(Nitsuj): Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj where we’re continuing the Summer of Fate with the second half of Unlimited Blade Works.
(Neo): When we last left our heroes, Shirou stupidly handed Saber over to dastardly Caster in order to save his teacher and he has no servant.
(Yume): With Saber gone Shirou is out of the tournament and Rin no longer has any reason to align herself with him and takes her leave. What futures challenges will Rin face now and what will become of Saber? Let’s find out now in the second half of Unlimited Blade Works.
Opening and Ending Theme
(Nitsuj): The second half’s opening is “Brave Shine” by Aimer. Hands down the most recognizable opening from this series. When this anime came out I can’t count how many times I heard this song pop up as the ending theme for a lot of AMVs and anime related videos. Can’t say I blame them as the song is very good. It’s Aimer, what did you expect? She always puts out good stuff. I’m convinced she can’t make a bad song. This song was so popular and really helped put Aimer on everyone’s radar as she rose to stardom in the anime community. So much so that everyone gets excited whenever they find out she’s singing the opening or ending for an anime.
(Yume): The ending is “Ring Your Bell” by Kalafina. A very beautiful ending here that almost feels like the end of a war. The fighting has finally stopped and our heroes are the ones left standing are returning home with their heads held high.
Episodes 13-16
(Neo): The second half of the anime begins with Shirou returning home, resting, and then waking up the next morning ready to fight once again (Nitsuj: Give the anime credit. They didn’t do the whole moping character story arc that I hate). We then go to the church where Caster claims she killed Kirei but has yet to find the Lesser Grail (Nitsuj: Still waiting on the context behind that. (Yume): We’ll get to it in due time) and we see Saber bound and chained in a sexual pose still trying to resist Caster’s control (Yume: I normally don’t say this, but I feel that they put way too much effort into this scene’s animation). Kuzuki shows up wanting an explanation into Caster’s actions (you got some explaining to do). Back with Rin, she has a dream about Archer (Nitsuj: Woah, I didn’t know their relationship was like that. All this time I thought she was going for Shirou or Saber, if not both. Scene here: https://youtu.be/mJlrpG7Utew) where she figures out that he’s a special kind of servant known as a Guardian. These guys act as safeguards who are summoned into various ages to prevent the world from destruction (unfortunately for Archer, each era only served to remind him how futile his ideals were). Once Rin wakes up, she and Archer head to the church to take on Caster and Kuzuki where Archer figures out Caster’s real identity is the Greek princess Medea and then he double crosses Rin (DAHHHH~! (Yume): That swine). In one of the most shocking betrayals in anime history, Archer sides with Caster allowing her to stab him with her noble phantasm to remove Rin’s command seals becoming Caster’s new servant. Kuzuki attempts to kill Rin only to fail thanks to Shirou who shows up and saves her. The two escape thanks to Archer who tells Caster to let them go, but Rin vows to make Archer regret his choice (scene here: https://youtu.be/QVOEWD7rNAQ. (Yume): You’ve just made a powerful enemy, Archer). Shirou and Rin go off somewhere so Rin can cool off where Shirou confesses that he’s in love with her (Nitsuj: Where the hell did this come from? Scene here: https://youtu.be/VE_tkpe5q5c).
In episode 14, Shirou tells Rin he’s going to continue fighting in the war and Rin agrees to team up with him (Yume: As she should. I mean the guy just confessed to you. If you left him alone and he got killed it’d be awkward). They decide their best bet to defeat Medea is to team up with another master and that master is Illya (Nitsuj: Wow, I honestly forgot she was still in this war. Despite having possibly the strongest servant out there. (Neo): Not your fault, she’s pretty underutilized in this route) because Berserker is Medea’s natural enemy, Heracles. We return to Medea still searching the church for the Lesser Grail where we see her past. We find out that Kuzuki wasn’t her original master, it was a guy named Atrum a member of the Mages Association (Nitsuj: Is that something like the YMCA? Young Men’s Cowboy Association?). Atrum didn’t know what kind of gem he came across when he acquired Caster and Caster didn’t think highly of him either as his efficient means of acquiring mana disappointed her (Nitsuj: I’m guessing these two were the best of friends). Atrum wanted to trade her in for a new servant as he couldn’t trust Medea, but Kirei made it clear he must get rid of her first before seeking a new servant. Atrum sent out a contract to Chu Chulain’s master asking them to take care of Caster, but before Chu Chulain could arrive, Madea had already made her move. She used Rule Breaker on herself, to break free of Atrum and killed him. Chu Chulain showed up and fought her where she barely managed to escape and was found by Kuzuki who became her new master. Returning to Shirou and Rin, they make their way to Illya’s villa which is outside of the city where she sends her maids Leysritt and Sella to retrieve them. Before the maids can leave, Shinji and Gilgamesh show up where Gilgamesh reveals that the Lesser Grail is inside of Illya’s heart because she herself is a homunculus. Gilgamesh kills Leysritt and Sella and an enraged Illya orders Heracles to kill him.
