Heaven's Feel: The Route That Changed EVERYTHING 

I couldn't imagine Shirou saying anything like that! Someday I have to sit down with the VN and not get back up until it's over.

@@AnimeInRetrospect the movies really did the novel dirty. Especially with anything involving Kirei or Illya, because the director is a Sakura fanboy.

@@vicount3944 Illya I can tell got gipped pretty bad, although her goodbye is still super memorable.

I really wanted Illya to sing Die Loreilei while she walks with Shirou and Shirou thinking how happy would it be if there's a Kiritsugu between them

@@kennichigatchalian6710 Can't be mad about the Iri moment though! Too wholesome.

It's a masterpiece as a movie trilogy. But as a plot, compared to the source material, is hollow. Empty.

Where do I watch it?

Just gonna say I liked the portrayal of Shinji more in the movies since the prologue gave quite a lot of subtle hints and expressions Shinji had overtime while he and Shirou were still friends.

Thanks! And nice Mashu avatar.

Personally, I loved the first two movies but I heavily dislike the final movie, mostly because of how they ended it. [VN spoilers below] Warning: Very, very long. . . . . . The main reason why I disliked it was because of how horribly they treated some of the amazing scenes that [HF] had in the VN. The main two are A: Nine Lives Blade Works and B: Shirou bringing down his arm on Saber. Shirou's NLBW was amazing because of Shirou's monologue and the Anime just cut it out entirely so that's my main reason why I don't like it. To be honest, I much prefer when UFOTABLE animated NLBW back in 2007 for the Heaven's Feel OP. As for Shirou bringing his arm down, it was literally just that, but SO MUCH MORE IN THE VN!!! I wish they actually showed the flashbacks to his times with Saber but alas, they didn't so it lost pretty much everything. And lastly, my biggest criticism (Although it's mostly a me only thing). HF has two endings (Although assuming you, the reader, has played through the VN): Normal end and True end, which, the movies adapt. I VASTLY prefer the Normal end over the True not just because I as a person like bittersweet endings, but it's what Sakura as a person needs. A little while ago, I watched a video analyzing Chapter ii (link at bottom), lost butterfly. The main idea of it, is: "Sakura believes that she herself is a bad person." If you listen to the ed for the final film, Haru wa Yuku (which is sung from Sakura's perspective, amazing song btw), there is a line which is something like: "I wish to be broken and reborn.", adding more support onto the claim that she thinks she's a bad person. Adding on the fact that she thinks that she's "dirty" (Zouken & Shinji's assault towards her), she also hates herself because there is a dark side to her in which she's taken nearly countless lives, she really wishes for punishment and atonement. Going back to the video I brought up, he said that because of what she thinks of herself, the only way to end Heaven's Feel is for her to save herself, or at least, atone. And the True end decides to do the exact opposite. Shirou being the white night he is, obviously, saves her, and she receives zero punishment nor atonement for her to gain peace of mind. The Normal end actually does this, however, and that's why I think of it as the better ending overall. Also the true end is just weird. The way Nasu threw in the characters from Kara no Kyoukai was, well, weird to say the least but that's neither here nor there. TL;DR: Final movie's bad because of the way the adapt it and also because they adapt, in my opinion, the wrong ending. Referenced video by @Under the Scope: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BQ1sj1kUsRw.html

​@rienneda In a sense she didn't need atonement because speaking in IRL terms the psychological damage she had was so severe that it placed her on the possibility spectrum of having a personality disorder considering the Shadow acted on her behave automatically and independently Atonement implies she did things willingly and felt bad for it While the true ending correctly provides her the mental support she needs As a toddler she was dumped into a pit with worms being entered from every possible opening Saw grotesque worm monsters as she was infested and violated Kariya who was attempted to save her failed Her older sister did nothing And her biological parents died She then goes on to be repeatedly raped by her adoptive brother Also gets drugged by him And then the guy she loves holds a knife over her which meant he already contemplated killing her She runs back home and she is instantly met with her abusive surrogate brother ready to drug and rape her again Like it's absolutely ridiculous That would have made anyone crazy And she is trying to hold it together the best she can The girl can not be blamed When she breaks its not because she's bad it's because she's pissed off as fuck and has had enough And what brings her down is her sister refusing to kill her and her guy still trying to help and save her The fact that at that stage in the game Zouken is still a worm inside her is fucking ridiculous the girl can not catch a break

@@rienneda I understand why you said 2 endings, but not even an honorable mention for sparks liner high end? Sure it's not the flashiest fight, but I think that's the scene that shines brightest with the inner dialogs.

