The setup
Before getting into Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front – Babylonia, I would definitely recommend watching Fate/Grand Order: First Order and Episode 0 – Initium Iter first. There is quite a lot of lore and backstory going on, and having that introduction makes it much easier to understand what is happening when you get into Babylonia. The story follows Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight, members of the Chaldea Security Organization. They have already travelled through six different points in history in an attempt to repair the damage that has been done to humanity's future.
Their next destination is ancient Mesopotamia, around 2655 BC, where they arrive during the legendary Age of Gods. This is the seventh and final Singularity that they need to resolve.
Once there, Ritsuka and Mash become involved with the people of ancient Mesopotamia and find themselves caught up in a conflict involving humans, gods and supernatural creatures.
The pair must work alongside a collection of familiar and new characters while trying to understand what is happening in this strange version of ancient history and, ultimately, prevent humanity's future from being destroyed.
Unfortunately, Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front – Babylonia just wasn't for me.
There are definitely things I can appreciate about it. The animation is fantastic, the action can be spectacular and there is clearly a huge amount of interesting lore behind the Fate/Grand Order universe.
The problem is that I never really connected with the story. There are so many characters, so much lore and so much happening that I found it difficult to stay invested. On top of that, the mobile-game origins are quite noticeable, and the fan service wasn't something I particularly enjoyed.
Positives
- The animation is surprisingly amazing. This was probably the biggest positive for me. When the show gets into its action scenes, it can look absolutely fantastic. -The action is great. The fights have a real sense of scale and some impressive animation. There are moments where you can see exactly where the show's budget has gone. -There are loads of characters. While this can also be a negative, there is certainly no shortage of interesting characters, Servants and personalities. -At least it's not another isekai! After watching so many isekai anime, it was actually refreshing to watch something that isn't about someone getting transported into another fantasy world.
Negatives
-The story feels a bit all over the place. There is a lot happening, and I often found myself struggling to keep track of everything that was going on. -The lore is complicated. There is clearly a lot of information here, but as someone who hasn't played the game, I sometimes felt like I was expected to already know things. -It feels like a mobile game adaptation. This is probably my biggest criticism. There are sections that feel like I'm watching someone work their way through a series of game missions rather than watching a story that has been completely restructured for television. -The fan service wasn't for me. There are quite a few moments where the character designs and camera angles lean heavily into fan service, and personally I found it distracting rather than adding anything to the story.
Verdict
I can definitely understand why Fate/Grand Order has such a dedicated fanbase, and if you've already played the game, I imagine there is a lot more here for you to enjoy.
For me, though, I think I'd rather play the game than continue watching the anime.
