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ローゼンメイデン 
Well, this is not exactly what I had in mind for the arc but hopefully it'll progress to a much more interesting part later on. I did like the fact that the new enemy has an entirely different reason for participating in the battle. However, this was marred by the main battle featured within the episode, which looks a bit silly and badly animated. Right now, I'm just hoping that this new enemy will turn out to be a temporary one. Especially after the rather interesting angle that the end of this episode provides. Hopefully this is a sign that the writers are trying to take that particular character towards this new story direction. I think of all the characters in Fate/stay night, this character has the most potential to become an effective nemesis.
The episode begins with a flashback when Saber was still King Arthur. Back then, some of her comrades celerates the victory that her leadership led them to but others criticises and questioned her leadership style which was deemed to be cold hearted and ruthless. Apparently at one point King Arthur destroyed a village in order to achieve victory. Ever since then her followers believed that they're being ruled by someone who doesn't understand the heart of the very people she tried to rule. But let's leave that depressing storyline for a while and switch into the present day, where the wacky comedy story of Shirou and her harem continues. In this part of the story, Sakura and Fujimura-sensei make their return appearance at Shirou's harem. Sakura tells Tiger that she has good dessert for everyone but refuses to tell them what this dessert is. Could it be poison-laced Parfait? Or maybe it is Chocolate cake with a needle hidden in it?
Rin then appears and introduces the newest member of Shirou's harem, Illya, as a distant relative of her to both Fujimura-sensei and Sakura. That has to be one of the unbelievable lies anyone has told so far and yet these two actually accept it right away. Or maybe they have resigned to the fact that Shirou is in the midst of harem building. Just like a King, Shirou eventually joins his harem and apologises to Sakura for making this much food for everyone. Shirou wants to talk to Saber about the previous night's talk but the girl tells him not to talk while having breakfast. Sakura giggles upon hearing this and tells Shirou that it seems they have good relationship. The truth is, she probably giggled because she remembers the kind of sharp tools she'd like to stick on Saber's limb. Even Rin notices that Sakura is suddenly being nice to her when she asks for soy sauce. Something is definitely wrong when Sakura is nice to Rin.
Everyone's attention, however, quickly turned to the TV when the little magical box announces that there's another set of gas leak incident in the city. Sakura suddenly looks upset upon hearing this probably because she wasn't sure if everyone snuff it when she killed them last night. Sakura then pulls out 6 dessert to distract everyone's attention from the TV and claims that she's not having any. Yikes. There must be poison in it. The others, however, are greedy enough to fight out for the dessert so Shirou suggests that they Jan-Ken-Pon their way to decide who gets which dessert. Outside the house, Sakura is seen looking melancholic while the camera hovers on top of her to reveal a fly trapped inside a spider web. After breakfast, Shirou, Saber, and Rin gather together inside the dojo to discuss the gas leak incident.
They all seem to believe that this is the work of the people in Ryuudou temple. Shirou thinks they must stop them soon but before he can say anything else, Illya comes in and joins them. Rin tries to get rid of the brat but Illya tells them she has some info that they may want to know. She believes that the perpetrator is not the master from Ryuudou temple but by Caster. There are actually two Servant inside the Ryuudou temple, Assassin and Caster. But Assassin was actually summoned by Caster. Rin finds it hard to believe that a Servant can summon another Servant but Illya confirms that this is true and asks Rin who does she think is the strongest magician in this town at the moment. Rin realises that Caster is indeed the strongest magician at the moment and is probably capable of summoning Assassin on her own. Illya then reveals that Caster killed the Master who summoned her first because she has no need for one.
Caster's current 'Master' is actually a normal human being who is not a magic user but simply serves as Caster's 'puppet'. Saber is angry upon hearing this betrayal of a Master by a Servant. Illya agrees with her but also informs the other that this is a natural behaviour for Caster, who is actually Medea, the Witch who is known for her betrayal in the Greek mythology. Their conversation, however, is interrupted by Issei's arrival but it is through him that Shirou and Rin find out that one of their teachers, Kuzuki Souichirou, has been living on Ryuudou temple for the past 3 years. Because of this, Shirou, Saber, and Rin decide to find out about his involvement. That night, they spy on the guy before Rin comes out from behind him and shoots him with her magic projectile. Before the attack can reach Souichirou, however, a cloak appears to block the attack. From inside the clock, a figure rises and reveals itself as Caster.
