<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/2010-05-1713706201x.jpg">
<b>Review of Fate/stay night #5 by Raz112</b>
<em>Caster: Do you believe in my story?
Kazuki: I have no interest in this Holy Grail of yours. And I don't have one of those "Command Seals" you speak of, either. However, if you need my assistance, then I will help you.
Caster: You are a most unusual person. </em>
As one arc ends, another one begins. How does it fare in comparison? Read on to find out.
As Shirou ponders the revelations concerning Saber that occurred in the last volume, he struggles to comprehend her reasons for wanting to return and 'fix' her past rather than look forward to the undetermined future. Meanwhile, some odd occurrences are taking place at Shirou's school, with people going into comas. Rin deduces that this must be the work of the last remaining Master residing in Ryudou Temple, whose Servant is Assassin. However, Illya interjects by stating that it is not him, but rather the cause is somebody else from Ryudou Temple. This leads to confusion, as the only known residents of Ryudou Temple are the Servant, Assassin, and his Master. However, Illya reveals two things; there is another Servant residing at the temple who is the real perpetrator, and Assassin is that person's Servant. Her name is Caster.
The doorbell rings and it's Issei, deciding to drop on his way to school after being called in by teacher Mr. Kuzuki. Shirou asks how he knows that Kuzuki is going there. It is then that Issei reveals that they live under the same roof, and that Kuzuki has been living at Ryudou Temple for the last three years. From that, the group concludes that he must be the Master they were discussing. However, they must confirm this, so they set out to do just that.
A standoff ensues on a derelict Fuyuki City road in the middle of the night. Shirou tries to make sense of the nature of the relationship between Caster and Kuzuki, while we also find out Caster's true intentions and her plot to obtain the Holy Grail through alternate means.
Her plot involves the sacrifice of a Magus, so apart from Rin, everyone assumes that Caster is after Illya. However, they are fooled and she instead captures Rin's sister, Sakura.
This forces everyone into a race against time to get Sakura back before the sacrifice can be carried out, leading to an assault on the looming Ryudou Temple on the top of a hill, with Assassin as its gatekeeper and Kuzuki as its last line of defence. Three new battles ensue: Saber versus Assassin, Shirou versus Kuzuki, and Rin versus Caster.
As the first two battles conclude, the third battle between Rin and Caster continues, with Saber and Shirou joining in. However, Rin and Shirou are helpless, and Saber is unable to do much due herself to Caster having inflicted her Noble Phantasm on her - the 'Rule Breaker' - which restricts Saber from using her own Phantasm. Just when it seems as though all is lost, a mysterious figure intervenes - someone who claims to know Saber. Saber seems to know the newcomer as well, though she doesn't seem happy to see him.
Saber explains all that she knows about this mysterious Servant, providing more intriguing plot developments. The assumptions made from her story also lead to a disagreement over her desire to go back to her past claiming the Holy Grail. Saber also supplies some dark revelations regarding the true events of the last war, and what kind of person Shirou's father actually was...
The final episode is the expected return to the light-hearted side of Fate/Stay Night; a break from the dark, bleak war with an episode devoted to fun and games. This time, Shirou decides to try to develop his relationship with Saber further by taking her on a date - something Saber doesn't quite understand the concept of. Yet again the eternal argument over Saber's future ensues, leading to a falling out. Fortunately they make up, but as they do the mysterious figure appears again to confront the pair, asking for its possession back; namely Saber herself.
The DVD quality is the same as the previous volumes; standard DVD definition but it holds up pretty well fully upscaled on a HD LCD TV if you sit at a reasonable distance. The sound again is only 2.0 stereo for both English and Japanese, though the Japanese soundtrack provides a little more depth in bass. Again I personally thought that the Japanese voice talent suited the characters more. The extras also are similar to before; a Promo Video and TV commercials, with trailers for Black Lagoon and Daphne in the Brilliant Blue.
Although this volume's subtitle suggests that the focus is on the developments between the sisters, Rin and Sakura, this is unmistakably Caster's arc. The episodes further the story of Fate/Stay Night nicely, with steady pacing and increasing intensity. The characters, both new and old, develop well; though for me it is the men who come out on top. The three male characters all have different characteristics and provide strong, memorable performances. Assassin, despite being more of a wandering Ronin, exhibits more of the traits normally exuded by a model Samurai under their Bushido code, dressed in his traditional attire. Kuzuki, with his tall, scrawny frame and ice-cold, emotionless stare, is the seemingly immoral, yet stoic man who changes the tone of the series with his outlook on the world and nature, as well as challenging the nature of the relationship between Master and Servant. Finally, we see Shirou gravitating more than ever from being a coward to a leading man, ready to fight, through his constant arguments with Saber over her future and the battles of philosophies between him and Kuzuki. This character growth, along with the intriguing story developments to date, the assured doses of comedy to make sure things don't get too depressing, the increasing quality of the action - particularly whenever Assassin or Kuzuki fights - the tragedy, and the drama provides great entertainment, and another great volume of this ever-improving series. The final moments of this disc push the story nicely towards the final arc of the series, with the focus finally shifting back towards the fates of the main protagonists, Shirou and Saber, and piquing one's interest more than ever. 8 out of 10. <br>
<b>Final score: 8 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2010-05-17vlcsnap-2010-05-17-23h41m53s97.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2010-05-17vlcsnap-2010-05-17-23h45m56s234.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2010-05-17vlcsnap-2010-05-17-23h37m51s226.png">
<b>Review of Fate/stay night #5 by Raz112</b>
<em>Caster: Do you believe in my story?
