May 10th, 2015 
AstroNerdBoy Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works – 18 review
フェイト/ステイナイト [Unlimited Blade Works] – 18
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Saber defends Shirou, but with no Master, runs out of mana. Shirou attempts to battle Archer, but he doesn’t have the mana to keep up. Rin forms a contract with Saber, which Saber accepts. Now refueled with mana, Saber is now able to face Archer. The two clash and Archer is outclassed. So he summons his Reality Marble, Unlimited Blade Works, and pulls Saber, Shirou, and Rin in. Archer explains how his ability works and how that now that he’s seen Saber’s sword, he can reproduce it. However, if Saber defends against his attack, the result will be the death of Rin and Shirou. To that end, Shirou stops Saber, having figured out this Reality Marble. In defending against Archer, Shirou forces them out of the Reality Marble. As a result, Archer kidnaps Rin and gives Shirou a day to meet him at Ilya’s castle.
Lancer is waiting for Shirou and Saber as Rin recounts how Archer’s life as Shirou was one where he was constantly betrayed, eventually by his own ideals. Rin comes to, bound to a chair, where she has a frank discussion with Archer about Shirou. Shinji shows up at the place Archer has Rin at, and he wants Rin. To back up Shinji’s claim, Gilgamesh shows up. Archer says that he needs Rin until the following day, after which they are free to do with her as they will. Shinji accepts the offer and as he leaves with Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh calls Archer a faker. That night, Shirou wakes up with Saber tending to him. Now that Rin is her Master, she is obligated to help. Shirou has her promise to let him face Archer since Shirou knows he and Archer are the same person. The next morning, the leave and are joined by Lancer after Shirou accepts his offer of help. At the Ryuudou Temple, a smirking Gilgamesh observes rescue teams removing 53 unconscious people.
Thoughts/Review:
There are many things to enjoy about ufotable’s Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works anime adaptation. One of the things I’m liking is how things go ways I really don’t expect, but not just because “reasons.”
Since Saber was Shirou’s Servant at the start of this series, and since Saber was Shirou’s Servant through the entire Fate route, I just expected that once Saber was freed, she’d return as Shirou’s Servant. Even Rin was promoting this idea.
In the end, having Rin become Saber’s Master was totally not expected on my part, yet when it happened, it made total sense. Saber not getting enough mana from Shirou didn’t come up in this adaptation for some reason (and I kept expecting it to be an issue since it was an issue in the Fate route), so had Saber recontracted with Shirou, it would not really have helped. However, by contracting with Rin, Saber can protect Shirou.
Saber’s brief battle with Archer was pretty fun. And she looked pretty cute in her white dress before getting her mana from Rin and going into battle mode. 😉
Now that we know that Shirou knows Archer’s true identity, Archer has basically shown Shirou how to create the Unlimited Blade Works Reality Marble (at least as I see it). So when Archer and Shirou have their final confrontation, I kinda expect it to be a Reality Marble vs. Reality Marble. I don’t know how Shirou would win, and with unexpected things happening all the time, maybe it doesn’t matter.
When Rin was dressing down Archer, I was kinda hoping she’d call him Shirou. She knows who Archer is, and the dream segment showed events from Shirou’s life. I keep thinking on how I’d like to see how Rin and Shirou are as a couple once this is all over. Rin understands Shirou the best and probably is the one who can keep him from falling into whatever trap Archer fell into.
Of course we have to get past Shinji and Gilgamesh. It is pretty clear that Shinji just wants to rape Rin on top of whatever other plans he and Gilgamesh have for her.
I didn’t expect Gilgamesh to accept Archer’s proposal regarding Rin. Granted, Gilgamesh is allowing Shinji to call the shots, but as arrogant and Gilgamesh is, I thought he’d do more than call Archer a faker (in English no less).
Lancer joining Shirou and Saber for their confrontation of Archer wasn’t what I expected. I keep wondering when he’ll turn on them, even if it is not by choice.
Finally, I presume by Gilgamesh smirking at Ryuudou Temple, he’s the one who’s been causing people to become unconscious.
So a really good episode here, as usual. Can’t wait for the next one to arrive.
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Nice review.
The biggest gripe for me in this episode is that Shirou didn’t exactly countered Archer’s sword rain in his reality marble. In the VN, Shirou made his own sword rain against Archer and that was the first time how he gained insight into Unlimited Blade Works.
It shows that Shirou has been absorbing Archer’s power and experience throughout the series since that’s what’s been happening but in this anime it won’t be spelled out like in the VN. I’m afraid people will be confused with how Shirou will even stand a chance against Archer but we’ll see.
It’s actually not clear in the VN how Shirou stopped Archer’s UBW sword rain. Like Farray said in his own comment, I actually like this version better.