Caster then asks everyone to come out in the open so Shirou and Saber come out of their hiding. Shirou then informs Souichirou that Caster has been involved in the 'gas leak incident' all over the city. The truth is, she's been using sucking everyone's soul to obtain her power. Upon hearing this, Souichirou asks Shirou if that is such a bad thing. Shirou is shocked to hear this but Souichirou tells him that he knew all along that Caster has been doing this but he doesn't care either way. He claims that he's simply has thirst in murder. As soon as Souichirou says this, Caster unleashes a projectile attack on Shirou but Saber moves quickly to deflect said attack. Saber then decides to kill Souichirou in order to end Caster's role in the Holy War. Much to Saber's surprise, however, Souichirou manages to evade and then block her attack easily. Souichirou then asks Caster to give him some power on both of his hands so he can attack Saber as well.
Caster grants Souichirou the power so the guy begins to attack her. Souichirou then punches Saber in the gut with a punch that is capable of destroying the street gravel. He then proceeds to grab Saber by the throat and chokes the Servant with his hand before throwing her away. Rin is shocked to see a human capable of defeating a Servant and tries to attack Souichirou herself but ends up getting punched in the chest before she can unleashes her magic. Shirou is next in line with his newly-traced sword but unfortunately, Souichirou manages to easily destroy the sword with his bare hand. Shirou realises that he needs a stronger sword and remembers the two swords that Archer used, Kanshou and Bakuya. Rin who recognises the two swords are shocked to see them. Thanks to the sword, Shirou manages to have sword vs hand battle with Souichirou but despite the swords' existence, he finds his hands bleeding due to the impact of the blow. Caster then stops everyone and tells them that she's not interested to continue the fight.
Caster points out that their interest is to achieve Holy Grail and she happens to have a way to obtain the item without them having to kill the others. She promises the three that if they help her, she'll share the glory of the Holy Grail with them. She points out the fact that Fuyuki city is full of souls which is enough to satisfy the Holy Grail. Shirou becomes angry upon hearing this as he's reminded of the Fire that consumed Fuyuki city. Rin also points out that while only the Servant can touch the Holy Grail, a Master who can use magic is required to summon the item. However, Caster's current Master is not a mage. That means Caster needs a sacrifice to facilitate the summoning. Everyone immediately balks out at the idea so Caster decides to flee with Souichirou after letting them know that she'll find an appropriate mage for her purpose. Upon hearing this, everyone thinks that Caster is going after Illya.
Because of this Shirou asks her to go ahead and protect Illya. Unfortunately, by the time Saber arrives inside the house, she only finds Sakura unconscious in the floor. She is also shocked when Sakura suddenly awakes and stabs her in the chest. It turns out Caster has been controlling Sakura and has inflicted her Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker, on Saber with the knife. But since Sakura's magic power is low, the effect was not enough to cancel her contract with Shirou. It is, however, enough to ensure that Saber won't be able to use her sword. True enough, when Saber tries to use her sword, she's finds herself electrocuted by magic power. Shirou and Rin arrives in time to see Sakura floats eerily out of the house. Caster then reveals that it is Sakura that she intends to use for the sacrifice to summon the Holy Grail. Sakura's body then flies into the sky after telling Shirou and Rin to go to the temple if they want to get her back.
Impression:
I realised that I made fun of Sakura's behaviour in this episode but that's because I think she's far more interesting as a villain than as a normal girl in love with Shirou. She looked really creepy with her blank eyes and floating movement in this one. Having said that, I am not sure if we'll ever see her as one though since at the moment she is simply controlled by Caster. Speaking of Caster, it's interesting to see a Servant who actually killed her Master upon summoning. I think someone once points out the flaw of the Master/Servant relationship in the series but the creator is very aware of it and that is why the issue gets addressed here using Caster and her previous Master as an example. In this case, a Servant can indeed betrays his/her Master if he/she chooses to do so. In the end, however, the series emphasises that Master is required to summon the Holy Grail or else, that Servant will need a sacrifice in order to summon the Holy Grail.
