First off, the trip to Europe was great. Thanks to everyone who gave advice! I'm still going through the very slow process of uploading pics, but I promise I'll post them here once I'm finally done!
Anyway, just finished Fate/Zero. Since F/Z is a prequel, it leaves more than a few loose threads. Hell, they didn't even try to explain Angra Mainyu to people who didn't read the VN. Even people who watched the FSN anime and the Unlimited Blade Works movie are probably still left confused, since many of the most important developments/explanations only occur in the unadapted third route of the VN, Heaven's Feel. SO in an effort to clear things up, I'm gonna run through a few of the most important plot events in Heaven's Feel, in relation to Fate/Zero.
Firstly, Angra Mainyu is an evil spirit that corrupted the Grail way back in the Third War. Basically, the Einzberns tried to cheat, but instead fucked everything up.
One thing F/Z doesn't cover in its ending is that Matou Zouken took some of the shards of the Holy Grail that was left in the ashes of the fire and embedded them in Sakura. (Mainly for shits and giggles.) Angra Mainyu was sort of given a corporeal form through Sakura, the above picture being the end result.
Since Angra Mainyu is essentially the evil version of the Holy Grail, Sakura possesses the power to both consume and blacken (read: have control over) Servants. In Heaven's Feel, most of the Servants end up getting consumed by Sakura, including Gilgamesh who totally dies like a bitch in this route. Only a couple Servants end up getting blackened, including Alter Saber shown above. Near the end, Alter Saber is killed by Shirou's hands.
Many of Kotomine's dastardly plans are made unworkable at the start of Heaven's Feel, and so he ends up helping Shirou through most of the route. (Of course, by "help" I mean the same sort of "help" he offered Kariya in F/Z.) The good priest pops out of nowhere at the very end to beat the shit out of Shirou and spout the same pro-life bullshit he ranted at Kiritsugu ten years prior. I love this guy.
As expected, Shirou and friends foil all of Zouken's evil plans. And by that, I mean Sakura basically does all the work herself, as she eventually becomes too powerful for Zouken to control. Above picture shows Sakura looking down at Zouken worm, right before crushing his ass.
Ilya grows up to be a yandere. lol but seriously, she's sheltered and lonely, and her feelings towards Kiritsugu are very conflicted. She ends up growing very close to "big brother" Shirou, in this route especially. The top picture above shows Ilya right before sacrificing herself to prevent the birth of Angra Mainyu. On a depressing note, Ilya is fated to die young in every route of the VN.
Rin fights Sakura in a sparkly mage battle and loses, but not before forcing Sakura to realize what a crazy bitch she's become. Shirou later helps free Sakura from Angra Mainyu before its destroyed. Rin and Sakura's relationship remains strained, but by the end of Heaven's Feel, the two of them maintain relatively friendly relations.
Rin grows up to be a much better mage than her father. She later moves to London to work at the Clock Tower, where she first meets Waver. (Amusingly enough, the two of them don't get along.) Waver eventually returns to Fuyuki City to help dismantle the Grail once and for all.
As for Shirou, after practically killing himself fighting and defeating Kotomine, Rin and the gang use some crazy ass magic to revive him. At this point, he's given up trying to be the "hero" Kiritsugu dreamed of being and lives a happy life with Sakura by his side.
The End. :)
