Fairy Tail Chapters 522 & 523 Review - Gray's Trump Card & Will Fate Burn?

Written by Shiggins

Double the content, double the fun?

Yes, Mashima gave us two chapters in one week. And yes, it was a mixed bag. And yes, I am here to review them. We got twice the amount of chapters to get through, so let's not waste time and get started. It would be mighty.... ice.... of me to do so!

Why does this feel like one of two times I've seen Gajeel this week?

Gray and Zeref are now face-to-face, and Zeref decides to be a cheeky boy with a cute face by showing how much he knows about Gray, Lucy, Happy, Erza, Wendy, Gajeel and of course Natsu, since they are the biggest threats. Let's assume he knows about Laxus and Juvia too but couldn't be arsed saying their names, and he tells Gray that he's after Mavis' magical power, Fairy Heart.

Gray: Gee, Zeref. What is your true goal?
Zeref: The same goal as every villain. Try to take over the world!

Gray questions the mage and Zeref politely answers. He plans to use the power to destroy Acnologia, but there is obviously far more to it than that... Meanwhile, August and Gildarts are finally facing off! Gildarts clearly isn't holding back and quickly separates August, but is surprised when August is unfazed and puts himself back together with ease. In fact, he can even use the "pieces of himself" to his advantage.

Man, I'd love to see the adult version of this scene...

Then cards descend down to surprise August, and we see that Cana is actually joining in this battle. August is weirdly intrigued by the fact that he's facing a father and daughter... Back to Zeref, as Gray stands in shock from hearing his grand plan that we didn't get to because tension purposes, and Zeref tells Gray that he's the first ever person to know of Zeref's cunning plan.

It's a plan as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University!

Zeref is now going to kill Gray so Natsu sees it, and the rage he'll feel from seeing his best friend dead will cause Natsu to go berserk and full-power! Gray of course says he'll defeat Zeref and knows that Natsu is E.N.D, but he's no longer blaming him for the death of Ur and his parents. His friends are his friends, and Gray is done being a stupid dick about it.

Oh gee, who called that one?!

And now it's time for Gray's super shocking and utterly unexp... It's Iced Shell. You knew that from Day 1, didn't you? What else could it be? It's Iced Shell, but with a twist! See, this version makes Gray's hair lighter! Oh and it also removes his existence from everyone's memory to ensure they don't remember he ever existed...

How many characters do we need to learn the "don't sacrifice yourself for others, live for others" plot? My bet is on Gajeel next.

The next chapter, because thank God that Lost Iced Shell wasn't our cliffhanger, briefly explains that Gray learned how to use the "Lost Magic" from the Avatar Guild because yes they actually are important, no really! Gray justifies this usage of Iced Shell by saying that nobody will be sad if they don't remember him and begins to use it to freeze Zeref, knowing that it will create peace.

No, they'll be more confused than anything. "Hey, who defeated Invel? Why did we go to Galuna Island? Juvia, why do you own a thousand dolls and a towel that literally says "Gray" on it?" Wow, Gray. I don't think you though this through.

As Gray hallucinates Ur, telling him to stop it, he is tackled down by an emotional Natsu. The Iced Shell is stopped yet again, Natsu reminds Gray of the last time he stopped him using that spell, and tearfully says they are friends. Natsu stands up finally, full of anger and declaring he will not die no matter what. Zeref takes off his white coat to go all-black and finally it looks like they are about to face off...

But we need a better ending than that, so why don't we go back to Erza and Wendy again? That sounds good. With a bang and a crash and a gasp, Acnologia lands his sexy butt right in front of the girls and with a damn nice grin.

Opinion: Yays and boos.

Let's start with the yay that is Acnologia, as he's finally here to kick some ass! If there's one villain we can count on winning any fight, even one against Erza, it's Acnologia... Right? We aren't actually about to see Erza somehow kick Acnologia's ass, are we? Haha... No, no. Not at all. I mean, that'd be utter bullshit of the highest order. What we do know though is that he's here for Wendy, so it should be interesting to see how Wendy escapes his clutch. Could Irene be about to stand back up and save the day?

Holy crap... I know it's easy to joke about how similar he looks to Gajeel but this is starting to get a bit ridiculous. Honestly, I might need to consider it a criticism if we don't find out they are linked somehow. It's actually worse than Yuriy/Serena!

Zeref has a super-dark plan that is insane and evil and would make Batman blush! What is it? No idea, but I'm guessing it's something along the lines of Madara's Infinite Tsukiyomi. The idea of committing mass genocide on every human or mage seems a bit too simple and reminiscent of the Tartarus arc, so I doubt that. Will the plan make some members of the Spriggan 12 turn on Zeref though? Could Ajeel, Jason Statham or even possibly Invel be horrified enough by this news to be full of rage and attack their Emperor?

I am officially done with Iced Shell and Gray's hidden desire to kill himself. We know he isn't killing himself so let's stop even pretending he is. Especially with Iced Shell. Sorry, but adding "Lost" does not a good spell make. Although I will admit that the idea of "Lost Attribute" being used in another capacity in the future is utterly filled with possibilities. If this is actually a tease for future events, I could almost thank the return of Iced Shell.

As we now finally arrive at Natsu vs Zeref, I'd just like to point out right now that I am very prepared to give a negative review if the outcome of this is something along the lines of "I won't die because I said so", as I am a man that can only handle so much bullcrap before my brain shuts down and turns into spaghetti. Therefore, let us pray that we get a damn good explanation soon.

Lastly, Gildarts and Cana vs August. Two very fun characters we rarely see together, now fighting what is basically the Spriggan Overlord. How does Mashima-senpai plan to defeat an enemy we literally saw be blasted into cubes but reformed himself together right away? I don't know, but could we be about to see a return of the Wizard Saints?

Manga Rating: 4/5

Character of the Week: Zeref for finally stepping up and taking the role of the villain once again.

Best Part: Acnologia bursts in.

Worst Part: Iced Shell 3 - Revenge of the Lost.

You want me to be Happy by showing me Happy? Bullspittle!

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/