Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya – Anime Series Review

Since Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 3rei!! is part of the Summer 2016 anime lineup, I figured I should go over the first three seasons of Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya while I still can. What did I think of this show?

For starters, I think it’ll be easier if I started by summarizing the show in question. Basically, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya is a mahou shoujo series that is vaguely reminiscent of Cardcaptor Sakura and takes place in an alternative Fate/stay Night universe. Just knowing this explains a lot, to be honest. For those of you who never got around to watching CCS, just imagine magical girls trying to locate and subdue mystical cards.

The fact that it’s a Fate series means the battle special effects are expected to be (and actually are) great. The music is excellent, as well. I have loved the OP (“starlog” by ChouChu) ever since I first watched this series almost three years ago. The EDs (yeah, this 10 episode show gets two EDs!) aren’t shabby, either. I found myself clapping in time to the catchy “Prism Sympathy” (by StylipS).

I found the explanations to be decent and didn’t needlessly drag on.*cough*Kiznaiver*cough* Every mahou shoujo show will almost always feature a clueless girl becoming a magical girl, and Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya is no exception. By having a character in the know fill in our main heroine Illya, the audience also learns about the setting. It’s necessary to have at least a little exposition, after all, or else viewers will just get lost and be confused.

The pacing of the show felt on-point, too. I picked up the manga after watching the first season and it seems like nothing major was left out in the anime adaption (so I recall, but I might have just skipped the parts the anime adapted. It’s been three years, oops).

Even though the show is a darker take on the mahou shoujo genre (which is all too common these days), there are some funny moments. I can honestly say the show still makes me smile even though I already know what happens.

However, I do think that the amount of sexualization was a bit much. Unlike in the original series, Illya is just a normal 10 year old girl in Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya, yet she and Miyu (who is reportedly the same age) receive the lion’s share of fanservice. Loli lovers rejoice?

As for the yuri…well, it’s the “upbeat dunce befriends the stoic ace who sucks at communication” scenario. Except Miyu seems to have misunderstood the concept of friendship by the end of the first season (I’m not complaining). You can’t really blame Miyu for jumping to conclusions since Illya did send some mixed signals, in my opinion. Blushing and hand holding, ahoy! There was a single kiss near the end of the first season, too. The more hardcore stuff is coming up in the later seasons, though, so don’t fret.

Essentially, this show targets three specific demographics. Those who are invested in anything pertaining to Fate/stay Night, those who are interested in mahou shoujo, and those who are into yuri. You don’t have to be knowledgeable about the Fate/stay night universe in order to enjoy this series, but a few references and jokes may fly pass your head. If you hate Illyasviel “Illya” von Einzbern, this probably isn’t your show. There are a few exceptions, but I usually don’t rewatch shows all that often. I’m rather glad I rewatched Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya; it was just as enjoyable as the first time.