Every time I get a new volume of D.Gray Man, I think to myself why don’t more people read this? I realize it is not an unpopular series but it also doesn’t seem to have really stuck around. This may be partially due to it moving from the prominent Weekly Shonen Jump magazine to the monthly Jump Square. There is a lot of shonen fighting manga out there, so it is easy to miss one. And besides that, picking and choosing what is worth settling in the long haul with can be difficult.

D.Gray Man combines supernatural powers and occult lore with the shonen fighting formula. The gothic and macabre designs are well utilized giving life to everything from the obvious horror to less imaginable whimsy and humor. The art overall is a real treat in the series; the details in the European setting to costume and architecture are wonderful. Allen Walker possess a power called Innocence that can be harnessed to defeat demons and the like. The organization known at the Black Order recruits people with these gifts in an ongoing war against the Millennium Earl and his dark minions. Even before Allen joins their ranks, it is clear that there are many secrets to each side and to Allen himself. Allen is a positive lead who has a lot of charm about him; he is very honest and possesses a lot of heart. He isn’t the type of character who you forget about to concentrate on the support personalities. But he does have an electric group of people around him. The series utilizes everyone and the setting well, even pushing the grotesque monsters and violence pretty far at times. And it has a lot of mystery in the undercurrent which slowly reveals itself.

At just 22 volumes so far, D.Gray Man isn’t too much of a commitment compared to its brethren. (And VIZ is almost in line with the Japanese, releasing the 21st volume in November.) Within its pages is a solid journey that doesn’t drag and reveals its twists and turns in good time. Add in a good cast and artwork that begs to be looked at in detail and I find I can’t resist D.Gray Man.

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I have finally completed my final play through of Fate/Extra. Having completed it with Caster I feel like I have closed out the game. While I did not go through every scenario possible in the game I think I saw the optimal amount of possibilities. I would be interested in a few tiny details like using Saber with a female protagonist or taking Archer through Rani’s route but those little details are what YouTube is for. In this final post on Fate/Extra I just wanted to give my thoughts on playing as Caster. I mean how could I not play the game as the cute little fox goddess even if that is dangerously close to furry country.

I will admit I tore through this play through whereas I savored the other two. The third time around I had to put in cheat codes because there was no way I was legitimately grinding through the game a third time. I love Type-Moon but I am not crazy. It was sort of fun playing through the game as a level 99 god. You can actually win several battles are supposed to either come to a draw or have you be outright slaughtered. Winning them never changes to plot but it does get you some bonus dialog as a pat on the back for your accomplishments. That said it was still quite obvious that Caster is the hard mode. That is not to say that she is worthless because at times she is a wrecking crew. The problem is she is really slow to power up and definitely a glass cannon. When you start the game she is definitely the weakest character you can pick. She does not deal much physical damage, she has paper-thin defense, and it takes awhile for her to get the spells she needs to rip things apart. When you have her full complement of spells she is a monster but no matter how high level you get her she is always fragile and cannot absorb too much damage. But her basic spells are a nasty one two punch as they do their standard damage and can stun the opponent if you choose wisely. If you set things up correctly she can tear into even the toughest opponents. I took out Saver in 1 round with a level 99 Caster and Ryougi Shiki without breaking a sweat. She is challenging but rewarding to play.

Caster is a cutie-pie little vixen with a deceptive appearance. She seems like an airhead but she is someone who will just as easily deceive, set up, and then assassinate everyone around her in a way that would make the Count of Monte Cristo slightly uneasy. She is definitely designed to have a mixture of Yamato Nadeshiko loyalty, ditzy charm, and vengeful possessiveness. It does give her an amusing appeal if a bit on the moe wish-fulfillment side of feminine appeal. She is definitely the most openly affectionate and playful Servant as well as the most sexually aggressive.  A bonny boom boom body does not hurt with features on the safe side of anthropometric. She was a refreshing sorbet after the sarcastic Archer. The most surprising part of her past was her connection to Twice H. Pieceman. It was set up in advance but like everything involving Pieceman I wish they had investigated it more. I also wish Caster was in other mediums as well. Her careful Machiavellian plotting combined with her harmless demeanor would make her an interesting character in a title outside of a tournament RPG.

That is it for Fate/Extra. I definitely got my money’s worth in the 3 play throughs I did. I admit that I certainly used the skip dialog button quite a bit in my third time through but Caster’s charm made it worth my time. I now have three max affection Servants to import into Fate/Extra CCC if that ever comes out. I hope that the game did well enough that Aksys Games considers picking up the sequel. I can’t wait to see how your characters transfer over and what rewards you get for playing the previous game. I can never get enough of the Fate universe.

While this is slightly delayed I have finally got through my second play through of Fate/Extra this time with Archer, a female protagonist, and taking the Rin route. Essentially I changed everything you could change to see how much it actually effected the story and how the game played out. If you are looking for a proper review of the game you just check out my first article about my Saber playthrough. That has more analysis of the game proper. This is just a supplemental look at the viability of a replay and what bits of nuance I got out of using Archer. This review took about a month longer than it should have as I swear the universe did everything up to including making it so my PSP would no longer read UMDs to prevent this review. Le sigh. But here it is.

First of all while it is a nice option to play as a female protagonist in Fate/Extra as far as I can tell it is the one choice that has the smallest effect on the game. I am glad to see that you are going to make the protagonist be so much of an avatar you might as well let both sexes have a chance to be represented. But sadly unlike say Persona 3 Portable changing your gender does not change the way the game plays. You don’t get any different plot choices and most of the dialog goes completely unchanged. It also makes all the servants and a few other characters in the game strongly bisexual as they will develop romantic feelings for you regardless of your gender. I do find that a bit amusing. I am sure that pleases the yuri fans but the yaoi fans can get a little for themselves as well.

I will state this plainly. There is no way you can mistake Archer from Fate/Extra being anyone BUT Archer from Fate/Stay Night. He makes references to fighting in another Holy Grail War in a school setting, he recognizes Shinji and Rin but mentions her knew much different versions of them, makes a an off-handed reference to the traditional Saber we all know and love, and even has the same appearance, powers, and back story as the traditional Archer. If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands. I am not sure why some people seem to insist that this Archer is not necessarily the Archer from Fate/Stay Night. While I am not sure the story of how he become a Counter Guardian counts as canon outside if this iteration of the franchise it is clear who he is supposed to be. If nothing else this means that Archer is the servant to play as if you are a fan of the original story. No one else will even come as close to the number of in jokes and references as picking EMIYA as your servant.

Playing as Archer at times feels like a whole new experience and other times feels exactly the same as playing as Saber. The big difference is the dialog. Any time the your servant speaks there is always a very distinct tone in their dialog. If you picked any line as just read it off with no other context you could tell who the line is from. Where as every statement from Saber is grandiose but affectionate all of Archers conversation is filled with sarcasm and ruggedness. Also Saber is without a doubt easy mode. Anything that Saber does with ease takes Archer a good deal more work to do. Archer’s real ace in the hole is Seven Rings of Heaven as it can just ignore one attack. But other than that he is just harder to play.

The same thing thing is true with the alternate servants when you do Rin’s path. While the dialog is different with other opponents the mechanics of what you have to do are exactly the same. How you transverse the levels, gather matrix information, and even get help from your female companion is identical. Lil’ Ronnie and her Lancer are even crazier and far creepier than Monji Gatoh but I miss the True Ancestor. I was a bit more conflicted when fighting Rin in Rani’s path but I enjoyed your little romance/friendship with Rani more. The servants on Rin’s path were far easier as a breezed through those battles despite the fact that Archer was not anywhere as powerful as Saber. But if you pick Archer as your servant you MUST take the Rin path. His reactions to Rin in-person and when you are alone are priceless. The amount he purposefully does NOT say is just as hysterical as what he does say. I am curious what he says in those moments if you take the Rani path but they can’t be as wonderful as his dialog for Rin. Also he has the One-True-Mana-Exchange-Scene™ in this route.

The biggest thing that is added to a second play through is you can fight Shiki Ryougi as a secret boss. As is the tradition with all secret bosses she is far harder than anyone else in the game. After my level 55 Archer died against her the 4th time I just cheesed her by rushing to get out Unlimited Blade Works so I could spam her with Fake Spiral Swords and used a bunch of elixirs so I could do that for 3 rounds. You get a useful little item from beating her= that lets you cancel your opponents next move but it mostly only useful if you are going for a 3rd playthrough. Shiki is a nice Easter egg that explains the presence of Touko in the game but all in all she is mostly just an Easter egg.

So the real question is if it is worth playing the game a second time. My answer is yes and no. There is a good deal of new dialog and story if you play a second time. The game makes sure to reward you for playing  with new elements and things to discover. Even the servants who were the same react differently to the companion you choose to fight at your side. But other than that the game itself plays exactly the same. Everything is mechanically unchanged. Also the grinding is far more annoying the second time around. I enjoyed the fact that you kept the learned patterns from the last game but it did not make the time killing the same monsters again and again any more interesting. They really should have just let you keep your levels from them last playthrough so you could focus on the story. I could tolerate as the hardcore Type-Moon fan but I see most people getting sort of frustrated. But you have to grind like that if you want to take out  Shiki at the end. I would say the second play though is worth it but I would play something else in between play playthroughs as it might help take the edge off doing the same thing twice in a row and let you just enough the changes with a little distance. I will do a hopefully shorter little follow-up article about Caster. I am sure I will have a lot less to say but I feel I should mention how she plays and what I think of her character.

With Carnival Phantasm just wrapping up I decided I might as well spotlight it’s origin. Take Moon was a little comedy anthology that Eri Takenashi of Kannagi fame wrote while she was still at Type-Moon (not that she fully left as she is doing the character designs for Girl’s Work.) It took the mostly serious characters from Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night and puts them in utterly comedic situations to play out their personalities in as exaggerated manner as possible. So Arcueid goes from eccentric vampire to am undead blonde airhead while Saber is portrayed less as a hungry young swordswoman and more as a bottomless pit. But it is all done in a loving manner. It has the lighthearted feel and spirit of fandom present in an amateur doujinshi with the polish of a professional manga. The first book is all Tsukihime characters where as the second book add in skits from Fate/Stay Night. You can tell that Eri Takenashi has a bit off a soft spot for Arcueid and Ciel but almost everyone gets a turn in the spotlight. Even Hanei Misawa and Bazett Fraga McRemitz get some screen time.

I will warn readers that the manga has two major barriers. The first is it assumes that you know the Nasuverse characters inside and out. No real effort is made to introduce the characters or their worlds. Eri Takenashi not only assumes you have played all the Type-Moon games but that you also know the fandom in-jokes surrounding the games. You don’t just have to know who Kohaku is but know her mad scientist persona that she has gained outside of the main games. The second barrier is the fact there is no official English release and the second volume has never been fan scanned. I think it would be neat if someone picked it Take Moon considering the increased interest due to Carnival Phantasm and its short length but I am not holding my breath.

Speaking of Carnival Phantasm the instant question is, “If I watched Carnival Phantasm is there any reason for me to read Take Moon?” The answer is of course. While some of the stories are pretty much a direct interpretation most of the stories have been modified. The anime adds in characters that were introduced after Take Moon was written like Riesbyfe Stridberg or Red Saber but throws some characters like Arihiko Inui and Zouken Matou from main character roles to minor cameos. Heck the whole Phantasmoon skits from the anime are based on one page of a longer and very different Phantasmoon story in the original manga. Both have stories unique to their iteration as well. I mean if nothing else you don’t want to miss out on the Mystic Eyes of Breast Enlargement. It is a delightful little piece of fun for fans of Type-Moon and Eri Takenashi alike.

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This is the first year I participated in the Reverse Thieves’ Secret Santa Project, and unfortunately I can’t say that I loved the show I picked to watch. That isn’t to say that I hated it, or that it was even bad, but it wasn’t really my kind of show and wouldn’t have been something I’d have selected to watch on my own. That being said, I’m glad I participated in the project and look forward to doing it again next year. On to the review!

Uchuu No Stellvia, based on the short description I read on animeinfo, sounded like a somewhat promising sci-fi drama with a bit of school life mixed in. The story begins in the somewhat distant future, after mankind has experienced a catastrophe of a star going super nova and the Earth was bombarded with all kinds of cosmic radiation. Much of mankind perished in the stellar event, but things aren’t over because the “second wave,” basically the shockwave of debris and more cosmic radiation is going to bombard the Earth in another 200 years or so. Mankind has become united due to this revelation, and has worked endlessly to prepare for the coming disaster by building multiple space stations, called foundations, where students are trained to become pilots, engineers, programmers, etc., all to participate in The Great Mission of defending the Earth from the coming second wave. The foundations are basically giant space colleges which also act as pseudo-military bases.

Enter our protagonist, Katase Shima, who at the beginning of the series is boarding a space transport to embark to the Stellvia (the foundation nearest Earth) to begin her training. She’s generally shy, soft spoken, but is also a genius when it comes to programming, but more than anything she wants to be a pilot and wants to see space. On board the transport she meets Arisa Glennorth, who is basically the opposite of Shima. She’s loud, outspoken, energetic, and not particularly skilled at anything. The two of course become best friends, and then naturally are assigned as roommates once on board the Stellvia.

There will be some crying about every other episode.

We’re quickly introduced to the rest of the students/staff, who pretty much fill every cliché role imaginable. On the girl’s side you have Kayama Akira, a tall, somewhat stand offish, serious girl. Fujisawa Yayoi, who’s the smart, well endowed glasses chick. Machida Ayaka, one of the upperclassman who’s a star pilot and is basically driven to be extremely competitive due to some kind of inferiority complex. Later we’re introduced to Kazamatsuri Rinna, a wunderkind who initially views Shima as her rival but quickly becomes another friend. Lastly is Najima Gable, another one of the upperclassmen who’s trait is that she randomly quotes lines of Shakespeare or the Bible and never seems to have any kind of reaction to anything.

They somehow made a show with a space ninja and made it boring.

On the boy’s side we have Pierre Takida, the suave lady’s man who unfortunately always seems to fail in his romantic endeavors. Joey Jones, aka JoJo, the short, fiery tempered comic relief. Masaru Odawara, basically the blandest character in the series, his defining characteristic is that he eats a lot. Otoyama Kouta, a good-natured, but somewhat socially awkward guy who is generally average at everything but turns out to be a phenomenal pilot due to his “sight.” Kent Austin, basically the super hero upperclassman who’s good at everything and handsome. Finishing off with Ritsuo Shojin, another upperclassman who’s a ninja always doing physical training and who rarely speaks.

Everyone meets, everyone likes each other, yay. Shima initially stinks at flying, but then becomes a pro after some tips from Kouta and her reprogramming of the flight software for her ship. There’s a brief point where we learn that Ayaka is a psycho, when she basically tries to kill Shima in a jousting game, but she gets over it and everyone’s friends again.

