(Nitsuj): Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. Welcome to the final review of the year where we’re taking a look at the second of Fate Grand Order Demonic Babylonia Front.
(Yume): Previously, Gorgon declared that in 10 days she would return to destroy Uruk. Gilgamesh is quick to respond and puts a plan in motion to win over the other two goddesses of the alliance. Ritsuka and the others are successful in winning over Ishtar and Quetzalcoatl and secure the Axe of Marduk to slay Gorgon. However, Gilgamesh is dead under mysterious circumstances. Can Ritsuka and the others revive the king? Let’s out now on Fate Grand Order Demonic Babylonia Front.
Opening and Ending Theme
(Nitsuj): So in a bold move the opening for the second half is Phantom Joker once again. Except it’s the second verse of the song. That’s actually kind of clever and something I’ve never seen done in an anime before. The second verse is good and carries great weight to it. Like things are starting to get serious and shit is about to go down.
(Yume): The second opening is “Prover” by milet. The song is soft, slow, sad and sweet. It focuses on Gilgamesh’s character and does a job telling his story. He’s arrogant and he looks down on everyone, but he loves humanity’s desire to keep pushing forward and respects their drive to fight even in the face of overwhelming/impossible odds. He’s a man who has all the treasures in the world, but he lost the one treasure that mattered to him the most, his friend.
Episodes 12-16
(Yume): The second half of the series starts off with the group figuring out that Gilgamesh was killed by a curse courtesy of Ereshkigal the third goddess in the Three Goddess Alliance. Yeah, it turns out that Ishtar and Ereshkigal are a package deal. When the priestesses summoned Ishtar they also got Ereshkigal (Nitsuj: One’s a goddess of light with an amazing ass, the other’s queen of the underworld who apparently likes to troll people). In order to get Gilgamesh back, they have no choice but to go to the underworld and retrieve him. Ritsuka, Mash, and Ishtar arrive in the underworld thanks to Ishtar showing them the way (scene here: https://youtu.be/r_aa0uVLwNQ) where we learn that in the past, Ishtar tried to take over the underworld only to fail and get skewered by Ereshkigal (given Rin’s personality it sounds like something she would do). We see the trolling of Ishtar begins where she gets zapped by a gate for believing she’s prettier than Ereshkigal (scene here: https://youtu.be/jbb0mODfIOU. (Nitsuj): Best angle ever) and shrinks to the size of a barbie doll when they pass through other gates. They do come across Gilgamesh who’s fine and has been walking around freely since the underworld is pretty much his backyard (ha, Gilgamesh is so great he doesn’t need his own rescue party). However, he’s not allowed to leave the underworld without Ereshkigal’s permission, so the group still has to face her where according to Gilgamesh they should be able to beat her as her powers aren’t on Ishtar’s level (that’s both sad and reassuring. Scene here: https://youtu.be/CdrY4vmZLcY). They finally arrive at Ereshkigal’s palace (could use a few more windows, walls, doors, and everything else. Other than that, this place seems cozy) and come face to face with Ereshkigal in the form of a skull monster (scene here: https://youtu.be/1pMDyjzxAzo).
Episode 13 is a great episode. We get a good battle between Ereshkigal and everyone where all she really wants is to be praised for all her hard work and efforts (aww~ that’s nice). We get to see Mash use her noble phantasm (which is pretty cool, I’m not gonna lie. Scene here: https://youtu.be/5YpzmCiIGeM) and finally get to see the real Ereshkigal who comes across as Ishtar’s little sister. Unlike Ishtar who is more confident and does her best to hide her true emotions, Ereshkigal is shier, easily embarrassed, and wears her feelings on her sleeves (she obviously has a thing for Ritsuka. (Nitsuj): Damn, even death wants a piece of the harem). We get to see Ziusu-dra again who servers Ereshkigal’s connection to the Three Goddess Alliance (literally) so now she’s free to do whatever she wants. She decides to fight with Ritsuka and the others against Gorgon but doesn’t become Ritsuka’s servant just yet as she wants to repay his kindness by saving him in dynamic fashion (scene here: https://youtu.be/C-X5fQWXun0, sometimes you gotta let a girl flex). Ereshkigal releases the souls of Uruk and sends them back to the world of the living. With their business done, Ritsuka and the others leave the underworld and return to Uruk.