Episode 15 gives us the fight between Gilgamesh and Heracles. We also get to see Illya’s past where we find out that just like her, her mom, Irisviel, was also meant to be the vessel for the Holy Grail. We find out that Illya’s father is Kiritsugu who was a participant in the previous war (Yume: The same war that caused the fire Shirou was in) and won, but refused to accept the Holy Grail when it was presented to him (Nitsuj: What the hell man!? You had a free wish and you turned it away) betraying Irisviel and abandoning her. Once Irisviel returned to Illya’s side and told her all of this, she refused to believe it, but turned it around when Kiritsugu never came home (Nitsuj: He just went to get milk. Oh God, that was wrong even for me). Illya soon became disillusioned with her life not trusting anyone and when the fifth war was starting, she was originally planning to fight by herself without using a servant. However, sometime later, Heracles saved her from a pack of wolves of his own free will and she soon formed a bond with him as she realized he was someone she could trust and count on. In the fight between Gilgamesh and Heracles, Gilgamesh overwhelms him with multiple weapons until finally Heracles falls from the onslaught of attacks. Gilgamesh also kills Illya (Yume: Oh God, why is this part always so painful?).
At the start of episode 16, Gilgamesh pulls out Illya’s heart to retrieve the Lesser Grail and Shirou having seen enough (oh yeah, I forget to mention. Rin and Shirou saw the whole thing with Rin holding Shirou back from interfering) confronts Gilgamesh where nothing much really happens as he leaves with Shinji mouthing off to Shirou and Rin (Nitsuj: I really do hope he dies a horrifying death. Scene here: https://youtu.be/cwF-o4haZ9w). Shirou and Rin bury Illya where Rin tells Shirou that his way of thinking is twisted (it’s almost like the Batman complex the more I think about it) saying that if he keeps it up it’ll break him (Yume: As well as the people around him). While Shirou hears what Rin is saying he still remains committed to his ideals: ready to sacrifice his happiness in exchange for everyone else’s happiness. Despite the danger of Gilgamesh, Shirou and Rin decide to keep focusing on Madea and beating her. As they discuss on what to do next, Chu Chulain shows up where Shirou and Rin argue with each other on who’s going to fight him while the other escapes (it’s quite cute and funny how much they want to protect each other), but Chu Chulain says he’s here to help them out by orders of his master. Shirou agrees to Chu Chulain’s help as long as he doesn’t make any passes on Rin (Nitsuj: Yeah Shirou, respect my man. I be acting the same way if another man made a move on the AI girls. (Yume): None of us are dating you. (Nitsuj): Doesn’t matter. Nobody will know your true appeal except for me. Therefore, nobody is allowed to have you *Neo blushes along with Yume*. (Yume): Why are you blushing? (Neo): You’re. . . you’re blushing too Yume. (Yume): Be. . .be quiet and just continue the review). Back at the church, Archer talks with Kuzuki where he finds out Madea wants to use the Holy Grail to return to her original era (Yume: That and he’s in love with her). As the episode ends, the uneasy alliance of Shirou, Rin, and Chu Chulain goes to the church where Chu Chulain takes on Archer as our couple head inside.
