Written by Shiggins
And so we come to a close with this blasted war, an arc that I plan to review in full later on so keep an eye out for that in the near future. For now, let's focus on the ups and downs of this chapter alone and maybe together, we can figure out if this was a pile of excrement or a crown made of something that isn't excrement. Like gold. I hear crowns like to be made of gold.
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| Well that's.... jarring. |
Meredy is here and is going to use her power to connect Lucy to literally everyone in the country, which basically means every character from the series. We see Quatro Cerberus, the Wizard Saints (the useless fuckers), Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, Flare, the people in the castle, the Galuna Island villagers, the Exceeds and even the Elemental Three! AND AH-MAH-GADZ, TINY DIMARIA WITH MY WAIFU BRANDISH!!!
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| I'm convinced that this is a homage to Dragon Ball Z. Characters holding their hands up in the air to give energy to the protagonist... Yeah, this is definitely a homage. It's too blatant to be a rip-off. |
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| I think this might be a homage as well, to Hiro Mashima's old friend and classmate Eiichiro Oda. I can't be sure however. It might just be a coincidence. |
A-D explodes, with Lucy realising this means Natsu and the gang defeated him, and there is a big cheer. The sky opens up to have the Slayers fall from the sky, freed from Acnologia's prison, and crashing down below. It's a happy ending all around and we see the Fairy Tail guild again as the penultimate chapter comes to a close.
Opinion: Welp, he's dead.
Acnologia... I am sorry to say but I was right about him from the beginning. He just wasn't interesting once it was all over. To be more accurate, the big picture of Acnologia was nowhere near as interesting as the infrequent details led us to believe.
Believing in nothing but destruction? That is interesting.
Hating dragons for what happened to him and a little girl? That is interesting.
Declaring himself the Dragon King who deserves to rule? That is interesting.
Unfortunately, all of these elements twisted together into one big mess and the outcome is sadly far too disjointed for me to feel complete investment in. On the bright side, we will always have Zeref and his far more beautiful ending. We will always have Zeref.
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| The two appropriate reactions to stepping on Lego. |
And it's nice to see everyone's fate seeming to be resol... Anna is still there. ANNA HEARTFILIA IS STILL THERE! Why?!
Actually, let's talk about Anna for a moment. She appeared in the arc, nobody remembered her, she introduced a Deus Ex Machina that didn't work, and then nothing happened. She has been completely useless, if not actually detriment to the protagonists because her interfering made Acnologia stronger. This leads me to believe that Anna was meant to do more, and something caused her plot to be cut. Whether the cause was money or time or one of the assistants got drunk, I don't know but I'm convinced she was meant to be in this arc a lot longer and contribute a lot more. She never even shared a scene with Lucy!
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| It's nice to see a protagonist not scream about being the king/leader/whatever every 2 chapters for once. Natsu, well done. You actually get a good point from me today. |
Next week is the final chapter, which is almost 100% going to be an epilogue where we see who ends up with who. In fact, next week is a 48 page chapter so don't be surprised to see a lot of kids running around. And since this is my review and I can do whatever the fuck I want, here are pictures of all the appearances of my ships from this chapter! Some of them are actually new ones!
Manga Rating: 3.5/5
Character of the Week: EVERYONE!
Best Part: The Fairy Sphere reunion!
Worst Part: Acnologia didn't climax.
Worst Part: Acnologia didn't climax.
P.S
From the desk of Hiro Mashima-senpai...
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| LOOK WHAT HE GOT!!! |
Shiggins:[Admin]
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Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/
This chapter for me was a mixed bag it wasn't perfect but neither was it awful. I enjoyed seeing all of the characters from previous arcs give a helping hand to Lucy. I loved your reaction to the wizard saints as I had the exact same reaction when reading the chapter. They could have been replaced with the Quatro Cerberus guild and you would have never even noticed although the great Jura has been insulted by a lack of screen time this arc.
ReplyDeleteAcnologia however I felt relatively pleased with as his motivations did not have to be properly explained and having a backstory that was glimpsed at was better than sitting through another villainous tragic backstory after having a buttload thrown at us this arc. I agree that all seven dragon slayers would have been much more entertaining however it made sense for Natsu to do it as his father was the one Acnologia ripped open in front of his very eyes and was the reason he left for a year to train. His death was certainly more satisfying and not nearly as rage inducing as the death of another character that could turn into a dragon during this arc.
Overall I enjoyed this chapter it was stupid, it had action, it had friendship being jammed down our throats the classic Fairy Tail chapter. I Also loved this review as well, it gave me a good chuckle and I will certainly keep reading your reviews even when this great series comes to a somewhat premature end.
Mixed bag is definitely the opinion I had as well. I enjoyed it as a whole but that comes from me being very forgiving and just enjoying everything else in the chapter.
