Fate Stay Night
Advent of the Magi
by Pedro Rodriguez
Hunger is the enemy. Let's go Shirou.
Are you okay with Japanese food for breakfast?
Yes. I will eat anything that is put in front of me. Extravagance is the enemy.
Sounds like there's a lot of enemies.
That might be the case.
When TV series Lunar Legend Tsukihime first came out here in the US, it was not welcomed by every critic. This is mainly because it followed an extremely different storyline from the original. This of course was only known to those who had access to that secluded knowledge, so those who had never heard of the game had a better chance of enjoying the series (present company included). Now just over a year after the US release another Type Moon series is being released. It's called Fate Stay Night and it promises not only to entertaining, but true to its original work.
Ten years ago, seven Magi took part in what they called "The Holy Grail War". The way it worked was each of them called fourth the spirit of a powerful warrior to fight against other spirits in an open Battle Royal. When all but one of the warriors had been defeated, the Holy Grail would appeared before them, and both servant and master would able to wish for anything their heart desired. However when the fighting was over, a massive fire set the unbeknown hosting city ablaze that killed everyone in the area, except for one. Enter Shirou Emiya, the sole survivor of the fire. Rescued and adopted by a Mage, he grows up never knowing the real cause of the catastrophe. Then one day, he found himself in the middle of yet another Holy Grail War, when he sees two men fighting each other in the school yard. Chased down by one of them, he comes across a seal back at his home and accidentally summons his own servant. Upon escaping death yet again, he is told in great detail what is going on. Discovering what was really happening behind the scenes, he decides to join in hope of preventing another disaster like the one before.
The storyline for the first four episode is a rather peculiar one. Even though we are introduced to everyone at a natural flowing pace, things don't get complicated for Shirou until halfway through the second episode. In fact you aren't officially introduced to Saber, Shirou's servant, until the very end of the second episode. Until then, most of the action is taking place around Rin Tohsaka, Shirou's schoolmate. This is not to say that it's a bad, just odd.
While no one seems to stand out more than any one else at first, the show has a very strong cast of characters, and while it is taking some time to flesh out, there are some interesting characters. One such individual that comes to mind is Taiga Fujimura, Shirou's teacher and "sister". We are first introduced to her as she calls out to him from the breakfast table and pouting at his tardiness. She is rather mellow at first, but after several eccentric outbursts we find she's responsible for most of the comical antics.
Another person that needs to be mentioned, is Rin Tohsaka, Shirou's schoolmate. Unlike Shirou who has hardly any knowledge of what is going on, she has been training for this war for ten years. She also has a modest amount of magic at her disposal, making her a worthy adversary to Shirou. The thing is she tends to be more of a guide rather than a rival. Then there's that scene in the second episode that makes you wonder who she feels about him when they didn't seem to have a relationship beforehand.
The animation is head and shoulders above your average TV show. The facial expressions and body language really gives you an idea as to who to root for, who to fall in love with, or who to hate. Of course the writers also had a hand in that.
The English cast is adequate, but nothing special. A few of the main voice actors have a done a decent amount of work, but purists are going to want to stick with the original Japanese track. The soundtrack for this series is also mellow, but enjoyable
Extras are just heavy enough to make a passing grade; aside from the clean opening credits (no closing), there is also a small collection of character illustrations. The limited edition box set is also rather light. On a plus side it's very well constructed with a cool design, but there isn't much else besides the DVD that comes with it.
Taking into the account the amount of episodes and extras against the retail price ($27-30) it may deter some people from buying it. A shame to because it's a good series. For those who are more thrifty should look around for a lower price.
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