First Look: A Review of @DarkHorseComics Fate/Zero Volume 2 by Gen Urobuchi

Post by Hannah Heath

Who likes the anime Fate/Zero by Gen Urobuchi? To those of you who answered yes, stick around. You’ll want to know about this. To those of you who answered no, go ahead and carry on with your business. Wait. That’s really bad marketing. Errr….Let’s try this: If you answered no, keep reading. You may find yourself with a new fandom on your hands.

Dark Horse –  the publishing house that has brought us Hellboy, Conan, Buffy, and many more – has in imprint dedicated entirely to turning out manga. It is creatively titled “Dark Horse Manga.”

They have recently seen fit to endow us with the manga adaptation of the popular Fate/Zero anime. I just recently read volume 2 and thought they did an exceptional job.

The fourth Holy Grail War has begun as fierce warriors from all ages clash in this tournament to the death. Seven magi and their summoned heroes will engage in mortal combat and the last pair standing will win the grail and have any one wish granted to them.

The first large battle of the competition begins as the honorable warriors Lancer and Saber cross paths. There intense battling draws the attention of other participants: some scrupulous and others without honor. Many of them join the fray in a battle that may prove to be the undoing of more than one contestant.

In order to understand the characters and events in the second volume, it is important to read either volume 1 of this manga series, or to have watched the first three episodes of the anime.

Or you could be like me and jump into volume 2 after only having viewed the first few episodes of Fate/Stay Night, the anime that covers events that take place after Fate/Zero. Whichever works for you.

Either way, this manga features some great artwork and many interesting characters. It mainly consists of the battles between ancient heroes and their magi, though there are a few side plots that deal with the confusing politics of the Holy Grail War.

Because this manga was mostly battle, there is not a ton of character development, instead attempting to make up for this lack with swords and magic and people hitting each other.

And they did a pretty darn good job of it, too. Anybody who enjoys watching (or reading) a good sword fight will like this manga. Shinjiro is a competent artist and did a good job of capturing the movements of characters in battle.

This manga spotlighted Saber and Lancer, which made me happy because Saber is the best. Honorable and fierce, she’s very easy to root for. Plus, she has an awesome magical sword.

In case you’re wondering, this manga seems to be a very faithful adaptation of the anime. I , unlike most, actually enjoy Fate/Stay Night more than Fate/Zero, so I’m not as familiar with it. I found it a bit too dark for my taste….Ryuunosuke Uryuu had been on screen for a total of 1 minute when I decided to jump ship. That being said, Type Moon (the creator of the Fate/ concept) is involved in the production of this manga, as is Gen Urobuchi (the writer for the Fate/ animes). I doubt they will ever let this manga stray from it’s original source.

I think this manga series is off to a great start. Though the character development was not overwhelming in this volume, I can tell that it will definitely be moving into deep, multifaceted characters soon. The plot also seems to be moving along very well. Overall, I’m interested to see where this goes.

This manga will be released on June 28th. You can find it on Amazon. Of course. What can’t you find on Amazon? They have everything…except for Saber’s awesome magical sword. I looked.

Are you a fan of the Fate/Zero anime? Do you think you’ll read this manga series? Tell me about your favorite character in the comment section below!

This manga was provided to Constant Collectible by Dark Horse in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.