I also find it intriguing that Shirou manages to re-produced Archer's weapon in front of Rin. I wonder if this will lead to Rin finally realising that there is a correlation between Shirou and Archer. The question is, will such correlation help them in a battle? At the moment Saber, Shirou, and Rin are not exactly in the enviable position. Rin has lost her Servant and only has her magic to defend herself. But if last week's and this week's episode is any indication, her magic clearly doesn't help her much. Saber is currently unable to draw her sword although judging from the spoilery preview, it seems she won't have a problem doing it next week. Last but not least, Shirou's ability seems to be inconsistent at the moment. He seems able to produce something good in the nick of danger but he can't seem to use it very well. This makes me wonder if another party will end up defeating Caster at the end of the day. Maybe it's time to make an alliance with Lancer.
Preview:
On next week's episode: Assassin will be performing a new opening song titled Bishounen Desho Desho?. While various Mortal Kombat skeletons and the loli version of your favourite female characters dancing across the screen.
Hah " It looks like saber got hit on her 'manly' part"
nice!
I can't wait..Wow, the series is picking up.....
Is that subtle red line on Assassin's face a "colourful swoosh" that denotes a "slash line", or perhaps faint blood?
I think so. It's kind of nifty if that is true. It suggests that it's difficult to even cause a scratch on his face.
i've been downloading the episodes as soon as i see the review here. cuz that usually means the translated version is up. but i cant find it on emule.. =( where did u download ep 17? usually i just look for a file with the name eclipse. does he share on irc or torrents?
*giggles* maybe I should kill everyone
XDDDDD Priceless
Well expect a few Shuffle parodies of sorts..if they haven't been made yet other than screencap titles from Garten.
Its interesting to see where this diversion from the game can lead the series.
"Is this an original story or is it still similar to the game? Sakura looks psychotic towards the end though so maybe we'll get HF?"
It seems that they are taking elements from all three storylines to make a new story.
is it just me or have there been an awful lot of screenshots of tamagoyaki in the last few reviews...
oh well, pictures of food are always good!!
OK I had to say that Rin obviously has no idea how to fight......who in their right mind just charges out in the open and tries to cast a spell when you have a guy who can close in and ram a fist into your b**bs almost instantly?
It looks like that story now follows the entirely new path. We'll see how this new story goes, but it seems like they're sort of rushing thru it. Might be understandable if they intend to finish the series in 24 episodes or so.......
1. Tamagoyaki rules. I would love having one every day, though not every meal.
2. I think Iron Fist is better term compared to Hadoken which is a ranged attack.
3. I do wish they would make Fate S/N combat game or even better, RPG version of it, where you duke it out against dragons, demons, and orcs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjmEKbD3JcM&search=fate%20fatal%20fake
What kind of a man punch a woman's breast? That teacher must be the lowest of the lowest.
It's interesting to see Shirou turning into a better fighter. It seems he's actually doing better than Saber and Rin this time around.
T_I is that game real? As in does it actually exist even if it's fanmade?
It's real
http://www.lights-maguro.com/product/ff_ss.html
it's quite flashy too, but the player in the video didn't use any noble phantasms for some reason
Thx, that's amazing. Someone is actually obsessed enough with the series to make a game out of it. I'll have to give this one a try.
Yeah, if you pick up Fatal/Fake, make sure you patch it to the latest version. Sadly, you can only use servants, although fortunately there are two unlockable characters.
how to download oh?
*spoiler starts*
I just started watching this anime, and I liked it, but i also found out that this anime was based on this visual game novel that contains three different unique scenarios, and so far I don't think i don't like those two scenerios from what i've read. do you think that they will make those last 2 scenerios after this 1st one ends?
*spoiler ends*
Urukhay, OBVIOUSLY the reason Kuzuki punched Rin in the breast was because he's actually KIMURA-SENSEI FROM AZUMANGA DAIOH!
Well, I think the resemblence is striking.
I can't figure out how to install the patch for FF.
