Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA is a show that I wasn't expecting to like all that much. A typical magical girl show that happens to be based in the fate/stay night universe. I was very very wrong. Being a fan of the original F/SN visual novel as well as the F/Z anime (lets face it F/SN anime sucked and "unlimited bladeworks" Wasn't too good either), I thought I would give this show the benefit of the doubt and it payed off.

On the surface you have yet another magical girl/comedy/parody of the genera that uses familiar characters from the fate franchise to pull in the audience. At the core you have a clever, interesting. very action packed and some times cynical anime that uses the magical girl theme as a spring board to more interesting concepts.

As much as i hate to admit it, Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA gives a better look at the universe of the fate series then any of the previous installments while still holding its own identity due to the unique perspective it is set from.

I will note very very easily that there is one specific fight scene in this show thus far that takes the cake as the best fight in this season's anime.

I only gave 4 stars because the show has yet to finish, but I have high hopes for the final few episodes as well as a potential sequel.

Don't be deterred. Give it a chance and this series WILL grow on you. It certainly isn't as dark and morbid as the other Fate series but it has it's moments. It fits in well with the universe in my opinion and broadens the audience and age range.

The first episode is kinda "meh"... though Illya is truly adorable. The two "adult" magical girls are annoying most of the time - especially Luvia - and I would rather they weren't in there to be honest. Even as comic relief they really don't add much. I got intrigued after the second episode following the battle scenes - which were actually impressive and fairly bad-ass. Each episode after that built upon that as Illya gained more combat experience and stopped running away. That's when it started to really get my attention.

The back story between between Illya and her sapphire-clad counterpart Miyu is rather cute - and awkward at times. It's fun to see their relationship grow over time - in some very "interesting" directions as well ;-P The other schoolgirls are definitely cute - and strongly stereotyped - though they seem mainly inconsequential and I got the impression they are really just there for "flavour". Oh well.

If you do give it a chance make sure you watch it to episodes 6 & 7. The plot twists are pretty amazing and you really start to see Illyasviel in a different light. What was once portrayed as just a cute and reluctant "magical" schoolgirl suddenly becomes rather mysterious with phenomenal displays of latent ability taking center stage. The battle scene in the latter half of episode 6 completely blew me away and gave me goosebumps - kudos to the animators, that scene was one of the most amazing and bad-ass creations I have seen in ANY anime all year. I actually re-watched it about 20 times - which is something I almost never do.

Oh, and if you don't mind reading ahead of the anime, then make sure you check out the rather cool manga series. Just search for:

* Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya (first complete arc)
* Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 2wei! (second complete arc)
* Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 3rei!! (third and ongoing arc)

It's in all the usual places and the fact there's so much completed written material leads me to believe we'll be seeing perhaps 2-3 seasons of this anime! Enjoy!

Don't disappoint yourself in thinking its a serious spin off of the fate series.
This is a magical girl stand alone. With pretty much the only similarities being the cards.
If you're into moe, ecchi, magical girl comedies, you've come to the right place. It has all the qualities you're looking for.
If not, you might just want to move along.

For those of you complaining. Clearly. the fate franchise is branching out and wishes to garner more fans by touching on different genres. They're not ruining themselves. They're showing us how versatile and great they can be with different anime types.

"Attention, please! For those of you who have never before seen--or those old fans who require a refresher course in--the magical girl genre, please prepare yourselves!" At least, that is what I keep expecting to hear while watching this series, which indeed seems to embody the entire genre. This one show covers all the bases: magical cards; magical gems; magical spells; magical beings; magic wands; mysterious transfer students; cooperation between magical girls; competition between magical girls; secret crushes; secret societies; and, perhaps most importantly, the ever-popular naked underage girls floating around while cute outfits assemble upon their bodies one. . .item. . .at. . .a. . .time. Okay, so why on earth am I giving this series a five-star rating? The battle sequences are vibrant and well-drawn, while the rest of the show is as tongue-in-cheek as this review. This show's creators knew exactly what they were doing when they went so over-the-top, so it feels like a (vaguely sarcastic?) comedic homage to the whole idea of magical girls. Very clever, very fun.

