Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia

FGO: Babylonia successfully captures the magic of the game and expands upon it in a magnificent way offering an enjoyable experience for both newcomers and gacha heads. Simply put, it’s one of the best game-anime adaptations I’ve ever seen. This isn’t just my Type-Moon bias talking. The show packs a punch. Unfortunately, due to fears about the complexities of the Fate series, many people did not get to experience this gem. To calm any concerns, Babylonia tells the story of the 7th Fate/Grand Order singularity and is able to be watched and enjoyed without having seen or played the previous ones. The singularities are pretty self-contained and until Camelot, the 6th singularity, which will be receiving a series of films this year, the story doesn’t really hold much weight anyway. You will need to have watched Fate/Grand Order: First Order OVA which will act as a prequel of sorts to the entire game, as well as FGO Babylonia episode 0. Both of these will give much needed context for newcomers and enable you to get the full experience. For a video game to anime transition one of the most important things is how a studio can bring to life talking heads on a screen while remaining faithful to the game’s story and tone. FGO’s story is told in VN narrative, yet Cloverworks were able to masterfully recreate and expand upon powerful scenes we’ve come to know and love from the game. The pacing throughout feels excellent. There’s never a wasted moment. If there’s not a battle going on, there’s a slice of life moment that really adds to the characters and gives them characterisation. The only negative comment I’ll make on pacing is that episodes 19-20 feel a bit on the rushed side. There were some powerful moments from the game that did not make it into the anime. This could be intentional, could also be a result of having 21 episodes instead of 24. In addition to superb writing, characterisation and world-building, Cloverworks have put together some of the best animation of the decade. In fact, many battles in the anime rival the popular “unlimited budget works” of Ufotable. There are several contenders for fight of the year within the show and CW can’t be commended enough for their work here. Other technical notes include amazing sound design, gorgeous background art, consistent character models and an amazing OST. In conclusion, FGO:Babylonia is a criminally slept on anime that if it had been made by Ufotable, would have seen insane levels of popularity. Due to concerns about the watch order of the fate series and the fact it’s cloverworks, a lot of people slept on this. Do not make the same mistake. Give it a shot, you won’t regret it. FGO Babylonia gets 10 grails out of 10.

It’s been several years since the gacha game Fate Grand Order made its debut. Now in this new decade and Sony is practically sitting on a gold mine. In fact, reports have been shown that the game made into the 3 billion figures in global player spending in 2019. That’s a whole lot of 0s. Ranked as one of the most popular global gacha games, FGO’s destiny is the inevitable anime adaptation. Let’s talk Fate Grand Order. To get the obvious out of the way, viewers don’t need to absolutely watch the previous Fate shows or play the game. Sure, it can enhance the experience but Fate Grand Order is perfectly watchable if it’s your first entry into the Fate universe; although I do recommend watching at least the prologue or OVAs. Taking place in the A.D. 2016, Fate Grand Order Babylonia chronicles the adventures of Ritsuka Fujimaru and his partner Mash. Their journey takes them to Mesoptoamia where they make sinister discoveries. Fate Grand Order Babylonia is designed to celebrate the game but also tell a story with mythological elements and uniting heroes for the beloved fans. And when watching a Fate show, you have to remember that there’s many terminologies to remember, some that imperative for the show’s overall purpose. Fate Grand Order also personifies its cast that makes each and every single character stand out in some way. With such a large cast, the anime did have to make work to fit the overall tone of the story. Director Toshifumi Akai knew the monumental task at hand and had to make this into at least a 2-cour show. With 21 episodes, Fate Grand Order sets sail from the first episode to showcase the human side of our main leads, Ritsuka and Mash. As with most Fate-related shows, character chemistry is an important part to connect the cast together. Ritsuka and Mash shares a relationship built on their companionship. They share a common interest with but also looks after each other’s’ well-being. Essentially, this pair is a living proof of how important trust can bring two characters together. Ritsuka himself also goes on to become a central figure to dealing with the conflict at Uruk, a city led by the famed and prideful king, Gilgamesh. Oh, you’ve heard of Gilgamesh right? Maybe you’ve heard him from one of the previous Fate franchises or perhaps from the actual historical king in ancient textbooks. He’s the ruler of Uruk and as you may expect, he is a central figure in this iconic city from Mesopotamian mythology. Compared to his other incarnations, Gilgamesh still retains some traits of his character but in this show, he is more compassionate and caring towards his followers. The alliance he forms with Ritsuka and Mash also shows that unlike his previous characters, Gilgamesh realizes he cannot accomplish everything solely by himself. In essence, this version of Gilgamesh takes on a more heroic role compared to the “Big Bad” he made himself famous for in previous animated franchise. Taking a step back though, you should also come to understand other characters such as Ana, Merlin, and the Three Goddess. The three Goddess is a trinity of beings with extraordinary abilities. Consisting of the members Ereshikgal, Quetzalcoatl, and Gorgon, they represent absolute power and a unity of divine strength. The first half of the show focuses on Ritsuka and Mash trying to defeat and recruit them as part of Gilgamesh’s grand plan. While the fight themselves are predictable by story nature, it’s still very important to understand the purpose. Individually, these Goddesses have unique character personalities such as Ereshikgal’s pride or Quetzalcoatl’s playfulness. Character bond between these Goddesses and main protagonist Ritsuka is also important as Ereshikgal grows closer to him and vice versa. But let’s also not forget other prominent characters such as the famed Ishtar. Making herself famous with her “Rin-face” and similar personality, she plays an integral role in the main story. One of the fascinating things about Fate Grand Order Babylonia is being able to get us to invest into its cast, and for this instance, Ishtar is a breakout character. She exemplifies the behavior of a Servant but also crosses into the realm of humanity with her behavior. It’s one of the more curious elements of the show that get us to see what separates humans and Servants. This is somewhat opposite of Enkidu, a Servant who values animals and nature more than humanity. Every Servant in this show is an enigma, with more lore that are explored in the game. But as a setback, the anime adaptation had to make time and cut loose some background storytelling. That just can’t be helped. Fear not as I’m sure most of the audience should be able to understand the fundamentals of Fate Grand Order even if you’ve never touched the game before. The anime does an excellent job at characterizing the main cast such as Ritsuka. He’s even more aware of his decisions with logic and acts more human under extreme circumstances. Other characters such as Mash gets an upgrade to showcase their fighting abilities. Rather than being a tank bot like in the game, Mash delivers offensive power during her fight. Even Ushikwakamru manages to get a badass upgrade in the show in one of her most iconic battles. Watching Fate Grand Order Babylonia assures that the audience will experience a journey aimed for anyone, both newcomers and the hardcore fans. Artistically, the Fate franchise has jumped between Unlimited budget productions made possible by ufotable to mediocre disappointment such as Fate/Apocrypha. And oh, who can forget about Fate/Extra Last Encore, the show that decorated with absurdity and surreal choreography. Where does Babylonia stand in the Nasuverse? It’s not too easy to answer because everyone will have different perspectives. The main selling point is the combination of 2D and 3D animation during intense fight scenes. This applies to later episodes in the anime where the heroes fights boss entities together similar to the game. According to an article from the animation staff, many of the season’s animators are young but are able to bring their storyboarding skills to the table. One thing to do take notice is how the show’s setting is able to grace us with the mythological setting. It feels like we enter this new world with the characters during their journey. The anime does far more than just telling and showing but rather giving us a tour of the world. Uruk itself is decorated with its rich culture and the civilization that lives on its lands. And course, we can’t ignore the character designs. Fate has been known for some extravagant and colorful visual designs especially for its prominent characters. Gilgamesh and the Goddess Alliance falls in this category with their distinctive looks. They have the look of divine entities, to be worshipped, and holds a commanding presence over others. And like most of Fate shows, there’s also room for running gags such as Jugarman’s animalistic-like characteristics or the tsundere fashion of Ishtar. It feels like every year or so, we get a Fate adaptation that fans will talk about but some will shake their heads in disappointment while others accept it like a gift from the Gods. I’m pleased to say that Fate Babylonia managed to become a show that welcomes all viewers with open arms and one that is enjoyable from beginning to end. Now that we have the Fate goldmine flourishing, can we get something like Fate/hollw ataraxia adapted next?