DeleteAnd I have spent more than a couple of chapters bitching about the Wizard Saints haha. They really hurt me. Except for Jura. I always love Jura-time, and you're right. He needed to be in this far more.
I actually do agree with you when it comes to Acnologia, but the problem is that he was inconsistent. I just would have liked it if he focused on one or the other, instead of trying to go for all of them.
That is true. Natsu does deserve to be the final punch, although as a lover of spectacle I wanted some more variety. Natsu needed to defeat Acnologia, but I just really wanted to see something big from Cobra, Laxus etc in this fight too.
And thank you! I do have future plans for other manga and anime, but I'm always open to requests if you're curious. Glad to have you on board!
Thanks for the reply because Fairy Tail is about to end I have gone through a few shounen manga and anime and I have found only one that is satisfying for me and that is Boku no hero academia because the characters are all so unique and the stories are certainly entertaining. I will happily read any review you put down this is just a little recommendation so if you choose another series I will be absolutely happy to read what you write.
DeleteI have two manga that I am considering reviewing next, one of which is Hero Academia. The other is a newer one called Dr Stone, which has really grabbed me recently so I'm definitely struggling a bit. But both are great so we'll find out together!
DeleteWhy didn't Acnologia eat fairy sphere?
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't able to. I suspect it's because it was one of Mavis' big three magic spells so he was powerless against it.
DeleteCan't wait for the full arc review it's sad we only have 48 pages left but all good things must come to an end. I'm neutral for this chapter nothing was bad but the tension wasn't there to really leave an impact it should have. I feel bad for Fairy tail winning this war though it's just seems so unjust.
DeleteThis chapter... was weird for me. I don't even know if I hate it or love it. The way A-D got sealed by the magic of the whole continent(Meredy is too op...) was awesome and I really liked it. It had the whole "Fairy Tail" feel to it.
ReplyDeleteThe fight with human Acno though.... That's where I'm mixed. On one side, I really liked how he was defeated. he couldn't move because of Fairy Sphere and couldn't defend himself against Natsu because of his missing arm that Igneel ripped off. This gave Natsu the chance to deliver the finishing blow. I really liked that, because it gave importance to both Lucy's doing(Fairy Sphere) and Igneel's fight in Tartaros(biting off the arm). I found that brilliant and great.
However, I have some parts that I really didn't enjoy. First of all... NO TRANSFORMATION!!! I mean, I thought I'd be more mad about it, but I actually still liked the "Seven Dragons Power Fist". So surprisingly enough, I'm not as salty at Natsu not getting a transformation. I'm still dissapointed that we didn't get nor Dragon Natsu nor END Natsu. Both of these things were hyped up by Hiro and never delivered :(
The main flaw of this chapter is the fight itself. Personallu, I find it a great idea to create to battlefields so everyone can have a part of the battle. I think it's really smart and great. And I don't even have a problem with the fight with A-D. It was well made, and the conclusion made sense.
The fight with Human Acno though.... The main dissapointment is that there wasn't really a fight. Acno smacked the DS around and then Natsu powered up and one punched Acno. I would enjoy it far more if when Natsu powered up he fought Acno on equal grounds, and only after the fight when they both are exhausted does Natsu deliver the final blow. Because the final blow was great, however the problem is that there was only the "final blow" and no fight in between.
And Acno calling Natsu "worthy of being the king"... was super anticlimactic. I'm not against Acno understanding his wrong doings, but it should make sense!! Here we have Acno with mixed motives shouting "DESTRUCTION!!" and then he understands what friends really mean. This whole scene could've been better if it wasn't rushed. But really everything got rushed - including Acno's character and backstory.
So I'm really conflicted how I feel about this chapter. This chapter was everything good and everything bad in FT in one go.
Oh well... Next chapter is going to be the last :(
And 48 pages... I wonder will we get a timeskip or not? I'm ok with both, but I would prefer it if a timeskip didn't happen. Maybe like a month timeskip, so everything is back to normal again, but not more than that. That said, if we get a big timeskip I'll be ok with that as well.
Next chapter is going to be the end of FT... It's so hard to believe.
A mixed bag is definitely the outcome here, but I enjoyed it more than I hated it so take that for what it's worth. I really do feel like this arc has been cut short for some reason or another, but I don't know what that reason is and I'm not about to start making assumptions for it. Acnologia's death was very quick but he knew he was beaten and outmatched by Natsu, and that's what really mattered to him. He probably didn't care in the end that he was a villain anyway. He just said Natsu should be king because he was stronger.
DeleteI would expect a few years later timeskip. I can't think of any manga right now that doesn't end with an epilogue ten or so years later. Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, Nisekoi, Medaka Box... oh wait, Soul Eater didn't. Ah well, maybe there is an itty bitty chance then.
And Torch, I hope you keep reading after FT is done. It might be over but I'm certainly not.
