Anime Discussion Thread - Page 725

Another thing that popped up on the wiki and some other threads, from the scene in the church with Sayaka and Kyouko.



That has to be intentional foreshadowing of some sort.

Her Soul Gem is also at her chest.....so I'm assuming that's a pretty good indicator of what's going to happen to her.

The route started on a rather high note in my opinion, but progressively went downhill until the very end, when it became good again (I’m talking about the epilogue being the True End, lol).
Doing it the first time, you don’t notice it as much, but after playing the other 2 routes, you notice just how simple (to not use the word bad) it was in comparison to them. That’s not to say that the other 2 routes are flawless by any means, but they aren’t as cliché and 1 dimensional.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed some aspects of this route, mainly Saber. Tohsaka’s personality also added a lot of flavour to it. Also, Archer was almost non-existant in this route which proves to be a great thing, in retrospect. Getting to know Saber, her past, her regrets and one wish was very satisfying. She has a gentle, yet strong as steel personality. Her troubles also make her seem more human than the other heroic spirits, although sometimes being boring and a nuisance in the route.
But, as stated before, this route is the most linear, cliché thing ever. The focus is totally shifted to Saber x Shirou. The other masters and servants are just obstacles without any backstory, and their personalities are reduced to provoke/HULK SMASH/die. As the most obvious plot twist ever, the suspicious priest that looked at you like he’d want you to be his altar boy all game long, was EVIL. Turns out he was the cause of Shirou’s childhood inferno (surprise, surprise) and wants to engulf the world in flames. Anyway, another cliché was that Shirou turned out to be Saber’s sheath. Although not the sheath was cliché, it was that it worked as a sort of “salvation” for Saber herself, removing any doubt she had before.
I can’t help but to compare this to Arcueid’s route in Tsukihime. In the end the heroine says “I luv you” and then disappears knowing she and her love can never be together again.

This route is somewhat of a rollercoaster, it has it’s ups and downs. Most of the downs are provided by yours truly, Emiya Shirou, both of him mind you. Kid makes you facepalm every time he opens his mouth, but you should have already anticipated that after Fate’s route.
The highs I would consider the much needed backstory to Ilya+Berserker and Caster+Teacher along with some more info on Assassin. Also, the sheer difference between Fate’s route and UBW is a strong point. The holy grail war is still the backbone, but the other servants provide fresh and exciting developments and this time around have personalities. The enemies are different than they were in Fate’s route and even Lancer who I find was very villainized previously, also has his own values and pride.
Rin became the main heroine (from playing all the VNs lately, I’m tempted to just call them fuck-buddies) this time around, and her tsundere’ism provided, as always the much needed comedic relief. I pity her for falling in love with Shirou though, but it seems like fate is on her side, because Saber’s route is canon.
Another thing that is surprising is the total lack of Sakura in this arc.
Although Saber isn’t the main focus of the route this time around, she still has a strong presence in UBW much to my joy. I just enjoy Saber whenever I get the chance.
One of my favourite moments of this route was Toshaka saying Shirou looks like a “squirrel that just licked sugar”. That line had me on the floor for a good 5 minutes.

The good end is really sugar-coated, as both Rin (who thinks of you as her familiar now lololololol) and Saber stay with you, also Archer found peace of mind. Probably the best ending possible that could have been imagined, being oblivious to Saber’s past.
The true ending, is more realistic. Saber disappears without her realizing that Shirou is her sheath, Archer still continues onward, damned forever to be a heroic spirit.
Rin and Shirou are in love and making plans for the future. She keeps teasing him, though.
The sheath still bugs me. I wish that could have been resolved, but I guess that would be salvation for Saber, which is not the main focus of this route.

P.S. I really liked how Saber’s stats shot through the roof when she pacted with Rin. She went from BCCBBC straight into all As, some with + even. Before this I had my doubts about Saber being the strongest, but this proved that stats change if the master changes.

This route starts in a very hectic fashion. The story jumps everywhere. Defeating servants, Shirou noticing Sakura, Rin being the tsundere QT-pie you expect her to be, tentacles of darkness lurking around, Ilya interaction, etc. etc. etc.
Eventually the route stabilizes after Saber’s disappearance. The focus clearly shifts towards the Doom Octopus.
I haven’t mention it yet, but this route is also drastically different from UBW and Fate routes, which is a big plus. I must commend Type-Moon for coming up with 3 different, unique story lines that revolve around the same set of parameters.
The route is darker, eerie and more twisted than the previous ones the more you plunge into it.
There really isn’t much to say, things go from bad to worse as more Servants are claimed by the Octopus. Archer dies, Berserker is consumed like Saber and Lancer before him, even Gilgamesh is consumed. This gives the field to Rider and Assassin, conveniently the 2 last Servants we didn’t know about.
Shit hits the fan, and many desperate actions are taken.
The True end is well… honestly?... retarded. I know I’m being biased here, but I really hated this route. The amount of crap that you had to claw through was more than I could take. The priest’s monologues, Sakura, 2456406724 interludes every damn night make this route god-awful. Rin, Shirou and Sakura survive. It’s like you’re going on an empty highway, you get to that comfortable speed and relax, but someone hits the brakes on your car. It’s like getting kicked in the balls just before you climax. Fuck that shit.
The Normal End, I feel is justified. Shirou died, Sakura couldn’t move on with her life, but Rin could. Good Riddance.