I very much doubt Shirou could reproduce a sword rain of his own at that time, as Shirou wasn’t familiar enough with UBW at the time to reproduce it. He even says so in the scene, which Farray quoted and bolded the relevant part in one of his spoiler blocks in his own comment, reposting the relevant part here:
That’s at the end of the scene entitled Reality Marble near the end of the update linked here on the lparchive: http://lparchive.org/Fatestay-night/Update%20211/
seorin even made a video of the scene in question, linked here and reposted on YouTube: http://fsn.seorinwastaken.com/index.php?v=80
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCcu_Q9Wlm4
Thanks for the links. ^_^
Thanks. ^_^
Well, I’m actually a bit confused on how Shirou got them out of Unlimited Blade Works.
Hm… mixed feelings about this episode. For some weird reason, I liked the last ten minutes more than the first.
The first half of the episode is basically an adaptation of the chapter Reality Marble, and as the title says, it’s when Archer reveals his world.
Saber reacts with confusion and astonishment, when she hears that Archer is a “Guardian” from last week (oh hey, they didn’t use Protector anymore), as she knows what a Guardian actually is. As one can see in her reaction, she figured Archer’s identity out, when he told her that he shouldn’t have become a hero. The interesting part here is in Archer’s last line in the last episode, and from now on out, Archer stopped using “watashi” and like Shirou starts using “ore”. Like Rin said, the acting is over.
He had to join Caster to get rid of Rin’s Command Spells, which stopped him from murdering Shirou, but he has no problem revealing who he is now. Man, I soooo enjoyed that shot of Archer’s when he indirectly revealed to Saber who he is (http://i.imgur.com/ztoiXAP.jpg). What I also liked was that part where Saber tries to use her armor, but can’t, due to lacking the mana after resisting Caster for so long. In the VN, she just switched back to the armor.
And hey, headaches! Finally! Been mentioning them the whole time and was wondering if it was all for naught. I’m glad they finally show them.
I have to say, this scene was more underwhelming than I hoped for. I mean it’s a wonderful twist that Saber and Rin establish their contract, but I personally feel that it was more powerful in the VN. Perhaps it was the dramatic music (or the lack of it in the anime), or the lightning around Saber (http://i.imgur.com/xaW2R5R.jpg), when she made her contract with Rin and finally had a real Master.
Or maybe it was Shirou fangasm in his thoughts how Saber gained back her true powers and could even match Berserker now. One of these. Her “fight” with Archer was also a bit underwhelming for me, but all that matters is that Archer got wrecked, so that’s a minor issue. I always found Archer’s slow reaction weird though, both in the novel and in this episode.
But yes, Saber’s stats are now vastly higher. She’s arguably better than Kiritsugu as her Master.
With Shirou: http://i.imgur.com/RVswdD0.jpg
With Rin: http://i.imgur.com/Ugz4Z30.jpg
With Kiritsugu: http://i.imgur.com/TbHeaok.jpg
A note about parameter stats:
Every class comes with a basic set of stats. They are the basica abiliies of the Servant classes. These stats are modified by the individual abilities of the Heroic Spirit and it’s again modified by the Master’s power, mana supply, compatibility and lifestyle, plus fame bonus in the region, but since they are in Japan, no one gets any bonus like that.
Anyway, a line was removed, which in my opinion made clear Archer’s original intentions:
“Damn. I was going to let her make a contract with Rin, but the order is getting mixed up.”
Yes, Archer planned it the whole time. If killing Shirou was all he wanted to do, he could have done so the moment he broke his contract with Rin.
It was mentioned last week already, but as Archer said, Archer Servants have a special skill that keeps them longer in the world. It is translated as the class skill Independent Action (http://i.imgur.com/amleHRL.jpg).
To sum up what Independent Action is good for:
a) Servants not dying immediately once their Master’s gone
b) Servants being able to function normally without mana being supplied
c) Resisting Command Spells and other similar bounded fields, like Caster’s anti-Servant field at the Ryuudou Temple.
In short: Abilities that are basically there to make Archers more likely to betray and kill their Masters, lol.
Many of the classes in Fate/ are probably based on Dungeons and Dragons. And the classes that resemble the Archer class fit for solo play.
I find it ironic how Saber tries to talk Archer out of his plans. Unfortunately, a line is missing in this episode:
“…How can it be? Archer, your wish is a mistake.
Why… Why do you wish for such an end? Even if you do so, you…”
…Will not be saved.
Saber bites her lips and stops herself from saying so.
Why does Archer want to kill Shirou? To change the past? To erase himself? That is exactly what Saber plans to do with the Grail. She no longer wants to be king. Archer no longer wants to be a hero, a Guardian.
