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FenniMin β Sakura
Published: 2012-04-14 01:42:48 +0000 UTC; Views: 2238; Favourites: 107; Downloads: 28
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(Wow what is a background)For those who haven't watched this series, if she looks somewhat eerie rather than cute with the blank eyes, she's supposed to be like that too...her childhood is pretty horrifying :/
Oh, by the way, SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS
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Comments: 42
I like the textures, they give this a nice watercolor-feeling. I've been meaning to watch this for a while (Gen Urobuchi! 
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Thanks! And yes Fate/Zero is very good; Urobuchi himself said that this work was what bought him out of his writer's block
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would you recommend watching Fate/Zero first or Fate Stay Night?
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@_@ That depends entirely on taste I think. I personally watched F/Z first and enjoyed it by itself even without F/SN (the F/Z light novel helps clear things not quite in the anime too). Urobuchi's character studies for every single one of those characters is excellent by itself, but F/SN does help in providing further insight for certain characters. If you still want to view F/SN too, it's much better to read the visual novel ([link] ) than watch the actual anime as the latter doesn't even compare, but it is a pretty long read.
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I will keep that in mind, thanks so much for the link! Urobuchi didn't work on F/SN though right?
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Yup; Urobuchi only had a hand on F/Z. F/SN was entirely Nasu's work (though interestingly, the hentai scenes were by a different writer too and skipping them won't detract from actual story at all)
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hmm maybe I'll start with the visual novel and then watch F/Z...thanks!
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Oh I was getting much of the eerie look but probably more of a shy look instead. She still looks cute though. It's like I am staring into a face of a shy child. Nice with this though.
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My goodness Fen! You improved so much! It's beautiful! It gives a calm effect.
Well done!
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For a guy who has worms living and eating his insides every second of his days, he's pretty motivated ;___;
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;A; Sakura...
You have captured her eerie aura completely here. That sorrowful glance in the distance just SCREAMS Sakura to me. ;A; And gad, Kariya...;A; Why do both of my top favorite characters from the Fate series have to suffer like that?
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Exactly! Zouken should be impaled on a stick! And Sakura deserves the world for her, as well as Kariya for being so determined to sacrifice his entire future and life just for her. ;A; He's such a responsible person.
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I'm happy you see her portrayed that way! And I know what you mean ;___; Just whoever came up with the worms supplying mana to them in that fashion (and Kariya being forced to consume the VERY worm that stole Sakura's...that was the most disturbing thing in the show thus far to me) is the WORST. Damn Zouken all the way to hell D:
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so pretty~~
i like how u create the atmosphere in ur pieces ^v^
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This is very pretty art, for all I know nothing of her or F/Z, but you got the dead-eyed eerie feel off very well!
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Thanks! I'm glad you got that kind of aura from her X)
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Gorgeous work as always. I love the texture and colours!
And jeez, considering what he does to poor Sakura, Zouken is one horrible, horrible person. Kariya might just be the only decent man in the whole family.
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Thank you!! :>
Augh. Zouken is pretty f**ked up in the head. I don't think I will ever think of fat worms the same way ever again... .____.
Kariya is an anomoly indeed! It's really too bad that he's also the only Master suffering every second from the war
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You're welcome!
Yeah, he's pretty much ruined worms for everyone. Dear lord. *shudders* Those things are repulsive!
Kariya's arc is just a tragedy from start to finish. You could argue Kayneth's having a rough time too, but he's really kind of a jerk - Kariya's just being a caring and protective guy and suffering heaps for it.
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Those worms look too much like......ugh, nevermind...=____=
XDD Oh Kayneth. I think people both inside and outside the show are giving him the hardest time haha (the niconico videos...and that grotesque birthday cake some fans made for his birthday a few days ago). I do feel a little sorry for him though.
Kariya's unfortunately one of those characters who is an example of "nice guys finish last". He's so kind, it's heartbreaking (but the fact that he's starting to get a taste of what dealing revenge is like when it comes to Tokiomi is tragic too; he's losing touch with his human self. Reminds me of Scarface from Batman in a sense)
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Yeah, that's...they're just...Ew. 'Nuff said. XD
Ohhhh yes, I saw that cake, haha! We were very tempted to use it for our birthday article recently. XD
He does get a rough time with the fans, though...not entirely undeserved, but the poor guy looks so sad in his wheelchair in the dark. That said, at least people pay him enough attention to bake a cake for him.
Kariya though, well... he's just...he's a really well written character. Even when you know that things aren't going to go well for him, you still want to cheer him on. Even as he starts to fall.
I think pretty much all of these characters are really well written in that sense, to the point where even the ones that you want to see die will be missed when they do kick the bucket at last.
