Great finale. The only thing I was disappointed with was the lack of a scene for Gilgamesh overcoming the Grail, which was one of the scenes I was looking forward to the most since learning about a prequel to F/SN. It was disappointing when they just showed him already free of it and it made me think the novel glossed over the process too, but it seems such a scene did exist there, so it was probably just skipped and will be in the BDs (hopefully). Once again, much like in Season 1, Gil continues to be the primary sacrificial lamb for the TV edits of the episodes. Goddamn mongrels.
But while Gil was more of a supporting character here (despite the eye-catching nakedness), his partner Kirei received quite a bit of the spotlight, with a mighty powerful conclusion (Jouji Nakata's laughing was delicious) to the spiritual journey he underwent in Fate/Zero. And how fitting was it that he finally and fully accepted his inherently evil nature shortly after he'd become physically heartless as well. However, despite his gleeful laughter, it's clear to me that his emotional outburst was also one of hopeless resignation, hence his tearful expression and self-deprecating words, and I think Gilgamesh understood that as well, hence his own expression as he gazed upon Kirei, which seemed to be (partially) one of pity to me. Pity for the priest who could never find joy or pleasure in anything but that which he's been taught to scorn his entire life.
Going back to the BD talk though, it turns out that some of Lancelot's parts whose absence caused so much rage in the previous episode were simply moved over to this one. Not sure how wise a move that was, since, while it did make Saber's end here even more tragic, it still made his own abrupt death rather devoid of emotional impact at the time. Still, better late than never and I'm glad to get a handle on his character after all, though I do hope the BDs will still go more in-depth into him and Arturia and their past. Still, it was a good final speech by the fallen knight, though I wonder just how sincere he was being there when he called Saber the greatest of kings and said everyone at the Round Table felt the same way. Seems to me as if he was mostly just trying to cheer her up now that he'd found atonement at last, because the second part at last we know to be untrue, since Saber mentioned that one knight who left Camelot claiming Arthur didn't understand how others felt.
Still, a fitting sendoff for them, as was the case for the remaining cast as well. Kariya's fantasy didn't reveal anything we didn't already know about him, but it was hard-hitting nonetheless, and Waver finally recognizing the potential awesomeness of videogames was also nice. And, last but definitely not least, Kiritsugu also received a very touching conclusion, cementing his role as a great protagonist, even if that wasn't entirely clear at the start of the show. The scene of him finding Shirou was as poignant as I'd hoped, with the latter's narration being very accurate and very heartfelt. After an entire life of nothing but suffering and the end result of it all having been yet another tragedy, simply finding and rescuing one small life was salvation for Kiritsugu's weary and bloodstained heart and soul. Just like Shirou understood, Kiritsugu himself was the one who was truly saved at that moment, and in so many ways.
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Originally Posted by rainz
The only real sad side to Kirei's conclusion is how Kiritsugu totally ignored him at the end. Its as if he's not even worth noticing anymore. For someone that Kirei obsessed over throughout the war to do that to him, it must have hurt his pride quite a bit.
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Indeed. It says a lot about his character when Kirei, whose character arc in Fate/Zero was all about him embracing his repressed tendency for schadenfreude, could not find pleasure in witnessing Kiritsugu's suffering.
It wasn't just about how Kiritsugu ignored him though. Kiritsugu's actions (searching for survivors) were what ticked him off. Kiritsugu had discarded everything and become seemingly empty like Kirei in his quest for the Grail, but at the end of it all, he not only rejected the Grail, but also tried to pick back up that which he'd discarded (his humanity) by looking for lives that could still be saved. After temporarily forcing himself to become like Kirei out of necessity, he went back to his old self (which was made all the more clear by the life he led with Shirou afterwards), which was a huge "fuck you" to Kirei, as it basically sent the message that his existence was wrong (and Kirei has been plagued by existential doubt throughout his entire life).
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Originally Posted by Shinji103
All-in-all, a nice conclusion to this great series. I do wish they could have brought in Shiro's VA from FSN to do his voice in that last scene for nostalgia's sake, but meh.
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Except that
was his VA from FSN. Junko Noda has always voiced
kid Shirou. Only teenage Shirou is voiced by Noriaki Sugiyama. And just like here it was the former that voiced him in his scenes with Kiritsugu in the VN.
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Originally Posted by Altima of the Gates
I'm not quite sure of that, he believed he couldn't turn his back on the ideal, because in his mind, everything would he suffered would become meaningless unless he achieved world peace, but at the heart of the matter, the guy was just broken (remember how Natalia described his 'talent')and all he wanted was all this bad stuff to stop. So he ended up seeking the assumed 'quick fix button' called the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to think this though quite hard enough.
Ideologies and personal desires aren't mutually exclusive from each other.
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Uh, Kiritsugu already dreamed about becoming a hero
before his suffering and quest for the Grail began. He may have not replied to Shirley back when she asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, but the ending of this episode makes it clear that the answer was "I want to become a hero" all along. And that desire/ideal/dream/whatever-you-wanna-call-it came
before he started staining his hands with blood, so no, it wasn't about wanting the bad stuff to stop, because he already dreamed about it
before the bad stuff even began.
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Originally Posted by Triple_R
I didn't like the inexplicable deus ex machina revival of Kirei - I would have preferred it if he hadn't been killed in the first place. And Aoi somehow surviving being seemingly choked to death was odd.
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How was that DEM? He was saved by the Holy Grail, which was introduced in the first episode. And it was also made clear in episode 12, when Kirei gained new Command Spells shortly after losing Assassin, that the Grail likes Kirei.
As for Aoi, if she's alive, then clearly she wasn't choked
to death. Granted, ufotable's depiction of the strangling scene did make it seem like she was.
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Originally Posted by DRAGUN H.E.X.
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That would require Guinevere wanting something to do with Arthur.
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Originally Posted by Aqua Knight
How come Kerry was cursed by Holy Grail? Is it because of Lancer's curse?
I mean I know that and that he started losing his vision, magic circuits started to wear out, but why?
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Lancer's curse, as awesome as it was, had nothing to do with it. The Grail was already corrupt beforehand, which is why a "hero" like Caster was allowed to be summoned.
Kerry was cursed because he was bathed in the Grail's contents and offered a wish, but rejected it, which the Grail didn't take well, thus cursing him. Refer to his strangling of Grail!Irisviel in the previous episode. She actually says it out loud "I curse you. Lament until the day you die" etc.
Whereas Kirei, who in turn was very much fond of the Grail, was essentially brought back to life by it. You reap what you sow with Grail-kun.
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