"It was amazing!" Daniel exclaimed after finishing the Fate/stay night Fate route at home. The final scene, bathed in moonlight, brought him a rush of nostalgia.
However, he couldn't help noticing that much of the content was similar to scenes from the Heaven's Feel (HF) movie, with only slight differences here and there.
"Is UBW going to be the same?" Daniel wondered, glancing at the time while waiting for the Unlimited Blade Works (UBW) episode to start.
Though watching two Fate/stay night adaptations in one day felt like a treat, too much repetition would make things tedious.
He could understand, though; from the title alone, he could tell these three versions were just different branches of the same story. He had even speculated online that it might follow the structure of a galgame, where the main story had slight variations depending on the route.
As Daniel thought this over, the TV ad ended, and UBW began.
In this episode, Rin dreamed of her father handing her a magical tome. Suddenly, she glimpsed her father's departing figure and woke up, realizing she was alone in the large, empty house, with only the overgrown courtyard outside. The sight stirred sympathy in viewers.
At the same time, many thought back to Kotomine Kirei, the man who betrayed her father.
This opening was different from the previous adaptation. There was no opening battle between Saber and Gilgamesh. Instead, it focused solely on Rin's dream and her lonely surroundings.
Rin's house was grand, resembling an old European-style mansion surrounded by lush greenery. But, for atmosphere, Ren had intentionally given the villa a slightly untidy appearance to evoke a sense of loneliness. The yard was spacious, filled with overgrown plants that emphasized the decline of the once-great household.
Since her father never returned from the previous Holy Grail War, her mother passed away, and her sister was sent away, Rin had been left alone in this big house—an orphan in all but name.
"Interesting," Daniel murmured, smiling. The episode had its differences.
This time, the story was told from Rin's perspective, a departure from the previous Fate and HF routes, which were narrated through Shirou's perspective.
While the overall plot was similar, seeing things from Rin's perspective offered a fresh view, giving viewers a deeper look into her character.
"So it's coming together," Daniel thought. He felt his earlier theory might be correct—each route followed a different heroine. HF focused on Sakura, UBW on Rin, and the Fate route would likely focus on Saber.
Although he'd hoped for Illya to be the lead, Saber had been featured on every Fate series poster, so it only made sense for her to play a prominent role.
Despite the new perspective, many of the subsequent scenes were similar to those in other routes, with Shirou encountering the fight between Archer and Lancer, summoning Saber, and so on.
That day marked a major event for Fate fans, who took to social media after watching the two episodes, filling the internet with their thoughts.
The reactions were mixed:
"Seriously? So much of it is the same."
"Yeah, they're totally recycling scenes!"
"I thought it'd be more different, but there are too many reused moments."
"What a letdown! This just doesn't live up to the hype."
These complaints didn't go unanswered, as loyal fans soon stepped in to defend the series.
"It was obvious from the titles that there would be similarities."
"What's the big deal? It's only just started!"
"With Shirou as the protagonist, of course his perspective will overlap, but each route has a different heroine!"
"It's pretty clear UBW is focusing on Rin. Now we just need that untitled Fate/stay night route to feature Illya!"
"Oh please, Illya fans sure do have a lot of hope."
"Come on, Illya's a legal loli! Technically, she's older than Shirou."
"Exactly! Illya's a true loli, unlike those so-called 'eternal' lolis who are actually ancient."
Fans kept the discussion lively, and the debate quickly veered into the territory of what defines a "true loli" character.
Despite some viewers initially saying they'd quit because of the similar scenes, they came back the next week for the second episode. Picca Comics reported that viewership had actually risen slightly since the premiere.
This was partly due to fans' curiosity and partly because the second episode had already diverged from the other routes.
The main branching point between the Fate and UBW routes happened after Shirou summoned Saber and encountered Archer that first night. In the Fate route, after Saber fights Lancer, Shirou meets Archer, but lacking any real bond with Rin, he doesn't stop Saber from injuring Archer. Left badly hurt, Archer eventually allies with Sakura's protector, leading Shirou to partner with Rin.
In the UBW route, however, Shirou asks Saber to spare Archer, allowing both to remain unharmed. This change meant they could face their next opponent, Berserker, together without any losses.
"I knew it! Fate is definitely Saber's route," some fans posted online.
"Of course it's her route—saving her life is a classic 'hero saves the girl' setup!"
"Why, oh why, does Saber have to be interested in Shirou?"
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