This show has lots of lolis. Very good lolis. The best lolis, even. It's also surprisingly engaging, considering the entire appeal is a potent yuri factor - especially more so once Kuro is introduced (if you deny this you are a fervent liar). Regardless, all three main heroines are different and likeable in their own right.

Also the fact that they literally named the dark-skinned girl "black" is very funny to me.

Fate:Kaleid has some very nice action sequences, but for the most part it is a light comedic series with lots of fanservice. Although somewhat relevant to the plot, one example being that Kuro requires "mana", it's mostly a convenient excuse for the artists to draw more yuri.

They deliver though, and this show doesn't promise to be anything more than it is. I've never watched any of the other Fate series but judging from these reviews that's probably for the best. Fate:Kaleid apparently "ruins" what people liked in the series, so I wouldn't recommend it to fans of the original material.

Would recommend to anyone depraved enough/willing to be put on a police list for their anime though.

lewd/10 go watch it

P.S. Keep in mind CR only has the censored episodes and none of the OVAs. Yes, what you're watching is the tame version, and yes, the OVAs are worth watching (especially the one with the beast costume, weeeew lad)

While Prisma Illya is part of the Fate franchise, it takes place in an alternate Fate universe where things turned out much differently for the characters featured in the previous Fate series.

The show centers on Illyasviel von Eisenbern, who, through a twist of circumstance, unexpectedly becomes a magical girl. The rest of the series follows her life and adventures as such. While the show takes place in an alternate Fate universe, it connects to the overall Fate mythos very well. Many of the Fate characters are featured in the show, including Shirou Emiya, Tohsaka Rin, Luvia, Kiritsugu, Irisviel, and pretty much all of the heroic spirits.

Even though this is a magical girl show, it is definitely not one geared towards children. The production is extremely genre savvy and lampoons a number of different anime categories, sometimes in ways that are probably not suitable for younger viewers. The levels of graphic violence portrayed would also exclude this from being appropriate for kids. However, as part of the Fate franchise, you can count on the animations in Prisma Illya being top notch and the action sequences being straight-up bad-ass.

The magical girls themselves, (there ends up being three of them by the end of the second season), are cute as box of puppies on Christmas morning and twice as crazy. While there is a lot of kawaii in this series, don't be put off by that. There's plenty of action and these girls are fighters. They take it on the chin pretty hard, sometimes to the point of coughing blood, and then come back for more. Outside of the magical girl realm, the youthful antics of the girls in their daily lives range from amusing to tear jerking.

This is a highly unusual series and extremely entertaining. By the end of the first season, even those who don't like magical girl anime may find that Prisma Illya has somehow wormed its way into their hearts.

I was a big fan of fate zero and this anime is related to it, however this anime is its own animal. U really cant compare it to fate zero because its really a different genera. Its a cute comedy anime with some occasional great action. Its a hybrid. ( a very good one ) and I would say the thing that sets it apart is the fact that the lives of the magical girls are often in very real danger of being killed. If u like comedy action anime this may be right up your alley. I will say that there is more comedy then action but when there is action its good.

At first you think this show will be about Illya's friends which you see from the previews. However, if you have not seen either series before the show may seem like a normal anime. Which in reference it might not be a good idea to watch either before you watch this one.

In comparison thus far the show is quiet good. I like Illya's character and that she's embarrassed to do the normal magic girl get-up established by earlier cultural anime. Which I really appreciate that they turned it into a joke . But mostly it's due to Japanese TV regulations cracking down on anime. She has a legit real unique character.

Anyway the reason why you might rather watch this show is so you do not come into any pretenses and just let the other two series go. I am not sure if the creators intended at first for the show to be more like Kalied, or like Fate, or had a show with their own ideas, but could not let them go in production. Perhaps they were forced? In any manner they put a lot of thought into the changing theme of the original title opening.