Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works]
Original title: Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
8.9K
YOUR RATING
A group of seven mages gets chosen to become masters of seven classes of heroic spirits, in order to fight and win the Holy Grail.A group of seven mages gets chosen to become masters of seven classes of heroic spirits, in order to fight and win the Holy Grail.A group of seven mages gets chosen to become masters of seven classes of heroic spirits, in order to fight and win the Holy Grail.
- Awards
- 8 wins & 13 nominations
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Did you know
- TriviaThis is an alternate retelling of Fate/stay night (2006), where Shirou Emiya is paired with Rin Tohsaka instead of Saber.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Man at Arms: Reforged: Excalibur (Fate/Stay Night) (2015)
Featured review
Amazing animation but otherweise unspectacular
The one thing of 'fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works' that is truly outstanding is the animation. Not only does the show hold up extremely well for something that's almost a decade old, it still can easily outpace pretty much everything that's on the market today. The visual effects are especially gorgeous, though the highly detailed backgrounds are also a feast for the eyes.
But excellent animations do not make an excellent show. That is not to say that 'Unlimited Blade Works' is in any way bad; I'd even say that there isn't anything the developers and producers have done wrong. But neither did I feel like the show really took hold of me.
The story of fate/stay night revolves around seven mages who summon heroic spirits to fight for the holy grail. What sounds like a bunch of fantasy mumbo-jumbo that would require a lot of exposition is actually pretty straight-forward, as there really isn't much worldbuilding to be done. Unfortunately, what is saved by the lack of heavy exposition is spent on keeping all the characters straight, as the premise requires a minimum of fourteen reasonably important characters (though about half of them quickly fall my the wayside).
And the characters really are my main problem. I just didn't find the protagonist very compelling. He's the same generic and earnest good guy who just can't fail because he's so earnest and good. There's literally a scene where he finally realises that his ideals are unrealistic and wrong, but he nevertheless sticks to them because they're just such a neat idea.
Similarly, the love interest feels like a discount Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion, just without the interesting character traits. The antagonists include a one-dimensional creep, a one-dimensional near-omnipotent dude who lets every chance to win pass by because he doesn't feel like it, and the most boring psychopath ever. I had my problems with Fate/Zero as well, but at least those characters were interesting.
The production value is pretty good, though. Apart from the absolutely magnificent animations, the (English) voice acting is also pretty great, the direction is good, and the sound effects are solid as well. The soundtrack is a bit of a mixed bag to my opinion; Yuki Kajiura delivered a Magnum Opus with her soundtracks on Puella Magi Madoka Magica, but the Fate/Zero soundtrack already only had two or three good themes, and Unlimited Blade Works doesn't even have those (except where it borrows them from Fate/Zero).
Nevertheless, there are a few excellent episodes that give quite touching backstories to a few of the characters. I particularly enjoyed the second and third episodes of the second season, which explore the characters of Caster and Illyasviel. The rest of the show is consistently good but never stellar, with a mild highlight every now and then.
Ultimately, I can't say that I regret watching the show, but I probably could've spent my time on something better.
But excellent animations do not make an excellent show. That is not to say that 'Unlimited Blade Works' is in any way bad; I'd even say that there isn't anything the developers and producers have done wrong. But neither did I feel like the show really took hold of me.
The story of fate/stay night revolves around seven mages who summon heroic spirits to fight for the holy grail. What sounds like a bunch of fantasy mumbo-jumbo that would require a lot of exposition is actually pretty straight-forward, as there really isn't much worldbuilding to be done. Unfortunately, what is saved by the lack of heavy exposition is spent on keeping all the characters straight, as the premise requires a minimum of fourteen reasonably important characters (though about half of them quickly fall my the wayside).
And the characters really are my main problem. I just didn't find the protagonist very compelling. He's the same generic and earnest good guy who just can't fail because he's so earnest and good. There's literally a scene where he finally realises that his ideals are unrealistic and wrong, but he nevertheless sticks to them because they're just such a neat idea.
Similarly, the love interest feels like a discount Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion, just without the interesting character traits. The antagonists include a one-dimensional creep, a one-dimensional near-omnipotent dude who lets every chance to win pass by because he doesn't feel like it, and the most boring psychopath ever. I had my problems with Fate/Zero as well, but at least those characters were interesting.
The production value is pretty good, though. Apart from the absolutely magnificent animations, the (English) voice acting is also pretty great, the direction is good, and the sound effects are solid as well. The soundtrack is a bit of a mixed bag to my opinion; Yuki Kajiura delivered a Magnum Opus with her soundtracks on Puella Magi Madoka Magica, but the Fate/Zero soundtrack already only had two or three good themes, and Unlimited Blade Works doesn't even have those (except where it borrows them from Fate/Zero).
Nevertheless, there are a few excellent episodes that give quite touching backstories to a few of the characters. I particularly enjoyed the second and third episodes of the second season, which explore the characters of Caster and Illyasviel. The rest of the show is consistently good but never stellar, with a mild highlight every now and then.
Ultimately, I can't say that I regret watching the show, but I probably could've spent my time on something better.
helpful•00
- glumski
- Jun 15, 2023
Details
- Release date
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- Official site
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- Also known as
- Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime24 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD
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What is the Spanish language plot outline for Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] (2014)?
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