This is the Drama CD that came with the Fate/Zero S1 boxset – not the one from some time ago (the one where Rider, Waver and Taiga save a puppy).
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N.B. All artwork belongs to their respective owners.
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Track 1 Summary
Kiritsugu is introduced to the vessel of the Holy Grail, a homunculus created by the Einzbern family. She explains to him her functions, abilities and reasonings, and is immediately at odds with him over their varying opinions on survival, self-defence and strategy.
Track 2 Summary
Kiritsugu goes to Acht to complain about the homunculus he has been talking to, saying that he will have no use for her in the war. Acht decides to prove the tenacity of his creation and throws her, naked, into the depths of the forest surrounded by wolves, spirits and a blizzard for a couple of days.
Track 3 Summary
After rescuing the homunculus, Kiritsugu is surprised at how she does not react to pain as well as not having a sense of anger towards Acht for doing what he did. Kiritsugu realizes that her only sense of self-preservation is to maintain function as the Holy Grail’s vessel, and urges her to find her own happiness and concern. When she says it is difficult, Kiritsugu offers to teach her, and she introduces herself as Irisviel von Einzbern.
Track 4 Summary
Kiritsugu converses with Maiya, who asks him about Irisviel’s progress. Kiritsugu tells her that Iri has a great thirst for knowledge, and has lots of general info as well as having the ability to hold a casual conversation now. When he asks Maiya how she is able to think of herself as a machine and yet keep her sanity, Maiya is puzzled as to why Kiritsugu is asking her a question he knows the answer to very well, and he wonders whether a human or a machine would be better in battle.
Track 5 Summary
Kiritsugu offers Irisviel the chance to walk away from becoming the Grail vessel after experiencing the way the world is and how people live, however she realizes that the reason he’s been educating her is because everything he’s taught her are things he’s forsaken himself for the sake of living like a machine. She gives a different opinion on what the source for a will to fight is, believing that love is a stronger impulse than anger. Irisviel then starts judging whether it’s appropriate for her to love Kiritsugu, and he is forced to teach her that human love is more complex than that.
Track 6 Summary
The two have fallen in love, but Kiritsugu still denies a relationship, due to his own intention to burn himself out after the war and Irisviel ceasing to exist after she serves her purpose. The two have no future together, and so Iri suggests conceiving a baby, and carrying on their hopes and prayers to that child. She again describes how she is stronger than he is, and Kiritsugu finally relents, asking Iri to bear him a strong child that will give him hope once the war is over.
Impressions
I’ve always wondered how Kiritsugu ended up falling in love with Irisviel. A relationship that unique had to have some kind of story behind it, as well as the fact that this is Kiritsugu we’re talking about, who usually puts up this emotionless “killing machine” facade for the sake of justice and the chance to save more lives at the cost of another. After Shirley, you’d think that he would have trouble falling in love again, especially as there’s the chance of the person he loves dying, with the kind of work he does.
With Iri, if he wins the Heaven’s Feel it’s at the cost of her life, and I applaud him taking the opportunity for his own happiness (albeit temporary) rather than putting it 2nd like he’s always done, both with his dad and Natalia. Back in Ep 1, even Saber was surprised at how Kiritsugu was so different when around Ilya – that being one of the times where he was able to show his real emotion and not hide everything away.
It’s strange how when they first met, Irisviel only cared about her self-preservation when it began to affect her status as the vessel for the Holy Grail. I don’t know how Acht makes his homunculi, but if you give her a will and a sense of self, you might as well offer her more than just a basic need for self-survival – making her more human would be a good way to phrase it.
Somewhere between Tracks 4 and 5 was probably where Iri learnt to drive xD I wonder what would have happened if, after teaching her about the world, Iri actually chose to leave her responsibility (of dying o.O). Obviously, Kiritsugu was forced to make that choice himself, but because of his will to save people and desire for world peace he chooses to stick with killing people and becoming a machine, all the while fueled by anger. Iri ends up choosing that option and sacrificing herself too, but instead out of love, for both Kiritsugu and Ilya.
We all know that it’s never going to end happily for them as a couple, but we’ll continue to hope that it will since they complement each other so well – Iri being one of the only people Kiritsugu ever lets down his adult facade to, and Iri herself being emotionally stronger and, given her abilities, probably the best match for Kiritsugu in terms of his goals and ideals. And if it gives him something to fight for other than just mindless anger, he’ll come out better in the long run, won’t he? It didn’t save Lancer though.
Iri: To never give up, to carry out the will to live until the moment of your demise…that’s the strength of the perfect Einzbern homunculus. That’s the power of the souls truly strong, something you don’t yet have.
Kiri: Ah, I see. It appears I’m no match for you. I have no further worries. I can truly believe now.
Please bear me a strong child, a child who’ll give me new hope once the war is over.
Iri: Yes, please come up with a wonderful name for the child…my love.