It’s time for the battle against Gorgon in episode 14. Gilgamesh’s troops will distract the demonic beasts while Ritsuka and his harem sneak into Gorgon’s temple. Once there, they’ll have Quetzalcoatl throw the axe of Marduk at Merlin (Nitsuj: Like Mario throwing Bowser in Super Mario 64) who will then redirect the axe to hit the temple. The day comes and the battle gets underway as Merlin gives the signal for Quetzalcoatl to throw the axe and Merlin redirects the axe to hit the temple. They go inside, come face to face with Gorgon, and get ready to fight. As the episode ends we finally learn who Ana really is, she’s Medusa. She’s a younger Medusa from the past before she came to truly despise humanity. Meanwhile Gorgon serves as a warning into Ana’s future if she keeps discriminating against humans.
Man episode 15 is an emotional and sad episode. It starts off on an epic note with Ana taking Gorgon down all by herself (Nitsuj: Where was this back in episode 9? We could have used this), but in the process takes herself down as well (scenes here: https://youtu.be/izSXwLQYZmM, https://youtu.be/DJzvik6M7gw, and https://youtu.be/a4DUTRW_9b8). Just when you think it’s their win, all hell breaks loose as the real Tiamat awakens not fully but enough to where she unleashes her children on the world known as Lahmu said to be the successors of humanity and these things are freaky as hell (Nitsuj: These things are our successors? Even a wild beast has more logic, emotion, and understanding than these sins against nature). These things need nothing to live and have no reason to fight for survival, they’re just killing other creatures for the fun of it (they’re like deranged kids who buy toys only to blow them up). They attack Uruk and other surrounding cities killing people left and right all in an effort to understand them (scene here: https://youtu.be/nwjh7cqa0NQ). Not even Kingu is safe as they attack him as well (wow, I forgot how dark this series can get). Also, Merlin disappears for. . .reasons.
So in a somewhat surprising twist, we see that at the start of episode 16, Kingu had the Holy Grail within him all this time (so the tin man had a heart all this time). One of the Lahmus rips the Holy Grail out of Kingu, eats it (Nitsuj: Dude, that’s the most sacred relic in humanity. Show some respect), and then flies off to deliver it to Tiamat. Ritsuka and the others chase after the Lahmu while Kingu (still alive) runs away from the rest of the Lahmus who continue to mock him as a failed project (he runs surprisingly well for a guy with a hole in his chest). He gets cornered in the jungle where one of the Lahmus gives their life to save him because that Lahmu is Siduri (scene here: https://youtu.be/LwncnnGa1V8). Back with Ritsuka and the others, they manage to ground the Lahmu only to lose it and have to fight against Ushiwakamaru who’s skin has turned dark (too much sunbathing girl) and she’s evil (https://youtu.be/urb6WPtoKIk). Thus a fight breaks out between the former allies where even with Ushiwakamaru multiplying on us (not sure whether to use an Ultron or Naruto joke here) they manage to defeat her just in time (scene here: https://youtu.be/nUk3OsKQAZY) as Tiamat has received the Holy Grail. This leaves only Ritsuka and the others with one option (Nitsuj: Add Tiamat to the harem? I mean I know she’s evil, but I’m really hoping that’s just sexual frustration), go and face Tiamat before she destroys all of Mesopotamia with her children and red water.
Episodes 17-22
(Nitsuj): So episode 17 starts off with Ishtar using her noble phantasm on Tiamat which seems to destroy her (scene here: https://youtu.be/2uQ_2L1T6NY, well that’s was fun! Who’s up for Urukinese?). Unfortunately, that wasn’t Tiamat’s real body (just how many bodies does this woman have?). The real Tiamat emerges from the water and she’s a giant (scene here: https://youtu.be/xEy5rO4rRwE. Ritsuka, I know she’s a lot of a woman, but you can charm her) who can’t be beaten as long as there’s life in the world, so the only way to truly beat her is to end all life. The group returns to Uruk and their hope comes in the form of Ereshkigal, Ritsuka and Gilgamesh want her to drag Tiamat into the underworld thus killing her. Ereshkigal says it would normally take 10 years to pull off something like that, but since she’s been cursing Uruk for a while now, it’ll only take her 3 days to pull it off. Tiamat will reach Uruk in 2 days so the group has to survive one day against Tiamat (and as we pointed out earlier she can’t be stopped so good luck with that). In order to survive, Gilgamesh puts all his money on Ishtar’s pet servant Gugalanna the bull but Ishtar lost him and she has no idea where he’s at (Yume: Useless goddess! Go in the corner. Scene here: https://youtu.be/WRb1xON5H3s. (Nitsuj): We’re all gonna die).
