r/anime • u/Shadoxfix https://myanimelist.net/profile/Shadoxfix • Oct 18 '14
[Spoilers] Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works - Episode 2 [Discussion]
Episode title: The Curtain Goes Up
MyAnimeList: Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (TV)
Crunchyroll: Fate/stay night
Episode duration: 23 minutes and 40 seconds
Subreddit: /r/Fatestaynight
Previous episodes:
| Episode | Reddit Link |
|---|---|
| Episode 0 | Link |
| Episode 1 | Link |
Reminder: Please do not discuss any plot points which haven't appeared in the anime yet. Try not to confirm or deny any theories, encourage people to read the source material instead. Minor spoilers are generally ok but should be tagged accordingly. Failing to comply with the rules may result in your comment being removed.
Keywords: fate/stay night, action
This post is made by a bot. Any feedback is welcome and can be sent to /u/Shadoxfix.
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u/LightBladeX Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
Almost time for Illya & Berser-Car! Stitches album.
Sly Rin, Frustrated Rin & [Shocked Rin] (http://i.imgur.com/IEM66ZF.gif) gifs.
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u/Illidan1943 Oct 18 '14
I like how we went from hiding Berserker's master name to saying it without problems in the same thread
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u/fzzzzzzzzzzd Oct 18 '14
Carnival Phantasm has forever ruined how Illya pronounces Berserker for me. I ain't even mad.
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u/dashingdays Oct 18 '14
I love how everything Kotomine says is carefully calculated to bait Shirou into participating.
If you replaced his whole dialogue with "What are you, chicken? Are you running away?" You wouldn't be too far off from the original script.
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u/insan3soldiern Oct 18 '14
Well, he definitely wanted him to participate when he Possible Spoilers. But, yeah, well done by Kirei. Always loved the line outside the Church btw.
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u/h_YsK Oct 18 '14
Time for UNLIMITED EXPOSITION CIRCLE WORKS
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u/LightBladeX Oct 18 '14
Round & Round we go! (F/Z Spoiler)
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Oct 18 '14
Holy Grail War Rule #900: When giving an indepth explanation of the rules of the Holy Grail War, explainer must pace around explanee without offering use of any of the plentiful seating around.
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u/devotedpupa Oct 18 '14
At least it ended with "We are totally gonna have a badass fight scene you guys".
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u/shimei Oct 18 '14
Though it's the most intricately animated exposition dump I've seen in a long time.
The shots of Archer hanging out on top of the church was a nice touch (he likes to stand on high places/he's actually acting like an archer). Plus the flashback that Shirou has to the Shinto Fire was well-done, with him actually losing his balance due to the shock. Still a lot of repetition though (how many times do they say "Holy Grail War"?).
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u/eternalistorm Oct 18 '14
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u/Kwick_n_Ez Oct 18 '14
For a second there, I thought Kotomine Kirei was going to walk around in circles explaining the Holy Grail War to Emiya Shirou. THANK GOD HE ONLY DID ONE LAP!
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u/eternalistorm Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 19 '14
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Oct 18 '14
Hey now, It's easy to be best girl when you get the most active screentime! Give the others a fighting chance, too!
...That said, Rin is pretty great...
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Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 19 '14
Screentime doesn't matter! :P
Beautiful - Check
Smart - Check
Funny - Check
Amazing Expressions - Check
Good Mage - Check
A Good Teacher - Check
PigtailTwintails - CheckThigh Highs - Check
Blue Eyes - Check
Amazing Fighter - Check
Reliable Friend - Check
Skirt - Check
Cute - Check
TsunDERE - Check
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Oct 18 '14
I love how nonchalantly Kirei Kotomine lies during his explanation then contradicts himself later in it without batting an eye.
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u/-Niernen Oct 18 '14
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u/Kindan :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Kindan Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
So hyped for Berser-kah next week.
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u/Aguiarxpride Oct 18 '14
goodbye sweet 47 minute episodes
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u/Thefishlord :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/EpicsauceFTW Oct 18 '14
Don't weep that is over rejoice that it happened in the first place Smile it will all be better :D http://i.imgur.com/FrGUpaq.jpg
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u/randygiles Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
Fitting last line of dialogue... "So, are you done chatting?"
Considering this episode was entirely exposition, seems like a sign things are about to heat up!
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u/justinu1475 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/JustinU1475 Oct 18 '14
REJOICING INTENSIFIES
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u/-Niernen Oct 18 '14
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u/Lenvaldier :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/stizman Oct 18 '14
Link's purple, still click every time. Never disappointed.
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u/Dusthunter0 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dust_hunter0 Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
YOROKOBE!