Fate Grand Order, the CGI dilemma, and the strange development of Ritsuka. When this adaptation was announced, I was excited. However, I cannot say the same after seeing the entire adaptation. Although Fate Grand Order Babylonia arc has a good story, it made three mistakes. First, as a vivid fan of the whole Fate series and as a FGO player, I expected them to use the adaptation to expand the background of the characters, their relationships, reasons, for example, Tiamat, Quetz, Enkidu, Gilgamesh to name a few. I was hoping that they would add some new story to aid the plot and fill in the little holes left by the game's stages and, in some cases, the game plot choices. Unfortunately, this never happened, and you can notice unexpected behavior in some parts of the story without any previous explanation. The production only focuses on adapting the same game story. They did not add any new content, but they did remove some parts. Also, to understand the plot, you must have a little knowledge of FGO setting and the other singularities. Furthermore, they used three episodes as summaries and one more with a special (repeat). I cannot forgive that. The second mistake is the horrible 2D - CGI mix. Even if I love FGO Babylonia, I cannot say that CGI models are great. They are awful in most scenes. I need to be honest with all of you; perhaps the most acceptable model is Tiamat Dragonic Beast. The rest of the models are very average and don't fit the production and budget for the game that gets a lot of dollars a month. I do not accept some comments like "they will polish some visual errors in the BD." As an animator and character designer, we deliver something to a screen as a final product because it will have a wider promotion. On the other hand, the biggest mistake is to add broken lines and inconsistency to Ritsuka. In the game, you use the character as the conduit between the servants and the player. However, the player's choices do not dramatically affect the plot. Following that order of ideas, in the adaptation, the writer tried to make him the great hero. For me, as a player, in the singularities arc, it has no meaningful use. It may have some use if you think you are Ritsuka and if you play the game for that reason alone and not for the servants. I'm sure 99% of players are more interested in servants than this character because he has no traits. You (Ritsuka) pay for the servants and not for your development, keep that in mind. Also, this changed some characters like Hassan (he needed more screen time and a little explanation of who he is), Gilgamesh (the cartoon behavior at the end), Gorgon (Avenger, the plot never explained what she did when she destroyed Tiamat's horn), Ana (died without glory), Enkidu (lost much of the progression and growth that can be noticed in the game). These characters were only used to make the MC shinier. Ritsuka is an important character but it cannot be the most important character because the story is not centered on it. You (Ritsuka) do not have traits, so trying to play a role with strange growth is a writer's mistake. Finally, although all those mistakes that drove some fans away, they can be accepted, and ignored. I mean, I enjoyed the story. Maybe the reason is that I follow the game, and I enjoyed the main essence of the plot, so I am biased, very biased. However, they wasted a great opportunity to adapt something that could have been called epic. As a fan, you will enjoy it no matter the mistakes or my comments as a casual viewer, maybe not because it is needed some extra info to understand the plot. Sadly, I cannot give it a better score because when I love a series, I am very critic.

