I don’t remember disliking this route in the visual novel. There were things that I didn’t like, but I thought it was “decent” (although I was having a bit too much of Shirou’s thoughts.) That was many years ago, but this was my first time watching the anime adaptation.

In my opinion, this story does not work as an animated adaptation. It’s not just that we no longer know the motivations behind every little thing Shirou does, but it’s also that when you’re reading, you fill many diegetic gaps with your own imagination, so it’s easier to made it make sense. On the contrary, the anime is very detailed, yet spatiality and time are so confusing. A character could be shown doing something dangerous to another one for a long time, without any explanation of why the enemy doesn’t just charge against them and kill them. It doesn’t even feel like time freezes for narrative purposes.

I still liked it… kinda. But I would not watch it again, honestly.