First, I get this:
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c217/LivingSentinel/FF1.jpg
I click the button, which takes me to this:
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c217/LivingSentinel/FF2.jpg
And for either button I click it takes me here:
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c217/LivingSentinel/FF3.jpg
Where it sits and does nothing.
Any help?
**spoiler warning!**
I find it amusing that, after we were told the rules of the Grail War early on in the anime, we are discovering that every single master/servant pairing in this War is breaking those rules to some extent. We have several unqualified Masters to start with, Servants that are serving or were summoned by unqualified Masters regardless, a Servant that was summoned ahead of time and forcibly made to remain in summoned state, a Servant that remembers his past summonings, a Servant that killed her master, a Servant that was summoned by another Servant, a Servant that was never unsummoned after previous War, a Servant on loan... Contrasted with the supposed rules of War and the Master - Servant relations, the cast is full of nothing but contradictions. I like it. XD
he finds his hands bleeding due to the impact of the blow.
actually, that was because of his tracing sorcery actually mutilating himself to a certain extend...more than the time when sakura saw him bleeding from his arm at episode 2.
I was semi hoping that rule breaker cheap shot would have broken saber's bond with shirou and let rin use her with higher stat ala UBW...o well
caster's unveiled face is pretty awesome though...looking forward to next episode.
And who knows...maybe archer isn't as dead as I thought he would have been...since he's been making enough cameo for the guy who should have been dead 3 episode ago...
Regarding the preview for next week's ep, I don't think the sword Saber was wielding is her usual. Unless the animation is that poor, it looks much more plain and must be something Shirou conjured for her.
let's see... maybe shiro produce an dul an exact copy of her sword? HMM!
the sword Saber used in this episode is not Excailber, but Caliburn, so basically that sword doesn't have the ability to become invisible, only the Excalibur can
-_-; it's sometimes very hard to tell which sword is which
This episode was total BS. No way, JUST no way some guy who knows kung fu can take the highest ranking Servant class bare-handed. Saber was taking hits from friggin HURCLESE, and she struggles with some guy who knows martial arts? Whatever.
I agree with GUTB... this episode made Saber a complete douchebag. Short on mana or not short on mana, getting beaten back by a mortal is... not something that should be happening. Ever. Insult to injury, Shirou seems to fare better against mr. Sensei than she could. Saber should just sheathe her blade and walk away, because her days as credible warrior are more or less done with.
Or make Shirou hand over his command spells to Rin. :D
Velvet_Nightmare, no, she's still using Excalibur.
Dude, the choke slam conquers all.XD. But seirouslly I think that Caster has very powerful magics and has little to do with the guys skills. I would guess an enchanment from caster is nothing to sneeze at.
Except that they SAID in the episode, not l5 minutes before the confrontation that Caster would be NO MATCH for Saber. Which would make sense as, I suppose, she doesn't know kung-fu. So she gets some random master who doesn't appear to be even CAPABLE of being a Master but he knows kung-fu. So that, like, makes things even....or maybe it doesn't, except that it actually DOES.
Is the game disregard all its own rules, too?
Well, the dagger's name is Rule-Breaker.
They didn't really convey it well in the anime, but Kuzuki has a single special assassination technique he has spent 20 years perfecting and that combined with Caster's enhancements to his speed and strength allowed him to take Saber completely by surprise. However, it won't really work again. By now she's seen through his technique and is aware of the nature of his movements. That's why they chose to withdraw towards the end of the fight there even though it looked like they had the advantage.
Now by sealing Saber's noble phantasm, and drawing the fight to the temple, where Caster is stronger, and where Assassin is waiting, they regain the advantage.
Yes, it's just like xanth said. People who haven't played the game might be shocked at how Saber, who was supposed to be one of the most powerful servants, got beat up by an ordinary master on this episode. The anime has its limits on how to explain this, especially for people who was introduced to this series via anime first.
*semi-spolier (based on game)*
Saber is just surprised to see a non-magician ordinary-looking master being able to pound her ass like a doll, but the surprise is short-lived now that she's aware of his technique. Besides, Caster can't really compete well with Saber since her armor can negate any A-ranked magic and below. All Saber has to do is charge into caster and slash her up good.
