Fate/Strange Fake Ep.01 - Francesca is crazy as expected! Saber come on...
I just finished watching the first episode of Fate/strange Fake (technically the second, as Episode 00 aired long ago as a special). It was a great start that finally introduced the main characters who will drive the story. I am writing this as a reader of the light novels, though it has been quite a while (nearly 10 years?) since I read the first few volumes. I am not fully caught up, so I honestly do not remember many of the initial details, even though I have a general idea of the characters.
The story focuses on a Holy Grail War taking place in the US city of Snowfield, based on a copy of the ritual that occurred in Fuyuki (specifically the Third Holy Grail War). Of course, this is a copy, and the "Fake" in the title says it all. It is not even a perfect replication, so things are bound to be unexpected for everyone, including the organizers like Francesca and Faldeus.
Every faction is interested in what is going to happen in Snowfield and has sent some of their best mages to investigate. We have the Holy Church, the Mages' Association, the Einzberns, and even a Dead Apostle in the mix (who was shown briefly in one of the scenes). Things are certainly going to get explosive very quickly.
This story is written by the same author as Baccano! and Durarara!!, and he follows a similar approach to that series; there is not a single protagonist. Every Master and Servant pair is a co-protagonist and will have their time to shine as the story progresses.
Francesca Prelati, the one in the attached video, is one of the most entertaining characters I remember because of her unpredictable behavior and her "search for fun". This makes her the center of many events in the series. Do not misunderstand, though; she is not a friendly character and will not hesitate to do heinous things.
Right now, the main focus is the Saber summoning. It was supposed to summon Altria Pendragon, but instead, it summoned an unknown Servant who is able to use Excalibur just like her. Who is he? Why can he use Excalibur? He seems to be an honorable swordsman, even if he is a bit out of touch with reality, seeing as he ended up being arrested by the police. Do Servants not get updated on how to behave in these situations when they are summoned?
Considering that the police station houses another Servant controlled by the police chief, it is inevitable that we will see more clashes there soon. Ayaka does not seem very interested in participating, but I do not think she has much of a choice at this point.
By the way, just how adorable do the four girls accompanying the Holy Church executor look? I am sure they are going to be crazy fighters and all that, but still... look at them! I honestly do not even remember them being part of the story, but again, it has been a while, so I may have just forgotten.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next episode. The Holy Grail War has officially started, and I am excited to see how it unfolds.
