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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Watch | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:1284#1552] |
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Studio Deen’s TV adaptation of Fate/Stay Night adapts the visual novel game’s Fate route focused on Shiro Emiya, a young man caught up in a magical conflict called the Holy Grail War. In it, magi summon seven heroes from different points of history to serve as their Servants with the last surviving Master and Servant able to claim the legendary artifact, the Holy Grail, to make a wish. Shiro unwillingly summons a Servant of the Saber class to aid him in the conflict, as he comes to discover some shocking truths regarding the true nature of the Holy Grail War. Fans of Ufotable’s richly animated adaptations of the Fate franchise may be disappointed to know this first animated adaptation of Type-Moon’s popular series was animated by Studio Deen. Deen are well-known for being rather inconsistent with the quality of animation for their works and being rather budget-restrictive for what they can offer up, and this certainly shows with their work on Fate/Stay Night. Lacking the highly-detailed visuals and fluid animation found from Ufotable’s later involvement with animating the franchise, fans of those more recent adaptations may be underwhelmed with the animation in this series. As far as the story development goes, Fate/Stay Night is mostly pretty faithful to adapting the Fate route’s events. The series goes into enough detail to cover the inner workings of the Grail War, exploring many of the developments of Shiro and Saber’s characters, and having its twists in revealing more about the shadier elements of the conflict. But perhaps to lengthen the runtime of the anime, Fate/Stay Night does expand on some of its story by adding in plot elements from the Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel routes of the visual novel. These do lead to some major character revelations that were otherwise not revealed during Fate route and don’t really add anything to the main story of the series being Shiro and Saber’s involvement within the Holy Grail War. In addition compared to the more interesting developments offered with the Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel routes, I don’t really think too strongly of the story offered up with Fate route with Fate/Stay Night. The later two routes within the visual novel serve to dabble into the flaws of Shiro’s ideals when confronted with them and the young man coming to different conclusions with confronting these flaws when affected by the different developments of the Grail War faced in each story route, making for the more engaging routes of the visual novel with their animated adaptations from Ufotable. With Fate route, the story has Shiro go the idealist route with his character’s development as he doesn’t undergo the significant character growth he underwent from the two mentioned story routes and making it less interesting to watch through as a result. Plus due to the anime removing a decent number of moments from the visual novel with inner monologues from Shiro reflecting on present story developments, it does unintentionally make him come off as sexist to the audience with how he doesn’t want Saber to continue fighting in the Grail War, when his inner monologues on the matter in the visual novel shown that his actions were the result of his survivor’s guilt. On the plus side, Saber’s character developments are more engaging as the series explores more of her backstory and motives for her involvement in the Grail War. In short, Fate/Stay Night offers up a decent enough adaptation of the Fate route, though said story developments aren’t as interesting in their developments with Shiro’s character compared to later routes from the visual novel game. The adaptation has some hiccups where its addition or removal of story elements does hinder the anime’s intended plot focus and direction at points. Plus, it’s not as visually pleasing to see in action compared to Ufotable’s later animated adaptations of the Fate franchise. But if you are looking for an animated adaptation of the Fate route from the Fate/Stay Night visual novel, this 2006 adaptation is decent enough to see as it does provide the most focus on Saber’s character due to being Shiro’s love interest within the game route. Last updated Tuesday, February 16 2021. Created Thursday, April 22 2010. | ||||||||
| Rent | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
 Big Fire
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[series:1284#2441] | |
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I LIVE!!!!! So I finally for no other reason than bordem watched this series. As much as I struggled to get through episode 1, it just started picking up from there. I like the idea of magic users although I dont know what we have to have equal exchange in this series too...ahem...full metal...but none the less, I do enjoy anime with this content in it. What I did not like is the premise that every 10 years a battle goes on between 7 chosen magic users to determine who gets the holy grail. Especially when I never saw the 7th. I did like the idea of summoning heroes to do battle, but I did not like the idea of mana and restoration. All in all, this anime was just too sloppy for me and to top it off the ending was trying to go Evengelion on me and OMG everyone only knows how much that ending destroyed such a wonderful anime. That being said, I loved the Sabre, Shirou, Rin, and Archer storyline, unfortunately the surrounding stories didnt mesh quite enough. If you like swords, sorcery, and school with a twist of harem...this is an anime for you, if you like none of the above, better to move on to something else... Last updated Monday, August 31 2009. Created Monday, August 31 2009. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
 Dreamer
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[series:1284#2279] |
