Fuyuki City - a city surrounded by the sea and mountains becomes the setting for an ancient ritual.
Seven masters are given control of heroic spirits in order to realize the mythical Holy Grail, which
is said to grant its owner any wish. These heroic spirits or servants represent legendary heroes of
various classes: "Saber," "Lancer," "Archer," "Rider," "Caster," "Assassin," and "Berserker." Each
master will enter into a contract with their chosen servant and battle the others to the death until
only one pair remains... This is the "Holy Grail War."
The young and capable mage, Rin Tohsaka, prepares for her long-awaited Fifth Holy Grail War to
begin... With her servant Archer, Rin enters the Holy Grail War as the sole heir to the prestigious
Tohsaka family after her father's death. But when Shirou Emiya, a boy from Rin's school, unwittingly
becomes a Master and is fatally wounded in battle, she has no choice but to save him. With Shirou and
his servant Saber, Rin sets out to strike down the conspiracies surrounding the Holy Grail War. Will
the Holy Grail bless Rin and Shirou's path toward victory or will they be cursed with defeat?
(Source: Aniplex of America)
Notes:
- Includes Prologue.
- The first, second and last episodes aired with a runtime of ~48 minutes as opposed to the standard
24 minute long episode.
If I'm being honest this has to be one of the best anime I have ever watched if not the best. The only thing that can compete against this anime for me is probably going to have to be Re:ZERO. Not watching the Prequel to this I don't believe was necessary due to the fact both anime spoil each other no matter which way you watch them. The way this show grabs on to you and hooks you into binge watching it is incredible, I've actually never felt so invested and hooked on to the characters before in any other anime, In fact I actually almost felt sad and depressed when it was over because I felt almost like I was actually in the show with the characters. This anime to me means so much because I had never felt the incredible feeling as I was watching it but there was a couple of minuscule things as I was watching I didn't like. Most of these are selfish but I believe adding these could have made this show a 100/100 for me personally. To start off I believe the romance between Emiya and Rin could have been advanced a little farther within the story, having Rin act all cute and embarrassed around Shirou was cute and all but could it have been better if she would have been a little more adventurous with Shirou? Secondly having some sort of way where the warriors would have been able to stay or live with Shirou and Rin forever would have been great and also took off a lot of taxing depressed feeling you get when they say their last goodbye. Lastly this is probably one of the most generic things ever and probably the most ridiculous improvements would have to be make the seasons longer, I just personally felt so apart of the show and loved it so much it would have been great to keep that feeling a bit longer but beggars can't be choosers as they say. To finish off this review I believe this should be a must watch in anyone's book because the emotions stirred up throughout the show can't be compared to a regular anime I just firmly believe this anime is leagues above any other out there. One more thing before I leave this as is, you must give this the 3 episode rule because at the very start and introduction things may seem confusing or way out there but everything comes together once you keep watching I promise. From your favorite Alpha (Jeff Seid)
**SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING** When I first read the Visual Novel of this route, I fell in love with the main characters and the servants; how could such an action-packed route be this good? For being a game made in 2004, this route became one of my favorites in terms of action, music and story. After finishing the routes, I set foot into the anime adaptations. Just finishing Fate/Zero, I had high expectations on how studio *Ufotable* would adapt such an action-packed route, while not butchering the characters and the over-arching storyline. MAN, they did not disappoint. # PLOT img220(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/847/889/a87.png) The story itself is fairly simple, which definitely gave space for the studio to develop on animation, world-building and give solid comedy at times. The story mainly revolves around the Fifth Holy Grail War, an event which has occurred before the set time, after the events of the Fourth Grail War (Fate/Zero). Masters must face each-other in an intense battle royale, accompanied by their selected servants. (Saber, Archer, Assassin, Rider, Berserker, Caster) to kill each-other and win the Grail, which grants any wish. High-schoolers Emiya Shirou and Rin Tohsaka, are one of those selected few masters, along with their servants, Saber and Archer, both engage in this battle, one by force and the other for pride. Both high schoolers must learn to set their differences aside to fight together, while also struggling to stay alive in this gruesome war. One of the strong aspects of the story is the beginning chemistry between servants and masters, the clashing set of ideals and morals sparks conflict in battles and it neatly develops with clever comedic touches from here and there. # CHARACTERS img220(https://littlecloudcuriosity.