Anime newbie looking for shows/movies

[AshenKrow]

The initial series of Fate/Stay (the 2006 one) was butchered because they tried to do too much without explaining much. Because the original Visual Novel had 3 distinct routes (Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, Heaven's Feel), each with differences, the anime tried to incorporate different elements of these paths into the series but because each path was stand alone, it just made the whole thing confusing. The 2006 series follows mostly Fate, but adds Heaven's Feel into it as well, which didn't help the story at all.

I recommend watching it to get a brief understanding just what is going on, then go and watch the Unlimited Blade Works series (not the movie, it was horrible). It's a more faithful adaptation of the UBW route and much more action packed