History YMMV / LordElMelloiIICaseFiles

* ContinuityLockout: The series is set between ''LightNovel/FateZero'' and ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and the anime adaptation expects the viewers to, at least, be familiar with the events of ''Zero'' in order to understand Waver's predicament; though the anime tried to explain Waver's experiences during ''Zero'' in the original episodes, they were kept as minimal as possible.

** Likewise, the series is chock-full of TYPE-MOON cameos not just from ''Fate'' and its various spinoffs but also from ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' and even ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' and ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood''. The anime adaptation also gets in on this, bringing in cameos from characters who did not appear in the original novels and increasing the roles of those who appeared in the novels but not for the current arc.

* FridgeBrilliance: VERY Minor, but Shirou is mentioned in a passing dialogue. That he is in the Tower with Rin, but he is not in a romantic relationship with her.... could this be [[FutureBadass Archer]]'s timeline?

* TheScrappy: Yvette gets this for her shameless obsession with being Waver's mistress and her sexual harassment of him, and for having a character design that is completely over the top and sticks out like a sore thumb (even by Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} standards it doesn't make sense for the timeframe of when the series takes place). It doesn't help that [[spoiler:she was TheMole who sold information about the Rail Zeppelin to [[BigBad Doctor Heartless]], but [[KarmaHoudini gets off for that incident with little more than a slap on the wrist]]]].

* FridgeBrillance: VERY Minor, but Shirou is mentioned in a passing dialogue. That he is in the Tower with Rin, but he is not in a romantic relationship with her.... could this be [[FutureBadass Archer]]'s timeline?

* TheScrappy: Yvette gets this for her shameless obsession with being Waver's mistress and her sexual harassment of him, and for having a character design that is completely over the top and sticks out like a sore thumb (even by Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} standards it doesn't make sense for the timeframe of when the series takes place). It doesn't help that [[spoiler:she was TheMole who sold information about the Rail Zeppelin to [[BigBad Doctor Heartless]], but [[KarmaHoudini gets off for that incident with little more than a slap on the wrist]]]].
* SpiritualSuccessor: [[WordOfGod Stated]] to be one to prior {{Franchise/Nasuverse}} entry ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners''. Whereas most entries in the ''Fate''-verse tend to focus on high-octane Servant battles, ''Case Files'' focuses more on UrbanFantasy, investigating supernatural mysteries, and expounding on philosophy and the nature of magecraft, with action sequences much more infrequent. Touko Aozaki herself appears in a way that implies ''Kara no Kyoukai'' to be BroadStrokes canon to ''Fate''. For bonus points, the anime adaptation brings back composer Music/YukiKajiura, with a sound that's much closer to her work on ''Kara no Kyoukai'' than on ''Fate''.
* StrictlyFormula: Some accuse the mysteries of the novels of doing this by almost every solution hinging on someone not being who they say they are:
** [[spoiler:Jiroubou Seigen Tokitou]] really was [[spoiler:Geryon's son Glannid Ashborn]].
** [[spoiler:The Princess of Gold]] really was [[spoiler:her maid Carina]].
** [[spoiler:Caules Forvedge]] really was [[spoiler:Doctor Heartless]].
** [[spoiler:The Corpse King]] really was [[spoiler:Gray's mother Magdalena]].
** [[spoiler:Doctor Heartless]] really was [[spoiler:Hishiri's brother Kurou]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow: One of the reasons ''Anime/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorks'' was a ContestedSequel had to do with how little of anything from ''LightNovel/FateZero'' carried over to ''UBW'' despite being being the sequel. While ''Lord El-Melloi II Case Files'' doesn't cover every single plot point from the prequel series, it at least manages to feel more like a direct sequel in focusing on Waver's story after the previous Holy Grail War, with the events of ''Zero'' getting more continuity nods and Waver having to deal with the aftermath of the war, in addition to Waver having to carefully weave his way through political intrigues due to Kayneth being dead and taking up the mantle of Lord El-Melloi II while dealing with Kayneth and Sola-Ui's families.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: One of the reasons ''Anime/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorks'' was a ContestedSequel had to do with how little of anything from ''LightNovel/FateZero'' carried over to ''UBW'' despite being being the sequel. While ''Lord El-Melloi II Case Files'' doesn't cover every single plot point from the prequel series, it at least manages to feel more like a direct sequel in focusing on Waver's story after the previous Holy Grail War, with the events of ''Zero'' getting more continuity nods and Waver having to do deal with the aftermath of the war, in addition to Waver having to carefully weave his way through political intrigues due to Kayneth being dead and taking up the mantle of Lord El-Melloi II while dealing with Kayneth and Sola-Ui's families.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: One of the reasons ''Anime/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorks'' was a ContestedSequel had to do with how little of anything from ''LightNovel/FateZero'' carried over to ''UBW'' despite being being the sequel. While ''Lord El-Melloi II Case Files'' doesn't cover every single plot point from the prequel series, it at least manages to feel more like a direct sequel in focusing on Waver's story after the previous Holy Grail War, with the events of ''Zero'' getting more continuity nods and Waver having to do deal with the aftermath of the war, in addition to Waver having to carefully weave his way through political intrigues due to Kayneth being dead and having to take up the mantle of Lord El-Melloi II while dealing with Kayneth and Sola-Ui's families.

* PromotedToLoveInterest: Somewhat. The anime included a lot of ShipTease between Gray and Waver, as well as generally implying the former has feelings for the latter, but this is all absent in the novels. Scenes in the canonical ''Rail Zeppelin'' part of the adaptation were even added to make it so. However, the novels make it quite clear that Gray's feelings towards her mentor are ''not'' romantic, and their teacher-student relationship could at best get closer to father-daughter. [[WordOfGod The author himself]] notes in the side material that their close relationship isn't romantic in nature.