Fairy Tail

Unlike most fans who are obsessed with Fairy Tail, I prefer to remain neutral about it because I don't take the series seriously if the author doesn't. If you're easily upset by criticism of this series, please stop reading here as I will be harsh.

Disclaimer: All of this is my personal opinion and is not intended to offend anyone.

Story: 5/10

If I had to compare the story to another series, it would probably be something like Bleach—an endless repetition of storylines that starts fresh but then goes downhill. Why? You might ask. The story simply revolves around an arc for each Fairy Tail member, with little to no progression in the main plot, which is for the protagonist Natsu to find his 'father' Igneel.

True, developing the guild members is important, and some stories were tear-jerking. The main problem with the story was the ridiculous plot armor. I'll touch on that in the enjoyment section, which will be quite lengthy since it sums up my thoughts on this series.

Art: 6/10

The art is pleasing to the eyes, but one can't help but notice the similarities between Fairy Tail and One Piece. Lucy x Nami, Gildarts x Shanks? One might think Fairy Tail is a rip-off of One Piece, which thankfully isn't the case. According to the author, he says he's inspired by the creator of Dragon Ball, just like Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, which may explain the similar art style.

Besides the art styles, the fights are drawn pretty neatly, and one can easily discern what's happening. But the main highlight of its art is probably the fanservice that everyone seems to love. Don't get me wrong; I like it too, but there's a limit to everything, and Fairy Tail is stepping over its boundaries with the fanservice.

I'll just take Lucy as an example. She started off as a mage trainee who could use keys to summon creatures from the horoscope. Great! That's pretty original, I'd say. Then, three hundred chapters later, her only use? Fanservice, dang girl! Yeah, she's literally useless aside from showing off her body. Sorry, Lucy fanboys and girls. It's the truth. She has been reduced to this state over hundreds of chapters. Don't even get me started on what happened to Erza in the recent arc.

Character: 6/10

This is the thing I like about Fairy Tail. The cast is huge, and each character is given personalities and backstories. What else could you ask for, right? Oh, it would be a shame if none of these characters barely get any screen time :(

Perhaps it's because the cast is too large that Hiro Mashima can't cover all of them, but most characters are transparent as glass, only offering one-liners here and there to prove their existence. Meanwhile, focusing on already over-developed characters like Gray and such. Don't get me wrong, but I do know they are the main cast of Fairy Tail. Still, I honestly think there should be times for other characters to shine instead of the five (Natsu, Erza, Lucy(tits), Gajeel, and Gray). I appreciate the tiny bits of Elfman and Laxus and, of course, the badass Mirajane.

Maybe Hiro does know of this problem and comes up with cover arts to 'introduce' and explain each character, which is a good point, and I applaud him for doing so. Well done.

Enjoyment: 4/10

*sigh*

This is going to be a very lengthy rant, but bear with me. I enjoyed the first half of the manga, really. I remember reading almost 200 chapters in about three days or so. But afterwards, it just went downhill. It looked as though the author had stopped putting effort into the story anymore but rather was just doing it for the sake of doing it. The plot armor of the cast gets thicker and thicker with each arc, and Natsu would get a ridiculous DBZ power-up each time he faced an opponent stronger than him.

Here's a scenario to explain:

Natsu encounters A.
A flattens him easily.
Fairy Tail confronts A.
Fairy Tail loses.
Because of nakama power, Natsu wins.

This gets repetitive after a while, and Erza's convenient new armor that fits the antagonist's power each arc doesn't help much either. I would have given it a higher rating if it were just that. At most, it would have become a 6/10, but in the recent arcs, I seriously wanted to fly to Japan to check whether Hiro was on drugs while drawing.

The first dragon excluding Acnologia that we come across (future Rogue) revealed its power, and guess what. After all the hype, his power is to rid humans of clothes. Convenient way to put in more fanservice, right? And… Lucy(tits) happens to be there, and yay! More tits! *rub off nosebleed*

This is one of the main problems with the current Fairy Tail. Its action used to weigh more than its fanservice, but now, it seems as though the roles are reversed. Another example would be the most recent arc where Erza and Mirajane are confined. I think I don't need to elaborate about them, but I would definitely hate to see Erza, one of the strongest female mages, become like Lucy. I'm done ranting about the fanservice part.

Another problem with the current series, as I said before, is that Hiro appears to no longer take the series seriously anymore. In the most recent arc (again, notice how none of the old arcs have such flaws), Afro-Happy. That was supposed to be an explosion that could probably erase off the entire town, right? Oh cool, what better way to downplay the new strong antagonist's power by having a flying cat get rid of the explosion by 'sacrificing himself'? Oh yeah, to make it even better, let's not kill the cat either because the explosion is meant to destroy buildings, not fucking cats. Let's just give him a new hairdo.

/end sarcasm exe.

You know what I mean? *sigh*

Overall: 5/10

This used to be a great series, and the events leading to its downfall into a train wreck were definitely unfortunate. I can only hope that Hiro would start taking his manga seriously again and write some good stuff and not the current Service Tail.

