Fate/Zero’s script cover illustration for the 25th and final episode has been released – a sketch showcasing the shota and lolis who will go on to shape the world left to them by their ancestors within Fate/Stay Night.
There’s the incompetent, and all too forgettable, male lead who isn’t even worth recognizing – and then there’s three lovely loli characters. Starting from the farthest to the left, there’s the child whom Kariya failed to save, a girl dead on the inside – and beside her, a tsundere onee-chan who at the time of the incident, didn’t think much of abandoning her sister. And lastly, there’s the littlest loli of them all – the girl with parents who practically forgot her in favor of delusions and fantasies which they didn’t even understand.
It’s rather interesting to see the parties who will play the role of significance come the next Holy Grail War – and one of the main reasons for such being that Fate/Zero’s masters are quite diverse, whereas Fate/Stay Night seems to have conveniently settled on such a stereotypical arrangement of highschool harem crew members who all know each other, alongside one elementary schooler for good measure and lolicon pleasure.
Nonetheless, that’s how the story goes – and another sad feature is that Fate/Zero is easily far superior an animation than its chronological sequel, a facet rather unfortunate as the main cause of the quality deterioration is that the studio responsible for Fate/Stay Night simply isn’t on par with Fate/Zero’s lofty and untouchable Ufotable unit.
Amusing as it is, a fitting illustration indeed in every respect – giving quite a fine hint of the awaiting generic harem in the next installment of this continuous Fate, and serving as an amazing showcase of how the standards of the future were foreseen so long ago beforehand by Type-Moon.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 12:02 CDT
An incompetent male lead? Just wait until Heaven’s Feel is animated!!!
(Well, at least he’s not that incompetent in Unlimited Blade Works, but DEEN somehow found a way to butcher his character again…)
Jun 23, 2012 @ 12:16 CDT
“Just wait until Heaven’s Feel is animated!!!”
lololo good one.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 12:40 CDT
The route in which he threw his ideals away?!?!?
I liked shirou the best in UBW, but even then he wasn’t as likable as the other characters……..
Jun 23, 2012 @ 12:46 CDT
I’m playing the Fate Stay Night VN(finally got it, yay!), and I have to disagree entirely on your opinion of Shiro. Still making my way through Fate(10+ hours of playtime and I’m only halfway through? Goddamit!) and Shiro has grown a lot as a character, and will continue to develop even more. I guess being in his point of view and not having episode restrictions helps in really fleshing out EVERYTHING about the story. And I can’t wait to get into Unlimited Blade Works and eventually Heaven’s Feel.
Really though, Kinoko Nasu did great work, and Fate Stay Night was constructed as a VN and had to include stuff like a harem and erotic scenes even though the story doesn’t need them. Fate Zero on the other hand is just a light novel, written by the demented Urubochi Gen, the mastermind behind Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 12:48 CDT
Your reasons for disagreeing work if the subject here were the Fate/Stay Night visual novel – which it’s not, it’s the animation.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 13:04 CDT
What I am trying to say(and failing, I guess) is that most of FSN’s flaws come from the original medium being a VN. The basic story doesn’t need a lot of the ‘stereotypical highschool harem’ stuff and could work with a different setting and cast.
And yes, the animation studio does pale in comparison to ufotable. But it’s hard not to.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 13:27 CDT
Also, I just disagree with your opinion on Shiro as a character. I haven’t watched FSN anime in years, so I don’t remember how well he was treated in the anime. But I assure you VN Shiro is way better.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 13:29 CDT
Well, as I mentioned:
“But I assure you VN Shiro is way better.”
That’s good for him – but the topic in reference to the article is the animation.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 16:52 CDT
Your problem is to take into consideration the animation in the first place. Fate/Zero is a prequel LN in the first place the same as Fate/stay night is a VN.
Fate/stay night by DEEN is just a mediocre adaptation not worthy of the original story. Now we can pray that ufotable remakes it or adapts the final route (the only one without adaptation so far and the one with stronger ties to Fate/Zero).
Jun 23, 2012 @ 18:54 CDT
“Your problem is to take into consideration the animation in the first place. Fate/Zero is a prequel LN in the first place the same as Fate/stay night is a VN.”
This script wasn’t drawn for the visual novel, was it? So it seems that’s “Your problem”.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 13:31 CDT
In which he wasn’t a very good protagonist, yes ^_^; .
Jun 23, 2012 @ 12:55 CDT
“There’s the incompetent, and all too forgettable, male lead who isn’t even worth recognizing – and then there’s three lovely loli characters.”
Shirou is not exactly incompetent, though I’m not gonna repeat what the above user already said, but he still annoys the hell out of me like few characters can do. That said… How can you dismiss that little kid’s cuteness like that? Shota Shirou is damn cute!^^
Anyway, I want that illustration so badly. I find it to be so well drawn, and the characters’ faces really portray their circumstances, emotions and personality. The best script cover so far, imo.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 19:59 CDT
It can’t be helped when the studio had another half a decade to improve on the art and character development.
Considering how Shiro was probably the only male protagonist, and Archer is well…you know… :3 there wasn’t a lot of room for him to move into a likeable character imo. He could change but he’s damn depressing :3
But generally everything’s cuter when drawn 5/6 years younger when they’re 5/6 years older. Couldn’t think of a way to express the pun so I wont bother :3
Jun 23, 2012 @ 23:05 CDT
He was made to be a loser in other words.
Jun 24, 2012 @ 1:57 CDT
Hum… That would make some sense as a reply to my comment on another of these Fate/Zero posts, but here I said nothing about studios or character developments or art (animation, I mean – I commented the art, but only the script cover).
I don’t think Shirou is a bad character, he just annoys me. It’s personal taste.
I agree with your last point though, since there’s no way one can escape an absolute truth xD
Jun 23, 2012 @ 20:21 CDT
I agree with you, Shirou sucks…definitely
Jun 24, 2012 @ 4:44 CDT
Shirou is a loser in the animation…and also in the UBW movie …mostly…but in VN he is different also in the fate route..and he does kick some serious butt in the Heaven’s Feel and UBW route…so well i wont exactly refer to him as incompetent