Fate/Apocrypha / First Impressions

「空を駆ける」 (Sora wo Kakeru)
“Soar Through the Sky”

This week’s episode was freaking fantastic.

General Impressions

Ever since we saw the fall of Vlad, I’ve been a little wishy washy about how I feel about the story (or rather the writers) and how it’s been trying to give our characters more depth now that the immediate threat is gone. Besides a few key moments here and there, most attempts have felt bland at best — which honestly has kind of sucked because there’s so much potential with all the remaining characters.

Amazingly though, this week’s episode did a complete 180 and gave us some fantastic moments amongst all of our key players. Sieg managed to have a moment where he truly began to notice all the small things that make people, people. Astolfo got a chance to be more than an airhead and even got a chance to genuinely toy around with Sieg. Caules, Fiore, and Chiron got a few moments to share their respect and love for each other. Even Gordes got a nice little shout out from the very beings that he tried so hard to be mean too. From start to finish, there was never a dull moment to be found.

That said, Team Black’s players weren’t the only ones who had a chance to shine in the spotlight. Surprisingly, Shakespeare finally got a chance to do more than just shout out some random words. Sure, I would have loved a deeper explanation about his powers, but as a famed writer whose quill has crafted stories that millions of people view as the gospel of writing for his era, it isn’t too hard to make an educated guess behind why Shirou blew a Command Seal to control Shakespeare’s powers. Powers aside, I loved how Shakespeare managed to show us a different side of Semiramis. A darker side that lets on what feels like her true personality and one that I wish we could see more of!

And as if that wasn’t enough, we even got a bonus in the form of witnessing the beginning of the epic final battle. Full of giant beams, arrows, and yelling it was everything I think anyone could have asked for. However, if I had one complaint (and a very minor one at that), I’d have to question Atalanta’s decision to leap straight at Jeanne. As an Archer who hasn’t shown that much close quarter combat ability (compared to Chiron at least), it feels like it would have served her better to wait for Jeanne to come at her instead. But who knows, maybe she’s about to unleash some crazy CQC.

Boy, who knew a one week break could do wonders? Jokes aside, I can’t wait to see just how things play out with so many different things going on. While it remains to be seen just who will end up being the victor at the end of the day, I’m curious to see if the story is going to go down the route of “none of this matters because Shirou activated the Greater Grail” path. Anyways, I’ll catch you guys next week where we’ll hopefully get to see Astolfo activate his magic books as well as maybe a fight between Karna and Sieg.

Catch you guys then!

P.S. I forgot to touch on Shirou reaching the “Grail” at the end of the episode, but I can’t even guess about what’s going to happen now that he’s activated the “Third Magic”.

42 Comments

  1. Official relationship chart for Fate/Apocrypha
    https://i.imgur.com/5iZ3mX8.jpg

    Sieg ↔ Astolfo “Trust and mutual dependence.”
    Sieg ← Astolfo “Willing to help him out whenever he needs” & “Romantic love ♥”
    Sieg → Jeanne “Love…?”
    Sieg ← Jeanne “Pledge to protect” & “Romantic love ♥.”
    Sieg ← Siegfried “Sacrifices itself to save the boy.”
    Sieg ↔ Shirou “Enemies.”
    Sieg ← Celenike “Jealousy, envy and hatred.”
    Sieg ← Avicebron “Wanting to use him as his Golem’s ‘core’.”
    Astolfo ← Celenike “Please pardon me.”
    Astolfo ← Celenike “Obsessive–compulsive disorder.”
    Jeanne → Red and black faction “Supervisor”.
    Spartacus → Avicebron “Captured by.”
    Atalanta → Achilles “Don’t call me ‘Big Sister’.”
    Achilles → Atalanta “Likes to call her Big Sister.”
    Achilles ↔ Chiron “Has a connection in their past.”
    Siegfried → Gordes “Obeys.”
    Gordes → Siegfried = “Distrust.”
    Mordred ↔ Kairi “Trust & mutual dependence.”
    Mordred → Semiramis “Distrust.”
    Kairi → Shirou “Distrust.”
    Shakespeare “Forever alone.”
    Shirou ↔ Semiramis “Mutual cooperation.”
    Karna → Siegfried “wanting/swearing to battle him again.”
    Avicebron → Roche “Sees him as a student.”
    Roche → Avicebron “Respect.”

