Shown above: Ayaka Sajyou, with Arthur Pendragon (Saber), Cu Chulainn (Lancer), and Gilgamesh (Archer). In other words, a schoolgirl and the greatest historical/mythical collection of boyfriends known to man.
A long time ago, in a mythical era known as the finale of Carnival Phantasm, viewers were treated to a glimpse of what Fate could have been, instead of the version now known as Fate/Stay Night. It was the story that a man named Kinoko Nasu originally came up with, but then out of the idea that dating simulators were the main thing, scrapped it and started over.
That isn't to say that Fate/Prototype isn't in demand though, neither in the US or in the Fate series' native Japan, and there is media both past and present* to help those eager stand the seemingly endless wait for a proper series or Visual Novel.
But why do people such as myself want Fate/Prototype to be fully realized? Well...
That isn't to say that Fate/Prototype isn't in demand though, neither in the US or in the Fate series' native Japan, and there is media both past and present* to help those eager stand the seemingly endless wait for a proper series or Visual Novel.
But why do people such as myself want Fate/Prototype to be fully realized? Well...
Let's talk about the premise.
We begin with the high school student Ayaka Sajyou, who is mainly trying to get by after watching the death of her own father and sister during the setting's previous Grail War. Albeit, it's a pretty hollow one. As the daughter of a magician family, she has to kill a pigeon for its blood every day for a ritual (as per her father's instructions), but due to her trauma can't bring herself to cut a bird's head off, so she uses her own blood instead. She also mainly eats eggs and vegetables (since meat has blood obviously), and to top it off, she has low self esteem: Not only due to her self-image of being a horrible person, but also because this crazy priest guy named Sancraid pesters her about having to join the upcoming Grail War.
So yes, she's an emo kid. Big whoop.
It gets better though, once things for Ayaka start flying out the window. One night, a stranger clad in armor breaks into her house and tries to kill her. She tries to hold him off using her magical abilities (though, as the man comments, it is 'old fashioned'), but ultimately fails and is about to get killed. And then, she screams for help, and a man who calls himself the Servant Saber shows up to save the day. And from there on out, the two of them join the war. Whether or not Ayaka still wants to.
So yes, she's an emo kid. Big whoop.
It gets better though, once things for Ayaka start flying out the window. One night, a stranger clad in armor breaks into her house and tries to kill her. She tries to hold him off using her magical abilities (though, as the man comments, it is 'old fashioned'), but ultimately fails and is about to get killed. And then, she screams for help, and a man who calls himself the Servant Saber shows up to save the day. And from there on out, the two of them join the war. Whether or not Ayaka still wants to.
If the rest of the trailer is anything to indicate, Ayaka will come into her own after some time, perhaps when she is unable to command Saber. And then she'll have two more servants at her command (complete with shirt-removing Command Seal action)!
The world itself, it seems, is more gritty (I guess?) than in Stay Night. Lancer's first master, a woman named Misaya Reiroukan, not only employs him but also uses dogs as her familiars in order to help her fight.
The world itself, it seems, is more gritty (I guess?) than in Stay Night. Lancer's first master, a woman named Misaya Reiroukan, not only employs him but also uses dogs as her familiars in order to help her fight.
We also have another master, a young boy who was subjected to heavy experimentation that left him a physical shell of himself. Nonetheless, he commands the servant Perseus (Rider). Sancraid himself? Well, he's a nutcase, and a racist against the Japanese (where haven't we heard of that one before?), and quite fittingly commands Berserker. There are more than those five, many of which haven't been shown or even mentioned.
Another difference from Stay Night is that rather than using artifacts to summon servants and potentially not liking the results, the Masters hold one ideal about what they want out of their servant, which will make the end results much likeable. I like this idea very much, mainly because of how fascinating it sounds. Here's a couple directly from the trailer:
Misaya: I want a hero who was killed by a woman, because he'd know how scary women are.
Sick boy: I would've rather had a happy individual than a misfortunate hero.
Another difference from Stay Night is that rather than using artifacts to summon servants and potentially not liking the results, the Masters hold one ideal about what they want out of their servant, which will make the end results much likeable. I like this idea very much, mainly because of how fascinating it sounds. Here's a couple directly from the trailer:
Misaya: I want a hero who was killed by a woman, because he'd know how scary women are.
Sick boy: I would've rather had a happy individual than a misfortunate hero.
Okay, but WHY do I want this to happen?