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/fate-stay-night-ubw-episode-8-21.jpg) This show has a very good development on characters, both masters and servants. More than the two masters previously mentioned, the secondary characters like Kirei Kotomine, Sakura and Illya and the servants like Caster and Lancer are definitely additional strong points in this show. Nevertheless, the show mostly develops these characters, while others barely get any screen-time or become episodic adversaries. While this is faithful to the original route, one is left wishing more from the rest of the characters, even if it would drag the show an unnecessary mile. # ANIMATION img220(https://pa1.narvii.com/5767/5a8d0310ff0d4872ddbc41a2da4adc3dc0575ad5_hq.gif) This is where the show excels. As many fans like calling this anime "Unlimited Budget Works", this anime shows how advanced the studio Ufotable was at the time in terms of smooth and beautiful animation, nowadays world-wide popular for animating Kimetsu No Yaiba. This show is definitely an eye candy for most viewers, with animation that never drops in quality, whether that is in more relaxed and lighthearted moments to very fast and action packed fights, which are abundant in this show. Another thing to commend is this show's ability to flawlessly express emotions of characters, without needing voice acting for the viewer to understand the tone of certain scenes, small details like these make the show amazing to watch. # CONCLUSION Fate UBW is probably a very good introduction to the animated Fate series if you don't wish to read the Visual Novel. The show takes advantage of the simplicity of the route to make a beautifully looking and well written show which is very faithful to the original source of this series. I recommend this anime for the fight scenes and the chemistry of both protagonists, it's very fun to watch.
I write my reviews based off 5 elements: Story, Characters, Music, Animation/Production Quality and Impression. All of my reviews are spoiler free. This review is based on the ___subbed___ version. # ___This is a review for both season one and season two and will be posted in both pages.___ _____ #__Story:__ The mainline fate series is in and of itself, one of the most complicated, comical, yet wonderfully written series of all time. Are there plot holes? __Absolutely.__ Does everything make sense? __Hell no.__ The thing about the fate series however, is if you just suspend your disbelief, in these plot holes, the story becomes evermore endearing. That said there are not enough plot holes to make it nonsensical, but due to the nature of the story being based in magecraft, magic, historical reference, gender bending and other extremely difficult to explain phenomena, a suspension of disbelief is pretty much a requirement in order to enjoy this series. #__Characters:__ For Unlimited Blade Works specifically, this series probably has the most character development for it's characters. In order to not spoil the story, I will not say who specifically, but several characters in this story are well fleshed out and have clear strengths, weaknesses, ambitions and motivations. As such, the viewer will no doubt enjoy watching these characters as they develop through the story. There is something to be said that if you want to have a better understanding on the characters, you might want to watch Fate/Zero before Unlimited Blade Works, but I personally believe either way works out here if you are choosing to skip the 2006 iteration of Fate/Stay Night. #__Music:__ This anime has some of the best music in all of anime, that being said, it is still far from _being_ the best. I will never forget the goosebumps I get when I hear the opening riff to Aimer's Brave Shine in season 2 or how other songs perfectly rise and fall with the momentum of the battles in the many epic fight scenes laid out in this series. In terms of it's OST, Unlimited Blade Works falls short of Heaven's Feel in terms of fate series music, but comes in a very clear second place. #__Animation/Production Quality:__ ufotable is one of the best; if not the best in ensuring their products have the best animation quality. Not only that, but in terms of the fate series, this is the clear second best in both animation quality and production quality behind Heaven's Feel. The animation is fluid and viewers are able to keep track of what's going on in fights while also depicting the epic-ness of each fight scene. There is hardly ever if at all a drop in quality and while the voice actors are the same from the original Fate/Stay Night production, they are handled in a vastly superior way and churn out top quality lines and emotions. There is a clear difference in production between Studio Deen and ufotable and it's not even close as to which one if better. #__Impression:__ For most, this will be their first entry into the Fate franchise as most people do recommend skipping the original Fate/Stay Night (I do not recommend skipping it). That said, this series