Episodes 17-21
(Yume): Episode 17 is quite the exciting episode. Archer and Chu Chulain give us an awesome fight where they battle to a draw as Archer reveals his intent to kill Madea, he was biding his time for the right moment (scene here: https://youtu.be/VxO_0UXejlc). Inside the church, our lovebirds take on Madea and Kuzuki where we actually get to see Rin get physical in her battle with Madea (I bet nobody saw that coming) but couldn’t finish her off. Luckily, Archer finishes the job for her by targeting Kuzuki and Madea using her body as a shield to protect him. Kuzuki tries to avenge his love, but he dies at the hands of Archer as well (scene here: https://youtu.be/3k6Iv_7liXk. (Nitsuj): Okay, that’s enough blood spilling in the church for one day, who wants some KFC?). With Madea and Kuzuki dead, Archer now sets his sights on killing Shirou once and for all.
We start episode 18 with Shirou fighting off Archer. Saber tries to help, but without a steady supply of mana she’ll disappear. So, she forges a pact with Rin and becomes her servant (Nitsuj: All according to Rin’s ultimate plan). With Saber now at full power she seems to be more than a match for Archer until he activates his trump card Unlimited Blade Works (Neo: Title drop, followed by the universe imploding). Archer soon transports everyone into a reality marble a world in which he rules and can unleash his full strength. Archer reveals that in his past life he was a mage and conjures up a bunch of swords aimed to take them all down, but Shirou summons a sword of his own to destroy and dissipate the reality marble to bring them back to reality. Archer grabs Rin, knocks her out, and then escapes using her as an insurance policy against Shirou and Saber while he rests for one day. Before leaving, Shirou tells Archer to meet him at Illya’s grave where they’ll settle their differences once and for all (you’re going to disrupt her place of rest just to beat a guy you don’t like? (Nitsuj): When you say it like that it makes him sound rude). Saber takes Shirou home to rest while Rin has another dream about Archer’s past where we see he battled throughout time to save as many lives as he could only to be betrayed by those he trusted in the end (including his ideals). Rin finds herself in the basement of Illya’s villa where Shinji and Gilgamesh are also there. Archer promises to give Rin to them once his business with Shirou is done, but until then Shinji is not allowed to touch her (Nitsuj: Unless he wants to get fork stabbed). After resting, Shirou and Saber head out with Chu Chulain joining them.
Not much happens in episode 19. While Shirou and Saber go to face Archer, Chu Chulain goes to save Rin from a perverted Shinji (scene here: https://youtu.be/79scTeMKRbU. (Neo): When is he not a pervert? (Nitsuj): When he’s being an idiotic asshole. (Neo): Good point) where we find out his master is Kirei who did survive his battle with Madea. Kirei reveals that he’s the one who killed Rin’s father and plans to use her as the vessel for the Holy Grail. Chu Chulain refuses to kill Rin, so Kirei uses one of his command seals to kill Chu Chulain. Back with Shirou and Saber a lot gets revealed when they meet Archer. First off, we find out that Saber is King Arthur (Nitsuj: Don’t remember Arthur being so curvy and feminine in the stories and legends I’ve read) who wanted to use the Holy Grail to undo her decision to become king as she believes it was her rule that resulted in the destruction of Britain (that could not be further from the truth). Second, Archer is Shirou from the future (Nitsuj: Gasp! What a twist. (Yume): Your level of surprise could use some work). Shirou became a guardian in the hopes of saving everyone he can only to have those ideals slapped in his face. He was forced to kill in order to save more people making him see that his ideals were shallow idealism that was impossible to achieve. He now wants to kill Shirou to end his life, but Arthur says that’s impossible as guardians exist outside the realm of life and death. Shirou (future one) doesn’t care, as Shirou’s death (MC one) will save him from experiencing pain in this timeline, but Shirou refuses to kill himself saying that he’ll do all he can to avoid becoming the person he sees before him. With nothing more to talk about both Shirous prepare to face each other for the last time.