It is a nice touch how ufotable has shown Saber on her own hill of swords again, when Archer talked about her past and her mistakes. One line is missing and there is a mistranslation in Aniplex’s script (the last sentence).
“Saber. Someone will eventually appear to release you.
It does not seem like it is this time… and I will probably have a connection with you again next time. But that is still far off. Right now, my objective is to kill Emiya Shirou. If you are going to try to stop me… I will not hold back against you even in this world.”
Saber would become a Guardian too if she obtained the Holy Grail and made her wish. Archer is just one step ahead of her. It’s already too late for him. That is why Saber wants to tell him that he will not be saved. But Saber can be saved from such a fate. I’m sure it will be addressed again in the next episodes.
This is perhaps a good opportunity to talk about Archer’s memories. It’s clear he remembers. He always remembered, he just wanted to hide the truth from everybody and intentionally lied to Rin when he said her failed summoning caused his memory to be fuzzy. That is only half the truth. His memory fuzzy, but that is only natural. Saber, Rin and Ilya were all important people that Archer cared about in his life.
The Prologue in the VN of FSN actually didn’t begin with Rin. It begins with Shirou, who is about to get stabbed by Lancer, but then he summons Saber who protects him and asks him whether he is her Master. In Fate/hollow ataraxia (and later again mentioned by Nasu), it is revealed that this wasn’t from Shirou’s POV, but from Archer’s. So it is obvious that he knows Saber’s identity and her holy sword. However, Archer’s words imply that he was not able to save Saber from her fate in his life, like Shirou did in the Fate route.
As for Rin, he didn’t realize the girl that summoned him was Rin (her name was worn away by time). It all came back to him, when she introduced himself to him and…
“Then I’ll call you Rin. …Yes, it suits you well.”
Archer’s murmur at that time was thick with a heartfelt and madly passionate affection.
However, it is stated in Rin’s dreams that while he had friends and a lover, he lost all of them and was all alone in the end. Rin must not have stayed by his side.
Now about Archer’s Reality Marble:
A Reality Marble is one of the greatest forms of magecraft one can achieve as a mage. It is close to True Magic and as Rin says forbidden. And with forbidden I mean, if the Association ever finds out you can materialize one, they will give you a Sealing Designation and hunt you down.
Simply explained, the world egg theory is used and you switch the world with your own world (your inner mind) and with your own rules in a bounded field (here’s a pic from CM3 to illustrate it: http://i.imgur.com/tdvkhcO.jpg). It’s an expression of the caster’s internal world. Strictly speaking that is the reason why it’s not True Magic. You don’t break nature’s rules, you just replace them. But since this world violates reality, if it is made by humans, Gaia will attempt to crush it, so you need a large amount of mana to maintain it.
Suffice it say that Shirou is a very special case. A part of a sword (Excalibur’s sheath, Avalon) saved and remained inside him and eventually turned his Origin and elemental affinity into Sword, which caused Shirou to want to live his life as and by the sword.
You could say Avalon is the reason Shirou’s Reality Marble is UBW. He always had the potential to have a Reality Marble, but his Origin turned it into a world that contains an infinite projection of weapons and all the necessary elements to shape them. It is the foundation of Shirou’s magic and the only thing that is granted to him. Projection and Reinforcement are solely byproducts of it.
UBW basically acts as a database for all the swords (or defensive armaments like Rho Aias) that he has seen. I already mentioned Shirou’s structural analysis many months ago, and how he often guesses the structure and the materials with his eyes and all of it is also available in his own world. But since it actually involves guessing (and only mundane materials are available), he can never perfectly replicate anything and divine armaments like Ea and Excalibur can’t be made*, with the exception of Avalon in Fate. In the game, it is translated as all armaments suffering one rank down compared to the original.
*[If you’re wondering why Archer said he will replicate Excalibur to suicide bomb everyone, if Saber dares to use Excalibur against him:
Q: What is the limit of replication in UBW? The highest level of NP (sword types) is probably Ea, but while it might be impossible for Shirou, could Archer make it? Also, under the meaning of weapons, to what extent can he make modern weapons? Must it be only blade types or can he make guns and mobile weapons?
A: Divine constructs like Ea and Excalibur are non-replicable. There might be some degraded NPs with similar performance in stock though. Also, since sword is becoming his origin, the weapons that he has stored are fundamentally limited to close combat.
So he will reproduce a holy sword that can do beams, but it’s not Excalibur, because he simply can’t make it.]
As Archer says in this episode, this is the place where these swords are stored. Projection allows him to pull out these swords from his world and he can reshape their form (like Caladbolg) with Reinforcement. What is worth mentioning is the fact that if we assume Shirou doesn’t know about his Reality Marble, it would take him twenty years to utilize it. Ten years to learn the basics, another ten to master it. But again, headaches, you know? Shirou understood what UBW is in this episode, even though he shouldn’t.
