Kamiyā Yuu temporarily set aside matters concerning the establishment of the subsidiary Sky of Yuu, leaving Morishita Aoi entirely responsible for following up on them.
The main purpose of establishing the subsidiary animation studio Sky of Yuu was to produce theatrical anime films. As a special branch of the anime industry, theatrical releases didn't have to follow the seasonal anime schedule, so even if they missed the optimal time to establish the company, it wouldn't have much impact. Put more plainly, Sky of Yuu had been conceived as something of a passion project from the very beginning.
Once some time had passed and the production schedule for 'Fate/Zero' was no longer so tight, Kamiyā Yuu planned to take out his storyboards for '5 Centimeters per Second' and adapt them into animation. The original '5 Centimeters per Second' was only a little over an hour long, so the workload involved in drawing its storyboards wasn't particularly heavy. It was basically equivalent to the number of storyboards required for about three episodes of 'Fate/Zero'.
'5 Centimeters per Second' was a very unusual theatrical anime. Even if it counted as excessive interpretation, Kamiyā Yuu still believed there was a great deal to uncover within the film. The thing that had left the deepest impression on him was a calculation invented by a netizen: 5 centimeters per second × 13 years—the amount of time the male and female leads spent apart—× 365 days × 24 hours × 60 minutes × 60 seconds = 20,498.4 kilometers = the distance from the South Pole to the North Pole. The two protagonists had spent thirteen years walking toward the opposite ends of the world, arriving at the places farthest from one another.
'5 Centimeters per Second' was an anime worthy of being overanalyzed. Through artistic expression, it encouraged viewers to search for their own answers. Even if it wouldn't appeal to the general public, Kamiyā Yuu still wanted to preserve the atmosphere portrayed in the original as much as possible.
"But when am I actually going to have time to draw the storyboards for '5 Centimeters per Second'~? Sigh. Even if I finish the storyboards, what's the point when the animation studio hasn't even been established yet?" Kamiyā Yuu muttered with a wry smile.
He pushed his impatience out of his mind and focused on the storyboard work before him. After a period of working himself to the bone, his storyboards for 'Fate/Zero' were nearly complete. The anime's production had also reached Episode 21. All of the plot threads were converging, and the Holy Grail War was entering its final stage.
The overall plot of the remake of 'Fate/Zero' still followed the original, with Kamiyā Yuu only altering what he considered its shortcomings. From Episode 17 onward, the changes were largely restricted to the battle scenes. One example was the confrontation in which the golden Gilgamesh used EA, the Sword of Rupture, against Iskandar the King of Conquerors' Ionioi Hetairoi. In terms of the visual experience, all the buildup beforehand instead made Iskandar's eventual exit feel anticlimactic. Kamiyā Yuu considered this one of the areas that absolutely had to be changed.
Despite Ionioi Hetairoi supposedly being an EX-ranked Anti-Army Noble Phantasm, aside from crushing Assassin when it first appeared, it basically spent the rest of its appearances getting beaten. Although it couldn't possibly defeat the Anti-World Noble Phantasm EA, the Sword of Rupture, Kamiyā Yuu still wanted to emphasize the power of Ionioi Hetairoi as much as possible, thereby strengthening the audience's impression of Iskandar himself.
"The impact of Ionioi Hetairoi... How can I show the Reality Marble actually contending against EA, the Sword of Rupture? In the original, EA directly shattered the bounded world and caused heaven and earth to split apart. Maybe here I can have the Reality Marble continuously repair itself to emphasize the power of Ionioi Hetairoi."
Kamiyā Yuu recalled the key storyboard concepts he had already settled on earlier. It didn't take long before he found his answer.
The key lay in Waver's three Command Spells.
Waver had used all three Command Spells to order the King of Conquerors to pursue his distant goal. This greatly squandered the magical energy of the Command Spells, yet the novel explained that the orders happened to perfectly align with Iskandar's state of mind, placing him in "optimal" condition. Then Iskandar, despite being in this "optimal" condition, was predictably and mercilessly crushed by EA, the Sword of Rupture. No matter how one looked at it, that setup had been wasted. For viewers who had become invested in Iskandar's perspective, the confrontation simply couldn't provide the exhilarating satisfaction it should have.
As Kamiyā Yuu searched through his memories, he drew rough storyboard sketches stroke by stroke.
"Remake: Gilgamesh vs. Iskandar, Act One.
"Gilgamesh: Gate of Babylon at maximum output, unleashing a bombardment of tens of thousands of Noble Phantasms upon Ionioi Hetairoi.
"Iskandar: Ionioi Hetairoi has been strengthened by three Command Spells, allowing it to display its full power. The overall capabilities of the army's soldiers are enhanced, while some of its warriors temporarily attain the level of true Heroic Spirits and can use certain Noble Phantasms.
"Result: Ionioi Hetairoi withstands Gate of Babylon at full power. Under the cover of several warriors, Iskandar closes in on Gilgamesh, intending to take his head with his broadsword.
"Act Two.
"Opening: Gilgamesh's golden armor forms a defense against the attack. Forced to retreat using a Noble Phantasm, he arrogantly praises Ionioi Hetairoi and acknowledges Iskandar.
"Gilgamesh: As a gesture of praise, he uses the EX-ranked Anti-World Noble Phantasm EA, the Sword of Rupture.
"Iskandar: Ionioi Hetairoi launches a second charge.
"Result: Faced with the terrifying might of EA, the Sword of Rupture, Ionioi Hetairoi desperately holds out until the very last moment before finally shattering. During this sequence, include shots of the Reality Marble struggling directly against EA, the Sword of Rupture.
"Act Three.
"Opening: Ionioi Hetairoi completely collapses. Having lost all his forces, Iskandar returns to reality. Even with nothing left, he remains unafraid of death and prepares to stake everything on one final attempt.
"Gilgamesh: Uses both Gate of Babylon and Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven.
"Iskandar: Still attempts to close into melee range, knocking away several Noble Phantasms and struggling against the Chains of Heaven before ultimately being overwhelmed.
"Result: Iskandar is restrained by the Chains of Heaven and killed."
"That's roughly the feeling I want. Iskandar still loses, but it won't give the impression that he was effortlessly crushed like in the original." Kamiyā Yuu stretched in his office chair, fairly satisfied with his concept.
...
'Fate/Zero' had already aired through Episode 17 on TV Tokyo, reaching what was arguably one of the anime's most exciting and thrilling stretches. There was the spectacular aerial battle between Berserker Lancelot and the golden Gilgamesh, but the most crucial moment was Saber, the King of Knights, releasing the True Name of her Noble Phantasm—Excalibur.
'Fate/Zero' never explicitly established who the protagonist was. Alternatively, one could say that every character was a protagonist. Plenty of viewers identified with Iskandar's group, while even more naturally became invested in the true protagonist's group, Saber, the King of Knights.
Saber's performance throughout this Holy Grail War had always been one of the major points of controversy. It tied into a topic that had developed from the spin-off novels 'Twilight of the Knight' and 'Elegy of the Knight': Was Artoria Pendragon truly a qualified king, and had all those tragedies ultimately arisen because of her?
Excalibur provided the answer.
To maximize the anime's dramatic impact, Kamiyā Yuu postponed the release of Volume Four of the main 'Fate/Zero' novel, which should originally have already gone on sale, until after Episode 17 had aired.