*Reading the novel* This ought to be good~

 

They did everything right about Rider but for one thing, it is a shame the thing they messed up was huge. The very start when he is summoned, asking Waver if he wishes to be a Tyrant because there can not be two Tyrants ruling the world. This ended up being for me what undertones everything he does in the series. Just having him do the same things without that makes him feel, WOW AWESOME!!!1! without any deeper meanings.

 

So I just finished the novel. Was pretty good. I read the Baka-Tsuki translation, and to be honest, I felt like it left much to desire for. It took quite a bit to get used to the style that kept shifting, and it definitely felt raw fan-work. Still, I'm not regretting it. The novel definitely gave me some in-depth perspective for every character.

What I like about the Zero anime adaption is that it follows the original material almost religiously. Yeah, the novel gives more background story and motives, but basically everything that happens also happens in the anime. Very cool. My opinion of several characters also changed - I feel like I understand Kiritsugu much better, now. Hisau, too, makes SO much more sense now.

Spoilers about further content ahead ;D

Spoiler

Waver became my most disliked character, actually, but his final acts - becoming Rider's servant - were really, really good. It felt so fitting for him. Lancer's end was unexpected, but appropriately twisted. I liked it.

The anime just had to cut off at one of the most intense fights of the series - I can't wait for Gilga vs. Lancelot! I don't really like Servants using modern technology too much, but possessing a fighter like that is pretty cool.

Kirei is fucking awesome. I love that guy and his twisted desire. The way Zero ended was, to me, very satisfying - mostly everyone in despair, heh. Much more serious and delightful than the boy-meets-girl Stay Night story. Except Sakura route. That stuff was... *wiggle wiggle* yeah.

Everyone just bullied Saber around too ;D Make me want to replay Stay Night Saber route just to see some sweet loving.

All in all, I think I enjoyed the anime more, since it's just so well done and the novel translation wasn't that good, but I definitely liked the novel too, especially the parts that I didn't already know about.

 

I think this is one of those stories that suits being an anime more, since a large amount of it is fight scenes that probably don't translate as well to novels.

Take the fight in episode 14. I just can't see how that would've been nearly as epic in written word. You do get more background and all that i guess, so I might go read it after.

Plus, the music, the voice actors and animation do a good job at getting across how insanely badass just about every character is.

 

Except for Emiya and Tokiomi. Those two are douchebags.

 

Even they're badass in their douchebaggery. Hell, Tokiomi can do a passable impression of magically powered flight, if that last episode is anything to go by.

 

See, that is my issue with the anime. While the animation itself is good, so many things are stupid and random in the anime without knowing about the novel.

 

Eh, I'll give him credit for becoming a strong magus through sheer hard work. He's not a genius like his daughter, probably somewhere on the other end of the pole actually, and yet he managed to be a credible peer.

But his fight with Kariya would hardly be called a good example of his skills. He inherited the family crest and has had a lifetime worth of training. Kariya is a half-dead bum who got only a year's worth of shoddy training and circuits that kill him more every time he uses it. There's no way he would lose that fight.

 

When I first watched the anime, it didn't bother me THAT much, but now that I've read the novel and look back at the anime, I have to agree to some point - some scenes, like Hisau kissing Kiritsugu, will just be misunderstood by the watcher. And some scenes, like Kiritsugu bitching and flipping out, will be just shallow. Still, it's hard to show you all those complex backgrounds in an anime without making it "boring". In written text, it's fine, but you never see anything as in-depth in anime. All in all, I consider the anime adaption to still be damn enjoyable.

Any reasonable magus can do that, actually ;D

Yeah, I really like Tokiomi too, the whole "elegant and refined aristocrat" does it for me, and he's a fairly well-balanced as a person, too. Too bad he got Gilga as a Servant, really too much for him =p

 

Yeah, last two episodes have been the first time I've actually thought of Tokiomi as somewhat of a badass in the same league as the other masters. I think the fact he pretty much spent all of first season trying to kiss Gilgamesh's ass and hide away in his home made him seem pretty dull. As you say Clerith, if he had gotten a weaker servant, he'd probably have had more of a chance to shine personally so far.

