I purchased a copy of the Type-Moon Magazine, Volume 4, which came with a neat calendar showcasing artwork from their various projects.

There was one illustration for every two months.

[Fate/stay night UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS]

[Fate/EXTRA]

[Sound Drama Fate/Zero]

[CANAAN]

[Fate/stay night]

[Witch on the Holy Night]

[MELTY BLOOD Actress Again]

It’s perfect for Type-Moon fans and the only calendar I’ll be needing this year.

It was my first time seeing this concept art a few days back, and I must say that this makes much more sense.

Since King Arthur was supposed to be male, this Saber fits the role better in that regard. What would his personality have been like? I could easily imagine him having a Shirou/Archer-type disposition, or maybe he would have been similar to the female Saber.

As for the female protagonist, Ayaka would have been an interesting choice instead of Shirou. Quite possibly less whiny and wearing glasses is always a plus.

It seems like the only reason they swapped the genders around and changed the characters was to make the Fate story into an eroge.

Nasu (writer of the Fate storyline) stated:

“Even though sometimes he [Takeuchi] says impossible things, at the time the concept seemed simply ridiculous. Turning Saber into a girl, that’d completely destroy Fate! At first I was very against the idea, but after a while, I thought some of the difficulties that might arise could be resolved.”

It’s a pity Type-moon hasn’t made an alternate version of Fate/stay night using the initial concept characters.

Source: Type-Moon Wiki

I was bored, so I took a quick look at the current round in ISML 2010. This will actually be the first time I’m participating and casting some votes.

The current round didn’t have any really difficult pairings for me. I noticed that Saber, Rin, and Illya were all there. Saber and Rin were easy picks, but unfortunately for Illya, I like Mio more.

Here’s what I voted:

ARENA 01: [Tōsaka Rin] Ikaros
ARENA 02: [Fujibayashi Kyō] Maria
ARENA 03: [Sakurano Kurimu] Fujibayashi Ryō
ARENA 04: [Sunohara Mei] Fate Testarossa
ARENA 05: Fukuji Mihoko [Nakano Azusa]
ARENA 06: Takamachi Nanoha [C.C.]
ARENA 07: Furude Rika [Nagato Yuki]
ARENA 08: Hiiragi Kagami [Saten Ruiko]
ARENA 09: Louise Vallière [Shiina Mafuyu]
ARENA 10: [Shiina Minatsu] Ichinose Kotomi
ARENA 11: [Senjōgahara Hitagi] Hiiragi Tsukasa
ARENA 12: [Sanzen'in Nagi] Furude Hanyū
ARENA 13: [Akaba Chizuru] Furukawa Nagisa
ARENA 14: [Suzumiya Haruhi] Okazaki Ushio
ARENA 15: [Aisaka Taiga] Saginomiya Isumi
ARENA 16: Shana [Kawashima Ami]
ARENA 17: Asahina Mikuru [Katsura Hinagiku]
ARENA 18: Ibuki Fūko [Saber]
ARENA 19: [Sengoku Nadeko] Haramura Nodoka
ARENA 20: [Misaka Mikoto] Kushieda Minori
ARENA 21: [Minami Chiaki] Izumi Konata
ARENA 22: Hirasawa Ui [Holo]
ARENA 23: [Akiyama Mio] Illyasviel von Einzbern
ARENA 24: Konjiki no Yami [Sakagami Tomoyo]
ARENA 25: [Hirasawa Yui] Nymph
ARENA 26: [Maetel] Nausicaä

I mostly put a bias in favor of characters from more recent series, and characters from series that I actually know.

On the Rules page, I saw the schedule and was surprised at the large number of rounds. Thus, I probably won’t be posting about this again until the finals.

So until then, let’s see how far Saber can go!

Image Source: Danbooru

Good Smile Company has showcased two new Fate/stay night figures at the Tokyo Anime Fair this year.

They are 1/7 scale PVC figures of Tohsaka Rin and Saber Alter.

You can compare the figure to the illustration of her from the Unlimited Blade Works movie.

An excellent rendition of Tohsaka Rin by Good Smile Company with her flowing hair very well done. I’m highly anticipating how the painted version turns out.

As for Saber Alter, she’ll go nicely as a set with the previous GSC Saber figures since this one is also 1/7 scale.

Saber Alter has vastly different coloring from the normal Armored Saber and Saber Lily, so this trio should make an excellent set for displaying purposes. However, it’s hard to judge this figure unpainted since it bears a somewhat close resemblance to the previous 1/7 scale Sabers, so we’ll have to see how she turns out.

