completely wraps of everything, I was left disappointed by it, but it was a semi-well written and complete ending. But Heaven’s Feel? You are left with nothing *but* questions at the end and you’ll never get resolution unless you read the light novels or whatever else has the original story for this. I came to Heaven’s Feel to get an ending more satisfying, and I left feeling that Fate/Stay Night is a fundamentally flawed work. Both versions have unexplained mechanics, both versions have an ending where one is left disappointed in some regard, and both versions just off characters with no explanation. My advice? Only watch Fate/Zero. I cannot think of a single legitimate flaw with Fate/Zero, it has amazing writing from start to finish. You see: - Waver grow from a timid boy to proud man with honor (honestly has the best character development in the series) - The pompous El Melloi gets his just desserts along with his equally horrid wife - The tragedy of Lancer wishing for an honorable fight, yet dying by his own hand in the most ironic way possible, cursing his enemies with his dying breath - Kotomie going from undecided man with a lack of empathy to full blown psychopath - The tragedy of Kariya, who selfishly inflicted unbelievable suffering on himself in order to achieve a narcissistic fantasy with a woman he later murdered with his own hands; The tragedy of Kariya is very Shakespearean in this regard - Tokiomi, a Machiavellian mage who so pompously thought he had Kotomie under control, is murdered with the dagger he just gifted Kotomie. The way you can see the dream he strived for his entire life slip away from him in only a few moments while his eyes go black in an amazingly subtle way - Kiritsugu sees the results of his equally Machiavellian pursuits and witnesses his entire life of sacrificing for the greater good be for naught The list goes on, Fate/Zero is just that good. # ~~~Closing Remarks~~~ Ultimately, Fate Stay/Night is a fundamentally flawed work seemingly limited in scope by its source material. There’s no other reason I can think of for the writing quality between Zero and Stay/Night being as painfully apparent as it is. Should you watch this movie? Sure, the visuals alone are worth it, but if you care about plot resolution and quality writing, prepare to be given balls a darker shade of blue than possibly imaginable. Disagree with me? See that I misunderstood something? Don't hesitate to let me know, I would love to be wrong about this work.
IMPORTANT INFO: The order at which I've watched/read fate: route 1 of the VN-> UBW anime-> Heavens feel 1 and 2-> Zero-> Heaven's feel 3. I have not read the VN for the 2nd and 3rd routes or gotten into the other series in nasuverse. Heaven's feel III picks up right where the second movie left off, and I'm not talking simply about the plot. The visual spectacle that ufotable was able to construct, the epic score by Yuki Kajiura, the beautiful ending song by Aimer, it's all here. I don't think anyone wants to read a review of me going off about how much of a genius key animator Nozomu Abe is or how good the digital effects and compositing staff is at complimenting their animators. So I'll skip to the thing I didn't like as much. The storytelling. This movie is the climax. The previous movie was the beginning of the end and this is the end. But of course, a 6 hour adaptation of a 20+ hour visual novel will come with pacing issues. Movie 1 was good but felt like there wasn't a good pay off as it was mostly used for build up. Movie 2 blew me away and is still one of the best movies I've ever watched and one of my favourites; everything was handled perfectly even if some content was skipped from the VN. The issue with the 3rd movie is that there is so much narrative dropped onto you that it gets really hard to follow sometimes. Especially the ending (mild spoiler) which ties to the garden of sinners franchise. There is no explanation to how anything happens in the last few minutes of the movie. This movie is less of an animated show, more of a movie that's made for fans of the VN and nasuverse. Is that a bad thing? Depends on the viewer. Personally, I'd say yes. I had no clue what the hell happened at the end because I haven't watched the garden of sinners series. I am a keen observer so I understood the "materialization of the soul" segment, which also had zero explanation whatsoever, so I'm sure there'll be people lost there as well. Ultimately if an anime-only watcher wants the full experience, they'll have to depend on forums for explanations. I did that, and was really satisfied when I got some closure, but I'd rather have gotten that from the movie itself. I'm not talking about a naruto-like 20 minute backstory or explanation, but a brief cut to the previous scene to explain what's currently happening would have made the movie perfect. I hate it when shows mother you and hold your hand to explain every single detail. But Heaven's feel 3 is no mother. It's the dad that went out to buy milk without explaining anything and assumes that you know all the details. This situation would have been even worse had I not watched zero already, because if I hadn't then Kotomine's segment wouldn't have made sense to me either. The plot itself is great however. This is the route where every loose end and character arc is perfectly tied up. Calling this "Sakura's route" would simply not do it justice. This route does Rin better than her own route. This route has Shirou choosing love over ideals. It's where Kotomine is perfectly fleshed out (assuming you've already watched zero). Rider's character was done beautifully. I just wish the story could be handled better. Also I know the most common response that I'll get to that is- "read the VN, you filthy casual normie". I judge anime as anime. Not as adaptations. When I rated promised neverland S2 a 3, It wasn't because it's a dog shit adaptation. It's because it's dogshit. Period. So... after all that, why the high score? Because I fucking love heaven's feel. I love the story. I love Sakura, and with this movie I love all the characters including Rin who I didn't care much for before. I love the art and animation. I love the music. If the movie does not do anything wrong, lost butterfly for example, I will give it a perfect score. But for a movie that unfortunately isn't objectively or subjectively perfect, I gave it the score right below perfection. That's pretty much it.