Same FAM same, saved it all to my phone

Thanks! KnK is eternal.

Thank you! The music really does set the tone for Spring Song.

Even with Zero being one of the most well-crafted anime of its time, I still never saw this coming. I still find new things that amaze me each time I watch it.

I always joke that the Fate route is easily the best because it's the only one where Illya survives.

Read fate kalied man~ happiest Illya you can get

@@AnimeInRetrospect It always irks me that even when everyone survives either none of them are aware or they just don't acknowledge their blood relationship.

@Lord Inquisitor Shadowlord Doesn't matter, he has no idea who his sister is.

There is a dead-end called the "Mind of Steel", where Shirou goes with the choice of killing Sakura, and then slaughter everybody else as well. So yeah, even the hero of justice strays from the path sometimes :DDD

Thank you so much.

@@AnimeInRetrospect the infamous Mapo Tafu scene for you. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PxSgw3XbFS0.html

Thank you!

Thanks! Someday I’ll sit down with the entire VN.

I don't hate him especially after reading the VN more like pity

Should have thrown him in the bug pit.

Thanks for the kind words! HF has had many effects on me, but I think becoming more of a Sakura fan is the main thing it did for me as well.

Thanks! Next video is already in the works.

Hollow Ataraxia turned that up to 100 for me

May they never know the details of what was going on inside Sakura

I've never heard anyone say that, and I don't think even the stupidest asswool can say such stupid things

over the top? unrealistic? in an anime? they haven't watched enough anime yet then

People never admit is the worst route because Sakura is the most loved in Fate,i be blessed with the REAL Reality and people never know it

@@umekomashimotoromero7451How is it the worst route?

I feel like Ufotable assumed that the people watching the movies had already seen Fate/Zero, and sort of depicted Kirei with that context, since Zero explores many of those aspects of Kirei in great depth.. While I don’t think it’s as ideal as reading the Visual Novel, I do think that anime-onlys watching in order of Fate/Zero->UBW->Heaven’s Feel will come away with a mostly comprehensive understanding of his character. But I do still wish Kirei was given more focus in the HF films, even if every scene he’s in is pretty great, just because he’s one of my favorite villains and his role in the VN is so perfect.

Being sadistic to the point of wishing it was you who killed your wife that you married out of a thought experiment to see if it would change you and then abandoning your daughter is not caused by a Catholic upbringing I'm pretty sure most societies operate in terms of wishing you killed your wife and being a dead beat father as somethings that are not morally good

Maybe... Prillya's story isn't over but it also doesn't have a clear end in sight. So... maybe. :)

Yeah. She's the one who finish Zouken off and put an inevitable count down on Kirei

Agree, Medea is totally broken. Goes to show how ridiculous top tier mages were in the age of the gods, I guess. Probably the only other caster who compares to Medea is Solomon and he's strengthened to a ridiculous degree by the belief of every magus in his magecraft foundation. Realistically if the guy who summoned her was less of a douche they would have easily won the war outright, though I guess you could say the same about Illya and Heracles if she summoned him into the archer class.

What's the first NP? The Artificial one? Pd: And She did all that whitout a Proper Master 😆 Kuzuki was just there for...? Emocional Support? I guess

@@adraxer1365 The ANP she made allowed her to weaponize Shirou's unique potential as she made it with him as the core.

@@grimm_satisfaction1292 Damn that's Dark, Like Roche in Apocrypha?

@@adraxer1365 Sort of, yeah

I actually haven't read any of KnK. For now I've just stuck with the anime since I still get something new out of it every time I watch it, but I will have to sit down and actually read it someday.

She very much reminds me of asuka Langley from nge, but a more level headed version.

Great picks! Some of these definitely aren’t popular choices, which I totally appreciate.

Thank you! Heaven's Feel is about the only part of the VN I've read (only some), but I never touched the normal end. It'll be fun to read it one day!

@@AnimeInRetrospect Is there a playthrough or a essay you've made? Would love to hear your thoughts about the VN and the differences in the adaptation. P.S. if you are a Saber fan, make sure to 100% the game to get the "Last Episode"

@@paulwin9036 Sadly no. Maybe it’s about time to bite the bullet and just play it, though.

