Fate/Apocrypha Returning To Screens With Bonus Content

The second half of Fate/Apocrypha may not have premiered outside of Japan, but the entire series has been such a success that one Japanese TV station is letting fans relive it with one big event.

To make the encore even sweeter, the series will even air with bonus content.

TOKYO MX, the television station that aired Fate/Apocrypha in Japan, is running through the entire series for a second time over two days. But the extra bit of goodness comes from new content featuring the fan favorite character, the Rider Servant Astolfo.

This extra content will come in the form of a “special weather report” featuring the character. Astolfo became a fan favorite for his bubbly personality despite being a servant in the Holy Grail War. He even played a major role in freeing main character Sig, and trying to help him lead a good life. Astolfo is based on the fictional historical character of the same name who was one of the paladins of Charlemagne.

Fate/Apocrypha has been a huge hit for fans of both the Fate/stay night series and anime in general. In fact, episode 22 of the series became especially notable due to its fantastic animation. Episode 22, titled “Reunion and Farewell,” features a fight between Karna (Lancer of Red) versus Siegfried (Saber of Black) and has an animation style completely removed from the rest of the series. The fight itself goes to some insane lengths with harsh inked lines, smooth action, and incredible smearing techniques.

The animation directors for the episode were Rio (who has contributed to Barakamon and Flip Flappers), Yurie Hama (who has contributed to Interviews with Monster Girls and Hinako Note), and most importantly, Hakuyu Go. Episode 22 was Hikayu Go’s first time working as a director independently. Go has provided work for shows like Blood Blockade Battlefront and Black Butler: Book of Circus.

The creator of Black Butler‘s original manga, Yana Toboso, was so impressed with Go’s work in fact that she said “I’m in awe after seeing episode 22 of Fate/Apocrypha. What kind of magic do you use to keep moving with that number of lines and quality for 30 minutes…!?” on Twitter. Even going as far as “What kind of person is Hakuyu Go!?”

For those unfamiliar with Fate/Apocrypha, it’s a spin-off of the Fate/stay night visual novel series from Type-Moon, written by Yuichiro Higashide and illustrated by Ototsugu Konoe. The light novel series ran for five volumes from 2004 to 2005, and was later adapted into an anime series by A-1 Pictures. It was licensed for an English broadcast release by Netflix.

The series follows a world separate from the events from the Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero anime series, and focuses on a conflict between two different factions of servants and masters. The Red and Black factions are a set of mages versus a rogue mage group as they summon distinct historical figures from the past in order to do battle and claim the Holy Grail.

via Crunchyroll