    ultimatemegax
    Reply

  2. Newtype – December 2017 Character Ranking
    https://i.imgur.com/dYLfVU7.jpg
    Male Ranking
    1 Archer (Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel)
    2 Shirou Emiya (Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel)
    3 Kirito (Sword Art Online)
    4 Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass)
    5 Gilgamesh (Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel)
    6 Sieg (Fate/Apocrypha)
    7 Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin)
    8 Kiriyama Rei (Sangatsu no Lion)
    9 Araragi Koyomi (Owarimonogatari)
    10. Rider of black (Fate/Apocrypha)

    Female Ranking
    1 Sakura Matou (Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel)
    2 Saber (Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel)
    3 Jeanne d’Arc (Fate/Apocrypha)
    4 Serval (Kemono Friends)
    5 Rem (Re:Zero)
    6. Kinomoto Sakura (Cardcaptor Sakura)
    7. Ryougi Shiki (Kara no Kyoukai )
    8. Illyasviel von Einzbern (Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel)
    9. Sheryl Nome (Macross F)
    10. Jabami Yumeko (Kakegurui)

    Fai
    Reply

  10. https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Apocrypha/Fate%20Apocrypha%20-%2020%20-%20Large%2018.jpg
    Is that supposed to be Romeo and Juliet? Anyway, Shakespeare sure is a REALLY hard to handle Servant, to the point where one needs to waste a Command Spell just to make him not write a Tragedy. I would have really liked if Shakespeare was in Re:Creators, he would most certainly be killed by his own creations.

    On the side note, Assassin of Red wants to see the despair of a Saint, I can guess Jeanne is a good candidate.

    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20Apocrypha/Fate%20Apocrypha%20-%2020%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
    Dumb question, would illyasviel look like this as Shirou’s older sister?

    L002
    Reply

    2. Why would Jeanne fall into despair because of Assassin of Red? She would see him more as the Devil, also Jeanne was some kind of Knight, she is used to death of comrades. No, what Jeanne would drive her into despair is more betraying

      But even on the stake she did not betrayed her God, but well for the anime it could be possible

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

    3. @L002
      This is just one more example of the absurd translation mistakes committed by this terrible fansub called [UWT].
      Semiramis wants to witness the wish of a Saint. the context isn’t referring to Jeanne but Shirou. Semiramis’s wish is to testify Shirou’s wish to come true.
      As stated before, Jeanne is unable to kill a heroic spirit or a human being because of its holy nature, this is also the reason why Jeanne didn’t attack Spartacus in episode 11 and Atalanta in episode 18. The only opponents Jeanne attacked were Adam (a Golem), Caster of Black that which no longer a Heroic Spirit/human after merging with Adam, Vlad which was no longer a Heroic Spirit/human and Jack that wasn’t a Heroic Spirit but a evil spirit.
      As Jeanne Himself said, those who have already died should not interfere with those who are alive, like Shirou Kotomine touched the Grail in Third War, he has obtained a body, thus becoming a ordinary human being and his adversary must be a someone who is alive. But once Shirou has enabled the holy grail, Jeanne’s adversary passed to be the holy grail and her current role as Ruler in this war is to destroy it to prevent Shirou’s wish to come true.

      7jaws7
      Reply

    4. Thought it was pretty obvious she was talking about Shirou. He is considered a saint too you know.
      That and the fact that they were talking about Shirou was a big hint too.

      Context people, learn to understand it.

      JHN
      Reply

  11. Atalanta is such piece of crap of a human being, her hatred for Jeanne is nothing more than her selfish desires pushed on another person then she throws a tantrum when she finds out she cannot obtain her goal. It´s a very noble to give happiness to children but Jack Ripper was not an innocent child even she was born of the sould of children, never downting yourself is the same thing as heading head first into insanity.

    haseo0408
    Reply

    1. And it’s made even worse considering those children weren’t even alive. It was just their souls and they were being used for evil deeds, so you’d think Atalanta would support Jeanne exorcising them so they could be free.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
      Reply

    1. To be honest, ufotable is a male power fantasy harem based on pornographic game, where the male power fantasy MC is an ordinary high school student that it leaves no the other characters get their spotlights and development, nor does it allow them to exist in the story.

      Volibear
      Reply

    1. I guess it´s because they wouldn´t risk tampering so much with Greater Grail, the Grail of thsi timeline is not corrupted but Darnic´s modifications for the activation Great Holy Grail War with 15 Servants caused that Jack The Ripper was summoned (that monster in nowhere near human nor truly dead) and we all know how well that went down!.

      haseo0408
      Reply

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