Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya: Vow in the Snow

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya: Oath Under Snow is an excellent watch and a must-watch for Fate fans (especially those that are following the actual Prisma Illya manga/anime). Before I continue, I will disclose the fact that I have been following the series (both manga & anime) and read the manga story-line the movie adapts so have this in mind when reading my review. Story: 10 Having read the original story prior to watching (and loved it), I had high hopes for the story's adaptation into movie format. For the most part, the movie had adapted nearly every aspect of the story save for the actual framing deviceof the story in the original source material and a few minor parts but those were not issues for me. As for the actual story, Oath Under Snow is the prequel to the events of the Prisma Illya series that tells the origins of Miyu (a main character in the aforementioned series) prior to her appearance in the actual series though the story's focus is placed on her brother, Shirou Emiya. There are some changes to certain parts of the story from the source material (with some key moments switched to other parts of the film) but I found that those changes benefited the movie in establishing certain facts (with some possibly being able to help fresh newcomers gain a grasp of the story - I can't say for certain on this point since as I've stated before, I am following the series). Overall, I give the story a 10 for how much I enjoyed this adaptation of a story I already loved. Art: 6 Firstly, bear in mind that I am not the best judge for aesthetics so take what I say with a grain of salt: This is probably the film's only real weak point. For the most part, the art was good and the animation of an acceptable quality. While nothing compared to Ufotable's animation, I found the art of the film satisfying to watch. EDIT: Upon retrospective, I would have to amend this part. The animation is not that great. The animation is not that great and definitely could be improved a lot. The direction of the main fights while good, are hampered by the film's animation. With that in mind, I'm changing the actual Art score to 6. It's fair, not great but not god awful either. I've seen god awful animation in other Fate anime and this film... is not that bad. Just not great for this arc. Sound: 10 I will have to split this part into two segments, voice and music. For voice, the voice actors pulled off amazing performances all around. Noriyaki Sugiyama especially pulls off an amazing performance as Shirou Emiya, hitting all the right notes and tones for the dialogue and monologues for his character. The only gripe I can come up with is that Kiritsugu (yes he is in this movie) comes across as lacking emotion at times but this is a negligible issue at best. As for music, it is fitting and great at setting up the tone & emotions for the scenes with a recurring Leitmotif that plays in appropriate moments in the story. The editing of the music was great as well. The best of the music in the film would have to be in the final battle of the film with every beat matching up with the scene to make for an amazing viewing experience. Even now, I still want to go back to watch the film again just to watch the climax again and see that amazing blend of visuals and music. Thus, I would give the sound a 10. Character: 10 Part of why I enjoyed the story is due to Shirou Emiya's arc in this story. I will not go into detail on Shirou here to avoid spoilers but let me just say that Shirou's arc is well-portrayed and presented in the film with stellar voice acting as mentioned before. As for the rest, they do their parts well with the Ainsworth family being antagonists with heroic goals (though being cruel enough to make Shirou sympathetic despite the implications of his success). Sakura also appears in this film too with a great performance by Noriko Shitaya, hitting the right notes and tones for her character (I wound up liking Sakura quite a bit here which is a stark contrast with my indifference to her in the original series she is from). Overall, the characters are outstanding to me at least which is why I give a score of 10. Enjoyment: 10 As someone following the manga and having read the original source material, this film was an outstanding experience for me from start to finish. As an adaptation, the film is great with key points and moments adapted well along with fitting voice acting and music throughout. I still recall sitting at the edge of my seat in sheer glee as scenes straight out of the manga are adapted into enjoyable spectacles (and as mentioned before, the film even adds on an original montage showcasing more of Shirou's battles). In the end, I was left thoroughly satisfied and happy to have seen the film in cinemas. I'll probably watch the film again in the near future. Overall, this gets a 10. Overall: 9 I enjoyed this film as a person following the original source material and its anime adaptation. Every element was done well enough to provide for a great experience that I want to relive through future re-watching. After the rather poor final episodes of 3rei during its original airing (though I hear the Blu-Ray versions are better), it is great to see Silver Link putting in such a good amount of effort to make such a satisfying final product. EDIT: Now thinking about it, here's another definitive issue. Pacing. The film goes by fast.

When I read "Prisma Illya" I immediately cringe and back away. Compared to the other fate titles, the Illya series has a very different demographic. This would be true... except this movie seems to bend the rules a bit. In fact, all I know about the Prisma Illya franchise is that its about a magical girl, but this movie has surpassed my expectations. If you are even slightly interested, then let me fully hook you in into a Fate title that has more to do with "stay/night" and "zero" than "last encore" and "apocrypha". Story: For a fate spinoff, it is surprising to see ShiroEmiya appear as the main character. The story follows him in his struggle to take back his sister who is also the ultimate wish granting advice. His means for rescuing her is by participating in the grail war. So who is his servant? Well... he doesn't really have one. Shiro literally fights with limited power against foes that have appeared throughout the fate series. So why is this a magical girl anime? It really isn't besides from the "card install" feature. I love the direction of this movie and I guarantee that you will appreciate how, instead of having a magical girl anime sprinkled with Fate elements, the anime has a strong Fate premise overshadowing a magical girl genre. (8) Art: At often times, the art is symbolic. Some key pieces of clothing act as minor plot points and this is the exact kind of usage that I admire. The character designs of the master have also sold me into appreciating this movie because seeing the masters install their servants is outright interesting. Where the art fails, however, is in the action scenes in the second half of the movie. You will find the quality of animation and art to become not only more generic but also in degraded quality. Given how Silver Link, an animation studio that does not have action as its strong suit, is mainly in charge of this movie, I might be able to let it slide. I don't ignore this mistake though because the climatic action scene near the end has the worst animation overall. (6) Sound: The sound is wonderful as it depicts the narrative in both tone and mood. The only real flaw with the sound is in the action sequences as we hear the same sword piercing noise consistently. It does not offend me because it shows how this grail war is really like a war, yet I do not think it will hurt to add some variety. (5) Character: So Illya is by far the best character in this movie... Nevermind she only appears in the last minute. Our characters are actually mostly male. This is actually a great thing for the movie since I can stop searching for who the fan service character will be. I can also focus on Shiro Emiya more and see how, instead of having a small harem, accumulate an actual relationship with a female in this movie. Furthermore, our main antagonist, whose name I cannot say out of spoiler reasons, appears to be just as interesting as this new badass version of Shiro. Look forward to seeing this new character dynamic that is, in a lot of ways, similar to Fate/Zero's two main rivals. (8) Enjoyment: I don't count my enjoyment for the overall score, but if you are curious it is a solid 7. I found the movie to be a refreshing take on the magical girl genre and the grail war archetype. I was also throughly entertained throughout the movie and I felt like I could really root for Shiro Emiya more than I did for the Shiro Emiya in Unlimited Blade Works. After watching the movie a second time, I've realized that you actually do not need to see Prisma Illya to understand what is going on. To have the full experience, however, you would need to watch Fate/Zero and/or Fate Stay/Night.

