ShonenSekai
1 review liked by ShonenSekai
As one of the three scenarios that can play out in Fate/stay night, the Fate route is certainly the most overlooked of the trio. Despite centering around the mascot Fate heroine, Saber, the Fate route is typically the least adored; partially because it precedes two of the more climactic and revelatory routes in the story. That is not to say that this route is not great in its own right, however.
A lot of things about the Fate route are just destined to be inferior to the others as it is the first and only available route when you initially start Stay Night (depending on which version). It has to set up a lot more of the basic story of FSN, which means that it often feels like it has the most bloated pacing, long-winded sequences of exposition, etc. Not to mention, as the first route, it has to be the most conservative with what it shares with the reader. While those are definitely true and fair criticisms to make, I think UBW or HF would've alternatively faced these same issues if they happened to be written as the first route you experienced. So I'm a bit lenient towards these negatives.
In a lot of ways, the Fate route feels written to be an appetizer course. It gives you crumbs of a lot of things but not enough of the whole picture. Which is perfect when you understand that it's meant to be continued onward into other routes, but as its own self-contained story it does mean that it ultimately feels the most underwhelming and underdeveloped.
However, I think the strengths of this route still make this one great. Specifically that of the relationship between Saber and Shirou. Saber might be my favorite heroine of the three routes just because I find her dynamic with Shirou to be amazingly written by Nasu. I just love the heavy use of parallelism to convey a lot of its themes and to show how these two people who come from such different places needed to see themselves reflected in the person they value immensely in order to end up finding value in their own selves and ultimately heal. I think it's a really beautiful story in that sense. Only thing about their dynamic I'm not too crazy for is their romantic aspects. I just don't think them necessarily loving one another adds a whole lot to what already makes them great as a duo. It feels a tad bit forced. But, it was never such a distracting part of their relationship that I just downright hated it so it's whatever. I can take it or leave it.
I can definitely admit that my view of the Fate route is largely biased because I'm rereading it with the knowledge of the entire FSN story, not to mention Fate/Zero. I think having all that extra information upon reading the Fate route will make you end up finding a lot more value in everything that occurs within it. It certainly makes a lot of moments hit harder because you pick up on the hidden meanings and depth within a lot of dialogue and moments that you most likely did not pick up on when you first read Fate. Despite preceding every other Fate story, it strangely feels like a lot of the impact of the Fate route relies on your outside knowledge of the rest of FSN and Zero. Because of that, I think I enjoy the Fate route a lot more than perhaps someone who is just going into it not knowing anything.
A lot of things about the Fate route are just destined to be inferior to the others as it is the first and only available route when you initially start Stay Night (depending on which version). It has to set up a lot more of the basic story of FSN, which means that it often feels like it has the most bloated pacing, long-winded sequences of exposition, etc. Not to mention, as the first route, it has to be the most conservative with what it shares with the reader. While those are definitely true and fair criticisms to make, I think UBW or HF would've alternatively faced these same issues if they happened to be written as the first route you experienced. So I'm a bit lenient towards these negatives.
In a lot of ways, the Fate route feels written to be an appetizer course. It gives you crumbs of a lot of things but not enough of the whole picture. Which is perfect when you understand that it's meant to be continued onward into other routes, but as its own self-contained story it does mean that it ultimately feels the most underwhelming and underdeveloped.
However, I think the strengths of this route still make this one great. Specifically that of the relationship between Saber and Shirou. Saber might be my favorite heroine of the three routes just because I find her dynamic with Shirou to be amazingly written by Nasu. I just love the heavy use of parallelism to convey a lot of its themes and to show how these two people who come from such different places needed to see themselves reflected in the person they value immensely in order to end up finding value in their own selves and ultimately heal. I think it's a really beautiful story in that sense. Only thing about their dynamic I'm not too crazy for is their romantic aspects. I just don't think them necessarily loving one another adds a whole lot to what already makes them great as a duo. It feels a tad bit forced. But, it was never such a distracting part of their relationship that I just downright hated it so it's whatever. I can take it or leave it.
I can definitely admit that my view of the Fate route is largely biased because I'm rereading it with the knowledge of the entire FSN story, not to mention Fate/Zero. I think having all that extra information upon reading the Fate route will make you end up finding a lot more value in everything that occurs within it. It certainly makes a lot of moments hit harder because you pick up on the hidden meanings and depth within a lot of dialogue and moments that you most likely did not pick up on when you first read Fate. Despite preceding every other Fate story, it strangely feels like a lot of the impact of the Fate route relies on your outside knowledge of the rest of FSN and Zero. Because of that, I think I enjoy the Fate route a lot more than perhaps someone who is just going into it not knowing anything.