Episodes 20 and 21 give us the fight between the Shirous (Neo: There can only be one) and it is spectacular to watch. At first it seems like Archer Shirou has the advantage but Shirou steadily starts to get stronger as the fight continues (Nitsuj: This is why it’s always important to take your opponent out quickly. The longer a fight goes the more you give them a chance to fight back). Meanwhile, Kirei prepares to take Rin’s heart only for Chu Chulain to get back up and stab Kirei to kill him before collapsing on the ground. Shinji tries to seize the day and molest Rin (Nitsuj: Really!? You just saw two people die, have some dignity) only for Chu Chulain to chase him off. Chu Chulain frees Rin and then finally dies bursting into flames to burn his body as well as Kirei’s body. Back with the Shirous, Archer Shirou activates his Unlimited Blade Works to gain the upper hand and as they continue to fight, Shirou sees the memories of Archer Shirou (Nitsuj: The coma seasons. A good idea but a terrible execution. (Yume): What did I tell you about the Archer jokes?) where his resolve starts to shake and Archer Shirou takes advantage of this. Archer Shirou defeats Shirou and leaves him on the verge of death as he remembers Kiritsugu saving his life as well as the memories of Archer Shirou. He comes to the conclusion that his ideals aren’t wrong (no, just very hard to achieve) and in that moment Arthur’s scabbard Avalon, which was placed inside Shirou when Kiritsugu saved him activates to revive him and he continues to fight against Archer Shirou. Shirou’s spirit soon overwhelms Archer as he talks about the beauty of his ideals and is able to wound Archer Shirou badly when he gets distracted by Rin and a flashback of Kiritsugu (don’t you just hate when a flashback distracts you?). Archer then gets impaled by Gilgamesh calling him a faker and fires more swords to seemingly kill him off (scene here: https://youtu.be/O4zpFF2pi7s). Gilgamesh goes on to explain that he was summoned to our time at the end of the fourth Holy War thanks to Arthur who destroyed the Holy Grail back then. He now intends to use the Holy Grail as a weapon to wipe out humanity because he doesn’t like our lifestyle (Nitsuj: Oh great, he saw Twitter. Or Florida) and rule over the remaining few that survive. As Chu Chulain’s fire (Neo: Oh yeah, I forgot about that) begins to spread through the villa, Gilgamesh takes his leave as does everyone else. Gilgamesh meets up with Shinji in the forest (Nitsuj: Damn, I was hoping he died in the fire) where he implants Illya’s heart into Shinji to make him the vessel for the Holy Grail. Shinji gets left in the forest where his body begins to mutate into a massive blob of flesh (scene here: https://youtu.be/rhYcQBAUyEk. (Nitsuj): Well this is a better alternative death).
Episodes 22-25
(Nitsuj): In episode 22, Shirou, Rin, and Saber retreat back to Shirou’s house (you know, with all the attacks this place has gotten you would think they would go somewhere else) where they decide they’re going to destroy the Holy Grail (Yume: That’s sacrilege). They come to the conclusion that the Grail will appear at Ryuudou Temple and even figure out that Shinji will be used as the vessel for the Holy Grail. As they devise a plan to defeat Gilgamesh both Rin and Shirou come to the conclusion that only Archer Shirou was the perfect match up to beat Gilgamesh as he could copy any kind of weapon (Neo: Too bad he got pierced to death). This means Shirou is the next best person to face Gilgamesh and if he wants to win he must master Unlimited Blade Works. Since he doesn’t have enough mana to do it, Rin performs a ritual that will allow her to share her mana storage with him and vice-versa (Yume: Not that she needs it. His mana reserves are crap). As they go through the ritual, Shirou sees the memories of Rin including one where she watched him practice the high jump and fell in love with him right then and there. Meanwhile, at Ryuudou Temple, Gilgamesh arrives with Shinji and starts summoning the Holy Grail (uh~ where’s Sasaki? Shouldn’t he have stopped Gilgamesh or something? (Neo): You really want to get in the way of a guy like Gilgamesh? (Nitsuj): Good point).