⚠️Spoiler Waring Fate series finally reaches its finale with Heaven's feel 3. And what a way to end it. Finally after 9 months of waiting , watching it was a treat for me. This movie did reach my expectations after the disappointing Heavens Feel 2 (Lost butterfly). It showcased some brutal action, mindblowing animation, and the ending theme song by Aimer was also a banger. Lets talk about it in depth. Story/Plot : Heaven's Feel 3 was the climax of the story build up for such a long period. The plot execution was well done. It starts right where Heavens feel 2 ended. Didnt waste a single time on flashbacks. We got to know more about Tohsaka/Matou family. At some points it was emotional too. Despite some minor flaws the story was actually good. Animation/Soundtrack : Do I even need to say anything about the animation? Its Ufotable dude!!! They are the God of visual and CGI. They just gave their all. And the soundtracks were also great as usual. They used lot of different osts this time. Loved it. Action : Like I always say Fate series has the great action among most animes. Shirou vs Berserker..Saber Alter vs Rider..Rin vs Sakura..Shirou vs Kotomine all 4 fights were great af. Not to mention Saber vs Rider fight is the best in whole Heavens feel franchise. Mannn that 10-15 minutes long fight had me blasted away. Actually that fight alone took the movie on another level. Also Shirou's Rio Aris and using Archer's powers gave me goosebumps. Characters : I'm gonna say this again. I hate Sakura. So watching Sakura ending up with Shirou wasnt very pleasant. But Shirou had massive character development in this movie. (Probably the best in whole fate franchise..I still hate him tho..XD) Kirei's character kinda rumbled up. Illya and Rider did pretty well. And for my girl Rin. I just love her. She did her job best. Confronting Sakura, supporting Shirou, fighting like an OP ..damn she is the best. Flwas/Plotholes: (These are the problems I had with the movie. It's totally my opinion. Dont let it bother you) 1. The ending was actually a bit disturbing. They way holy grail stopped , they at first said "Shirou's body went missing" right after that Shirou comes out of no where. This thing made no sense and had no explanations. 2. Rider living with everyone else was inappropriate. How can a servent live like a normal human after the holy grail got destroyed? 3. The Shirou vs Kirei fight was poorly executed. I was expecting a more climactic fight and ending. I can ignore some minor potholes due to how satisfying the movie was till the end. This movie will stay higher on my list. My Ratings on every Heaven's Feel movie: Presage Flower : 8.5/10 Lost Butterfly : 7.5/10 Spring Song : 9/10
This is effectively a review of the whole _Heaven's Feel_ route as adapted in anime through those three movies. Expect vague __SPOILERS__ from the anime adaptations of all three routes. For those who haven't watched these other routes (or plainly don't know what a route is), I suggest you go through them before _Heaven's Feel_ or this review for that matter. Further, I recommend keeping the prequel series for the last. A sufficient and necessary list of anime titles in the _Stay Night Universe_, is mentioned below for reference. - [Fate/Stay Night (2006)](https://anilist.co/anime/356/Fatestay-night/) - Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works - [Season 1 (2014)](https://anilist.co/anime/19603/Fatestay-night-Unlimited-Blade-Works/) - [Season 2 (2015)](https://anilist.co/anime/20792/Fatestay-night-Unlimited-Blade-Works-2nd-Season/) - Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel - [I. Presage Flower (2017)](https://anilist.co/anime/20791/Fatestay-night-Heavens-Feel-I-presage-flower/) - [II. Lost Butterfly (2019)](https://anilist.co/anime/21718/Fatestay-night-Heavens-Feel-II-lost-butterfly/) - [III. Spring Song (2020)](https://anilist.co/anime/21719/Fatestay-night-Heavens-Feel-III-spring-song/) - Fate/Zero - [Season 1 (2011)](https://anilist.co/anime/10087/FateZero/) - [Season 2 (2012)](https://anilist.co/anime/11741/FateZero-Season-2/) --------------- # ~~~__Plot__~~~ The movie trilogy explores the third and final route of _Fate/Stay Night_ visual novel; _Heaven's Feel_. This route delves into Sakura Matou, a character who was much ignored and taken lightly in the previous routes. A darker and deeper pathway to _Stay Night_ is offered here. Ironically, exactly because of this reason, the initial routes _Fate_ and _Unlimited Blade Works_ feels more tragic than they used to be. The realisation that the hideous realities uncovered in _Heaven's Feel_ were already present in the previous routes, but kept concealed and unquestioned is saddening. Both the characters and the audience were kept in the darkness of ignorance, till _Heaven's Feel_. ~~~img33%(https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/1921/106672l.jpg) img32%(https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/1829/92753l.jpg) img33%(https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/1071/106675l.jpg)~~~ The omnipresence (in all the routes) of obscure hints and tiny details pointing towards the existence of certain facts, that will be revealed only when a particular route is being pursued; this unique style of storytelling is what makes the _Stay Night Universe_ stand out. Very often, these details left buried within the routes go undiscovered until the reality is directly spat into the face, by that certain pathway. Thus, the rewatch value for the titles under this banner is pretty high. Ever wondered why _Rider_, an extremely powerful Heroic Spirit from the legends, is being portrayed pitiably weak in the first two routes, getting wiped out even before revealing her iconic skill? Why is the mysterious bruise on Sakura's hand, brought into focus and then completely avoided in the former routes? Or why do the said routes brush off Sakura meeting up with the _strange blonde foreigner_ as something insignificant? Rest assured, these details are neither insignificant nor without reason. They act as foreshadowing elements to the pieces of a grand puzzle that's yet to be put together. That's what _Stay Night_ really is; a puzzle that's left unfinished unless each and every possible passageway is pursued and brought