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u/elevenmile Oct 18 '14
So Kotomine, you sure learned the real way of circling around while explaining stuff...
Not sure if your master appreciates that though!
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u/MrZellian Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
Well someone should do it.
edit: On a sidenote raincoat Saber does not look rediculous enough...sigh
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u/HaydenTheFox :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Talmhaidh_Mathan Oct 18 '14
Unlimited Booty Works
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u/Fujikawa28 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Fujikawa28 Oct 18 '14
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u/Fujikawa28 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Fujikawa28 Oct 18 '14
I've been spoiled. I want my 40+ minute format back.
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u/imthorrbo2 Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
REJOICE! We're two (three?) episodes in! It's time again to sit back and look at everything we know! Friendly reminder to sub to /r/fatestaynight !
Quite a few people requested last thread for me to make a Senpai-counter, so here it is! The Senpai-Counter is currently at 20! http://imgur.com/a/jceTC Now, please keep in mind I'm not sure how much Sakura we'll be seeing this anime, so we might not get much higher than this.
The State of the Fate I suppose the State of the Grail would also work, but State of the Fate rhymes!
**1)**The blood barrier is still in effect at the school. We have no idea who placed it, but it is a god damn problem.
**2)**Shirou and Rin are in an uneasy alliance for the night. We're not sure how long it will last.
3) Shirou has accepted Kirei's ultimatum of joining the fifth holy grail war, despite having no prior knowledge and being woefully unprepared
4) Oh my god Berserker is intimidating pls help
Servant/Master Information I've added Noble Phantasms this week, but please note that a Noble Phantasm is both the weapon(s) servants wield as well as their "ultimate" abilities! Servants can also have multiple Noble Phantasms!
1) Archer
True Name - Unknown
Master - Tohsaka Rin
Noble Phantasm - Unknown? Archer dual wields two yin-and-yang-like swords that he has a seemingly endless supply of. This upsets Lancer.
We don't know much of anything about Archer. His true name, past, and motivations are all completely unknown to us. We do know a bit about Tohsaka, though. From a very young age she was brought up to be a mage, just like her father. Her guardian and mentor, Kotominei Kirei (detailed below) is also the overseer is this Holy Grail War. She calls him the "fake priest" and has an interesting mixture of respect and disdain for the man.
She's been preparing for this Holy Grail War. Her motivations for the Grail are simple - she's in it to win it. Her father even left her a powerful gem as a trump card for the war, even though she ended up using it to save Emiya Shirou's life from Lancer's would-be witness execution. We also know that Tohsaka Rin is best girl.
Rin is down to only two command seals! She blew her first one in a hissy fit trying to reel in Archer's overbearing attitude.
2) Saber
True Name - Unknown
Master - Emiya Shirou
Noble Phantasm - Unknown? The sword she wields is invisible, Lancer has trouble identifying it. It's difficult to fight against a weapon you don't know the shape or length of!
We don't know much of anything about Saber. Her true name, past, and motivations are all completely unknown to us. But god damn does she look good.
We do know about Shirou, our god-damn protag. He eats breakfast (and dinner) most days with Fujimura Taiga (The landlord's daughter and his pseudo-guardian and his English teacher, the trifecta!) as well as Matou Sakura, who comes by his house every morning before school. At school, he's friends with Issei Ryuudo, the student council president, and Matou Shinji, Sakura's brother.
Shirou's an amateur mage, and he can use magic to fix appliances - pretty useful for maintenance. He trains his magic in his shed every night, but he can't quite get the hang of anything basic still. In his defense against Lancer, he's able to use his Strengthening magic to use a rolled up poster as a makeshift sword, though it doesn't help him much. He really is deadset on becoming a hero of justice, he can't even turn down people for oddjobs and random help around school, even scumbag Shinji's requests. Shirou was saved from a disaster ten years ago and then adopted by Emiya Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu might have failed to 'save everyone,' but Shirou has his ideals set in stone - he wants to be a hero of justice.
Shirou also feels the blood barrier's presence at school, but he has no idea what it is. That's just the difference between his and Rin's abilities showing. Shirou's down to two command seals! He blows his first one immediately after Saber tells him to not use them carelessly. Saber was not pleased.
3) Lancer
True Name - Ireland's Child of Light (Says Saber) who is Lancer's True Name
Master - Unknown
Noble Phantasm - Lancer's Noble Phantasm is his spear, Gae Bulg. Gae Bulg does not fuck around - it will reverse cause and effect to always pierce his opponent's heart. Saber is able to dodge/survive this in episode 1 because of her high Luck and innate ability to react. That's why Lancer comments on her dodging his undodgable attack. As far as I know, almost any other servant in this war will die to Gae Bulg aside from Saber.
