As we dig deeper into the plot of Fate/Zero, we find more little things to be frustrated about. More pieces that just don’t quite line up how they should. On this episode, we discuss the structure of Fate/Zero as a whole and the continual misunderstanding of Saber’s character that comes to a head with the climactic feast.

Opening: “oath sign” by LiSA
Ending: “MEMORIA” by Aoi Eir

With Shirou Emiya’s story now in our rear-view mirror, Gen Urobuchi takes us back to the jackasses who helped set the events of Fate/Stay Night in motion. The big question, though, is: did these gaps actually need filling? On this episode we discuss the first of the four light novels, the differences in storytelling style from Nasu, writing quirks, and IDEOLOGY.

Opening: “oath sign” by LiSA
Ending: “MEMORIA” by Aoi Eir

On this episode, we reach the end of the loops, and we brought our friend Kim to help us discuss both the ending and our overall thoughts on this strange fandisc.

Opening: “Hollow (Short Edit)” from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia OST
Ending: “Our Future (Short Edit)” from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia OST

After a long delay caused by a multitude of real-life occurrences, we’re finally back to talk about Bazett and Avenger. There’s a lot of good main story stuff here, but also some of the worst fluff we’ve seen so far.

Opening: “Hollow (Short Edit)” from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia OST
Ending: “Emiya #2” from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia OST

This episode was originally intended to be part 4, but we encountered audio issues during the recording of part 3 that proved to be unfixable in a way I would consider acceptable. I didn’t want to destroy anyone’s ears, so instead we give loops 5 and 6 a bit of a short shrift (though in our defense, there isn’t a whole lot that happens in them). Instead, we mostly focus on loops 7 and 8, where we 1) yell at Shirou to please for the love of god just remember something for once and 2) go wild for Avenger slowly learning just how much of messed-up dumbass Bazett is.

Opening: “Hollow (Short Edit)” from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia OST
Ending: “Mirage” from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia OST

On this episode, we really get into the thick of it, discussing how much we love Bazett (a whole lot), how much we wish Shinji was not here (also a whole lot), and how we can clearly see what Nasu is trying to do despite the structure often actively working against crafting the thematic throughline.

Opening: “Hollow (Short Edit)” from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia OST
Ending: “Karen’s Theme” from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia OST

We might be done with Fate/Stay Night, but we’re not yet done with the characters from Fate/Stay Night. The whole cast returns for Fate/Hollow Ataraxia: a fandisc that also serves as a pseudo-sequel to F/SN. Turns out there are some strange, magical shenanigans going on in Fuyuki that not only has Shirou trapped in a time loop but has also caused the Grail War to restart. As the only person who seems to realize the loop is happening it’s up to Shirou to solve the mystery…except he may not actually want all this to end. On this episode, we discuss the first loop, the structure of the game, and what our hopes are for the story.

Opening: “Hollow (Short Edit)” from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia OST
Ending: “Ataraxia” from Fate/Hollow Ataraxia OST

Before we can truly bid Fate/Stay Night farewell, there are a couple adaptations we need to cover first: the somewhat notorious 2006 anime from Studio Deen, and the three Heaven’s Feel movies from ufotable. We spend plenty of time talking about what works and what doesn’t in both of these pretty disparate adaptations.

Opening music: “Disillusion” from Fate/Stay Night (2006)
Closing music: “Anata ga Ita Mouri” from Fate/Stay Night (2006)

It’s time to finish off Fate/Stay Night. Or, at least, the visual novel version of F/SN. We excitedly talk about how Heaven’s Feel manages to stick the landing, and we revisit the “Last Episode” ending that Realta Nua added to see how we feel about it in the context of the whole VN.

Opening music: “THIS ILLUSION ~Fate Version~” from Fate/Stay Night Original OST
Closing music: “New Dawn” from Fate/Stay Night [Realta Nua] OST

Events come to a head in this section of Heaven’s Feel, with Shinji finally getting killed, Sakura going sicko mode, and Shirou unleashing Hero Emiya’s power. Prepare for a lengthy discussion of what’s actually going on with Sakura’s state of mind and a whole lot of lore.

Content warning for sexual assault

Opening music: “THIS ILLUSION ~Fate Version~” from Fate/Stay Night Original OST
Closing music: “Emiya” from Fate/Stay Night [Realta Nua] OST