What makes an anime good? Well, we can answer this by asking what makes a story good. There are many aspects to a story. Characters, dialogue, world building, originality - the list goes on. There are also many aspects of a story that are only present in visual media - specifically animation. While it is hard to pinpoint what makes animation good, "you know it when you see it" is a pretty good rule of thumb. I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia fails on every single level of story telling. Allow me to explain why. First, let's talk about the plot. Saying that this animated adaptation of the Babylonia singularity of the popular "Fate/Grand Order" gacha game has a plot is like saying that a piece of white bread has flavor. Technically, by the literal definition of the word - yes. It's true. Fate/Grand Order - Demonic Front: Babylonia consists of an endless series of inane events that make me question if anyone working on the project gave a singular planck length of a shit about it. I anticipate this review will be quite lengthy, so I will not bore you with the details. The entirety of the story can essentially be summed up in one sentence. "3-5 bland protagonists fight a gigantic, oversexualized female villain with gargantuan breasts." I shit you not, about 90% of this series fits this exact sentence. The other 10% is filler. This filler consists of {figure 1} • People walking • People talking • People walking while talking • Female sidekicks blushing while talking to the male protagonist That's pretty much it. You could watch the 21 + 1 episodes of this, or you could read the above summary and understand the entirety of the program. Now that we've got that out of the way, I'd like [like is a strong word, prefer would probably be more appropriate for this context] to talk about the dialogue. This should be a rather brief talking point. Pretty much every piece of dialogue in this god-forsaken script fits in one of three boxes. {figure 2} [1] Refer to bullet point 4 of {figure 1} [2] Characters saying a load of garbled nonsense while fighting each other [3] Characters saying a load of garbled nonsense while not engaged in any particular fight I can't stress enough how insufferable the dialogue of this adaptation is. To be fair, this is probably an accurate representation of the experience one endures while reading the dialogue of a virtual novel gacha game written by developers that know that >99% of players will not read a single line of dialogue - and those who do are already spending hoards of money- I mean virtual currency that holds no tangible value on the game. In most Fate anime adaptations, there's a standard amount of weird anime dialogue that sounds kind of cool and meaningful but is really just fluff when you think about it for a few seconds. In this, it's the whole thing. No line in this entire 11+ hour slog holds any significance, whatsoever. Author's note: The length of that section was unfortunate. Let's take a brief detour to discuss the world building. Luckily for the writers, this takes place in a pseudo-historical setting! Looks like the work's been done for them. Unfortunately, this is not quite the case. While even the most amateur of writers could utilize a historical setting with a modicum of competency, the writers of this anime defy the odds, and fail to do so. I wouldn't even know that this was set in Babylonia if it weren't for the title of the series, in addition to the slew of historical names and locations they drop in. There is essentially no tangible trace of the fascinating history of this period of human history, or the geographical details of this specific story's setting. >90% of the scenes take place in generic dirt fields, or inside buildings that vaguely conjure an image of ancient civilization. Would it really have been that hard to throw in a famous monument here or there? Not to mention the historical figures, which are as stock standard as they come. The utter incompetence of the writing team is baffling in this department. Pseudo-historical ancient civilization is one of the easiest tricks in the book. Yet they bungled it. Originality? It's Fate/Grand Order. Come on now. Before we get into what is regrettably the longest section of this review, I'd like to briefly touch on the animation. In the handful of reviews I've read for this series online, I've seen several claims that this is some of the best animation that the Fate series has to offer. Reading these reviews genuinely made me question my sanity. It's hard to convey with words how fundamentally incompetent and incohesive the animation is. There are moments [however brief], which are genuinely good looking. However, these moments of beauty are overshadowed by the gargantuan mountain of canine manure that is everything else. It's important to understand that there are essentially three different styles of animation, all of which occur [for the most part] simultaneously throughout the course of this adaptation. {figure 3} [1] Normal animation. I won't pretend to know how anime is made, but if you watch any anime from the last decade, you know what I'm talking about. This style is reserved only for the protagonists [with a few exceptions] and looks the best. [2] Static backgrounds. As far as I know, Static backgrounds are a fairly standard implementation in modern anime. However, the backgrounds of this series are reminiscent of the kind you would see in a mid-2000s children's show, such as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters or GX. This art style is utterly incohesive with the first, and sharply detracts from the experience. The colors are much less vibrant, and the details less specific than the style used in [1]. [3] 3-D models. These are god awful. Most of the swarmy demon enemies are animated with this method, and holy fucking shit is it distracting. The first style of animation looks like it's somewhere around the 24 frames per second range, which is completely normal for an action anime. This style looks like interpolation on steroids. It is impossible not to notice it. Every time you see something that is animated like this, it draws your attention away, as your eyes are attracted to areas of the screen with higher frame rates. This is incredibly distracting, as I don't want to be looking at the swarm of enemy demon tigers while the protagonists are supposed to be the subject of a given scene. This style is also often used in tandem with even more vibrant colors, along with a sort of shimmer. While this description is not nearly sufficient to relate the visual experience of this series, I hope that it provides the reader with some sense of how incompetent the animation was. Alright - one more thing I'd like to touch on before getting into the long part. The fucking sound design. Every single sound effect just sounds like someone took a fart and boosted the base and reverb. It adds to the unending list of things that take you out of any semblance of an experience that the show possessed, and reminds you that you are watching an anime based off of a gacha game based off an erotic visual novel that is old enough to engage in consensual intercourse. Ok. fine. I'll talk about the characters. My entire review for this was initially just going to be a paragraph on each of the characters [more specifically, why they suck], but I decided to lengthen the review to include a few other topics after the excruciating experience I had to sit through. If you don't want to read about each of the individual characters, I suggest that you scroll down to my summary. I promise this is the last section. Ristuka Fujimaru - The most bland and uninteresting protagonist to ever grace the world of anime. And yes, that includes Shirou Emiya of Fate/Stay Night [Studio Deen adaptaion]. Holy fucking shit is this guy boring. I don't even have anything to say about him because there literally isn't anything. …