together. ~~~img33%(https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/5/87106.jpg) img32%(https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/1862/111480.jpg) img33%(https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/1120/106677.jpg)~~~ The first movie, __Presage Flower__ is built in such a way that the creators expect the audience to have gone through, at least the _Unlimited Blade Works_ beforehand. This is precisely why it's recommended not to start _Stay Night_ with _Heaven's Feel_. On applying this prerequisite 'condition' the movie initially moves at a fast pace; even compressing few scenes into a couple of image frames. This does feel reasonable from the creator's side, as the same studio worked on its predecessor, and of course since there are limits on contents to be covered in just three movies. Though I, personally would have preferred a complete adaptation. In addition to this, _Presage Flower_ felt a bit too bland in comparison as if, the movie is solely focused on setting an introduction. In contrast, the second film, __Lost Butterfly__ used the foundation provided by its predecessor and dived deeper into the characters, especially Sakura. _Lost Butterfly_ has to be credited for doing a better job in portraying the usual _Fate_ theme; the _Trolley Problem_ as philosophers would call it. _Is it even possible for one to save everyone? Is it right to choose which lives to save and in effect, which lives to sacrifice?_ The third movie, __Spring Song__ further expands this concept by adding, _Isn't it evil, to stamp an entity as evil, even before it is born? If the entity is guaranteed to be evil, is it wrong to deny it of its birth and thus existence? Or can that denial be recognized as kindness to the rest of the world?_ These philosophical thoughts acts as the central essence, turning the latter half of the movie to be a literal clash between ideals. Compared to the journey till then, the destination was rather normal and in a way, disappointing. In short, the climax felt out of place; as if it's written out of a sudden urge for fanservice, in a story that prioritised plot till then. The original visual novel had two major endings for _Heaven's Feel_; a 'True Ending' that was adapted in the movie, and a 'Normal Ending' which is more tragic but fits the theme more accurately. Choosing the latter over the former may have resulted in something even better. --------------- # ~~~__Characters__~~~ The characters arguably attained their respective peak forms in _Heaven's Feel_ in comparison to the preceding two routes. _Heaven's Feel_ also brought forth a shift in the sphere of character development; in the sense that the _Masters_ were in the limelight this time, contrary to the usual _Fate_ way of exploring each of the _Servant_ characters. This makes sense as the previous routes already went through almost all the _Servants_ of the _Fifth Holy Grail War_. And the one _Servant_ that was left behind earlier, _Rider_, is picked up here. ~~~img90%(https://images2.imgbox.com/4a/ae/P4klPD6h_o.png)~~~ Throughout the _Stay Night Universe_, __Emiya Shirou__ was portrayed as a stubborn but admirable man who hopelessly clung to his Utopian ideals of being a 'Hero of Justice', capable of bringing salvation to everyone irrespective of friend or foe. He remained persistent even when he was confronted with his possible future self who went through pain and suffering thanks to the very ideals his younger self nurtured within him. In this final route, however, Shirou undergoes a radical change. Faced with despair, he is forced to choose who to save, thus contradicting and violating his childish ideals. Shirou is forming an independent identity here; one that is different from the 'Hero of Justice' role, he inherited from his adopted father, Emiya Kiritsugu. These tiny faults and errors make him develop further as a character and into a good protagonist. ~~~img90%(https://images2.imgbox.com/96/71/GiSQIX3Y_o.jpg)~~~ The exponential growth in character for the route's heroine, __Matou Sakura__ requires a special mention, even though an explanation might be unnecessary. That is to say, she went from a cute little _'kouhai'_ (~junior) character kept exclusively for fanservice (as in the previous routes), to a character of such depth and a past which makes the viewer feel guilty to have undermined her before. While Emiya is building and transforming his identity, Sakura had already lost hers; along with the voice to express her opinions. Hence, she is always dependent on another person to lead her, even if the destination is not someplace she herself prefers. Ironically, this is somewhat similar to the Matou way of Magecraft which she absolutely despises. There were a few situations where even this 'hollow' girl found a bit of selfishness and thus a 'self' within her; though almost always, she lacked the courage to express it. This is a character who chooses to endure rather than express herself. The movies reveal another side of the same __Tohsaka Rin__, someone who sacrifices her personal wishes for another; the polar opposite of the _tsundere_ mask she adorns. __Illyasviel von Einzbern__ reaches a similar destination after witnessing and experiencing more of the world outside that lonely castle. __Kotomine Kirei__ as always, plays an empty man of unbent ideals, keen on observing the chaos. His contribution in elevating the philosophical grounds of the anime can't be left unsaid. At times, even his thought process seems dangerously more agreeable than that of the protagonist. Then there's __Berserker__ who triumphs in escaping his cursed legend and __Rider__ who struggles to carve a path different from her legend, for her _Master_. ------------------ # ~~~__Art__~~~ In terms of art and animation quality, Ufotable just went ahead and shot through the roof, they themselves created. That too when the studio here is the same one that pulled off _Demon Slayer_'s famed animation in all its glory. Rapid character movement, often in an unruly transforming terrain, captured through dynamic camera perspectives and transitions that takes the motion right to the viewer's dimension; fight sequences in _Heaven's Feel_ were nothing short of 'godly'. Further, the audience was greeted with aesthetic backgrounds that are hard to digest as hand-drawn, the usual vibrant colour palette that pops the subject out from the dark environment, and a sleek animation that flows like water yet hammers down like a waterfall. img49%(https://images2.imgbox.com/25/cb/tQvKzeSF_o.jpg) img49%(https://images2.imgbox.com/b4/8a/PSRJLca4_o.jpg) img49%(https://images2.imgbox.com/40/47/vYi4ZB6L_o.jpg) img49%(https://images2.imgbox.com/fa/e9/IlPbC8Jx_o.jpg) About the character design department, I do confess that the facial structure felt a bit oversimplified. But that's how the characters were originally designed in the visual novels. Whatever the studio did, they did to make the characters more appealing, without compromising their faithfulness to the original material. Besides these anomalies are hardly noticeable amidst all the other visual treats, Ufotable brought together. --------------------- ~~~__I. Presage Flower: 6/10 II. Lost Butterfly: 8/10 III. Spring Song: 8/10__~~~