The first half of the series is basically going through the initial training of the new students, Shima struggling with flying, overcoming her problem, and then making the final preparations for The Great Mission, which goes off without a hitch (though of course with a bit of melodrama thrown in). Overall, I actually liked the first half the series. Again, not really my cup of tea, but it was still enjoyable.

The second half of the series is where, for me, things kind of took a turn for the worse story wise. Initially, it looked at some intriguing ideas, introduced some political aspects to the series, and toyed with the fact that mankind has essentially not known war for almost 200 years because every moment had been spent with mankind working towards a common goal (The Great Mission) and almost immediately after that goal was achieved, mankind started acting like mankind usually acts…for like a few days, then everyone was fine again. It’s around this time that aliens show up and destroy one of the foundations after everyone evacuated. Then there’s a new impending cosmic catastrophe that threatens to destroy the entire solar system and mankind only has a few months to prepare to face it, during which nobody seems to be really concerned (until the last week or so). The fend off the disaster, the aliens were really trying to help us in their own way, and everyone lives happily ever after in a new era of space exploration.

If it seems like I really hated the series, I didn’t. It’s just that I found it rather mediocre. Part of the reason I think it came off that way to me is that it tried to do a bit of everything, but didn’t really excel at any one aspect. I also didn’t really like any of the characters, because for the most part they were all just caricatures. With the exception of Shima, Kouta, and Ayaka none of the characters really “grew” throughout the series. Shima always broke down and started crying whenever something was hard, but then would overcome it. Kouta finally learned how to express himself a bit. Ayaka accepted the fact that she isn’t the best there is.

I know a lot of people really liked Stellvia, though it’s somewhat unknown, but for me it wasn’t really anything exceptional. Again, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad series by any means, just rather forgettable. The art/animation is adequate, and I will say that when CG was used it the series it was done fairly well. The music wasn’t really anything standout, though I really didn’t care for the opening song. The singer does what, to my ears, sounds like the Japanese equivalent of yodeling. The voice acting was fine, nothing bad nor anything great.

On a scale of 5, I’d give Uchuu no Stellvia a 2.5. Not bad, but not great. Right in the middle.

It is rather pleasant to not be crying tears of blood as we watch a series for Secret Santa. I can’t say that Metal Fighter Miku was a greatest show ever but thankfully it was not the torture that was Texhnolyze or Dead Leaves. There are a few reasons that people might remember this show. It is the directorial debut of Akiyuki Shinbo. If you are a fan of his work it is an interesting artifact. It is also a cute girls in robot suits anime that only has little accents of fan service. It is not the cyberpunk world of Bubblegum Crisis (although one episode might make you think otherwise) but it is thankfully also not the boobtacular harem world of Infinite Stratos as well. It is a strange little show that mostly seems forgotten by time and fandom. The real question is if Metal Fighter Miku is a hidden gem or a curious footnote.

First, I want to thank our Secret Santa because this is the first year I haven’t wanted to do bodily harm to myself and others having to sit through a show. That being said, Metal Fighter Miku is a pretty average 90′s action/comedy that at times was entertaining, at times perplexing, but overall won’t stand out in the future when I look back at the anime I have watched.

In 2061 professional wrestling has become EXTREME. Neo Pro-Wrestling uses armored suits to take the sport to the next level. In the world of women’s Neo Pro-Wrestling there is a team of four idol singers who are also athletes with amazing potential known as the Pretty Four. The most enthusiastic member is Miku who could be greatest champion Neo Pro-Wrestling has ever seen. Can a burnt out drunkard of a coach train her to beat the mysterious Sapphire and the legendary Aquamarine?

Metal Fighter Miku is primarily a sports comedy. The plot is nothing you have to think very hard about with fairly straightforward stories even when conspiracies are swirling about the players. Villains that are usually laughable and transparent appear thanks to an evil corporation, wrestling matches may or may not consist of rules by which people need to abide, and new special moves are the soup de jour. So on that note, while it is sport-based, it is hard to really feel that intensity that you might associate with a regular sport series.

Of the Pretty Four the only one who really matters is Miku. The other three are mostly there as window dressing and can basically be summed up by their character quirk. Sayaka is the girly girl with the dynamite body, Nana is the spunky cute little girl, and Ginko is the tomboy with the figure in between the other two. They are slightly important in the beginning but become part of the background as the series goes on. None of them really have a character arc and they don’t even participate in the last two major fights. Miku is the your energetic sports hero archetype. She is fanatically obsessed with the sport and is always training as hard so she can be the best. Being the female version of this model it means that she is friendly, cheerful, and kind. She is earnest enough that it is hard to dislike her but stock enough character that she does not really stand out. Kinta is the team mechanic and if this were a harem show he would be the star and all the girls would be in love with him. But since this is a 90s comedy he only has eyes for Miku, she has no idea he exists as a man, and the other girls just rib him for being obvious. There is couple who owns the team. One is the nerdy looking little man that most exists to absorb abuse. His wife used to be a Neo Pro-Wrester and looks exactly like what you think of when you hear female wrestler.

Miku definitely overshadows everyone else on the team, but at the same time despite having a lot of screen time she doesn’t have a big character evolution to really point to. It is simply more about using each characters traits to create funny or intense situations in and out of the wrestling ring. Everything and everyone is so very 90′s which is one of the more endearing qualities, but they also stick pretty close to that protocol when it comes to personalities which doesn’t have much extra spice to speak of. Whether is be love or friendship or that new team of terrifying looking clown women, the girls stick together and believe in one another in true team spirit. Even when doubt comes into play and people try to drive a wedge between them things quickly resolve. Also luckily since the series is so short there isn’t long filler or training arcs to speak of. But the girls do get their butts handed to them by their coach but rarely in the actual matches. It is surprising how much of a beating characters take at times.

As for the antagonists we start with the coach. The plot might try an convince you that he is on the side of the protagonist but I’m not sure the show ever makes me believe that. First of all Eiichi Suo is super creepy. He looks like he is just killing time before his real job as back alley rapist in a hentai. Also they obviously want him to be the super hard shojo sports coach. The one that is merciless to his students but only because he really cares for his students but worries that any leniency will lead to weakness. The thing is when you think that big reveal of of his better nature will come but it never really does. The end makes him seem more like this eternal jerky spirit of pro wrestling. Miku’s main rival is Sapphire who is so very obviously Yoko Shibano.  I and not 100% sure if this is supposed to be a joke or just the most obvious secret in the world. Part of me wants to believe that it is par for the humor of the show but they play it so straight I am left to wonder. She is the equally hard-working and honest fighter that sees Miku as the only worthy opponent in the league. Her father on the other hand is a sneaky old millionaire that sends all sorts of underhanded obstacles at the Pretty Four including ninjas, spies, and assassins all to get back and the owner of the team for the gravest of grudges. (WARNING: The grudge is hardly grave at all.)  And last but no least is Aquamarine who is at the top of her game but has lost the ability to grow as a fighter. She has a past connected to  the old boozer of a coach. She also has major man jaw. She is supposedly to look matronly but she comes off more like a drag queen.

Some of the most entertaining parts of MFM are when the try to wedge in some romantic subplots. Just as so many of the villains in the series fail miserably, Nagoya (brother to Sapphire) somehow captures the hearts of women. This is so impossible to imagine (I was reminded of Kazamatsuri from Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl). He will make you roll your eyes and slap your forehead as he is a major tool. Despite that he succeeds in seducing Miku and Ginko and almost gets them both out of the way which I think makes him the most successful villain in the series period. Nagoya also randomly leaves later in the series as if he sees the company as a sinking ship. One minute he is there, the next he has left on a business trip so let’s just chalk it up to the staff hating him as much as us!

The problem with going to crazy town is it a major commitment. You can’t go half in and expect results. Macross 7 shows us that is you are going to be insane and trashy you must relentless it your pursuit of madness. As Narutaki mentioned the rules of Neo Pro-Wrestling seem to be made up as the story goes along. They are somewhat based on the rules of professional wresting but there is a whole bunch of unexplained extra rules that are just perplexing. The problem is they need to be insanely over the top like it was Kinnikuman. But sadly the additional rules are pedestrian and seemingly arbitrary. The other teams are goofy like the women named after construction equipment and a team of kunoichi all with peculiar methods of entering the ring but they are never crazy enough to sell the show. There is some good attempts like the Moonlight Jewels having a camel as a mascot, a nun with a killer aura, and Miku fighting a shark but those are far to uncommon to push it unto that utterly surreal realm it needs to be in. There is one episode that hits that mark but it is sadly too short.

Ah yes, truly the most surprising moments of MFM occur in episode 10 – Miku Goes to War: Pretty Miku vs. The Old Man. It begins in a worn torn landscape where people are being attacked, the rest of the episode only descends further into weirdness as Miku must take on a mercenary sent to put her and the other girls out of commission. Strangely Sayaka and Nana have to go to the hospital but we witness no injuries. Then Ginko is kidnapped and tied to a crucifix. This is also the only episode when the world hinges on Miku outside the sports arena. And despite the seemingly deadly climate this episode it is never spoken of again. Sadly, this episode is really only awesome to watch if you watch the beginning of the show to know the stark differences. MFM is wacky but would have benefited from pushing the limits much further. As we are writing about it, it comes off more hilarious probably because the abridged version of events.

If you were not informed that this was directed by Akiyuki Shinbo it might never occur to you. He clearly develops his style as his career goes along because this looks like a very generic 90s show. The character designs, plot structure, framing of scenes, and overall feel is about 90s as you can be. Any of Shinbo’s later design flourishes and quirky sense of style can only be noticed in their most nascent form. His unusual composition and directing that he will become know for in shows like Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei, Bakemonogatari, or Puella Magi Madoka Magica has clearly not developed. It is an interesting transformation to see him go from the very generic director you see here to the character that would shape Studio Shaft. Love him or hate him his style is unmistakable.

Metal Fighter Miku is cemented in the 90′s from the clothes and character designs to the humor and the music. I know that had I seen this show in 90′s, I would have loved it and watched it many a time. That isn’t to say something ridiculous about now being more mature or having refined tastes, but more about what is available to watch and the other things surrounding a show. Metal Fighter Miku is a cute, silly show but it isn’t particularly memorable.

Miku herself pretty much sums up my feelings towards this show. It is hard to hate but nothing about it stands out to make me recommend the show. With an all pretty girl team there could easily be an exploitation fest with the camera feeling like a never-ending gynecological exam. They don’t hesitate to put some bounce in the girls or throw them in bikinis but those scene are the exception and not the rule. The problem is the show is too goofy to be an Aim for the Ace! or Attack No. 1 with robot suits but only episode 10 hits the appropriate level of insane to make the show memorable. In fact it might be best to watch the first two episodes to get a feeling of what the show is normally like and then watch episode 10 and call it a day. It is truly just a junk food show. It is something you watch to hold you over to a more substantial meal but at the same time you won’t remember any of it a week later.

The episode marks the end of season 1 of Fate/Zero. The show is going on a planned break for the winter and will not be back until April. I don’t think that the break could have come at a better time as someone who is episode blogging this series alone. If I were just watching this series for fun I could watch the second half right now and not break a sweat. But there is something tiring to me as I try as I do this episodes alone. If I did not absolutely love the material like I did I don’t think I could keep up with the schedule. I appreciate this little break so I can have my Saturdays free again for a bit before going back into the breech.

Caster and Ryuunosuke are clearly the villain characters of the series. Someone like Kayneth or Tokiomi might have unsavory methods and personalities but you can see how they view themselves as the heroes of their own stories.  But up until this point Ryuunosuke seems like someone who should be on the way to the store to pick up moustache wax. Evil moustache wax. But as Caster and Ryuunosuke look over the remain of their hidden base that was cleansed with some righteous fire they get into a bit of a philosophical debate. I think Gen Urobuchi saw that if he did not add a little depth to these two they would come off completely one-dimensional.

We have already seen that Caster believe that god is a cruel puppet master that hates humanity. Therefore any and all blasphemy is a strike again the evil overlord of mankind who cares not for man beyond his suffering. Ryuunosuke on the other hand has come off as quiet on the philosophical front finally lays out his worldview. In his opinion God loves man. But he loves man like an author loves his characters.  Good and evil are unimportant. What matters is the drama and power of your actions to entertain him. The louder and more bombastic your life the better. If you do good it must be legendary and if you do evil it must be as wretched. Everything is beautiful. The grander the action the greater it is regardless of its intent. This little conversation helps these two come off as a little more than just stock villains. They are still a bit cartoonish in their loathsomeness but at least they have a reason for it.

At the same time we tie up another mystery of motivation.  Rider and Waver step out on the town to do a little shopping. After Waver has a dream about the life of Iskandar he seems even more awkward than usual. Rider is a man of endless ambition, gusto, and bravado but lives for simple pleasures as well. Waver on the other hand seems a meek man whom lives for a more pretentious variety of petty and selfish wishes. If the grail summons a Servant that reflects the soul of his Master than why did these two miss-matched fellows come together.

Wow. If people did not think Waver was full of moe his little “Why do you  need pathetic little me?” speech pretty much sealed that title. Waver seems to wonder why someone as pathetic as him would get someone as powerful as Rider. Rider acknowledges that Waver might not be great now but that they both started off as small men. What matters if they both dream of things greater than themselves. They both reach beyond what others might consider in their grasp.  Rider lives for exploration and conquest. In a way so does Waver. Rider knows that if Waver lives through this war he has greater things ahead of him. This is just his first step to being a better man. And as he grows so shall his dreams.

The season ends Caster going all out by summoning what seems to be a star-spawn of Cthulhu to wreak havoc on the city. This abomination is being powered by Caster but as it starts to eat people it will be able to fuel itself. So Rider, Saber, and Lancer all agree to team up and destroy this thing while they can. They need to expose Caster at the center of the evil sea food platter and let Lancer’s magic destroying spear obliterate Caster’ grimoire and hopefully banish this beast before it is too late. Rider will attack from the air, Saber will attack from the water, and Lancer will wait on the shore for his chance to strike. Just as they go in battle we end season 1. I will note that like Jesus it seems that Saber can walk on the water and swim on the land.

Now THAT is a place to end a season. Lovecraftian kaiju, F-16s, and a battle royal with all the Servants and Masters all about to be unveiled. It gets you anticipating the day that season 2 starts with a triumphant return. They tied up a few loose ends with some good character moments but enticed you for the bloodshed that will come next season. April just can’t come soon enough. I will see you all again then. Until then let us just cross our fingers for a Fate/Hollow Ataraxia anime announcement and play some Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code. Cheers!

If anyone read this article on Sunday and has come back they will notice I just edited it. ToastCrust thankfully pointed out that Fate/Zero is 13 and not 12 episodes long this season. That explains SO much about the pace of this episode. So I decided that everything in the middle of the post is fine but I had to update the introduction and conclusion if for nothing else so it looks a little nicer in the archives. Hey I can still use the opening next week as it is no less true next week than is today. Otherwise this would have rather anticlimactic for a final episode.  It would be like having your cliff hanger season finale be the infamous soccer episode of Eureka Seven. While important things happen in that episode and revelations are made it would still feel a bit odd to end at that point. What would leave you with this burning desire to finish the next season? Thankfully this is just the penultimate episode and the series will end the season with a major confrontation with Caster.  Until then it is time for Kirei to do some soul-searching (or more exactly an examination of his lack thereof) and Irisviel to be filled with tragic illness.