** Visual orgasms and ear rape inbound ** Fate/Grand Order – Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia is from a hellish gacha game Fate/Grand Order, which I unfortunately didn’t play yet. You don’t need to play the game before watching this. What I would recommend is to watch Fate/Zero and the prologue Fate/Grand Order as they explain how the system works and what has happened before hand. ---- Art ---- Visually an absolute shit AND a masterpiece! Let me tell you first that the CG is absolutely demonic and that’s why I didn’t rate this anime a 10. On the other hand, the hand drawn shots are absolutely amazing. The fighting sequences follow up as smooth as butter. The animators love to throw some but shots into the fights and that is absolute amazing. The way weapons are used is so satisfying that it looks more than simply wacking bad creatures. It gives importance to the use of noble phantasms. They are meant as trump card and that is presented in a visually stunning sequence of blasts and explosions. ---- Sound ---- The sound effects are there to enhance the fight, but at a certain moment the bassdrop when something happens gets annoying. It isn’t really a problem but they could have made better use of it. ---- Voice Acting ---- What was absolute amazing was the voice acting. Every scene, battle or speech felt so good. When you hear Ritsuka talk about good being a good goddess or when he buys Ishtar is simply marvelous. The speeches of Gilgamesh gives me goosebumps. You can almost feel Gils raw power. Or when Mash nervously talks about marriage is just so cute. Ishtars va was super good to, her highlight is when they were in the underworld and the gate asked who the best girl was. You can definitely hear that the VAs had fun voicing this. ---- Characters ---- ALL LOVEABLE, ALL BEST GIRLS AND BOYS. Yeah I can’t say much more about it. The characters fit so well in the anime and their growth, although subtle, is amazing to see. But for the apocalyptic setting, they all seem a bit to happy sometimes. The scenes which are laid back gives a relaxing feeling and melts away anxiety, like the scene where the whole team had diner together. It feels warm and wholesome and melts away anxiety and stress. At other times, like in battles you can feel their tension and battle spirit. When I think about the battle with Spartacus I still get goosebumps. The characters feel very much alive and warm and actually convinces you they are characters and not just a drawing. Ritsuka: Ritsuka is the master we would wish for in Stay Night. He knows what his duty is and tries to carry that out with all his might. He’s soft on the inside and also on the outside. He is just a soft boi. But he can also be levelheaded. He is an admirable character with love for those around him. He isn’t idealistic but he isn’t naïve either. He is a well balanced character. Mash: she is best girl. With her big shield she will protect her precious master from dying, time after time again. As a demi-servant she has some nice ass-sets which can be admired in battles. I wished to see some more interaction from here as she almost becomes a single line character. Ishtar: useless but very cute. Well you can worship Rin as a goddess now. She is a lovely goddess who brings humor to the battlefield. She should be faired as the most useful goddess and owner of the bull of heaven. She will absolutely wipe the ass of anybody she fights with. She is cute and cares about her people. Perfect tsundere. Quetzalcoatl: yes it took me a few episodes before being able to say her name. A goddess of all that’s good and of the sun. And that is clearly visible in her behavior as she just beams with confidence and happiness. Her last battle was simply a visual orgy. Merlin: dickwizard. Gilgamesh: if you have seen Stay Night or Zero then Gilgamesh is extremely enjoyable in this version. This absolutely tyrannical ruler will seize your heart. He gives off the aura of a marvelous leader. He is levelheaded, hot, smart, powerful and an absolute chad. His reason and speeches are that of a natural ruler and his action of a king. The way he treats Isthar reminds me of how Kazuma treats Aqua and it totally understandable. I would love to see more of this version of Gil. It was also adorable to see how he cared about Siridu. ---- Story ---- The story is pretty straight forward and let it tells itself. There are no side distractions or unclarities which makes watching the story unfold really relaxed. It is about a master, Ritsuka, who tries to save humanities future by eliminating threads in the past. This time it happens in the age of gods, where gods still walked along humans. Ritsuka, together with his (underaged) servant Mash, goes on a journey like adventure to stop the goddesses from wreaking havoc and restoring the future. How this story unfolds in an all-out battle against primordial gods and the extinction of entire regions is absolutely thrilling to see. The best part is that this isn’t a simple story of good vs bad (the main premise is) but it is a lot more nuanced. It does however rely on “bad guys turn good guys” but it doesn’t get annoying. ---- End --- Fate/Grand Order Babylonia is definitely one of the highlights of anime 1019/2020. Visually amazing, top notch voice acting and great characters. Also a waifu granting device. On top of that if you play the game, it would greatly enhance your experience as the anime gives much more lore and background to the characters playable. After every episode I had the feeling that it was my favorite episode. I have a blog where I write how I feel about every episode. I would recommend it to most people who like anime in general.

"Hey, that's hell you're walking into" The Fate Series is undoubtedly one of the biggest franchise in anime, and to even start it, seems to be a very daunting task. When I decided to start my journey on the Fate Series, I got taken aback by its storytelling. Whether it is Unlimited Blade Works or Heaven's Feel, Fate has one of the most captivating stories out there to tell. So when I heard that Babylonia is getting an anime adaptation, I was so hyped. Among the many singularity stories in FGO, Babylonia was one of the best due to it being written by Nasu ( The creator of Fate/stay night ), so I had my expectations of this adaptation. But my god, I did not expect it to be this good. OVERVIEW: Babylonia is the 7th singularity, which is an unobservable region that does not exist within Chaldea's recorded history. Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash Kyrielight are tasked to fix this singularity that takes place during the Age of Gods in Mesopotamia, and we follow them on this journey. STORY: 9 Though the first few episodes may come as slow and boring to some people, I especially loved the world building. The way they showed how Fujimaru and Mash manages to find allies and win battles after battles is relatively satisfying to watch. But then the 2nd half of the story kicks in, and its just packed filled with plot twists and actions. Even as a person who have played through the game, there were times where I was taken aback, as the anime have improvised on some scenes and flashed out others. ART: 9 Cloverworks was the one that animated Babylonia and I got to say, I'm impressed. In my mind, Ufotable had always been the best studio for outstanding animation but Cloverworks really did make Babylonia into something special. Some of the fight scenes were just pure eyegasm, with BEAUTIFUL impact frames and smooth animations. The character designs are also very faithful to the ones in game, and I dare to say some are better :) SOUND: 9 The OSTs in this anime is just phenomenal, and a personal favorite of mine is ' absolute demonic front '. Sometimes, just by having the OST in the background, it manages to elevate the scenes to up to a whole new level. This anime also introduced me to a very talented singer, milet. The EDs by milet " Tell me " and " Prover " are now two of my favorite songs to listen to. The OP is also a banger. And not to forget the sound design for some of scenes are just out of this world and so enjoyable. CHARACTER: 10 I have always been fascinated by Gilgamesh ever since I saw him in FSN. So to see him again in this series is a treat. Caster Gilgamesh showed me a different side of Gilgamesh that I liked more than the archer variant. His wisdom, the way he treated his subjects made me respect the character more than ever. In addition to that, Gil and Enkidu's relationship is by far one of my favorite in the Fate series, so to see it fleshed out in the anime is just pure fan service for me. Even the side characters like Ushiwakamaru and Leonidas are made much more enjoyable compared to the game. And not to forget our favorite support Merlin is also here along with two Rin Faces, Ishar and Eresh that all of us can appreciate. The dynamic between Mash and Fujimaru is also one that I really enjoy as both of them really love and care for each other. Other characters like Quetz and Ana and Siduri etc, all of have their moments to shine. This is one of the rare cases where I enjoyed the presence of every charter in the series. ENJOYMENT: 10 I really enjoyed this series. This is one of the anime where I hated having to wait one week for the next episode. Episode 19 was something special to me, some say its rushed ( and I understand where they are coming from ) but the combination of the animation, characters, soundtrack really got me emotional. Thank you Cloverworks for adapting this story so well :D OVERALL: 9 If you are already interested in Fate DEFINITELY give this a shot, you won't regret it. However to those without having any background knowledge of this anime, I suggest putting it on hold first. Yes it is not impossible to enjoy this anime without any prior knowledge, but it will definitely affect your enjoyment of this series to some extent. I think the reason why some of us really enjoyed this series is due to the fact that we are already invested in it. So if you haven't started your journey on the main Fate series yet, this is prime time to start! Give it a shot, and you may be surprised how good it is xD