Kazuki: I have no interest in this Holy Grail of yours. And I don't have one of those "Command Seals" you speak of, either. However, if you need my assistance, then I will help you.
Caster: You are a most unusual person. </em>
As one arc ends, another one begins. How does it fare in comparison? Read on to find out.
As Shirou ponders the revelations concerning Saber that occurred in the last volume, he struggles to comprehend her reasons for wanting to return and 'fix' her past rather than look forward to the undetermined future. Meanwhile, some odd occurrences are taking place at Shirou's school, with people going into comas. Rin deduces that this must be the work of the last remaining Master residing in Ryudou Temple, whose Servant is Assassin. However, Illya interjects by stating that it is not him, but rather the cause is somebody else from Ryudou Temple. This leads to confusion, as the only known residents of Ryudou Temple are the Servant, Assassin, and his Master. However, Illya reveals two things; there is another Servant residing at the temple who is the real perpetrator, and Assassin is that person's Servant. Her name is Caster.
The doorbell rings and it's Issei, deciding to drop on his way to school after being called in by teacher Mr. Kuzuki. Shirou asks how he knows that Kuzuki is going there. It is then that Issei reveals that they live under the same roof, and that Kuzuki has been living at Ryudou Temple for the last three years. From that, the group concludes that he must be the Master they were discussing. However, they must confirm this, so they set out to do just that.
A standoff ensues on a derelict Fuyuki City road in the middle of the night. Shirou tries to make sense of the nature of the relationship between Caster and Kuzuki, while we also find out Caster's true intentions and her plot to obtain the Holy Grail through alternate means.
Her plot involves the sacrifice of a Magus, so apart from Rin, everyone assumes that Caster is after Illya. However, they are fooled and she instead captures Rin's sister, Sakura.
This forces everyone into a race against time to get Sakura back before the sacrifice can be carried out, leading to an assault on the looming Ryudou Temple on the top of a hill, with Assassin as its gatekeeper and Kuzuki as its last line of defence. Three new battles ensue: Saber versus Assassin, Shirou versus Kuzuki, and Rin versus Caster.
As the first two battles conclude, the third battle between Rin and Caster continues, with Saber and Shirou joining in. However, Rin and Shirou are helpless, and Saber is unable to do much due herself to Caster having inflicted her Noble Phantasm on her - the 'Rule Breaker' - which restricts Saber from using her own Phantasm. Just when it seems as though all is lost, a mysterious figure intervenes - someone who claims to know Saber. Saber seems to know the newcomer as well, though she doesn't seem happy to see him.
Saber explains all that she knows about this mysterious Servant, providing more intriguing plot developments. The assumptions made from her story also lead to a disagreement over her desire to go back to her past claiming the Holy Grail. Saber also supplies some dark revelations regarding the true events of the last war, and what kind of person Shirou's father actually was...
The final episode is the expected return to the light-hearted side of Fate/Stay Night; a break from the dark, bleak war with an episode devoted to fun and games. This time, Shirou decides to try to develop his relationship with Saber further by taking her on a date - something Saber doesn't quite understand the concept of. Yet again the eternal argument over Saber's future ensues, leading to a falling out. Fortunately they make up, but as they do the mysterious figure appears again to confront the pair, asking for its possession back; namely Saber herself.
The DVD quality is the same as the previous volumes; standard DVD definition but it holds up pretty well fully upscaled on a HD LCD TV if you sit at a reasonable distance. The sound again is only 2.0 stereo for both English and Japanese, though the Japanese soundtrack provides a little more depth in bass. Again I personally thought that the Japanese voice talent suited the characters more. The extras also are similar to before; a Promo Video and TV commercials, with trailers for Black Lagoon and Daphne in the Brilliant Blue.
Although this volume's subtitle suggests that the focus is on the developments between the sisters, Rin and Sakura, this is unmistakably Caster's arc. The episodes further the story of Fate/Stay Night nicely, with steady pacing and increasing intensity. The characters, both new and old, develop well; though for me it is the men who come out on top. The three male characters all have different characteristics and provide strong, memorable performances. Assassin, despite being more of a wandering Ronin, exhibits more of the traits normally exuded by a model Samurai under their Bushido code, dressed in his traditional attire. Kuzuki, with his tall, scrawny frame and ice-cold, emotionless stare, is the seemingly immoral, yet stoic man who changes the tone of the series with his outlook on the world and nature, as well as challenging the nature of the relationship between Master and Servant. Finally, we see Shirou gravitating more than ever from being a coward to a leading man, ready to fight, through his constant arguments with Saber over her future and the battles of philosophies between him and Kuzuki. This character growth, along with the intriguing story developments to date, the assured doses of comedy to make sure things don't get too depressing, the increasing quality of the action - particularly whenever Assassin or Kuzuki fights - the tragedy, and the drama provides great entertainment, and another great volume of this ever-improving series. The final moments of this disc push the story nicely towards the final arc of the series, with the focus finally shifting back towards the fates of the main protagonists, Shirou and Saber, and piquing one's interest more than ever. 8 out of 10. <br>
<b>Final score: 8 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2010-05-17vlcsnap-2010-05-17-23h41m53s97.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2010-05-17vlcsnap-2010-05-17-23h45m56s234.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2010-05-17vlcsnap-2010-05-17-23h37m51s226.png">