Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya Review

Table of Contents

1. Story
2. Characters
3. Animation and Art
4. Soundtrack
5. Final Verdict

TAGS : Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Magic

STORY

Illyasviel von Einzbern is a normal schoolgirl in Japan. She lives with her overachieving nice guy older brother Shirou Emiya and her two maids, her parents are perpetually out of the country, and she has fanciful dreams of using magic to make her dreams of love with Shirou come true. Enter fierce rivals Rin Tohsaka and Luvia Edelfelt, two Magi who have been sent to Japan by Zelretch the Wizard Marshall, Master of Parallel Worlds, with the powerful sentient Kaleidosticks to collect the mysterious Class Cards and clean up their mess. After getting fed up with their constant infighting, one Kaleidostick, Magical Ruby, senses Illya’s fleeting dream of magic and leaves Rin for her, tricking her into becoming a magical girl. Now Illya is being forced by Rin to collect the dangerous Class Cards in her place. But perhaps more dangerous still are Illya’s own mysteries that may have unknowingly attracted Ruby to her.

Ladies and Gentleman, it is my pleasure, as I stand here before you today, to talk about THE masterpiece of a show. It is THE show that everyone should watch. Yes, I’m fanboying much, and it’s only the first season, but as to why, let’s brief you in!

First thing’s first, what is Prisma Illya? Well, it’s a spin-off series to Fate/ Zero and Fate/stay night AS WELL as Fate/Hollow Ataraxia. I feel like saying just Fate franchise would misguide some people, as not everyone’s heard of Fate/Hollow Ataraxia as it’s a visual novel. But, let’s go back to the point. It’s a spin-off series and you may rightfully wonder – can I watch it without any knowledge of Fate’s universe and characters?
The short answer is yes! The long answer is you could, and that’d be just fine, but you’ll miss on some easter eggs here and there. With that said, the show is perfectly fine on it’s own, as it’s set in an alternative universe.

With that out of the way, let’s start with the setting – elementary school. Now, I know what you’re thinking : “Elementary school? Are you mad?!” And to that I have to say : No, I’m not. Whilst the characters are indeed from 10 to 15 years old-ish, the stories they create are fantastic in their own right.
Our cast is in elementary and middle school, and yes, we do witness a lot of school scenes, but surprisingly they are quite good and sweet. At least, most of them. It’s a magical girls show, so it’d be wrong if there wasn’t any school to be honest.

The stories are told really well, and do an amazing job creating the tension. As with the first seasons of the anime is, not everything gets resolved, but you shouldn’t worry as there are 3 seasons out at the moment of writing this review, with 4th season coming out (date TBA). Our girls fight against Heroic Spirits inside the cards that warp the leylines of Fuyuki City. Mixed with some deeper thank you’d think plot points, the story not only makes is coherent, but also appeals to people who are not very fond of magical girls.

The comedy is fantastic, though slightly predictable. The jokes about Illya’s innocence, or her love to Shirou are a common occurrence. You may also get the yuri vibe off of this show, and the scenes that sometimes happen that indicate it. You should be fine as long as you won’t treat it as something it is not.
The main characters fall for Shirou, but fortunately it is not the focal point of the show. You will not be seeing Shirou every episode struggling with his “harem” so to speak, it’s just something in the background, allowing the real heroine – Illya – to shine in her own show, and putting the so-called Hero of Justice to the side.

But then again, it is a show about 10 year olds, with occasional fanservice, that is almost non-existent in this show, and that may put you off, and is the reason why the story ain’t rated higher.

CHARACTERS 

The cast of Prisma Illya should be familiar to anyone who knows about Fate franchise. If you are one of those few who have never seen or heard anything about it, don’t worry. Characters are introduced very well, and they receive crapton of development. And that is no joke. Characters start off one way, end up completely different, and I really loved it. (Yes, I’m still talking about season one.)

The cast is vivid, with common, yet very fun personalities. I mean, I bet you’ve seen the girl that shows no emotions, or easily flustered one, or the tsundere..Chances are, I won the bet. So, with all that in mind they are still fantastic. They offer great laughs and their mix and interactions are really well done, same with dialogue.

The side characters are there, though they are fairly forgettable, they are fine “fodder” characters to kill off time or provide the MC with a way out by accident.

Illyasviel von Einzbern :  Elementary schooler that was tricked by Ruby into becoming a Magical Girl. She has a crush on Shirou, and is fairly naive and innocent.

Miyu Edelfelt : Elementary schooler that became a Magical Girl. She shows very little emotions and works as a Maid for Luvia.

Rin Tohsaka : Magus from Clock Tower. She came to Japan to collect the Class Cards. She has a crush on Shirou, and strong rivalry with Luvia. She is also a tsundere.

Luvia Edelfelt : Magus from Clock Tower. She has a crush on Shirou, and treats Rin as her rival. She is very rich and always makes fun of her rival due to that fact.

ANIMATION AND ART 

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya is such a beautiful show! I honestly cannot stress this enough. The art is very, well, cute for the lack of better word. It is very bright and uses great colour palette that would be too hard to describe in one word. Character designs are on par with the vibe of the show, and they are really well drawn. There are not that many derpy faces in the background, most of them are actually intentional.

Animation. Or, I should say THE Animation. It’s stellar. It’s absolutely stunning. Sure, it is not Ufotable’s budget yet, but holy crap does it look amazing. Even opening shows better animation at one point than most shows, much less magical girls’ show. It’s smooth, it’s beautiful, and if for anything, you should watch the show just to look at it. God damn is it pretty…

SOUNDTRACK 

Prisma Illya uses variety of soundtrack, only remixed, known from Fate/ Zero and Fate/stay night visual novel. It’s one of those easter eggs you may miss if it’s your first contact with the franchise. But, the OST is fantastic. While it uses the already successful tunes, it introduces many others that click with the show like no other. No tune is misused, and they fit the series and events on screen.

The opening and ending are both great, with really cool visuals. Can’t really choose a winner here as I loved both of them.

The show has not been licensed for dubbing yet, but Japanese Seiyuu are fantastic. Once again, the original cast from Fate, as well as newcomes from Zero make an appearance, and much to my surprise worked wonders with “cutesy” transformation of their characters.

FINAL VERDICT – DAMN IT’S AWESOME!

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya is a fantastic spin-off series to an already established franchise.
If you’re looking for magical girls’ show with the cutesy feeling, but having some dark undertones somewhat similar to Madoka Magica, Prisma Illya should be right up your alley. Hell, even if you’re not a fan of those shows with mahou shoujo, you still should check it out, even if just for animations and soundtrack. I guarantee you will stay and enjoy.