Also is it just me or have they completely upped the 'animation visuals/special effects' budget of the second season. They're insane! Even higher quality than UBW and that was a movie.

First season must've been successful.

 

The second season's started already?

 

He was kissing ass because he couldn't afford not to. Gilgamesh is an Archer class with a ridiculously high "Independent Action" skill. He can basically ignore Tokiomi and nothing would happen to him for a long time. The only way to actually get him to do anything then is to grovel and hope he accepts it.

And like I said, Tokiomi is about as "badass" as any accomplished magus. If he were fighting a healthy Archibald, then I might actually be interested in him. But he's fighting Kariya of all people. There's no way any half-decent magus would lose to Kariya and therefore, his fight is stupid and time-consuming.

It's just you.

 

Nope. Tokiomi is a completely below average magus who gets by with acting better than his is and his powerful family name.

 

The Beserker fighter jet vs. Gilgamesh's aircraft scenes was fucking awesome. Gilgamesh as far as I could tell wasn't even strapped in his throne seat and he was going upside down and firing off Noble Phantasms as missiles like it ain't no thang. Can't wait for the next one.

Tokiomi comes off as a douche in 14 with his explanation of giving Sakura to Zouken. I imagine he doesn't know what he exactly put her through but his follow up speech of pitting his 2 kids together and painting himself as a good guy/magus makes me want to uppercut him right in the dick.

And I can somewhat understand Kiritsugu and his actions but he's just...bland. Like he has no character to him or when he does he kinda comes off as an asshole. Hard to believe Irisviel loves him and has a kid with him.

 

Magnetically charged throne meets metal posterior. :awesome

 

Love how Irisviel goes in the new opening :awesome

Oh, and Saber finally using Excalibur? I got fucking chills. <3

 

So I'm not sure whether I preferred Kiritsurugi as the most dull character of the show, or what he is now, the biggest arsehole in the show.

I guess it does show you what we were told about him - the Magus Killer who holds no qualms about doing just about anything to fulfill his objectives, no matter how distasteful they may be.

I was quite happy to see how angry even Iri was over the whole thing.

 

I remembered that I haven't checked Fate/Zero in a while so I went and saw the recent episodes.

Kiritsurugi is probably the biggest asshole I've seen on any anime series to date. It sucks even worse when you know the Fate/Stay Night storyline and know he doesn't get much of a comeuppance until later and passes his shitty idea of a Hero to Shirou, who I personally cannot stand. Not to mention his affair with Maiya which comes off more assholeish. It was somewhat relieving to see Irisviel try to call him on his shit and then Saber managing to get a reaction out of him via him wanting to be a Hero.

Lancer's death sucked on account of his being screwed over by his Master and believing that Saber only played at the honor duel. His rant at the end was awesome due to him pretty much unknowingly calling on things to come with the Grail. Also, his eyes were pretty cool/odd at the end.

Kotomine coming out of his shell is something that I look forward to. But mostly I love Kirei at episode 17 due to him being responsible for Tokiomi's expressions.

I couldn't stop laughing at the faces Tokiomi kept on making. It seemed so out of place that I couldn't see the drama and kept on thinking of what the faces reminded me of. Or the reactions to warrant it.

 

I still think anyone that calls Kiritsurugi an asshole or anything like that is completely missing the point about his character.

Also, what god damn affair? This is why I dislike the anime on many points.

 

True that. He comes off pretty hard as an asshole in the anime, though. Again, gotta agree with your point about the anime having cool action but pissing on the story. But yeah, with Kiritsugu, you really gotta know his history and mind in the novel to really get him.

Also, affair with Maya? No. And even if he did, he'd be completely justified, imo. Sure, I was indignant, the first time I saw him kiss Maya in the anime. It did look like an affair. But reading the novel, where they actually explained her background and circumstances, it was all right.

It's a cold, hard fact that Irisviel is merely a homunculus. Using Kiritsugu's sperm to artificially conceive a child was part of the deal he made with the Einzberns. She will also "die" once the Grail War is finished. Maya is Kiritsugu's apprentice and lover for years before that. Kiritsugu also saved her life from terrible circumstances, and she became pretty much wholly devoted to him after that.