definitely sets the bar high and if you want to watch it in a way that builds up in quality over time, I definitely recommend watching Fate/Zero first. That said, there are so many memorable scenes and moments within the anime, not to mention the characters of this series are some of the most beloved of all time. Type-Moon did a wonderful job in story and character design and ufotable did an exceptional job bringing it to TV production. Final Words: As with all my Fate series reviews, I will add my personal watch order list and flesh out why it is important to watch it in the order I suggest: Fate/Stay Night (2006) -> Fate/Zero -> Unlimited Blade Works -> Heaven's Feel. If you watch it in this order the amount of surprises and moments where you have to simply press the "I believe button" becomes fewer. Not only that, if you decide to skip the 2006 production of Fate/Stay Night, you miss out on the character development of one of the key characters in the franchise as they do not receive as much; if at all, character development in the other shows of the series. That being said, if you are unwilling to soldier through a terribly produced version of the fate franchise, I highly, highly, highly recommend you at least seek out a synopsis or read about what the original production covered. As for Unlimited Blade Works, it is my personal second favorite in the series behind Heaven's Feel. I still remember my heart racing and blood boiling while watching this series. It without a doubt holds a place in the top of all anime and first time viewers should definitely give it a chance. As I give Season 2 a 9.6 (96) rating and Season 1 a 9.2 (92), the average score for the entire series is 9.4 (94)
img1000(https://gonzonyan.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/fate-stay-night-unlimited-blade-works-00-subtitle-indonesia.jpg) Treading on the dark abyss can be an enormous task to take. It is a never-ending ride that can only be described in the most torturous terminology. This abyss that I am telling formed around 2006 by the name of Fate Stay Night. Not the visual novel, mind you, but the adaptation of one of the routes contained in it. It is called an abyss because it was hated by almost everybody and their mother with its boring and mind-numbingly boring presentation. All it would take to rationalize the problem is to realize that Type-Moon was lazy with giving its adaptation in the hands of a studio that probably didn’t have the authenticity it needed to showcase the grand scale of the Fate series. It only took Type-Moon nearly ten years to revitalize this by going on a different route with Unlimited Blade Works. This might be controversial, but with the usual reaction by many who follow this franchise, this next iteration in the Fate series anime franchise is my favorite. Mind you. I am someone who had not touched any of the visual novels when I watched the anime. I’m making this statement based on how my experience is going through all of the anime, so no nitpicking adaptation problems from me. How Unlimited Blade Works manages to succeed in being the best one simply from how the scale of its setting and story is structured in a way where it can quickly focus on the pacing of the story and characters better. It doesn’t have the most significant issue of Fate Zero, where the scale of the setting was too big for the small amount of time it had to develop the characters. Not to say there is a lot of development in Unlimited Blade Works, as ufotable has realized that these characters have been poised into our consciousness from many Fate iterations that it’s almost pointless to do so. Some decent character moments involve the development, particularly with Archer, which I will get to later. img1000(https://gonzonyan.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/vlcsnap-2014-12-29-16h20m05s10.png) Instead of Saber being the main girl with Shirou back in the original Fate Stay Night, we have Rin Tohsaka filling in for that role in this one. As someone who’s always thought of Saber as a bland heroine in how they portray her in the anime, having Rin as the main focus was a breath of fresh air. Yes, she is your prototypical tsundere character falling for the main protagonist, Shirou. Still, she does manage to hold on her own as a capable character who offers more than the trope that she possesses. Shirou has always been a hit-or-miss character, but mostly a miss for many people. Fortunately, he is not as dim-witted and unlikable as in the original Fate Stay Night, even though he still is in short bursts in Unlimited Blade Works. The rest of the human characters, such as Kirei, Shinji, Kiritsugu, and Illyasvi, are all of the same quality. They have their range of pros and cons but with nothing of exceptional value to this season in particular. I have never been interested in the actual lore of the Fate series. It is the hero characters being spiritual manifestations of past famous and infamous historical figures never clicked with me as being anything groundbreaking in the slightest. That said, Unlimited Blade Works was the first season that piqued my interest in it when it started to tell the backstory of Archer’s past life. It is explained in a somber manner and with an incredible impact on our main characters that will easily make you want to digest more of what will happen next as it paces itself forward. It is disappointing that the other heroes don’t get the same treatment as Archer and make them feel static in comparison. It makes sense from a visual novel perspective since a route only focuses on individual characters. But in anime, it feels jarring at times. However, it’s not jarring to take in from Unlimited Blade Works' perspective. img1000(https://gonzonyan.