Yea, I won't leave your blogs just because FT ended. I'll continue to read your reviews. Obviously depends on if I watch the anime you are reviewing or not, but I'll stay here ;)
DeleteThis was a garbage end. Where fuck Meredy even come from fine she can strengthen fairy sphere because it is built on friendship. when can Fairy sphere stop the magic of the people in it. and How come this didn't happen to Ancologia spirit when his body was on the boat. It would kinda set this.
ReplyDeleteDS vs Ancologia was bland and samey. Everyone just punch Ancologia and he no sells it because he immune so still how can Ancologia be beat with any magic. A simple solution Hiro could have done is He can only cancel one magic type at time. But he didn't do that.
This is just like every single final fight of fairy tail natsu wins with a empty display of friendship. I hate Fairy sphere was a magic but it is more of display of Friendship then Natsu doing everything. Let put it all on natsu even though there are 7 seven other people.
Boring and lifeless. Horrible ending.
Also what is the point of even TRYING to add "Depth" to Ancologia. If he is a force nature that would have been perfect but, no Hiro adds this with no rhyme or reason and it ruins Ancologia because now he feel half formed.
DeleteOk. I am new to this site and your reviews and comments are very interesting.. But one thing still bugs me. Zeref made it clear that big he dies, natsu would die. But thanks to plot twist, natsu and the other dragon skaters got zapped to a place outside then confines of time, that explains why reality hasn't caught up with natsu yet. So, now that they are outside the time-thingy, would he still die or should we just forget that natsu is still a demon from zeref's book?
ReplyDeleteLucy rewrote his book, so he's not a demon anymore. Which means that Natsu is just a normal human now.
DeleteI'm also super dissapointed that we didn't get to see END Natsu, especially with around 20+ chapters explaining how horrible it is and all this build-up to only be nothing. I feel like some things in the past chapters were irrelevant and could've been used to provide more character depth I guess. Though, I love how Fairy Tail focuses on the aspect of friendship (since it's an extremely common theme in the series) but everything seemed so rushed and easily fixed when they have experienced far greater tragedies and battles. However, all good things must come to an end and im so sad to say that the next chapter will be the last. I truly hope that Mashima doesnt do a time skip with all of our favorite ships with babies or even dating (yet).But I'm super excited (and hope) to see how everything comes together as well as Gray's answer to Juvia, and Natsus "secret" confession. Ah! i'm so excited! And I can say that I'm blessed that Mashima has given me the oppurtunity to watch/read Fairy Tails journey. It will forever be one of my favorite Mangas.
ReplyDeleteHey Shiggins!! I just checked Hiro's twitter and he finally announced the return of the FT anime in 2018!!
ReplyDeleteWill you review it? Or do you review only manga?
Agreed that there's a lot of inconsistencies in this arc in general... and not just from what the manga says, but from what it leaves out. For instance, you know that girl in Acnologia's flashback last chapter? That's actually his SIBLING - his five-year-old little sister, Sonya, whom he witnessed die when three dragons ganged up on her for no other reason than they could. However, you'd only ever know this if you watched the Dragon Cry film - the manga never explains that his fall into world-destroying madness was because he failed to protect his sister, therefore he stopped caring about anything besides big fights and killing dragons. So the fact a major piece of characterization for the final villain was left out in what should be an optional-to-watch film gets this another deduction in my book.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do have to give the series one single, tiny nod of approval in regards to Fairy Sphere - I was genuinely shocked when they didn't just try to asspull it working properly without Mavis and her "infinite magic"; Lucy's casting the spell wasn't anywhere near strong enough with just the Fairy Tail members involved, so having everyone else pitch in to offset the deficiency was one of the few times the main cast didn't just asspull the feat all on their own.
That being said, the how of it... still pisses one off - Meredy (who's been completely irrelevant to the story since Trenou Island) suddenly becoming more key to stopping Acnologia than the actual Dragonslayers by using her Sensory Link magic to let all the other guilds join in and restrict Acnologia? This not only freezes him in place, but appears to *cut off his power from his human body*, rendering hum vulnerable for Natsu to deliver the final punch? Also, how'd iit even affect him - aren't Acnologia's mind and body supposed to be separate entities Their LIVES being tied, I could understand, but their ability to move or use their powers? That part makes no sense to me.
But anyway... being candid, I honestly think it's a sign of how little fucks an author gives for their story if they think literally any character can just jump in and save the day without regard to relevance, build-up or foreshadowing. Even if the idea makes sense in context (again, sensory-link magic tying everyone together to match Mavis's output), it'll still feel a glorified asspull if you just throw it in at the end all of a sudden. Acnologia's defeat can quite literally be solely attributed to freaking Meredy of Crime Sorcerie - a girl who's only other contribution this arc was to be fawned at by Lyon as his new ship-tease. And that just does NOT sit right with me.