Fate / Extra: Last Encore

 Right, time for some Fate, a franchise I'm growing more and more fond off.

And this time, it's the 10 episode long Last Encore series first season, an alternate path of the Holy War depicted in Fate / Stay Night

A technological hell masquerading as paradise, Tsukimihara Academy is an artificial high school that serves as the setting for the next Holy Grail War. Created by the Moon Cell computer, the school is inhabited by Earth-projected souls who have even the slightest aptitude for being a "Master." Of these 256 souls, 128 will be chosen for the main tournament and granted a Servant. With all of the Masters selected, the Academy activates a purge, targeting the remaining lifeforms for elimination.

 

Awakening in a pool of his own blood, Hakuno Kishinami refuses to die. Fueled by unknown feelings of hatred, he vows to fight for survival. As he struggles to escape from a relentless pursuer, he finds a crimson blade plunged into the ground; and by pulling it out, Hakuno summons his own Servant, Saber, who instantly destroys his pursuer in a flurry of rose petals. With his newfound power, Hakuno must now begin his journey to Moon Cell's core, the Angelica Cage. There, he will unveil the reason for this artificial world and the secrets of his own blood-soaked past.

 

 

As he starts out at the first level, he learns from resistance fighter Rin that he needs to defeat the floor master, his old friend Shinji Matou.  Shinji runs the city now, build for Masters that laid down the ambition to gain the Holy Grail and exploiting their servants.

Hakuno and Sabre ascend the floor thanks to the virtual copy of Rin, only to be hunted on the next level by an Archer class.  A rendition of Rani comes to their aid, explaining what is seemingly going on and that the battle has lasted at least 50 years now...

On the second floor, he meets floormaster Blackmore and his servant Robin Hood, out to kill all Masters.  Blackmore has been doing this now for 999 years after being ressurected here, yet is unable to ascend higher.  Arriving at the third floor, Rin has returned, apparently having survived the flooding of the first one.  He faces Alice, a cyber-ghost, and be ready for some really psychedelic episodes here in the better Alice in Wonderland madhouse style.

 

When he has to battle the older brother of the best Master in the history of the Grail wars, it turns out Saber had a master previously, but also that his memory seems to start playing tricks on him.  Slowly but surely, he starts to learn the truth behind SERAPH and how it is all connected... or isn't.  As he unravels not only the secrets behind his past, but even about is whole being and coming into existence, he gets more and more conflicted about why he fights for the Holy Grail...

 

 Another action packed series, but it is a bit of a strange jumping around in time and realities for this series, and it (which is a good thing!) takes a while as a viewer to lay down the pieces and make the puzzle.