Stanning Gilgamesh. Fate/Grand Order : Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia is the isekai of the Fate franchise. Well. Technically. The only word that I could use to describe this is “awesome”. I actually didn’t plan to review this at all because I don’t know how to make it spoiler-free. But I’ll try my best. So if you like Gilgamesh and want to see a kinder side of him. This is where you go next. And if you want to see Rin wearing a hot outfit. This is where you go next. This is also where you go next if you want to see one of the most adorable pet ever along with uncensored pantyshots of a certain girl who has pink hair ( sorry. Had to say it ). Another cool show flexing the budget of CloverWorks and the chaotic neutralness of the fate series. No idea where ufotable went, but CloverWorks clearly pulled this off. I thought I was watching another Fate series powered by the animation of ufotable, lmao. Very fun. Very cool. Must watch if you’re trying to consume the entirety of the whole Fate Series. You cannot miss this!

If you want something to hate watch, this could be for you. If you want to know how not to draw the faces of your main cast, this is for you. If you want ammo to hate on the Fate universe, this is for you. I am saddened that this has above a 5 for a rating. I'm am doubly saddened that people would rate this the same as Fate/Zero and/or Fate/stay night. I feel that it is a great disservice to those series being compared to this one. I don't like to drop anime that I'm watching and am apparently a masochist considering I somehow finished this series. After I watched an episode of this I found myself being super thankful about anything I watched afterwards. I was more thankful of art, character development, and the stories of other anime than I ever was. I rate this anime so poorly because this anime is a mess. Townspeople have better drawn faces than the main characters most of the time. The story is filled with deus ex machinas and overrated characters. The main protagonist, Fujimaru, is one of the most useless characters I've ever seen. The dialogue in this show makes everyone seem flat or at best whimsical. The only partially saving grace of the entire show is the sakuga. There are some decently animated fight scenes where you can actually tell what is going on and the hype is real, but other than that the fights are just flashy lights and false hype. I can only hope that I don't unwittingly see something worse than this.

this anime in short is how to ruin a great story with an adaptation. The story was simplified, a more then half of dialogues from the original material were cut, just to add more scenes with self insert fujimaru, thus a 4. the "art" is not comparable to any other fate anime, not even fucking apocrypha had such a bad case of same face syndrome + horrible cgi + random ass shots for no reason every 2 seconds, thus a 1. the sound was so anonymous that i cant remember any music from this anime despite having watched it not long ago. also the opening is as generic as it can get, thus a 1. with the cut of dialogues, the characters were butchered too, making half of the anime just fujimaru having a pseudo harem of godesses. what remained of the characters wasnt the worst thing of this adaptation, but its not good either thus a 5. enjoyment 1 because honestly the only things i was looking for was a good adaptation of a great arc in the game, and my expectation were not met. the only stuff i can call good about it are how Leonidas' death is portrayed, and Saori Hayami's voice acting of Ushiwakamaru, especially towards the end. but these are overshadowed by whatever the fuck they did with King Hassan, by making the Gate of Babylon look generic, by actually using that horrible cgi for Gorgon Tiamat and Tiamat, and much more shit EDIT: ah and i almost forgot a thing: fanservice on ana is the most disgusting thing they could have done, and they still did it for some reasons

5.75/10 ~ slightly better then Ageteram This should be your 5th stop in the FGO anime timeline: - First Order Movie - Camelot Movie 1: Wandering; Agateram - Camelot Movie 2: Paladin; Agateram - Babylonia Initium Iter (ep 0) And now the 21ep show of Babylonia. The Largest parts of the 1st 3 movies was that they were just giant advertisements for the game under the guise that they were a movie, with little to no story and honestly pretty weak fights and characters. Babylonia yes assumes like the previous movies that you have played the Game FGO, but also have at minimum watched the 3 movies and more then likely Zero+Original or UBW and skips over much of the ground work that all this material has presented. However without a stable ground of what and where it seems pretty aimless in its story telling and narration. The format I usually prefer of long drawn out shows has its +/- usually involving better written charecters that we get to know for longer, better stories and depth of both. However if the show is long and poorly done it exacerbates poorly written charecters, conflicts and overall story telling much more then a movie ever would in its short form story telling. Babylonia does have its good moments between charecters, some mildly interesting plot points and alright fights. But for every moment that is good we are drowned in mediocrity, fanservice and bad CGI. 5.75/10 for me is just above average, but still in the realm where of where I would not recommend this to anyone but the superfans or the truly invested. If you must go-on like myself the next and last step in this poor franchise is 'Solomon' Movie that came out 4 years ago and is the end of Part 1 of the game. Part 2 of the game finishes in a few months, and after that we should have some kind of announcement if they ever will animate Part 2... which based on how it didnt do so well globally I wouldnt be surprised if FGO has an EOS and they do not continue this... but we shall see. All I have to ask, is why didnt they throw the giant axe at the [Bad-CGI-BBEG]? Pretty disappointed, I watched up until this point because I saw a clip of the giant axe lmfao. I have low hopes for Solomon, but here we go. Happy watching.

