Fate/Zero

This anime is fantastic. The most amazing thing about it (especially in the second season) is its unflinching attitude to the darker themes - some scenes will shock you, others will make you cry, and all of them are fantastic. Just when you are about to predict the story it will smack you across the face and tell you to try again. When you know that almost 95% of all the characters can either die or get some seriously messed up treatment, it makes for some of the most tense TV moments... ever.

The characters are generally good. You'll find yourself picking sides and favourites very early on due to the nature of the show. The show presents all sides, all characters and their motivations while managing to keep the some huge story elements secret until they are revealed - that's good writing and it engages the audience.

Animation is literally eye candy. I don't normally enjoy CGI effects, but this show perfectly marries 3D and 2D animation into one. The production values of this show are amazing and I applaud the animators and artists for not taking a half assed approach to some scenes while giving special treatment to others. The OST is used well and the sound is very nicely done.

Overall, 9/10. The 1 deducted was due to the story maybe introducing a little too much characters early on, making it fairly hard to keep track of in the first few episodes.

I've watched a lot of anime in my 35 years on this Earth. Recently I've been binge-watching series after series. I've seen some ones that I have truly loved, and others that were excellent.

I find this anime different from those. Firstly, the script is astounding. The way it has been translated into English is fantastic, and the depth of the philosophical conversations, and the concepts and trains of thought therein, are highly intellectual. This adds massively to the richness of the characters, in what could otherwise be considered as a kind of swords and sorcery story.

The different characters from history concept made me dubious before they appeared, but they are done in such a unique way and so unexpectedly; that again it adds to the depth of the story. The voices are marvellous in some instances.

This animation is engrossing and fun, with a story that does not feel episodic. I rate it very highly. It's better than Stein's Gate, and on par with Parasyte: The Maxim and Elfen Lied.

As an on the go anime fan, this series is amazing so far. Acting as a prequel to the amusing Fate/Stay Night series, this show is AWESOME.

For those who haven't seen Fate/Stay night yet, and are watching this series, be patient. I made the mistake of finishing the Fate/Stay series straight after watching the first few episodes, and there are a hell lot of spoilers. For those who've seen Night, and you want to know how it started, this prequel is on a whole different level from the fun and interesting Night. The animation is strong, the characters deep and interesting, the plot thick and tied down, and most importantly weird and random comic scenes are placed in a way that make watching this show even more enjoyable.

So in a nutshell, this can easily go up on your list as one of your favorite anime so far, and if you watch this show I know that you'll find this a fun and enjoyable experience.

This is a good example of how great anime can be. The plot is very well done and only gets better as the show progresses, showing development in the characters as the conflict continues. Each character is given a good deal of screen time and development, and there is a lack of a main character, which makes it all the more interesting. The show also questions many things noted as honorable and questions them, such as what it truly means to be a hero and if honor is truly selfless. Fate/Zero also spared no expense on the animation, each movement flows beautifully, and the action is truly something to behold, with a fantastic musical score as well. In short, this show is very well done and has an excellent story, with amazing action sequences and beautiful music. I cannot praise Fate/Zero enough, you're doing yourself a a big disservice by not watching this, however, it does contain some very bloody scenes and gas very dark subjects and disturbing characters, if you do not enjoy dark stories, you may not be able to enjoy this show, if you can look past this, you are sure to enjoy.

Being a prequel to Fate/Stay night, which I happen to really like, it was a great experience to see what happened in the events mentioned a lot in Fate/stay night.

Fate zero is serious, brutal, unapologetic and mature. It is a character driven and dialogue heavy anime.

Story is good. I like the whole holy grail war scenario and the idea of using past great heroes to fight in them. Storytelling is AWESOME. There are lots and lots of characters in this anime and it manages to give everyone a fair share of screen time and great character development. Each character is complex, varied and distinct. This is where this anime truly shines. The relationship between the Masters and the servants is great and is distinct as well. Some are easy, some are complex, some are downright weird. The dialogue in it is also really great, and there is a lot of it. Every movie a character makes is a calculated one. There are no pointless fights or stupid decisions. It really goes to show how mature this anime is. The protagonist especially, is really clever and plans out everything with perfection. It, at times, gives Baccano and Death note a run for their money. There is some humour in this anime, although all of it comes from Rider and his master's conversations and scenes. The way they handled them was one of my favourite things in the anime, loved it.

Animations/art is without a doubt the best I have seen so far in an anime series. Everything is so detailed, beautiful and fluid. There is a lot of CGI too. Normally, I hate CGI in animes but here, they managed to blend it almost perfectly. On very few occasions did it felt out of place. Watching this anime in HD really just melt your eyes, ITS SO PRETTY!!

Soundtrack is amazing as well. From epic battle music too moving sad moments, it has it all.

The anime is not perfect however. I really wished there were some more dialogue moments between Saber and Kritsigu other than that one epic one. Would have loved if there was more development between them. Also, there aren't many fight scenes in this anime. I get the reason behind it as its a more mature anime, pointless fighting was not gonna be in it. But still, epic ones are few and far between. Would have loved to see some of the characters go all out against one another especially in the quality of its animation.

Overall, it is a great, epic anime which you don't get to see a lot. Its maturity is what sets it apart from other animes like it. It is certainly one of the best anime I have seen in a while and perhaps of all time.

Compared to FS, FZ is way way better. Fate/Stay night is like a younger, annoying, often playful brother. Fate Zero is the older, serious, mature, awesome and somewhat dark brother.

Highly recommended. 9.5/10