Check out more coverage of the Tokyo Anime Fair 2010 at Wcloudx (kumo)!

Image Sources: Wcloudx (kumo), Fate/stay night – UBW Official Site

The two 1-hour long Fate/stay night TV Reproduction OVAs have been released and subbed.

The first noticeable difference is the newly redone OP and ED. You can view them here at one of my previous posts.

Each OVA summarizes 12 episodes of the 24-episode TV series that aired back in 2006. It has been awhile since I’ve last seen the anime, which made it somewhat difficult to pick out the limited new scenes that are included in the OVAs.

For the most part, the OVAs are the major scenes and battles from the TV series all cropped out and linked together. Considering that they’re trying to stuff 8 hours of content into only 2 hours, many things had to be left out.

It felt like it was constantly jumping from battle to battle nonstop. If you’re new to Fate/stay night, you’re better off playing the visual novel or watching the TV series. Without prior knowledge, it’ll be hard to keep up with what’s going on in these OVAs. Otherwise, it’s a good refresher to put you in the mood for the Unlimited Blade Works movie.

On an ending note, I thought these OVAs were well done and served their purpose as a summary of the TV series. The animations, plot, characters, and setting are all the same as before. I liked Fate/stay night back then, and I still do now.

The OP single for the Fate/stay night TV reproduction has been released as well!

Title: Fate-stay Night reproduction OP Single – disillusion -2010-
Artist: Tainaka Sachi
Street Release Date: January 22, 2010

Tracklist:

1. disillusion -2010-

2. Kumo no Kakera

3. disillusion -2010- (instrumental)
4. Kumo no Kakera (instrumental)

It’s now available for download over at Nipponsei, but you know that you have to buy the CD. Especially since it’s Fate/stay night.

Kumo no Kakera is the 2nd ED for the TV reproduction, while With… is the 1st ED.

With… by Jyukai feat

Considering that the original disillusion was Tainaka Sachi’s debut album, it’s interesting to listen to both to compare and contrast. I prefer this new version, but that’s just me.

Now waiting on subs for the Fate/stay night TV reproduction…

The main theme for the Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works movie is out!

Title: Fate-stay Night Unlimited Blade Works Main Theme Single – Voice ~Tadori Tsuku Basho~
Artist: Tainaka Sachi
Street Release Date: January 20, 2010

Tracklist:

1. Voice ~Tadori Tsuku Basho~

2. Sunao ni Natte

3. Voice ~Tadori Tsuku Basho~ (instrumental)
4. Sunao ni Natte (instrumental)

You can download the single over at Nipponsei, but I strongly urge you to purchase it as well. It’s well worth it!

Now we just have to wait for the movie to be released on DVD or Blu-ray.

As we’re nearing the movie release date of 1/23/2010, a new trailer appears on the main site for the Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works movie.

Although many other blogs have already posted about it, I just had to as well for obvious reasons. I first saw this over at the Nest of the Fledging Otaku and zotaku.

The animation/visuals look amazing, bravo. I only played the Fate route on the VN, so this should be interesting to watch.

See the trailer and more at http://www.fatestaynight.jp/. Seems to show some movie-related products as well.

Image Source: Toranoana

Time sure does pass by quickly when we don’t think about it.

Highlights of 2009 for me include essentially completing college (only 1 class my final semester), starting this blog, founding Figure Haven, and attending conventions for the first time (Anime Expo and Blizzcon).

My resolutions for 2010 include getting a job once I graduate, traveling to Japan and Europe, and finishing some of my side projects. What were some of your highlights and/or resolutions?

Happy New Year everyone and here’s to a great 2010!

Image Source: Safebooru

Good Smile Company has another Saber figure in the works yet again. This will be a 1/7 scale figure named Saber ~The Promised Sword of Victory Excalibur~.

The preview looks amazing with the dynamic pose of Saber executing her finishing blow. Since this will be the same scale as their previous Saber Lily ~Distant Avalon~ figure, they’ll complement each other perfectly. It just goes to show that GSC really has perfected the art of making Saber figures.

The only downside is that we probably won’t be seeing this released anytime soon (sometime in 2010).

Going along with the subject of Fate/stay night, GSC also has a nendoroid puchi set scheduled for release in 2010.

These are good times for Fate/stay night fans.

News/Image Source: Wcloudx (kumo)