Story (10/10): Yes, this is a perfect story that is executed amazingly. As a player of the game, I was highly anticipating it and I was not disappointed at all. It's definitely my favourite fate with Fate/Zero as a close second. This focuses on the 7th Arc, I believe. Art (10/10): This is very great art, despite it not being from Ufotable. The battle scenes have amazing quality and the characters have unique appearances, instead of your usual characters. The buildings and surroundings and also very well done. Sound (10/10): I enjoyed the excitement of the opening and I loved the two ending songs. Also with this, the music that plays during battle is very reflective of the mood of the scene. Character (9/10): I think that the characters are good, but it's definitely the worst part of the anime. Mash is kind of useless most of the time, not gonna lie. And those Goddesses seem to be very insecure for some reason. Other than that, the characters are amazing. I think that Ana is underrated. Enjoyment (10/10): It was amazing. I enjoyed every episode. This is definitely better than the OVAs, but it was definitely worth it. I recommend this to anyone that loves action and the Fate series. Overall (9.8/10): I loved this anime and I hope that there's a sequel. (TL;dr: Everything is perfect except some of the characters were lacking)

This is it, this is what all of our saint quartz paid off for. I'll start by saying, yes, I do have a bias for this as an FGO addict, but don't think that will take away any critique I may have for this. Characters - The heroic spirits we meet in Babylonia encapture what a heroic spirit really is better than any Fate adaption thus far in my opinion. When it comes down to it, despite their differing regrets in their past life, they will show their heroic nature. Gilgamesh in this adaption might just be my best boy of the year (2019/2020?). Ritsuka/Gudao however, falls flat in a lot of ways. As he is basically a self-insert, he doesn't hold much character, so certain scenes just fill out of place for him. Art - As good as it gets, Cloverworks really showed everyone what they're capable of. While the art style might not match ufotable, the fluidity in cloverwork's animation is 10/10. And with the plethora of fights in this show, you can expect to be very satisfied. Music - Amazing, especially for each OST used in fight scenes, it kicks everything up to a different level. There is no lack of OST either, with 3 volumes in total. Story - A bit harder to judge, but it's nothing complex, nor is it anything too simple. It's good for what it is, it's built around FIGHTING. It may be hard to watch this if you haven't read the past singularities from FGO, but if you can get a grasp of the plot, then this is a must watch if you love intense action anime, especially Fate.

The MC is weak and no function at all. In almost fight scene the MC just a watcher and do anything but scream, scream and keep streaming to motivate others. What the heck is that? For the story line is good and the animation also so good but the characters built is disappointed. For those who seek for a strong or OP main character, I do not prefer this but for those who seek enjoyable fighting and epic scene without realistic character built its okay. You guys can proceed. Others, I loved the fight scene, but I do think the epilogue after the Tiamat fight was lacking a bit. It really didn't feel like they gave enough time or weight to the fact that you just downed a primoridal goddess that just wiped out Mesopotamia. Felt like they were just "mission accomplished, straight to the light hearted character dialogue now". I will say that I enjoyed Merlin's speech about being the only person who will fully understand you and Mash's journey though, while the world will never even know. That alone skyrocketed my appreciation for his character. Finally, I like the most Quetzalcoalt or the Ushiwakamarus. They are insane.

I have watched this show 2 times already, it is an incredible show to anybody who has read the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is the book that the real life versions of gilgamesh, enkidu, and Ishtar are based on, and or has played or watched the "Fate" anime series or games, such as fate grand order. If you don't know anything about either of them then this anime may be uninspiring to you. To myself who read the Epic of Gilgamesh and who has played the Fate Grand Order phone game, and who read the Fate series lore. I found it at times to be a very inspirational, emotional journey which made me laugh and cry.

This review will have SPOILERS BUT I'LL LET YOU KNOW IN TIME. Animation: 1) For the first 9 episodes, the animation is absolutely brilliant. From battles, to action and to casual scenes, everything was a work of art. Every episode surpasses the previous one in terms of visuals. However, from episode 9 onwards the visuals get downgraded and I have no idea why. It was a major let down because the anime set the bar extremely high after so many episodes with such incredible visuals. It's such a shame to have the 2nd half of the entire season with fights that were poorly animated 2) boobs without nipples is lazy animation and will never look good 3) CGI was overused on pointless occasions (ex: random people walking around) and it broke immersion constantly Sound: 1) sound volume is not optimized: the sound effects are way too loud compared to sountrack and dialog 2) I didn't like the soundtrack, particularly an english song. It just doesn't fit a show that's 100% japanese to all of a sudden have a random language coming up and rocking the music 3) Ueda Kana's voice range cannot keep up with a dark character that she was assigned to. SPOILERS: every Dark Ereshkigal's line with more than 3 words, Ueda Kana's voice cracked and sounded awful. I love her Tohsaka and Ishtar's voices and I feel that the sound team did her wrong. Characters (SPOILERS): 1) Ishtar doesn't have enough of Tohsaka's personality 2) Ishtar's design is obviously inspired by Tohsaka but the nakedness doesn't suit her at all. I don't mind fanservice but to see her constantly in her underwear is something that does not feel right 3) PLOTHOLE: Ushiwakamaru is the ONLY servant that is not aware of his "future"/legacy. No reason is given for this fact. Only on the 8th episode does she remember who she is and why is she a heroic spirit without any reason for this sudden memory gain. 4) To have a servant based on Leonardo Da Vinci and give it 3 second appearance per episode is the biggest waste of a heroic spirit I've ever seen 5) blonde hair on a character based on Tohsaka is a crime Story: 1) I love how they took the time to give a short history lesson about the time period and civilization 2) unfortunately the pacing of this series is not consistent. I was really hyped until the 6th episode. That's when the story slows down and characters decide to talk a lot and repeat themselves or do things that no one really cares about. This only ends at the last second of the last episode. 3) too predictable (I didn't even play the game and I guessed most of the events) 4) between most episodes, things happen that the viewer must fill in using his imagination 5) SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD - Leonidas and Ushiwakamaru's sacrifices looked terrible for Fujimaru because he just stood there watching his allies fight on their own 6) Ishtar refers to Fujimaru as the 1st friend she had. Instead of thinking of Mash or Dr. Romani, he thinks of Ushiwakamaru. Logic? None. 7) hated how Jaguarman got pushed aside to "team B" because she's clearly more powerful than any servant 8) 80% of the anime goes like this: Fujimaru has an enemy -> enemy is super powerful -> enemy is a woman -> Fujimaru decides to talk -> woman enemy blushes and joins the harem... not harem, sorry. The team. I meant the team. Joined the team. 9) Awesome reference to the legendary line of Emiya Shirou "People die when they are killed". As I said, by the 5th episode I was hyped like crazy because the show had a lot of potential and I liked the general direction it was going but unfortunately it's not more than a 6/10 for me.

