Fate/Extra #01 — Drama Rave

January 27th, 2018

 

Who's messing with the lights?

Impressions:

You know, Shinbo. I like to make fun of you for your obsession with closeups of eyes, but it'd be nice if you didn't make it so easy. Literally the first shot is nothing but an eye. There would be at least six more in the next minute. Thankfully, it then gave that a rest for a while. On the other hand, that little action scene was about the only time anybody did goddamned anything. If you were hoping they'd capture the game's protagonist's utter lack of presence and personality, then good goddamned news. His personality is "stands there." His role in the episode is "stands there." Yes, I've played the game and know about Haruno. Don't even start with me. We are adapting, not playing. What may be bland but passable for a player avatar is dull as hell as a show's hero. 

Most of the rest is exactly what you'd expect from Shinbo. Psychadelic colors, lots of red, and pans over scenery, half of which while dullards recite dry exposition. The opening and closing minutes are about the only places in the episode that can't be described by either "Haruno stands there while someone talks at him" or "CHECK IT OUT, IT'S LIKE A DRAMA RAVE IN HERE" and that's an immensely tedious 19 or so minutes to spend on exposition and mood lighting. I suppose there's the stabbing. The repeated stabbing where he just stands there and takes it without so much as flinching… and then gets right back up and wanders off, so I guess it probably didn't hurt that much anyway. They used bloodshed as the hook. They had to know that's what the crowd wants to see. So why didn't we? Oh right, the budget. And standard Shinbo wankery. 

Posted in Fate/Extra | 1 Comment »

One Lonely Comment

  • Neclord X says:

    I’ve been saying this for years, but this kind of direction DOES NOT fit everything. There are some adaptations where it works, but you can’t take a straight fantasy or action story and make it so convoluted.