So as I said we will start with Fate/Stay Night. This is the worst of the 3 I am reviewing now. There were still some parts that were entertaining, but the ending was disappointing and had this whole lead up that was simply illogical and annoying.
The Holy Grail is a magical device that can grant any wish. But it only appears every so often and when it does it chooses 7 people that it believes to be worthy (yes it is sentient). These 7 people are given/summon servants that are legendary heroes from any time period. These servants serve their master either because they share similar ideals/wishes or because their master has 3 command seals that force the servant to do whatever they want against the servants will. This can include killing innocence or stealing something, or even to kill themself. The 7 servants fall into one of the 7 basic classes; Saber, Lancer, Assassin, Rider(as in a cavalry or chariot, etc.), Archer, Caster(mage), and Berserker. These classes are only a basic guideline for the historical heroes. For example archer can wield swords, rider can have physical weapons and almost never use their vehicle of choice.
This show follows Shiro, a teenage boy who accidentally(or unknowingly set up) to become a master. He gains the servant Saber who just happens to be King Arthur(though female, so King Arturia Pendragon). Together they fight others and make deals to work alongside others. Eventually either they or other masters and servants defeat each other and Shiro ends up "collecting" various girls into his mostly empty house. This subsequently turns the show into your average harem anime where multiple girls are around/in love with one teenage boy who doesn't fully understand what love is about, and who he loves in return.
The animation is only okay, especially because it came out in 2006. And at that time there was better animation available. The fights are nice some of the time, but they are far from awe-inspiring. There are some filler episodes that aren't about the Holy Grail War at all. Now I have enjoyed some shows that are harem based or love story based, but I expected this to be exciting fights and intriguing story arches(though this may be because I started with Fate/Zero accidentally). Either way my expectations were dashed within the show.
This is the first of the series that I ended up watching. And 2 episodes in I knew I was going to watch the whole series. This prequel takes place 10 years before the Stay Night series. The whole thing leads up to main series quite well. The animation was great for the series and the fights were exciting and unexpected. There were times where I had no idea how each moment, and especially how each fight would end. The masters varied in skill, tactics, and purpose to such a large degree that I had no idea who would win until near the end.
For the first half of the series it was difficult to actually specify who it followed. This is because the show followed pretty much each master and servant almost equally. Additionally the show mentioned who many of the heroes were in life. Which if you know your history casts some fascinating lights on how the writers decided to use them and their choices. Again we have King Arturia, but we also get Gilgamesh, and Alexander the Great, as well as Blue Beard.
This series has a lot of intrigue and diabolical and even downright terrifying tactics that people use to succeed in their goals. These include blowing up an entire building just to flush out an enemy, cutting of a persons hand to remove their command seals, murdering children and people just for the fun of it, becoming infested with various terrifying insects that breed inside your flesh to protect another from the same fate, and so much more.
This series is an absolutely incredible remake of the original Fate/Stay Night series. The beginning is pretty much the same, but soon shifts into a brand new series with a different and far better ending. The animation for this one implements 3D elements which make the fight scenes completely awe-inspiring. There were times where I was completely stunned by the intensity of what was being shown.
This series took the elements set up from Zero and the original Stay Night to create a new show that became logical and impressively twisting. This one also goes into the dynamic of a hero coming from any time period, which isn't only segregated to the past but the future as well. This series also goes more into the depths of struggle. This series uses the common motif in anime's of the seemingly insignificant person who through nothing but their own determination and spirit overcome great odds.
This show also goes far more into the other character's and their personal lives, as well as their desire from the Holy Grail. We see some more of the connections between the people from the previous war and this one. This includes some being the children of previous masters, the differences in magical power in some individuals to others. And exactly what can occur if someone is an incredibly powerful witch.
This one is the most impressive of these 3 because it it actually utilized the command seals that every master is given. While I like the storyline of Fate/Zero the most, they only use these seals a few times, even though they constantly speak of the importance and power they give. But only a few are ever actually used.
And now to these shows ratings. Fate/Stay Night earns a score of 6 out of 11 for its fall from potential greatness, and the terrible ending. Fate/Zero gets itself a 10 out of 11 for the incredible fights and awesome character plots. And finally Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works] gets itself a 10 out 11 as well. It could have gotten more if it had given more, or at least as much about Medusa as the original Stay Night gave her.
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