*semi-spolier ends*
Actually you raised a good point......and I think he was using more of a kick boxing mix >.> but anyway.......I think Caster found a person to make up for her lack in man to man fighting skills which Saber excels at. I think she's used her magic to enhance his abilities as well which of course would make a lethal opponent since Rin pretty much said Caster was better at magic then even many of the Master Magicians. I really (REALLY) hate to bring up DBZ as an example but bare with me........remember how weak bobidi was in the Bo saga? Even so he was able to give Vageata enough power to match Goku. I think it's the same case here.....under normal circumstances I doubt that guy could even touch saber
Dudes,
Sabers isn't the strongest at all in this war.
Basically she is from the saber class but as she is now, meh, she is really weak.
It is no suprise that she lost to me after all those times she has lost before.
Kuzuki kicks ass. Add in some magical help and he is even more of an ass kicker.
If only Archer was still around. He would show them all how to fight in close combat. He can do everything. Fight in long range(like against Lancer) And in short(Like against Berserk)
Okay, Archer is the best. Was the best.Still is the best!! To me.
Seeing the preview of the next episode, It is most likely that Shiro conjured up a weapon for Saber to use. There seems to be no other explanation besides that.
Here's hoping Saruka's truth will reveal out on the next couple of episodes.
In the type-moon world, it's possible to be a mortal human that knows no sorcery, and still kick ass.
For example, Shiki from Tsukihime could probably take care of Berserker in around 2 seconds.
solgae, Rule Breaker likely sealed the noble phantasm (the beam), not the sword iteself.
cclragnarok, no, Nasu himself said Shiki is no match for a servant.
I have to agree with Demon Eyes. I really like a character that can dominate an enemy simply by using hand to hand. I mean some people act like it's totally impossible or something for someone to be able to do that XD I see it on JLA all the time.
one more thing I like him because he uses common since. Such as taking out a magiain before they can cast which I see as very logical.
"cclragnarok, no, Nasu himself said Shiki is no match for a servant."
That is probably true for regular servants like Saber and Lancer. However, Berserker is not quite as quick as the other servants, and I would expect Shiki (on a good day at least) to be able to hit him first. All that Shiki needs is one little poke, and that would be the end of Berserker. Either way the fight would end in 2 seconds.
Ryougi Shiki, who is far superior to Tohno Shiki when it comes to using the mystic eyes of death, especially when it comes to perceiving and cutting the lines of concepts, had an incredibly hard time perceiving the lines of Araya who was functioning as a 200 year old concept.
Berserker's god hand is more like a 3000+ year old concept. Tohno Shiki would never be able to see his lines. Plus, he doesn't even have to hit Shiki, a near miss from his club will hit with enough force to pulverize him.
"Ryougi Shiki, who is far superior to Tohno Shiki when it comes to using the mystic eyes of death, especially when it comes to perceiving and cutting the lines of concepts, had an incredibly hard time perceiving the lines of Araya who was functioning as a 200 year old concept.
Berserker's god hand is more like a 3000+ year old concept. Tohno Shiki would never be able to see his lines. Plus, he doesn't even have to hit Shiki, a near miss from his club will hit with enough force to pulverize him."
Are you sure about all that? If you've read karanokyoukai I'm not going to argue with you (plus I'm going back to work), but why then would Shiki be able to see the lines of Arcueid, Nero, and Roa so easily?
Plus, with the time jumps that happens for the eireis (they can even come from the future), how can you say that Berserker is a 3000 year old concept?
And if near hits from Berserker can "pulverize" humans, they should have done more than scratching Archer's face.
Heh, very belated and all that, but I think Rider's still alive. Why? Look at the intro:
About 2/3 of the way through, it shows the servants, but not all of them. There are, (in order)
Lancer
Berzerker
Rider
Assassin
Caster
Notice: Archer's missing, because he kicked the bucket, so to speak, the episode befoer the new intro came out. Beserker is still in there because he dies the episode after th enew intro. But the important thing is that he was still alive when the new intro was, well, intro'd. So, yes, that is why I believe Rider's still around.
And I realize that this has probably been pointed out somewhere already.