First and most importantly, it would of been a GREAT breath of fresh air in the Shounen or Seinen genres. There seems to be countless stories of the average guy who bumps into a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, or otherwise a girl with great powers that he eventually swaps places with in terms of authority and even power as the series goes on. And in the west, we appear to be getting overwhelmed with stories of Schlubby or otherwise average and even unlikeable main guys who get paired with an attractive and (seemingly) talented heroine. A reversal of these tropes would be an incredible thing to see pulled off.
And the harem itself: That has become a staple of the Shounen genre for anime and manga, whether the harem itself is wanted or not. However, there have been problems with that sort of thing. Not just with stories of a single guy with a gaggle of women with superpowers, but also with stories of one girl in mature-themed stories featuring a guy-harem. Note: The three links in this paragraph can be triggering.
The latter problem on the other hand may as well not be an issue here, if Gilgamesh has something to say about it:
Gil (to Ayaka): You are more beautiful than any other woman I've had. I'll defeat Saber, and after that you shall be my queen!
Unoffical Translation: Yu're teh only one fer me, babeh!
Note: This is before Gil joins the gang I believe.
And the harem itself: That has become a staple of the Shounen genre for anime and manga, whether the harem itself is wanted or not. However, there have been problems with that sort of thing. Not just with stories of a single guy with a gaggle of women with superpowers, but also with stories of one girl in mature-themed stories featuring a guy-harem. Note: The three links in this paragraph can be triggering.
The latter problem on the other hand may as well not be an issue here, if Gilgamesh has something to say about it:
Gil (to Ayaka): You are more beautiful than any other woman I've had. I'll defeat Saber, and after that you shall be my queen!
Unoffical Translation: Yu're teh only one fer me, babeh!
Note: This is before Gil joins the gang I believe.
But speaking of issues...
Let's talk some more about Misaya. Not only is she the only primary character besides Ayaka, she is also said to get killed by a curse that, in her backstory was placed on her prior to the Grail War. This is supposed to free up Lancer so that he can join Ayaka's group, but it also has an unpleasant implication, especially since there really haven't been any other female Master/Servants shown so far.
Well, there is one other, but she is also one of the antagonists besides Sancraid: Ayaka's at first dead sister, Manaka. Since she is said to have been killed in the last Grail War by her own servant Saber (For killing off her own father, almost killing Ayaka, and even killing off many other girls as sacrifices for the Holy Grail. The reason for this is because she is much more ancient than at first let on, she wanted a different outcome to the War than simply granting a wish). Since then, she has been revived years later, and has become crazy in love with Saber, claiming that as her 'prince', he should belong to her alone. Yikes.
So yeah, seemingly negative portrayals of all ladies besides the heroine, all around.
But not only that (And it is something that will prove to be truly triggering), but I also have an issue with rape being used in the story proper. As this is a Nasu property, it seems almost certain that one of the girl characters would have had a history of being a rape victim, or still is one at the story's start. Either way, it would seem certain that if there was one such victim, there may not be a happy ending for her if my information is correct. Even if not, this is still a concern worth raising.
Regardless, though, I want to see more of what's being developed for Prototype down the line. Hope to hear more soon! And maybe everything that's said about this will turn out fine, if not better.
*Such as the Drama CD, "On Ship Christmas Murder Case". Someone find a copy and start translating, NATCH!
Well, there is one other, but she is also one of the antagonists besides Sancraid: Ayaka's at first dead sister, Manaka. Since she is said to have been killed in the last Grail War by her own servant Saber (For killing off her own father, almost killing Ayaka, and even killing off many other girls as sacrifices for the Holy Grail. The reason for this is because she is much more ancient than at first let on, she wanted a different outcome to the War than simply granting a wish). Since then, she has been revived years later, and has become crazy in love with Saber, claiming that as her 'prince', he should belong to her alone. Yikes.
So yeah, seemingly negative portrayals of all ladies besides the heroine, all around.
But not only that (And it is something that will prove to be truly triggering), but I also have an issue with rape being used in the story proper. As this is a Nasu property, it seems almost certain that one of the girl characters would have had a history of being a rape victim, or still is one at the story's start. Either way, it would seem certain that if there was one such victim, there may not be a happy ending for her if my information is correct. Even if not, this is still a concern worth raising.
Regardless, though, I want to see more of what's being developed for Prototype down the line. Hope to hear more soon! And maybe everything that's said about this will turn out fine, if not better.
*Such as the Drama CD, "On Ship Christmas Murder Case". Someone find a copy and start translating, NATCH!
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