"Fairy Tail" Chat

Major SPOILERS follow for Fairy Tail

It's no surprise to anyone that's been following this blog that I'm a fan of this series. I pride myself in that, too. This is a series mired in controversy over whether it's one of the worst of all time, or just some goofy, overrated series. I've said my piece on that, and whether or not you like it is up to you. 

It's been a long time since I've talked about the series, and there have been some significant changes in the story since that time, both in the anime and the manga (which I have completely caught up on). Despite the fact that I only watch Fairy Tail in the English Dub, I'm still keeping up with the events of the anime as it airs in Japan and in subtitles over here. 

So today, let's discuss what's been going down in the anime (both sub and dub) and the manga, catching up with our destructive heroes of the Magnolia guild, Fairy Tail! 

Anime: Dub

Holy crap, how about them Grand Magic Games! Or, should I say, Dragon Festival. I was thoroughly pleased with the little arc that we were thrust in. It lost some steam when the new 2014 series began, but it was still enjoyable to watch. By the end, it picked up immensely, with the fights beautifully animated and the action incredibly exciting. Future Rogue provided a sound villain, and it made me sort of mad that he went down in a single shot. You could argue that Natsu had been whittling him down over time, but a single shot from Natsu and Atlas Flame took him out, which was underwhelming. 

Still, getting to see the dragons rip into the kingdom was awesome, and simultaneously terrifying. Plus, the fact that they're all super afraid of Acnologia shows what a true threat that demon is. I wonder what sort of a fight Future Rogue would have put up against Acnologia. While he did go down in a single shot, I think that was more plot convenience than actually being taken down. It's tough to gauge just how strong he really is when he was taken down by a dragon. If Natsu and Atlas Flame took him down, but Natsu can't take down a dragon, but Future Rogue can...

Ah. Confusing. 

Still, there were great moments even before then. Not so much with the Execution Squad, those guys were not really threatening so much as goofy, but with the battles in the games. Laxus vs. Jura (which I want a definitive ending to, by the way), Erza and Kagua, and then the "Gloria" scene. Some people think it was just too much, but, I mean, it completely makes sense in story. Sting is fighting solely for revenge, and despite the facade he puts up, both he and Rogue fight for respect. They always have. For Sting to challenge that team from Fairy Tail in their condition would have been no victory. This group had been his greatest heroes while he grew up. He had to fight them at their best. 

Sure, he got taken down by Natsu in a single shot (that much makes a little more sense to me than him taking down Future Rogue in a single shot), so it makes me wonder if he would have attacked them if Natsu had been there. It was obvious all along that Fairy Tail would win the games, and it was just fitting that Sabretooth would surrender to them. This moment also gave Sting just that much more character, and capped off with Lector's return, it was a really solid moment all-around. Plus, that touching moment to cap the arc with Future Lucy seeing the guild out of the shadows was just great. 

But, then you have to remember what was next for them...

Anime: Sub

Tartaros. When this sees its English Dub, I'll be all over it, because, it may just be my favorite arc from Fairy Tail. It just does everything correctly. There is no sense of victory, at all. There is always this hopelessness evident through every fight we've seen so far, and the arc isn't even over yet! I mean, we know for a fact that Zeref is still walking around. Acnologia's showed up, and they're all pining for this E.N.D. figure, with it heavily implied that Acnologia is afraid of E.N.D., and even Zeref is unsure if he wants to take it back, or destroy it. 

Mard Geer is an intimidating villain, I got that vibe from the manga, but I never thought he was the biggest baddie there. He was tough, sure, but having Acnologia there as well as the insane emotions brought on by the appearance of Silver just sort of have him as a final boss of sorts. 

That, topped with Lucy's sacrifice of Aquarius, has been the highlight so far. There are things coming that will top it, but, man. All of the stuff with Gray has just been absolutely insane. His character has been on just an insane journey this entire arc and it really shows in his fighting and his demeanor, now. Dude's already practically died (before that got reversed) and now he's forced to put down his father, and Juvia has to be the one to really seal the deal? Yeesh. Lucy's sacrifice of Aquarius, too, I thought carried so much weight with it as it shows she isn't just the little girl from the guild anymore. She's sort of become her own woman, taking herself serious as Aquarius always wanted to. THeir backstory was incredibly touching. 

But now, the action is just insane. Because, obviously, IGNEEL in the house! Ah, man, so crazy! Igneel versus Acnologia going on while Natsu fights Mard Geer. Really the only thing that could possibly top this would indeed be the two Dragon Kings fighting while Natsu takes on Zeref. Sure, Mard Geer is an Etherious and is super evil, but, Zeref and Acnologia are sort of on their own unconquerable level. Oh well. It's still great to see Igneel finally back fighting side-by-side with Natsu, as father and son. 