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Here's another one I watched a while back but failed to comment on. I rewatched it so I can give a proper review. Art, Animation & Character Designs The art was done really well. It had high details with rich colors. At times, the artwork was really breathtaking. Animation was equally as good. As for character designs, really well done with high amount of details as well. Although you ha some stereotypical character designs, they were still well done if not better than most. Music The OP was really good. It was an alternative-pop piece with female vocals. The rest of the music was nothing special but fit well with the series. Series and Episode Story The plot had some great potential. Potential because even though it was good, it didn't seem as dramatic as one would think it to be as they're watching through the first several episodes. This is not to say that it crapped out near the end, but rather, it seemed the beginning had more "bang" than the ending. I loved how each character had a servant with which to do battle amongst each other. Some of fights scenes were top notch with extreme details and fast action. The character developments were good with enough background given that it keeps all them interesting. Overall, it was a darn good anime. My only real complaint was the plot had serious potential but somehow fell short for me. For others, it might be a perfect anime. It's still worth a buy however. Last updated Sunday, May 10 2009. Created Sunday, May 10 2009. | ||||||||
| Unevaluated |
 AstroNerdBoy
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[series:1284#436] | ||||||
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I was first introduced to Fate/stay night through my regular search for interesting anime images, which leads me all over the place. I saw some cool picture of Saber with her sword on the attack and it really caught my eye. So I started looking for some more images and information and saw Saber naked with...well, you get the idea. ^_^;;; The result ended up being that I had nothing to do with it, but after FUNimation licensed the title and a lot of people told me I really would enjoy the anime, I picked up the DVD set and did not regret it at all. Adapted from the Fate/stay night eroge (visual novel), this anime follows what I believe is the main path through that visual novel with the protagonist Shirou accidentally summoning the heroic spirit (Servant) Saber as part of the Holy Grail War currently underway in modern day Japan. Since these Servants who fight in the war are normally powered by magic and Shirou only has a limited amount, Shirou and Saber have to come up with a strategy to not only stay alive, but with this round of the war in order to have their wish granted by the Holy Grail. One of the problems in adapting a visual novel of any kind is that it is impossible to incorporate every path and all of the great information provided. Some, like Clannad (TV) or Kanon (2006), are easier but a game as massive as Fate/stay night is (with all of its sequels of sorts). While the anime production team does a good job at making this adaptation, there are lots of things that get left out which would make things clearer. Also, at times characters are just completely forgotten at times. One character dies and no one says another word about him. Another character has something bad happen to her and that's completely forgotten. Another character gets injured twice and seems to be in dire straits both times but instead the character shows back up later without a scratch or an explanation. Because of this, I feel that adding another episode or two might have helped, though the production teamed seemed to be going for a faster pace. Speaking of that, every episode of this anime seemed to just smoke by. I would find myself so engrossed in the episode that when it ended, I often thought, "NOOO!" Often, this resulted in my immediately playing the next episode (even if I should be going to bed or doing something else). It is at times like this that I'm glad that I didn't have to wait a whole week for the next episode. ^_^ The removal of the hentai elements really causes no negative impact on the story in my opinion. That said, there is a scene in episode 15 that I immediately recognized as being one of the images I saw early on, only Saber was sans clothing. So while it is never stated, it is strongly implied that Shirou and Saber have sex here and then again toward the end of the series for the purposes of recharging Saber's mana. Good thing for Shirou that Saber wasn't a man, eh? Character-wise, I'd like to speak about the hero Shirou. On one hand, he's the harem hero who knows what he wants and goes after that girl. That's an unusual trait for a harem hero (though admittedly, this is not your typical harem anime title) and one I liked. On the other hand, he has Saber, a powerful Servant, there to fight battles and protect him. Shirou wants to protect her despite the fact that all he can do is get hurt. Granted, he gets better and better over time, but initially, Shirou annoyed me somewhat as a character. I understand his feelings of wanting to protect Saber but at the same time, a man has to know his limitations. ^_~ As to the other characters, there's a nice mix of the traditional kinds of characters (mostly female) that we've seen before. Obviously, I gravitate to Saber, but I like Rin and Sakura as well. ^_^ While I've no problems with the art and character designs, I found the animation to be somewhat lacking at times. Considering the popularity of the Fate/stay night franchise, I would have thought that there would be a bigger animation budget. I guess not. That's unfortunate, considering the number of action sequences in this anime. That's not to say that this is some horribly animated anime, but it isn't the best for sure and it deserves better than what it got in my opinion. Bottom line: We have a face paced, action filled anime that is garnished with just enough comedy and romance to make it sweet. Nice characters and a very interesting story concept make the anime very enjoyable. The only weaknesses are in animation and in the fact that there is is too much source material that had to be cut, leaving some things not clear. However, this is a title that I could easily watch again and as such I'm glad I bought it.Last updated Tuesday, July 14 2009. Created Friday, May 01 2009. | ||||||||
| Watch | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
 Violet D
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[series:1284#1393] |
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I just started watching this one this week. I must admit I was impressed with the animation the storyline and the characterization. This one I will for sure watch more of. Just the new one I was looking for.
