But the film's fast-paced plot and dazzling visuals were enough to make people overlook these minor details and immerse themselves in the movie.
"Perhaps this is the sense of realism the film industry has always been striving for."
Natsuo Takayanagi sighed and stopped writing, gently nudging his glasses up with one hand.
"All right, let's see how you wrap this up. Don't go all out in the beginning only to botch the ending."
The film Natsuo had called an industry-changing masterpiece didn't disappoint him. Gilgamesh had appeared.
Golden armor, a disdainful and arrogant expression, and Noble Phantasms filling the sky...
"You mongrels deserve to die!"
As the brazen line rang out, the King swept his arm, and a torrential rain of Noble Phantasms came crashing down.
For a moment, the whole screen was filled with the dazzling forms of all kinds of Noble Phantasms.
Gilgamesh—the arrogant, golden, and glittering King who held an important place in the Fate series—made a stunning entrance.
Who Was This Man in the Blue Bodysuit?
From a storytelling perspective, Gilgamesh's entrance as the final boss was a little abrupt.
After all, films had limited runtimes. To give the audience a good viewing experience, they usually introduced the final boss right at the beginning. Plenty of superhero movies even put the character's name in the subtitle.
Even if the plot was going to spring a twist at the end, the character would at least appear early on, giving the audience time to get familiar with them.
But Shinji's Fate/Stay Night didn't do that. Gilgamesh made his dazzling entrance just like that.
There was no buildup, no prior scene to set him up. He simply appeared on the big screen.
Shinji believed that Gilgamesh's character had to come out of nowhere to deliver the greatest shock and make sure the audience never forgot him.
"Who's this arrogant guy?"
Sure enough, the moment Gilgamesh appeared, he drew everyone's attention.
That golden armor was so bright it practically lit up the theater like daylight. That alone was enough to make Gilgamesh impossible to ignore.
"So he's the final boss, then. What an unexpected twist." Natsuo's lips twitched. "This director really likes surprising plot developments."
From the moment the movie began, Natsuo had been trying to guess how it would end. More precisely, which Servant Saber would face in the final battle.
He'd ruled out Rider, who had appeared midway through the story. The character looked like a mid-story boss, no matter how he looked at it.
Lancer was also a possibility. It wasn't unheard of for the first enemy to become the opponent in the final battle. But Natsuo felt that Lancer lacked the presence of a true final villain.
Natsuo had also considered Archer. A comrade-in-arms turning against the others at the end could have become an emotional test for the protagonist's group.
Unfortunately, Archer's departure had made that theory impossible.
Actually, Natsuo had thought Berserker was the most likely candidate for the final battle.
Heracles, the most famous hero from Greek mythology, fit the definition of a final boss in both appearance and presence.
Who could've guessed that the dark-skinned giant would be killed off by the plot before the hero and heroine?
Seven Kills with One Sword... Was that some strange unit of measurement?
Before Gilgamesh appeared, Natsuo had even thought the final battle would take place at Ryuudou Temple, where Saber would face Caster.
The movie had hinted that Caster and Assassin had joined forces. A final showdown with Saber fighting the two of them would've been exciting, too.
But the plot's development had gone far beyond Natsuo's expectations.
The protagonist's group returned to the Emiya Residence, where Caster ambushed them. The woman, completely hidden beneath her hood, planned to take Saber and make her into her own Servant.
But before the audience could figure out what was going on—or before Shirou Emiya on screen could make a decision—Gilgamesh barged in.
One glance was all it took for Natsuo to know that this fellow, who practically had his nostrils pointed at the sky, was the film's final boss. That golden aura alone put him on another level compared to the other Heroic Spirits.
It was like that Purple Sweet Potato Spirit in The Avengers. The moment he appeared, the audience knew he was the big bad, because his whole look was completely different from the other heroes'.
And this golden, glittering Heroic Spirit with the broom-shaped hair didn't disappoint Natsuo.
The Noble Phantasms flying through the sky and the thunderous explosions as they struck the ground made him feel the thrill of his blood boiling all over again.
The courtyard and part of the Emiya Residence were reduced to rubble in the explosions. Caster, the Mysterious Beauty who'd appeared less than five minutes ago, was impaled like a skewer. But the audience only wanted to applaud and cheer.
The dazzling spectacle and explosions sent their adrenaline soaring, and they were loving every second of it.
Gilgamesh's overwhelming presence won the audience over the moment he made his move.
"How is Saber supposed to beat such a powerful enemy?"
Gilgamesh's strength was plain for everyone to see. Saber's swordsmanship was extraordinary, but even she was powerless against the torrential rain of Noble Phantasms.
Before she could even reach Gilgamesh, she was already covered in wounds and down on one knee.
But Gilgamesh remained completely at ease. He raised his hand again to fire his Noble Phantasms, and the shadow of death fell over the protagonist's group.
At that moment, Shirou Emiya stepped forward once more, preparing to use a Projected Noble Phantasm to fight Gilgamesh.
Unfortunately, Shirou wasn't on the UBW Route. His Projection skills couldn't compare to those of that Man with a Back View. He'd barely managed to project the Sword in the Stone before Gilgamesh struck him down and left him gravely wounded.
Just as the audience outside the screen was beginning to despair, all of the Magic Circuits in Shirou's body sprang to life. He projected the EX-class Noble Phantasm hidden within him for years—Avalon.
Gilgamesh had plenty of Noble Phantasms, but none could break through the not-so-large Golden Scabbard. In the end, he could only withdraw in disappointment.
Gilgamesh had spent less than fifteen minutes on screen from his entrance to his departure, yet he'd already been portrayed as the Hero King to perfection.
The audience was also very pleased with the film's final boss. Even after he left the screen, they kept talking about him.