The Tartaros arc has also been a way to show just how strong the guild has come so far, never really backing down from a challenge despite all of the destruction coming their way. They're still giving it their all against Tartaros (some matches more realistic than others *cough* Erza *cough*) but at the same time, what real victory can they achieve? The guild hall is destroyed, their members are emotionally unstable, and their defenses are completely down. Something has to go right for them at some point, you would think. 

Manga

Ah, and speaking of hopeless situations, there's a bit of a war going on right now in the manga. I'm not sure how long this is going to last, but I also kind of don't care. It's exciting, and it's the perfect cap for the entire Fairy Tail story. There are big battles set up all over the board, given what's just been released today: The strongest of the Wizard Saints are stacked up and are probably going to square off against God Serena, Gray and Gajeel are leading respective forces against more of the Spriggan Twelve, Mavis and Makarov silently await Zeref to meet up with them, Lucy and Cana are braced for whatever a currently-trapped Lady Brandish has to off, and to top it all off, Natsu charges toward Zeref at a blinding speed to end this madness now. 

Obviously, this won't be the big showdown with Zeref. In fact, this is probably just set-up for Natsu coming to terms with the truth of his existence: that he isn't even real. That Zeref brought him back from the dead after he had died 400 years ago, and was created as the ultimate Etherious to defeat and eventually kill Zeref...otherwise known as Etherious Natsu Dragneel. Now, it is obvious that the final battle will take place between Zeref Dragneel and Natsu Dragneel, but it's the road there that is unclear. Acnologia is his own army right now, and has not been spotted as Zeref wishes. Gray still has it out for E.N.D., so will we see a major battle between he and Natsu, as Gray goes mad and perhaps loses himself to the Demon-Slayer magic his father imbued him with? 

It would only make sense for this to all finally be revealed now. The war is just starting and it's better for this to have a bigger ripple effect rather than be a major reveal for a few chapters before the big finale. This gives our characters a time to cope, I guess, and could be the first shockwave of many. How about the possibility that God Serena is actually Makrarov's father? Or a re-connection between two former lovers, Mavis and Zeref? The possibility that Brandish and Layla Heartfilia are relatives of some sort, linking her back to Lucy? 

Not to mention that the Dragons have all now left the Dragon Slayer's bodies. They've all undergone extensive training, yes, but they've mostly halted any chance for Acnologia to turn them into dragons. Mostly, I believe. Might we see a Dragon-ized Natsu squaring off against Acnologia? 

There's also one group that's been missing throughout all of this, one that remains in the shadows with a leader who, as of now, has untold strength and could be a major deciding factor in this war: 

Where is the Crime Sorciere? Where is Jellal?

He has it out for Zeref, and probably Acnologia, and more than likely, by extension, E.N.D. If Zeref, though Ultear but still Zeref, has possessed him before, what's to stop him from doing it again? And might Jellal result to using dangerous dark magic? We've seen all of other powerful Fiore guilds appear, so where is this one, where is the wildcard? It's tough to tell when Jellal and the gang will reappear, and I'm sort of hoping it isn't a knight-in-shining-armor moment. I'd be down for him having to fight against Zeref and sacrificing himself. It'd be him coming full-circle, having basically given his life twice now to Zeref, only this time becoming a martyr for the cause. 

Plus, someone has to die. People are going to die in this arc. I mean, this is it for Fairy Tail! I can't see Gray, Lucy, Erza, Wendy, or Natsu biting the bullet, but others like Makarov, Jellal, Sting/ Rogue, Lyon...yeah. It just might be their time. 

Regardless, the war against the Alvarez Empire has been...interesting. The Spriggan Twelve are supposed to be as strong as the Wizard Saints of Fiore, and while only one has actually be taken down, I haven't been all that impressed with them yet. Azir going down to Erza, as well as a shot from the Etherion Cannon, is very acceptable. He was, though, probably the weakest of the bunch and it took everything Erza, the new Master, had. So, there is still some hype for them, but I just hope it's more of the heavy-hitters doing the work and less the Thunder Tribe and Ichiya showing up to fight. It was cool to see them, but...I wanna see Gray and Gajeel put in work. Oh, and Laxus, that showdown has just been foreshadowed and it's going to be sweet, I can tell already. 

Still, we're moving ahead at a great pace in the manga now. And the anime, too. Having finally come off of its filler arc, the anime has entered some of Fairy Tail's best material, and the manga looks to have no end in sight for now as the war against the Alvarez Empire picks up. It's been quite a year for this little wizard guild, and let's hope it doesn't let up any time soon. 

Social media: 

Twitter: @seanovan13

Instagram: @seanovan10