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Yeah we'll just leave it at that-
Some of the cakes are really graphic though (I mean, who wants to eat his vein-y face for one??) D= Sure, he is a jerk, but he gets worse treatment than he really gives. Not purely evil either since his ultimate goal is only to prove his own worth to his fianceΓ© as a skilled mage; he's just purely arrogant. :/
I agree; since it's considered a character study more than anything, the characters (both heroes and villains) would have to be well written! I also love how for one, the series takes into account the differences between the ideologies of "glorified" heroes (with their "honor" and "chivalry") from back then, and the un-sugarcoated, more "cut throat" heroes of the present; they provide a nice contrast to each other, Servants and Masters respectively. XD
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To be fair, if a cake is delicious I would eat it anyway. > w>;;
But yeah, he's pretty much in it to show off what a superior magus he is, which is an interesting goal when you think about it - Waver's sort of in it for the same reason, to prove that he's worth something. Difference is he's very clearly the underdog. And you know, not a jerk.
The heroes are really cleverly picked, I think - having three kings with very clearly opposing ideologies allows for a lot of interesting conflict. As well as that you've got your two knights, Saber and Lancer...It's a much better cast of heroes than Fate/Stay Night had, I think, because these ones tie together better. Then you contrast the heroes to the masters...just the distance between Saber and Kiritsugu could make a whole series, haha!
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Yeah, I really love Waver's character. :> But sometimes it does make me wonder what would have happened if he got Lancer as a Servant instead (swap with Kayneth when he's supposed to get Rider...a terrifying thought). It wasn't even an hour after he summoned Rider that he had already thought of using a command seal after all; would his ego go more way over his head than he had demonstrated in the beginning, especially since Lancer isn't the type to keep him in line? : o Even so he really is different from Kayneth (he isn't a traditional magus who disregards technological means like Kayneth or Tokiomi, and he's still somewhat of a genius); he works his way up instead of taking his lineage for granted like the latter does, so maybe not.
I still can't get over that episode 11; Saber and Rider are one of my very favorite foils (Saber/Kiritsugu in episode 16 especially was thought provoking too). Actually, someone made a good point saying that though Saber isn't always focused on the entire time, every single Servant really revolves around Saber and serves as a contrasting dynamic to her character, and it's only with her that they reveal their ambitions/ideals around. I agree that the cast of heroes in Fate/Zero is very fitting.
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That is an interesting thought - Rider and Kayneth would never really get on, since Rider's pretty gung-ho and Kayneth's...Kayneth's a bit erratic. Be it using Lancer to bait servants into a fight, using a command seal to force Lancer to attack Saber, then just sitting in a hotel waiting it out...and then going and chasing the Einzbern master in their castle while Lancer's elsewhere. It may well be overconfidence, and pretty much all of those choices just go badly for him. XD
So they would be a pretty bad pair - they just don't match. Rider'd never listen to the guy.
Waver, on the other hand...He'd at least be loyal to Lancer, if nothing else. He's not cruel, but Lancer isn't the sort to clip his master down to size, that's true... That'd be quite the underdog team, haha. Though he really does have the smarts, they're just not appreciated - and Rider does point out with the water testing bit that you don't need to use the most complex method if the simple method is just as quick. I think it's why people can relate and cheer him on.
The Grail Dialogue, as it were, was really special - that was a very powerful episode. It's true what you say, even though she isn't in focus, everyone sort of compares and contrasts in such a way as to tell you more about them. That one conversation reveals more about those three characters than a fight really could have shown. I do have to feel a bit sorry for her though, everyone's out to get the poor girl. XD The conflict between Saber and Kiritsugu, too...it's interesting to consider them in the light that many Masters summon Servants who are, in some ways, similar to themselves. In that respect, they're both heroes who seem to believe that the way they wanted to achieve things in the past does not provide the outcome they desire - thus Saber wishes to undo her past, and Kiritsugu seems to have completely changed his philosophy.
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Kayneth probably would have wasted all three command seals before he could do anything with Rider really OTL
Then again, Lancer would never berate his master for anything so Waver wouldn't need to keep him under check (and Lancer also dematerializes when he is ordered to, while Rider...doesn't xD) They're a better pair-up than Kayneth/Rider, but to me Rider/Waver are always the perfect partnership to me XD And I remember being slightly surprised at the amount of people who actually love Waver; usually there's alot of hate for an "insecure" protagonist nowadays lol. Waver's philosophy is also simpler than every other character's (he just wants to better himself, and hasn't cheated or resorted to lowly/humiliating tactics like the numerous other Masters), so it's definitely easier to relate to him.