A few audience members even applauded when Golden Flash, that arrogant fellow, was put in his place.
They were all fans who'd been won over by Saber. They'd disliked Gilgamesh from the start.
Who did that golden show-off think he was? How dare he try to steal their Saber?
"Hmm... Looks like my changes worked out all right."
Seeing the audience's reaction, Shinji nodded slightly.
Caster's entrance at the start of the scene had been copied from the Fate Route game, but Shinji had rewritten the ending himself.
There was no helping it. The film's runtime didn't allow for scenes of Shirou and Saber going on dates, so Shinji had simply combined Gilgamesh's first two appearances.
After all, in most commercial movies, the hero and heroine naturally ended up together after all the adventures they'd gone through. The story wouldn't feel too abrupt even without a dating scene.
Still, Shinji had left Gilgamesh a little face. When Shirou projected Avalon, Gilgamesh didn't use Ea, and Avalon's reflected attack didn't hit him either.
In the game, Gilgamesh had been wounded and forced to retreat. In the film, his departure felt more like he'd simply gotten bored and decided to leave.
After all, he was the film's final boss. Shinji still had to preserve some of Gilgamesh's dignity and imposing aura before Saber eventually cut him down.
"Gilgamesh is so handsome!" A girl's excited voice reached Shinji in the back row. "Is he a new member of that J-pop Group?"
At that, an idea stirred in Shinji's mind.
There was no denying Gilgamesh's good looks. Otherwise, Goddess Ishtar wouldn't have proposed to him.
Putting his awful personality aside, Shinji had to admit that Gilgamesh was better-looking than he was.
That face of his... Maybe I can make use of it.
Shinji patted the notebook he always carried with him, and a promotional plan for the film began to take shape in his mind.
At the Tokyo preview screening, Aoko sat in her seat and murmured, "That Heroic Spirit called Gilgamesh looks really strong. I'd love to fight him and see how I do..."
"Shut up!"
Azu had lost track of how many times she'd scolded Aoko for disturbing the movie.
I've decided. Once the movie's released, I'm coming back to watch it again by myself.
Azu made this decision with an expressionless face.
The film on the screen wasn't over yet. Gilgamesh had only withdrawn; he hadn't been defeated. As the protagonist, Saber would surely face him head-on in an epic King vs King showdown.
As for the male lead, Shirou Emiya, he was playing the role of the heroine in most commercial films—kidnapped by the villain and held hostage while Saber came to rescue him.
Luckily, Cú Chulainn still had a hero's principles. He turned against the enemy and helped the hero and heroine escape danger.
"Heh heh."
Seeing himself appear on screen again, Cú Chulainn puffed out his chest proudly.
Just look at Yan Qing and Red A beside him. One had lost three-quarters of his scenes, while the other's farewell had been cut down to nothing but a moment returning to the Hall of Heroes.
By comparison, Cú Chulainn still had plenty of presence.
"Archer, Assassin, don't be jealous. They'll put your scenes back in when the extended version comes out~ Hahaha!" Cú Chulainn covered his mouth and laughed at Red A and Little Yi Ge.
"Who's that guy? Was he even in the movie?"
"He was there when he first showed up, wasn't he? Feels like that was a lifetime ago."
"Come on, they could've given his screen time to Gilgamesh. He's way hotter than this weirdo in a bodysuit."
The conversation among the audience members in the front row made Cú Chulainn's face darken.
"Pfft—"
Red A chuckled, rubbing his chin. Cú Chulainn had just mocked him, and now he felt completely at ease.
"You should be glad you even got to appear. Otherwise, the audience would've forgotten you."
"That's still better than you! You vanished halfway through!"
Cú Chulainn grabbed him around the neck to get revenge.
"Stop fooling around, you two."
As Yan Qing tried to break them up, he took the opportunity to kick Cú Chulainn in the leg a few times. The whole scene quickly descended into chaos.
The Heroic Spirits bickering in the back row didn't catch the attention of the audience in front. At that moment, everyone was focused on the film's final showdown.
Saber and Shirou charged into Ryuudou Temple. Waiting for them were Gilgamesh, the strongest Heroic Spirit, and the priest Kirei Kotomine.
The theater fell completely silent. Everyone stared at the screen, eager to see how the protagonists would defeat their enemies and how this unprecedented film would end.
In the end, Director Matou Shinji didn't disappoint. He delivered an extremely exciting final battle for the audience.
At first, Saber and Shirou were no match for their enemies. They spent the entire first half of the battle being pushed back.
But when the most dangerous moment arrived, both of them unleashed their inner potential and turned the entire battle around with Avalon.
"Ex—calibur!!"
As Saber roared, the Golden Sword of Victory sliced Gilgamesh in half with a single stroke.
At the same time, on the other side, after the scabbard purged the Black Mud, Shirou Emiya stabbed the priest with a short sword.
"That's a bit clichéd..."
Those were the audience members who thought the comeback felt forced.
"Master and Servant's Mutual Understanding... That's so moving..."
Those were the audience members who were completely absorbed in the film.
"So that's how Magecraft can be used?"
Those were the audience members who knew Magecraft.
Clichéd or touching, the protagonists defeating the villains was what the audience wanted to see deep down. It was also the happy ending they hoped for.
But Master Shinji had no intention of letting the audience have their way.
When the Holy Grail War ended and the morning sun rose again, Saber, a Heroic Spirit, smiled and said goodbye to her Master.
"Shirou..."
Calling her Master by name, the Blue-clothed Knight vanished into the sunlight along with the breeze.
Fame Within the Industry
As Bedivere's soft singing began, FSN's theme song, Disillusion, started playing in the theater.
To better match the faint sadness at the end of Fate, Shinji had specifically chosen the 2007 Symphonic Version.
Shinji had spent quite a bit of money to recreate the music from his memories.
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