Being a fan of the Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA Series I was really stoked for the start of the new season today. This is my first time covering anime for us, so I though jumping in with a series I know a lot about would be a great start. I will try to keep these as spoiler free as possible, but there maybe a few here and there so you have been warned.
The art style hasn’t changed all that much over the course of the series and the basic style is still present here as well. The characters are bright and vivid and the girls have never looked better. Something that is a bit different however is the setting. Since Illya has been transported to a new world that has seen better days, the colors there are more toned down to give a sense of despair. You can tell just by the color palette, this place has some bad things happening there.
A lot of new characters were introduced in this episode as well. There are two new unnamed villains entering the fray. One has a very large gauntlet on and is wielding a giant hammer. When I first saw her I was like “WOW that is one bad ass loli”. Then she dismissed a full on punch from Bassett so yea, she is very powerful. The taller, more busty girl accompanying her seem to be more restrained, yet also equally as impressive with an array sword throwing skills and the ability to use a chain-type weapon. If you really want to spoil yourself you can Google some info from the manga. I fear the girls are gonna have a rough time dealing with these two the rest of the season.
Illya also runs into a new friend in this new world. A very energetic girl that is running around in the snow in Gym clothes. This leads to very funny exchange about how the both of them are dressed. This girl’s name appears to be ‘Tanaka’ based what was written on her top. She doesn’t remember where she is or any thing about this world, so I wonder if this is gonna be one of those the girl that knows nothing, really knows everything situations later on. There is also a glimpse of a girl with an umbrella that is wearing gothic lolita-style clothing. I’m sure we will be seeing more of her later on.
The music in this season of Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA is just as great as the previous ones. I think this aspect of the anime gets overlooked a lot since the visuals are usually really up in your face with over the top fanservice, yes Kuro is lewd but we love her for it, or the very impressive battle effects during combat. The fast paced battle theme during the fight scene and the very somber almost desolate piano theme that played when Illya first found herself in the new world add a ton of emotion to a few powerful scenes. Sapphie’s new voice actress, Yumi Kazaku, due to the untimely passing of Miyu Matsuki does a good job keeping the tone for the character.
This season appears to be a vast departure from last season’s mostly slice of life and fan service offering. I do hope they throw in some of the softer bits here and there since that is what separates this series from the rest of the Fate series that is has a very serious tone almost all the time. I am very excited to see how all of this will play out over the coming weeks. If your a premium Cruchyroll member you can check out the stream of this episode on their site.
