Fate/Extra: Last Encore – Illustrias Geocentric Theory

Fate/Extra: Last Encore – Illustrias Geocentric Theory

Fate/Extra: Last Encore: Illustrias Geocentric Theory anime series cover art
Fate/Extra: Last Encore: Illustrias Geocentric Theory

Series Overview (Part 2)

Fate/Extra: Last Encore – Illustrias Geocentric Theory (Fate/EXTRA Last Encore イルステリアス天動説) is the second part of the Fate/Extra: Last Encore anime series. This part is only three episodes long compared to the first part’s 10 episodes, but the final episode is double-length.

Something strange that I noticed about this series is that the two parts each have two different English subtitles. The first part is either Oblitus Heliocentric Theory or Oblitus Copernican Theory. And the second part is either Illustrias Geocentric Theory or Illustrias Ptolemaic Theory.

That might not seem too strange considering “heliocentric” and “Copernican” can be interchanged, and the same goes for “geocentric” and “Ptolemaic.” But what makes it strange is that Netflix didn’t stick to one system (and so neither did I for the titles of these reviews).

You’d expect to either use “heliocentric” and “geocentric” or “Copernican” and “Ptolemaic.” but instead they went with “Copernican” and “geocentric.”

Netflix’s questionable subtitle choice aside, these final three episodes of the series cover the seventh level of the Moon Cell and the final area called Angelica Cage. Here, Hakuno and Nero (and Rin) face off against the final two masters, who like all the others aren’t true masters anymore.

And just like the first part of the series, this second part really only made me want more Fate/Grand Order singularity adaptations. This time around, since Gawain was the main antagonizing servant, it made me think of how much better the Camelot movie adaptation is going to be.

The various levels of the Moon Cell really are just like watered-down versions of the singularities from Grand Order. The only real reason to watch this anime is if you like Nero, but once the Septem singularity gets an anime, even that reason will be gone.

More Masters and Servants

The master of the seventh level is Leonardo “Leo” Bistario Harwey — the king of the world. Or at least he was said to be the king of the empire that ruled the vast majority of the world. Either way, he’s a king with Divine Right magic, so he’s fairly strong.

Leo’s servant is Gawain, which is pretty fitting for him. At first, you might think a king like Leo should have a Ruler class servant, but a knight like Gawain makes much more sense. Also, if he had another king as a servant, I think that could cause some problems. Imagine Gilgamesh taking orders from someone claiming to be a king; it wouldn’t happen.

Gawain from the anime series Fate/Extra: Last Encore - Illustrias Geocentric Theory
Gawain

The final master of the series is Twice Pieceman, who I thought was supposed to be the creator of the Moon Cell, but the end of the series seemed to imply otherwise. Twice also doesn’t really have a servant of his own, which is also a bit strange.

Originally, Twice’s servant was best fox-girl Tamamo-no-Mae, my favorite servant (I have every version of her available in FGO). However, he somehow lost her as a servant. And the only time we see Tamamo in the entire anime is as a silhouette for a second in the background.

Netflix, my guy, you can’t use images of Tamamo to promote Fate/Extra: Last Encore if she’s not even really in the series.

However, I think there are three routes of the /Extra timeline, just like /stay night has the Artoria (stay night), Rin (Unlimited Blade Works), and Sakura (Heaven’s Feel) routes. Last Encore is obviously the Nero route, but from what I can tell there’s also a Tamamo route and an Archer (maybe Emiya?) route.

Oh, and after Twice lost Tamamo as his servant, he made a pact with a new servant, Buddha (who is also gone now). Why was Buddha not released as a servant in FGO during the fourth Lostbelt chapter? He could have at least been one of the bosses.

Final Thoughts and Impressions

As I expected would probably be the case, the final three episodes of Extra: Last Encore are worse than the first 10 episodes. And the first 10 episodes aren’t what I would call good.

As is typically the case for Fate anime, some stuff happens at the end that goes against the rules and makes no sense. I can sort of forgive the rule breaking this time around since the Moon Cell isn’t a real Holy Grail War, but the fact that Buddha, an entirely new and unique class of servant, is involved makes no sense.

Honestly, the anime would have had a better ending if Twice actually had Tamamo as his servant in the end — and I’m not just saying that because I love Tamamo. I don’t quite know how Tamamo would fit into Twice’s ideology, but at least she’s classified as an evil servant so she can still be an antagonist.

Rin with the Lancer class (Cu Chulainn) installed from the anime series Fate/Extra: Last Encore - Illustrias Geocentric Theory
Rin with the Lancer class (Cu Chulainn) installed

Maybe I just forget all the other Fate anime endings I’ve seen, but is this also the first one to actually have someone claim the Holy Grail? It’s not a real Holy Grail, and the Holy Grail War ended 999 years prior to the Grail being claimed, but Rin does claim it.

I think in most of the other Fate anime there’s a winner, but for one reason or another the winner is unable to actually claim the Grail and have their wish granted. So the fact that we see Rin have her wish granted is pretty unique — but it’s also a pretty boring ending.

And speaking of wishes being granted, Nero’s wish for the Grail is granted at the end of the series too — so does that mean she can never be summoned again (in that timeline)? I’m pretty sure heroic servants are only summoned by the grail if they have a wish to be fulfilled. So since Nero got her wish of not dying alone, she technically can’t be summoned anymore.

But I’m sure that technicality is voided by this being a Moon Cell Holy Grail, not the real one.

Conclusion

Fate/Extra: Last Encore – Illustrias Geocentric Theory is a 3/10 from me. And despite it only being three episodes and the first part being 10 episodes, I think this part drags the series as a whole down to a 4/10. Like I said earlier, unless you really like Nero, there’s not much of a reason to watch this anime.

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