The first Servant has been eliminated and so the original deception at the beginning of the war has become a reality. This time Assassin truly has died. But that does not mean that the other participants can rest on their laurels. There are still plans to be made and a prize to be won for killing Caster. So Saber and Irisviel relocate to a new base of operations while Kirei learns that his role in the Holy Grail War is not over.

Now that the number of Servants has gone from 7 to 6 the most dangerous players are stepping up their games. Tokiomi seems to think that the war is pretty much wrapped up. With the intelligence he has gathered he seems not to fear anyone but Rider and now that he knows the King of Conquerors powers he assumes it is only a matter of time before he wraps up this little conflict. Kiritsugu on the other hand still see most of the remaining Masters as a threat worth worrying about. But he is most perplexed by Kirei’s acti0ns. If Kirei was just supposed to act as recon with Assassin why did he stick his neck out to fight when they seems like a completely useless tactical decision. Kiritsugu knows there is something more to Kirei but he has no idea what that is.

At the same time there is someone who knows the deal with Kirei even more than Kirei himself. Kirei says that he is glad to be out of the Holy Grail War as now he can be protected by the church. But Gilgamesh sees the truth. Gilgamesh sees a man who says he knows nothing of pleasure but knows exactly what bring joy to this priest. Gilgamesh sees a man who says he has no wishes in his heart but know what he truly longs for in his heart. Gilgamesh knows that Kirei enjoys suffering. That Kirei is happiest when committing sacrilege. But Kirei still considers himself a man of the cloth. He still feels that what makes him happy is a sin. And so at the end of the episode when Kirei regains his command seals Gilgamesh knows exactly why he is back in the fight. Kirei is a twisted man who needs a Servant. Gilgamesh is a twisted Servant who need a more interesting Master. All that is left is for both parties to realize their mutual compatibility. Gilgamesh gives need to give him that little push to betray his mentor.

Now that Einzbern castle has been compromised Saber and Irisviel must relocate themselves. Any fans of Fate/Stay Night will instantly recognize this their new base of operations will eventually become Shiro’s house. It might be a little run down now but is clearly the same place. As they look around Saber notices that Irisviel is not herself and it is revealed that the homunculus is not feeling quite well. She plays it off that she is just feeling ill but being a magical construct she can not run the local doctor. Irisviel seems like she being honest but she is holding back on a vital detail. She is not merely sick. She is falling apart. As the vessel for the Holy Grail as each Servant dies she lowly unravels as a human being and starts to become the Grail. Ilya dealt with this better than her mother but only because they went out of improve on her after her mother’s design. But clearly Irisviel will only get worse as the war goes on slowly becoming less and less herself as the Grail erupts out of her.

Those who played Fate/Stay Night will also remember that Saber is summoned by Shiro in the shed of this house. A neat little nudge and the wink is they show us that while Irisviel was working here it was her who created that magic circle that is later used as the point in which Saber arrives on the scene of the 5th Holy Grail War. That is a bit of retcon. I assume that circle originally was either supposed to be just a visual effect, something Kiritsugu made after the war, or something Shiro made practicing in the shed. Despite that I think it is a clever wink and a nod and therefore I approve of how it ties to two series together.

This episode is a nice little breather between the death of Assassin and the battle royal that will go down around Caster. Oddly enough episode twelve did not really set up that fight but they also had no need to. The previous few episodes have shown that everyone is getting ready to stop Caster’s reign of madness. What these episodes do is set up some of the subtler things going down in the next season. Kirei’s sudden but inevitable betrayal as well as Irisviel’s equally unavoidable demise. I do have to say it was unexpected to see Kirei was actually struggling with his darkness. I had assumed any allegiances he had were all an act. Apparently he did have something approximating a conscience at one point. You learn something new every day. That said the next episode is the last episode we shall see for a while so hopefully they end on a spectacular note.

Nothing says based on a light novel like three mortal enemies who are trying to kill each other having a leisurely garden party as they discuss philosophy over a barrel of wine. Only a light novel would have such a long conversation in the middle of a war. But don’t worry. This episode is nor completely a roundtable think tank on what it means to be a king. Rider unveils his greatest trump card and it is quite a doosey. Also the first Servant falls in the Holy Grail war and it is oddly enough not Caster who lives to commit atrocities another day. In the end there was a huge heaping of  Saber this episode so I was a happy camper even if she was rather emotionally tormented the whole time.

After Kayneth‘s assault is seems that Einzbern castle has another invader. But this invader has come for conversation and not murder. Rider gathers the three Kings of the war to discuss why they think themselves worthy of the Grail. The larger than life King of Conquerors, the penitent King of Knights, and the haughty King of Rapists Heores meet over some vino. Each gives their reasons for needing the omnipotent power of a true wish and how it ties into their philosophy of leadership. But an unexpected party crasher cuts the debate short as Rider shows the best way to deal with an army of assassins.

Rider storms in the front door on his chariot and Saber naturally assumes that she will have to thrown down with Rider. But when she arrives downstairs she find Rider still in his civvies with a cask of wine. It seems that Iskander has not given up on his wish to end the Holy Grail War with as little bloodshed as possible. And so they head off the garden to talk with everyone BUT Rider still greatly uneasy. You can tell that Waver and Irisviel are innately aware of how vulnerable they are compared to their super-powered servants even when there is no violence going down.

Iskander proves himself a Bro for all ages and cracks open the only size portion of human wine fit for a Heroic Spirit. Saber then proceeds to show him that she can drink like one of the boys. Since she used to have to spend most of her free time with the Knights of the Round Table in her days as King Arthur she surely developed a legendary tolerance. Rider wishes to discuss what it means to be a King worthy of the Holy Grail. He proposes that if one of them can clearly prove that they are the most worthy then the others will perhaps bow down and let the victor claim his prize. But that means that one more King must be in attendance. So enters Gilgamesh.

If Waver and Irisviel were worried before then they are terrified now that the Golden King has come to chat. Rider and Saber have both proven themselves as honorable souls but Gilgamesh is the kind to kill you as quickly as most people would squash a bug. But Gil seems willing to play along to see what the other two have to say. While they might be pretender kings in his eyes they are at least interesting frauds. Plus it surely beats sitting on his hands waiting for Tokiomi to finally let him make a move. But the thing he will not stand for is Rider’s barrel of Two Buck Chuck. He then shows that he can pull more than just weapons from the Gate of Babylon. He also has treasures like the finest spirits in the world as well. Apparently this also means that when Gilgamesh was drinking all of Tokiomi expensive alcohol he was doing it more to stick it to his boring Master because he has a near infinite supply of nectar quality drinks at his disposal.

According to Gilgamesh he is not in the Holy Grail war because he needs the Grail as much as he does not want anyone else to have it besides himself. If all the best things in the world are his then obviously the Grail should be his as well. All these other fools are thieves who will be punished for their arrogance. Gilgamesh’s philosophy is simple. He does not rule because he is the smartest, the strongest, or the boldest. He rules because that is simply the way of the world. The sun rises in the east, gravity makes all objects fall at 9.8 m/s², everyone and everything eventually dies, and Gilgamesh is always the pinnacle. That is just how things are. Since his rule is innate then everything he does is innately correct. He simply cannot see himself as being wrong.

Past that point Gilgamesh lets the other two talk to amuse him. We learn that Rider’s goal is simple. He wishes to live again after the Holy Grail War. He is not just content to win this battle. If he wins he wishes to live again in the modern world. Saber sees this as selfish. Rider agrees but in his opinion that is what makes a king great. A king must be selfish to be a true king. In return for the populace serving to the whims of their absolute ruler they reap the benefits of a champion who will do everything to make their nation great. Rider sees a proper state as a symbiotic relationship but with one that clearly and absolutely has him at the top.

Saber on the other hand see the king as a servant of the people. While she has the position it is a heavy burden. The king has the most power but also the most responsibility. The king asks for countless sacrifices from the people but in return must make their life a life of sacrifice as well. We see the burden on her in Fate/Stay Night as well her wish to have another been chosen by Caliburn. But Rider calls her on her story. While she had noble ideals her valiant self-sacrifice meant that there was none of herself in her rule. You can see that this idea shakes her to her core. In fact it goes to explain much of her reaction to Shiro and his fanatical devotion to saving everyone at the expense of himself. She sees Shiro making the same mistakes she did and is angry that he is just as blind to the costs.

In the middle of the discussion of the qualification of a king comes a major disruption. Beforehand the Assassins came in smalls cells and mostly observed their fellow Servants. Tokiomi saw his chance with two servants apparently unprepared and Gilgamesh at the ready. He has Kirei attack with all the remaining Assassins. So it seems the heroes are outgunned even with Gilgamesh remaining a neutral party. What Tokiomi did not know is that Rider has an army of his own. He summons his greatest Nobel Phantasm a reality marble called Ionioi Hetairoi. He summons all the soldiers under him as Alexander the Great. Each member of his army acting as a minor Heroic Spirit in their own right. So while the Assassins are a small battalion of killers Rider’s army is a full field army that is an order of magnitude larger. They quickly make mince meat of the Assassins without even breaking a sweat.

Am I the only one who thought it was obvious that Rider was inspired by Raoh from Fist of the North Star? They are both ultra powerful physical warriors who are like giant upright bears made of muscles upon muscles. They both have legions of crack warriors in a world of endless desert. They both live life without regret and believe in the rule of the strong. And the both have demonic black horses that are just as fearsome as they are. I half expected Rider to whip out some Hokuto Shinken in this battle.

Two notes about Rider’s amazing Nobel Phantasm. The first is the long black-haired man seen above in the Ionioi Hetairoi. Eva_sama noted that he looks like Lord El-Melloi II. Lord El-Melloi II is the name that Waver goes under during the time of Fate/Hollow Ataraxia so it might actually be Lord El-Melloi II. Since Servants and Nobel Phantasm exist outside of the flow of time it is possible for his army to have soldiers from ANY TIME. Even followers from the future. Remember that Archer from Fate/Stay Night is actually from an unspecified time in the future so why can’t Rider’s soldiers come from the future as well. The last note is maybe Rider’s Nobel Phantasm shows he is not as greedy as he might first appear. I think that he wants to live again because that also means that his army can live again too. As he said in his speech to Saber sometimes the greed of the King can lead to the benefit for the people. This is the clearest example of that.

With the first Servant officially killed the drinking party has ended. Rider notes that he is disappointed in Saber and no longer see her as a King. He mentions her waking from her dream which is extremely profound in relation to her ending in the Fate scenario. Gilgamesh on the other hand only seems to be intrigued by her relentless philosophy and states that he has his eye on her as another wonderful treasure he wishes to own. The episode then ends with an interesting bit of foreshadowing as Saber mentions a certain knight who left the round table.

I don’t know what other people thought by I loved the conversation between Rider and Saber in this episode. It gives an amazing amount of insight into the pain that Saber carries in her chest. It shows how she lived a selfless life and continually regretted her decisions. As someone who lives with an unusual amount of needless regret it showcases why I have have an affinity for her. With that out-of-the-way there is only one episode left for this season. I had originally thought the season would end with the showdown with Caster but I am now wondering if they will save that battle for the beginning of the second season. Either way I can’t wait to see how they cap of this amazing cour.

With Gen Urobuchi as the writer of Fate/Zero we all should have known that Rin Tohsaka’s adventure would involve murder and mayhem despite the fact that she is just in elementary school. But since Rin Tohsaka has the magical plot armor of being alive in the original story she can’t get too injured or else there would be a major time paradox. All of her friends at school on the other hand are fair targets. The little kids like Kotone are in far greater danger. And we have seen that Fate/Zero is more than willing to have little kids explode into little chunks as a catalyst for spells. I will warn people who hate filler episodes. While a very important event happens at the end of this episode most of it is just Rin and her minor incursion into the 4th Holy Grail War. It does give you some good insight into characters in both the prequel and the sequel but overall it is mainly just a curious little side story.

Children are disappearing all over Fuyuki City. And when they are found what remains of them is not fit for an open casket. There is only one detective that can get to the heart of this arcane mystery. It is not Kojak or the CSI team. Their detective work may be flawless but their magic is nonexistent. The only person who can stop these magical crimes against children is a child herself. It is time for Rin Tohsaka, Magical P.I. to get to the bottom of this. Justice wears thigh-highs but is only waist-high.

I am amused that the episode tries to build up all this dramatic tension for this mysterious magi working in their lab undoubtedly on some sinister project. At the same time just by the name of the episode I knew the camera would eventually just reveal that it was a tiny zettai ryouiki mistress doing something less than malicious. She is working in her father’s lab trying to infuse mana into gemstones and failing miserably. Anyone who played Fate/Stay Night will know that while  she is missing up due to her lack of formal training she eventually gets VERY good at this skill. Also the Tohsaka family signature magic is all about gem crafting and she is a great magi of the Tohsaka family. She has a good deal of potential now but not a great deal of experience. So she is going through gems like potato chips. But then she is caught red-handed.

After the opening we jump to see that as much as she might make fun of Shiro it seems that Rin likes to play a hero of justice herself. When her classmate Kotone is being bullied she step in and defends her like a champion. At first I wondering if this girl was Yukika Saegusa or Ayako Mitsuzuri as they are both Rin’s friends (or in Ayako’s case frenemy) in Fate/Stay Night and I never remember either of their names. But apparently Kotone is a Fate/Zero original character. I was a lot more convinced that she might bite the dust when I realized that she was long longer protected by temporal plot armor. But Rin has made a new friend. But then again authors love to kill new friends.

Say what you will about Tokiomi Tohsaka but those gems his daughter are breaking are incredibly expensive. In Fate/Stay Night Rin makes a big deal that she has to live incredibly frugally just to be able to afford 10 gems of magecraft quality when she fights in the 5th Holy Grail War. I don’t think many parents would be that calm about their children casually practicing with such expensive reagents. Instead of giving her a major tongue lashing (or a lashing in general) he guides her through the process making a mana infused gemstone while at the same time making a beautiful crystal unicorn in the process. While his haughty demand for elegance come through you also get a warm and genuine fatherly guidance as he teaches  his daughter. It is a good scene for explaining why he acts like an emotionless and calculating monster towards his opponents he can be someone who Rin completely admires when she is older.

When the Holy Grail War starts lie we saw in the first episode Rin and her mother are going to be shipped off to live with the Zenjo family. I don’t think it is ever stated but the Zenjo family is Rin’s mother family. Rin wants to help her father but clearly he does not want his family in such a dangerous place. As always we also see creepy old Kirei Kotomine in the shadows. Rin tries to learn some advanced magic to be of use to her father in hopes of being able to stay with him but just winds up biting off a bit more than she can chew with a trapped grimoire. Her father saves her in time and gives her a magic seeking compass that is so very clearly a MacGuffin. But it is another good scene of him being a gentle teacher with his daughter.