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/fateubw_01_3.jpg) Once again, ufotable never fails to impress the fans and community by giving them a visual treat to splendor upon. If there is one thing, they succeed in pleasing everyone. If you have seen Fate Zero before going into Unlimited Blade Works, nothing has changed dramatically from their original art design and CGI. Nevertheless, that isn’t to say it is a disappointing factor since it is always more than welcome to grace us with its visual grandeur, even with no change whatsoever. The fighting scenes are just as amazing to watch as it was with Fate Zero, with the nifty camera angles following the movement of the characters and the lovely sound design of the spells being cast and swords clashing with each other. It's almost necessary to watch this on the highest quality stream or buy the Blu-Ray set to watch them at their maximum quality. Everyone has a solid attachment to the series, and it can be a polarizing experience for some who’ve come to know the visual novels by heart. Me being one who does not fall into this category, as I’ve mentioned before, I realize that my voice might be viewed as limiting by some. I can only express how I felt going through Unlimited Blade Works as my favorite of the series. It is a nice fun ride that I hope will continue with whatever next iteration of the Fate franchise that Type-Moon is willing to whore out for pennies. Maybe it’ll be the final route of Fate Stay Night that they’ll finally do, and that will be the end of it, who knows. But that will likely not be the case, as sad as that can be. Grade: A-
Now I've been put off watching fate for ages because the watch order appears extremely daunting. And it is and that's why I never knew how to get into it fully. p.s( heres the video i used https://youtu.be/9IIsNMHqwfU) but ultimately I skipped fate/zero and went into the original fate stay/night which, don't get me wrong, is an excellent anime but is nothing compared by its predecessor, unlimited blade works Unlimited blade works is an alternative route to that of the original and is one of 3 total routes. Animated by studio ufotable in 2015 it is arguably one of the most beautiful animation I have ever watched in my whole lifetime. Nearly everything about this show was perfect, the pacing the action balance everything. I also loved how in this show, Shirou was portrayed as a strong, male protagonist which isn't something we see at all in the original fate stay/night series. I actually found Emiya Shirou quite annoying in the original series. Character development is something we see little of in the original 2006 fate stay/night, but is something we see heaps of in UBW. For Emiya to fight his former self and to develop himself as a mage enough to stand on the same level as Gilgamesh shown just how much he changed from that weak boy we saw die in episode one. I felt the (spoiler) romance between Shirou and Saber was extremely rushed. You don't get that feeling at all in unlimited blade works as the relationship between Tohsaka Rin and Shirou builds delicately over the course of the show and even in episode 26 we get an epilogue and look at their life after the holy grail war. Albeit many members of the fate community said the ending of UBW was bleak as anything but I don't really see it that way. We did see Emiya and Rin ended up together but no romantic elements (like cmon, not even a kiss after 26 episodes? pffft) but I still found it extremely enjoyable. As well as the unlimited blade works series adaptation there was also the studio deen version. This offers a slightly different storytelling experience but does not go deeply enough into the character development. Also to say its animation is far outclassed by that in unlimited blade works but still offers a shorter path for those who wish to skip this alternative which I absolutely DO NOT recommend as this is my favourite one so far. It's got to that point now that it's one of my favourite shows of all time and I'm getting extremely invested in the absolutely huge fate multiverse because of how well the characters and stories are presented. I must say it's weird how its set up with no sequels,only a single prequel and instead multiple versions of the same story with certain parallels. But I can't complain, it gives different characters otherwise hidden, a spotlight and allows us the reader to explore that character further than it would have been allowed without the alternatives. Overall, just watch UBW, I don't even think you need to watch fate zero(heard it's good) or the fate stay/night, just give this a shot, and I promise to god you will fall in love with it.
