Sure, the player gets that, but the characters in each route don't get the benefits of that meta-knowledge. Shiro still doesn't know anything about Saber's past or anything at the point I'm at in UBW, for example.

 

That's not necessarily a bad thing. It would make for a bloated, confusing mess if they tried (see DEEN's version for a good example of that).

 

The routes do tend to build on each other, but Heaven's Feel is a little different in one regard. So your opinion might change a little, maybe.

 

I still have yet to finish Heaven's Feel. I really, really want to, but every time I try I just get bogged down eventually. =/

Also wish there was some official English version I could buy, but I don't think I've ever managed to find one.

 

I know how you feel. When I was going through the Heaven's Feel arc, I had to force myself through the last 1/4 of it probably, I knew that if I stopped I would probably never start again.

Definitely wasn't my favourite. I actually really enjoyed the Fate route, UBW was the best though, as everyone says.

 

Wasn't really satisfied with the episode. I remember Kirei destroying Shirou with the "rejoice" part and here it just seemed tacked on and rushed.

And a whole episode of Shirou just reacting really annoying to stuff was meh.

Rin was amusing, but the butt focus fanservice just jarring.

Overall, a disappointing episode, at least to me. Here's to hoping things will improve once again. The two 40 min episodes were rather good, so, have hopes.

Next episode is the Berserker fight, so, at the very least the fight scenes should be gorgeous.

 

Yeah, that was just stupid.

You can tell they are saving their money. Plenty of still shots with minimal movement from the characters, and when more than one is doing something onscreen they are rarely in action at the same time. I like that they are still using actions to convey personality, and are able to do so with minimal animation. Good on them.

 

That exchange seemed to have more importance in the Fate route. I don't remember it being brought up much in UBW (though I'm kind of speeding through some parts); probably because he gets a lot more shit from Archer and Kirei is downplayed.

EDIT: All right, finished Unlimited Blade Works.

Spoiler

PROS: Archer, Rin and Caster, as well as some other characters like Lancer and to a degree Shinji, are much more fleshed out. Shiro gets more examination as a character, and his powers are explained in more detail. Gilgamesh felt better utilized than in Fate. The action's better too.

CONS: Rider, Ilyasviel and Kirei's deaths were way too anticlimactic. Characters still just disappear from the story completely as in Fate. Saber got no development at all. The romance with Rin could've been done better, though I think I like her and Shiro better than Shiro and Saber. Assassin was still pretty useless. And viewing it as a sequel to Fate/Zero, having Caster be the main enemy for the first half again, even if it was a completely different character than F/Z's Caster, was a bit boring. And important things from Fate/Zero like the whole thing with Sakura and Ilyasviel being Kiritsugu's daughter still aren't mentioned at all.

*I know Sakura's the focus of Heaven's Feel, but it's still jarring for her to completely disappear from the story halfway through in the other two routes.

TL;DR, better than Fate it most regards, but I stand by what I said before in that it still feels like an incomplete story.

I've started Heaven's Feel now so I guess we'll see if this one strikes gold.

 

Agh, fanservice bothers me so much lately. If you're going to do it, at least try to put a little effort into being subtle. It feels like anime are just going "Look, a butt! Fucking enjoy it!" while I'd rather have the effort put into a fight scene or something. Maybe some story, if I was being really bold.

 

Mild possible spoilers, so feel free to read this after you're done with everything.

Spoiler

To be fair Fate/stay came first. I think the fact Sakura and Ilya are glossed over in the first two routes is part of the point. Not to say it's the best way it could have been done, but it is something.

Sakura's circumstances were meant to be a shock when you finally came around to HF. But since you've seen zero that might not happen as intended. I'll talk more in depth later when you're finished. Assuming I feel like it, of course.

EDIT: For spoiler reasons.

 

Regarding the incongruous appearances of Servants with times, Servants' appearances aren't necessarily that of what they were in life. They're a combination of that and how their legends were perceived, just like their Noble Phantasms.

I'm not saying I can explain what combination of factors resulted in all Lancers getting jumpsuits, but we can all agree that Saber wearing a dress wouldn't make sense in Camelot, where she was always hiding the fact that she was female.

I am fairly sure this is canon, but even if it wasn't it'd be a decent head canon.

Don't fret the outfits.

Instead. Consider this - if Rider has sex in the cowgirl position, does it improve the Parameters of the one she's riding automatically? Or does her partner need to call her Mistress before it's established that she's in control of the vehicle?

These are the important questions, people.

 

I'd rather complain about those dolphins, to be honest.

 

I loved the first two episodes the character introduction was very well done imo.
I just saw the third episode and thought it fulfilled it's purpose very well, the explanation of the grail system was simple and clear.
Finally the music and the visuals are just gorgeous this must truly be "Unlimited Budget Works"
All in all I'm enjoying it a lot as they are making an adaptation of my favorite route.

 

Something I noticed: Saber comes right out and says she remembers the last time she was summoned. Shouldn't Rin know this is impossible?

 

Kirei said in the same episode that the HGW had differences in each War, so, I'd guess the whole summoning Servants thing is more of a loose science. It involves miracles, after all, so, there is really no such thing as impossible involved.

Unexpected, maybe, but nothing impossible.

 

Err, what? No, it shouldn't be like that at all. Servant's are copies summoned from the Throne of Heroes. Every time they gt summoned, they summon a new, completely separate copy. It's how the system works. The only reason Saber is different is because

Spoiler

she made a pact with Gaia.

Also, never believe Kirei. He's a dirty, dirty liar.

 

I know, but that's because we have meta knowledge and WOG. As far as they know, a Servant remembering past summons isn't that weird. I mean, Archer claims he remembers nothing and Rin believed him.

For all Rin knows, the copies retain the knowledge they gained in past summons. It's not like Rin is an expert on this, as she only really knows what her father told her and what Kirei told her, who, as you say, is not exactly the most reliable person.

 

Hrmm, true enough, I suppose.