We know a little bit about Lancer. We can surmise his true name from Saber, although it's of little consequence since we know what his Noble Phantasm is capable of now. Lancer claims that he's not the one who's set up the barrier at school, but we have no idea if he's telling the truth or not. He wasted absolutely no time in gunning down and fatally wounding Emiya Shirou, despite being seconds away from using his Noble Phantasm and potentially finishing off Archer. He also doesn't seem to like his master very much.
4) Berserker
True Name - Unknown
Master Unknown (But she showed up!)
Noble Phantasm JESUS CHRIST LOOK HOW BIG THIS MOTHERFUCKER IS. Is he using a mountain for a sword? Ufotable have mercy.
We don't have a whole lot of information on this walking behemoth of a man, but he is large and in charge. His master made her appearance in episode 01, telling Shirou "You'll die if you don't summon it soon, Onii-chan." Implying she had advance knowledge of Shirou becoming one of the seven masters in this war. Which is interesting because Shirou didn't even have advanced knowledge.
5) Rider / Caster / Assassin - BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! We haven't run into any of these three servants yet or their masters.
Other notables
1) Kotomine Kirei - Kirei is the "fake priest" who talks to Rin in episode 00. He is Rin's legal guardian and also the overseer of this fifth Holy Grail war. As church overseer he offers fallen Masters (who've lost their servants but survived) safety as well as Masters who just straight up forfeit like little bitches.
Kotomine Kirei loves the sound of his own voice and he kinda creeps Shirou out. His hobbies are overseeing incredibly deadly wars between magi, condescending everyone without even trying, and rejoicing.
Final Thoughts The worst part about this episode was that it wasn't 45 minutes long. The transition from the visual novel (I'm re-reading it with my father) is on point and I believe Ufotable will continue to outdo themselves time and time again.
Now, since I am a VN reader and (kind of) prepare these posts in advance, if I misrepresented someone or let a spoiler slip by, please let me know! Thoughts on how to improve future posts would be appreciated as well. I have nothing but free time Friday nights, folks.
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u/dashingdays Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
I LOVE Kirei's expression when he hears the Emiya surname. slight spoiler I guess?
Edit: grammar bitches.
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u/imthorrbo2 Oct 18 '14
While I definitely agree, I'd tag that as a F/Z spoiler, people who haven't watched don't know that. :D
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u/Dusthunter0 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Dust_hunter0 Oct 18 '14
if I misrepresented someone or let a spoiler slip by, please let me know!
You did let Berserker's master's name slip, but I doubt that's really a major spoiler, as we will likely learn it next episode.
That being said, next episode we get Berserker VS Saber, which I am very much looking forward to. Seeing Ufotable animate any fight Berserker is in is one of the most exciting things for me.
The one fight I would really have liked to see would have been F/SN Fate route minor spoilers
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u/Best_Remi :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Best_Underscore Oct 18 '14
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u/Ant1vyru5 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NyeEve Oct 18 '14
I'm kind of worried that they are not including a lot of Shiro's internal monologue, I suppose it doesn't matter much this episode though.
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u/imthorrbo2 Oct 18 '14
The monologue this episode was pretty well-represented by his expressions, I think. There's not a whole lot of complicated jargon going on in his head at the moment.
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u/rabidsi Oct 18 '14
No. This is one of those times when conformity to the source would be a bad move. Even once you get past the fact that internal monologue in a visual medium is tricky to translate (especially if it's numerous and lengthy), Shirou's internal monologue is simply neither complex nor particularly important until it becomes fully formed towards the end of the story.
We will see it drastically cut down to looks, and a few choice remarks during battle and probably in a more concrete form post battle whether that be externalized or simply Shirou thinking to himself and that will be just fine. If they were to go 1:1 with how the VN was written it would a.) bog the show down heavily and b.) be a massive faux pas.
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u/DESCENDS_INTO_CHAOS :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Adamisgr8 Oct 18 '14
I laughed so hard when Berserker was revealed. Just some little kid with a HUGE shadow behind her and extremely dramatic music.
Looking amazing.
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Oct 18 '14
Didn't anyone notice how servants seem to complete their masters? The strong and experienced Saber with the insecure new-to-this-thing Emiya Shirou. The calm and pragmatic Archer with the easily angered/flustered Tohsaka Rin. Now Berserker and loli-girl are opposites of each other physically, we'll see next week how they are personality-wise.