ufotable, as a studio, has done wonders in the animation department regarding demon slayer: kimetsu no yaiba and the fate franchise. Criticize each series all you want, you cannot deny the animation quality. Fate as a series fluctuates between and action/fantasy and a slice-of-life kind of series. As it goes along the action does become more and more frequent. I wouldn't say the series was as thrilling as a code geass or steins;gate, it kept enough suspense for the next episode. Plot [8/10] Without a doubt the strongest element of fate so far. The watch order I am using (and have been recommended) puts fate/stay night ahead of fate/zero. So far it's been pretty intriguing. Essentially our MC gets thrown into a war in which he can't exactly refuse to participate but willfully chooses to do so anyway but the war is between like 7 people. The world building and fantasy elements are good. If you haven't already, watch the prologue to this which explains the master and servant power structure/bond. The plot undergoes various development and larger as well as smaller twists. Information is revealed in a way so that suspense and surprise is added which made for good entertainment. With that being said, it also did feel like the main characters plot armor is a little bit too strong. This made it feel like certain near-death high octane suspenseful scenes are in fact meaningless because he had a way out after all. Characters: [7/10] I think this is where fate/stay night was weakest. The characters are really just average. There isn't a wide variety of characters introduced so far but they weren't really impressive so far. What I enjoyed are a few of the character dynamics. I like how saber and shirou interacted for example. I also thought saber was super adorable lmao. Even if characters are not the most well-written, if they are enjoyable, I have no problem scoring them high. TLDR: Characters itself are nothing special but their dynamics are good and you will probably find at least a few that you like. Animation/Art: [9.5/10] The fight scenes were done really, really well. They felt smooth and crisp but they weren't rushed so much so that you cannot see what is going on, which is a major criticism for much of the animation these days. It was clean and crisp, but also something you can actually comprehend. Art was a little bland at times but also really clean. Great character designs and background visuals, especially during the nighttime. Soundtrack/Voice Acting [7/10]: I thought the Voice Acting was pretty average. What I liked more is the soundtrack. I don't think the opening or ending were groundbreaking, but they were good. However some of the "epic" fight music and fast-paced orchestral music really elevated the action scenes are brought it to a new level. In pretty much every action scene, the soundtrack is brilliant. To conclude, I would give fate a shot. While I would presume that there are better anime out there, I have seen enough from the first season of Unlimited Blade Works to convince me that Fate is a quality series, especially compared to most anime and is thus deserving of a watch. As mentioned previously, it certainly helps that ufotable is very adept in terms of their quality of adaptation. Final score: 80/100. Thanks for reading
Just an honest review from a simple anime enjoyer of a series I recently got into. Shout out to my friend for suggesting and encouraging me to make this review @DaimonR, I recommend checking out his review on [Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn- ](https://anilist.co/review/22503) _My, my so you came to read my review, thank you. Here goes nothing....my first review, might be rocky strap on_ Fate is something I just recently got into on 2023 October 17 (anime form only). So far I have only seen: ~~~[img110(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/media/anime/cover/large/bx10087-el5Bo1VMZwsU.png) ](https://anilist.co/anime/10087/FateZero/)[img117(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/media/anime/cover/large/nx11741-Twb6iJx77FFV.jpg) ](https://anilist.co/anime/11741/FateZero-Season-2/) [ img110(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/media/anime/cover/large/bx154966-eQRCmSrCh96j.png) ](https://anilist.co/anime/154966/Fatestrange-Fake-Whispers-of-Dawn/) So I'm not that well versed in the whole Fate lore and don't know what's to come, but so far It hasn't disappointed me and Unlimited Blade Works season 1 is no exception. ~~~ ~~~__Overall __~~~ A few observations i made: 1. In UBW s1 there is __less__ shooking gore, that makes you disgusted which is what I feel Fate is known for, so that was a bit new. 2. Masters here were more interesting than the servants - simply because of more attention given to them. 3. The main antagonist - made things interesting, feels like an actual threat. 