WHAT A MASTERPIECE. I WANT TO SCREAM OUTSIDE AS LOUD AS I CAN IF I COULD. Oh man I truly love this series, the word "love" is not enough to express how much i love this series. It meant a lot to me, it's like finding that One Piece. This movie gave me joy, gave me the feels, it gave me life, the reason to keep living. Everyone has a moment to shine and it was clear what their motivation was. Kirei is way too amazing in this movie and it just made me love more and more about him as an antagonist, he's the epitome of greatness itself. I'm also aware that he's one of the two victim who's screen time got cut in the trilogy so i'm excited to play the VN. Rin was really spectacular, this is where she peaked, the scene where she face up against Sakura. Her heart to heart moment with Sakura was really emotional and amazing and showed more of her personality that we didn't know in UBW. My favourite scene was when Rin is confronted with the truth that she have never thought of saving Sakura before despite she has the power to do it, she clearly regrets not interfering about it sooner. Even when she is fully ready to kill her for the sake of others but eventually she decides that she can't go against her own feelings that care about her sister and decided to not kill Sakura and resign to her "death" (there's prob more but need to read the VN lol) I don't even need to say about Shirou, he's amazing as he always is but more interesting than ever. Leaving his self destruction ideal for the sake of one girl, i'm proud as Archer is. His payment for using Archer's arm was portrayed greatly but I believed the VN did it better but I love how he gave up literally everything to save Sakura and Sakura only but he chose to live instead right before he used his final projection. I can now finally acknowledged how amazing Sakura is as a character, her struggling with her dark emotion while trying to prove herself was quite well done. Now I have all 3 heroines as one of my fav characters in animanga. SALTER VS RIDER WAS FUCKING AMAZING. TOP 1 FIGHT IN THE FATE SERIES. UFOTABLE REALLY REALLY SNAPPED WITH THAT FIGHT. LITERALLY GOOSEBUMPS. "RHO" "EX" "AIAS" "CALIBUR!!!!" OH MAN JUST TYPING THAT GAVE ME GOOSEBUMPS. But I'm honestly very disappointed they butchered Kirei vs Shirou but I understand it just wouldn't work in this movie. That final scene with Illyasviel was very heartbreaking and made me tear up, Shirou crying was really a sight to see as we never seen him like this and Illya reuniting with Irisviel was really something special. Easily one of my favourite moment in Fate. I want to limit myself from typing because I can go on and on but. Thank you Ufotable for putting your heart and soul for this movie and all of Fate, thank you for bringing my One Piece to life. Can't wait to start this route in the VN. My Ranking for Ufotable Fate: UBW >= F/Z >>> HF, each one have a 10/10 entry.
# SPOILERS Fate Stay Night Heaven's Feel III was perhaps some of the most enjoyment I have gotten from any film in a while. This film was visually stunning and had some of the best moments in all of Fate. Its indescribably impressive how Ufotable manages to get even better with the visuals and animation in these films. This is easily among the most gorgeous anime I have ever seen, the colors, the fluidity, the way it sets the tone is impeccable. The movie also has an incredible OST that manages to enhance the already incredible action and emotional moments to another level. If you love incredible effects and animation, then this movie is a must watch. Medusa vs Saber Alter somehow managed to surpass the Berserker fight from the last film and is easily one of the best fights I have seen in an anime period. The movie also nails its narrative for the most part. It has many great character moments that kept me invested in the characters and their relationship. Overall, it did a great job in wrapping up the character arcs that have been set up since the first film. Sakura's story was well done and her relationship with Rin was given a lot of focus and served as one of the emotional cores of the film. Shirou's development went in a much different direction than other routes and is easily my favorite version of his character. The Nine Lives Blade Works scene was just masterful and gave me chills! His contrast with Kirei was one of my favorite aspects addressed in the film. The final scene with Illya and Irisviel was also a great touch. However, this is not a perfect movie and I do have a few issues with it. One of my main issues was Zouken, I feel like his character could have been more than just a device to move the plot, we got a hint of backstory and context for his action only moments before he dies. Another disappointing aspect was the fight between Shirou and Kirei, while the ideals and contrast of the characters was great, the fight was lacking in the intensity i had hoped for. A few other minor issues I include a lot of lore and world building that is just skipped through and rarely explained. Despite the series being called HEAVEN'S FEEL, it does little to even explain what Heaven's Feel is outside of a few lines of exposition. I can definitely tell these were some of the stuff that seemed cut from the VN and it definitely hindered some aspects of the story. However, overall Heavens Feel III was a really great film that provided on all fronts and never got boring. It has some of the most gorgeous visuals of any anime, and the story is told solidly. Overall its definitely some of the best Fate content since Zero.