Another important fact is that in truth UBW is not a Noble Phantasm, although it could count as one. Archer achieved it in his life, it’s solely magecraft. FZ-Rider also had a Reality Marble, but he wasn’t a mage and couldn’t do it in his life. Rider’s RM is closer to an actual Noble Phantasm.
So… as I’ve said before, I have mixed feelings about this episode. First of all, this chapter felt rushed for some reason. It must be the difference of mediums, but I can’t help but remember that it felt at least twice as long in the VN.
Furthermore, UBW didn’t look very good. It looked okay in the Vita OPs (http://i.imgur.com/Vr5uw.jpg) and until now, it didn’t look bad in this series either. You probably know how much I dislike CG, but if it’s well done, it’s something I don’t really mind. The cogwheels in UBW were okay, the ground did not look so okay to me and there was an unusual amount of stillshots in this episode.
I didn’t like how the swords Archer used for his attack all looked the same. Also, why did it look like projection again? Why didn’t the swords on the ground float up like it did in the VN and even in the movie? I mean, it’s not like I mind changes, but I see them as unnecessary changes. I must assume it (and the ugly looking UBW) was done like that to save costs. Contrary to what some people say, it is not Unlimited Budget Works.
And either I have misinterpreted it all these years or Shirou actually didn’t counter Archer’s sword rain with his own sword rain in this episode. Granted, the text in the VN was very ambiguous.
[spoiler title="VN part"]
“Don’t—-”
I stick out my left arm.
I have no doubts.
I’ve copied him so many times.
If there is nothing wrong with the theory…
“—-Be ridiculous, dammit…!!!!”
…There is no way I can’t reproduce the rain of swords in front of me! [/spoiler]
And since DEEN did it in a similar way ufotable did (and Nasu probably approved), perhaps it was a misinterpretation all along. Either way, Shirou doesn’t want to rely on Saber’s protection and uses his own powers to challenge Archer.
What was definitely good was how they showed Shirou’s structural analysis in this episode, that’s something I really liked. What I didn’t like though was the abrupt end of the Reality Marble (yeah, I saw cogwheels crumbling), when Shirou started to oppose Archer’s sword rain. It feels like something is missing and/or cut.
Before anyone wants to call me out on this, since it’s very similar to the VN: Sure it is, but is that a good thing? The Reality Marble probably collapsed because Archer was no longer able to maintain it, but couldn’t they have shown it better?
At least it was better than DEEN’s kind of comical portrayal where Shirou just summons Kanshou and Bakuya and blocks hundreds of swords with his two hands.
http://i.imgur.com/O3zMRa1.gif
http://a.pomf.se/vzzygv.mp4
No really, while DEEN got some parts better, overall I consider ufotable to be superior, and yet I still am not satisfied. It’s probably just me being bitter that one of my five most favorite scenes in UBW didn’t turn out as well as I hoped.
It seems like they moved the scene with Lancer to the end of the episode. His angry reaction, when he heard that Archer betrayed Rin twice already was also missing. Too bad.
While I do think that Reality Marble was not satisfyingly executed, I can’t say that to the next chapters Captured Princess and Original and Fake. The flashback dream of Rin’s about Archer and the blurred (memories and) silhouettes of people in Archer’s life like Ayako or Sakura (and at the end Shirou) were very well done. I liked that shot with the camera heading to the gallows. They kept most parts of Rin’s monologue, which I consider a good thing. Rin crying and waking up with tears in her eyes was also a nice additional touch. I also liked the glimpses of Shirou in that dream:
http://i.imgur.com/Ddw4YG9.png
http://i.imgur.com/lw43l6O.jpg
In the VN, besides the line with Archer being betrayed by his ideal at the end (like Saber btw), I also found this line noteworthy when Rin commented on Archer giving up the peace of death to serve as a Guardian and help people:
The boy who stated he just doesn’t want to see anyone cry… Could only see crying humans forever.
This is also the chapter where Rin explains that Heroic Spirits can be summoned from every timeline and universe. Heroic Spirits reside on the Throne of Heroes. Once you become a Heroic Spirit, you are removed from the reincarnation process and the time axis. The Throne of Heroes is part of Akasha, where past, present and future exist.
It probably wouldn’t have fitted in the episode, but this part about Rin was something I also consider important:
[spoiler title="Removed part from the VN"]
I, Tohsaka Rin, have never had any hardships in my life.
So I might not have the right to say it, but I believe in working hard and going through pain. It’s wrong not to be compensated for your fights. That’s why I’m angry at his uncompensated life, and most of all… I can’t leave him be because he ended up cursing his life.
‘You’re my Servant, so I’m only going to do what I believe is right.
