Fate/Stay Night Vol. 1: Advent of the Magi
© N/A

Mania Grade: B
Show Grade: B+
Disc Grade: B
Reviewed Format: DVD
Rated: Not Rated
Cast: Ayako Kawasumi, Kana Ueda, Noriaki Sugiyama, Atsuko Tanaka, Hiroshi Kamiya, Jouji Nakata
Writer: Takuya Sato
Director: Yuji Yamaguchi
Distributor: Geneon
Original Year of Release: 2006
Extras: 16.9 anamorphic widescreen; English and Japanese Dolby; English subtitles; textless opening animation; art gallery; trailers; DVD credits
Suggested Retail: $29.98
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"Fate/Stay Night Vol. 1: Advent of the Magi"

Based on TYPE-MOON’s best-selling visual novel/H-game, Fate/Stay Night tells the story of the Holy Grail War, fought between seven Magi and their summoned Servants, the spirits of heroes of mythology. It has the potential for becoming a solid story, but production values and a slow beginning keep their anime among the mediocre. 

It opens with Shirou Emiya, a red-haired student with a knack for repairing electronics, remembering how his adopted father rescued him when a firestorm destroyed most of Fuyuki City and killed everyone except for himself. Shirou reveals to us how his current living situation occurred (father died five years ago, meddlesome teacher Fuji-nee becomes his guardian, shy younger sister of a school friend, Sakura comes over to make them meals), filled with the potential for harem comedy. Sadly, the story side-steps this claxon call to girls cat-fighting over Shirou, and the boy getting some love. This is a feeling that I spend most of the time trying to ignore, the same urge that I had when watching Tsukihime. Then again, as these two anime are set in the same universe, maybe that makes sense. This is a fighter-action love simulation without any kisses; I just wish there was more love. 

Shirou soon reveals that while he doesn’t have the magical power to be a Magi, as his adopted father was, he can do small spells to repair and strengthen materials, mainly metal and electronics. He is also a do-gooder, willing to do anything for other people. Shirou’s dream is to become a hero, saving people from harm and carrying on the good deed that Shirou’s adopted father did to him when he saved Shirou. This need to do good leads Shirou to stay late at the school, cleaning up the archery club’s room. 

Unfortunately, he accidentally witnesses the first battle between Servants, the start of the Holy Grail War. Hunted down and stabbed by a spear-wielding man simply known as Lancer, as there can be no witnesses, Shirou lays dying...until Rin, the girl that every boy at his school admires, uses magic to revive him. Rin is a self-studied Magi and a Master, a participant Magi in the Holy Grail War. Her summoned Servant is Archer, not the ultimate spirit of Saber that she was aiming for. Due to this mistake, Archer has no memory of his past or of his True Name, only that he is of the Archer Class. On their way home, Archer informs Rin that Lancer won’t stop until the boy is dead, so the two hurry to Shirou’s house, against Archer’s feelings.   

Confronted by Lancer, Shirou manages to evade his attacks until a summoning circle appears and a stigma appears on his hand. As Lancer’s spear falls towards the unguarded boy, Saber appears and defends her new Master, driving off the attacker. Shirou is incredibly confused at this point, but Saber soon understands that he really doesn’t know anything about the War. Luckily, Rin shows up at this time, and takes Shirou to see the Magi who oversees the War to remove the brand on his hand, as Shirou doesn’t know anything about magic; it would be suicide for him to compete. Also, Saber doesn’t have complete access to her abilities due to the nature of the summoning, and because Servants draw on the magical power of their Master to use their skills, she is relatively weak.  

Once they meet up with the Magi, Shirou learns that while he can quit the tournament at any time, he will be branded as a coward and deny himself the chance to win the Holy Grail and make a wish without any limits. Additionally, the firestorm that destroyed the city and killed Shirou’s family occurred because someone unworthy of the Grail won the War and touched it. In order to avoid history potentially repeating, Shirou must compete and win. Just to ensure that Shirou will definitely compete, the Magi adds that he was chosen by the Grail, just as Saber was chosen to be his Servant. Oh, and Saber also gets a wish if he wins the War, adding another layer of guilt if he refuses to compete. I know this is necessary for the rest of the story to continue, but damn, do they talk Shirou into staying in the fight. Once outside, Rin, Shirou and Saber are attacked by another Master with Heracles, the Beserker. Saber gets bloodied soon, as Beserker is much more powerful than either Archer or Saber. Invoking the power of love and saving damsels in distress, Shirou takes a hit for Saber... and lives, somehow drawing on Saber’s self-regeneration power.   

Fate/Stay Night invokes the feeling of Steel Angel Kurumi with its maid-warrior (Saber’s armor looks like a maid’s outfit) protecting the everyday normal boy, but without the adoration angle. Take this, and cross it with the episodic nature of monster duel shows. At least we know there’s only seven combatants and their seven monsters, so to speak. In many ways, Fate/Stay Night would be perfect to watch on TV, as the episodes have recaps at the beginning, and this anime will appeal more towards teenagers than adults. However, the frequent blood onscreen (as in Tsukihime) will lend this a late timeslot if broadcasted.  

The character designs are quite solid and bright, with the distinctive style of TYPE-MOON, and the backgrounds were decent. The story starts off on wobbly legs, as we get the set-up of the Holy Grail War twice, once from Rin and then repeated for Shirou. Many conversations that could have taken place off-screen take up time that could have been dedicated to more time learning about the Servants, and especially the relationship between Shirou and Saber. I do like how Fate/Stay Night draws upon Celtic, Geek and Christian mythology, adding a layer of depth to the Servants and the quest for the Holy Grail. (Insert your own Monty Python quote here.) The story runs slow in this DVD; I hope the next disc will move a lot faster, now that the characters and the setting’s introduction is finished.    

I found the English dub to be much better than the subtitles, which very rough and hard to understand, almost Engrish levels of cryptic English. (I have no idea why Geneon dropped the ball here; they are usually very high quality when it comes to subs and dubs) In the beginning of the first episode, I found the mouth flaps mismatching the audio slightly, but this was soon corrected.  

The opening and ending songs are rather weak and insipid, adding nothing to the mood or to the theme of the anime, although the opening strands of the opening song makes me want to start playing a strategy RPG like Disgaea. In fact, the opening and ending credit animations are just average all round, with an opening of mismashed panning scenes of the various characters and a fight sequence between Lancer and Archer. 

The extras on this DVD are very poor, with the standard trailers and DVD credits, along with an art gallery of six character sketches that are so small and unlabeled, the images are practically useless. On the other hand, this volume does include four episodes. 

Fate/Stay Night has the potential to become a good anime series, with good dubbing, nice character designs and a story with room to grow, but as it stands by the end of this DVD, it is nothing exceptional.