Fate/strange Fake Episode 9 Review
The long-awaited battle is here! Gilgamesh vs Richard! After a week with no Gilgamesh, our beloved golden King of Heroes finally returned in all his glory! XD
Continuing immediately after last week's episode, what was thought would be a single battle between Clan Calatin and Flat alliance vs Alcides has turned into two battles instead with the arrival of Gilgamesh and Richard's team who came for their own reasons, making the whole situation even more complicated.
However, instead of each side battling against each other at once, making it a three-way-battle, the battles were split into two: Clan Calatin vs Alcides and Gilgamesh vs Richard. While Gilgamesh initially came to settle the score with Alcides, his attention quickly shifted to Richard who came and greeted them all so nonchalantly as if he was taking a stroll.
The battle between Clan Calatin against Alcides was understandably one-sided in Alcides' favor. The mere presence of Cerberus was enough to unnerve them, of course it was even more so with Alcides. Never mind Alcides himself, they're not even a match against Cerberus, so of course Flat and Jack had to join the fray and assisted the police.
Speaking of Jack, he finally took the form shown in the opening and ending. Jack the Ripper here was not Jack the Ripper himself, but rather the embodiment of the mystery behind the legend of Jack the Ripper. As the result, he could take many forms, thus explaining his ability to change from a police officer, a watch, a nurse, etc. Thanks to his Noble Phantasm to duplicate himself, he could matched against Cerberus.
Jack's second Noble Phantasm, From Hell, truly embodied the symbol of madness and viciousness that Jack represented. And true to its name, the moment Jack used it, it manifested the literal Hell on Earth with Jack's form turning into a demon. The visual of the Noble Phantasm was wonderfully intimidating and frightening, befitting of Jack himself.
Alas, though Alcides' other Noble Phantasm was a bad match for all Servants. Though Jack was able to momentarily overwhelmed Alcides and Cerberus, in the end, this didn't last long as Alcides stole From Hell from him, which quickly turned the table to the demi-god's favor. This forced Flat to use his Command Spell to teleport Jack.
With Jack's defeat, Clan Calatin was at the mercy of Alcides, who severely injured John. Dang, the way John was beaten up was brutal. I seriously thought they'd be more lenient with the visual presentation, but this... Sure, it wasn't bloody or gore like you'd see in splatter slasher films, but this was still disturbing to watch. How John's head was splinter and how his whole body was broken, turning to the wrong sides. Painful to watch. (_ _lll)
Still, I praised his and all other Clan Calatin's courage in standing up against Alcides despite the odds against them. And even though the situation looked hopeless no matter how you looked at it, I doubt this would be the end of Clan Calatin, especially John who got a brief focus in the previous episode. In this situation, it'd be Dumas' turn to shine.
The exchange between Gilgamesh and Richard fulfilled my expectations. Similar to how in Episode 11 of Fate/Zero we got to see three different kings gathering at the same place and saw the differences they have with each other, now we once again could see two kings with different disposition and personalities, only that instead of a proper dialogue, the two kings immediately clash against each other.
Like he did for the majority of the time with other people, Richard's over-friendliness and eagerness got perceived as impertinence to the proud king like Gilgamesh. As if it wasn't enough to interrupt his fight against Alcides, Richard had the nerve to speak to Gilgamesh so casually, and the fact that he didn't have any ill intent made it all the more worse for the Lionheart as he earned Gilgamesh's ire every time he said what he thought without thinking.
Fortunately for Richard, Gilgamesh's ire towards him ceased the moment he heard that Richard had formed an alliance with Enkidu. Unfortunately for Richard at the same time, Gilgamesh's ire has been replaced with interest that required Richard to pass Gilgamesh' trial to prove himself worthy of becoming Enkidu's ally. Many mistook this act of Gilgamesh as something motivated by jealousy or possessiveness, but no, that wasn't the case at all.
Gilgamesh' friendship with Enkidu had already been explored and emphasized in Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia and the game Fate/Extra CCC, but it still didn't lessen my happiness when this series also showed their friendship. And this episode was no exception even if they're just showing bits of it.
For Enkidu, while they considers all living beings as friends, Gilgamesh was their greatest and only friend who they would fully open their hearts to. For Gilgamesh, Enkidu was his one and only friend, the sole person he acknowledged as his equal. Both shared a strong bond that would forever remain unchanging and cared for one another in their own way.
Therefore, Gilgamesh decided to test Richard to see that he's truly worthy of being allied to his best friend. This wasn't an act out of something petty like jealousy or possessiveness, but because Gilgamesh cared so much for Enkidu that he would always make sure that his best friend only gain and have something or someone worthy by their side. He wanted only the best for his best friend.
With the change in priority, Richard now had to deal with Gilgamesh using more of his power than before, and Richard fully understood that a split second opening would spell doom for him. The Gilgamesh who was facing him was neither arrogant nor conceited, so Richard must fully concentrated if he wants to survive. Despite knowing this full well, Richard was actually enjoying this whole situation more than anyone.
Again, the visual presentation and animation of the fight was spectacular. Even a part was already shown in the trailer, watching the full action was even more amazing. The way Gilgamesh shot his Noble Phantasms towards Richard and how the latter evaded each of them to the point he was close-up to Gilgamesh, all was animated in fluid smooth motion.
And seeing Richard used Gilgamesh's own Noble Phantasms to attack made it clear the differences between the medium he's using as a weapon. It was already strong with a mere tree branch, but using Noble Phantasms like Gilgamesh's, his fighting prowess was even more optimized. If not for that, Richard wouldn't have been able to get so close to Gilgamesh.
And not forgetting Sigma and False Assassin. Once again, their exchange was both heart-wrenching and endearing to watch. False Assassin, upon knowing that Sigma intends to save Tsubaki, a young child, decided to hold off her personal goal for the sake of assisting in Tsubaki's rescue, all for the greater good, in the name of her faith.
Seeing how determined False Assassin was in saving Tsubaki to the point she's willing to switch her priorities, Sigma couldn't help but be bewildered why she'd go that far for a child she never met and she wouldn't even gain any merit nor reward from it. So when he heard her answer, it rubbed him the wrong way as he was reminded how nobody saved him or his fellow soldiers when they were children.
Deep down, Sigma was traumatized. All his life, he had only known people who had used him for their own benefit regardless of his well-being. He had gotten used to those kind of people that he had stopped himself from expecting anything from anybody. The brief flashback showing the transition between his present and past self emphasized his longing for someone to save him from that life.
False Assassin was a true zealot, even though what happened to Sigma was not her fault at all, she believed that her immaturity was what caused her unable to save him. While her reasoning was ridiculous, this side of False Assassin slowly brought out the feelings that Sigma had long buried, influencing him to say it out, and finally helped him acknowledged his desire to be saved.
This would be my second most favorite episode. My most favorite was still episode 4. Yes, my Gilgamesh bias played a strong role here, but Richard, Jack, Sigma, and False Assassin also made this episode equally enjoyable to watch for me. The visual, the animation, and even the inclusion of the same song of Gilgamesh vs Enkidu in Whispers of Dawn, everything was so perfect. I actually hope the battle last longer. (^_^)