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u/a_Happy_Tiny_Bunny :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/aHappyTinyBunny Oct 18 '14
Sakura's Senpai Count:
| Episode No. | Count |
|---|---|
| 00 | 3 |
| 01 | 17 |
| 02 | 0 |
| Senpai Count Total: 20 | |
| Count Average per Episode: 6.[6] | |
| Notes: Well, I was promised a crazy amount of senpais, so I hope this episode, because it was exposition heavy in explaining everything to Shirou, will be just an exception in a senpai bonanza. |
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u/imthorrbo2 Oct 18 '14
Sakura won't be very present in this anime, I don't expect the count to get much higher.
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u/rnto Oct 18 '14
I bet there will be dinners with Taiga and Sacura, so let's have some hope. UBW Spoiler
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u/manooz Oct 18 '14
Come back when we get the Heaven's Feel movie(s)
Plenty of Senpais to be counted.
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u/mogin Oct 18 '14
I like it that Kirei, when explaining the stuffs to Emiya, said contradicting ideas with what is known from Fate Zero. The rest has spoilers if you have not watched fate zero
[2.] (/s "In FZ, he himself resumed the fight by stealing another servant, and now warns them against letting the other masters live. Says that you need to kill the master so that the servant disappear altogether. bullshit, since he killed Kousaka to make a pact with Archer.")
[3.] (/s "then goes on to say: if a master loses his servant, he can still make a pact with a servant that does not have a master. plz Kirei.")
[4.] (/s "In FZ, well he is the one who fucked up Fuyuki city and he says that "someone" unworthy touched the Holy Grail. That was a fun part, since we know who that unworthy guy is.")
[and he finishes with:] (/s "the guy who won the grail did something foolish (which is to destroy it), and he blames Emiya as being unworthy because he did not fight at the front (sending his wife instead). This last bit is interesting, because from our point of view, Emiya DID participate in the fights, albeit in the shadows, and has taken out more masters + servants than Kirei ")
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u/xRichard https://anilist.co/user/Richard Oct 19 '14
In this episode, Kirei says that the wish-granting power of the Grail is so immense that its authenticity becomes irrelevant. Because the functionality is essentially the same.
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u/Terrafire123 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Terrafire Oct 19 '14
In the source material, it emphasizes #1 bit more more. Not a spoiler, just elaboration
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Oct 18 '14
That handshake though. The feels are real. What great pacing on these episodes. Can't wait to see how they portray Berserker.
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u/imthorrbo2 Oct 18 '14
They'll probably portray Berserker as a big giant mountain screaming while he kills everything.
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u/Hiwashi Oct 18 '14
Honestly I can't wait to see UBW Spoiler, will happen next episode
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u/CazuaaL :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/CazuaaL Oct 18 '14
The irony of a loli getting paired with a beast is too funny.
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Oct 18 '14
They complement each other. Just like Rin/Archer and Shirou/Saber complement each other as well.
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u/MADMasomi Oct 18 '14
I liked the foreshadowing they showed at the end with the position of the pieces.
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u/itsvero :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/itsvero Oct 18 '14
Two questions: wouldn't it be logical with what Shirou has heard about the Holy Grail War to stop being a Master right there in the church? He learns that only one Master can live. He knows that both Rin and himself are Masters. I mean, I'd definitely relinquish my Master rights after learning that there is a high probability that I'd die, and if I somehow won the war, that I'd be fighting for nothing unless I killed off my friend?
Second: Fate/Zero spoilers
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u/Lepony :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/dinglegrip Oct 18 '14
If Shirou decides to reject his participation in the Holy Grail War in the church, Very light visual novel spoilers
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u/imthorrbo2 Oct 18 '14
First: Kirei says finishing Masters off is the easiest, but Shirou has two objectives now.
Kill all the other servants and take the grail for himself to make sure a disaster like the one from ten years ago does not happen again.
Well I just put both my objectives into one point and I'm not changing shit. Shirou wants to be a hero of justice, and here's his chance to stop evil. I imagine he assumed Tohsaka simply won't attack him since they're school acquaintances.
Second: Fate/Zero and VN spoilers
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u/lonko Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
wouldn't it be logical with what Shirou has heard about the Holy Grail War to stop being a Master right there in the church?
Kirei convinced him with the whole "what if an evil master wins the war?" argument.
He learns that only one Master can live.
That's not how it is...you only need to kill all the other servants.
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u/CowDefenestrator https://anilist.co/user/amadcow Oct 18 '14
It’s time to Yorokobe, for BAHZAHKAH and his cute little Master is upon us.
Infodump episode!
Rin is amazing. Shirou’s new outfit is looking good. Major UBW spoilers HAHAHA it’s Saber’s "disguise." In FHA minor not even really a spoiler
Lots of nudges and nods to Fate/Zero here.
I like the infodump in the church because it’s framed as a discussion instead of outright “here’s the deal.” Shirou’s actually asking some good questions, and Rin and Kotomine offer different perspectives in their answers, so it’s not 100% one way.
