Written by: Shiggins
Ever just stared at a page for a while going "whaaaaaaaaaat?"
That's what happened to me this week. After a fair enough chapter, the second-last page this week left me bewildered, confused and really curious. I have to give credit where credit is due because Mashima almost made this chapter "just better than okay" until that page.
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| I feel awful for having to ask this but... when did Natsu destroy the clock tower? |
However, I'm getting ahead of myself. Our chapter begins at Tuly Village, where Natsu, Lucy and Happy are resting at the clock tower that Natsu once destroyed and was now rebuilt. Natsu is bored and wanting to get some action going and he even challenges Lucy to a fight. And then, to my huge surprise, Lucy actually accepts and wants to spar!
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| Fuck yeah, you go girl! I'm rooting for you! |
Suddenly, Natsu senses something and breathes fire between Lucy's thighs. It blasts off into the distance like a sniper and defeats some bandits who were stealing from an old guy. How he blasted all three of them with one blast I don't know but whatever. Natsu has sniper-senses now. And sadly, we don't get our sparring match for now. Maybe later.
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| How did one blast hit all three of them when one of them is clearly separated from the other two? |
Lucy reveals to Natsu she doesn't know where -everyone- is but the first place they need to go to is Lamia Scale where Lyon, Jura and others are. Lucy also gives him a hint that another member is there and the group go to Lamia Scale where the Thanksgiving parade is underway with Yuka as the host and Lyon, Toby and Ooba doing special presentations.
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| Yuka, you are my hero. |
And of course, the "Sky Sisters" come out and are revealed to be Wendy and Chelia. (I had a feeling Wendy would be here). They sing, they dance and are basically the perfect treat for lolicons while Natsu and Happy are stunned. This is when Carla appears and... whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! Carla is human?! Oh and a random villain is gonna attack Lamia Scale. Spooky and scary but CARLA IS HUMAN!
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| How...When...Why...What?! |
Opinion: Carla is human. She is walking about in a skirt and a tie but still has a big tail and cat ears. While I know furry fans are going wild, I'm really trying to figure out how this is possible. Perhaps this has something to do with the spells Edolas-Grandeeney gave to Wendy before the Grand Games? Or does Ooba have some tricks? Whatever the case, this made me realise something:
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| I NEED TO SEE THESE TWO BECOME HUMAN! |
Lucy has gotten badass...er! Not only can she sense magic better and use her brain more, she was ready to kick some ass against Natsu! That's a big deal, considering she used to hate fighting and only ever did it when she had no choice. In fact, how much tougher have she and her spirits gotten? I want to see how Taurus and Gemini are now.
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| The first time I saw this dude, I thought "Male Kyouka". (Wow, imagine that bitch survived!) |
Some new villains have appeared but if you think they are the next big massive baddies of the arc, think again. These guys are basically magic fodder so we can show off how much Lucy, Wendy and whoever else have improved this year.
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| If this isn't page of true love, I don't know what is. |
Wendy obviously joined Lamia Scale because she knew Cheria, but there better be a damn good explanation next week as to why she didn't stick with Lucy. And speaking of Lamia Scale, I hope Jura appears soon because I love that guy.
Manga Rating: 3.5/5
Character of the Week: Carla for stunning me with her appearance.
Predictions: Next week is Wendy and Cheria. So I'm expecting the girls to hold hands and reveal to be a couple, going on dates and giggling. We'll find out why Carla is human (or at least appears to be), and we might even see how Happy looks when human. Then the baddies will appear for the cliffhanger.
Best Part: Carla the human girl.
Worst Part: That tease for what could have been an interesting sparring match.
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| Yeah but many girls just say "ugh. I look awful" then say that on Facebook so they get compliments. |
Shiggins:[Admin]
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When i saw the page with Carla I just started blinking. Then Squinting. I was honestly completely slackjawed! At first I thought it might have something to do with Queen Chagot, her mother, who did look generally more humanoid than most other Exceeds (Pantherlily excluded). But then I looked closer and realised a few things. Carla has grown more human in appearance than even her mother and had a massive goddamn growth spurt in the space of only a single year. So unless Chagot had a fling with a human who is Carla's dad this pretty much needs to be something to do with magic. Either some form of glamour cast by another member of Lamia Scale or perhaps a magical item that makes her look more human. At any rate we unfortunately need to wait and see for this one.
ReplyDeleteI really like the design for this next antagonist. It's nothing special but at the same time it's by no means generic and I like it for that. It doesn't need to be remarkable because as you said I doubt he's going to be some kind of big bad, just filler bad.
I admit I couldn't figure out who would be with Lamia Scale at first but then I facepalmed because of COURSE it would be Wendy. I loved her introduction with Cheria. In fact I loved that whole little sequence with the Thanksgiving parade. Toby was adorably incompetent. Lyon's was really cool though, I loved the bunnies as much as the kids did and anyone who didn't fall in love with Yuko's dance and attempted strip has no sense of humour. Lyon dragging them away while apologising was fun too. I'm not a huge fan of comedy, but I loved the humour that was in this chapter. It was light and not over the top and I was grateful for it.
As for Lucy, I absolutely love how she is now after the time skip. She's a lot more confident than she was before and you can just feel she's grown as a wizard as well even if we have literally seen none of it so far (I hope that changes soon!).
Overall I liked this chapter. It was amusing and it's clear the initial plot of this arc is nearly ready to begin. I can't wait for the explanations or anything else that is to come! But hot damn now I seriously want them to find Lily and Gajeel...