The final battle begins in episode 23. Shirou and Rin arrive at the temple and see the grotesque blob of flesh (Neo: Are you talking about Shinji or what he’s become? (Nitsuj): . . .yes). Before the final battle Arthur reveals that she can only use Excalibur once and when she does she’ll be out of mana and disappear from this world (Yume: And millions of fans all over the world will weep as they lost their waifu). Before they can make the move to save Shinji, Gilgamesh appears meaning the person Arthur is fighting at the front gate is Sasaki (Yume: The battle of the sword between the east and the west. Which style of swordplay is better?). Actually, we find out that this isn’t the real Sasaki but instead a nameless samurai similar to him. Back with Shirou and Rin, Shirou takes on Gilgamesh while Rin tries to go and save Shinji (Yume: Not that he deserves to be saved, but you know, world saving and such). As Shirou fights, the Holy Grail starts to get bombarded by mankind’s malevolent wishes (this is starting to sound eerily like Persona 5. (Neo): Shall I start playing Rivers in the Desert?). Rin manages to save the grotesque blob of flesh (Neo: So you were talking about Shinji) and Arthur manages to defeat Sasaki (Yume: Glad to see the ladies doing their job. Come on Shirou, man up). The Holy Grail tries to replace Shinji with Gilgamesh but he unleashes a powerful attack called Ea to stop the Grail from taking him where the blast incapacitates Shirou in the process (oh come on! What happened to the badass who took on Archer Shirou?).
Episode 24 sees the end of the battle. Shirou gets back up where he admits his ideals are flawed but he won’t give up on them. Arthur shows up briefly to save Shirou from an attack before going to save Rin and he finally has an epiphany about Gilgamesh’s powers. Yes, he has a treasure trove of noble phantasms, but he hasn’t mastered any of them (he’s essentially a poser who has collected hundreds of figurines but doesn’t know who the characters are, what series they come from, and why they’re so popular). This actually does agitate Gilgamesh a little and Shirou is able to finally use Unlimited Blade Works and go into a reality marble. Meanwhile, Arthur makes it to the Holy Grail where Rin uses a command seal ordering Arthur to destroy the Holy Grail even if that means killing herself in the process as she and Shinji are stuck the mass of flesh. Just as Rin is about to give up, she hears Archer Shirou’s voice and barrage of strikes hits the flesh blob allowing her to escape with Shinji (Yume: Again, leave him behind, he will not be missed). With Rin safe, Arthur uses all of her powers to destroy the Holy Grail and disappears saying how she wishes she could have stayed with Shirou and Rin (Rin’s the wife, Arthur’s the mistress). Back with Shirou, he has a good fight with Gilgamesh inside the reality marble where he manages to disarm Gilgamesh (Neo: Such blasphemy against the king) and slices his chest just as Unlimited Blade Works reaches its limits and they return to reality. Despite being seriously injured Gilgamesh is still alive and can fight where he prepares to launch one final attack on Shirou before a portal to the Holy Grail opens up and tries to engulf him. Gilgamesh tries to pull himself out by latching chains onto Shirou but gets taken out by Archer Shirou with a dagger to the face (scene here: https://youtu.be/JCJKzX5s_LA. Ohhh~, headshot for the win). Rin and Archer Shirou get to say their goodbyes to each other where he asks Rin to look after his past self (scene here: https://youtu.be/lDBtmX1UkK4. (Neo): He’s an idealistic fool, but he’s a good man in the end). Rin and Shirou reunite where they walk off together victorious.
In the final episode 2 years have gone by where Shirou and Rin are still dating and living together in London. Both of them are studying magic under the Mage Association with Shirou studying under Rin. We see Shirou is struggling with his ideals without going down the same path as Archer Shirou (Yume: And getting a tan that permanently changes your skin color). Shirou receives an invitation to join the Mage Association which conflicts with his ideals but at the same time seems more realistic and saves him from becoming like Archer Shirou. In an effort to help him, Rin takes Shirou to see the grave of Arthur where he can properly say goodbye to her (Neo: Took you long enough). Sometime later, Shirou meets Waver a survivor from the 4th war who says that Shirou’s ideals are a foolish endeavor but does find some merit in them. In the end, Shirou declines joining the Mage Association and will continue to follow his ideals even if that means becoming like Archer Shirou. Rin accepts his decision and promises that she’ll be with him always. We end with Archer Shirou inside Unlimited Blade Works thinking about his life where he admits he has regrets and curses the path he took but doesn’t regret his ideals and believes that they were right.
