36 episodes after I watched the first one that had my jaws dropping at the insane and over-exuberant antics performed by the strange characters I had been given -the talkative girl, the flying cat and the fire-breathing guy who couldn’t last on any moving vehicle- I’m still asking myself when I’ll be able to predict what’s going to happen next, and each time I decide to feel like a whiz and make some predictions which of course get tossed back at me most of the time… That is the fate I face as I constantly watch Fairy Tail, following its absorbing and at certain times ridiculous storyline. But the better part of it? Even the characters involved tend to break the 4th wall and complain about how lousy some things can get. You don’t see that kind of humour mixed up with so much action nowadays without the action feeling redundant and too pushy.
Fairy Tail is a manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima, which has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since August 23, 2006 and still continues to be made to this very day. The anime adaptation began in 2006 and has spanned over 130 episodes as of this moment. That means I have over 100 episodes to dash through if I want to catch up properly, and I do not plan on using manga to speed things up anytime soon.
The story follows Lucy Heartfilia, a Celestial Mage who eventually joins her favorite mage guild after meeting Natsu Dragneel, a boy who was trained by the dragon Igneel and got the name Salamander. She comes to know the people of Fairy Tail and becomes especially close to Gray Fullbuster, an ice mage with a habit of stripping who is also Natsu nemesis and close pal; as well as Erza Scarlet, a mage who uses the magic style Ex-Quip that allows her to change armor and gives her access to lots of armor at any given time. She has been shown to use her Ex-Quip to wear a construction worker’s uniform, a chef’s hat and apron as well as a slim fitting dinner gown; and Happy, a flying, talking cat that hatched out of an egg Natsu found years ago.
L-R: Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Happy
Fairy Tail blends together action with comedy with humor with tragedy with plain stupidity. It’s a mix that’s not done very often and has a tendency to get annoying at certain times, and admittedly it does. However, it redeems itself by not taking itself too serious and then switching the tone abruptly on you… so you’re left trying to relax and then you’re hit with an event that has you gasping on the edge of your seat waiting for the next sequence of scenes to unfold themselves. One thing I particularly like is the good natured comedy involved in the show, and the way this is augmented by Natsu’s carefree attitude.
For example, at one point in later episodes, a village head begs the team (comprising Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Gray and Erza) to help destroy a violet moon because it was turning them into demons. While a sorrowful song plays in the background and Lucy is trying to give her condolences, Natsu suddenly bursts out pointing out the horns the villagers have and exclaiming on how cool they are. Then he’s reprimanded and told the villagers don’t see it as cool and then the story goes back to its normal gloomy pitch.
Foes in this show has varied on different levels; from dark guilds to rival official guilds to past friends, it’s like there’s a never ending current of story to tap from when you look closer at the picture. From the outside, it usually seems like episodes are just different collections of different moments, never intertwining unless by chance supporting characters decide to slip out from one plot hole and land in a major role later on. As to be expected, mages take on missions and receive pay according to the class of the mission, and Lucy’s team is notorious for destroying various parts of the city when on missions; usually meaning that most (if not all) of their reward goes into damages and repairs. It’s even a continuous gag for Lucy complain about not being able to pay the rent on her apartment time and time again because of the problems her team face with consecutive missions.
Fairy Tail looks like it still has quite a long way to go, and while I don’t want to sound all nampy-pampy about it, I think my attachment with this anime may just rival my attachment to Beelzebub. After all, it was Beelzebub’s ending that pushed me into properly checking out Fairy Tail, so I’ll say that’s a fair things to say. Any doubts on Fairy Tail shouldn’t stand strong, as the show caters to quite a wide category of people. If you’re the punch, punch, kick type this will entertain you. If comedy’s your thing, this is a good stop. Engaging story? It has its moments too. Extreme fan service? Maybe Maken-Ki or Queen’s Rebellion will be better for you. But really, Fairy Tail is so full of colors you may lose count of how many times you get amazed.
He gets the picture.
I’m sure to continue. And when the loads of free time comes, I’ll load up the episodes and have a happily ever after marathon to get up to speed with things.
Shi, shi, tou…
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