4. Character interaction and relationships - in my opinion the strongest part, it's what kept me invested. 5. The plot - from the beginning kept me wanting to watch with full focus, it was easy to follow and the more information was revealed the more it kept me watching. That's why it's an easy to binge show. 6. The anime didn't treat the viewer like a dummy - in some moments you as the viewer notice something is suspicious about a character and the anime does something about that suspicion. ~~~__Characters__~~~ We get a lot of character focus. It feels relatable and realistic at times. The war aspect of the show wasn't the only topic between the characters, we get to see them in day to day life so we get some slice of life parts in between the action. So if character interactions are up your alley in this anime it feels like real people and real conversations, none of that anime cliche, it feels more dimensional. ~~~Rin Tohsaka [img300(https://media.tenor.com/VzYjEOx4txMAAAAC/rin-tohsaka.gif) ](https://tenor.com/en-GB/view/rin-tohsaka-gif-24275004)~~~ __Best character__. She single handedly changed my opinion on tsudere characters. She is a tsundere character done right. Now, why I picked her to be the best character is because if you removed her it would feel like half of the enjoyment would be gone. Her relationship with Shirou was by far the most entertaining and endearing thing to watch. Another thing I really appreciate about the Fate series is well written female characters. She has her own personality, doesn't have to be __just__ a romantic interest, and also has her own goals, and ambitions. Even if she is a tease and can come of as a mean person, she has a heart of gold and it shows. ~~~Shirou Emiya [img150(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/character/large/b496-7OOjjvqVQbnb.png) ](https://anilist.co/character/496/Shirou-Emiya) ~~~ For the protagonist of the show, he is as vanilla ice cream as you can get, just some sprinkles of saying some of the most stupidly funny lines: ~~~img400(https://media.tenor.com/HUF1AgoHWuoAAAAC/people-die.gif) ~~~ Dumb main guy but with a heart of gold which drives his beliefs. In any other shounen it would be a cliche, but since this is Fate where your decisions matter in the topic of war it feels more impactful, for the beliefs he has. He is not the typical overpowered protagonist from the very start, but definitely, sometimes the main character's shield helps him a lot which is a bit disappointing. He is the opposite of the previous protagonist Kiritsugu in the way that he is like a lost child who has no clue what is happening, his knowledge is minuscule, while Kiritsugu was almost to perfectionist levels of knowing what is happening in the war. __Best character relationships__ This might seem silly to focus on such a thing, but not going to lie not a lot of shows have more than one relationship of characters that you just love to see on screen playing out. _Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya_ - we get to see them know one another from zero, go through some disagreements and up to a closer bond and this relationship of theirs made the enjoyment of this season most enjoyable. Of course, the fact that their two masters who work together is something interesting to see play out too. _Rin Tohsaka and Archer_ - they feel like a family at times and it's fun to see their dynamic. _Shirou Emiya and Saber_ - because Shirou is known to be an empathetic dude he sees Saber as an actual person and not just a servant which makes their friendship fun to see. ~~~__Plot, story__~~~ Mostly thanks to the main antagonist, it's entertaining and the story moves forward. The story flows so well, every character has their motives, and explanations for why they are doing what they are doing. No jumping from one confusing thing to another. It's also not just one character moving the story along, multiple characters are up to something, while we watch the main cast trying to figure out things