I’m not as loose as Emiya Shirou, but I do have some things I cannot give up.
I won’t give it up no matter who’s telling me so’
…That’s right.
That’s why I decided…
That as long as I’m his Master, I will believe in my path like he used to do.
That’s about all I can show to him.
That’s the only way I can repay him.
It might have been meaningless, but still…
I do it so that Archer, the one who lost his own past, can realize that his life was something he can be proud of…
Especially the first paragraph is an important detail about Rin. And if not in this route, perhaps in the next…
[/spoiler]
And hey, instead of keeping it in the monologue, Rin outright asks Archer about the poem of his life and tells him to his face that she cannot agree with what he did in his life. That’s new. Also, this time Aniplex didn’t “translate” it as “I am the bone of my sword”, like they did in episode 10, but as “My body is made of swords”. Good job. For once.
Original and Fake is told from Archer’s POV and some info was left out. For instance, Archer is only at at most 10% of his actual power, but it’s still more than enough to kill Shirou. There is also important information on how it works with Heroic Spirits. Namely, that whenever a heroic spirit is summoned, the knowledge only remains in the body, and the accumulated facts are the reason why heroic spirits can recognize and have knowledge of other heroic spirits. It is compared to a book.
[spoiler title="VN parts"]It’s just like a book.
Every time a heroic spirit is summoned, the book with its story is sent to its home.
The heroic spirit itself remains in the house, reading those books.
The trouble is that the one at the house does not know when those books arrived.
Past or future do not matter.
All the “books” are already in his room.
His only way of measuring time is to read the records of his “cleaning” that he will accomplish.
It makes no difference if it’s eternal or instantaneous.
Eternity is instantaneous, and an instant is eternal.
Therefore, he does not know how rare this miracle is.
He does not know if this is the first time or the thousandth time since he obtained this hope.
…All he has is unordered knowledge.
Past, present, and future are meaningless for heroic spirits.[/spoiler]
Now about Shinji showing up.
They couldn’t make it more obvious, could they? 😉 Well, it was like that in the VN too, of course.
This is Archer at his lowest point though, as he leaves Rin to Shinji, even if that wasn’t his original intention, since Gil wrecked his plans. It’s another assholish move, but still in-character I’d say. Perhaps he’s hoping Saber will turn up on time and save Rin, but that is just speculation. Killing Shirou takes priority, though he does trick Shinji a bit. I am pretty sure he was aware of Shinji’s inferiority complex and Archer is in a very bad condition, yet he still threatened to kill Gil and Shinji, should they forcefully take Rin.
“Oh. Hold on, Gilgamesh. Don’t be rash, and let’s be smart. Come on, he says he’s going to give her to me, so I’ll let him. Archer doesn’t have a Master. I’m sure no Master would make a contract with a Servant that betrayed so many people, so he’ll disappear if we let him be. I can take Tohsaka after that.”
Matou Shinji smiles and stares at the knight in red.
It looks as if he is enjoying the fate of the one who is about to disappear.
“You’re smart, Matou Shinji. That’s an intelligent decision. You are a most fitting Master, in a sense.”
“Oh, you show promise! How wasteful! I would’ve made a contract with you if you came to me!”
Stepping away from the knight, Matou Shinji claps his hands happily.
Oh, Gil actually immediately identified Archer as someone he must kill.
As I’ve said before, they shuffled the order of the scenes around a bit. The two scenes with Archer and Rin were basically merged and Lancer deciding to join Shirou happened immediately after Saber and Shirou left the church. Shirou’s conversation with Saber was a bit earlier (around midnight, which is when he leaves the house, as it takes very long to reach the Einzbern Castle).
Anyway, Shirou actually monologues in that scene before Saber wakes him up. He thinks about his promise to Kiritsugu, how he agrees with Rin and Archer, that it’s a false life he will lead and hypocrisy, but he still stubbornly insists that he has to deny Archer. He cannot approve of Archer, just as Archer cannot approve of him. The choice of words when he describes their upcoming fight as “meaningless” and “ridiculous” is also an important point.
Also, the funny conversation with Lancer is missing, where he keeps teasing Saber and gets a similar reaction to the one Rin gave two episodes ago from Saber. I guess that wouldn’t have fit the atmosphere, but Lancer is really shining in this route:
[…]
“I have no intention of fighting Archer. You can rest assured that I won’t butt in on the fight.”
“…Then why are you going to come with us? If you want to settle the match with me, I can do it right here.”
“No, I’ll pass on that. I have no intention of fighting against your Master. Rather, I want to sell her some favors. I want her to be in debt to me.”
Man, he sure likes Rin.
