I write my reviews based off 5 elements: Story, Characters, Music, Animation/Production Quality and Impression. All of my reviews are spoiler free. This review is based on the subbed version.
The mainline fate series is in and of itself, one of the most complicated, comical, yet wonderfully written series of all time. Are there plot holes? Absolutely. Does everything make sense? Hell no. The thing about the fate series however, is if you just suspend your disbelief, in these plot holes, the story becomes evermore endearing. That said there are not enough plot holes to make it nonsensical, but due to the nature of the story being based in magecraft, magic, historical reference, gender bending and other extremely difficult to explain phenomena, a suspension of disbelief is pretty much a requirement in order to enjoy this series.
For Unlimited Blade Works specifically, this series probably has the most character development for it's characters. In order to not spoil the story, I will not say who specifically, but several characters in this story are well fleshed out and have clear strengths, weaknesses, ambitions and motivations. As such, the viewer will no doubt enjoy watching these characters as they develop through the story. There is something to be said that if you want to have a better understanding on the characters, you might want to watch Fate/Zero before Unlimited Blade Works, but I personally believe either way works out here if you are choosing to skip the 2006 iteration of Fate/Stay Night.
This anime has some of the best music in all of anime, that being said, it is still far from being the best. I will never forget the goosebumps I get when I hear the opening riff to Aimer's Brave Shine in season 2 or how other songs perfectly rise and fall with the momentum of the battles in the many epic fight scenes laid out in this series. In terms of it's OST, Unlimited Blade Works falls short of Heaven's Feel in terms of fate series music, but comes in a very clear second place.
ufotable is one of the best; if not the best in ensuring their products have the best animation quality. Not only that, but in terms of the fate series, this is the clear second best in both animation quality and production quality behind Heaven's Feel. The animation is fluid and viewers are able to keep track of what's going on in fights while also depicting the epic-ness of each fight scene. There is hardly ever if at all a drop in quality and while the voice actors are the same from the original Fate/Stay Night production, they are handled in a vastly superior way and churn out top quality lines and emotions. There is a clear difference in production between Studio Deen and ufotable and it's not even close as to which one if better.
For most, this will be their first entry into the Fate franchise as most people do recommend skipping the original Fate/Stay Night (I do not recommend skipping it). That said, this series definitely sets the bar high and if you want to watch it in a way that builds up in quality over time, I definitely recommend watching Fate/Zero first. That said, there are so many memorable scenes and moments within the anime, not to mention the characters of this series are some of the most beloved of all time. Type-Moon did a wonderful job in story and character design and ufotable did an exceptional job bringing it to TV production.
Final Words:
As with all my Fate series reviews, I will add my personal watch order list and flesh out why it is important to watch it in the order I suggest:
Fate/Stay Night (2006) -> Fate/Zero -> Unlimited Blade Works -> Heaven's Feel. If you watch it in this order the amount of surprises and moments where you have to simply press the "I believe button" becomes fewer. Not only that, if you decide to skip the 2006 production of Fate/Stay Night, you miss out on the character development of one of the key characters in the franchise as they do not receive as much; if at all, character development in the other shows of the series. That being said, if you are unwilling to soldier through a terribly produced version of the fate franchise, I highly, highly, highly recommend you at least seek out a synopsis or read about what the original production covered.
As for Unlimited Blade Works, it is my personal second favorite in the series behind Heaven's Feel. I still remember my heart racing and blood boiling while watching this series. It without a doubt holds a place in the top of all anime and first time viewers should definitely give it a chance. As I give Season 2 a 9.6 (96) rating and Season 1 a 9.2 (92), the average score for the entire series is 9.4 (94)
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