@@AnimeInRetrospect bruh. You are leaving peak fiction on the lay side. Read it Also, read the mature but censored H content version. The love scenes are notoriously bad. The new ones that replace them are so much better and you lose little to now lore.

The reason Rider is so much stronger in Heaven’s Feel is because she gets to actually be Sakura’s servant this time around. In the other routes, Sakura is still the true master who summoned her, but Shinji is the one supplying her with mana and controlling her. For all intents and purposes, he is her master in Fate and UBW. In Presage Flower, Saber rocks Rider during their first encounter; Shinji is Medusa’s de-facto master at the time. That’s why her power increases so much once Sakura takes the reigns. All the “shock” deaths definitely threw me for a loop. Thanks for the comment!

@@AnimeInRetrospect How have I missed that myself ?? Literally finished UBW and watched both the Deen one and the Ufotable yet somehow forgot that Masters affect the Servant's power cause of their mana 🤦 Thanks for reminding me, I looked like an idiot right there that's for sure (and I'll accept that). In that case I guess I'll give HF an extra point for attention to detail to like this since they never state it.

@@thegamerfe8751 To be fair, Fate’s magic system is quite undefined. It’s almost impossible to keep track of every little thing in it. Strangely, that’s why I like it so much.

@@AnimeInRetrospect Haha true dat. Though one thing you can keep track of is as Taiga said, Sakura's E-Cups lmao.

The VN version of HF and the video fate extra handle it way better

Here’s the explanation: Shirou’s body was destroyed because of the use of the arm, however Ilya used Heaven’s Feel (the third magic) to purify the Grail and save Shirou’s soul from passing on, along with the help of Archer (from his spirit form). Shriou’s soul was recovered and Rin spent a long while searching for someone who specialized in created body dummies (although I believe are made flesh through magic) and found that person. A new body was made and Shirou’s soul was placed in it, forming to that of what Shirou would have looked like. So he began a new life with Sakura. It should have been done better, with an extra 5 to 10 minutes to show it.

@@tjjordan4207 Oh really? But none of that is explained is it? I’ll have to rewatch the movies and pay attention.

The dolls arn't explained in the HF movies Watch the Kara no Kyoukai film series and you will understand everything about Aozaki Touko and her dolls.

I agree with this except for the interpretation for UBW, it's not that Shirou overcomes EMIYA by offering alterations, but by him finding intrinsic value in the pursuit of his dream of saving everyone itself even if it is a impossible dream. I think it is more a test of conviction, he finds beauty in his ideals in spite of it's hypocrisy.

You will get more out of it by watching Fate/stay night (2006), Fate/Zero, and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works. However, it works just fine as a standalone film trilogy. Saber route is Fate/stay night (2006).

This take is highly specific and quite unique, but I can’t say I disagree lol.

😂😂😂😭😭😭

The way you describe Kiritsugu vs. Kirei in the LN makes me wanna check it out. I think you’re the second person to explain to me that Kirei is meant to be the inverse of Shirou, so I understand his character much better than when I wrote the video. I guess I’m still hung up on what the point of Nasu even making an “anti Shirou” is.

@@AnimeInRetrospect As he described the deeds of a heroes are only as shining when contrasted with the villain they fight. So he believed that Kirei is neccesary to cast a shade around Shirou's light. Forgive my rather forced metaphor. In the VN, Shirou is a deeply introspective person. He's snarky even if sometimes oblivious. In a way Shirou is his own worst enemy. The VN makes sure to reinforce this through the fact that Shirou always considers overcoming his own self the true battle. If you want to check the VN out, keep in mind the story was written in the early 2000s. A few things which seemed obvious then may not be taken the same now. Also, pages upon pages of internal thoughts as expositon. Sometimes a split second scene has Shirou thinking a TED talk's worth of stuff.The VN is quite verbose in general. It establishes rules, explain their intricacies whenever it oould.

It is an alternate version of the same setting as Blade Works.

@@AnimeInRetrospect ohhh I get it now. What do I watch after tho

@@soirelsoney1318 Pretty much anything else in the series is fine once you’ve consumed Fate/Zero and the adaptations of the visual novel.

Nyaa Qbittorrent Basically any Anime can be accessed within minutes.