When Rin’s friend goes missing back in Fuyuki City she learns that there have also been a series on grisly serial murders of children. So Rin runs away to find her friend and hopefully save her before it is too late. She goes off with her portable and reusable detect magic artifact to do some Nancy Drew legwork like she was elementary school Harry Dresden. While dodging the cops she stumbles upon Ryuunosuke Uryuu acting like the Pied Piper of Hamelin as he gathers up hypothesized children for a twisted ceremony. She tracks him down to a bar in hopes of learning what evil deeds he is up to. She apparently does not have much danger sense at this age like Shiro as well. I will say that apparently ufotable’s work on Kara no Kyoukai pays off as now they animate creepy streets very well.

Rin finds three things in the underground saloon. The first is her missing friend Kotone is alive but held captive in a trance. The second is a bunch of other children in a similar state. And the third is a lot of trouble as Uryuu has found another child to add to his bloody tea party. Rin proves that even as a child she is brave and spunky. She is not being taken by Uryuu without a fight. She she jumps around and throws things at him she then goes for the bracelet. At first this seems like a very BAD idea as she beings to fall under the sway of the bracelet.  But after remembering her mistakes with gem crafting she overload the bracelet with mana. If that seems a bit convenient but it is important to remember that while she has only had a minimum of training she is a once in a life time prodigy. She has an insane amount of magical circuits and an elemental affinity of: all of them. She might not be well versed in spells and lore at this age but her output when pushed is far greater than any average adult spell caster.

And so Rin smashes the hypnotic device, injures the evil Master, leads an escape, and disappears before the fuzz can get there. But it seems that while Caster did not intervene in the bar he will take the greatest prize when she is alone. Or so he would think before a timely save by Kariya and his swarm of magical insects. Caster wisely retreats to avoid Kariya and Berserker who are far more dangerous that a tiny lady sorcerer.

Kariya delivers Rin to her mother and then declares he will win the Grail War and return Sakura to where she belongs. Clearly he is overlooking the fact that to do that means he has to kill her husband. I think he assumes that she hates her husband for giving away Sakura much more than she actually does. Another case of participants in the war moving ahead with their own desires and ignoring the desires of those they care for. Another set up for tragedy. I will say the fact that Rin and Aoi are on the red side of the park in light while Kariya is on the green side with darkness is a well framed scene that speaks volumes.

Well considering that this was a Gen Urobuchi joint the ending was surprisingly happy. Rin saver her friend who seemed as good as dead and save   a whole bunch of other children in the process. In the end not much happened. Uryuu lost some mana reserves for his Servant but beyond that this was most a breather before the last two episodes. Still as a fan of Rin I don’t mind seeing what she was doing in this episode. My roommate had no problem with this as well. It gives some good insight to who she would become in Fate/Stay Night. Also it sets up the disconnect between Aoi and Kariya which is vitally important. But with two episodes left it looks like we can settle into the big confrontation with Caster. That should be fun. Lets end the season with a BANG!

Any Sailor Moon fan will tell you that it was a long-time wish for Codename Sailor V to get an English translation. It is so special to us because Sailor V is a character that appears in Sailor Moon but has a much larger back story that most of us couldn’t actually read. Sailor V is a legendary warrior already in the Sailor Moon series and her exploits (and video games) are often mentioned. And again alongside Sailor Moon it is a title that helped transform the magical girl genre. Beyond that though, it is a fun adventure for anyone with a young heart. No deep Sailor Moon knowledge needed since it comes before, too.

Codename Sailor V follows 14-year-old Minako who becomes a champion of justice, somewhat against her will, thanks to a talking cat named Artemis. She battles dark forces in the town as they manipulate the masses through various schemes. Mina has great energy as a lead with a peppy and amusingly dramatic attitude. While her studies suffer as she’s more apt to play video games and daydream about idols, she excels in athletics. This makes the action scenes fun as she loves kicking baddies, literally. Sailor V also becomes something of an idol herself as the story goes on getting her own video game, fan club, and best of all police detective rival who vows to catch her. There is a plenty of humor which should be obvious and nothing gets incredibly serious but Mina does start to realize something bigger is going on. While all the incidents are tied to a deeper story, they are mostly quick adventures.

At only two volumes this is a great, quick read! It adds a little something extra for fans of Sailor Moon but can also entertain with its poppy fantasy. Of course if you want to know the bigger story you’ll have to pick up Sailor Moon next (like you weren’t going to anyway).

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While no one goes into long speeches about how once the Holy Grail War is over they are going to finally settle down with their cute fiancee like they have always promised a few people do things that should tell you they are not going to survive even if you did not see Fate/Stay Night. I will warn people this is a build up episode. While we have a brief skirmish and the burning of the corpses of tortured children this is mostly a set up  to the final three episodes. I assume the build up will continue into part (if not all) of the next episode. But we have another heavy Rider and Waver episode so I know there will be many people rejoicing. Also if I get 10 times the normal hits I usually do for this post I will assume it is all the power of mega moe moe Waver at the top. People love their moe moe Waver Velvet.

Everyone who fought last episode is licking their wounds. There were no decisive victories but a good deal of gravely wounded combatants. Lancer’s and Saber’s group both have a bit of infighting as members are divided on how to proceed next. At the same time Waver tracks down the lair of Caster but gets a very different series of confrontations than the ones he expected.

Lancer starts off dead. Never a good sign for him. It turns of it was just a flashback to his time as Diarmuid of the Love Spot and his life filled with love, betrayal, and regret. We don’t get the full story but we know he died for loving a woman who was to be married to another and that it weighs on his soul. But the person having the flash back is the now immobilized Kayneth who has a rather nasty disagreement on who shall be Lancer’s master from here on in. Clearly the already somewhat infatuated Sola-Ui has entered the territory of the obsessive and dangerous. One has to wonder how much of her attitude is due to Lancer’ love spot and how much comes form her already somewhat cold attitude towards her fiancee. Wherever it comes from she willing to play hard ball to be in charge. In her defense is not like Kayneth is ready to march right back out to the battlefield. The only problem is Sola-Ui is not really ready for combat as well seeing how unstable she is. Eventually Kayneth relents if for no other reason than Sola-Ui shows she is going to get those command seals one way or another. Big blood drenched death flags for this group all around.

The most interesting thing to me about this section was the fact that even after that Kayneth’s peek into Lancer’s memories he still does not understand why his Servant is fighting in the Grail War. It should be clear to the audience that Lancer is fighting in penitence for what he did in life. This time around he wants to properly serve a Master without love getting in the way. But Kayneth is unable to understand such a dream. His own selfish desires make such a selfless wish outside his comprehension. But it seems history wishes to repeat itself despite Lancer’s best intentions. If you ever get a choice of which weapon to study you may wish to stay away from pole arms and spears despite their reach if the Fate Universe is any indicator.

While clearly doing better than Team Lancer it seems that Team Saber could be more harmonious. Maiya has survived but is out of commission for at least a few days. Saber wishes to pursue Caster before more children are hurt but Kiritsugu knows with everyone gunning to kill him for the extra command sea. In his opinion it is better to finish off the wounded Master before his group can recover. Saber wishes to do what is immediately right where as Kiritsugu feels he is looking at a long-term view or righteousness. It is all about sacrificing the good of the few if it can benefit the many. And so Saber and Kiritsugu part again without truly talking and with neither of them understanding the heart of the other. Clearly conversations like this one will only sting Kiritsugu more after the war is over.

It’s emotional black mail time! With Kayneth crippled and no longer able to use magic Sola-Ui tries to get Lancer to follow her. While Lancer may have never liked his Master’s fighting style and bad attitude he was the person he was summoned to obey. And it seems again that a love triangle is drawing him towards doom. But with a promise that they are now all fighting to heal Kayneth Lancer reluctantly decided follow his new master. But if the last part did not raise enough death flags this is surely the Grim Reaper’s kiss for all three of them.

But back in the Odd Couple sitcom that is the Mackenzie house we find Rider has not only gotten the pants he needed but made friends with the cover family because he is heroic spirit filled with charisma. But after comedic interlude we have to get down to serious business. Using alchemy and a few careful deductions Waver is able to determine the location of Caster’s layer. After some moe moe moments from Waver we find Rider announcing that now is the time to strike. Waver wants to follow Kiritsugu’s plan that says that charging a spell caster in this domain is a very foolish idea. But Rider being a man’s man knows that today’s intelligence maybe be rubbish tomorrow. Also that no one gets style points for playing is safe all the time. So the pair rides the Gordius Wheel into the sewers.  In the Fate/Zero quickly produced licensed video game this would be the prerequisite annoying sewer level.

The duo finds that Caster is no longer home but that his handy work is still lying around. Rider having seen many a battle field has the stomach for the horrors that await but despite all his bravo Waver is staggered by the brutal carnage of the innocents around him. But is his moment of shock some of the Assassins attempt to remove one Master from the competition. Rider quickly dispatches two of them and now their cover is blown. We clearly see that the Inverse Ninja Law is in full effect because Rider takes out Assassins like they were made of paper-mâché (and not a very magical paper-mâché at that. ) Oddly enough the most important part of this trip into the sewers was the growth of Team Rider. Waver got some healthy shocks to the system about the nature of the war and both Master and Servant have a little more respect for the others ability.

In the end Tokiomi is trying to do his best Dr. Claw impersonation. He sits in a darkened room with his face obscured talking about the fact that while his minions failed to complete their mission they may have gained enough information to defeat the heroes next time as part of their TRUE PLAN. That is some dialog you expect to hear from the leader of  M.A.D. even is he never refers to Rider and Waver as heroes. But we see that Gilgamesh’s words still resonate in Kirei‘s head. When your supposedly loyal but somewhat dodgy lieutenant has thoughts like that it is major death flag for any shadowy manipulator.

Oh man. A certain type of fan is going to have a field day next week. I guess they can talk about more than Ilya now (but I would prefer if they did not). It seems that Rin is going to try to help her dad in her battle. I know that my roommate might actually qualify to be Tohsaka fan #1 much like I am Saber fan #1 so I am sure he will be in heaven next week. Other than that I think it will be a little break in the tone before the bloodshed that will come with the final two episodes of the season. Still with people like Uryuu in the preview it will not be all be a candy land of happiness and joy in the next episode despite the younger version of the mistress of the zettai ryouiki running around.

An episode that is nothing but people trying to put massive holes in each other from start to finish. Hopefully this will calm the audience’s blood lust for a while. We also see a whole new side to certain characters who might not have seemed to be warriors doing some pretty awesome combat maneuvers. I will warn everyone that there was no Rider and Waver in this one. I want to let certain people down easy so they know what they are in store for. Don’t worry. I am sure when it comes down the real showdown with Caster we shall see the King of Conquerors in his full glory. But the King of Knights content is sufficient for me to be happy. And that is all that should really matter to anyone.

Battles everywhere. Kayneth and Kiritsugu are locked in a battle of guns vs. quicksilver. Irisviel and Kirei duel with alchemy and martial arts. Oh and Maiya is there too. Lancer and Saber fight against Caster and his demonic calamari horde. If you ever wondered why Einzbern castle always looks so dilapidated in Fate/Stay Night here is the reason why.

Irisviel like a Higlander style immortal can sense the quickening of another intruder through the use of the wards on the castle. But this time she knows it is the most fearsome Master in the war: Kirei Kotomine. And so both women fleeing the castle decide to stop and fight the church assassin. Both women clearly have a great affection for Kiritsugu and a good deal of knowledge of how dangerous Kirei is. Irisviel’s conversation makes it very clear she is far more aware of Maiya’s relationship with Kiritsugu than it would have first appeared. It is a nice bit of added complexity on her first very naive seeming demeanor. She is still clearly a child of a sheltered life but a bit more insightful than she would first appear to be. Sort of a Lacus Clyne style character in that respect. I do love me some Lacus so I do not mind this.

Kayneth is obviously not a baseball fan because he seems to have no understanding of how a changeup works. If someone is working really hard for you to understand a pattern it is clear that they WANT you to get that pattern so when the real killer pitch comes you are expecting the pattern and not the deathblow. Right off the bat we learn that the Kiritsugu’s antique gun,  Thompson Contender, is clearly his magical magnum as it punches a hole right through Kayneth’s magical shield. This sends Kayneth on a rampage as he was actually hurt by Kiritsugu’s petty tactics. And so Kayneth falls into the trap hook, line, and sinker.

For anyone who only watched the anime and never played the Fate/Stay Night visual novel, or saw what Ciel could do in Tsukihime, might find kung-fu death ninja Kirei a bit odd. But in the Heaven’s Feel path after Kirei loses both of his servants he proves that he learned his lessons well as a demon hunting assassin for the church. He goes and fights Zouken and True Assassin by himself and makes a surprise appearance as the last boss in a martial arts battle to the death at the end of the path. Maiya has some good tricks and knows her way around a fighting knife but she is no match for a magical black belt who also just happens to be a bit bullet proof. Maiya might go down quickly but Irisviel then proves that she is more than just a white mage. She not only has monofiliment wire but can shape it into familiar than can attack and restrain someone. I think she just went up a level of coolness on the Daryl Surat scale. But Kirei quickly proves his kung-fu is stronger than Irisviel alchemy.

Surrounded by an endless horde of demons Lancer and Saber quickly determine the only way out it to destroy Caster’s Nobel Phantasm. The only path to victory is obviously a Suikoden style combo attack. Saber uses Invisible Air to make a wind tunnel that Lancer dashes through to strike Prelati’s Spellbook with Gae Dearg. The anti-magic properties of the spear are enough to slice through Caster’s wards and disrupt his demon army but not enough to prevent the book from regenerating. Man that would be a great maneuver in any RPG. It almost makes you sad Saber and Lancer can’t fight back to back all the time. Caster then escapes using the time honored ability of villain teleport. Lancer then realizes that his master is near death. Saber knows that the person who is about to kill Kayneth in none other than her own Master. While she could occupy Lancer for enough time for Kiritsugu to kill Kayneth thereby getting rid of both Master and Servant at the same time she honorably stays her blade in payment for Lancer’s deeds in her defense. And so the two warriors part vowing to properly finish their fight later on.

But while Lancer is doing well outside the castle his Master is not doing as well. With his body hurt and his pride even more damaged he rampages through the castle looking not only to kill his opponent but slowly and sadistically snuff the life out of the Magus Killer. But that is exactly the plan. When Kiritsugu whips out his standard one-two punch of automatic weapons and then the Thompson Contender he has a little extra punch in it. We see that Kiritsugu mentor, Natalia Kaminski, made special bullets for him. When they hit a magi they cut and the reform their magical circuits in a way that not only do major bodily damage but also permanently fry the circuits. This means that even if they heal they cannot access mana. It would be like being a RPG mage with a MP of zero. But before Kiritsugu can deliver the finishing blow Lancer comes to the rescue. While it would not be that hard for Lancer to kill Kiritsugu he merely saves his Master out of respect for Saber and her honorable actions from before. Unlike Game of Thrones playing by the rules of fair play do benefit you from time to time in the Nasuverse. (Just don’t count on that all the time. Especially if you are a Lancer.)