Episode 18 is an awesome episode. It’s the last night of humanity as Tiamat will arrive in Uruk tomorrow. We see them form a plan to stop Tiamat in her tracks by destroying her black mud that she uses to travel. Quetzalcoatl says she’ll destroy it with her noble phantasm, all she’ll need is protection from the Lahmus. We also see Gilgamesh and Kingu have a moment where Gilgamesh gives him the Holy Grail to heal his injuries and tells him to do whatever he wants from now on (was this pity for a man who shares the appearance of his best friend or was this a gamble for the future? You decide). The next day Ritsuka, Mash, Quetzalcoatl, and Ishtar head out to face Tiamat where they get attacked by the Lahmus and Ushiwakamaru clones. They receive help from Hitachibou who returns (about damn time) who protects Quetzalcoatl to her destination where she unleashes her noble phantasm on Tiamat in spectacular fashion (Yume: In my mind, I like to think this is what the Mayans were talking about in their theories about the end of the world). Quetzalcoatl destroys the mud along with Hitachibou and Ushiwakamru but Tiamat reveals that she can fly (have to thank the Holy Grail for that) and continues on her way but Quetzalcoatl goes for broke and unleashes all of her power on Tiamat in the hopes of hurting her. With the help of Ritsuka, Quetzalcoatl is able to break through Tiamat’s shield and hit her which barely does any damage to her and we lose Quetzalcoatl (Yume: Things just keep getting more and more dire by the minute). As the credits roll, we get the return of an unlikely person, Gorgon.
In episode 19 we start with Gorgon trying to stop Tiamat. Not because she’s their ally but because it was Ana’s final request. Ritsuka and Mash return to Uruk where everyone is dead and the city is on fire (lovely scenery). Tiamat is right at their doorstep and Gilgamesh unleashes his mighty attacks on her which does little to slow her down. Tiamat actually takes a shot at Ritsuka, but Gilgamesh protects him (Yume: Kneel and kiss his feet for protecting you fool), and Kingu returns deciding to help them and uses his heavenly chains to stop Tiamat in her tracks long enough for Ereshkigal to finish her final preparations. Ishtar blasts Tiamat to the underworld as well as Ritsuka and Mash where they arrive safely (well we timed it pretty close there, but we pulled it off. We got this by the ass. (Yume): Wait for it). However, Tiamat refuses to give up. She transforms into a dragon, overpowers the authority of the underworld and tries to escape (this bitch is OP). The group manages to get saved by the real Merlin and they receive help from another unlikely ally, Ziusu-dra who reveals his true form, King Hassan.
The fight against Tiamat ends in episode 20 (holy shit! So much happens in this episode that I don’t know what to make of it). Tiamat tries to climb her way out with everyone trying to stop her. They even receive help from Gilgamesh. With the help of Gilgamesh they manage to cause Tiamat to fall, so she decides that if she can’t escape the underworld, she’ll just overwrite it and create a new universe taking everyone down with her (Yume: Like Nitsuj said, this bitch is OP). Ereshkigal uses her noble phantasm to stop Tiamat but it only just buys them a short time to come up with a counter. Their counter, having Ritsuka stab Tiamat which will open up the door for Gilgamesh to attack (scene here: https://youtu.be/xn35k2Ba4u4). Mash and Merlin use their noble phantasms to hold off Tiamat’s attack and guide Ritsuka to his destination where he comes face to face with the real Tiamat who is sad. She wants to stay with humanity and live by their side, but humanity is unfortunately pushing her away (it’s enough to make any mother cry). After Ritsuka stabs her, Gilgamesh unleashes his attack and destroys her (https://youtu.be/xSTN3mHEAOA). However, we do lose Ereshkigal because she used too much of her authority and committed the taboo of helping out the living. As the underworld collapses, Ritsuka and Mash are teleported back to the surface knocked out and holding hands.