make plans, others are working in the background. ~~~__Action__~~~ I usually don't care about fight scenes or anything to do with action, but Fate makes it feel more grand sometimes and I can't ignore it. The different character fighting styles, and weaponry also keep my attention. ~~~[img400(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/124/12448.gif) ](https://gifs.alphacoders.com/gifs/view/12448)~~~ ~~~[img400(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/124/12451.gif) ](https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/124/12451.gif)~~~ ~~~__Animation__ ~~~ The detail is something I couldn't look past by, even something like a peeled tangerine is drawn. The action scenes can look beautiful which is something different and terrifying too. Neither background nor characters are underappreciated everything is well animated and drawn. ~~~[img400(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/124/12444.gif) ](https://gifs.alphacoders.com/gifs/view/12444)~~~ ~~~[ img400(https://media.tenor.com/knOzHbACYkEAAAAC/unlimitedbladeworks-fatestaynight.gif) ](https://tenor.com/view/unlimitedbladeworks-fatestaynight-gif-12898084)~~~ ~~~__Mysteries__ ~~~ I like the fact there are a few things to be uncovered such as 1. Rin and Sakura seem like strangers. 2. Archer and his past. Who is he? 3. Caster the servant, who is a master? 4. What happened to Illya 10 years after the war? 5. What happened to Kiritsugu Emiya? These mysteries keep me wanting to continue the show and find out of course and make some theories along the way. ~~~__Rating__~~~ The score I gave this anime is pretty high, but it's actual facts since I'm the type to continue a show till the end even if I don't like it.
# __Overview:__ As someone who came from watching Fate / Zero first, Fate Stay / Night [Ultimate Blade Works] has a very strong start, following grown up characters from the prequel, now seemly being able to shine and fight in the next great holy war to overtake their predecessors. But after the first 4ish episodes, it just mostly falls flat because of two main reasons: # __1: The main character, Shirou__ Being the adopted son of Kiritsugu (For the most part the main character of Fate / Zero), Shirou starts of being very interesting, seemly continuing his fathers legacy into the next holy war. But after you get to know him, he turns out to be a bland, generic main character with no interesting character traits and a very low grasp on magic. Because of this, almost every fight and situation he's in, all he can do is stand around, get caught or get hurt, just to need to be saved by someone else. And you think he would improve on his magic or fighting skills through season 1, and while they try to accomplish this, he really shows almost no promise so far to be anywhere as interesting as a character like Rin, the other supporting main character. Rin carries most situations and essentially babysits Shirou through the holy war, which is just a pain to watch. # __2: The lack of stakes and refusal to progress the war__ Another of the main issues which goes alongside Shirou, is the fact that almost nothing is progressed in the holy war for all of season 1. The entire premise of the holy war is to defeat / kill the other masters and servants, so you can get closer to being the last one standing. However Fate / Stay Night refuses to kill almost anyone, even characters that are barely important and have seen almost no screen time. This leads to important fights just ending with characters leaving, and deciding not to kill the other master, for really no good reason aside from they didn't feel like it. It would feel less jarring if they actually had valid reasons for it, but they just don't even bother to give them one. # __Positives:__ Most fights are animated very well, so you can look forward to that throughout the show. And aside from Shirou, most of the characters are pretty decent, especially Rin, with characters hanging out being some of the most fun moments in the show. Its much easier to watch if you've seen Fate / Zero, as certain characters you already know being on screen can be enough for it to be entertaining. As a first anime I think people would enjoy this a lot, but with Fate / Zero being my baseline for how interesting a holy war can be, Fate / Stay Night [Ultimate Blade Works] season 1 just doesn't do it for me. If you're interested in Fate, watch Fate / Zero.