As a quick note on Origins for anyone who did not extensively research Kara no Kyoukai. Natalia bring up the term but hardly explains it. In the Nasuverse everyone has an Origin. An Origin is a concept that defines a person’s being. Sort of like a True Name that expresses who they are and where they excel at. In Fate/Stay Night Shirou’s origin is Swords so he excels at the  creation and usage of swords to the point where he can create the reality marble Unlimited Blade Works which should normally be beyond his means. Kiritsugu on the other hand has an innate ability to cut and bind things including magical circuits. That is a bit more useful than Kokuto Azaka’s origin of Taboo.

And so if Rider and Waver did not create enough yaoi doujinshi potential we have the hate-sex angle with Kirei’s obsession with Kiritsugu. He obviously assumes that Kiritsugu has the same hollow life that causes him to search for meaning alone in the darkness. Therefore Irisviel must have some other reason to put her life on the line for Kiritsugu. If Kiritsugu is empty like him no one should love him. This difference clearly explains he complete and utter hatred for Kiritsugu in Fate/Stay Night even after he is dead and his obsession with destroying Shiro. Hatred and obsession is milk and honey to a certain breed of fujoshi. But before he can continue his interrogation Assassin informs him that Saber is on her way so he gives the silver-haired homunculus a parting gift of some black keys in the abdomen.

Speaking of Shiro we learn that Irisviel has one hidden trump card much like Kiritsugu’s future adopted son. She has Avalon implanted in her so as long as Saber in near he she has amazing regenerative abilities. But Kiritsugu has sworn her not to tell anyone that she has this ace up her sleeve. And so everyone has survived Kotomine’s assault but it is clear he is not be taken lightly.

A good blood pumping episode. Still no killing blows have been delivered but Kayneth is clearly not doing to well. Fortunately for Lancer he has a back up Master. But until your dead and buried you are still in the game so don’t count out Kayneth. But obviously problem number one is Caster. Although he was beaten back, he is still out there, and there is still a price on his head, so everyone will be gunning for him. We have also not seen Tokiomi and Kariya for a while so hopefully they will step up their game. I look forward to the fall out of this episode and I am still scratching my head as to the contents of episode 10. I am just SO curious what that is going to be about.

While Tsukihime maybe have been the title that put Type-Moon on the otaku radar it is Fate/Stay Night that solidified their names in Otaku circles. The concept of legendary heroes summoned by powerful wizards in a secret war for a fantastic prize in the modern age is a powerful and wonderfully reusable idea. The original visual novel spawned a sequel visual novel, a prequel novel series, several fighting games, several anime and manga adaptations, and more merchandise than you can shake a Golden Sword of the Victorious at. Anyone who has played the Fate/Stay Night visual novel will see the clear table top RPG elements that influenced the game. So the next logical step in the Fate franchise is take the visual novel and fuse it with the table top RPG and get their child, the video game RPG. Fate/Extra is set in an alternate universe than the main Fate/Stay Night world. It takes the premise and some of the structure of the visual novel and combines it with the game play of a Persona style Japanese RPG with its own unique spin on both.

In Fate/Extra you are allowed to make several choices that majorly effect the story including if you are male or female, which legendary hero you choose as your partner, and who you choose as your main ally and/or romantic interest. For this review I chose to play as a male protagonist, with Saber as my champion, and the Egyptian alchemist as my ally. In this post I will go over all the basic game review points and my musings on the path itself. I plan to do at least 2 more posts looking at the Archer and Caster paths, the female protagonist, the Rin path, and how much you get out of replaying the game a second and third time.

The Holy Grail War has started once again but it is no longer is it 7 magi and 7 warriors. Next Sunday AD a mysterious supercomputer was found on the moon that has recorded all of human history. Many people are chosen to upload their avatars on this strange machine that is a mixture of magical and technological. There they fight for their lives in order for one of them to gain to power of a true wish. The player is one of the 128 participants that made it to the first round of this digital battle for the grail.

After you play through the rather lengthy prologue you get to choose your Servant and get to the brass tacks of fighting in the Holy Grail War. Unlike the Fate/Stay Night battles are more of a structured tournament than a free for all battle royal. In Fate/Extra you are assigned a fellow participant to fight each week until there is only one person left standing. There are three main parts to the game.  The first parts is the most visual novel like part of the game. You run around the digital school talking to people in hopes of discovering who your opponent is, what their powers are, and how best to fight them. The more information you get the easier your fight in the coliseum will be. You also use this time to upgrade your Servant’s stats and buy items.

There is the dungeon crawling section where most of the combat takes place. Every week you have to get 2 key cards to qualify for the weekly battle while fighting various digital creatures. The combat is a rock-paper-scissors system where you program your Servant to use a 6 long combination of attacks, blocks, and breaks against an enemy that does the same. At first you can only see on of the six moves your enemy is using but as you fight more of the type of enemy you begin to see more and more of their repertoire automatically. This means unless you are an incredibly good guesser you will often get your bum handed to you the few dozen or so times to meet a new enemy. After a few battles you can guess at what type of patterns any enemy uses as well as the game just showing you more of their patterns as well. You and your servant can also cast spells or use items which are often a great boon.

At the end of the week you will fight your fellow Master in the arena. While the combat system is the same as in the dungeons these battles against the Servants are boss battles. Of course like any boss character have tons of health and a wide variety of special moves as well as any spells their Master’s might cast. The only way to really have a decent chance in the battles is to do the full research on your opponents. Even with a full contingent of research you usually only get 1 to 3 of your opponents moves so realistically anything less than that is foolish. I suppose with some luck and major spell casting you could make it through but most of the time if you follow the plot and take your time you should be able to do all the research every week without any major game play gymnastics.

The combat system is definitely unusual. It is not the standard Attack, Magic, Item, Flee combination although there are elements of that. This unusual design leads to a strange variation of the normal difficulty curve for enemies. When you first meet a new monster in any section they are incredibly tough. But if you fight enough of them they become complete push overs. So learning the general form of the enemies attacks as soon as possible is usually in your best interest. I have a feeling that it will be a very divisive system to most people. You will either think it a very clever way to approach battles or an extreme annoyance you have to work around. I felt the system was functional but at times annoying. It sometimes just feels like a game of chance more than strategy. If you see it as a game of remembering patterns and choosing wisely you will enjoy it. If you see it as nothing more than a very fancy game of Jan-ken-pon you have a greater chance of being annoyed. But it never got in the way of the story which was the most important part for me.

For my first play through I chose Saber. They bill her as the game’s easy mode and from what I have seen of the other two servants this is no joke. She starts out as a powerhouse that easily mows down most enemies with a high attack power. She also has a good defense to help you weather many a beating when you are learning enemy patterns.  She also has an auto-resurrect spell which can be a godsend in boss battles. Also once you have her Nobel Phantasm (her most powerful spell) she can easily tear through bosses like they were tissue paper.  I would go into her personality but I already wrote a whole article on that. She is fun in her hedonistic and pompous manner. She does a good job in making you enjoy a historical character you might not usually have a good deal of fondness for otherwise.

The biggest turning point in the game other than which servant you choose is who you ally yourself with in the 4th week. You can either choose to save Rani or Rin. Saving one means you develop a relationship with one and  have to fight the other. This also changes your fights completely for two weeks of the seven weeks and changes some of the details of the game as well from that point forward. I chose Rani with my first play through. She is a very Rei Ayanami like character. Rani is an artificial human who learns what it is to have feelings though her interactions with the player. I would have liked to learn a bit more about the wizards of Atlus through her but sadly that was not meant to be. She is a strong character and she has a good character arc though the game when she is your partner.

While I have already touched on it through out the post there are some major nudges and winks to any long time Type-Moon fans. There are the obvious shout outs like Arc or Aoko and Touko Aozaki. There are also many subtler jokes like the fact that Lancer is Rin’s servant and the fact that the student’s think that Taiga is having an affair with a certain student she often visits at home. The last Boss is even a pretty big in-joke if you catch it. They even mention a certain cross dressing king of England. I could easily do a whole article just explaining all the sly little Easter eggs. They are not enough to alienate anyone just coming in to the Nasuverse but they are rich rewards for the old fans.

Overall I am unsurprisingly going to give this game a solid thumbs up. A great story with competent game play. It is fun take of the Fate universe that takes the solid premise of the Holy Grail War and creates something that works well on a handheld game platform. The story and dialog are very clearly written by Nasu Kinoko. There is even a manga exchange scene although it is distinctly P-13 so we do not get any long seafood metaphors. It has the feel of the original premise but adds a new series of concepts to make it feel fresher than just a RPG rehash of Fate/Stay Night. It really has me excited for what they are doing do with Fate/Apocrypha now that project has been restarted.

A few quick spoiler thoughts. I mention that this paragraph is full of spoilers just in case anyone is really bothered by them. The first is the decoy protagonist in the prolog. I was definitely a bit thrown off by playing as a character who dies in the preliminaries. It seems like a just an artistic way to start the game and a bit of a tip of the fate to Rin’s prologue in Fate/Stay Night. But by the end of the game the significance of the prologue is even more profound. Also Twice H. Pieceman is a bit of  odd last boss. He reminds me of a great deal of Zeromus in Fantasy Fantasy IV. He comes off as this last boss that pops out of nowhere as the true villain. While Pieceman does not totally come out of nowhere he is nowhere nearly as well established as Leo. He is not totally jarring but it is worth mentioning.

There is one reason for any Type-Moon fan to play through Rani’s path and that is during the 4th week you go up against a very unusual Berserker named Arcueid Brunestud. Anyone who has played Tsukihime will instantly recognize the Princess of the True Ancestors. She is definitely a fun the bonus even if most of her dialog is grunts and screams. As I understand she is far harder than the Lancer you would fight on Rin’s path.

It was a little heart breaking to have to fight Rin as well. As a beloved character from Fate/Stay Night it is a bit of a twist of the knife for anyone who is familiar with the original game. I would say the same thing for Lancer but Lancers historically get the short end of the stick in ever Fate game so I am used to that by now. Lancer was one of the hardest bosses I had to fight as his Nobel Phantasm is on of the few attacks that you resisted with luck and I had never raised that stat. I would have to do some major grinding if it were not for Saber’s incredible spell set.

Once again I want to thank Aksys Games for working on this title. They did a super job with the game and clearly put a great deal of effort into it. If you have not already gone out and picked up the game then I suggest you make haste to the store and get a copy. With smaller titles like this it every sale that really counts. Plus I really want to play a legitimate version of Fate/Extra CCC and they are only going to pick up that license if this does well. Don’t you want to learn who the Strange Tail Girl is or see Archer’s totally bad ass new outfit?

In this episode of the Bonus Round, we tackle the first season in the Initial D franchise. Funimation has recently re-released the earlier series that were once property of infamous TokyoPop. This is the story of tofu delivery boy Takumi who’s driving skills have unwittingly become a thing of legend. He gets swept up in street racing in his town thanks to some friends and rivals. There aren’t a ton of sports series focusing on car racing but with Initial D around you shouldn’t really need much else. There is also a trailer at the beginning of the podcast for the upcoming U.S. film release.

Anime3000 – Bonus Round – Initial D Season 1

Everyone who though that Kayneth was dead should be ashamed of themselves. One of the top ten rules of any action or fantasy story is no one is dead until you see the body. And even then be a little doubtful. It is still a bit too early in Fate/Zero for someone to die. We still have 5 episode in this season and a whole second season to go. I am going to assume that the first master and/or servant can’t die until at least episode 11 of this season. I assume the Caster’s death will be what ends this season to usher in the bloodbath that will be the second season. Until then it is anyone’s game. And Saber has shown that just because you survive a battle not mean you will not be at a disadvantage after getting away.

The call has been put out. All Masters are to stop their fighting and prioritize defeating the rogue Servant Caster. The Master who slays Caster  receive an additional command seal which is an amazing advantage over his opponents. So all the masters and servants are positioning themselves for the maximum advantage. Some are going after Caster, some are trying to pick off anyone going to kill Caster, and other are letting everyone tire themselves out.

Quicksilver, otherwise know as mercury, has always been a favored element by western alchemists for their formula as it had both the properties of both a solid and a liquid. Even Chinese alchemists favored cinnabar in their creations as it is one of the primary sources of mercury. Being a master of wind and water spells it seems that Kayneth has all matter of tricks involving mercury including being able to make a little escape pod of mercury to survive the collapse of the hotel. But as the episode show he can do more with mercury than just survive a deadly fall.

Risei officially announces the hunt for Caster after the homicidal sorcerer has blatantly ignored the secrecy that is supposed to surround the Holy Grail War. It is bad enough with a hotel blowing up and what seems like a natural disaster on the docks but Caster’s kidnapping and murder spree is just vulgar. So whoever takes out this menace will receive and additional command seal. If it were not already obvious these are super valuable. First of all a Master that runs out of command seals loses the ability to control his servant. In Fate/Stay Night Medea’s master quickly learns that can be a very deadly mistake to make. While in Fate/Zero commands seals have only been used to force a servant to obey a command they can also be used to get your servant to do amazing things like teleporting to your side or healing a fatal wound. They can even be used to a simple amplification of power and ability in a fight. But Risei and Tokiomi are already conspiring to make sure that they will not only offer the prize but be the ones to win it. Tokiomi also discovers that Kayneth is still alive and Tokiomi is putting plans into motion to make sure that it is not a permanent condition.

One episode out of the spotlight and I think I heard more people complaining about the lack of Rider and Waver than discussing anything else about last week’s episode. We mainly learn that Iskandar can order things from the Home Shopping Network, wants to go outside, and is not a huge fans of pants. But Rider now has a goal worth fighting for that is just as important as world conquest. If he defeats another servant he can have some stylish pants to go out on the town like Saber in her wonderfully delicious suit. Also I finally got to see the shirt that I always see in Rider fan art. Pivix loved that shirt even before the anime.

What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate. Most of the scene is Saber and Kiritsugu talking past each other. Saber wants to go out and stop Caster’s madness before anyone else gets hurt but Kiritsugu just wants to use the lure of the prize for killing Caster as a convenient attempt to set up a shooting gallery. In Fate/Stay Night Saber mentions that Kiritsugu only ever talked to her three times during the Holy Grail War. Gen Urobuchi seems to be cheating a bit by interpreting than line as “talked directly to me” three times and not counting anytime he talks to her though Irisviel. Even if the talks to her through Irisviel when they are in the same room. The problem is that Kiritsugu is playing to win at all costs and Saber wants to be noble at all costs. It is interesting how despite how much it annoys her here when she is in the fifth holy grail war she will often be in the opposite side of the table with Shiro. I suppose some Kiritsugu rubbed off on her. I will also mention that Kiritsugu’s has the Yang Wenli ability to read the script and discern alliances and plots at all times.

