Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya is one of my favourite anime series, so it was natural that I’d head off to the cinema to catch the new prequel movie as soon as possible (which was less than six hours ago at time of writing). I abandoned the popular Unlimited Blade Works multiple times, but the magical girl-themed Fate/kaleid effortlessly hooked me with its first episode and never once let me go throughout its numerous seasons, partly thanks to adorable Illyasviel and her allies/friends being the main protagonists instead of Emiya Shirou, the (dreadfully dull, in my opinion) protagonist of the main Fate series from which Fate/kaleid is spun off from.
He’s also the protagonist here, but that’s ok. I’ve always liked Shirou better here, whether it’s Illya’s and Kuro’s domestic and chibi-ish looking onii-chan or Illya’s best friend Miyu’s more badass onii-chan. The latter is the star here.
If you’re feeling a bit confused or unfamiliar with the names that have been mentioned, then you’d probably be better off starting with all the previous Fate/kaleid seasons. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya’s: Oath Under Snow Fate may be a prequel, but it’s also a tie-in movie – the kind that’s easier to understand and appreciate if you’ve existing knowledge of the relevant fictional universe’s events and characters, which are introduced properly in the series.
@prisma_illya Twitter page
As the trailer (but not one of the Illya-centric posters) has revealed, this movie chronicles the events that led to Miyu ending up on Illya’s world, as told through the eyes of Shirou. We’re first introduced to him at the scene of a massive crater-creating supernatural disaster as the kid who idolises Emiya Kiritsugu, his adoptive father and “hero of justice”, and that’s not the only thing here that’s reminiscent of the main Fate series. Indeed, the movie sometimes comes across as an alternate retelling of Fate/stay night, or a hybrid of Fate/stay night and Fate/kaleid, albeit without the predominantly cheery tone of the latter.
The main thing I remembered about the original Shirou was him yapping on endlessly about justice or… something. Here, the thing that drives him as a teenager is loss and his love for Miyu. Not quite an ordinary girl, she’s seen as a tool for the salvation of humanity by Kiritsugu and the (not-so) bad guys, the Ainsworth family. The Ainsworths need her as their vessel for the Holy Grail, the wish-granting object that the various Holy Grail Wars throughout various Fate series are fought for.
Shirou, however, chooses to see her as his younger sister who he has to protect at the cost of the rest of the world. It’s a selfish motivation detested by Ainsworth leader and Shirou’s schoolmate Julian, but it’s also one that’s understandable, relatable, and much more compelling than stuff about justice (I really can’t remember anything other than that).
@prisma_illya Twitter page
After spending a chunk of time seeing Shirou and Miyu’s peaceful days, we get an abbreviated version of this world’s card-based Holy Grail War, where instead of having Masters summon heroes of myth and legend, the participants summon the power of those heroes straight into their own bodies through cards. There are also appearances from familiar faces like Matou Sakura, Matou Shinji and even someone from main series prequel Fate/Zero. This is one of the main reasons the main series comes to mind, and it’s interesting enough that I’d have liked to see more of it and get more immersed in this world in the process.
As it is, after a sufficiently lengthy start (in the form of a battle, naturally), it’s a series of mini-fights before it’s suddenly close to the end. 90 minutes had never felt so short to me before! Don’t worry though, there’s at least a lengthy final battle between Shirou and the Ainsworth member who bears the card of Gilgamesh…
I’ve noticed that I haven’t talked much about Miyu. That’s because despite her being at the centre of all the events, Shirou is ultimately the main character and the focal point here. She’s cute and all, but the series is the one to watch if you want to see her character development and journey. This movie is Shirou’s story.
The ending, however, does tie in pretty much directly to the first Fate/kaleid season. But there are still some unfilled gaps, namely how our friendly neighborhood priest Kotomine Kirei ended up opening a ramen store. Again, I’d liked to have seen how that came about to get further immersed in this intriguing alternate universe.
Ultimately, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya’s: Oath Under Snow Fate is a worthwhile watch for fans of the series, and offers an interesting albeit not completely fulfilling look at a Fate/stay night-meets-Fate/kaleid kind of world.
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