Just an honest review from a simple anime enjoyer of a series I recently got into.

Shout out to my friend for suggesting and encouraging me to make this review @DaimonR, I recommend checking out his review on Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn-

My, my so you came to read my review, thank you. Here goes nothing....my first review, might be rocky strap on

Fate is something I just recently got into on 2023 October 17 (anime form only). So far I have only seen:

So I'm not that well versed in the whole Fate lore and don't know what's to come, but so far It hasn't disappointed me and Unlimited Blade Works season 1 is no exception.
Overall

A few observations i made:

1. In UBW s1 there is less shooking gore, that makes you disgusted which is what I feel Fate is known for, so that was a bit new.
2. Masters here were more interesting than the servants - simply because of more attention given to them.
3. The main antagonist - made things interesting, feels like an actual threat.
4. Character interaction and relationships - in my opinion the strongest part, it's what kept me invested.
5. The plot - from the beginning kept me wanting to watch with full focus, it was easy to follow and the more information was revealed the more it kept me watching. That's why it's an easy to binge show.
6. The anime didn't treat the viewer like a dummy - in some moments you as the viewer notice something is suspicious about a character and the anime does something about that suspicion.

Characters

We get a lot of character focus. It feels relatable and realistic at times. The war aspect of the show wasn't the only topic between the characters, we get to see them in day to day life so we get some slice of life parts in between the action.

So if character interactions are up your alley in this anime it feels like real people and real conversations, none of that anime cliche, it feels more dimensional.

Rin Tohsaka

Best character. She single handedly changed my opinion on tsudere characters. She is a tsundere character done right. Now, why I picked her to be the best character is because if you removed her it would feel like half of the enjoyment would be gone. Her relationship with Shirou was by far the most entertaining and endearing thing to watch. Another thing I really appreciate about the Fate series is well written female characters. She has her own personality, doesn't have to be just a romantic interest, and also has her own goals, and ambitions. Even if she is a tease and can come of as a mean person, she has a heart of gold and it shows.Shirou Emiya

For the protagonist of the show, he is as vanilla ice cream as you can get, just some sprinkles of saying some of the most stupidly funny lines:

Dumb main guy but with a heart of gold which drives his beliefs. In any other shounen it would be a cliche, but since this is Fate where your decisions matter in the topic of war it feels more impactful, for the beliefs he has. He is not the typical overpowered protagonist from the very start, but definitely, sometimes the main character's shield helps him a lot which is a bit disappointing. He is the opposite of the previous protagonist Kiritsugu in the way that he is like a lost child who has no clue what is happening, his knowledge is minuscule, while Kiritsugu was almost to perfectionist levels of knowing what is happening in the war.

Best character relationships
This might seem silly to focus on such a thing, but not going to lie not a lot of shows have more than one relationship of characters that you just love to see on screen playing out.

Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya - we get to see them know one another from zero, go through some disagreements and up to a closer bond and this relationship of theirs made the enjoyment of this season most enjoyable. Of course, the fact that their two masters who work together is something interesting to see play out too.

Rin Tohsaka and Archer - they feel like a family at times and it's fun to see their dynamic.

Shirou Emiya and Saber - because Shirou is known to be an empathetic dude he sees Saber as an actual person and not just a servant which makes their friendship fun to see.

Plot, story

Mostly thanks to the main antagonist, it's entertaining and the story moves forward. The story flows so well, every character has their motives, and explanations for why they are doing what they are doing. No jumping from one confusing thing to another. It's also not just one character moving the story along, multiple characters are up to something, while we watch the main cast trying to figure out things make plans, others are working in the background.

Action

I usually don't care about fight scenes or anything to do with action, but Fate makes it feel more grand sometimes and I can't ignore it. The different character fighting styles, and weaponry also keep my attention.

Animation The detail is something I couldn't look past by, even something like a peeled tangerine is drawn. The action scenes can look beautiful which is something different and terrifying too. Neither background nor characters are underappreciated everything is well animated and drawn.
Mysteries

I like the fact there are a few things to be uncovered such as

1. Rin and Sakura seem like strangers.
2. Archer and his past. Who is he?
3. Caster the servant, who is a master?
4. What happened to Illya 10 years after the war?
5. What happened to Kiritsugu Emiya?

These mysteries keep me wanting to continue the show and find out of course and make some theories along the way.

Rating

The score I gave this anime is pretty high, but it's actual facts since I'm the type to continue a show till the end even if I don't like it.