Last updated Friday, April 10 2009. Created Friday, April 10 2009. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
 Marcus
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[series:1284#679] |
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Fate/stay night is an interesting and very entertaining series that stays true to many of the fantasy/high-school/harem stereotypes, yet tweaks the formula just enough to set it apart from similar series. The characters are familiar, yet with subtle twists: Shirou is an honest 'nice guy' lead, yet is not weak or cowardly. And despite having girls all around him is not a lech and never tries anything. Rin is confident, brash and assertive, without being an obnoxious snot. Fuji-nee is perky without being a ditz. Sakura is probably the closest to a typical harem girl, shy and submissive, but even she has a great strength that manifests over time. The Servants are ruthless fighters, yet each has a unique, human personality to balance this. In all, these characters feel more like real people and less like the exaggerated stereotypes we see too often in anime. The fantasy element is another plus, with the different abilities of each Servant used to good effect, ensuring the battle scenes never become boring or predictable. And the series doesn't hide the fact that this is a war; people die and suffer realistic injuries, lending a certain dramatic intensity to events. These more serious elements are well-balanced with some light romance, comedy, and character development. While there are clear harem overtones, there is little if any sex, nudity or "oh I just walked in while you were changing clothes" fan-service. And unlike most harem, the girls do not pointlessly throw themselves at Shirou; rather he seems to have more believable, platonic, relationships with them. These slight differences keep the series from falling into boring cliches, even if the story development is a little predictable. The art and animation are generally well-done, although it is clear that we had a male production team behind this. The main females (Saber, Iliya, Sakura and especially Rin) are all beautiful and fluidly animated, whereas males such as Shirou have very basic designs. In all, a very good series, and proof that you can still make great anime within strict genre conventions. Well done Fate/stay night! Last updated Tuesday, July 29 2008. Created Friday, May 16 2008. | ||||||||
| Rent | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
 aoneish
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[series:1284#1615] |
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I have a love hate relationship with this series. And it aggravates me so. The story sets up nicely. We get to know all the characters. The rules are set for the game. There a nice balance between action and information. As the plot progresses throughout the series, things don't develop quite the way you'd expect them to. There's a little bit of irony involved and I was genuinely surprised at some points. The blatant attempts at humor fall drastically short of the mark, it's really just not funny, but there are smaller subtle moments that elicit a smile. Shirou, our main character, is a stupid sexist git. He stays a stupid git though ultimately he makes the right decision. (rolls eyes) But perhaps I'm biased because this is a harem type series and thusly I hate the way they set everything to revolve around his stupid git character. For instance, I absolutely hate the decision that Rin (and ultimately Archer) made. I know all the girls in the harem are supposed to love Shirou and what not and that Shirou is the main character. But I absolutely hate it. However, the VA for Archer is so bad ass. Even though he was speaking Engrish pretty much, the effect came across very cool. His battle with Berseker is the best hands down. It was almost worth it. Lol at the quasi ero scene. Very suggestive dialogue-wise, no nudity of course...unless I just have a dirty mind. Towards the end I became somewhat unsatisfied. You're hit with twist after twist, and the rules are broken, changed. They insert a stupid episode where he goes on a date with Saber, yea, it's a dating sim spinoff, but honestly? I was angry that a such a serious and magical series had devolved into...a dating sim. And then, and then the series goes and completely blows me away with the ending. There's a kind of interesting study there, to see the fall of heroes, how the selfless...become selfish. I don't know, I didn't fully quite grasp why I liked it so much. I was so tired of Shirou by then I just wanted it to end, so I'll have to watch it again. But I like it a lot. Though what happened with Saber made me cry. Heh. So, put up with stupid Shirou, and the rule breakage and whatnot and you'll end up with a pretty nice series. the OP and EP are pretty (though that changes later). The rest of the OST is sweet, mostly sorrowful, soulful melodies, some of which remind me of kyuuketsuki miyu sometimes. Last updated Monday, October 09 2006. Created Sunday, October 08 2006. | ||||||||
| Buy |
 Forbin
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[series:1284#1573] | ||||||
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Drama : Low / High (It gets higher with every episode) Comedy : Med Action : High Scifi : High Ecchi : Low Of course since this is from Tsukihime's makers I am going to watch this through. I am mad that they used Deen instead of JC Staff. Emiya looks like a girl. Rin looks nice but I am getting evil Satsuki from Tsukihime. Animation is ok the backgrounds are incredible but the characters are just shy of triangle face. Now that it's over, all in all, it's good. But Tsukihime is better. More drama packed into 13 episodes and Shirou didn't get any and he had up to 5 girls living in his house! Damn Shiki (from Tsukihime) got more than him. What I liked about it:
R1 Release Notes Ok I've got the 1st R1 of this. Not bad. For voices Saber is deep, Rin is normal, Sakura is squeaky, and Ilya is just a little chiyo chan. The one who steals the show so far is Taiga-Sensei, her VA hams it up good. Episodes
Last updated Wednesday, December 20 2006. Created Monday, January 09 2006. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Official Japanese Series Web Site | http://www.staynight.com/ |
| Wikipedia entry for this series | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fate/stay_night |
| Very basic information, as the wiki-gods allow (as they've purged a great deal of information). | |
| Wikipedia entry for TYPE-Moon | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TYPE-MOON |