I felt disappointed in this film, and I fear that Prisma Illya may become tainted by Shirou. I feel this because Shirou is too serious. I also should mention this is NOT a filler movie, it provides backstory from the original 3rei manga for Miyu and Shirou. Story 5 Focusing on Pre-Illya Miyu and 'alternate' Shirou, this film aims to provide a decent backstory towards the two. The first half of the film focuses mainly on how Shirou meets Miyu, and the building of their relationship, despite any original intentions Shirou may of had. The second half focuses on the 'you-know-what' events in the 3reianime, showing how Shirou becomes powerful, during the 'Miyu' grail war and how Miyu manages to meet Illya, Luvia and Sapphire afterwards. The plot of this film is much more serious than the rest of Prisma, and Shirou in this universe is very Fate/Stay Nightish, so if you enjoyed that stuff and the fighting scenes (not quite as well animated as the main series however) you'll surely appreciate this more than I did. Art 7 I didn't really have any issues, what else can I say? Sound 8 I really like the OST, definitely my favourite part of the film. Character 5 Unfortunately, I do not appreciate the Shirou overtaking of Prisma Illya, but that's not the reason this gets just a 5, I honestly just find Sakura irritating, and most of the fight scenes, while referencing other characters in the Fate universe are too short to be really acknowledged. Though there are two 'major' fight scenes, of which the latter is definitely the best in this film, involving a familiar face from 3rei. I don't appreciate Shirou as much as I would do in the Fate/Stay world, and I dislike some of the other side characters anyway like Sakura. If more screen time was given to the main '3rei' cast, including some of the side characters then I'd definitely give this a higher rating. Enjoyment/Overall 5 I prefer the more laid back approach of magical girls the main series has, while many people seem to be loving this movie, the serious tone of it kind of bored me at times. It's like an hour and a half anyway, so you may as well watch it for Miyu's backstory, unless this review has somehow convinced you against watching a main-plot movie of an anime you're already 4 seasons into. I wouldn't say its a bad movie, just not fitting for what I enjoyed the other seasons for, and I tend to have limiters on my enjoyment so a 5 rating is about average for someone like me.

First and foremost, this movie is technically a prequel to the whole Fate/kaleid liner storyline. Watching this before starting the other "kaleid liner" series won't create much problem, except for the fact that you won't recognize a lot of the characters and what were their motivations behind their actions. So it is suggested you complete the previous kaleid liner series before starting this film. Story: The story of Oath Under Snow is vastly different from other F/kl parts in both tone and style. This is an origin story of Miyu, and the story is shown from the perspective of Emiya Shirou from her world. It is adarker story in tone compared to the other F/kl entries, and it looks and feels a lot similar to the style of Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night. Art: The biggest problem with this movie is how the quality of animation decreases rapidly from the beginning of the second half. Considering this a movie, the fight sequences are some of the worst among all the Fate anime. Some moments look more dated than the 2006's Fate/stay night series done by Studio Deen. It's a shame since this story deserved at least a ufotable level of animation. As an adaptation from manga, some scenes were rushed, and the breathtaking action moments felt toned down. However, if you haven't read the manga, this movie will feel really interesting and the ending will leave you satisfied. Sound: The sound quality is amazing, I have to give it to the film. It's almost a given fact that any Fate anime will have fantastic background musics, and as everyone knows, any version of the track "EMIYA" is a beast! The sound effects are also done pretty good. Character: Since this is a story from a parallel world to those of Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night, it is quite interesting to see some of our known characters from those stories portrayed in a different scenario. For all the people who have been complaining how the character Emiya Shirou is "irritating" or "generic shounen protagonist", this movie has the chance to shut them down. The Emiya Shirou in this story is the best version out of all the depiction we have come across, and the steps he takes will improve the viewers' points of view about him. Miyu's characterization is also well done. As for every other characters, they didn't have much time onscreen, and as I've mentioned before, unless you have prior knowledge about them, their reasoning for their actions won't appeal much to you. Enjoyment: Now, this adaptation is not as good as its source material, and sudden decrease in the quality of animation might turn down your mood. Even considering that, the movie actually has good enjoyment values. There are some moments which will hit you emotionally. These moments combined with good background musics saved this movie for me, and took it up to a level of satisfaction. So, if you are a Fate or Type-Moon fan, you will have good time watching it. If you are not one of the Fate fans yet love enjoying good anime, this can be worth your time only after you watch some other Fate stories before.