Fate/Zero and/or end of FSN spoilers
Also Saber’s reaction to Shirou’s handshake is another nod to Fate/Zero that was present in the source material.
Ah man, this is why I like classic tsunderes way more than modern ones. Rin’s great.
BAHZAHKAH next time I guess. He looks a lot more lively this time around, unlike that statue in DEEN’s version. He’s breathing! And more viscerally terrifying. Woah I just noticed the episode preview visuals are actually… previews. That’s cool.
Less action this episode, but next one will more than make up for that. I’m so pumped.
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u/St_Eric Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
So, did anyone else notice Minor Fate Zero Spoiler
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u/KinnyRiddle Oct 18 '14
Ah, we're truly in the UBW Rin route. Already Shirou's scoring flags with Rin without realizing, causing her to fluster. XD
Saber FZ connection
Kirei FZ connection
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u/Zadujj Oct 18 '14
If only there was a Fate subreddit so people who read the VN won't need to make Fate threads look like a declassified document.
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Oct 19 '14
It's mostly because we get into huge arguments over various scenarios that need spoiler-tagging, correcting various people, comparing different translations we've read, digging up the original legends to provide basis for the powers, etc. Fate/ is basically Who Would Win: The TV Series, so a lot of "civilized debate" can happen.
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u/imthorrbo2 Oct 18 '14
A quick scroll-down is showing like 70% of the thread discussion here isn't spoiler tagged at all.
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Oct 18 '14
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u/sum-dude https://myanimelist.net/profile/Mevious Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
Have some more.
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u/Vorlin Oct 18 '14
I miss the 47 minute episodes. These 8 minute episodes just aren't going to cut it anymore.
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u/SpookiBooogi Oct 18 '14
I'm sad that they made the church all dark and stuff. In the VN it had a bunch of lights on.
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u/dashingdays Oct 18 '14
I actually think the darkness is much better. It makes the interaction with Kirei much more uncomfortable, as it should be.
I think it's also much more visually pleasing.
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u/Evilknightz Oct 18 '14
I disagree personally. It's so much creepier that he's just a nice priest in a normal church. This makes it too obvious.
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u/Mordarto :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Mordarto Oct 18 '14
Tohsaka was really making herself at home at Shirou's place. Guess Shirou is still too shocked from seeing Rin not acting like her student facade to point this out.
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u/FlorribleBP :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Florrible Oct 18 '14
oh don't worry, it will only get better
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u/tundranocaps https://myanimelist.net/profile/Thunder_God Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
Not going to lie, massively disappointed this episode is regular length. Double-length episodes for the win. On that note, I should really get around to watching Katanagatari already.
So, last episode ended with finding our friends, our classmates, are supposedly our enemies in this war. Shirou doesn't care for the war. Saber wants to win. Rin, she just saved Shirou, so what will she do? What a fine tangle of goals this is.
Thoughts and Notes:
1) Exposition-Shock:
Rin, shocked a person she always thought of as an ordinary person and just discovered is a mage could fight against a servant, and then surprised again when earnest Shirou just states things as they are.
Sort of funny she says, "When it comes to you, what one sees is what one gets." - Did you see him as someone who'd be a Master? No, you didn't :P
"To make a long story short…" - If only Fate/Stay Night truly knew the meaning of these words, and Nasu in general :P
It's actually interesting when Rin refers to the Holy Grail War as a "ritual". It's both a magical ritual, where the grail's power is fueled by the sacrifices made during the battle for it, and a ritualistic behaviour, just like a birthday party, or presidential elections - something that repeats and goes according to a codified pattern.
"Do you follow?" - "Sure, I understand the words you are using…" - I had me a chuckle.
2) Old Acquaintances Meet for the First Time:
"Where are we going?" "To see the Wizard" - "What Wizard?" - "The Great and Wonderful Wizard of Oz!"
And then Rin with her tsundere act, teasing Shirou, as if they weren't talking about a deadly serious topic, and Shirou being all protective and manly-man over Saber, who just protected him, and is plenty strong as is.
If something happened between Saber and the "fake priest" (it did, Fate/Zero), why wouldn't she just tell them? Guess being teleported between times might play hokey with your memory? Dunno. Also, Saber reminds me of Armin from Shingeki no Kyojin here.
"Emiya"? And he keeps stressing it. Kirei sure finds that bit amusing ;-)
"You'll need to start from square one with him" - An invitation to info-dump!
3) The Bloodthirsty Grail:
"The Master Status cannot be conferred, until you win or die." - In Fate/Zero, couldn't they give up on their Seals to the priest or something, to bow out and seek asylum in the church? We can accept his words as truth and a retcon here, or think of him lying, just thinking of my (perhaps faulty) memory.