But for all his stoic act we learn that Kiritsugu is not as heartless or as emotionless as he pretends to be. Part of him wishes to run away with his wife and child and be done with this insanity. At the same time he uses his Yang Wenli sense to know that he is being targeted by Kotomine Kirei, the most dangerous master in the conflict. But Irisviel knows they are in too deep. His thought of running away is nothing more than self-pity. All they can do is comfort each other and fight on. But Ilya being in the bounded field protected main castle of the Einzbern family is a clue to tragedy that is to come.

But there is no time for Kiritsugu to feel sorry for himself because Caster has already arrived with a small army of children as hostages. He starts killing the children one by one to draw out Saber. Like in the last episode there are a few scenes of brutal child murder that seem censored for the TV broadcast in a way that makes me think that the Blu-ray will have a bit more of the gory details. But unsurprisingly it turns out to be trap with all the children being Cthulhu spawn filled tykeboms. (As we learned in the interview I helped with for ANN Gen Urobuchi loves Call of Cthulhu if his work on Saya no Uta was not proof enough.) While his summoned beasts are easily killed individually they are legion and constantly regenerate.

Saber soon realizes that she can not just kill enough of the monsters in attempt to run out Caster’s reserve of magical energy as he is not directly casting the spell to summon these horrors. Caster’s Noble Phantasm is the grimoire in his hand, Prelati’s Spellbook, and therefore there will be no end to these abominations. Just when all seems lost a very unexpected ally jumps into the fray. Lancer apparently was given one command: defeat Caster. So he is free to call a truce with Saber which leads to some awesome back to back fighting. As always Lancer is the cool guy who can never be as cool as he wants thanks to his Master. By the way for all the history buffs the Prelati mentioned is the Francesco Prelati and the Siege of Compiègne is where the English captured Joan of Arc if you were curious to do some research on your own.

At the same time there is another uninvited guest to the castle grounds. Kayneth is back for revenge and this time he is going after Saber’s master instead of Saber. We see a good deal of Kayneth’s advanced alchemy as he uses his little companion sphere of magical quicksilver as his Swiss army knife of magical combat. It can be used as a shield, a weapon, a tool, a trap, and a sensor. It also probably makes Julienne fries and helps with your taxes. But his soon learns that Irisviel and Maiya have escaped with Kiritsugu staying behind to give them time to escape.

At first it seems that bringing a gun to a magic fight is the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gun fight. Bullets mainly seem to stop a mage from killing you instantly as he has to use his mercury shielding for a few seconds. But Kiritsugu proves to have one majorly powerful combat spell. A reality marble that lets him control time around himself. After some careful dodging and strategic use of time control Kiritsugu gets the drop on Kayneth. You know that Kayneth in for a world of hurt because Kiritsugu switched from the modern automatic weapons to ye olde pistol. And anytime you whip out a piece of antiquated technology like that you know it is special.

This episode looks to me to be setting up most of the fights that will end the first half of Fate/Zero. Caster and his army of eldritch abominations are probably going to take more than just Saber and Lancer to take out. The question is which servants are going to enter the fight and which are going to wait this one out. Also Kiritsugu and Kayneth’s fight is just warming up. Unless of course Kayneth’s head decides to decorate the castle walls and Sola-Ui  has to take over as Lancer’s master. We are in for some great stuff ahead. As I was writing this article I looked up how many episodes were left. The I went,” Why the hey nonny nonny is episode 10 being titled Rin’s Adventure? ” Is little Rin going to go on magical journey of fun and adventure in the middle of all this bloodshed as brief aside or is the mistress of zettai ryouiki going to get dragged into this violence?

Well this was certainly more exciting than I assumed it would be last week by name alone. That does not mean there was no talking. The phrase “based on a light novel” guarantees that there will be lots of talking. But for an episode named Night of Stratagems there are two minor skirmishes and one very large explosion. We focus a bit more on certain character than others in contrast to the last episode that had most of the gang in attendance one way or another.  Still there was more than enough Saber present for me to be happy.

Caster is fighting in the Holy Grail war to revive Joan of Arc. So when the woman he thinks is Joan turns him down he decides to start upping the body count in the area. In a war where secrecy is the watchword a massive series of serial killings is a definite no-no.  At the same time Kiritsugu goes out of his way to end the Lancer problem in a rather spectacular fashion. Everyone is picking their first targets now that the fighting has officially begun.

Just a second Irisviel! You have to be wear New Balance sneakers to be a cast member of Initial D. As Saber and Irisviel amusingly take on what seems to be Akina’s downhill they run into Caster instead of a Tofu delivery car. Caster is waiting for Joan to jump into his arms. Saber is waiting for Caster to die in a fire. Since these are mutually exclusive plans they part of less than amiably. We are reminded that Saber’s wound is rather serious by the fact that she is partially relieved that Caster retreated without a fight. But this altercation means that Assassin and the master’s who use his information now can track Caster.  By the way you have to love the gull-wing doors on the car that Irisviel is driving. That is a sweet “toy” all in all.

Caster comes back to his secret base to find Uryuu playing with his latest victim. In a fit of anger Caster lashes out killing the person that his master was slowly killing. Gille de Rais  has decided in his warped brain that God is once again preventing Joan from being with him and the only way to stop this is to commit an act of depraved sacrifice so grand it will wake his beloved from her delusion. The interesting thing about this scene is while there is a good deal of blood on Uryuu and his scalpels and Caster’s right arm is soaked in blood after he executes an unseen victim. Despite all the blood they never show the person being tortured in that scene. The way the scene was filmed I wonder if they are going to show more of the gory details of what was going on in the Blu-ray release since they mentioned adding in “deleted” scenes. Part of me felt it was better that they left what was going on there to your imagination but we might get some Kara no Shojo level gore.

Kayneth and Lancer have returned to their base of operations in a local hotel. Kayneth is laying into Lancer for failing to kill Saber when we learn that there is another member of this team. Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri is Kayneth fiancée and the person supplying mana to Lancer. She seems to have little affection for Kayneth in their strained relationship. Despite that fact Sola-Ui seem to be taking advantage of this and is playing both men off each other. Of all the characters in the series she is the person I know the least about before going into this series. She seems a little more manipulative than I first imagined but that just might be my first impression. But before this awkward conversation can go on there is a fire alarm.

Kayneth rightly assumes that Saber’s master is below. He has no fear because the has booby-trapped the hotel with a smorgasbord of magical defenses that would make mince meat of any intruders foolish enough to wander into them. But Kiritsugu knows rule number one of monster hunting: You don’t fight vampires in their castles at night, you don’t hunt werewolves in their forest on the full moon, and you don’t fight a mage when he is ready for you in his sanctum. You just blow the darn thing up and then go home and have a beer. I can’t see team Lancer being taken out that quickly but they are definitely not as secure as they once were. Also as much of a monster as they sometimes make Kiritsugu to be he got everyone out of the building before blowing it up. He could have just as easily killed everyone inside without giving Kayneth even the slightest suspicion what was going on. I have to wonder if this is the same hotel where Nrvnqsr Chaos went on a rampage in Tsukihime. If it is then NEVER STAY AT THIS HOTEL.

After the bomb goes off Kotomine Kirei decides to step out of the shadows to confront Maiya in hopes of drawing out Kiritsugu. While Maiya is a skilled mercenary unfortunately for her Kirei is on a whole other level as a trained assassin for the church. You know he is not playing around when he breaks out the Black Keys right away. A little help from Kiritsugu allows Maiya to escape but Kiritsugu got what he wanted. Conformation that Maiya is working with Kiritsugu. But Maiya did get to escape like a modern-day ninja with a modern-day smoke bomb.

After this confrontation Kirei returns to the church to give a report to Tokiomi on everything he has learned. They now know that Caster is behind the serial kidnapping of children in the area and that he is flagrantly breaking the rules of secrecy around the Holy Grail war. Risei decides that he will declare that everyone must defeat Caster as someone who has broken the rules of the Holy Grail war. I have to say that all in all Risei  is a pretty horrible official for the Holy Grail War. During his run as overseer for the third war the grail was twisted and tainted. During this war he is conspiring to fix the battles and change the rules whenever he sees fit. He almost makes his son’s plans in the next war seem down right upstanding. (OK. Kirei keeps around an illegal Servant who runs off the power of limbless orphans in nightmare filled comas.  I might have used a tad too much hyperbole in that last statement.)

For everyone who likes Fate/Zero but wished there was more homoerotic tension between the guys the wait is finally over. The last scene in this between Gilgamesh and Kirei seems like it was about to turn into an awkward make-out scene at any moment. Gilgamesh loves to get his drink on and he seems a bit forward is asking the priest to get drunk with him. Apparently Gilgamesh has already tired of Tokiomi’s methods and is scouting around for a more interesting partner. He seems to be trying to get into the heads of everyone else in the game including Kirei. At the end they strike a little bargain that seems to hint at many changes in the future. If nothing else the little conversation about the relationship between joy and sin will obviously provide a great deal of insight into Kirei and several others later on. As a side note I do find it interesting that while Kirei’s wife has been mentioned so far nothing has been said about Caren. I wonder if she will come up in her father’s back story or are they just never going to deal with her in this series.

It seems like one team is out of the game but as anyone will tell you: You never count someone as dead until you see the body (and that is only the FIRST solid confirmation). But it seems that the next few episodes will most probably deal with Caster and his increasingly horrific behavior. I know people were heartbroken that Waver and Rider were not in this episode but neither were Kariya and Berserker. As always good things come to those who wait. Plus with cool servants like that you want their appearances to be special. Also as a side note to whoever makes the previews for the next episodes. Don’t have characters who you think are dead have lines that show they are still alive in the next episode. Maybe everyone did not read the novels. Just a hint but one Japan never seems to remember.

UCHUU KITAAAAA (It’s space time)! While that is the catch phrase for Kamen Rider Fourze it could also double as the motto for Twin Spica. In a time when older anime and manga fans longingly pine for the days when every other anime title seemed to be science fiction related it is nice to see a series that deals with space exploration and science. But it is not a dry examination of the politics and mechanics of space travel but those topics come it. It is a very personal story of one girl’s wish to travel among the stars and the trials and tribulations she must go through to realize her dream.

The flight of the Lion was supposed to be a triumph for the Japanese space program as they launched their first manned space flight. But an accident causes the Lion to crash into a city causing countless casualties that creates an unimaginable stigma on space travel.  Years later Asumi Kamogawa wishes to become an astronaut despite the many ways that the Lion disaster has effected her life. She is guided by a mysterious ghost named Mr. Lion who is obviously connected to the crash years ago. But Asumi Kamogawa’s goal is not a simple one. She is not the most ideal candidate physically plus there are many other students who want a place on the next spaceflight but there are only a handful of seats available. On top of that there are many people who just don’t want to see any more time, money, and commitment placed into space travel and will do anything to make sure further flights do not take place. Can Asumi become an astronaut with the deck stacked against her at the same time that all her friends are also her rivals?

The true power of Twin Spica is the fact that it is a soft series that hits as hard as a manly series. The story has a laid back pace that drifts back and forth between the present and the past as the characters must deal with obstacles in both the present and the past to get closer to their dreams at a slow but deliberate pace. But when climaxes come they hit with a powerful punch of majesty and emotional intensity. The series carefully avoids doing into the realm of melodrama that would make it cheesy but retains a sense of optimistic hopefulness balanced with wistful melancholy. All of Asumi friends have their motivations, secrets, and fears that simultaneously bring them closer together and yet keep them apart. It makes for a some complex and mature relationships for the characters. I know some of the supernatural elements of Mr. Lion turn off those who need pure hard sci-fi pumped into their veins but anyone who wants a good story and is not a science fiction purist will see the wonderful story underneath.  Twin Spica is a touching story that embraces the dreams of exploration, the joys of scientific discovery, and beauty of personal triumph over adversity. To me that is what some of the best sci-fi does and this is a wonderful example of that.

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Well if Iskander did not win over enough fanboys via his actions in the previous episodes than he pretty much conquered his position as King of Bros in the hearts of many this episode. But I would not be surprised if Berserker did not win his fair share of fans this episode as well.  While this episode has the prerequisite Type-Moon levels of dialog the amount of fighting was on par with the last episode with possible even more flashy moves than before. So anyone who was worried we were going straight back into yackity smackity can rest easy for at least one more episode. The action in this episode will calm the need of even the most adrenalin craving soul.

We have the classic battle were the two samurai who plan to risk everything on their final clash of blades. But before that can happen the King of Conquerors comes in, reads off the hidden parts of his charter sheet, and offers to team up with the two brave nights before him. He then shouts for the many people hiding in the shadows to step out and make themselves known. Then all hell breaks loose as we learn 6 of the 7 Servants are here and read to go. Rider will get the battle royal he was asking for.

As opposed to going through things chronologically I think it would be better for me to break things down by teams. The first person you have to talk about is team goofball. Rider busts in and honestly wants Saber and Lancer to team up under him and just get this Holy Grail nonsense out-of-the-way so they can get on with the real mission of taking over the world. (By the way Rider: I know that is the Japanese sign for money but as a European you should also know that is a symbol for asshole. Your gesture takes on a whole other meaning with that in mind.) But when they naturally turn down his offer he unveils his other reason for showing up which is to unmask all the vultures waiting to attack the second the fight between Saber and Lancer had ended. He mostly stays on the side lines past that point other than stepping in when things unfairly turn against Saber. Which of course earns him major points in my eyes. And so the King of Conquerors and the King of Knights part as honorable duelists with a respect for one another. He also tries to give Waver some Otaku man up lessons at the same time. In the end Rider proves he is not an adult. He is a MAN!

Poor Lancer. The boys of Ireland can’t seem to catch a break. It is the role of the Lancer in any Fate game to get a completely wretched human being as a master. It was a bit heartbreaking to see him attack Saber against his will as he is practically apologizing with every swing. And speaking of completely wretched human beings we get pretty conclusive proof that Kayneth is every bit of the nasty piece of work we assumed him to be. At first he tries to intimidate Waver but Iskander is not having any of his trash talk. He then forces Lancer to team up with Berserker despite his truce with Saber. Overall just some real nasty plays. Iskander proves that you always get the servant you deserve in the Holy Grail war and there is no way that Rider was the appropriate partner for him.  So in Fate/Stay Night we learn that certain servants are actually summoned by characters other than the people we see controlling them. The biggest clue this is happening is when the Master/Servant personalities are totally incompatible. In the 5th Holy Grail war Cú Chulainn actually was summoned by Bazett Fraga McRemitz and Medusa was originally summoned by Sakura. This episode clearly points to this Lancer’s true master being someone else entirely.

