Kari’s Anime Corner: ‘Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works’

Fate/stay night is back and even better than before! Aniplex of America hosted an event at the Downtown Independent in Los Angeles where they screened the first episode (#00: Prologue) of the new series, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works. The screening was sold out and packed full of enthusiastic fans including a handful of cosplayers (dressed up as characters from the franchise). The audience loved it! At the end, they could not wait to see the next episode. Right now, you can watch episodes 0 – 2 on Hulu, Crunchyroll and the Aniplex Channel. Aniplex of America also gave all of the fans in attendance a limited edition lithograph called “UBW memorial record.” Another treat for fans was a pre-screening video introduction by the show’s creative team. It was a special inside look at their creative process, what they are excited about and other insider stories.

The Fate/stay night franchise started off as a visual novel (adult video game) and later became a manga, multiple anime series, and a couple of full length films. This new series, Unlimited Blade Works, focuses more on Rin Tohsaka and is based on the visual novels. The prologue is told from her perspective.

This story focuses primarily on the heroine Rin Tohsaka. After her father’s death, Rin enters the Holy Grail War as the sole heir to the prestigious Tohsaka Household, with her servant Archer. But, she soon finds out that Shirou Emiya, a boy from her high school has gotten himself involved in the battles and unexpectedly saves him when he is fatally injured. Before long, Rin sets out to strike down the conspiracies surrounding the Holy Grail War along with Shirou and his summoned servant Saber. And so, the story begins to explore the truth behind Shirou’s powers and the nature behind his unyielding will to become a ― hero.

It looks amazing! Everything is so clear and crisp, and the colors are beautifully saturated. You get to see everything during the fight scenes, and they are so cool! The relationship between Rin and Archer develops nicely and, during the video introduction, the creative team hinted at more to come. If you have seen any of the Fate/stay night series, this is a must watch. Also, you can still enjoy this series even if you are unfamiliar with the franchise. It is starting over but from a new and fresh perspective so it is informative without being repetitive. Go check out Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works now and you can thank me later!

For more information visit: www.FateStayNightUSA.com