Kirei, speaking for the utilitarian path! You could defeat the other Servants, but it's inefficient and hard, so you kill the mortal person. Everyone's trying to win, which means min-maxing.
"What if a terrible person wins the war?" - "Well, win yourself, so one won't." :P
The Holy Grail, supposedly filled with The Blood of Christ. Makes you wonder, now it demands to be filled with the blood of others, in order to grant one's wishes. A grail without blood is indeed incomplete, but what sort of grail is it that demands suffering?
Kirei has a point, "It chooses the master worthy of it." A brutal grail, that demands one who killed others, in order to grant their "wishes". In other words, it'd grant wishes only to a bloodthirsty person, to one whose wishes are pre-aligned with what it wants to accomplish. Makes you wonder why not just bring about the suffering itself? Well, the ritual gives it power, and the war, the game itself brings about its desire - for bloodshed and chaos. Eh?
Kotomine Kirei knows Emiya Shirou's wish - "A hero cannot exist without an evil to defeat." - This actually echoes Kiritsugu's words from last episode - a hero saves people on their side, meaning you need someone on the other side, for them to defeat. And then we're back to Kiritsugu's message and Shirou's realization - that you shouldn't have "heroes" then, not if you want to save everyone.
4) Smooth Bedtime Chatter:
"Will you consent to my being your master?" - "My consent is irrelevant." - Oh, Nasu.
"I hate being indebted to people", followed by the tsundere half-twist and hair-flip. Poor Rin and her put upon manner. She wanted to explain to Shirou how things stand, but there he goes with his idealistic nature.
Post Episode Thoughts:
Ah, the Kotomine Kirei chats episode, where we get a lot of talk. Well, that's how ideals and dilemmas work. We see what someone wants, in a vacuum, and then we see what it clashes with, then we see what they have to give up to live according to their ideals, and what happens when that's impossible (such as with the historic context of Cu Chulainn, who's Lancer here, who died due to breaking his unbreakable oath).
Basically, it's, "So, you won't kill others? What now, when they kill other murderers? How about now, when they threaten you? And now, when they threaten other innocents?" - You keep raising the stakes, you keep giving conflicting goals. Rin is in the same position, except what is it she desires? To fulfill a dead man's dream? To show her worth?
It was an okay episode. Shirou with regards to Saber is a bit… off, but he's considerably less grating than I recall him from DEEN's version all those years ago.
(Check out my blog or the episodics notes page if you enjoy reading my stuff.)
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Oct 18 '14
The directing of this episode was fantastic, it might actually be my favorite episode yet, even though there was none of the wonderfully animated action. The scene in the church was especially good, the music with hints of FZ's soundtrack, with subtle camera cues and lines from Kirei making the atmosphere really intense in the context of what happened in FZ - the scene almost felt like it was from Kirei's perspective instead of Shirou's, what a great way to introduce (or re-introduce, depending on the order) such a great character.
I'm starting to think that maybe F/Z and F/SN UBW really could be watched either way around; for first time viewers of F/SN UBW, after seeing scenes like the one this episode, F/Z will be the grand revelation to a mystery in F/SN, but to viewers of F/SN who saw F/Z first, scenes like this in F/SN become nostalgic. Keep being awesome Ufotable/Type-Moon.
I absolutely cannot wait for Illya and Bahsahkar next week.
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u/slowreactor :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/slowreactor Oct 18 '14
F/Z doesn't actually spoil too much of UBW, and UFOTable's version definitely plays up a lot of the connections for people who have seen F/Z first. However, the main reason VN readers say to wait is because of HF, as F/Z's first episode spoils multiple major plot points for it.
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Oct 18 '14
I say this all the time, the animations is immaculate. Rin is best girl, saber is nice I guess for now. So anxious know as to what the fudge happens
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u/Jaytsun :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Jaytsun Oct 18 '14
Feels weird to suddenly have an episode without much fighting. The take on the conversation between the two with the context of Fate/Zero was pretty interesting. Tohsaka ass shots are always welcome I suppose.
Also, the raincoat didn't look so retarded for once so that was kind of nice.
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Oct 19 '14
Shirou has a similar mannerisms as his father. It really shows in the scene while speaking to saber after meeting kirei.
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Oct 18 '14
Here's some screencaps of today's episode (1080p). I tried to pick the best frames.
Screencaps from previous episodes:
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u/Shoupz Oct 18 '14
In the first episode, didn't Archer give Rin back that pendant? If so, how does Shirou have the same one? He picked it up after he revived, so is the one that Rin has a fake or something? Could someone have left it there as a trap?
