After Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel] was released, it received widespread acclaim, aligning perfectly with many fans' expectations. In this world, fans of the Fate series were initially drawn in by Fate/Zero (FZ), a darker, more serious story. This was one of the reasons Ren chose to adapt the Heaven's Feel (HF) route.
In the previous world, while Fate/stay night (FSN) was a commercial success and a milestone in Type-Moon's history, its anime adaptations, particularly the Fate and Unlimited Blade Works (UBW) routes, leaned more towards lighter, more upbeat narratives typical of many modern urban battle series. Although there were some sad moments, the overall tone wasn't as heavy.
This difference was even reflected in the game's difficulty. When Ren played through the Fate and UBW routes, he found them relatively easy, almost breezing through without much trouble. But the HF route? That was a different beast altogether—a nightmare to navigate without a guide.
The HF route's story was much more somber compared to the Fate and UBW routes. While the Fate route focused on Saber's journey from being a king to rediscovering her humanity, and UBW was about Shirou recognizing harsh realities while staying true to his ideals, HF delved into the dark secrets behind the Holy Grail War and the tragic backstory of Sakura Matou. The story was shrouded in an ominous atmosphere right from the start.
The ominous tone was evident from the outset. Caster and Kuzuki were quickly eliminated in a devastating attack, and even the stoic gatekeeper, Kojirou, met a grisly end. A mysterious shadow prowled the city, draining magical energy from its inhabitants and absorbing defeated Servants, turning them into its puppets. Meanwhile, Sakura's health began to deteriorate.
The serious and heavy tone of the story was even more pronounced than in *Fate/Zero*. And with the budget clearly being poured into the stunning animation and fight scenes, it was no wonder the fans loved it.
So, it was no surprise that the film did well at the box office. On its opening day, it pulled in 150 million yuan. While it didn't quite match the numbers of Ultraman: The Final Battle, it was still an impressive debut.
Audience reviews were overwhelmingly positive, with most ratings falling in the "excellent" range. This clearly indicated that FSN had the potential to be a huge hit and confirmed that Ren's choice of the HF route was spot-on.
At the same time, online discussions about the HF route were buzzing.
"Wow, I think this might be even more gut-wrenching than FZ!"
"Those fight scenes were insane! My blood was pumping the whole time!"
"Yeah, especially the chase where Lancer hunts down Hassan—it was intense! From the docks to the highways, then rooftops and lakes, that sequence was just amazing!"
"I really liked the black version of Saber at the end! She looks even cooler than the original!"
"Are you kidding? The original Saber is the best! Without her ahoge, she's not Saber!"
"By the way, did you guys catch that Kotomine likes eating mapo tofu? We should start calling him Mapo Priest!"
"Right? When Shirou opened the door and found Kotomine eating in that restaurant, I almost died laughing when Kotomine offered him some, and Shirou was like, 'Eat what? Are you kidding me?'"
Beyond the discussions about the budget and the storyline, the post-credits scene also generated a lot of buzz.
Post-credits scenes were nothing new in this world, often appearing in series films. They served to encourage viewers to stay through the credits and teased what was coming next.
"Did anyone else catch the post-credits scene?"
"What? There was a post-credits scene? No one told me! No wonder so many people were still sitting there when I left!"
"Haha, how can you watch a Ren movie and not know about the post-credits scene? You missed out on a lot."
"So, why did Gilgamesh try to kill Sakura in that alley? And why did Sakura's expression look so strange at the end?"
"Man, now I'm really looking forward to the second movie."
Indeed, the special post-credits scene Ren crafted grabbed a lot of viewers' attention. Many began speculating about the connection between Gilgamesh and Sakura.
After all, Gilgamesh appeared three times in the first chapter, and two of those times were with Sakura. The first time was when he encountered her on a slope, with the iconic streetlight framing the background. The second was in the post-credits scene, where Gilgamesh confronted Sakura in an alley, ending with the "Gate of Babylon" launching an attack seemingly aimed at the audience but likely directed at Sakura.
What intrigued fans the most was the mysterious figure of Sakura. What exactly had happened to her after she was sent to the Matou family? Why did Kariya Matou want to save her so badly in Fate/Zero? And what was the purpose of the worm pit that appeared in both stories? Did they do to Sakura what they did to Kariya? But why didn't she show any of the same physical deformities?
In the daily scenes of HF, Sakura's behavior drew a lot of attention. From her initial lifeless demeanor to her more cheerful attitude after entering high school, fans could see that Shirou had brought something into her life that she hadn't experienced before.
But what exactly was Sakura's role in the story? What was the relationship between the mysterious shadow that roamed the city and Sakura, who was bedridden with worsening symptoms? The shadowy Matou residence and the warm, inviting Emiya home were clearly juxtaposed, but what were they trying to convey?
While fans didn't have all the answers yet, they were sure of one thing: this FSN series was going to have multiple parts.
This anticipation for what comes next only heightened their excitement.
Fans sensed that Sakura's inner turmoil was building towards a tragic climax, and the narrative's intense atmosphere was drawing them in more and more.
With so much left unexplained, the internet buzzed with speculation and analysis, which only added to the film's growing popularity.
----------
For 10 advance chapters: patreon.com/angelictranslating