Reviews for A Soul of Fire |
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![]() ![]() ![]() can i just say Setsunastick Code is a fantastic song for this chapter |
![]() ![]() ![]() interestyinhbghnm |
![]() ![]() ![]() lmao didn't mention #4 - zelretch |
![]() ![]() ![]() Been meaning to drop a review on this for a while now and decided to finally do so after re-reading it. I'll occasionally be making comparisons to In Flight since you mentioned it was your inspiration. Full disclosure: I am decently-versed in the Type-Moon universe but have not read Sekirei beyond the first few chapters and the wikia pages. You stated that you wanted to give the Sekirei some dignity, and I think you have accomplished your goal rather admirably. And if giving them a little dignity was all you wanted to do then I'd say a job well done and leave it at that, but if that was your main intention for the fic itself I'd say you didn't exactly pass with flying colors. Don't get me wrong, this is a great fic that integrates the world of Fate with the world of Sekirei extremely well and gives far more depth to the Sekirei than the source material ever did (don't even have to read it to know that), but it doesn't go far enough to give them a real identity. The main reason you did not meet that extra goal is rather obvious, not enough time spent on them. This story spends the majority of its time on the characters of Type-moon, and so too few Sekirei ever get a chance to break out of their cardboard cutouts. I'd say only two characters from Sekirei ever really get a chance to truly break free from their manga counterparts (Homura and Miya) and a few others get some decent development (Matsu, Tsukiumi, Akitsu, Minaka, Takami), but the rest essentially become background extras just like the source material. With such few characters getting a chance to break out of their cages the Sekirei never get a chance to come into their own, merely a chance to become a backdrop for the few characters that did. Some extra time spent on other Sekirei and their Ashikabi, like Uzume and Chiho, Yukari and Kusuno, Higa and his Sekirei, or Seo and his Sekirei, would have really helped the Sekirei gain an identity of their own and make this integrated world feel fuller. As it is this fic's world feels like the Fate universe swallowed up the Sekirei universe without giving it a chance to breathe, which is why this is my main criticism for this fic. My other large criticism with this fic is its inability to give proper resolutions to plotlines it picked up, which feeds a little into my previous criticism as well. Sekirei characters get introduced for them only to become non-entities and barely get any screentime. With all that said, this is the best Sekirei fic I've read on this site by a rather wide margin, although I haven't read that many so take that with a grain of salt. The things that are done well are done very well indeed. In particular, the integration of the Fate universe with the Sekirei universe is done better in this fic than any other. The Sekirei's inclination toward the magically inclined, the reason for the original ship going down, and other tidbits allow for this crossover world to feel like its own world rather than just two worlds haphazardly mashed together. I may be incorrect in saying this as I don't remember In Flight's plot fully, but I believe that fic merely threw Sekirei on top of Fate without any effort to conjoin the two. The change in backstory for Shirou was also a nice change of pace, and it was great getting little pieces of the puzzle of his origin story throughout the fic. The addition of Blackmore as the main antagonist was very unique and fresh as I rarely ever see him anywhere, source material or otherwise. I particularly liked Miya's part in the story as well, with her reaching her breaking point after losing her husband twice but being denied her revenge in the end only to realize it never actually mattered. All in all, the story came together surprisingly well considering you did not know the ending until you were through with most of it. You certainly managed to pull off some DBZ-level last minute planning, so kudos for that. What I love the most about this fic is it tried to build something new on top of the source materials. I've said this several times in other reviews but it bears repeating: A good fic takes the original source material(s) to leap off and build on, while a mediocre fic merely wallows in the success of the original(s). That is not to say fics that merely follows the original's path with superficial changes can't be fun to read, but I do not believe such fics will ever aid much in improving one's writing skills and will never measure up to fics that take a chance with their stories by trying to build more on top of what the source offered. And it is why I personally believe this fic is superior to its inspiration. I don't want to disparage In Flight too much as it is a mildly entertaining fic that is decently written, but to be honest I don't quite understand why so many people liked it. All I felt it really did was replace the Sekirei MC with Shirou and did the same thing the manga did, namely never develop the Sekirei as anything more than 2-dimensional harem cutouts, and make everyone and their grandmother's lives revolve around Shirou. This fic strays far from its inspiration and its source material and I have nothing but respect for that. Even with my criticisms I consider this to be one of the best Fate fics out there, with its prequel looking to be on par, if not better than this. Unfortunately for me, it seems like Birth by Fire may be abandoned, but I digress. Anyways, this was a great fic and I enjoyed it immensely. |
![]() ![]() ![]() Actually i just realised you did. So ignore all of my comments. Good story |
![]() ![]() ![]() forget my previous comment. To be honest i just think you should have mentioned you got your inspiration from that story. |
![]() ![]() ![]() Considering the fact that i just finished reading "in flight" by gabriel blessing, and the fact that this story was published after that one, i feel like i'm reading the exact same thing, except with a more powerful protagonist that likes to brag and show off his skills, you didn't even make an effort to change the details dude, seriously? there's absolutely nothing in the world i hate more than lazy writers. |
![]() ![]() ![]() Well that is a good reason to become a priest |
![]() ![]() ![]() This story was full of wonderful ideas that were executed with a well done plot. |
![]() ![]() ![]() Good story. |
![]() ![]() ![]() There's a severe lack of Nero stories. Time to reread this one! |
![]() ![]() ![]() Shame no one thought of the white princess. Simple message. Ancestor is goinf to destroy a lot of humanity with super weapon. Btw Shiki is one of the people. |
![]() ![]() ![]() This is definitely one of the best fanfics I'll read in my life. It's so nice to see something which is not in flight mk. 2 in this niche. And it's fucking completed. And can you believe I didn't skip even one word while reading . Wow. Best of luck if you ever write anything else. And best of luck for anything else you end up doing in your life. God knows everyone can benefit from it. |
![]() ![]() ![]() This is probably the best Fate and Sekirei crossover ever. I completely agree with your reflection at the very end. I think what I have come enjoy the most about Fate crossovers is that the stakes and depth of the other story get suddenly pumped up, and you did so excellently. I hope you have a pattern account, because I’m about to go look for it to donate. |
![]() ![]() ![]() Pretty good story. Ending kinda unsatisfying with all the lose ends but not bad |