Anime Review | Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works Part Two (Lights, Camera, Action!) Page 1

Anime Review | Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works Part Two (Lights, Camera, Action!)

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works Part 2 (UK Rating: 15)

Fate is a series well loved by otaku and Cubed3, alike - it's been in Cubed3's Top 10 Anime of 2015 and the first part received a coveted 9/10 rating when MVM brought it to British shores in April. Now that the end of the story is here, how can it improve on the original stream, and can it keep up the quality from Part One? This release from MVM is hitting British shores on 25th July, containing the final 13 episodes of the series in both English and Japanese, along with clean opening and closing, plus some promotional videos and trailers for upcoming titles.

Things didn't go particularly well for Shiro over the first part of Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works. Thrown into a world he was never prepared for, he was seemingly in danger from all sides, even from those he thought were his friends… The safest option for him would have been to give up his status as a master and to hide out the war, but knowing people would be hurt and that he could make a difference meant he had no real option at all. His strong sense of justice and desire to protect everyone forced him to return to the war, even without Saber at his side. These ideals and beliefs are severely put to the test in this finale, especially when compared to the conflicting beliefs of Archer.

The storytelling is superb, managing to balance action, drama, romance, and comedy into an astounding final product. Each of the major characters is given satisfying story arcs in which they develop along with detailed back-stories to help explain their motivations. The relationship between Shiro and Rin, in particular, is extremely well done. Rin is a strong and independent woman and while a tsundere she never feels like a cliché, while Shiro's feelings for her are evident throughout. Even the most adamant Shiro/Saber shippers will find it hard to not root for this pairing.

Ufotable continues its spectacular design and animation throughout this finale, with some of the slickest and most dynamic fight scenes in recent memory. These fights come in many different types but each is a joy to watch. The melee and physical combat is filled with striking fight choreography and editing that puts movie blockbusters to shame. The magic duels make for breathtaking and beautiful scenes as magical circles and seals carve paths of iridescence across the screen.

As with the first part, this is by far the quintessential release for the series. The localisation, in particular, is superb, with translations that stay true to the original, while also using appropriate English terms and not falling into the habit of using current slang to make it seem dated when seen in the future. The dub is fantastic, too, with the voice actors putting out solid performances all around.

9/10

Exceptional - Gold Award

Fate Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works Part Two is a superb conclusion to a phenomenal series. An astounding amount of anime series is released each year, and very few standout, with even fewer still being remembered in the following years. This is one that will be, though. Standing beside series like Attack on Titan, Madoka, Psycho Pass, and others, this exemplifies some of the very best of anime and should be on every otaku's watch list.

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Snowtwo 26.07.2016#1

I remember seeing this. VERY good show. Very much loved it. One thing I dislike about it, and an inherent flaw in the series, is that it only follows one of the three paths resulting in stunted/underwhelming characters (such as Rider). It would probably have been better if they had made their own anime-specific timeline but, hey, the dude can write regardless.