Yup, Caster especially coveted Saber XD; But he unlike everyone else really did view her as a true "saint". Kiritsugu and Saber...if the Grail were never there to present itself, there's definitely no salvation for either of them if they keep following their ideals; it's a cycle of depression for both of them. They're both putting all eggs in one basket. It's pretty sad how similar they are to each other in regards to that
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It'd take all three seals just to get Rider to listen to him, pay attention to what he says and then actually consider doing it. Makes me wonder what he was expecting when he planned to summon the guy. XD
It makes sense though really, Rider's a conqueror king and is used to calling the shots, while Lancer is a knight who's used to serving. Even if he doesn't agree with something, his loyal nature comes first. He'll argue a point and ask for leniency if he feels strongly about something, but ultimately he'll do as he's told. It's all part of his wish to prove himself a loyal and chivalrous knight, really. That said, Rider/Waver is definitely one of the strongest pairings in the war. They're different enough that they balance well! Though I never got why people had problems with 'flawed' characters really - it's more fun to watch a guy overcome his disadvantages than to watch a perfect person get through everything without a hitch. It probably helps his popularity that he's got a certain 'cuteness' to him, too. The fanart out there can be a bit creepy, but that's fanart for you D:
In the end I think it's nice to see a character who just wants to be something better, rather than having lofty goals like saving the world and so on - there's nothing wrong with those goals, but if everyone wants to do the same things it's a bit dull. XD
It's why I always liked Gilgamesh's attitude in the war. He doesn't really care about the conflict at large, he just wants to guard what he believes to be his from those who'd aim to steal it and, if possible, get some entertainment out of it. It's so simple but it works. What baffles me most though is looking at alignments in servant stats - apparently Gilgamesh is Chaotic Good and Lancer is Lawful Neutral. I don't generally put Gilgamesh down as a 'good guy', the way he talks about people. XD
Caster's view was interesting because while he was talking about the wrong person, what he said still fit - I thought it was particularly interesting seeing all the different responses to the reveal of Excalibur. That single moment provided a lot of insight and development in a short span of time. You don't see that sort of moment very often. As for Saber and Kiritsugu...They're both tragic heroes (or anti-hero, in Kiritsugu's case) really. They have noble goals and you want to support them because they're good people at heart, but you're right - they're really placing too much of their faith in one solution. They believe fully that the goal they're pursuing is the only way to solve their problems and in the end, they're kinda just pushing themselves towards a cliff.
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Maybe Kayneth just didn't expect Rider to be this imposing, large hunk of muscles (considering the history books say that he's short after all but was a good strategist when it comes to war) XD
Some people say Lancer is just some perfect boring "gary-stu" but his overwhelming sense of honor (and his cursed beauty xD) really is a fatal flaw. 
Yeah...Gil isn't a very "good" guy at all...he loves seeing people suffer. But if he were "evil", he probably would have teamed up with assassin to defeat the kings at the banquet (contrarily, he thinks it's lowly of the assassins to interrupt this duel of his "enemy" kings and the fact that the assassins were his "allies" somewhat...). He in a sense plays fair and follows his own laws that he sets as king (even if the law means owning all of the treasure) and even offers them his best wine that isn't poisoned, so that's King of Kings for you. Somehow things are going the way he pleases for the most part so far though. He's brilliant xD
Lancer is probably "lawful neutral" because his loyalty fits the "lawful" part, and...no matter how benevolent/malicious his Master is (look at douchebag Kayneth xD), he will serve them nonetheless under his "chivalry code", explaining the "neutral" part of his alignment.
I love that the fights all have a sort of symbolic meaning, as "limited" as they are (imo though, I always prefer dialogue/character development so the amount of these meaningful fights were just right). But yeah, this series really emphasizes that "everything is good in moderation" with its extreme characters/philosophy : o
By the way, wow, sorry if my posts are becoming longer and longer; I just have no one else to discuss all of this stuff in great length OTL
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Yeah, haha. He probably expected someone reasonable and strategic as opposed to "I'm gonna charge my chariot through the front door and see what I hit!". But it does seem to work! Actually we haven't seen much of him fighting so far, have we?
