Anime Review: Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya

Fate/kaleid Liner Prisma Illya

Background: A roller coaster of events await elementary schooler Illyasviel von Einzbern after she discovers a talking magic stick named Ruby. After declaring the girl as her new master, Ruby proceeds to put Illya through a strange magical transformation into a cute, versatile, magical girl!   

Plot: A normal girl becomes a magical girl when the magic Kaleidostick Ruby crashes into her life and declares her a more suitable master than the previous, Rin Tohsaka. Rin had been tasked to collect the seven mysterious class cards containing the spirits of heroes, but now that task has fallen to Illya. Along with fellow magical girl and rival Miyu...who similarly became a magical girl after her Kaleidostick Sapphire abandoned it's previous master Luvia Edelfelt...it's up to Illya to fight the spirits and recover the mysterious cards.

2girls_1up review: If you're looking for a fun magical girl anime, you've found one. Combined with some of the most amazing animation we've ever witnessed in a "cutesey" anime, Fate/kaleid is a treat for any maho-loving fan. The anime itself is part of the ever illustrious Fate series, which has always been filled to the brim with more serious-type tones (excluding specials like Carnival Phantasm). This show, however, gives the viewer a nice mix of both suspenseful 'seriousness' and humor. The amount of Fate easter eggs is very high, which makes watching the show worthwhile for any Fate fan willing to bite through the sometimes overly cute portions.

The story is great until things become a pile of mush during the show's "third" season, "Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei Herz!". The third season literally throws massive chucks of cute, followed by stacks of incest references, and the occasional thing that makes you chuckle. It's literally like the story was dropped off a cliff somewhere to make room for utter nonsense. Normally we enjoy utter nonsense around here, but not this time. We grew very annoyed at the beginning of season 3, and because of that innate human need to continue pushing through what one's started, we finished it. The ending wasn't worth it. Where the anime started off wonderful, it then became something obnoxious.

Should I watch it?

Sure. The anime gets our approval overall. Just be fair warned; the ending is a joke and can get on your nerves if you've got a lust for the action, but a distaste for the loli. Every Fate fan should give the anime a TRY. At least watch the first season. It's got some amazing fights in it that will make you giddy...it certainly made Vivi squee. Otherwise it's all about your taste. P.S. The yuri moments were very much appreciated. ;)