We finally get to see the allusive Berserker after he only appeared for a second in the first episode. The Black Knight sure knows how to make an entrance. He is also very clearly the only all CG character which gives him an interesting feel but also looks sort of cheesy at times. Thankfully his ability to turn anything he can touch into his own personal Nobel Phantasm lets him pull off some impressive feats in this episode. He totally makes a mockery of the Gate of Babylon in a way that usually only a faker can do. But once Gilgamesh has been called back his attention goes right to Saber even using a pulled up telephone pole as a weapon. Although he gets a solid hit on him from Via Expugnatio but it is only enough damage to make him retreat. He clearly has a grudge with Saber and is single minded in his attacks on her. At the same time we see that Kariya Matou clearly has it out for Tokiomi and for more than just selling Sakura. It is another personal grudge match in a Holy Grail war filled with personal grudge matches.

As Waver noted he could not discern Berskerer’s stats. In the original books to be super table top RPGs nerds like in Fate/Stay Night everyone has character sheets. As you can see above there is a wavy effect over all of Bersker’s important stats that might point to his true identity. Clearly he is someone who would be far too obvious if you knew too much about him.

Saber is pretty much the focus of everyone’s attention this episode (and I can understand this sentiment). She valiantly asks that Irisviel escape while she tries to hold off the her attackers but Irisviel demonstrates a complete trust in Saber and Kiritsugu. Once again the conversation between Saber and Irisviel at the end of the episode is only helping those yuri doujinshi writers have a field day with these two. At the same time Kiritsugu was about to spring into action knowing that the second he shot Kayneth it would lead to Assassin springing into action. In the best case scenario Assassin would most probably tear apart Maiya at the very least. Fortunately Rider saves the day in this regard once again.  And so everyone lives to snipe another day.

Oh Gilgamesh. He so does hate not to be the center of attention. And so when he is called out he makes his normal overblown entrance complete with insults all around and proclamations of grand statements as facts. But apparently the only thing he hates more than people claiming to be kings equal to him are mad dogs on the battlefield.  Tokiomi being a plotter that he is calls the King of Heroes off the battlefield to fight at a more advantageous time. This clearly is not doing much to help cement a relationship of mutual respect between two very arrogant men. At the same time Kotomine mostly plays his hand close to his chest letting everyone else expose their hands. Fate/Stay Night clearly showed that Kotomine is a master of only attacking when the time is right. In fact this whole affair has tipped him to the fact that not everyone is convinced he has dropped out of the war.

Caster and Uryuu mostly stayed out of this episode as the only group without a direct representative at the docks. He like his counterpart in Fate/Stay Night Caster seems to be part of the same club of Saber stalkers that love to spy on her with crystal balls while having an overly sexual gaze. Is that some prerequisite to be a Caster? This time it is because Caster is making the same mistake that most people did the first time they played Fate/Stay Night.

Boy people sure like using their command seals in this episode. You would think they had more than three of them at the rate in which they are tearing through them. I think Caster’s Master in Fate/Stay Night learned the hard way that is not a healthy practice. Ah. Some refreshing action with some pretty cool moves all around. Since the next episode is called Night of Stratagems so I am warning everyone that the next episode is going to be dialog and exposition heavy again. So everyone who is not a fan of talking should be braced for impact. I know if nothing else my roommate wants a Iskander figure with Gordius Wheel so bad he can taste it. I know he is not alone in that sentiment. I think we all know what I want.

With the success of the S.W.A.T. reviews last season we’re trying it again with the autumn line up. The premise of these reviews is simple: watch the first episode of a series and then immediately sit down to record a review mini-podcast. The reviews are five- to ten-minutes long and entirely off the cuff. As always we only review new shows (so no sequels or continuations) and try to avoid anything that just looks outright awful. These are the last two (for us) of the new season:

Listen – Episode 1 of Guilty Crown from Production I.G with the opening ”My Dearest” by supercell and is streaming on Hulu.

Listen – Episode 1 of UN-GO from BONES with the opening “How to Go” by School Food Punishment and is streaming on Crunchyroll.

The first real fight has started. It is of course interrupted by periods of characters on the side lines discussing the fight, characters in the fight discussing their techniques, characters in the fight analyzing their opponent’s style, and people discussing what everything means all around. But such is any Type-Moon property. Even the mute True Assassin goes into long monologues in his head in the original Fate/Stay Night so character who can talk are going to be pretty darn chatty. Even when Nasu does not write something his love of characters chatting about things bleeds though into everything in the Fate universe. Heck even Fate/Tiger Coliseum is pretty chatty when you get right down to it.

Lancer and Saber finally throw down as they are slowly trying to figure of the identity and powers of their opponent. At the same time various people watch from the shadows trying to see when the best time to strike is. Everyone in the audience is waiting for the perfect time to strike as they two main actors play their role on the stage front that is the docks.

Well if nothing else you have to admit when they are fighting the anime looks wonderful. Lancer dual wielding his spears and Saber with the invisible air around Excalibur is quite impressive. There is also some nice battle damage to the area throughout the episode. Lancer constantly cuts up the concrete around him with spears and both combatants wreck the shipping containers around them. There are some nice acrobatic moves on Saber’s part and just a good amount of standard melee as opposed to special attacks just being thrown around. Also a nice amount of drawn blood so the fighting has weight to the danger involved. And all of it is done is a beautiful fluid style. If you were waiting for some action to finally break out then this delivered in spades.

I am sure that the second anyone heard that one person can only have one noble phantasm you knew that there are to be some technicality that everyone used to get around that. And clearly Lancer’s is that his spears count as a match set so they are both his single noble phantasms.  Gae Dearg and Gae Buidhe are an effective pair in this episode. When Lancer whips out their true powers he uses the anti-magic properties of Gae Dearg to learn the length of Saber’ sword, the identity of her sword, her identity, and gets her to lower her armor. While lowering her armor to increase her speed helped her defeat Gilgamesh in the Fate route of Fate/Stay Night here it only gets her a nasty injury from Gae Buidhe that cannot be healed. All in all things look pretty bad for the King of Knights.

On the side lines various people are waiting to see who wins so they can make their plans to defeat any survivors. Kiritsugu is playing his cards close to his chest and making sure that he only attacks when he has a clear shot. And while he could attempt to take a shot at Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi he knows better than to attack when Assassin is around. He and Maiya are good but not good enough to take out a Servant. So they sit and wait and hope that Saber can take care of herself.

At the same time we get a clear confirmation that El-Melloi is the jerk we thought he was due to his actions in the first episode. He has a clear disregard for both this opponents and his servant. I guess it is the eternal curse for Lancers to wind up taking orders from people they don’t deal well with. As a side note I have to say that the magical Victrolas that Kirei and Tokiomi are an interesting mixture of cool and goofy like all of Tokiomi’s magical devices.

Rider and Waver are also watching this battle. Waver just wants to sit things out but Rider being a man’s man wants to get into the thick of it. Iskandar is clearly a man who takes what he wants and what he wants is to battle these two heroes. If nothing else it is sort of amazing to see Rider just drop down in the thick of things and state who he is point-blank like he just does not care. The puzzled looks from Lancer and Saber was priceless. (Waver looking like that does not count because that is pretty much his default state.)

Well this being a fight episode there is a little else for me to comment on. I will mostly just let the fight speak for itself. While it does have quite a bit of Saber and Lancer conversing, tipping their hats to each other, and sizing up their opponent’s power when the spark fly they fly in a beautiful manner. Now that Rider has entered the mix things are going to get really interesting although it is very clear that this will end with a draw and everyone going home to lick their wounds. And then more talking.

Drink #022: Berliner Weisse mit Schuss,
A Legend of the Galactic Heroes Discussion

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In this episode, we discuss the epic, the legendary, the greatest anime space opera Legend of the Galactic Heroes. With so much material, we couldn’t do it alone so we invited Caleb from Otaku USA and Vinny from All Geeks Considered to help us out.

(Listen) (Show Notes)

And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:

Berliner Weisse mit Schuss

1 ounce red-raspberry flavored syrup (or green Waldmeister sweet woodruff syrup)
16 ounces light German wheat beer

Pour a 1 oz schuss of waldmeister or raspberry syrup into a large wheat-beer glass. Slowly add 16 oz cold Berliner Kindl Weisse or other light German-style wheat beer.

Welcome to the Fate/Zero power half an hour. We get what everyone (me) has been waiting for: SABER IN A SUIT. My goodness there might not be much fighting but there are some wonderful visuals. And for the doujinshi fans this is clearly the episode that launches a thousand ships. Yaoi, Yuri, and various flavors of hentai comics surely will be spawned by this single episode.  Plus we finally get the setup for our first real fight that does not involve a one-sided Gate of Babylon massacre.

When Archer kills Assassin everyone starts to recalculate their plans now that the first killing blow has been landed. But it seems that it was nothing more than a show as Kotomine Kirei still has several tricks up his vestments. At the same time Irisviel and Emiya split up when entering Japan. Saber is protecting the homunculus of the Einzbern family while the Magus Killer meets up with his apprentice. But the beach time bonding of Servant and Proxy Master is broken up by the reveal of the last servant.

As always Gilgamesh is forced to stick to the shadows when he would rather be raining down holy terror on everyone. Until then he and Tokiomi play little games with each other. Tokiomi pretends to play the part of humble partner to a king but it is clear that while his social graces tell him the proper way to interact with the King of Heroes his arrogance is strong enough that it still shines through his smile. In Gilgamesh’s defense I think it is clear that he is not fooled by Tokiomi’s empty flattery but is just playing along to see how this Holy Grail War plays out. Both men see themselves as the clever trickster who is playing the other. But clearly since only one of them survives to see the 5th Holy Grail War one of them is better at the game than the other.

Rider and Waver continue their little war-time Manzai comedy routine. Waver still has his petty little dreams while Iskandar has ambitions so big that even the Holy Grail War and planetary conquest are just stepping-stones towards bigger dreams. So while Iskandar might look like he is the world’s most diesel hikikomori he is actually constantly gathering information for the next leg of his ambitions. Waver on the other hand has to be one of the worst reconnaissance agents ever. He either misses vital clues or does mention valuable insights when he has them. Rider is asking all the right questions but Waver is giving all the wrong answers. There is a weak link in this team and it is not the guy who conquered the Persian Empire.  Oh well. It only solidifies their seme and uke‎ status.

Nepotism is a powerful weapon and this is doubly true in the Holy Grail war. Kirei runs to the church and pretends to drop out of the war but as soon as it is clear no one is watching Risei allows his son set up shop in the church. I guess it is a good thing to have your corrupt father as a officiator of the battle.  It seems that this iteration of Assassin’s gimmick is that he is actually the whole clan under Hassan-i Sabbah. So while he has pretended to drop out he will actually be backing up Tokiomi from the shadows with his army of servants. In a way probably the best strategy to enact when you have an army of weak servants who all rely on surprise. Make everyone think you are dead so they are not constantly looking out for you. But what no one ever told Kirei was that assassins are also bound the Inverse Ninja Rule. The more assassins you have the weaker they are individually. It is destined to only end in tears (and dead assassins).

During the interaction between Irisviel and  Saber my roommate just turned to me and asked, “I assume there are more doujinshi of these two than there are stars in the sky.” I replied while have not seen them I could assure him that he is absolutely correct. While most of the scenes between Irisviel and  Saber is developing their friendship of mutual respect there is an unmistakable air of homoerotic tension between these two as well. I am sure all the yuri fanboys were licking their lips (and perhaps doing other things) the whole time. Yuri goggles aside we see that both women have been slaves to duty for all their lives. This is Irisviel’s first real adventure outside of her home and the rest of her life has been in service of preparing for this battle. Saber on the other hand still feels the pain of the many sacrifices she made as the King of England. Saber knows the misery of isolation all to well. While Saber and Kiritsugu are much too alike to get along it seems that Saber and Irisviel have enough in common that their empathy bonds them tightly. Did I mention that Saber in suit being all gallant is pretty much Ambrosia and Nectar to my soul? Well it is.

While Kiritsugu left for Japan alone he quickly hooks up with his assistant soon after arriving in the country. And it seems that they hook up in more ways than one. I know it is a bit odd but part of my was like, “Bad Kiritsugu! Don’t be sleeping with Maiya when you have Irisviel waiting at home.” But I suppose it shows why Kiritsugu is a man wracked with guilt. He is someone who has many things he can feel guilty about. I do wonder if Irisviel is aware of this arrangement and how much will this mistress on the side come up. Women love Section Chief Kosaku Shima even though he has a mistress on the side so maybe Kiritsugu can get away with it. Bedroom politics aside we see that Kiritsugu is loaded to bear. He has a wide variety of weapons from mundane to magical. He knows that most magi are used to formal battles like they were Harry Potter wand duelists. So he knows many of them are simply not prepared for a long-range sniper rifle to the back of the head and plans to take full advantage of that. Also it is clear that he does not believe for a single second that the creepy priest is no longer a player in this game and that instinct is probably what will keep him alive.

And we finally get two things we have been waiting for. The first is the reveal of the final servant. We don’t know much about this Lancer but he does look an awful lot like the Fate/Stay Night Lancer. But as Assassin has taught us it is all the little differences that are important. Including the fact that this Lancer fights with two lances. And so unless someone comes in a stops this battle we will finally get some real action this Saturday.

It took the length of four episodes to get everyone on-screen but we finally have the whole gang in Japan and ready to murder everyone in their path to make their dreams come true.  I will say that seeing several other people who are not Type-Moon fans reacting to this episode was interesting. While my roommate and I were on the edges of our seats everyone else was wondering when these people would stop talking and start going to town with some magical weapons. And while I love this show I can’t blame them for their feelings. I suppose that shows that it takes to be a Type-Moon fan. You have to WANT those long explanations of magical theory and character motivations. Otherwise it is a very odd-looking episode of Upstairs, Downstairs. Hopefully everyone who is sticking through the talky parts will get their reward next week.

With the success of the S.W.A.T. reviews last season we’re trying it again with the autumn line up. The premise of these reviews is simple: watch the first episode of a series and then immediately sit down to record a review mini-podcast. The reviews are five- to ten-minutes long and entirely off the cuff. As always we only review new shows (so no sequels or continuations) and try to avoid anything that just looks outright awful. These are the next five shows of the new season:

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Listen – Episode 1 of Persona 4 is from AIC A.S.T.A. with the opening “Pursuing My True Self” by Shihoko Hirata.

Listen – Episode 1 of Gundam AGE is from Sunrise with the opening “To Tomorrow” by Galileo Galilei.

Listen – Episode 1 of Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai is from AIC Build with the opening “Friends Making Group ★★☆” by Marina Inoue, Kanae Itou, Nozomi Yamamoto, Misato Fukuen, Kana Hanazawa, and Yuka Iguchi.

Listen – Episode 1 of Future Diary is from asread with the ending “Blood Teller” by Faylan.

Listen – Episode 1 of Ben-to is from David Production with the opening “LIVE for LIFE ~Ookamitachi no Yoru~” by Manami.

