Pray the judge does not alter the rules any further.
What They Say:
Ten years prior to the events of FATE/STAY NIGHT, the War of the Holy Grail is a contest in which seven magi summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete to obtain the power of the “Holy Grail,” which grants a miracle. After three inconclusive wars for the elusive Holy Grail, the Fourth War commences.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the decision of the judge of the Holy Grail War to focus on Caster and the problems he brings to the war by spending his time abducting children, the stakes have certainly changed for the moment. While the greater War is ongoing to be sure, there’s real opportunity to be had to join in this new endeavour as the judge will grant the person who takes down Caster an additional Command Seal that comes from fallen Masters of past Grail Wars. It’s a curious prize and one that is certainly appealing, but there’s also that sense of unease about it because of what it represents. Can the seal of one who has fallen be used to become a tool for victory in this Holy Grail War?
While there is this serious edge, and that filled up most of the last episode, we do get some humor here as well. The sequence involving Rider and Waver is absolutely priceless as Rider has acquired a new shirt with the whole map of the world on it which he feels is appropriate in so many ways. So he figure that with modern clothes on, he can go and explore the world without problem. Waver, of course, dislikes this idea intensely and refuses to let him go. Especially without pants. Which Rider questions if they’re truly needed to conquer the world. The two have a great little back and forth about it, and the need one has for pants and its lack of impact on conquering the world. While most of the Masters and even most of the Servants are deadly serious and intense, there’s a lot to like about this pair and what they bring to the table with their personalities.
A good portion of the episode is given over to the encounter with Gilles, though so far it’s only Saber that has found him and it doesn’t work out in a very good way. There’s a proper amount of creepiness to it that is definitely in the feeling that should be created from Gilles and even Saber seems taken aback by it when it introduces the children into the game and how he abuses and uses them. It works very well as it’s pretty atmospheric and uses a solid sense of color and design for what Gilles is capable of, making him seem even more off balance than we already thought. Combine this with the bigger move made towards the end here with Kayneth being sought after in relation to the appearance of a new device in the game and it’s building up to what should be a pretty intense episode next time around.
In Summary:
While it continues with the setup that began in the previous episode, it offers some clear cut directions this time around when it comes to Gilles. I liked seeing the definitive action begin taken to stop someone who isn’t playing according to the rules rather than let them get away with it, and I like how nuts in a strangely controlled way Gilles comes off as. Having Saber going up against him first is spot on since there’s definitely something there. But I also really liked the smaller moments that are included here, particularly between Waver and Rider as the two just have some great times together. You have to love Rider’s big moments and how he views the world and how Waver tries to keep him in check. There’s a lot going on in this episode, nothing that really comes to a conclusion, but it moves things forward both with the main story and the Gilles subplot, keeping a lot of people happy with the characters involved.
Grade: B
Readers Rating: [ratings]
Streamed By: Nico Nico
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
