Never Before released in complete boxset form! Ten years ago master mages fought a secret war to control the Holy Grail and the result was devastating to everyone. Today, the Holy Grail War begins anew waged by a new gener... more »ation of masters. One unlikely master, Shirou, must come to grips with the reality of this secret battle when he unknowing summons his own servant, Saber; the one said to be the most powerful servant of them all. Perhaps, Shirou will be the one to prevent the destruction that ended the first war.« less
Genres:Anime & Manga Sub-Genres:Anime & Manga Studio:Funimation Prod Format:DVD - Color,Widescreen - Subtitled DVD Release Date: 09/16/2008 Release Year: 2008 Run Time: 10hr 0min Screens: Color,Widescreen Number of Discs: 6 SwapaDVD Credits: 6 Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 0 Edition: Box set MPAA Rating: Unrated Languages:Japanese, English Subtitles:English
"I found this series to be both entertaining and very enjoyable to watch. The short storyline is every few decades a sort of magical tournament is held where the victor after defeating or killing their enemies is granted one wish from the holy grail but only if that person is worthy to truly have the wish granted. The person who is usually a magician summons a spirit to fight for them the spirit is someone who shares their summoners personality and ideals to the most point. Also the summoned spirit is also granted their wish if they and their master win the tournament thus causing the servant to do their best to obtain victory. Thus Shirou a high school student with some unlearned magical abilities unwittingly becomes one of the combatants in the tournament. The story for me also seemed to have a more adult version of Pokeman in it but instead of some kid saying "I choose You" the master summons the spirit servant to fight for them. The animation was great nicely detailed and also sharp and clear. The audio was also great the English cast as well as the Japanese voice actors did superbly well. There are some extras with the box set the standard textless intro/ending, trailers, but you also have some music video clips as well as some Japanese t.v. commercials for the series. So I thank Funimation and Geneon again for re-releasing this great series for all to get."
This anime is what more action anime's should strive to be.
Sweden Is God | 11/23/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Fate/Stay night fought an uphill battle for a few years to get released stateside and I had always heard about the craze for it in Japan, so needless to say I was ecstatic when it was finally brought oversea's a little over a year ago. Of course it was extremelly limited and I had to fight tooth and nail to compelte the collection, but with this new package it can be yours easily.
As for the series itself, its a simple premise, but one with slight nuances and touches that make it interesting enough to sit through. Seven people who are themselves Magus'(people controlling the elements and magic) must summon themselves each one servant to do their fighting in a sort of battle royale to determine which is worthy to recieve the ultimate prize, the Holy Grail. Thats the main jist of this series, but again, I won't say anything more about who or what or why because its a fun series that mixes very well action and plot. The action sequences are some of the best I've seen in a long while, on par with something like the more epic scenes in Samurai 7. This IS a series about magic and beings who posess incredible powers afterall and, more often than not, they will be taking a lot of the environment around them with them during these scenes. I think a great thing about this series too is that its more relatable to our society than most animes because the character's are based off of many cultural, historical figures, not simply those pertaining to Japan.
If you love action scenes in your anime and some good story laid down over a foundation of suspense and dramatic mystery, then you'll love this series. I think it deserve well its enormous following in its native homeland. And who doesn't love a hottie like Saber wielding a simply wicked sword anyways?"
Classic Tale of Hero and Heartache
co1353 | Colorado Springs, CO | 11/07/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ordinary person becomes reluctant hero, hero is torn between choosing love or his humanity. Stong character's, villians, heroic story. Hard decision by the hero, do I choose my heart or what is right for humanity? Many noble sacrifices are made during the story. WILL CRACK YOUR HEART!"
Hopefully Blu-ray set will be released in U.S. also
K.Lin | 07/25/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Japanese blu-ray of this collection has only been out for about 3 months. Unfortunately while it is region free the cost of importing the blu-ray is just around $320 (not including shipping), compared to the current (on sale) price of $38.49 for the domestic DVD collection. Also, there are /no/ English subtitles option with the Japanese blu-ray release. So for now it is still easily recommended to purchase this DVD collection. But for those who want to see this series in 720p resolution and English dub or sub it will require more patience as it may still be a much longer wait for Funimation to release the domestic blu-ray set. Hopefully it will be released at a much lower price than the current cost of importing.
Additionally note that this reviewed item is the 2009 re-priced version of the DVD collection. I am not sure if there are any major differences within the extras or content compared with the earlier DVD collection."
A Must-See Anime!
Eric A. Mejia | Nubsville, California | 03/29/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Forget that review with a 2-star. This anime is a great example of how anime should be done!
It details the story of a teenager named Shiro who is involved in the Holy Grail War, with his partner (called Servants) named Saber. They must go about and defeat the other Servants and Masters in order to win the Holy Grail, which gives it's possessor one wish that it may have granted.
PROS - Great artwork, and great animation. You can tell that it has great production values.
- Great storyline! It's a bit difficult to follow at times, but if you are attentive, you will understand and enjoy this story.
- Awesome characters! Each character is in this War for their own reasons, and each character has his or her own personality; no "vanilla" characters here! The main character Shiro does seem a bit bland compared to the rest, but that doesn't mean he's a paperweight! The relationship between him and Saber is what's most significant in this anime!
CONS - It seemed a bit rushed in the last episode, and some aspects weren't fully explained (such as the connection between Archer and Shiro, and about the last Holy Grail War).
Overall, this is a must-see anime! You will NOT regret it!"