Fairy Tail Chapter 348 Review - Gray The Red Riding Hood

Written by: Shiggins

The boogeyman is in town!

So to start off, we see Flare telling her tragic tale of how she used to live in the city of giants. Apparently, she was scared of being the only non-giant, so she left the entire village and went to a faraway place. To make money, she ended up with Raven Tail. Apparently, she had no clue that a scary bastard in a crazy mask or a bunch of assholes and freaks were the "villains". I can't help but question her judgement there. I understand she didn't know about the world, but joining a crazed guild of abusive gits seems like something you'd realise is a bad choice, no matter what.

How Could She Trust Orochimaru's Cousin?!

Anyway, Flare gets upset and Lucy and Wendy decide to reassure her, accepting her apology and saying they'll go fix this tragedy on the giants, using the Eternal Flame. I really want to see this bloody flame and it better be awesome!

We then see Carla and Happy have had to resort to walking, as they are too afraid of that weird cyclops-bat-thing in the sky. I think that's Minerva's new pet but I'm not entirely sure. Meanwhile, Natsu and Erza aren't doing well. Natsu is having trouble finding this Eternal Flame and getting pissed off at being a kid. Erza is getting toyed with by Minerva, who wants to punish Erza for a while due to the defeat she got at the Grand Games. I can't blame her but I would kick myself if I didn't point out how much Minerva is begging to be beaten like a cliche villain in a cliche movie. Not smart.

Dance My Little Puppet, Dance!

Gray is the next victim of the Mask. And we now discover the Mask is a cannibal. As he screams he is going to eat Gray, Gray transforms into a child too. As predicted, the three girls are the only ones not turned into a little child although part of me wants to see that happen because a young Flare and even younger Wendy might be adorable. (Don't judge me!)

Gray starts to freak out and have a flashback of when he was a kid. More importantly, when he Deliora and the destruction of Gray's hometown, as well as the death of Ul. The mask watches and pities Gray for reliving these horrible memories, then shows a surprisingly cruel and sadistic side as he prepares to eat Gray. I honestly thought that Mask was a calm and collected individual. Boy, was I wrong! He's also quite chatty too, and reveals they are all just outside 'The Gates of Hades'. This means we can't be far from Tartaros or the real reason and soul behind this arc. Whatever these Gates are, we'll find out soon and I think everything will change.

And Dress Up As Your Granny Later!

Gray has some weird moment where a naked Ultear tells him that Deliora is no longer alive and he can defeat Mask for his friends. A stupid moment but nonetheless it gets the job done and Gray gets out of Mask's grip with his ice and prepares to fight Mask one-on-one. Mask also implies he was responsible for this which makes me wonder just how much can he do? Does he have some sort of unnatural ability to manipulate everything around him, or did he use an ice machine of doom?

Rule The World. You and Me. Any Day.

Overall, a weird chapter with it's ups and downs. I'm personally really liking how Gray seems to be having a bit of a meltdown, due to all the ice and Ultear's fate and just how everything seems to be messing up his head. We've seen it since he came back from the dead, and I wonder just how far Hiro will go with making Gray lose his mental stability. Could we maybe see Gray as a villain one day? Could he go that crazy? Could he be the one who is supposed to kill Frosch in a year's time? Am I just speaking out of my arse? All of these can be answered with a "Possibly!"

Manga Rating: 3.5/5

Overall Character of the Week: Gray Fullbuster for making me wonder about his mental state, and if he could possibly influence the story in some massive way soon.

Predictions: We'll see Gray fight and take severe beatings from Mask, maybe finding out his name in the process. Before the fight ends properly, Gray will find the Gates and we'll then go see Natsu arrive at the Eternal Flame.

P.S I'm considering calling Mask "Fat Bastard" now.

Get In My Belly!

Shiggins:








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Shiggins enjoys all strange forms of communication, especially those including cosplayers saying hello to him. However, until that wonderful day comes, you can also contact him on his Skype; shigginsishere. He can also respond to you if you contact him through GMails at shigginsishere@gmail.com.