The Fate franchise is no stranger to dark storylines filled with action and suspense, and as the second film in the Heaven’s Feel route of the Fate series, Lost Butterfly is an extremely well done film, filled with plenty of action for those who want it, as well as an overall stunning viewing experience for anyone who may be interested in watching this movie.
The story follows Shirou Emiya during the Holy Grail War, and at this point in the story, he’s no longer a master, and is at an impasse regarding how he should continue about all of this. While this is all happening, Sakura Matou is dealing with her own issues, which quickly becomes a massive problem for the rest of the cast.
The film is stunning. The fights, the scenery, the interactions between characters. All of it is drawn and animated in a way that keeps your eyes glued to the screen.
All of the voice actors do a great job at giving their characters depth and personality, but Noriaki Sugiyama and Noriko Shitaya, who voice Shirou Emiya and Sakura Matou respectively, are the best performers in the film. They capture the full range of emotion of their characters extremely well, and given how often the emotional states of the characters change in the film, they’re the best actors for those roles.
The best parts of the film were easily the action scenes, particularly the eye candy that is Saber Alter vs. Berserker. The fight was animated and choreographed brilliantly, showcasing the absolute powerhouses that those two servants are. All of the fights between characters are explosive, stunning, and animated excellently as well.
As for a “worst part” of the movie, I’d say that the only thing that would qualify is the part where Shinji tries to… assault Sakura again. I am among the majority of Fate series fans that absolutely despises him, so I think he got what was coming to him.
The animation studio, ufotable, is no stranger to creating beautiful, cinematic scenes in their works. The camera angles they use in the film do a good job of helping specific moments have the impact that they need. They also use slow motion during some scenes to help give them more of an impact as well. It’s not excessive and is used just right.
The soundtrack throughout the film helps take every scene higher, whether it’s with a battle scene or an emotional one. In each fight, the music helps give the scenes an extra amount of seriousness, while the sound design really shows the viewer the power and strength of the combatants.
Overall, I’d recommend this to any action anime fan who wants a good movie to watch. I’d say it’s marketed towards more mature audiences due to some of its content, but none of it is too explicit, in my opinion. The film will have you on the edge of your seat, or absolutely stunned at some moments. It’s definitely worth a watch, especially if you’re interested in action anime.