Review of Fate/stay night #6

Raz112

Completely Average High School Student
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/2010-07-1813706774m.jpg">

<b>Review of Fate/stay night #6 by Raz112</b>

<em>Saber: It's all over now, isn't it?

Shirou: Yeah. This is the end.</em>

This is indeed the end of Fate/Stay Night, the conclusion of the Holy Grail War; the final act of this series where all remaining questions are answered and all fates are sealed.

But first let's get the technical details out of the way. Visuals and sound are on par with the other volumes - nothing particularly spectacular but consistent and mainly clean. The extras are a little different this time, though still bare, with two character music clips included for your pleasure; the music being tracks from Kenji Kawai's eerie and atmospheric score.

The show starts with a bang. Something dawns on Shirou that we all realised a long time ago, but right now he is faced with a new and grave obstacle whose only interest is the acquisition of Saber. This new threat first showed himself in the climactic battle against Caster; his name is Gilgamesh, King of the Uruks, who ruled over the cradle of civilisation that was Ancient Mesopotamia. Shirou seeks help from Kotomine, but unexpectedly runs into a Servant whom everyone had forgotten about: Lancer. To make matters worse, Illya is kidnapped and Rin is left in a state as the final confrontation approaches...<br>
Gilgamesh's obsession with Saber is the cause of numerous battles within this volume, however in between lies the usual expository dialogue which slows the pace whilst explaining the plot and answering the questions that remain - the identity of Gilgamesh and the reason for his existence, Lancer's true Master, Kotomine's true role and motive and the truth behind the events of the last Holy Grail War, as well as the true nature of the Holy Grail itself.

People may argue that with this being the final volume, the amount of time devoted to stationary characters exchanging words may seem a little excessive, and the action is a little weaker and more repetitive than earlier volumes. However, if one pays attention to what is said, it becomes clear where the quality of Fate/Stay Night is. Apart from the skilful fusion of various myths within its plot, giving the series a historical and fantastical gravitas, it is the portrayal of various aspects of humanity that makes this series intriguing and watchable. This is accomplished through the diversity of characters in the story within the familiar setting of war. Duty, Courage, Devotion, Obsession, Delusion, Deceit, Desire, Justice, Vengeance, Regret and Forgiveness are just a few of these aspects of humanity which have been shown over the course of the 24 episodes. There are also two elements to consider that are most important with regards to this anime. The first is Fate's namesake, and the various ways that people deal with it. Some are dictated by and succumb to it, others fight against it, whilst some embrace it. The other theme is love and its unyielding power. Fate/Stay Night's final message to us is that Fate is what we make of it and love has the power to conquer all and ensure true happiness, whatever the outcome may be. That's not bad for a franchise that started off as a visual novel turned adult PC game. Not bad at all.<br>
<b>Final score: 8 out of 10</b>

<b>Additional screencaps</b>

<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2010-07-18vlcsnap-2010-07-18-22h25m54s255.png">

<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2010-07-18vlcsnap-2010-07-18-22h30m15s60.png">

<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2010-07-18vlcsnap-2010-07-18-22h38m33s179.png">
 
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