That whole scene was anime-original, btw. Until Caster’s death, she was stealing energy from all the people, including the monks in the temple. This is what happened in the Fate route:
Q: When Kotomine activated the Grail at Ryuudou Temple, what happened to Issei and the rest of the monks? Were they all sleeping?
A: They were passed out quite cheerfully. [note: Nasu says they all “batan Q’d” together quite cheerfully. It’s an expression that you use when you’ve worked/played until you collapse from exhaustion.]
But it probably was Gilgamesh this time and not Caster. I think I spotted Issei and his brother amongst the victims.
————————————————————————————————————————————–—
Additional notes:
1. Episode script cover:
http://i.imgur.com/bHjhygb.jpg
2. http://i.imgur.com/kbCSbyL.jpg
Saber with a ponytail! She looks like Saber Lily like that (http://i.imgur.com/0Ec8EDd.jpg). Too bad she doesn’t keep that hairstyle.
3. http://i.imgur.com/Btnpoep.jpg
Huh, Rin has three Command Spells again. She actually should have two or one. I can’t see it very well. As a side note, her and Saber touching hands (and their faces) was really a cute and sweet moment.
4. I was unsure what they wanted to next episode, but thanks to a recent interview where Nasu briefly teased what would happen in episodes 20 and 21 and the preview for next episode, I can guess it now.
[spoiler title="Preview"]That black bishop chess piece with an awful lot of red lines on it is pretty telling.
Also, congrats, Aniplex, another mistranslation. I’ll take that back though if they wanted to avoid spoilers.[/spoiler]
5. GIFs!
[spoiler title="GIFs"]
Saber vs Archer:
http://i.imgur.com/mShMnqb.gif
Shirou vs Archer:
http://i.imgur.com/SIm1FkM.gif
http://i.imgur.com/qiVwn18.gif
New contract:
http://i.imgur.com/02UFk14.gif (Rin)
http://i.imgur.com/c6wpYhX.gif (Saber)
http://i.imgur.com/wG74Vcj.gif (both)
http://i.imgur.com/tojXvib.gif (high-five)
http://i.imgur.com/zgzrn2Y.gif (complete sequence)
Full-power Saber:
http://i.imgur.com/iQBFCdS.gif
Saber vs Archer round 2:
http://i.imgur.com/ANB6Ck3.gif
Saber on the hill of swords:
http://i.imgur.com/fFV8khY.gif
Unlimited Blade Works:
http://i.imgur.com/cqvM32l.gif
http://i.imgur.com/CDCFBpk.gif
Sword Rain:
http://i.imgur.com/khcGDO7.gif
http://i.imgur.com/O2RuZRd.gif
Parry and collapsing Reality Marble:
http://i.imgur.com/28ILlj4.gif
http://i.imgur.com/NScpRCw.gif
Dream about Archer:
http://i.imgur.com/qz4Fefz.gif
http://i.imgur.com/ZCS14dh.gif
http://i.imgur.com/wyJULIK.gif
Rin crying:
http://i.imgur.com/0Uzjz5u.gif
Hi, Shitji:
http://i.imgur.com/d28z6JR.gif
Gil is pissed:
http://i.imgur.com/hlp4HDG.gif
“Faker”:
http://i.imgur.com/PXDnFWl.gif
[/spoiler]
I’m sure I forgot something, but that’s it for now.
To clarify one thing: Shirou always has UBW, his internal world. But, it would normally take him twenty years to master and materialize it. Since the world consists of an infinite projection of swords, Shirou doesn’t need any mana to make the swords in that world, they are already “there”.
Also, the world as they see it is basically Gaia’s Reality Marble. That is why Gaia will immediately attempt to crush the caster’s Reality Marble if he or she is not an extension of nature (like elementals), unless the caster has the mana to sustain it.
As a side note, most Dead Apostle Ancestors from Tsukihime have a Reality Marble that they can materialize.
Another note, Caster is an excellent mage, but she doesn’t wield True Magic and she doesn’t have a Reality Marble, either, though she can construct something similar with careful work and effort.
The whole magic system of the Type-Moon universe has always been confusing at best. I’m still not sure what exactly “true magic” is. What was Caster using then? I know you’ve talked about some of this stuff. It just seems like over the centuries, mages either forgot things, or became dependent on crutches to do things magical.
One last note (I hope). I talked about parameter stats and basic stats that are given to the classes. That doesn’t include Noble Phantasms of course. An average power rank of a Noble Phantasm is estimated to be B.
Gae Bolg’s heart-curse attack for instance is B, its thrown version is above average with a rank of B+ and Excalibur easily trumps almost every other Noble Phantasm with a rank of A++. + is a temporary modifier that doubles the power. ++ triples the power etc. If B is given a value of 40 and A a value of 50, then B+ is basically more powerful than A.