Awww, I like Lancer, he's not boring at all! He's kind've a deconstruction of the honourable knight, cos as you say, his honour and loyalty keep on leading to his downfalls. Letting Kiritsugu go is probably the biggest one - if he'd killed him there things would be much different, but he was being chivalrous. Chivalrous to a fault would probably be the best way to put it! Being super attractive to women definitely isn't helping his case, though. The love spot doesn't sound like a curse in concept, but the poor guy manages to end up on the bad end of the deal. Twice. E rank luck indeed. Saber/Lancer is probably the most sensible pairing I've seen, haha - they do seem to like each other to some degree, as opposed to the Saber/Gil pairing, where she pretty much hates the guy and he's just creepy about her. And then there's Saber/Kiritsugu, which is just...C'mon, he refuses to even speak to her half the time. That's not good relationship material! XD Though I do have a personal fondness for pictures of Saber and Iris together, cos I think they make a cute buddy pairing. Saber comes across quite the gentleman with her! Waver fanart tends to make him really girly and I don't think that's Waver at all. Like you say, he's not the strongest and yeah, he whines a bit, but that's usually when people look down on him - he's still assertive enough to argue with Rider! Though it probably doesn't help that one April Fool's joke literally made him a girl. XD
I think Gilgamesh, by alignment, is probably True or Lawful Neutral - he's not a good guy, but he's not explicitly evil either. He's neutral in the respect that he likes to observe and seek entertainment as opposed to fighting for reasons that are categorically good or evil. I mean, he completely ignored Caster's monster because it was 'repulsive', which is about as far from a good guy as you can get without tipping into evil. He's not quite 'chaotic' because he has his own rules that he set as the King of Heroes, and like you say, he disapproves explicitly of Assassin's actions during the banquet. He's got his own idea of what it is to be a king and his motivation for participating in the Grail war is based on his own laws. So he isn't really acting erratically...Things are definitely falling into place for him though, even if he isn't quite doing much himself. He's a magnificent bastard. XD
I think that's probably the best explanation for the 'neutral' aspect - it makes sense when you put it like that. Lancer in Fate/Stay Night was Lawful Neutral too, and he followed Kotomine's orders despite hating the guy, so it's probably referring to them following a code of loyalty regardless of their master's nature. Lancer and Assassin are probably the only classes in this war that would've listened to Kayneth, thinking about it...Saber might, but she definitely wouldn't agree with his more cowardly actions.
Mmm, I definitely agree. The fighting is very well animated and paced, but if it were gratuitous it'd lose impact. There's just enough to break up the dialogue to stop things getting dull, I think. Developing the characters through other interactions and dialogue gives the combat more weight, so you actually care when people have to fight. Especially when you know the stakes pretty much demand that many of these people are going to die fighting. In that regard, you're really right - it's all moderated to make sure there's a balanced story being told.
And hey, no worries about the length, hehe! I'm enjoying discussing this stuff with you. ;3
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I see Saber/Gil as a one-sided thing and even then, I believe Gil is looking at Saber as a perfect treasure to win xD; As for Saber/Kiritsugu, it'd be pretty strange (and awkward) considering she sleeps with who is technically his son later on... o_O Saber and Iri are really sweet when it comes to protecting the other; it's really not everyday we see a knight/princess type of pairing like this : o The April Fools joke still amuses me that the fem!Waver/Rider joke has been used for two of the years XD Both of them were way out of character though (shy Rider?? Blasphemy!!)
Gil is just confusing OTL He does find entertainment in helping others realize their true dreams though (i.e. with Kirei) so I guess that's a "good" thing too? =_= *shrugs*
Yeah, Saber did yell and call Kiritsugu a heretic the previous episode...which is something I don't see Lancer doing xD I guess that would be a main difference.
(Just shortening this comment a bit because well, skype XD)
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Yeah, it seems like an obsession rather than any real romantic interest...And he is basically Captain Possessive. XD I could still see Saber/Kiri working in a really abstract way, but that's about the ONLY way, it's really just weird. I still like images with them together, just...romantically? N'awww. But Saber and Iris? I do like that pairing, it just feels sweet. Maybe I'll draw something for it one day! *thumbs up* It'd be fun to actually see more of that story, though. It sounds like good goofy fun, even if it's all off-character. XD
He was apparently a nice person as a kid, and in the legends he was...well, he was a bit of a jerk, but he wasn't a bad guy. What he's up to now is just weird. But it makes for good entertainment for him, and it's sure as heck entertaining to us, so hey, everyone wins!
She seemed to pity him by the end of that conversation, particularly the 'hero of justice' bit. It's funny because that's the exact same ideal that Shirou has later on, and it's the realisation that it's kind've a sham that turns him into Archer. Interesting to see the same sort of 'downfall' there.
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I think you captured her perfectly!~
Yeah, her childhood ;; A ;;
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Thanks! : D
She doesn't realize that she has only the best uncle ever ;____;
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I know right ;; A ;;
Kariya -- ahh his kindness and his story breaks my heart lkaakjlsdjfklsa
wry is life so cruel to him Q_Q
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Because he has a cruel author ;__;
Nasu himself said in an interview that if he was the one writing Kariya in the story, Kariya would go through all these trials but eventually somehow succeed/stay alive
But it had to be Urobutcher Gen OTL
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TT___TT
Ahhh if only..
hnnnghh Urobutcher is a fitting name
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