That’s a question that really requires general Type-Moon knowledge to answer well. Basically, though, Rin and Sakura get the help of Touko Aozaki to do the thing with Shirou. She’s a character from outside the Fate series. It has to do with the Third Magic and Shirou’s soul existing in a different plane, independent of his body, after his fight with Kirei. Touko then essentially puts his soul into a compatible “doll”, and he kind of gets to be alive again. It’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s the gist.

You pretty much get it. Fate is adapted from an original visual novel named Fate/stay night. This VN has 3 different routes (or as you put it, realities) that are 3 different versions/possibilities of the same setting. That setting is the 5th Fuyuki Holy Grail War. The first route is the Fate route, which isn't on your list of watched Fate anime. The 2nd route is UBW, and the third is Heaven's Feel. So yes, Heaven's Feel is a different possibility from UBW like you guessed, but it is the third possibility in the sequence. You might want to watch the original Fate/stay night anime from 2006! And Fate/Zero is a prequel to all 3, FYI.

@@AnimeInRetrospect this is so helpful, thank you so much! That’s fucking awesome. Any recommendations what to watch next?

@@ryanestabrooke111 Definitely Fate/stay night (2006). This way you can round out the main series' anime and delving into further Fate anime will be more accessible. It's always nice to understand references going forward!

I like that the routes are competitive in terms of quality! That way they're all good, rather than there being a more "definitive" route.

There isn't really a previous war since UBW and Fate routes are different variations of the same scenario as Heaven's Feel. Unless you're talking about the war in Fate/Zero, in which case, dead. But even if you mean UBW or Fate, also definitely dead haha.

@@AnimeInRetrospect I did mean Zero lol. I was so confused when Hasan appeared in this trilogy because I was like "wait.... didn't Iskandar kill him!?"

@@alexanderrahl7034 I see where your confusion is now. There are many different Hassan servants. The one in Zero is Hassan of the Hundred Faces. The one in Heaven’s Feel is Hassan of the Cursed Arm. Two different Heroic Spirits. Hope that clears it up!

@@AnimeInRetrospect ohhh okay. Considering the Old Man of the Mountain's history, I suppose that makes sense. I just figured Kirei did some Kirei things again lmao

It (used to be anyways, but you know how the fate series is with setting you rules and then breaking them) that a Hassan is the only heroic spirits that qualifies as a candidate for Assassin. Because a truly great Assassin is never caught, or their identity ever known, thus its normally impossible for any assassin the gain the fame needed to become etched in the throne of heroes. The only exception was instead of an unknown individual assassin, but a group of unknown assassins, the Hassassin, from which the word assassin is derived.

This video was trash and the Heaven's Feel Movies are horrible adaptations

@@henicklow1086 how's this video trash cause he choose to give his opinion? The only sucky one is heavens feel 3. Heavens feel 1 and 2 did good

@@whateverwhatever4476 Yeah HF 1 and 2 were good HF3 is bad. Video is okay

@@henicklow1086 Yeah video is good man.

@@Elasticlag23 Huh? No that part was fine. I mean the bad part of the middle of the route (movie 2).

I put Zero first, and while the 2006 anime has plenty to like about it, most people can skip it.

@@budthecyborg4575 watching Zero first spoils you on basically every mystery and revelation in F/SN. I know its the most popular and its the reason many people even got into fate, but we have a duty as fans going forward not to allow others to be spoiled as we were.

@@videotroll72 Unlimited Bladeworks also spoils Fate Zero, whereas the best twist in the series is Unlimited Bladeworks, and Fate Zero doesn't spoil that so I have no problem recommending Zero first and Unlimited Bladeworks second.

@@budthecyborg4575 What does UBW "spoil" about Zero?

@@videotroll72 Tells you who lives.

Yeah haha, I don’t quite mean it in that way. I guess what I’m trying to get across is that HF reaches that same ultra dramatic peak that makes Mexican soap operas infamous, but through legitimate means instead of kitsch and operatic levels of drama for the sake of it. 🤣

@@AnimeInRetrospect hahahahaa i got that, i loved the video btw, some things you stated passed me by in the 2 times i watched the movies. i said that in more of explaining what we think when you refer to it, i imagined that you were saying that as a sort of compliment, just wanted to state that in Brazil, it mean the extreme opposite of it XD here, the only compliment to a drama i can remember is relating it to Shakespeare (even though most Brazilian never read Shakespeare)