The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note (2019)

[ロード・エルメロイII世の事件簿 -魔眼蒐集列車 Grace Note-]

Director: Makoto Kato
Studio: Troyca
Starring: Daisuke Namikawa, Reina Ueda, Daisuke Ono
Episodes: 13

Synopsis:
The mage Waver Velvet takes up the mantle of his master Lord El-Melloi, teaching mage apprentices at the Clock Tower while solving mysteries involving magecraft on the side.

Impressions:
I didn't even realize this had anything to do with the Fate franchise until I saw a glimpse of Saber in a flashback. I honestly haven't followed the franchise that closely. I tried watching Fate/stay night, but I couldn't get into it and I never gave any of the various spinoffs a shot, though that may change after this. The idea of having a detective story in a world of sorcery is interesting and I found the cases cleverly handled. While the early cases tie in to eponymous Rail Zeppelin case, given the haste of the conclusion, where they're running the final battle to literally the last second, it probably would've been better to trim back the first half to give more space to the main feature. I liked the main characters quite a bit and the rest of the cast is fairly interesting. I imagine Fate fans will get even more out of this, but I don't think it's necessary to enjoy yourself. Give it a watch.

Rating:
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