In the final episode we get our farewells and the aftermath of the battle. We start with Ritsuka and Mash waking up outside of Babylon where they were saved by Jaguar Warrior (wow, I completely forgot about her. (Yume): Yeah, she kinda disappeared on us. What was she doing all this time? (Nitsuj): I guess with everything going on she got lost in the shuffle) and Quetzalcoatl (hey, that’s a nice surprise). It turns out Quetzalcoatl was saved by Jaguar Warrior at the last minute. After chatting for a bit, Ritsuka and Mash decide to head towards Uruk in the hopes of finding the others, but Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar Warrior can’t come with them as their time in this era has come to an end. After saying their goodbyes, Ritsuka and Mash return to Uruk (or what’s left of it) and find Merlin and Ishtar. Ishtar says Ereshkigal is okay and is now resting to restore Kur which will take about half a century. Merlin decides to return to his observation tower and Ishtar says she’ll remain in this era a little longer. They finally go to meet Gilgamesh who gives us some very powerful words of wisdom (nothing less from such a great king) and the time has finally come for Ritsuka and Mash to leave where they say they had fun and Gilgamesh gives them the Holy Grail. We end the season with the promise of another season as it’s time to face King Solomon.
Final Thoughts
(Yume): So Nitsuj, what do you have to say about the Fate series now?
(Nitsuj): Well yeah, I have to admit this was a cool series. The story was good, the setting and characters are easy to get invested in, and the detail to the lore of the gods and civilization they’re in was interesting. Even though I haven’t played the game or know the story all that well, I was able to quickly grasp the personalities of Ritsuka and Mash. Ritsuka is a kind person who cares about everyone around him and can be brave when he needs to be. Mash is also a sweet girl and I like how she and Ritsuka are there for each other. They’ve always got each other’s back and are there to comfort each other whenever things get too much for them to handle. There will be times when neither one has an answer to a question the other one asks, but just knowing that person is there for them is enough to set their mind at ease. Like I said before the rest of the characters were good as well. Gilgamesh was awesome, I liked his overflowing confidence and charisma. Ana’s story and connection to Gorgon was good and led to a heartfelt farewell. Jaguar Warrior was funny as was Quetzalcoatl who I honestly wish would have joined the team a lot sooner. Ishtar and Ereshikgal almost steal the show with their personalities and I like how different they were from each other. Ishtar was more confident in herself while Ereshikgal was shier however, she would be more open with people when she got to know them. Even Tiamat gets a good story. I actually do feel a little sad for her. All she wants is to be there for humans, she doesn’t want to be separated from us. This isn’t enough to forgive her for what she’s done, but it does put things into perspective and makes you understand her motives and what drives her. In the end, she’s just doing what she believes is right and doesn’t want to be forgotten by the humans she loves so much. Anything to add Yume?
(Yume): I agree with a lot of what you said Nitsuj. The only real complaint is that the anime does leave out a number of moments throughout the game which were essential to the story or provided a good laugh. Such as Ishtar shrinking in Kur. Other than that, I really have no complaints. The animation is very spectacular and lively. The fight scenes are fluent and beautiful to watch especially the noble phantasms of the characters and the soundtrack fits very well with the anime. While not the most memorable music I will say it never felt like the music was out of place.
Final Score
(Nitsuj): Alright, final score time. My final score for Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia is a 8.5/10.
(Yume): I’m going to be a little more critical on this series and give it a 7.5/10. I’m taking off a point due to the fact that the anime left out a number of things from the game which would have made the anime better. However, I do acknowledge that this was a great anime and a good representation of the games.
(Nitsuj): So this brings the final score of the anime to a 8/10. Definitely a good watch for fans of the game, anyone hoping to get into the game, and those like me who don’t know that much about the series. With the way this anime ended I’m very excited to see what happens in the fight against Solomon and I have to admit that I’ve become a fan of this series and wouldn’t mind checking out the main series as well as this series. I’m. . .just not sure where to start.
(Yume): Good thing you’ve got me. I’ll help you through this fun maze of history. Until then, thanks for reading and we’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.