Fate/Zero

A lot of people call Zero better than the earlier Fate/Stay Night creation (which is about 10 years after Zero.)
Zero is better in technical terms, but it is also made 6 years later. The main reason why people call Zero better (besides the purist to the original story) is the leap in visual effect. However, when Stay Night came out in 2006 I was impressed by the visuals as well. It's kinda like comparing the 1st and 2nd Matrix movie in SFX. Therefore, those 2 arguments are not valid enough for me personaly to pick a better one.

Stay Night has a side with a more romantic part in it (which is a bit awkward sometimes) where Zero lacks a bit of mystery I did feel with the first series. But in the end they are both great series, and I would advice every anime fan to check both series out, starting with Fate/Stay Night (Always watch stuff in order of their release.)

This was a fantastic series and Ufotable (of The Garden of Sinners fame) was really able to show off their animation skills to the max here. This prequel to Fast/stay Night (which was made by Studio Deen) was leaps and bounds better than its predecessor in every aspect from story and pacing to animation, art and choreography. I watched Fate/stay Night first as I was told that watching it after Fate/Zero would just make it pale in comparison and I think this may be the best option (of course if you have the time, play the visual novel of Fate/Stay night instead). Even though I knew of some of the events to happen, Fate/Zero still kept me on my toes with unexpected twists and surprises. I also learned a lot more about the Fate universe and things from FSN made A LOT more sense after watching FZ as Ufotable did a much better job of explaining things than Studio Deen.

All the masters and servants get their fair share of back story and development and over time I really started to emphasize with each one of them. The dialogue and writing is fantastic in both the dub and sub versions. I loved the soundtrack too especially the first OP, "oath sign" by LiSA. Everything moved at a great pace and I couldn't wait to watch the next episode. Most importantly, this probably had the best action scenes that I've seen in any TV anime series (the Eva Rebuild and The Garden of Sinners of movies are on similar levels) so try to watch this on a big screen.

This show is definitely a must watch for anyone that enjoys a deep and compelling action-adventure anime. I'm really looking forward to Ufotable's remake of the FSN series (following Illya's arc I believe) that will be released in 2014. And definitely watch The Garden of Sinners movies as ManicB says. You won't regret it.

The fact that each historical and mythical figure in this story has their own unique powers, beliefs, and ideologies that stay true to known texts about them, along with the fact that the other characters also have their own beliefs and motives results in a very interesting clash of beliefs and views. The overall plot and story is interesting by itself. While this is a prequel story, it has enough substance within it to merit its existence that connects to Fate/stay night while not overcomplicating it.

My introduction to the fate universe. Disclaimer: I haven't read any light novels nor watched any other fate anime, this is my first. Here goes nothing.

**Plot- 8/10**
Without a doubt one of the deepest narratives I've seen in an anime, the character arcs were really well done and the storytelling was engaging with season 1 being dialogue-heavy to provide context for season 2. However, at time I found the story's complexity to be overwhelming and it was harder for me to keep up with the character arcs.

**Character Development- 7.5/10**
With the whole setting being a war it was ideal for each character to have their own ideals and motivations. Especially characters like Emiya Kiritsugu had a well developed backstory, and he is my favourite character from the bunch. Although I would have loved for other characters also to have a deeper backstory like Emiya, I understand the plot would have to be dragged out for that so its fine.

**Themes- 8.5/10**
Each character has their own themes which was probably one of my favourite things about the anime. [spoiler]Moments such as when Saber, Rider and Gilgamesh sitting together and having wine depicted the clear differences with each characters and Saber being the odd one out was actually well depicted.[/spoiler]

**Pacing- 7/10**
Pacing however is a mixed bag, from season one being a slow dialogue-heavy buildup to the end of season 2 being intense fight scenes. While the dialogues do impact the character development in a deeper level, some might find it exhausting to get through especially people who seek constant action.

**Animation- 8.5/10**
No words need to be said.. Ufotable did it again. The biggest issue I see with modern animation is they barely use colors, the animation might not seem world changing or innovative but they used colors really well and enhances the overall viewing experience

**Overall Enjoyment/ Experience- 7.9/10**
Fate/Zero is a thought provoking anime with deep themes and complex characters that is not for everyone, personally I wouldn't recommend this anime for all my friends. If you seek constant fight scenes and actions and pays no mind for plot, ignore Fate/Zero. However if you're a geek like me who likes to be baffled with intricate characters and brain tickling plot, this is for you.