Disclaimer: I will try my best to review this movie in the most objective way possible, but this review is coming from a Fate fan so if you want to you can take it with a grain of salt. Also SPOILER ALERT: Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel III: Spring Song, is a movie that i have been waiting for over a year and I was finally able to watch it, and all i can say is that this surpassed my expectations. So, i am currently writing this review after quite some time after watching the movie, and that is because I wanted to read the Visual Novel, i had already read the whole Fate route and most of UBW so i decided to finish it before writing this review and tbh i think that the anime is better than the visual novel, don't get me wrong both are amazing but i enjoyed ufotable's adaptations much more but anyway i wont get into that right now since this is my review for HF3. Story(10/10): The story of HF3 starts exactly after HF2's devastating ending, we see how our protagonist Emiya Shirou is suffering since the beginning, it really does a perfect job of setting the tone for this movie and i feel that the direction team in this movie knew what they were doing because throughout the whole 2 hours i never felt that any time was wasted, they give us all the information we need to perfectly understand this story and give it the most satisfying ending possible for Fate/Stay Night, some VN readers may complain about how they decided to adapt certain scenes in the last 10 minutes of the movie but i personally think that these changes were something we needed and ends up making it much more emotional. Now, i can understand how some people may not like the pacing in the ending but i think it was done perfectly because they only put what was vital and there was really is no need to extend the ending any more since you are able to see what happens after the end of the Holy Grail War, we see how certain characters grew and i found it beautiful on how they decided to end the movie, i was feeling emotional throughout the whole second hour of the movie. The story is everything that a Fate fan can hope for and it actually gives it a nice closure that does not leave you craving for more, instead it makes you remember everything that happened in this trilogy and how it finally came to its end,the ending was really not predictable but it was perfect. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/y0ndts.gif) Art(10/10): Its already known that ufotable is one of the best anime studios, from their work in Demon Slayer and the Fate franchise, they always keep improving upon themselves, i used to think that ufotable's animation couldn't get better after watching Demon Slayer episode 19 but their work in HF3 makes episode 19 look like child's play. It doesn't matter if you are a Fate fan or not, because you are still gonna find the animation to be beautiful. It goes without a doubt that the fight between Saber Alter and Rider is easily one of the best animated scenes in anime, I personally consider it to be the best animated fight of all anime. I just talked about the animation in fights but in general every scene in this movie is animated perfectly an i would say that its the best animation in anime. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/6fxkrt.gif) img520(https://files.catbox.moe/dwocuz.gif) img520(https://files.catbox.moe/jl057q.gif) Sound(10/10): Ok i just want to address something very quick because there are some people who just wont shut up because they did not play one song in specific, and of course i am addressing this to the people who are complaining that they did not play Hikari to Yami (final fight ost in the VN), yes they did change it so what? If they would have played it in the last fight it wouldn't have fit in just because the feeling that the VN and the movie give you is completely different, so please stop complaining about ufotable not playing that song, the song that they decided to play instead of Hikari to Yami also slaps. So, anyway this movie's soundtrack is composed by Yuki Kajiura which if you don't know her, she is the one in charge of the OST for Madoka Magica and Demon Slayer so basically she is an amazing composer that always makes bangers. Since the beginning of the movie we know that the OST will be amazing because they couldn't have chosen a better song to start of with, i would also like to mention some that were amazing like Rider vs Saber alter theme, the final fight theme and obviously the best track in the OST which is EMIYA, now i will just start praising the EMIYA theme because i genuinely think that it is the version of the song and trust me, there is a lot of versions of EMIYA and i mean a lot. So to just kind of explain how the song was just combine EMIYA from Unlimited Blade Works(2015) and combine it with EMIYA #LEGACY, which are both 2 of the best versions and combining them just turns it into a complete beauty that will make you feel hype asf. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/w7dkp9.png) Character(9.5/10) You may ask yourself, why did you give the characters a 9.5, and don't worry i have the answer and i hope we can agree with this. I gave it a 9.5 because of a single character and i am obviously talking about Zouken, if i had to pin point one thing i did not like about the HF trilogy, it would easily be Zouken and its such a shame because every single character and i literally mean everyone in this movie was perfect and it sucks that Zouken was the only bad thing, everything from his goal, personality and design, was horrible and i hate to say it but the only scenes that i felt the movie was wasting time was whenever Zouken appeared, but well whatever every other character is amazing so it does not affect the score that much. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/xxyx4p.gif) Tl;Dr: Since the next section is going to be really long i will just write the most important parts here so you don't waste your time. So basically the characters in this movie were amazing, it was really interesting to see really different sides of some characters which we never really saw much about in previous movies, the one that surprised me the most was Kirei Kotomine, i knew he was going to do something big in this movie but it surprised me how important he was and how early they started to develop them, he is easily one of the most important character in the movie, second to Shirou and Sakura obviously, but interestingly enough even characters like Illya, Tohsaka, Rider, and Saber alter, all get quite a bit of screen time which is great because some of them really never had much screen time, especially Rider. So basically that's it for the tl;dr, if you want more read the larger character analysis which is this next section. Character analysis(pretty damn long fyi): I want to put a lot of focus for the main characters in this movie, cuz they were all just *chefs kiss* amazing. So lets begin! -Shirou Emiya-: Oh Shirou, a character loved by many and also hated by many, now i want you to know that i loved Shirou ever since i first saw Fate/UBW(2015), because i always loved how they made him a ¨hero of justice¨ character who actually does have an interesting ideology and how he really isn't just like ¨i wanna be a hero¨ and that's it, i will always say that Shirou vs Emiya is an amazing fight and the best in UBW because of how much they develop Shirou and how it really helps for us the viewers to finally understand him, and wow, they made him and even better character in Heaven's Feel. If you used to be someone who thought that Shirou was a selfish idiot and hated him because of that, i can assure you that all of that will change when you watch this movie, because they turned him from a guy who was selfish, to a real man who was prepared to sacrifice himself for those he loves. There are some scenes in this movie that really made Shirou a better character, i would say that most of this movie's best scenes are as good as they are thanks to Shirou and its even better cuz it really makes you change your view of Shirou which is honestly impressive because as someone who already loved Shirou i found it amazing how we still hadn't seen everything about him, and its even better because in this movie we finally actually see Shirou suffer, some thing we did not see in previous routes so it makes us understand the man even better. And now with certainty i can say that Shirou is one my favorite anime characters of all time. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/pkijcw.gif) -Kotomine Kirei-: Damn, after watching this movie i realize that they kind of did Kirei dirty in UBW and in the Fate route, i first saw UBW and thought that Kirei was an alright character, but after UBW i watched Fate/Zero and i remember being shocked because he easily turned into one my favourite antagonists, and when i read the Fate route in the VN i thought he was definitely better than in UBW but he still was no where near as good as in Zero, so in all honesty i kind of had my hopes kind of low for HF's version of Kirei and i can only say one thing, he was much better than how he was in Zero, i did hear good things about Kirei before watching this movie, but i did not think he would be as good as he turned out to be, I was really impressed in how much focus they put on Kirei since the beginning of the movie, his interactions with Shirou were amazing, they were really funny at times and some times they were just badass. I also found it amazing how they decided to show us more of Kirei's way of thinking and it also had a huge focus in showing us why Kirei acts the way he is, it was breathtaking and he was a nice surprise whenever he appeared, i seriously hope people don't spoil themselves about stuff that happened in this movie because it had some amazing revelations and i am saying this because i sadly did spoil myself about some things, mostly about Kirei so it was kinda sad that i knew some of the things that was going to happen with his character. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/yb48q9.gif) -Rin Tohsaka-: Tohsaka has been my waifu for a long time, and she gets even better in this movie, there is not as much development for her character but we still saw her go through some epic things and one of her fights was badass and really emotional at the same time, I love how they managed to keep her in character throughout the whole movie since she also went through some hard moments but no matter what happened she stayed as best girl throughout the whole movie, so instead of Shirou and Kirei's interesting interactions, Tohsaka had some awesome interactions with Sakura that were really emotional and just beautiful, and yes my fellow Tohsaka fans, she still had the thighs. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/edd6dn.gif) -Sakura Matou-: Well, Sakura is really interesting, she was always a side character in the previous routes but in this route she played the role of the main heroine and we got to see why she was always kind of shy and kinda gloomy, now i love Sakura's character but out of the three main heroines she is easily my least favorite, mostly because i was never a fan of the kouhai characters, but her role in HF3 was huge and really interesting because we see her in her angsty teenager face, no but joking aside we see how she is going crazy and how she cant control herself anymore, she is not the same old cute Sakura but we can still see how even though she has gone mad she is still herself, we also get emotional moments with her and we as the viewers really feel bad for her, I think that we can all admit that Sakura has one hell of a tragic backstory but we also just want her suffering to end and for her to finally be happy. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/g6h3n6.gif) -Illyasviel Von Einzbern- Illya, the 18 year old loli, this is one character that i have seen quite a bit of people criticize her in the HF trilogy, mostly because they say that they don't really give her as much development like in the VN but what did you expect, they had to cram a 30 hour route in to only 6 hours, but despite of that i feel really attached to her in this movie, because even though there never was a huge focus for her in the previous movie, I still felt attached because we definitely get much more focus in this last movie, and we could finally see a good version of Illya and one that we felt that must be protected no matter what. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/4b5d8j.gif) -Rider-: Finally to close off the characters, i wanna talk about rider because Rider never had a big moment in the previous routes, but in this route they finally decided to giver her the spotlight she deserved, she had one of the best moments in the movie, i am obviously talking about Saber alter vs Rider, and she was just such a nice character, we see how even though Sakura had gone mad, she still wants to save her and will do anything to accomplish her goal, she is the definition of a loyal servant, and whenever Shirou and Rider interacted was just so damn good because they were just so cool together, she became one of my favorite servants in the whole fate franchise with this movie and i am glad that she finally had a big role to play because in the previous routes i was always like Damn, that servant looks cool, and then they just kill her but in this route she finally got what she deserved. To finally close this off, i just want to say that the characters are probably the best part of the whole movie, and tbh i think that even you are not a fate fan you probably will still enjoy at least one of the many amazing characters. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/4c7n9f.gif) Enjoyment:(10/10) I came into this movie with high expectations considering how much i enjoyed the previous one which was easily my favorite anime and this one was even better than the second one and absolutely destroyed my expectations, i do think that almost anyone can enjoy this movie even though you did not enjoy the second one, and just if you are curious i do think that the only thing you need to watch to understand HF is UBW and Zero is optional but definitely recommended, there is also a scene that to understand it perfectly you should watch Kara no Kyoukai but even if you don't watch KnK you can still understand it perfectly fine so don't worry about it. So i thoroughly enjoyed every last second of this movie, I was lucky enough to be able to watch the 3 movies on a single day in the cinema and i was shaking when the second one ended because i was finally about to witness HF3 and it was just beyond a masterpiece and its by far one of my favorite anime. img520(https://files.catbox.moe/tl85h0.gif) Overall:(10/10) Fate/Stay Night Heavens feel III was a beautiful movie and one that will stay as one my favorites for quite some time, its a movie that most people will enjoy, it had beautiful animation and a beautiful soundtrack that made it the best conclusion for the story.
