Magical girls who don't understand a good TCG

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya (FPI)... What on earth was I thinking when I added this to my list of anime to watch? I'm not disappointed with my past self's choice, as FPI is definitely a fun anime to watch, and I'm enjoying it greatly. However, I never really saw the appeal of magical girl anime until now.

The series starts with 2 magical girls whose wands decide to disown them, and find their way into the hands of two girls; Illya and Miyu. These girls then become magical girls themselves, and agree to help the original owners of the wands on their quest to collect magical cards. I don't know much about the magical girl genre, but I assume this is quite a generic beginning to a series; normal girl(s) happen to become magical girls by chance.
Whether it's generic or not, I don't mind, it's a new story to me, and I quite enjoyed it. Though, the first season wasn't great, the second season made up for it, and as I am coming to finish the third, it is only getting better.

Obviously there's things I don't like about FPI, for example one of Illya's friends, Tatsuko, who is just a great annoyance. But, for the most part, the anime is enjoyable to watch, and has a good mix of character development, story, and filler.

English Name:

Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya

Japanese Name:

Fate/kaleid liner プリズマ☆イリヤ

Studio:

Silver Link.

Episodes Watched:

28/42

Posted on:

07/Oct/2018 at 8:45

Starting off strong, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya's artwork has great attention to detail

When dealing with magic you want to make it look magical, and FPI does this very well. From the detail on magical circles, to the finer details, such as the ripple effects from Miyu standing on mana in midair, the detail in every scene definitely stands out.

On top of this, the fight scenes have a wide variety of angles, and focal points, which make each fight scene unique in its own way. 

However, there are some parts which don't seem to fit, due to the use of 3D rendering for certain aspects. Though, the use of these are minimal, and don't really detract much from the rest of the action, however, they do stand out.

The tale of two stories, told unevenly

There's obviously going to be two stories told. Illya's "normal" life, and her magical girl life. Whilst both progress about the same amount, they are told unevenly, with parts of each being glossed over, or told a little too quickly.

Along with this, there's sub-plots which are touched on every now and again, which could be expanded on a little, with some of the filler content dropped. For example, Miyu and Kuro's relationship towards Illya; both have an interesting relationship with her, and I would much rather have seen more development between them, than an episode where they go to a festival.

Explosions to EDs, the sound of Illya is definitely well done

Whether you're listening to the OP/ED for any of the seasons, or the sound of the fight scenes, your ears won't be crying for it to stop.

With 3 OPs and EDs listened to for FPI so far, I can honestly say I haven't hated a single one; and this is rare for me, especially when something has multiple seasons, as I usually really like 1 season's but hate another's. Though I don't think I'll be putting any of these on any of my playlists, they definitely wouldn't sound like they don't belong if they were added.

As for the fight scenes, with the sounds of explosions, spells being cast, and the general sound of combat, you wouldn't think you were in an anime that looks like it's aimed at kids. 

With some amazing characters, and some bland ones, FPI has a decent lineup

Let's face it, if you're bound to hate at least one character when the cast is more than a handful of characters; as such I don't feel bad for hating Tatsuko. However, the rest of Illya's friends aren't really the most interesting of characters, apart from Miyu, and they are quite forgettable. Though, the episode with Mimi and Suzuka bonding over being fujoshi is a little funny.

As for the magical cast, they are a lot more interesting. With Illya and Miyu is season 1, and Kuro joining in season 2, accompanied by Luvia and Rin, they make for an interesting team, but also a nice group of friends. 

Usually, I would go in depth about the characters, however, not fully knowing Miyu's backstory at the time of writing this, I assume this will be explained more in season 4, and not wanting to give spoilers about Kuro, I'm going to skip this for this review.
All I will say is that Illya, Miyu, and Kuro all have their own backstory, and they are each unique and interesting, whilst being quite mysterious until you are told about it. I still don't know much about Miyu, but from the fragments of information given throughout the series, along with where I am now in the story, I have a few ideas, and I'm interested to see if I'm correct in my assumptions.


Well, that's it for another review. 1 more season to watch, and I'll be done with this. I may update this review when done, it depends if my opinion on the series changes much. 
I did mention last time I would touch on a genre which is completely new to me, and this was it. I was unsure whether to do this or Mahou Shoujo Madoka, but I'm glad I chose FPI.

Not too sure what I'll watch next, or review next, but until next time matte ne!