March 26th, 2018 
AstroNerdBoy Fate/EXTRA Last Encore 08
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Saber-Nero and Hakuno perform stretches on board the Moon Mile Ladder as Nero boasts of how Tier 4 turned out to be nothing. They arrive on Tier 5 and exit with Rin. This tier is story, full of ruined buildings, so that the trio are all wearing rain coats. Rin points to an actual, make-shift ladder in the distance they will have to climb to Tier 6. However, she warns that though there is no Floor Master, there is a “monster” similar what they faced on Tier 3 — Julius Belkisk Harwey.
The trio take a break in a ruined skyscraper. Rin vanishes to go scouting, so Saber takes the opportunity to give a speech to Hakuno, comparing him to her former master, a female. Rin returns and the trio head out. They find trouble, so Rin advises returning and coming up with a strategy. However, a Berserker-class Servant attacks, so Saber engages. The man, Julius, comes after Hakuno. Rin transforms into Lancer to force Berserker away. She gets Saber to safety, who thanks Rin and requests she deal with Berserker as Saber races to return to Hakuno.
Julius knows Hakuno and gives him a beating. Hakuno activates his Dead Face ability, amusing Julius who’s clearly digitally not all there. Julius also activates Dead Face and removes Hakuno’s heart. Hakuno doesn’t die, but finds himself seeing the man he saw on campus. The man describes Dead Face and how SE.RA.PH went from a heaven to a digital hell. Saber’s arrival causes Hakuno to drop Dead Face and recover. Saber then goes after Julius, but he evades all her attacks.
Lancer-Rin’s battle with Berserker leads her to being knocked through a wall into the building and floor where Hakuno, Saber, and their opponent is. Saber collapses, having been injured by Berserker’s NP somehow. Before Berserker and his apparent Master can finish things, a giant fist comes crashing through the roof, driving the pair away. The injured Hakuno makes it to the injured Saber. He then finds himself in an isolated place, entering a black body of liquid. He makes it to a place where there’s a darkened classroom with a movie projector and a female student waiting for him.
Thoughts/Review:
At least the narrative for Fate/EXTRA Last Encore 08 is mostly chronological this time, at least on the surface. But considering how the first of the episode was out of order, this whole episode could be another giant mess.
Rin
One thing that is clear is that Rin has been on all of these tiers before and knows a ton about them. For the most part, she’s the series’s exposition dumper. The events on Tier 3 strongly suggests that Rin has already been on all of these tiers before. However, how she is clued in on everything is more of a mystery.
I don’t know why, but I suspect that giant arm and whatever it was attached to is somehow connected to Rin. I almost want to say it is Rin, but then Rin did mention something about a monster on this tier like the Jabberwocky on Tier 3. So maybe this is something else, but why it would go after Julius and his Berserker Servant?
Saber
I guess Saber’s long-winded speech to Hakuno was to encourage him. I hate to say it, but it bored the heck out of me and just felt like filler.
As to Saber’s battle with Berserker, not sure what blow he landed on her that caused her to be injured on a delayed factor. She didn’t fight with him that much, and Rin had to bail her out. So not sure what’s going on there.
Also, with Julius speaking of Hakuno as no Master, is Hakuno providing mana to Saber?
Julius and the Mystery Man
So Julius is another Dead Face. As I understand it, Saber and her former Master defeated him and his Servant on their time through, but as with this whole jacked up system, Julius is not quite dead yet.
Then there’s the mystery dude that Hakuno met in the first episode, who shows up in a vision, or flashback, or flash sideways, or something. But he had his exposition on Dead Face to provide, ’cause this is apparently outside of Rin’s purview.
The thing is, if Hakuno is supposed to be some killing machine, then why is is so calm and collective here? Besides, the whole Holy Grail War is about killing Servants and often their Masters too. So Hakuno being this ball of hate who lives to kill just doesn’t ring true to me.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
OK, let me wrap up reviewing Fate/EXTRA Last Encore 08. While this episode doesn’t appear to be the jumble of flashbacks, time loops, and other confusing stuff, it still vomits a ton of exposition in a way that’s not really that interesting. Well, nothing to do but push forward.
Posted in 
Tags: 
You know the Sub for Ep 9 just came out, the moment i finish watching that during my lumch break your review for ep 8 came out. I will comment later on your review ^^^
Just watched it, so now time to write.