~~~Eu não sei escrever review então isso aqui vai ficar muito ruim, mas eu queria falar mal do filme. ~~~ ~~~Os outros 2 filmes mostram o quão a Sakura é uma pessoa doce e gentil que foi uma vítima de circunstâncias ruins e eu acho que tava dando certo eu mesmo gostava bastante da personagem mas aí...~~~ ~~~img220(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/500901179870674945/961022390165459075/unknown.png)~~~ __~~~Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song aconteceu.~~~__ ~~~Eu queria muito saber o que aconteceu com o Nasu pra ele estragar a Sakura desse jeito. eu reassisti os 3 filmes, e uma das coisas que eu estava mais curioso pra ver era como iam dar dicas de que a Sakura sempre foi louquinha do mal ou que ela ia ficar assim mas o máximo que falaram nos filmes foi isso aqui: ~~~ ~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/500901179870674945/960615878255333436/unknown.png)~~~ ~~~(se tiver outro indicativo assim pode me xingar)~~~ ~~~E tipo, eu lembrava que ela tava sendo afetada pelas gosminha lá, mas o próprio filme faz questão de mostrar que ela tem noção do que ta fazendo ~~~~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961053200985772062/unknown.png) ~~~~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961053266693722212/unknown.png)~~~ ~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961053827962900490/unknown.png)~~~ ~~~e desde o segundo filme eles forçam bastante o fato da Sakura ter tido um passado triste e vendo o filme eu tava me sentindo meio "ta bom cara, eu ja entendi que a vida dela é uma merda" no terceiro isso é dobrado, até depois de fazer merda a Sakura fica gritando o quanto ela sofre~~~ ~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961055118441201694/unknown.png)~~~ ~~~e fica meio complicado ter pena dela depois das coisa que ela faz, tanto que nem ela mesma temkkkkkkk e falando nessa cena que ela não tem pena dela mesma, nela o Shirou fala isso~~~ ~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961055873097138227/unknown.png)~~~ ~~~Eu posso ter assistido o filme com a bunda mas eu não acho que ela se responsabilizou por nada. Ganhou uma familia nova e o namorado dela reviveu e pelo menos em tela ninguém questionou ela muito isso.~~~ ~~~A Sakura é uma grande parte desses 3 filmes, e eu sinto que perder umas 4 horas com o personagem pra chegar nisso aqui é simplesmente broxante, e eu acho a conclusão dela não foi nada merecida. E eu acho que fazer ela passar por esse arco foi desnecessário, ela ja merecia ser feliz poxa ja tinha se fudido tanto na vida acho que no final ficou meio desnecessário deixar ela arrombada assim.~~~ __~~~uma parte que eu queria enfiar aqui mas não consegui:~~~ __ ~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961053507782324284/unknown.png)~~~ ~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961053573259599902/unknown.png)~~~ __~~~Que?~~~__ __~~~Outras coisas que eu queria reclamar:~~~__ ~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961061982109319178/unknown.png)~~~ ~~~Eu não gosto do Unlimited Blade Works mas desde lá eu gosto da Rin (mesmo ela sendo BASTANTE IRRITANTE EU SEI TSUNDERE ENCHE O SACO) e eu tava gostando da Rin aqui, então ver ela morrer foi uma das cenas boas pra mim (tem algumas outras) mas ela volta e toda urgência dessa luta meio que vai pro rabo, mas pela primeira vez foi massa. ~~~ ~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961061732908953630/unknown.png) ~~~~~~pq ela não foi mesmo?~~~~~~ ~~~~~~img220(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/500901179870674945/961035594841075732/unknown.png)~~~~~~ ~~~~~~essa faca que a Rin bota no cu não serve pra nada se fuder~~~~~~ ~~~~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961064186929111100/unknown.png)~~~ ~~~Uma das luta mais pica de fate é com o Berserker e a Saber do mal, pro Shirou aprender a usar o upgrade dele em 2 minutos e dar 2 porrada e o bixo morrer, extremamente broxante.~~~ ~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961065155263868928/unknown.png)~~~ ~~~Eles explicam o motivo da Rider ligar tanto assim pra a Sakura?~~~ ~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961065682676633610/unknown.png)~~~ ~~~Eu não gosto dessa luta, acho bem fraquinha. Achei que ia ser a mais foda considerando que n tem magia e ia ser mais fácil de animar, mas eu acho paia ~~~~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961081740452061205/unknown.png)~~~~~~ ~~~~~~Os cara não explicaram como que o Shirou reviveu, eu só sei que tem haver com esse boneco porque um amigo meu me explicou.~~~~~~ __~~~~~~coisas boas do filme:~~~~~~__ ~~~~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961066820062826526/unknown.png)~~~~~~ ~~~~~~o Kirei carregou o filmekkkkkkk e eu nem gosto tanto assim dele~~~~~~ ~~~~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961067561015975956/unknown.png)~~~~~~ ~~~~~~Eu gostei dessa cena aqui.~~~~~~ ~~~~~~img400(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/849374440676655186/961068939692101642/unknown.png)~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ESSA LUTA É MUITO FODA VAI TOMAR NO CU~~~~~~ ~~~~~~To com preguiça de pegar mais print mas eu achei a Illya mais legalzinha nesse filme. (Não gostei que olhando dos 3 filmes ela vai de "eu vou matar vocêskk" pra "depois eu te mato cheiro" pra "naum quero matar vc n fdskkkkkkk")~~~~~~ ~~~~~~__Final da review:__~~~ -Desculpa qualquer erro gramático e/ou por estar errado. -Eu queria entender porque todo mundo gosta tanto desse filme, eu achei que ia gostar um pouquinho mais se visse de novo, mas eu gostei menos. (MORRA SAKURA, MORRA). -Não li a VN. -A nota é um exagero meu, mas se fosse pra dar a nota sem o exagero era um 2-3 por ai.
Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song is a visually stunning and emotionally charged anime movie that brings the epic Fate/stay night franchise to a thrilling and satisfying conclusion. Directed by Tomonori Sudō and produced by ufotable, the movie continues the story of the Holy Grail War, a supernatural battle royale between powerful mages and heroic spirits, where the fate of the world hangs in the balance. The animation quality is simply breathtaking, with fluid and detailed character designs, dynamic action sequences, and vivid backgrounds that create a sense of immersion and awe. The use of color, light, and sound is also masterful, enhancing the mood and intensity of each scene, whether it's a romantic moment or a brutal fight. The soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura is also exceptional, blending orchestral and electronic elements to create a memorable and epic score. But what sets Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song apart is its characters and story. The movie delves deep into the psyche and struggles of the main protagonist, Shirou Emiya, as he confronts his ideals, his past, and his feelings for the heroine, Sakura Matou. The romance between Shirou and Sakura is both sweet and tragic, and their chemistry is palpable thanks to the strong voice acting by Noriaki Sugiyama and Noriko Shitaya. The supporting cast is also well-developed, with each character having their own motivations and conflicts that add layers of complexity and tension to the plot. The movie is not without its flaws, however. Some of the exposition and world-building can be confusing for newcomers to the Fate franchise, and the pacing can feel rushed at times, especially in the climactic battle. Some fans of the original visual novel and anime adaptations may also take issue with the changes and omissions made to the source material. Overall, Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song is a must-see for fans of the Fate franchise, and a solid recommendation for anime lovers who enjoy action, romance, and drama. It's a fitting and satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, and a testament to the talent and passion of its creators. Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song is a visually stunning and emotionally charged anime movie that brings the epic Fate franchise to a thrilling and satisfying conclusion. With breathtaking animation, masterful use of color and sound, and well-developed characters and story, the movie delivers a memorable and epic experience for fans of the franchise and anime lovers alike. While some may find the exposition and pacing confusing or rushed, the movie is a must-see for those who enjoy action, romance, and drama.
(the title and some of the points apply to all three movies) (has spoilers but will only be tagged as such tho) I got into the nasuverse rabbit hole as most people do, saw a few cool clips from the anime, noticed some famous characters and wanted to see what it was all about. But, as most do, i did not know how to start it and the anime only order was a mess between people who said to start with Zero, UBW or 2006 Deen. So instead (and to my future self's great pleasure) i took the ""easy"" route and read the VN. And that was one of the best calls i have made since the VN is fucking amazing. It has all the same voice actors as the anime (but younger so better suited to their roles, specially Noriko Shitaya as Sakura and Jouji Nakata as Kirei sadly), coupled with amazing prose by Nasu, amazing OSTs and some goodie extras the anime don't have such as the bad ends and the Tiger Dojos (Taiga my beloved). So when i got to Heaven's Feel i started watching the movies __kinda alongside__ the VN to do some fresh comparisons. And i got to the conclusion spelled in the title of this review. The movies are amazing on a technical level with a great score by Kaijura and some of the best animation ____ever____. Also most of the added scenes like ~!Sakura and Rin buying the puppet body for Shirou and showing Kirei's wife suicide!~ were a good and welcome addition. But the plot,__ all__ of the characters (literally no one is safe), some of the exposition and some of the weird changes they made to the story beats such as~! Zouken's final death and the ending making it much more melancholic and serious than it should be (also Rider disrespect is unforgivable, they fucking removed her from the final shot!)!~ were butchered for runtime's sake and wanting to get to action quicker. The ending is actually awful, they just removed most of it but added some pointless scenes between Sakura and Rin and I don't even know what they tried to do since if they just did the novel ending the exact same way it would have been way better received and they would just need like 3 more minutes of runtime. Shirou's development and~! showing the betrayal to his old ideals !~ were done fine but other important things like the ~!fact that he was losing his mind and the actual pain Archer's arm caused him!~ were either glossed over or only shown visually to not-so-great success. Also, as it's pretty widely known even to people who did not read the novel Kirei and Illya got their roles, moments, dialogues and developments severly cut to the great disappointment to the people who were watching this movies as they released. Sadly all of these things and some more make this trilogy an inferior version to experience the story compared to the Visual Novel. But if you want to just view some eye candy with not much care for the intrycacies of the plot and it's characters or you are just here for the girls and doods then you are fine. You can get the Visual Novel offically in a few months for Steam and on the Switch or download the fanmade Ultimate Edition, it's long, really long like it has more words than the _entire_ Lord of the Rings trilogy long but if you are a newcomer that really wants to know the story and characters or someone who already watched the animes but hasn't read the Vn yet, do so, you won't regret it (hopefully, no hards feelings if you don't) To end this i will show some of the best passages from the novel that were partially or completely removed from the adaptation to actually try to prove every piece of praise i've said. ~!img220(https://files.catbox.moe/lewtfq.png)!~ ~!img220(https://files.catbox.moe/g6d5sb.png)!~ ~!img220(https://files.catbox.moe/u4t0we.png)!~ fate route sad extra ~!img220(https://files.catbox.moe/fn99r5.png)!~