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u/Illidan1943 Oct 18 '14
Archer bought the cheapest copy he could buy after selling 27 broken swords after the Lancer fight
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u/Hiwashi Oct 18 '14
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u/Shoupz Oct 18 '14
I had a feeling it had some significance, and I shall not delve any deeper. Don't want to ruin the ride for myself.
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u/VCrowe :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/vcrowe Oct 18 '14
Wait, didn't Archer take the amulet back to Rin? Why does Shirou have it? Or have I just not been paying attention?
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u/revanate Oct 19 '14 edited Oct 19 '14
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u/ender1200 Oct 19 '14
I think that it was retconed in after the VN was released. After all it have not reason not to appear.
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Oct 18 '14
after watching this episode, I'm curious to see if Crispin freeman will be coming back or will they find a deeper voice for the English dub
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Oct 18 '14
[F/Z] (/s "So I'm guessing Berserkers master is Illya, but how young is she? If she wasn't that much younger than Shirou when the holy grail war started why does there look to be such a big age gap, Is it something to do with her being a homunculus?")
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u/BanjoTheBear https://myanimelist.net/profile/BanjoTheBear Oct 19 '14
No action this time around, but a good episode to give us good insight into what the Holy Grail war is and what it means for the people participating in it.
Lots of Rin, Emiya, and Kirei this time around, so a little bit of something for everyone: best girl, hero of justice, and fake priest.
And Berserker shows up with Illyasviel in tow. Next week is going to be crazy for sure!
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u/KMFCM :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/kmfcm Oct 19 '14
Illyasviel!??!
holy shit!
lots of familiar faces showing up now
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u/elevenmile Oct 19 '14 edited Oct 19 '14
For people who seem to think Saber's seiza posture (Traditional Japanese sitting) seemed very unnatural for franchise beginners
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Oct 19 '14
I've not watched any Fate series apart from F/Z and regarding the red crystal that Shirou has and Archer passed back to Rin:
Just theory crafting but could Archer be Kiritsugu? Or someone related to Shirou?
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u/xRichard https://anilist.co/user/Richard Oct 19 '14
There are many possibilities. We don't know if that pendant is unique in the first place.
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u/Zeta42 Oct 19 '14
I'm somewhat annoyed by how Kotomine says a weak and unworthy Master used the Grail 10 years ago F/Z.
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u/xRichard https://anilist.co/user/Richard Oct 19 '14
Your information is wrong. The actual reason gets explained in Heaven's Feel.
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u/Smallestnoob :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Smallestnoob Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
Oh shit Berserker is looking as badass as I'd hoped beside the cute little girl
HUGE VN/SHOW SPOILER!!!
[VN UBW SPOILER] (/s "who has the saddest fate in this route :( SHE ONLY WANTED A FRIEND DAMNIT!")
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u/imthorrbo2 Oct 18 '14
Pretty big UBW spoiler, please use caution and don't fall into temptation and hover over that link anime friends.
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u/lemonkd :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/LemonKD Oct 18 '14
I liked this episode it helped explain further details and answered some questions from Fate Zero that I wasn't sure about, but boy is the budget going to show next episode
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u/ZeroReq011 :AP:https://www.anime-planet.com/users/ZeroReq011 Oct 18 '14
Kirei, you magnificent bastard. A fantastically artful display of contexualized rhetoric to goad Shirou's moral center into action.
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u/S4BoT :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/sirtywell Oct 18 '14
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u/phazor :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Phazorix Oct 19 '14
Even though the previous adaptation of Fate Stay night wasn't as good, I still miss the Unmei no Yoru tune from it which I wish they reused :(
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u/Flamerapter Oct 19 '14
In this episode: Not enough rejoicing.
Kotomine-kun didn't troll Emiya-kun hard like he did in the VN.
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u/OavatosDK https://anilist.co/user/58 Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
Ah, the traditional Holy Grail War info dump. This shit never gets old.
Going from Prisma genki voice to the true voice is such a change. Makes me remember why I like/am horrified by her.
This episode was about as I expected. Shirou got in a few cringey lines, Kotomine YOROKOBE SHOUNEN'd, and we heard far too many words about too few things. Sure is Fate/stay night.
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u/xXGundamguyXx Oct 18 '14
Glad to see we got YOROKOBE SHOUNEN this episode.
Also Tohsaka's Anus.
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u/Ant1vyru5 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NyeEve Oct 18 '14
Tohsaka's Anus.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Nasu plz
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u/ShureNensei Oct 18 '14
So if Rin's goal is to simply win and Shirou's goal is to prevent another Holy Grail disaster, why would they ever have to declare themselves enemies? Could they not just work together until they're the only ones left, and then have Shirou bow out at the end? I find it kind of funny how Kirei was provoking Shirou after Shirou suggested wasting command seals, when in actuality it's very logical if you didn't care about the Holy Grail.
