All of the characters and fragments come together in “Prototype.”
Interviewer: ――――From here on, please talk about all of the characters. First, please start with the protagonist Manaka Sajyou.
Sakurai: Through volumes 1 to 5, I have described a lot of Manaka’s secret manoeuvring. But, from volumes 1 to 4, I haven’t mostly depicted Manaka’s inner workings. Her love towards Saber, even if I described Manaka as an evil being, there are mostly no episodes where I’ve depicted it from Manaka’s perspective. By actually making this intentional, we avoided making the ominousness disappear from the being called Manaka Sajyou by depicting her inner workings. Except for her love towards Saber, by hiding the parts of her that say, what she was thinking, what she was feeling, I intended to depict Manaka as a monster who couldn’t be understood by people. And then, in the 5th volume we deeply delved into Manaka inner workings for the first time. When I finished drawing the final chapter which has been compiled in this volume, I thought that finally I could give an answer to the homework that Nasu had submitted to me.
Interviewer: ――――By homework what do you specifically mean?
Sakurai: To clarify what sort of being Manaka Sajyou is, yeah. What kind of person should she be to win her way through the Holy Grail War? What she was thinking, what she obtained, what kind of things that she was seemingly going to carry out, it was my homework from Nasu to convey that to the readers. Manaka Sajyou is the one who stands in the way as the last boss in “Fate/Prototype.” By depicting the true character of the being called her in the last chapter of “Blue Silver Fragments,” I thought I could respond to Nasu who had finally passed the baton to me.
Interviewer: ――――Okay next, please tell us about Ayaka Sajyou who serves as the protagonist in that “Prototype.”
Sakurai: The young Ayaka who appeared in “Blue Silver Fragments is a being who gives us a chance to decide the confrontation between Manaka and Saber. Saber’s meeting with Ayaka in Garden, gives him an important answer through her words. That’s why Saber, abandons his wish which is to save his homeland from destruction, he is a being who guides the destruction that Manaka is trying to create, and faces the Beast. Of course Ayaka wasn’t aware of such a thing, they were gentle words which appeared because she is young, but that’s exactly why it reached Saber’s heart as pure words.
Interviewer: ――――Do you mean that it was decided from the start, that Ayaka and Saber’s first meeting would be in Garden, in the 5th volume?
Sakurai: Yes. This was also the same as Saber’s 13 constraints release, it’s an episode that had been planned from the start. However, since “Blue Silver Fragments” was initially planned for one novel, at one point it was planned to write more quickly, but in the middle of serialisation it became 3, and then 5 novels. We fell behind schedule quite a bit to show this to everyone. But, since it was strongly implied in this episode through the accumulation of these 3 and a half years, I think that it was good results-wise.
Interviewer: ――――As I hear that story, the words that say “What do you wish for from the Holy Grail?” that Arash left for Saber in the 4th volume, I feel has something deeper in it.
Sakurai: If you’ve read volume 5, I think you’d be able to know that there was a meaning to the words that Arash left behind. If volume 5 has been released, I’d like you to read it straight through from volume 1. As it’s been arranged in chronological order, if the entire flow of the 1991 Holy Grail War is divided into 10 levels, then the first volume depicts the fragments from 1 to 9. So since each of them has been depicted like the 2nd volume is from 1 to 5, the 3rd volume is from 1 to 6, the 4th volume is from 2 to 7, and the 5th volume is from fragments 7 to 10, by all means please try to check them if you can. I think you’ll be able to understand just Arash’s resolve.
Interviewer: ――――Other than Manaka and the others, if you were to give a character who should be particularly noticed in this story who would it be?
Sakurai: It’s Tatsumi. If he had met with Saber, then I think that surely the story called “Blue Silver Fragments would’ve greatly changed. They actually haven’t met, but Tatsumi accomplished many encounters in exploring the town together with Jekyll. Since by bouncing around those encounters it gave an effect to Saber’s resolve, please follow Tatsumi’s movements by all means.
Interviewer: ――――Jekyll who is Tatsumi’s Servant also encountered, and fought with many Heroic Spirits, but would you say that there were Masters and Servants who were similar to them?
Sakurai: For Tatsumi, we made as a picture of a character who interacts with Jekyll. I think it’s inevitable that there will be similar Master/Servant pairings. Even within the story, I wrote it in a form where its Tatsumi towards Jekyll, or Jekyll towards Tatsumi. Jekyll who couldn’t achieve justice in his lifetime, meets Tatsumi who is overflowing with a pure sense of justice, and cooperates him under Tatsumi’s idea of “I want to stop the Holy Grail War!” Jekyll understands that to fight to their advantage means that they have do assassin like movements, but he prefers how Tatsumi wants to do things, so he chose a battle where its intentionally persuasive and straight on.
Interviewer: ――――Arash and Elsa Saijou is another Master/Servant pair who have built a good relationship.