I also find it interesting how the background of those frames with Saber are actually scenes from the episodes...
Oh, and, yes, Garten's (comments are) quite amusing.
The God Hand is a conceptual armament (in the form of a curse). Arc, Nero, and Roa are all fantastic beings, but they aren't concepts. IIRC, the dead apostle from Melty Blood, Warakia, can exist as a concept, something like "the fear of people" and in that state Shiki was unable to harm him. Again, if I remember right, Arc used her marble phantasm to make Warakia "real" so to speak, and then Shiki dealt with him. Also, I believe under certain circumstances Arc doesn't even have lines.
I'll admit there are plenty of questions that can be raised about time in Fate, but assuming that Shiki's actions take place with regards to the time frame in which he exists, the god hand would have existed millenia ago. That is a good point though.
It's true that Archer just got a light wound, but he's a servant as well and more durable than his past self. In HF, it's pointed out that Shirou would have likely died from a near grazing during his battle had Berserker's swing not been halted.
To be fair though, Shirou's body wasn't in good condition at that point, but quite frankly, Shiki's never really is either, given his anemia and his shared life force issue. Not to mention how using his power can affect him.
I see. I had forgotten that God Hand is not Berserker's ability, but a noble phantasm that he obtained. In this case, it's possible that Shiki would have to kill Berserker 12 or 13 times just like everyone else (though I still think that if Caliburn can finish him in one hit, Shiki would probably be able to as well). Then it's a question of whether Berserker is capable of doing "wake-up attacks" (fighting game term) before Shiki kills him again.
Oh, and I'm sure near-hits, depending on how near, could very well put Shiki in the hospital or even kill him. I don't think they would "pulverize" him, that is all.
sorry, but i was introduced to this series via a friend and all i've seen is all the anime up till episode 15, and i just then the first 8 episodes took so long to reveal the storyline but the characters are all great. One thing i don't get is why is archer, "archer" when he dual wields swords more often than he fires arrows? and can someone give me a good link to fill me in on how the game is? i feel like a noob =P (Sabre is hot! :D anyone know a good cosplay girl of her? ;P)
If you want spoilers for the game, you can go here:
http://www.geocities.com/max3075/top.htm
thanks alot ^^
I guess Arai saw this conversation, since he seems to have commented on it. Anyway, I'll just quote what he has to say.
"As said in the game, Shiki can't see lines on things that can't be killed (destroyed) in the modern world. This is because the basis of the eyes of Shiki, a human being, work in proportion to the limits of modern humanity. Which means, Servants = unkillable by modern weapons = no lines. Also, Servants = materialized spiritual bodies = concepts about a thousand years or older = not so easy to kill."
batou:
If by "killing the servants" you mean permanently erasing the eireis, then I don't think that can be done. However, if you are talking about simply defeating the servants, that doesn't seem so hard. Shirou is also a modern human, and he can kill servants easily (if they let him kill them). Defeating servants seems much easier than permanently killing Roa for sure. Roa is certainly not permanently-killable by modern weapons.
I'm not saying that servants should have lines for sure, but this "limits of modern humanity" stuff doesn't seem to make sense to me.
No, that's not what Arai meant.
Obviously they can't be permanently dealt with, as the orginals don't exist within conventional space and time.
Didn't Jackie Chan punch a girl's boobs in the movie "Armor of God"?
I didn't think the alleged "boob" punch was too out of line. It's well known to martial artists that a good target for a punch to the torso is the solar plexus, which may look like it's just below (or in between) the breasts of an anime bishoujo character :).
As for Saber getting owned by a mortal, I am willing to cut her some slack. Souichiro's insane combat skills really came out of nowhere, at least in terms of what the Shiro/Rin/Saber team was expecting. Also, it wasn't like she was out cold for the rest of the night, she even managed to run back to the house to get stabbed by crazy Sakura.
Speaking of Shiki from Tsukihime, I guess Caster would be the toughest Servant opponent for him. All she would need to do is to restrain or blind him, both easily accomplished from distance with magic, and the battle would be over in 2 seconds.
And I still think that Emiya's best hope for victory would be to hand over Saber's command spells to Rin. That would put an end to her mana problems, for one.
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