Review for Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Introduction

If you want to place bets on the success or failure of an anime, don’t ask me for advice. I can’t for the life of me figure out why certain shows hit big, while others, usually the ones that I love, fall flat. I reviewed the original Fate/Stay Night series when it was released here by MVM three years ago, and found it to be an enjoyable, if rather run of the mill, swords and sorcery action show. The only stand out aspect of it seemed to be a bit of sexiness from its Type-Moon credentials, and a whole lot of tie-in opportunities when it came to cosplay and figurines. Actually that might explain a whole lot, as recently we’ve had the Fate Zero series streamed to the world, and it’s been licensed for UK release by MVM. Back in 2010, the original Fate/Stay Night series also got a spin-off theatrical feature as well, that promised to adapt the same story.


Actually, not exactly the same story, as Fate/Stay Night is an anime that was adapted from a visual novel, the computer game equivalent of a choose your own adventure, and a medium that is quite popular in Japan. The story we got in the series was one possible path through the game. Unlimited Blade Works was the special move of the Archer character in the anime, and it’s also another path through the game. When the feature film was made, it adapted the Unlimited Blade Works path of the game instead simply summarising the anime series. So we have the same characters, the same plot, and the same setting, but the ending of this story plays out wholly differently. While the series have been licensed by MVM, the feature film has instead fallen to Manga Entertainment, and they are releasing it on DVD and Blu-ray, although I only received the DVD to review.


Ten years previously, a secret war over the possession of the Holy Grail raged between mages and the powerful servants they had summoned. It was a conflict that laid waste to Fuyuki City, and the sole survivor, Shirou was rescued by a mage and adopted as a son. Shirou Emiya has an instinctive rapport with machines, and can sense how things are supposed to fit together, but before his father died, he was told that he had no magical talent at all. Having inherited the Emiya estate, he now lives alone, and goes to high school in New Fuyuki, but his past has left a mark on him. His ambition is to help people, and become a champion of justice. He's unprepared for the havoc that is to come. New Fuyuki will be the battleground for a new Holy Grail War, as seven mages will draw forth their servants and clash. He's also unprepared for the fact that he will be one of the mages, and he's totally unready for summoning the most powerful servant of them all, a cute girl named Saber. Now it's up to him to prevent the destruction that previously devastated his home.

Picture

The image on this disc is a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer in native PAL format. The image is clear and sharp throughout, with strong and warm colours. There is a smidge of compression during the more frenetic action sequences, but what you’ll probably notice ahead of that will be the digital banding. The character designs are recognisable from the TV series, if a tad more detailed. What really is impressive is the complexity, energy and vibrancy of the animation. The action sequences here are sublime, and compared to the TV series, it’s as if the film takes place in a different world altogether.

Sound

You have the choice between DD 5.1 Surround in English and Japanese, with optional translated English subtitles and a signs only track. I sampled the dub long enough to note that it was comparable to what I remember of the series, although the part of Saber has been recast for the movie. Otherwise Sentai did an admirable job of retaining the original Geneon cast for the show. I opted to watch the show in Japanese as usual, and was pleasantly surprised with the surround treatment given to the action sequences, as well as the big orchestral soundtrack. It really does sound like a feature film rather than just an up-scaled TV show. The volume for the Japanese audio was a little low, something that is easily remedied, but the one problem is that the film has a very poorly placed layer change. It’s as if since the invention of the Blu-ray, publishers have stopped taking care with their DVD authoring, and I didn’t appreciate the film freezing for half a second in the middle of a sword slash. The subtitles are accurately timed, and are free of typographical error.

Extras

The one advantage that the DVD has over the Blu-ray is in terms of extras. Sentai released the film as vanilla discs on both Blu-ray and DVD in the US. Manga have ported the US Blu-ray for UK Region B release, but as always they went to Australia for the PAL master for the DVD. Madman Entertainment, who only released the film on DVD in Australia, managed to find some extras for their release.

But before you get too excited, the extras amount to 11 minutes of trailers for the film, Blu-ray and DVD Promo Videos, Theatrical Trailer, Theatrical Teaser, Theatrical TV Spots, TVCs and another Promo Video.

The film is presented with a static menu, and the disc has a jacket picture to look at in compatible players. The film also concludes with a translated English language credit scroll.

Conclusion

Cramming 24 or so episodes of story into a 100 minute movie never works. I wasn’t expecting good things from Unlimited Blade Works, and for the first half of the movie, I got exactly what I expected. Sure, the animation is tremendous, the action sequences sublime, but the first half of the movie is little more than highlights from the TV series. What’s more is that the scenes are presented one after the other, often with the connecting tissue of narrative left out. One scene will end with the characters bruised and bloody, deciding what to do next, the next scene will show them healed up, wearing clean clothes, in the middle of doing what they previously decided. This approach to storytelling continues through the film, even when the story diverges from the TV series.


I cheated up above, and lifted the series synopsis and pasted it as the movie synopsis. It is after all the same story, just told differently, but a lot of what I’ve written in that synopsis is never really made clear in the movie. It assumes that you know this stuff. And this is Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works’ biggest failing. It isn’t for the newcomer to the franchise. It needs you to have seen the television series at least, and to get the most out of it, played the visual novel as well. I’ve only seen the television series, so I at least was aware of the context of what was going on, but anyone else will be totally out of their depth with this film.


So halfway through the film, I was seriously contemplating ejecting the disc and writing a quick and dismissive review. But then the story diverges from the anime storyline, and that makes all the difference. It is signposted early on in the highlights, with the film focusing more on the antagonistic triangle between Shirou, Rin and Archer, and sidelining the Shirou Saber relationship that was at the heart of the television series. Sorry Saber fans, but this movie isn’t for you. One of the interesting aspects of the TV series was the prickly but oddly supportive relationship that developed between Archer and Shirou. In the film, it’s this relationship that drives the narrative. The focus of the film’s storyline is on that most absurd of ambitions that Shirou harbours, the desire to become a champion of justice. This film actually looks at the consequences of that wish, and what it will truly mean for Shirou.


It was annoying in the TV series, but by resolving it in the movie, it actually makes Shirou’s character a lot more relatable, and it lifts the enigma on Archer’s character as well. To say the truth was unexpected is an understatement, but I do now have the urge to watch the television series again with that little bit of info in mind to see if it adds more to the story. The movie does it all faster and with more intensity. The action sequences are brilliant, the animation astounding, and the music score truly epic, but it sacrifices character development and a degree of narrative to get everything into 100 minutes. Let’s face it, this is a film for fans of the series only, but if you do own Fate/Stay Night, you’re going to love this film, and its alternate telling of the story.