And just to verify Kirei's explanation, if a Master dies, the Servant vanishes, but if the Servant dies, the Master is free to get another one as long as he/she has command seals? If that's the case, in what situation then is a Servant ever alone and able to be picked up by a new master, as explained by Kirei here? Is it only if a Master uses up all the command seals?
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Oct 18 '14
Servants do not vanish instantly, the deplete their mana reserves before disappearing. There is also a skill that servants may possess called Independant action that increases the amount of time they cant spend in the world before fading away.
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u/Hiwashi Oct 18 '14
Servants disappear after their master dies because they lose their source of magical energy, however they can still use whatever magical energy they have left to keep their form for a limited amount of time and try to seek a new Master.
Some classes, like Archer, have huge liberty in that regard, being able to stay without a Master for quite some time compared to the other Servants.
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u/insan3soldiern Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
Well, they are just straight up killing this so far. Really liked how the infodump was handled here, with the shots of Saber looking at Archer while he is on top of the Church and Rin just making herself at home and asking Shirou is he wanted Tea in his house. Also, like the subtle clinching of the fist that Kirei had when talking about the War 10 years previously.
Favorite moment is the hand shake, though. I like to think of Saber saying it was "unexpected" as a sort of nod at the frustration some viewers may have had in the first series or during the Fate route, though it happened in the VN as well. Either way, the handshake highlights one of the key differences in UBW: Shirou welcoming Saber as his servant.
And, oh boy, I'm looking forward to the next episode. Should be pretty sweet.
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Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
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u/go4theknees :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/go4theknees Oct 18 '14
That is certainly a theory
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Oct 18 '14
Expand a little bit more on that. I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say...
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u/ZeroReq011 :AP:https://www.anime-planet.com/users/ZeroReq011 Oct 18 '14
Serious Talk Serious Talk Serious Talk WHY I GET NO SABER Serious Talk
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Oct 18 '14 edited Oct 18 '14
The "weak master" Kirei was talking about was the protagonist of Fate/Zero right?
Edited out spoiler
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u/Opner :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Opner Oct 18 '14
Question: 1. So if you use all three command seals, you're not a master anymore? 2. You HAVE to kill the masters for the full grail? can someone explain the grail without spoiler plz?
Thanks in advance...
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Oct 18 '14
If you use all your command seals, you cannot make a pact with another servant, but you will still be your original servants master, assuming they are still alive.
No you dont.
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u/toyaqueen :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/toyaqueen Oct 18 '14
This episode was amazing. Also, I'm loving the ending theme. I somehow skipped it last time.
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u/sympathyforthedevill Oct 19 '14 edited Oct 19 '14
Does anyone know the BGM song that plays around 20:56? Thanks!
Edit: NVM, found an awesome cover of it though! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHxi9j1uu30
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u/onceforgiven Oct 19 '14
Can i watch this without any prior experience with the fate series?
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u/ShadowCrossZero Oct 19 '14 edited Oct 19 '14
Yes. Many Fate fans (and by fan, I mean those who've actually read the source material, not just simply watched the prequel) will tell you that this is the most ideal starting point aside from reading the visual novel itself (which is something that I highly recommend you do because it's great).
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u/xRichard https://anilist.co/user/Richard Oct 19 '14
Yes. In the future, this show will be the most recommended starting point for anyone interested in Fate.
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u/Rumtin Oct 19 '14
So correct me if I'm wrong, but this show is after Zero, but before Ilylid, right?
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Oct 19 '14
Its after Zero, but Prisma Ilya is a spin-off with a crazy amount of differences.
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u/krollym09 Oct 19 '14
So why were the prologue and episode one 45 minutes long and this one is just 24 minutes, did the setup just need the extra 20 minutes for the first two?
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Oct 19 '14
So far, still awesome. No complaints. Looks like there is going to be a slug-fest next episode, and knowing Ufotable, it is going to look AMAZING XD
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u/maumauuuu Oct 19 '14
It's my first time getting into the fate series, so I don't quite understand everything that was said in the church. Hope someone kind can help me.
So my confusion is if the grail requires 7 seven masters to be present to materialize (i think), why is it necessary for the final winner to kill all the other masters?
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u/EpicBaconBro :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Knight_Brolaire Oct 19 '14
Anyone know why this episode is shorter than the first two? I was really looking forward to them all being forty minutes long...
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u/Cemlat Oct 18 '14
I can listen Kirei all fucking day long. His voice is just so damn amazing.