My review for FGO: boobies and bums! The positive! The animation generally looks very good, definitely above average. Many fight scenes are amazing and well choreographed. The scenery is usually also fair, sometimes a bit too realistic even! The sound was generally satisfactory, with some nice themes here and there. Only at the end do they rely a bit too much on raspy bass noises that destroy your speakers and your ears for big attacks. Be sure to lower your volume at the point they are clearly telegraphed! The bad: kinda everything else... ^^ I was hoping to see Gilgamesh' and Isthar's story. Instead, we get a totally new story after the written events. That's not bad on itself, except... - It's not a stand-alone anime. In order to have the vaguest clue of what's going on, I'm assuming you must have played the game. - The character's motivations are hard to follow at best. They are ludicrously evil one moment, then best friends the next after protagonist-kun winks at them, then useless quivering anime school girls the rest of their screentime. - Many characters are hard, if impossible, to take seriously. Rin is here, somehow, even though it's not really her, and she has a pallet swap. There is literally a woman from the future in a jaguar onesie making cat puns. - The main characters couldn't be more bland if they tried. In addition, they hardly (if ever) contribute anything. They're just kinda there, and watch. The writers desperately try and include them by having characters say how amazing the protagonists are, despite all evidence to the contrary. - Characters just kinda do stuff as the plot demands it, appearing, disappearing, dying, reviving, start flying, regaining mana, just anything the plot demands them to. - Most character designs are questionable, wearing only the bare minimum of clothing, and of course boob physics. Atop that, many fights devolve into butt-, boobie, and pantieshots. - The ending is super abrupt and unsatisfactory. - Why did they start with the 7th singularity?! :< - Loads of ridiculous scenes and reveals just to be cool and edgy. So.. If you've played the game, you'll probably maybe love this? Otherwise, if you're looking for a standalone anime, or anything that resembles F/Zero or FSN/UBW, hard pass!

What can I say.... One of the better fate series. I have been a fate fan for ages, and I definitely love the characters, as most of them are very interesting and just love the fact that the servants are actual historical figures, just oversexualized. I mean, seriously, even loli-medusa? (Im not saying I dont like Ishtar's outfit.) The plot, however, is average. A bit cliche. Nothing really stands out. On the other hand, the animation is really good and I really like how Gilgamesh is presented in the series. The setting, Uruk, is defenitely interesting, although I don't know how historically accurate it is.

As another Type Moon franchise ends another sequel is now in the works and TBH I'm thinking that its probably another holy relic this time given that the said Holy Grail was with Fujimaru and Mash.......possible spoiler, somebody just said that so called "Holy Grail" may not be the real thing..... So: Story: Pros: Basically this was the continuation of the first series witch is "Fate/Grand Order , First Order" but this time , the duo were send to some alternate world of Uruk and the duo's mission was to find out the series of distortion that affect that world in conjunction of their world. Cons: There was still that "Holy Grail"thing that the duo must obtain , there was still that master and servant thing that has to be performed and pretty much every battle was just as usual with any of "Type Moon's" story plot. Verdict (5/10) Art: Pros: In any of "Type Moon's" project there is always Rin Tohsaka, Gilgamesh, Rider and Taiga Fujimaru, though the names have change, there is no doubt that they're still the same character from any of Type Moon's projects be it anime or manga, however this was the only series where we get to see main character Rin Tohsaka or whom was now called Istar don a more risque look and yes she in a very fancy bikini and another version of her named Ereshkigal , something that we don't get to see in any of Type Moon's project ( I don't know about the manga), this was the only series that we get to see a hotter version of Rider whom was named Ana, but she was illustrated as a Chibi version of the aforementioned. This was also were we get to see a new character here named Ushiwakamaru and lets not forget Quetzalcoatl whose fanservices adds spice to this series, but the one that has the most impact to this series was Mash were we get to see her Camel toe. Cons: No onsen service, no shower service , beach service and none of that boob and nipple flashes. Verdict (8/10) Sound: Pros: Very good sound quality when it come to the booms and anything else in combat scene. Cons: I hate both opening and closing theme. Verdict (8/10) Character: Pros: Unlike in any of Type Moon's project it usually involves a monotonous relationship between Master and Servant, but here what it has was a harem that includes one master, Fujimaru, Ritsuka and his servants, Kyrielight, Mash, Ishtar, Quetzalcoatl and Jaguarman... Cons: Only the relationship that exist in this series has change but just like in any of Type Moon's project the characters roles, attitude and death flags were still the same, even if some of Type Moon's regulars cast have change name. Verdict (5/10) Enjoyment: Pros: Despite of Type Moon's usual story plot, it still wans't boring to watch...especially when Type Moon has decide to spice this up by added some fanservices around here. Cons: Though , I wish that they should have done the same thing to Taiga aka Jaguarman..... Verdict (7/10) Overall: Verdict (7/10) TBH, this was probably the frist time that Type Moon has decide to change something about that "Holy Grail" thing where it was now being hand over to the Protagonist and this was the first time that Type Moon has decide to see some sex with the female characters risque looks...so, IMAO, that's probably has keep us audience has kept us glued to this series, I wish That Type Moon pulls the plug on this kind of series, but with another sequel in the works, I don't think that's gonna happen.

