July 8th, 2009 
AstroNerdBoy フェイト／ステイナイト Ep 23
Fate/stay night episode 23
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Shirou and Saber return home to find that Kotomine has not only kidnapped Ilya, but has given Rin a severe and bloody beating. Saber tends to Rin’s wounds as best she can while Rin weakly gives Shirou some advice. She figures that Kotomine is at Ryudouji since that’s the best place to summon the Holy Grail. She also reveals that Ilya was designed to be the element that brings forth the Holy Grail, being a magic circuit formed into a human. She gives Shiro her Azoth dagger, which contains some of her mana. She then tells Shirou that when she wakes up that he better not have lost or she’ll never forgive him.
Shirou has Saber take the scabbard from his body before they head to Ryudouji where Shirou has a moment where he considers bailing out and trying to find a means to keep Saber alive. However, he soon resolves to do what must be done — he will take on Kotomine while Saber deals with Gilgamesh. Reaching the top of Ryudouji, Gilgamesh is waiting for them and tells Shirou to go to Kotomine. Gilgamesh has all sorts of nasty plans for Saber once he defeats her. They battle with Saber ultimately coming out on the short end of the stick.
Shirou finds Kotomine as well as a naked Ilya and a bunch of black goo oozing from the thing she is suspended from. Shirou attempts to attack but is stopped when the goo comes at him at stops him. Kotomine talks about his dislike of Emiya Kiritsugu, the war 10-years ago, and how that the Holy Grail has never been properly summoned. Kiritsugu had thought that by destroying the Grail in the last war, things would end but this was not the truth. Ilya will bring forth the Grail and Kotomine will have his wish granted. As such, Kotomine takes a bunch of the evil black goo and uses it to encase 
Shirou.
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh taunts Saber, citing how Shirou failed to defeat Kotomine. She rejects this idea since she still feels her connection to Shirou. Gilgamesh has her by the ankle for more taunting but gets a kick in the face which frees Saber. He’s had enough and decides to take her out for good. Saber braces and gets ready as Gilgamesh attacks.
Thoughts/Review:
As usual for this series, the episode just flew by. ^_^
Rin took such a bloody beating, I can’t help but wonder if she died. I know she could have used some healing magic on herself, but as bad as she looked combined with the “going to sleep” remark, I just wonder.
Shirou finally lets Saber do her thing without trying to protect her from harm, which is a nice touch though not unexpected 
with the series wrapping up. During Shirou’s confrontation with Kotomine, I kept thinking, “where’s the Azoth dagger?” One would think Shirou would use it but then I’m guessing that it will be used to get Shirou out of the trap he’s currently in.
What surprised me during Kotomine’s exposition was that no previous Holy Grail had actually been properly summoned and used. So I guess that means that if the Holy Grail is properly 
summoned this time, that’s it? No more war?
As to Ilya being connected with the Holy Grail, that was telegraphed last episode. Thankfully there is that great information from Garrik. ^_^
Both Shirou’s and Saber’s battles went pretty much as expected — the heroes and heroines have to experience the darkest time before the dawn. ^_^
So, another enjoyable episode and I look forward to the final episode.
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Rin!!! T-T Sleep well. You’ve earned your rest. ;_;
Kotomine is a dangerous, dangerous man. Ever since he was young, he tried to do what was right. However, he could not find joy in doing good, but only in committing sins. Desperate to find solace, he married a woman who loved him. She even bore him a child (a daughter). Even then, the woman’s love could not change him and he wanted to die. His wife, who was terminally ill anyway, killed herself to show him that he could feel concern. But Kirei only discovered that he wished he could have killed her himself. Disgusted that a being such as himself could exist, he ceased all thoughts of salvation and only wondered why the world would allow such an abomination to exist. It is this realization that caused him to so despise Kiritsugu Emiya when he encountered him a few years later; Kirei only finds pleasure in the suffering of others, while Kiritsugu finds it in their salvation. In the end, Kirei is empty. He knows he contains nothing of value and cannot find happiness within himself. In this way, he is the mirror of Shirou, who is also void of happiness from within. They are somehow terribly alike.
He is an Executor for the Church, trained in eliminating heretics. He found that he had a very ironic gift for healing the wounds of others– both spiritually and physically. He received further training in martial arts and Magecraft from Tokiomi Tohsaka before the Fourth War began.
After the Fourth Heavens Feel, he continued this line of work, leaving his Servant, Gilgamesh, to gather strength in Fuyuki. While on missions for the Church, he met and became acquainted with a very talented Enforcer of the Magus Association by the name of Bazett Fraga McRemitz. When Kirei felt the time for the next Heavens Feel approaching, he requested that the Association choose Bazett as a Master, which was accepted.
Bazett, who may have developed feelings for Kirei, was happy to comply. Since she had been a child, she had been fascinated by the legend of Cu Chulainn. She had always wanted to save him from his tragic fate. With a pair of earrings that were reputed to have belonged to him, she summoned Lancer as her Servant.
Four days later, however, she was betrayed by the man she had come to trust. Kotomine cut off her arm, stole her Command Seal and left her for dead. She nearly died there.
But someone had been watching her. She awoke one day in her lair in Fuyuki. A strange Servant, not Lancer, whom she remembered summoning, but a Servant named Avenger, greeted her. So begins the main story of Fate/Hollow Ataraxia.
Now, I can’t remember, but does Kotomine mention the name Angra Mainyu in this episode?
I don’t remember Angra Mainyu being mentioned.
Thanks for the great info. ^_^
Ah, I thought Kotomine might have mentioned the name of the Evil of the Grail.
Seeing the fight between Gil and Saber is a little irritating for me. There’s no way Gil could stand up to Saber like that in hand-to-hand combat. Her skill and strength are way ahead of his. *sigh* I guess it just doesn’t make as good a show unless swords clash (as opposed to Gil keeping Saber busy with Gate of Babylon while he finds an opportunity to use Ea). It doesn’t show Gil’s strength in using his Vault to its strategic advantage, which is one of his best abilities. I mean, Saber’s a close combat monster. >:/
The important thing in this episode is what we see emerging from the Grail. It is a curse so strong that it takes a physical form as the Black Mud. Surely, this can’t be what the Grail was designed to do.
Indeed, there is a taint inside the Grail. Originally, the power of the Grail should be crystal clear and without color– just pure energy. This filth that seeks to kill all humans is something else.
As to the past Grails, the first was merely a test; only three Servants were summoned and not enough energy was gathered. Sixty years later, the Second Ritual established the War in its current form, but still, the Grail didn’t fulfill its original function. Sixty years after that, in the Third Ritual, the Einzberns summoned something they shouldn’t have, and the true pure Grail was forever lost. Sixty years later, Kiritsugu saw the Grail for what it was and had Saber destroy it to end the Fourth Ritual. Ten years after that, Kiritsugu’s son stands before the corrupted Gateway.
I do remember the evil of the Grail being mentioned, but I didn’t catch the term “Angra Mainyu.”