As I’ve mentioned above, Archer’s projections suffer one rank down. However, he often compensates this with a technique called Broken Phantasm. Rin was supposed to explain it in episode 04, but ufotable left it out.
Archer basically overloads the Noble Phantasm with mana, which makes it unstable, and turns it into a bomb. The rank of the attack is increased by one, but in return the Noble Phantasm is left broken and almost irreparable (but since Archer projects them, it’s no big deal). That’s what he used against Berserker in episode 03 and that’s why he was able to get around God Hand’s concept.
A little comentary: An average NP is ranked B but thats is not counting special effects. Gae Bolg with its causality reversal curse is considered a high tier NP despite his base strenght of B or B+.
For example Arondight is a rank A++ NP yet its effect of buffing base stats looks a bit underwhelming compared with “lets take a luck check, save or die” that Gae Bolg has.
Yes, you’re right. I didn’t include conceptual powers, because that overall complicates matters too much. It was purely about destructive power and conceptual rank.
I think Saber even commented once in the VN what a great NP Gae Bolg is and how mana efficient it works. As an anti-unit NP, it’s probably one of the best out there.
Thanks for the info. ^_^
The experience between the VN and the episode differs because of a few things: During the scene inside UBW, the music changes to Whirlpool of Fate, which is a perfect song to the desolate surroundings.
Because UBW in the VN was a static image and not 3d rendered, it felt much right to me.
I think it’s more that the anime failed to adapt this scene than anything. It was certainly accurate placement wise, but feeling wise it’s not close.
As for Archer projecting the same sword over and over again, I think it’s to [spoiler] diffentiate Gilgamesh and Archer[/spoiler]
Overall it’s an ok episode from me, still waiting for the next few episodes.
Yeah, this was my feeling too. Whirlpool of Fate as the BGM in the scene inside Unlimited Blade Works really made it feel a lot more dramatic.
Still, it was a decent adaptation of the scene from the VN, and I can’t complain overmuch about it.
Sorry I kinda sprung the Archer class’s Independent Action skill early last week, though you seem to have explained it a lot better than I could here.
Yeah, I was wondering why they omitted that line.
The scene with the aftermath of the Rin contract with Saber felt kinda rushed, but they got through what I expected them to this episode.
UBW also felt kinda underwhelming, but that scene played out almost exactly like how it did in the VN. And yes, it does look and go a lot better than the DEEN version, but that’s not exactly a high bar to clear.
Whoops, that was supposed to be a reply to Farray’s comment…
While I’m here, I might as well say that I’m looking forward to next week as well. The preview made it look like we’re getting End of a hero next week, but the episode title and a preview image posted by ufotable on Twitter and Facebook makes it seem like parts of Answer will be next instead. In the VN, the former scene comes first, but I could see ufotable setting up the latter scene for a bit, then cutting to the former for the bulk of the episode instead.
Whatever we get, I’m sure it’ll be pretty amazing.
Welp, looking at where my new comment popped up, and I guess this comment was in the right place after all! Just a previous comment thread responding to your comment threw me off and made me think that I had started a new one instead… It popping in at the bottom probably didn’t help…
Whoops. I should probably not try and judge comment columns and where they should be when I should be sleeping…
Heh. I’m always saying stuff like that, especially when I’m trying to get caught up on stuff late at night.
Hopefully in the right place this time…
Yeah, that was a great look for her. Too bad it doesn’t last…
Loved the scenes where Saber’s trying to reform her armor when she’s getting handedly overpowered by Archer but Caster’s “tender ministrations” have drained her of all her mana so she can’t. Not having a Master to supply her with mana surely can’t help, though Saber’s most mana hungry ability hasn’t been used at all yet.
Didn’t think that Invisible Air needed that much mana to maintain, but I guess with how much mana Caster drained trying to break Saber, any amount used is too much.
They are probably trying to show that Archer does not use his most powerful weapons. Remember than when Gil used lower ranked NPs (the ones that didnt harm Berserker at the start) they looked somewhat simpler that the rank A or higher versions.
Also one thing about UBW: When cast Archer /Shirou have 1 copy avaliable from each weapon they ever saw, but if they want to use the same more than once they have to pay the tracing prana cost which makes to do so silly since UBW main strenght is 0 cast cost + instacast in exchange of having a high maintenance cost.
Saber was so low on prana since she had to resist Caster Comand Seal for quite a bit of time which drained her prana to a level that she is almost at her limit. When she pushed Shirou away to save him from being skewered from Archer she used ALL of her strenght so that means that her physical power was at normal human level at most
As always, thanks for the great info. Man, I really need to make better use of my limited free time. ^_^;;
I wasn’t really sure how she figured it out, but it was clear to me by the end of the episode that she knew Archer was Shirou.