So Tier 4 turning out to be nothing is no surprise as depending on who you save, Rin or Rani to trigger which route to take, you would have ended up facing…
The Man Eating Woman Clown Master with Vlad III as Lancer (His older alternate incarnation that embraces a bit more of his vampire side and his bloodied spiking hobby)
Image: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IOdn_CuaQA0/Tsfq6ViQSJI/AAAAAAAAB50/spk0v55dAtI/s1600/Fate_Extra_Round_04_01.png
or you would have faced Monji Gatou on the Rani Route… a dude who preaches about his self made religion and has Arcueid Brunestud as Berserker from Tsukihime, who apparently is the real deal and is so broken she breaks through the deletion process and leaves claiming to have joined because she was bored (That is some Gilgamesh level feat…)
So as mentioned in your episode 7 review, this episode basically confirmed for me that everyone in this series is dead… and I’m going to dump some info and explain why.
[spoiler]So Julius B. Harwey is the older big brother of Leonardo Harwey who is the master of Saber and heir to the family. Julius more or less serves as a Right Hand and shadow for his younger half brother, doing majority of the dirty work… making him arguably one of the most dangerous opponents in the story of Extra because the dude would literally do anything to help his brother succeed (Harwey family owns 60% of the worlds wealth in Extra) so typical rich boy and royal pompous brat cliche.
But the thing is… Julius was a master who had an Assassing Servant, Li Shuwen was originally an Assassin. His Noble Phantasm is embodiment of his title, No, Second Strike. He was famous for not needing a second blow to kill his opponent which is why… even as a Lancer in the latest E Pluribus Unum chapter, Lancer throws away his spear and gets into a macho fist fight…
Upon losing, Julius managed to cheat his way out of death (He is an exceptional Hacker, not a mage) and escaped deletion (with consequences) and ripped off an arm of a Berserker Servant Master and grafted it onto his own body so that he can gain command seals and remain. The side effects is their half corrupted body and Assassin becoming Berserker.
Julius was bent on revenge but ultimately you get the cliche, anti-Hero/Villain I see the error of my ways ending and allows himself to get deleted and pass on.
Now after that long essay… this is how I know the Master and Servants are all dead and are revived in the condition of their death… because Julius and Li Shuwen are revived in the state of their own death just like Dan and Robin Hood was.
[/spoiler]
Comments about the episode:
Nero wearing the raincoat was cute… it also a huge shout out to Alturia Saber when she was in the raincoat disguise.
The episode eased up the chronological/mystery mindf… which made it ok but still not engaging.
Getting an explanation on dead face is nice but I still cringe at the ability and I still hate it… like for Julius… it makes sense as that guy was full of hatred.
As for you are no master comment… yes, the original Hakuno was by no means a ‘Master’ their behaviour is like one, someone who gives commands but overall they aren’t like Masters in the sense of being a mage or a exceptional hacker.
What really got me excited was WHO appeared in the ending of the episode.
[spoiler]Female Hakuno, Hakunon[/spoiler]
who honestly sparked my interest but that enough about her spoiler because I will explain her deal in your ep 9 review which is interesting as there is some actual Extra Backstory before going back to Last Encore bs…
And episode 8 seems to bear that out as well, though I’m confused about things there, but I’ll have that in my review.
Yeah, I thought about that. I figured it had to be a nod to Fate/stay night.
As always, thanks for the info!
“The thing is, if Hakuno is supposed to be some killing machine, then why is is so calm and collective here?”
Um, because killing ‘MACHINES’ are often that way? Isn’t a killing machine that acts that way much better for the purpose it was intended for (and odds are Hakuno WAS set up the way he is for something, intentionally) than a mindless berserker? What’s so strange about that? Are we complaining on things for the sake of it now, or what?
That first pic, I think that scene is a wink to some Shirou and Artoria illustration somewhere. I could swear I’ve also seen a promo image where Kuro and Illya posed that way, too.
Also, why the hell do Nasu and Type-Moon hate Tsukihime now, to the point of wanting to ignore it ever existed? I mean, I can understand skipping Lil’ Ronnie because nobody liked her and Apocrypha Vlad is the Vlad Tepes everyone in the Fate fandom prefers over her Lancer, but did they really have to do this to Arcueid, after Grand Order keeps ignoring her altogether? And please don’t tell me ‘but then the narrative should have picked either Rin or Rani’, because God knows this series has deviated more than enough from EXTRA’s canon storyline as it is.
Looks like my earlier reply didn’t go in. ?
In my mind, a “killing machine” just kills indiscriminately and without care. And in my mind, one cannot be constructed of pure hate without having rage to go with that hate. Thus for me, there’s a disconnect.
I presume something was cut from the anime series?
Remember that Berserkueid was mostly fanservice akin to the “Shiki can kill servants” meme bonus boss. She even gets ignored on Fate CCC despite Gatou being sent there.
Also even if really warped seems this is more Rin’s route than Rani’s since at least Rin is still around to try to explain the plot mess to Hakuno and the viewers