Sakurai: If there’s a scene where I’ve depicted those two, then the point where the two of them are having meal together in the 4th novel still leaves an impression on me. While drinking alcohol at the pub, they are having a meal like friendly university students, but 8 days later Arash will be having his decisive fight with Ozymandias, right? Looking at Nakahara’s wonderful designs, an image of their meal before the decisive fight floated into my mind. It’s exactly because it’s a harmonious scene, that one could say that it overlaps with their later separation.
Image Description 2: Having been bequeathed to Ayaka by her mother, Garden is a place for studying magic. Coming together into the story, I had one impression similar to watching over her from the shade of a tree.
Image Description 3: Manaka who has persisted in her love for Saber unwaveringly until the end. Contrasts with the Hassan of Serenity who changes mentally with each advancement of the story.
Interviewer: ――――Brunhilde and Nigel Sayward, are a Master/Servant pair with contrastive personalities, isn’t that right?
Sakurai: It was a development following the initialisation, of Brunhilde becoming convinced that Saber was Sigurd, by drinking Nigel’s miracle drug. However, as I actually tried writing it, Brunhilde became a Servant with deep sentiments that are surprisingly more than what I had initially thought. Nigel too, at first he was created to be a standard cold-hearted magus, but he showed some emotions in part 4. I think that emotions becoming stronger than first planned by involving other main characters, is a common feature of these Master/Servant pairings.
Interviewer: ――――The unexpected development of Nigel showing his emotions and facing Manaka, became a topic among fans.
Sakurai: By Nigel contracting with Brunhilde, he might’ve begun climbing the stairway as a hero. Or as a result of meeting Manaka, he had awoken to his heroic qualities so as to guide his fate. If I think about this in that manner, then I wonder if Nigel would’ve again, been a suitable Master to contract with the Valkyrie called Brunhilde.
Interviewer: ――――What kind of impressions do you hold, for Ozymandias who flaunted his overwhelming power within the story?
Sakurai: The picture of him where he is together with Nefertari and Moses in the 3rd novel, is fantastic. If one can read that peripheral scene, then I think you can understand that Ozymandias is not a mere arrogant tyrant. Additionally, I can explain that there’s a small joke material in Nakahara’s design concerning Ozymandias. Ozymandias’ hair, had a risen design and a lowered design, but it would rise when the tension was running high. Conversely it lowered when her was in a calm state or a displeased state. As I tried to notice that point, I think one can understand that his anger towards the head of those Isemi’s was fierce indeed (Laughs).
Interviewer: ――――Please about the Hassan of Serenity and Paracelsus, you depicted and delved into their inner workings in volume 5, right?
Sakurai: I wonder if Paracelsus, is truly the perfect fit for the words “I think that’s all for the best.” Having turned the dead Tatsumi into a Living Dead, in a Paracelsus way was a type of good will towards the Hassan of Serenity. Again, the Hassan of Serenity is a being who has grown the most out of all of the characters within the story. She swears her loyalty to Manaka in volume 1, she meets Tatsumi in a later development, she is attracted to him, and becomes conscious of her love for him. “Blue Silver Fragments, is also a story about the Hassan of Serenity. If you follow Nakahara’s illustrations from volume, then I think you will know very well the changes in her expressions.
Interviewer: ――――It seems a newly written episode has been similarly compiled in this current volume as well as volume 5. Please by all means tell us, what kind of contents do they contain?
Sakurai: The “Fate/Prototype” short animation, with one act to connect to a scene that was drawn in the creative document collection “Prototype Material, as well as the later original characters of “Blue Silver Fragments.” These two have been compiled in it. So please by all means ascertain it the conclusion of this story of “Blue Silver Fragments” with your own eyes.
Interviewer: ――――In “Blue Silver Fragments” there are fragments that still haven’t been drawn yet. Will a day come when you’ll speak of these?
Sakurai: For now I can’t answer that yet. But, there are still episodes in the 1991 Holy Grail War. I think, that I want to deliver those fragments of the further stories of 1991 in some form someday.
Interviewer: ――――Well then, finally can you please give a message to our Comptiq readers.
Sakurai: Thanks to you, I became able to finish this story which spans over 3 and ½ years. With my feelings of gratitude towards all of its readers, I’ll deliver volume 5 as well as including all of my other newly written texts. I’m happy, if you’re able to enjoy it.
Image Description 4: Drawn in volume 4, Brunhilde who has been pierced by Saber. While her spiritual core has been destroyed, she expresses her emotions which have all been entrusted to the “Hero” called Saber.
Image Description 5: Ayaka and Saber’s meeting. The words which Ayaka spoke to him in Garden, became a chance for Saber to turn his eyes towards the future. The pair finally reunite 8 years later.
Originally Posted by EX-Saber
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