Yeah, I noticed that for the first time in this episode.
No doubt, the later would have done it.
BTW, how come Archer’s stats seem to suck so bad, even though he has Rin for a Master? If those are boosted in a similar fashion to how Rin boosts Saber, then he must really suck if he had a Master like Shirou or Shinji.
Or she was killed (unless Rin’s life after all of this is known, based on whichever route is followed).
It didn’t feel rushed to me, so I’m thinking it is the difference in mediums.
That’s true, and I’m betting it was budgetary reasons that caused the changes with the projections. Early on, it is easy to get away with going over budget, but one pays for that later on.
I agree. I was never sure how Shirou got them out of UBW. I presumed he saw it, figured out how it worked, then did something to get them out.
Yeah, I was pretty sure Issei was in the foreground of folks being wheeled out.
I figured that with a new contract, Rin scored three new Command Spells, rather like how Caster got three when she got Saber from Shirou.
Anyway, thanks for the great info, as always. ^_^
It’s the way he says it. It sounds very much like Shirou.
Like I said, besides basic class stats and Master boost, it also depends on the Heroic Spirit. That means Archer is a weak Heroic Spirit. He doesn’t even have a true Noble Phantasm. Guardians are fameless Heroic Spirits who didn’t become spirits because of their legendary feats, but because they sacrificed their afterlife to serve the human Counter Force, Alaya.
I actually partially implied that in the way I wrote that sentence. ^_^
As I’ve stated above, you need tons of mana to sustain the Reality Marble and the crumbling cogwheels are supposed to portray that probably. I assume that is the reason, especially because Archer is low on mana. Shirou just survived long enough.
You don’t get more than 7×3 Command Spells per War, so you don’t get three new Command Spells every time you make a new contract. The only exception to this is Caster, whose Noble Phantasm is named Rule Breaker. Caster can make her own Command Spells, because she can manipulate the system.
Q: After Caster summoned Assassin (Sasaki Kojirou), was she branded with Command Seals? I ask because I don’t think she ever used a Command Spell on Assassin.
A: She had something similar to a Command Spell. Though, as a fake Master with a fake Servant, it wasn’t something as powerful as a true Command Spell. While she may not originally have received any Command Spells, Caster may have skillfully borrowed the power of the Greater Grail to forge herself an imitation.
Yeah, that makes sense.
I kinda figured, but I wasn’t totally sure.
Ah. OK, now the fog is lifting. That certainly wasn’t clear from the episode, at least not to me. But then most anime adaptations rely on the fact that the core audience is versed in the source material and can fill in the blanks as needed.
I thought that in Fate/Zero, it was possible to obtain additional Command Spells from the Church?
That is correct. But these are not part of the 21 Command Spells the Greater Grail produces every Grail War, they are leftovers from the earlier wars.
Kirei’s father Risei took them after the war was over. He acted as the supervisor of the Third War and then he left the leftover Command Spells to Kirei, who would become the next supervisor.
Btw, I’m currently trying to write a small summary about magecraft and true magic… ^_^
Well, I figured that with Caster messing things up, then when Rin lost Archer, and thus her Command Spells, she was done and Caster got three fresh ones. However, once Rin obtained a Servant from Caster’s clutches, the rules have already been broken, so Rin gets a fresh set.
Caster’s base is where the Greater Grail resides (Ryuudou Temple). She likely analyzed the system and prepared three new Command Spells for herself when she would eventually get Saber.
That shouldn’t have happened with Archer, because him betraying Rin was unexpected and Caster stayed at the Church for the rest of the War.
[spoiler]I’m only really bringing this matter with the number of Rin’s Command Spells up, because Rin later uses a Command Spell and notes that she has one left in the VN, meaning she got two when she contracted with Saber.[/spoiler]
Mind you, I’m only partially guessing here. A few years ago, I thought Rin obtained the Command Spells Caster left behind, that were tied to Saber. Since Caster used one on Saber already, she had two left.
I wonder if Nasu decided to make the change for the anime.
Just have to say that I was amused at how bluntly you put it… although you’re not wrong.[spoiler]
That’s why I found one scene at the end of this entire arc a bit off-putting. Well, you’ll find out what I’m talking about anyway[/spoiler]
I hadn’t thought about how blunt I was putting it, but that is how it came off though. ^_^;
I get the feeling that maybe we’re supposed to hate Shinji just enough that it’s barely possible for him to redeem himself… but after everything else, after what seemed like his insinuation that he could have assaulted Ayako, and after he made his intentions toward Rin clear? Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.
[spoiler]If I understand correctly, to be honest I really hope such a scene would end up on the cutting room floor. The apparent aftermath of Caster and Saber was bad enough. (>.<)[/spoiler]
That does seem to be the case.