(Neo): There is an OVA that gives us an alternative ending. In the final battle, Rin was able to save Arthur from fading by extending their pact and making Arthur her familiar. As long as Rin and Shirou provide her with mana she’ll be allowed to stay in their time. In the end, Rin decides to train Shirou in the art of magic while Arthur will train him in combat techniques (Nitsuj: I like this ending more, this is the true ending in my honest opinion).
Final Thoughts
(Nitsuj): Okay, I think see why everyone likes this series so much. The anime is a blast to watch from beginning to end. It does a good job keeping you intrigued with the story, characters, and even a few surprises here and there you didn’t expect to see. The main story of Shirou and his ideals was handled very well. He wants to help everyone in the world and we see how everyone says his ideals are foolish, impossible and will only lead to his destruction. Which in a way it did as we saw what became of him with Archer. Still, I don’t think his ideals are wrong. Wanting to save everyone is very noble and achieving those ideals is possible, but very difficult and will cause him a lot of pain down the road as we saw with Archer. He’s going to fail and they’re going to keep getting thrown back in his face, but as long as he keeps moving forward he’ll see the fruits of his ideals which will hopefully inspire others. Where I think he’s wrong at is the fact that he’s willing to give up his happiness for the happiness of others. I get that he doesn’t want to be selfish and follows his ideals, but sometimes it’s okay to be selfish and put your happiness before the happiness of others. It’s a debatable topic as I showed earlier in the review with both sides being both right and wrong at the same time. Still, the anime does a good job telling his story, presenting both the positives and negatives, showing Shirou’s doubts and growth from a kid who was all talk to someone who could fight and show his resolve to follow said ideals.
(Neo): The rest of the anime is good as well. The fights are fantastic with amazing animation and choreography to go along with it. Back then this was an impressive anime to look at and even after all these years this animation still holds up. You could even make the argument that it’s better than most of animes airing today. Music is still good to listen to and the rest of the characters are also well done and developed as well. Everyone has their own personality, their established goal, and how they plan to achieve it. With a cast like this you would think some characters wouldn’t get enough time to shine and while some aren’t on screen or don’t get a lot of focus, we still get an idea of who they are and when they’re on screen they make their time count.
(Yume): If there was one complaint we had with the anime it would be Rin. Now don’t get me wrong, she’s great, she’s one of the best tsundere characters ever made. The relationship she develops with Shirou is cute and wholesome as they make a wonderful couple. I like how Shirou’s ideals seem to rub off on her but don’t necessary consume her like it does Shirou and I like how she tries to get him to view his ideals from the perspective of someone who cares for him a lot and the pain it causes her to see him give up his happiness just to see others happy. While her character is handled wonderfully throughout the anime I was hoping we could go more into her backstory. I wanted to see what was her life like when she was a kid, how did she respond to the death of her dad and mom, her magic training, and when she fell in love with Shirou what was her initial thoughts about him and did she ever try to approach him at school after realizing her feelings? She was the main heroine of this anime and while they do a good job of keeping the focus on her and her relationship with Shirou they failed to go more into her backstory which would have made her a more interesting character than she already is.
Final Score
(Nitsuj): Alright, ladies, final score time. Let me hear them.
(Neo): I give the anime a 9/10. While I agree with Yume’s complaint about Rin the rest of the anime is so good that I really didn’t mind this slip up. Would it have been nice, yes. Does it ruin the anime for me, no.
(Yume): I’m giving the anime an 8.5/10. Despite my complaint about Rin it’s still a great anime and in my opinion the best anime in the Fate series. How about you Nitsuj?
(Nitsuj): I’m also going to give it an 8.5/10. I love the action, the story of Shirou, and the relationship between him and Rin. I think Yume raised some good points with Rin and the handling of Shirou’s ideals was well done for the most part.
(Neo): So taking all of our scores we come with a 26/30 making the final score for this anime an 8.6/10 which going by our system ends of being an 8.5/10.
(Yume): If you’re looking to get into the Fate series and don’t know where to start, this anime is a good entry point into the series. In my opinion, it’s the best of the bunch and from there you’ll be able to successfully watch the other animes from the series. (Nitsuj): Thanks for reading. We’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj as the Summer of Fate continues