The most important thing I feel to know before you step into this world, is that there is so much lore explored previously. That's all. Knowing or not knowing may or may not influence your enjoyment, but it does exist , so when you finish the final episode it shouldn't feel like an end, nor a beginning, because there is so much before and after(both figuratively and literally). My opinion is a bit biased as I play the game and thoroughly enjoy it, so my review will be in the perspective of a seasonal anime and a comparison to the game. Story The narrative is rather expansive, as it would be when following a war between humanity and the gods. The few moments in which the characters take their time to explore Uruk, really tries to drive home the importance of the culture at the time and how it shaped that society. The game goes more into detail about the technology, and the work of daily civilians, unlike the montage in the anime. It's the little things in life that really emphasize the travesty that is war. By setting up a modicum of peace, the story travels into a narrative of constant battles and loss. The loss has meaning because you saw the everyday life of everyday people. It doesn't hurt that the battles become larger as the stakes grow, and most of the time(while it may feel like it) it's never a total victor. The anime on this part rushed...a lot, the low count of episodes never fully emerged the viewer into the piece, or the atrocity of the war...(I.e pacing was faster than it should've been. Tldr:The pacing wasn't so fast that you couldn't understand that there's a super amazing story , but it was just fast enough to be chanting next kaiju fight! Next kaiju fight! Or something similar to that... Art I've seen quite a few memes about how the character design is pretty much the same for all the characters(look at their faces if you switch the hair it'll be hard to tell the difference). While, it's understandable why a studio may choose to budget their resources into other parts of the anime like the animation, it is disappointing that it had to be done. Some people on the internet have made the great point, that character designs which are distinct, can not only be a easily recognizable by their silhouettes, but are also capable of making a statement about the character. All this to say, that distinct characters leave a better impression on new people who have little to no experience in the fateverse.. the lack of it while not earth shattering is disappointing. While the character design may be lacking, the set pieces are just a marvel, the city of Uruk, the underworld, the lighthouse, the sea, every single field has an intricateness , a thorough love of the place. The details feel so perfect with the story from the scale of everything , to the small details in the ziggurat, and the hut. The tone and colors match very well, and it's just beautiful. Tldr: the character design is bland in comparison to the game, but the set pieces are a gem. Sound It's perfect... Nothing left to say Tldr: PERFECTION IN THE FLESH Character The characters needed more time. This is where the game and anime should be mostly compared. There's a lot of story in this chapter, so the harsh reality is that the higher ups who created the anime decided it would be for the best if they completed the stories rather than allow the audience to care for most of the characters. The game had more time and power so it was able to do both, that's the harsh reality. However I can only review what I see, and what i see is some sentiment and character explored, but not enough so that the payoffs, the farewells have the meaning they are supposed to. There was a few unique scenes that were anime only and made the series more captivating, but what we were given was fairly standard with little understanding of some the more sidelined characters(jaguarman, siduri, Romani,gorgon, da Vinci, even Merlin(at least for me). These characters have depth and personality that without a doubt exists, and it's disappointing to not see the in their full form in the anime. Tldr: the characters are good but lack depth, due to most likely the budget and time constraints. While understandable it's a little disappointing. Enjoyment It was very good, there were lows and highs, a few laughs here and there, overall a solid piece. The story was delivered and it made sense. The characters were enjoyable, though a bit flat, but the biggest thing was the animation was killer on certain scenes(ushiwaka v"Tiamat" , quetz v Tiamat, etc. ). There is a certain happiness seeing the character you love come to life and the shivers that go down your spine when they use their noble phantasm( I don't know how many times I rewatched merlin use garden of Avalon). It's a beautiful ode to fans of the nasuverse, I don't know how enjoyable it would be for those outside the nasuverse, because at this point I'm to integrated that it's impossible for me at least, to give an outsiders unbiased perspective. Tldr: a great piece of work, that may not stand the test of time to those who are not integrated into to the nasuverse, or players of the game Overalll I think the series did a great number of things , some of which I may not have said(not that I need to , others will sing the praise I didn't) . It was a solid piece of work with a definitive end to the chapter, and a teaser after the end credits for more. It works well as a stand alone , but I think the most amount of pleasure that can be derived from this tale is after you've played the Babylonia chapter within the game. ''Tis the type of series one wants to bunker down with a lot of snacks and binge the series straight, then at the end of it go back to see if you actually remember any of the lore or the background of the plot points. There's enough in the anime you could make it a fa,e if you want to Tldr: it's a great solid work, worth the time if you have it...

Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia is an anime with rather disappointing story with slight pacing problems, boring main characters, but also boasts of amazingly, stylishly animated battle scenes that are guaranteed to get your blood pumping. While I believe the anime brushed up the fgo game storyline quite a bit(being a player myself,) I still found it quite lacking. Sudden resurrections without any good explanation, tons of exposition heavy mechanics that only pop up at the eleventh hour, and an obligatory focus on the boring, bland, fairly useless main character add up to a pretty unsatisfactory narrative. Fujimaru Ritsuka is the fgo game player's proxy, and thus, is an unremarkable character. The anime maintains him as the main character, but instead of using him as a pov character, proceeds to insert him into forcibly as a crucial component in many climactic battles. Note that he is not a magician, has almost zero abilities, and only became a "master" by chance. No. He is not someone you want as the main focus of the story. Personally, I wasn't much interested in Mashu either. But being a "servant," she is at the very least more interesting and powerful than Fujimaru. To be honest, the whole Kalutea team is pretty boring. The rest of the cast were great, though, especially the Fate series favourite, Gil! But story and characters aside, the battle scenes were mind-blowing. I don't want to get into specifics(spoilers!), but suffice to say that though the battles were a little sparse in the first half, they are more than enough to keep the viewer hooked, waiting, waiting for the next one. And when the battles pick up in density in the second half, wow! It's a roller coaster ride of amazing visuals, bombastic sound design, on-point seiyuu acting, fluid animation, creative camerawork, roaring action, and just overall great, great fun! Google the episode summaries and watch the ones with battle scenes. You will not be disappointed. The story is more of a pass for me(despite being a game player :P). But the battle scenes, the battle scenes are a MUST WATCH!!!!!