Episode 22 –
Fate/Zero’s second half has had some great episodes, but it’s more recent episodes have been more lackluster. Much of it would probably be due to how the show has begun focusing in on Kotomine Kirei and Emiya Kiritsugu, two characters that are difficult to fully understand. Their motivations and ideals are still quite the enigma, and their lack of any strong personality has somewhat detracted from what Fate/Zero has been acclaimed for.
On the other hand, this felt like the first episode in a while that had the strengths of the earlier episodes of this series. There was a level of emotional poignancy and accuracy that was easy to understand and relate to, and unsurprisingly, was a superb buildup episode that beautifully brought in a sense of impending doom in the upcoming weeks. This Holy Grail war will obviously be ending really soon, and all hell will break loose before that happens.
The most noticeable aspect to this episode was undoubtedly the character interactions between Waver, Rider, and Waver’s “grandpa”. The Rider-Waver duo is perhaps the only servant-master pairing that gained goodwill from me over the course of the series, where they grew close together through countless battles and arguments, along with plenty of goofy and odd moments. Waver has definitely matured over the course of this series, with his “I can change the world” attitude transitioning into a more humble attitude after seeing the powers at work in this Holy grail war, a battle with forces far beyond what his imagination had probably expected. He seems to have realized he was foolish to get in on this Holy grail war, and feels a need to learn more. The chat with the grandpa was also rather poignant, especially when you realize that this may be the last time Waver may ever see the old couple that have been taking care of him. This chat between Waver and Rider has a finality of sorts to it, where it’s obvious that from this point forward, one of them may not come back.
As for the rest of the characters, there’s the impending Berserker-Saber confrontation on the horizon, as well as a strange change in Irisviel’s situation after her death. I’m guessing that her being alive or dead has no impact on her ability to be a vessel for the Holy Grail, but something seems off about the grail’s effect on her. For a omnipotent, all powerful object, the Grail seems to be quite dark and dreary. Perhaps this is an indicator that the grail is also not all that it seems, and perhaps is a indicator that one should tread carefully when the grail makes its appearance. The Berserker-Saber relationship will also probably come to a close really soon, though this relationship is arguably the least developed out of every single relationship in the series.
And finally, there’s the Kirei-Kiritsugu conflict, and quite honestly, it feels a bit fake. It kind of feels as if Kirei is targeting Kiritsugu for the heck of it, and Kiritsugu’s fear seems a bit irrational. But it is certain that the stakes have been upped with this recent episode of Fate/Zero, and I suspect that there will be several deaths by the time this is all over and done with. With only a few more episodes left to this series, I’m expecting quite the bang of a finale. Whether the series will be able to wrap up every single plot line and character relationship is much more debatable, though I do hope the writers have something in mind with regards to this pacing issue.
Overall Enjoyment: 4.1/5
Screenshots are later in the post.