With the latest Holy Grail War to end all Holy Grail Wars coming to an end, mankind can now reach for other goals – such as journeying into space. But guess what? That old Holy Grail just won’t go away. So we now have Fate/Extra: The Last Encore. Just watching season one, only ten episodes, the inability to end the wars does not seem so bad.

We start off on the moon. Young men and women fight each other for survival. Those who win go forward to the Holy Grail War, while everyone else perishes. Hakuno is not really part of the fight, but that does not keep his best friend from stabbing him in the back – quite literally, and several times. Hakuno is left for dead.

But then enters the noble hero Saber, who comes to Hakuno’s side as his servant. For Fate fans, note this is a different Saber. She looks the same, but she is not so serious. Cheerful, but still deadly, even her backstory is different than the Saber we knew before. She also has larger breasts for some reason, and she get naked a lot.

Together Hakuno and Saber enter the Holy Grail War. Entering the first strata to do battle, they rise to the next with each victory. Assisting them is a strange girl named Rin who seems to have a separate agenda of her own.

Great artwork, plenty of action, and lot of blood, which is just what fans of the Fate franchise seem to like. The voice characterizations in the English dub are done quite well, enhancing the personality of each wizard, mage, and hero we meet.

But Fate/Extra is a bit simpler than the Fate series of the past. There is one basic story line, and very little attention given to sub-plots. We don’t learn much about each and every adversary. I guess ten episodes leaves you little time. But the final battle awaits season two, if there is one. There should be.

Fate fans will not be disappointed with Fate/Extra: The Last Encore. And I have a feeling this will not be the last.