Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files {Rail Zeppelin} Grace Note is yet another spin-off of the Fate franchise, but it doesn’t tell the events of a Holy Grail War. Instead, it is set after the events of Fate/Zero, but before Fate/stay night. Ten years on from Fate/Zero, we see Waver who is now an instructor at the mage school in London. The prequel episode just throws you into this scenario with much explanation; it’s only the proper first episode that bridges the gap between the series. The anime is based on the light novel series and only adapts the Rail Zeppelin storyline.
Waver was one of the characters that you could sympathize with in Fate/Zero and whose fate that you actually cared about given that he wasn’t totally evil and selfish. Naturally, the events that he experienced in that fourth Holy Grail War, in which he was a participant, continues to strongly affect him. He is scarred but he is also inspired by the actions of Iskander, his Servant from the war.
Waver is not a great mage and we see him stumble a bit at first as he travels the world. However, he decides to take over his mentor, Kayneth’s, class. Through some twist of fate, he also inherits the title of Lord El-Melloi II but it comes with numerous strings attached. Waver feels guilty about Kayneth’s death and while he wasn’t the one that actually killed him, he was indirectly responsible. It’s a tad bit too forced since Kayneth only had contempt for Waver and they were never on good terms. Yet now we have to accept that Waver had a lot of respect for that typical selfish mage who wasn’t above any means to win the Holy Grail War.
The plot is a detective story in which Waver goes to mystery cases, usually murder, and then attempts to solve it. He’s usually the best suited due to his knowledge of modern magecraft. However, he loves to throw around the words “whydunit” and “howdunit”, specifically emphasizing those words, which can feel cheesy at times. Waver also has an apprentice, Gray, that accompanies him at all times. To the surprise of no one, Gray has unique powers of her own and their relationship isn’t fully explained.
The anime helps give a broader view of the whole mage society rather than focusing only on the Holy Grail War, which as we learn, is actually not that big a deal to a lot of mages. Some mages even scoff at the idea and look down in contempt to Waver, who is currently fixated on it. He wants to find a way to become a participant again and it has become a noticeable obsession.
The structure of the anime is episodic at first, with each episode having a mystery and then Waver solving it. Although this is deliberate in order to set up the tone of the anime as well as get the viewers accustomed to the various characters. Just before the midway point, the story loses the episodic structure and it is one continuous arc focusing on the titular Rail Zeppelin.
If you’ve watched Fate/Apocrypha, you’ll recognise a fair few characters. Not that the two series are in any way related given that they are on alternate timelines but it is still a surprise when they pop up unexpectedly. Having that knowledge will allow you to know that character’s background especially since the anime doesn’t show off their backstory too much. If you are not familiar with the lore then you’ll get terribly confused at many points. When Waver does the big reveal and explanation of the Rail Zeppelin mystery, it is supposed to be a momentous occasion. He gives an in-depth explanation of the mechanics but it will very likely go all over your head. You’ll struggle to follow the logic if you don’t instantly understand the significance of several mage terms.
Overall, Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files {Rail Zeppelin} Grace Note has a different tone and atmosphere to most of the other Fate universe anime. Both Waver and Gray are appealing characters, they are key in making the anime engrossing. You can’t help but feel eagerness in anticipating what will happen to them next and in that aspect, the anime can feel too short at only thirteen episodes plus the prequel episode. Granted, there are a lot of questions that hasn’t been answered, especially since the antagonist had just introduced themselves in the finale. There are also several scenes where the logic can be tough to follow but this is a solid anime, although you have to make sure you are at least familiar with Fate/Zero first, otherwise you’ll miss out on a lot of nuance to Waver’s character and motivations.
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