For everyone who assumed this episodes would be non stop fighting you should have known that while Gen Urobuchi wrote the original light novels you should also always remember that Kinoko Nasu’s powers of infinite exposition are invincible. The episode is even called False Start as to warn you that there is going to be some action but not the full throw down you are hoping for. So while I will patently wait for everything to be set up I know a few people are going to hit the ejector seat after the continuing amount  setup in this episode. There is some great payoff coming but not everyone can wait that long. But trust me it is coming.

It takes 7 summoned servants to start the war for the Holy Grail but only 6 have been summoned so far. Caster is summoned by an unusual and rather detestable master. At the same time Rider and Saber get to see who they are working with, what their goals are, and what their strategy shall be in the upcoming battles. And lastly Kotomine shows us a bit of the Kotomine we truly know him to be.

If the last episode spent most of its time introducing us to the Masters than  this episode is where we begin to learn about the servants. The first Servant  we see is Rider a.k.a. Iskander a.k.a. Alexander the Great a.k.a. the Bear in slash fiction. Rider and Waver Velvet have an odd couple relationship. Rider is gregarious, confident, and ready to literally take on the world. Waver is sullen and just wants to win the Grail War to settle petty grudges. But by the end of their first major conversation two things have happened. First of all Waver is impressed by Rider’s powers and sweet ride. Secondly you are not quite sure who is the master and who is the servant despite what goes on in the conversation.

Huzzah! Finally the servant I have been waiting for. But before we get to her we find Kiritsugu and Illyasviel happily playing outside. Sadly this is just setup for disaster as the better they get along as father and daughter here the more twisted things become in Fate/Stay Night. After the events of Fate/Zero the Einzbern family makes sure that Kiritsugu can never see Ilya for a variety of spiteful reasons. In fact they go out of their way to poison her against her father and convince her that his casual abandonment is the root of all of her misfortune. This explains most of her bizarre love/hate relationship with Shirou. Shirou is the son that Kiritsugu properly raised instead of her. This gives Ilya her distinct hatred for Kiritsugu’s adopted son. At the same time Shirou is her connection to the father she loved at the same time.

Irisviel von Einzbern sums it up nicely with, “Emiya Kiritsugu and the hero Arturia will never see eye to eye.” As it naturally turns out Kiritsugu and Irisviel are shocked by King Arthur actually being a woman. But then Kiritsugu hands off Saber to his wife and barely says a word. In Fate/Stay Night Saber mentions to Shirou that his father only spoke to her three times during the 4th Holy Grail War. We now see that was because Irisviel was her proxy master which makes much more sense.

A common theme in the Fate universe is that you summon a Heroic Spirit that suits your nature even if you don’t realize it. Saber and Kiritsugu are both people who wish to be heroes in hopes that their actions will alleviate some of the regret they have of their past sins both real and imagined. They are both stoic people who can simultaneous put people off while inspiring them to do more. And so Irisviel must act as a bridge between two people who are far too similar to get along.

So far everyone in Fate/Zero has been fairly gray in their morality. No one participating in this conflict is an angel (expect maybe Irisviel) but no one is outright just plain wicked. That is until we meet the serial killer, Uryuu Ryuunosuke. Happily murdering a family in an attempt to summon a demon he accidentally summons Caster instead.  Uryuu kept the family’s son alive to sacrifice to the demon he called. At first it seems like Caster will let the boy go but we all know it is just to set him up for a more gruesome demise for this unfortunate boy. Caster then identifies himself as Bluebeard. Bluebeard is a fictional character who was based on Gille de Rais. While Gille de Rais would have been most famous for fighting alongside Joan of Arc he goes down in infamy for a spree of kidnapping, raping, and murdering children. While clearly this Caster is a prefect match for this Master, there would be few better combinations given the nature of Uryuu, I know there was a lot of hate for these two online. And I perfectly understand this. These two really stick out in what is otherwise a more delicate moral portrayal.  But I suppose Gen Urobuchi wanted someone for the audience to easily root against.

Kotomine wastes no time in betraying his partner by having Assassin go and try to kill Tokiomi Tohsaka. We get a cool infiltration scene as Assassin shows that no impressive magical security system can stop him. But what can stop him is the King of Heroes with all his Gate of Babylon showmanship. And so it seems that Assassin has died Kotomine and Tohsaka are now at each other throats. But it is far to early in the game for a servant to be killed. There is clearly more to Assassin than meets the eye and this was all just for show so that people do not know that Kotomine and Tohsaka are secretly working together. But the seeds of betrayal has been planted whether anyone knows it or not.

We finally get to see the ending in the second episode that we were only teased during the previews. I am a far bigger fan of “MEMORIA” by Aoi Eir than “oath sign” by LiSA as it seems to better match in tone with the show . We get some quick views of Noble Phantasms and then a look at each of the servants in their own times while they were alive. Some major hints to the identity of Berserker are there if one is well versed in their mythology. Other than that there is some shirtless Gilgamesh which I am sure is the only part of the series that Narutaki wants to see.

While there have been more introductions there are still several unexamined pieces on the table. There was a single shot of Berserker and while it has been mentioned that Lancer has been summoned we have seen more of him in the ending song than in the show proper. I know that Lancers get no respect in the Nasuverse but this is just silly. But in all honesty if we consider the first episode actually 2 episodes to introduce all the Masters than it will take episodes 2 and 3  to introduce the Servants. I look forward to seeing the end of the introductions so we can start getting into the next stage of the story.

I will be at the New York Comic Con next week so I sadly will not be as quick to throw up my review of episode 3. I’m not sure when it will go up but I assure it will be done as soon as I can watch it and write it up.

With the success of the S.W.A.T. reviews last season we’re trying it again with the autumn line up. The premise of these reviews is simple: watch the first episode of a series and then immediately sit down to record a review mini-podcast. The reviews are five- to ten-minutes long and entirely off the cuff. As always we only review new shows (so no sequels or continuations) and try to avoid anything that just looks outright awful. These are the first four of the new season:

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Listen – Episode 1 of Phi Brain – Puzzle of God is from Sunrise with the opening “Brain Diver” by May’n.

Listen – Episode 1 of Chihayafuru from Madhouse with the opening “YOUTHFUL” by 99RadioService and is streaming on Crunchyroll.

Listen – Episode 1 of Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere from Sunrise with the opening “TERMINATED” by Minori Chihara and is streaming on Anime Network.

Listen – Episode 1 of You and Me from J. C. Staff with the opening “ByeBye (バイバイ)” by 7!! and is streaming on Crunchyroll.

We return to the Kaleido stage in this episode of the Bonus Round on Anime3000 in which we talk about the second season of Kaleido Star and the accompanying OVAs. In season 1, Sora is able to perform the Legendary Great Maneuver with Layla and save the Kaleido Stage. In season 2, dubbed “New Wings” we find that due to her injury Layla has retired from the circus and become a full-time actress. Now Sora must find her own way on the stage but she is unsure of what direction to head in. A rival by the name of May Wong and the icy perfectionist Leon Oswald join the troop and bring further complications. Does Sora have what it takes to be a true Kaleido Star? Then it’s Extra Stage and Legend of Phoenix, OVAs about Rosetta Passel and Layla Hamilton respectively. As a special bonus we have a shocking in-depth expose about May Wong at the beginning of the review.

Anime3000 – Bonus Round – Kaleido Star Season 2 + OVAs

This is not a review. If you want an objective review you can check out ANN or any of several dozen episodic bloggers. This is a love letter to Fate/Zero. I am sure I will complain about one or two things, as is the nature of picky fans, but I’m mostly here to sit back and raise a glass to a series I love. So if you are here to celebrate the prequel to Fate/Stay Night or maybe try to make heads of tails of the fandom pull up a chair and join the celebration. Just remember that most of these people we meet in this series don’t show up in Fate/Stay Night. And it is not because they all decided to run a wacky pizza parlor after the events of Fate/Zero and are too busy getting into hijinks to take part in the 5th Holy Grail war.

Fate/Zero is a prequel to the visual novel Fate/Stay Night written by Gen Urobuchi with Type-Moon and Nitro+. This is the story of the shadow war between mages that ended in an apocalyptic fire in Fuyuki city that would set the stage for the tragedies of the 5th Holy Grail war. Mages from all over the world are being selected by the mysterious Holy Grail system. Those who are chosen are going to Japan to fight alongside legendary heroes in hope of having their wishes granted. Kiritsugu Emiya is a magical assassin who has entered the war along with his wife for supposedly noble goals but 6 other mages stand in their path each with their own agendas and powers.

If the Holy Grail War is a game of very bloody Battle Chess than this is the part were the pieces are set up before the first move is played. We start with Shirou’s old man and his wife giving birth to the little girl who shall be called Illyasviel von Einzbern. Saber was not kidding when she said that the Kiritsugu she knew was not the kindly man who raised Shirou. He is a methodical killer who does whatever it takes to get the job done. But Irisviel von Einzbern seems to believe in his higher ideals that will eventually be revealed in Fate/Stay Night. Irisviel and Kiritsugu are very different people but seem to have a strong bond of trust.

Rin’s father on the other hand seems to be trying to game the system by not only winning over the church official in charge of the war but also recruiting his son to his side when it is discovered that he is also a Master in the war. The thing is as much as I joke that Kirei Kotomine is about as trustworthy as a man paying with 3 dollar bills he does not come off as a mustachio twirling villain. Tokiomi merely sees him as an obedient pawn to the church and by extension to him. But since Gilgamesh is Kirei’s servant in Fate/Stay Night but Tokiomi’s in Fate/Zero it already hints at a future betrayal. I wonder when Kotomine true nature will manifest for the audience. I did find it interesting that Kotomine and Kiritsugu both have their eyes on each other and both have no real understanding of the inner workings of the other. They just know there is more to their enemy and that they are very dangerous. A nice prelude to their later dealings.

Sakura continues to be the bad luck kid with her white knight being Kariya Matou. He is one of the weakest participants as until recently he was totally out of the magical world until he decides to enter into the Holy Grail world to free Sakura from the horrific machinations of Zouken. You can tell that there is nothing but a cloud of misfortune surrounding him. He is willing to sacrifice so much for Sakura but you can just feel the hopelessness of his decisions even if he does not. But that seems to be the Matou family destiny. You are either a doomed fool or a doomed monster but either way there is little happiness in your future. Also those who have played through all of the visual novel will know what a nasty piece of work Zouken is but he is a total wild card if you only watched the anime as he only appears on-screen in the Heaven’s Feel path.

The last pair of masters that we see are Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi and Waver Velvet. It is the classic battle between the arrogant old guard and the brash youth. After being belittled in class Waver steals his professor’s item that he intended to use to summon a servant and runs off to Japan in hopes of besting the man who ridiculed him. Obviously these two are going to have their own little rivalry on top of the normal kill or be killed attitude masters have for one in other. We don’t get much of a sense of who El-Melloi is beyond being a pompous member of the aristocracy.  Waver Velvet on the other hand comes off as a bit more likable and clumsy if equally arrogant in his own way.

While we get a look at 6 of the 7 masters we only see most of the servants being summoned at the end of the episode. Kotomine’s Assassin seems to be the first servant summoned and looks much like True Assassin but is clearly not the same servant. Tokiomi has the King of Attempted Rapists on his side,  Kariya finds himself confronted with a mysterious black knight, and Waver Velvet summons a bear of a red-headed man. El-Melloi’s second place medal of a summon and the person involved with the caster class are still unseen. Kiritsugu on the other hand is the ultimate winner in the game called life with the King of Knights as his ally. Sadly she only appears in the last few seconds of the episode so we will have to wait until next week for more Ayako Kawasumi goodness.

This anime looks gorgeous. Absolutely  gorgeous. It is pretty much OAV quality animation on TV. Studio Deen Fate/Stay Night and the Unlimited Blade Works movie were sometimes good and even on rare occasion eye-catching but more often workmanlike or just plain sloppy.  But ufotable’s work on Fate/Zero is filet mignon compared to the hamburger meat we have been served before. Rich backgrounds, fluid animation, brilliantly realized character designs. My only fear is they cannot keep up this gorgeous level of beauty. This episode was an hour-long but it was mostly people talking to other and reading books. Hardly dynamic fight scenes and thrilling chase sequences. Will time and complexity with hurt later episodes? For now I will hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. I was not super keen on the opening song as it does not really kick into gear until Saber starts to fighter Berserker but the animation was lovely. Curious to see what they pull off with the ending.

If nothing else this Holy Grail war has a much different feel that the one we see in Fate/Stay Night. There are mostly experienced older warriors who are willing to do whatever it takes to make their wishes come to fruition. Also without Shirou running around trying to avoid killing people and only one teenage Master I think some people will have an easier time getting into this series. The Masters this time around have a very gray morality at best unlike the more black and white cast of the original. Also the servants are much more straight forward as opposed to many of the old rule bending servants in the original game. It is time for a very ruthless battle.

It was wise of them to start with an hour-long episode. This was the required setting of the stage and introduction to a majority of the main players. It lets you settle in with the cast so when things start to hit the fan in the next episode you at least have some idea of who is who. I know that some people are going to be turned off by the talking heads nature of this episode but it serves a very important purpose. I myself am all hyped up for the next episode. We have not even seen Saber in a suit riding a motorcycle so the best is yet to come.

Sometimes comedy that has gone completely off the map is the best comedy of all. Saint Young Men follows the misadventures of Jesus and Buddha who have come to Japan and have taken an apartment to get away from their boring lives. If that doesn’t sound like a bizarre one-shot webcomic the internet would make up, then you aren’t well versed enough.

Saint Young Men is absurdist at full-throtle though when looking at manga-ka Hikaru Nakamura’s work on Arakawa Under the Bridge, one knows she’s had a lot of practice. Jesus and Buddha are experiencing the modern world in a new way and they are both kind of spazes for obvious reasons. They also have an odd couple relationship that gets them angry with each other and living together. Exploring the outside world is just as entertaining like when Buddha melodramatically laments that everyone is obsessed with his “fat period” when seeing all the statues about or the fact that when Jesus gets upset his stigmata acts up. This story pushes the limits of comedy combined with religion and the insignificance that worship can play in modern society.

So now I’ve got two wishes, 1) for this to be licensed of course and 2) for it to be turned into a delightful anime.

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Finally a podcast where I get to talk about Fate/Extra CCC for an hour. Oh wait. That would be horrible. So instead I did an appearance on the Eroge Bus podcast with the Digital Bug from Reisen Goes to School by Bus. The main topic is Kara no Shoujo which I already discussed the demo of on the blog but now we talk about the full release from MangaGamer. It is an unusual erotic detective visual novel with a strong emphasis on the player actually solving the mystery. We also discuss visual novel news and upcoming releases in the visual novel world. Also since it is me Type-Moon comes up like 20 times and we discuss Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney. I might also eat up the news that Key’s Rewrite sold way below expectations like sweet candy.

Eroge Bus – Episode 3

I suppose I should have a picture of what I actually spent a bulk of my time talking about.