I apologize if I have offended anyone in this post because I'm genuinely disappointed witnessing a great series falling into ruins.

Manga centered around the strength of friendship aren't uncommon, and Fairy Tail demonstrates why these tales can be incredibly captivating. The journey with the Fairy Tail crew may not delve into deep ethical quandaries or elaborate enigmas, but it consistently delivers enjoyment and those exhilarating moments when you cheer on your beloved character for their exceptionally cool feats, which happens quite frequently. Those who are fans of One Piece or the author's earlier work, Rave Master, should definitely give this series a read.

Fairy Tail

I began reading the manga when I was still somewhat fond of the series, right after it paused following the Tournament Arc. I started with the "Tower" Arc, which at that time was the first story-relevant arc featuring Gerard.

The anime adaptation stays true to the manga without any deviations, though I can't say if this is good or bad since the manga itself needs a lot of improvement.

Going through the old chapters reveals that the mangaka initially kept fan service very limited and only used it sparingly for minimal jokes involving Lucy. Now, he employs it everywhere to compensate for his mistakes and lack of quality. The same goes for humor; it wasn't top-notch comedy but had some amusing moments initially, which later turned into forced rambling until the later arcs.

The main story of Fairy Tail didn't seem promising from the start. It followed the typical "One Goal" cliché, symbolizing the protagonist's motivation without any creativity. Natsu's search for his father was mostly forgotten in the chapters and only revisited during the Tartaros Arc. He seemed indifferent until then. The actual background story of Fairy Tail only became apparent towards the finale, along with the antagonists' motives. Basically, nothing significant happened until Chapter 400. Only monotonous fights against opponents were repeated, and the process remained the same. The finale was a complete mess, suggesting the mangaka himself lost interest as he worked on his new project on the side.

The drawing style isn't bad, honestly, I liked the art and presentation. However, it's daunting how unbalanced his creativity is for male and female characters. Men looked mostly unique, especially the antagonists and their designs. Women, on the other hand, looked like simple copy-paste jobs with different hairstyles.

The characters themselves ended up being a disappointment. Natsu was never my favorite, but I could tolerate him. Yet, the mangaka decided to treat him like a hollow nut until the end, focusing only on aggression and the power of friendship. Gray could have been a better protagonist despite his shallow character. Lucy epitomized fan service and failed as a "weak to strong" protagonist. Her magic was supposed to be useful but backfired, leaving her with nothing but fan service. Erza was my favorite at the start, with a dominant yet nice charisma, various armors, shapes, and weapons. Her personality was okay too. Now she's just fan service with no personality, wiggling around with exaggerated features. The remaining supporting characters aren't worth mentioning, except for Gajeel and Gerard, who had some character development. Laxus was a disgrace; his existence felt like a bad joke, and his character development was a waste of time.

Most antagonists looked interesting and cool but lacked substance. They were strong and threatening but hollow in terms of content.

The magic in the work disappointed me the most. Despite the fantasy setting, there was less creativity than in 20 minutes of the first Harry Potter film. Characters use magic without any system, relying on monotonous grits like "Avatar elements" and small "Esper skills." Maybe there's a dragon or talking cat, and tada, the magical world is ready.

I don't want to discuss the power of friendship, especially in the Finale Arc with Zeref/Acnologia. It felt like a One Punch Man parody.

In the end, Fairy Tail had massive potential. Unfortunately, the creator seemed inexperienced or disinterested.

Story -3
Art -6
Character -3
Enjoyment -4
Overall -3

I'd skip the story summaries since most other reviews have covered that briefly. (And where's the fun if I told you what it's about anyway? :P)

To put it simply, I love the artwork and the characters. The chemistry between Natsu and Gray is absolutely hilarious to read. It's refreshing to see that the female leads (Erza and Lucy) stand their ground against the guys and aren't your typical damsel in distress. Let's not forget about Happy because he's absolutely hilarious! ;D Each character has their own little quirks that you're bound to fall in love with. 8D

On a bad note, I do feel that the weakness of this series lies in the storyline itself. The storyline is fairly basic, simple, and even predictable at some parts. And I was expecting more from the action scenes (LOL Blame Bleach and Naruto), but gah, that wasn't meant to be. I don't know, maybe I was expecting too much of it. Then again, I do hope that the storyline does get better. (:

To sum up what I've said, I would think that if you're looking for a simple, light, action story with loads of humor, I'd HIGHLY suggest this. (: The humor doesn't get any better than this. I do feel that the anime captures the hilarity better though. (Not sure if I'm the only one that feels this way. ROFL) xD So maybe you could watch it instead of read it. 8D

So this is my FT Review, you might not agree with it, but here's what I think about some aspects of Fairy Tail. I do like the Manga (parts of it).

Story - 3
I give it a 3 for straightforward reasons: Hiro Mashima crafted a wonderful world but couldn't utilize it effectively. Some elements became overly repetitive. The work has many clichés (which aren’t inherently bad), but they become exaggerated in certain aspects. The overblown protagonism makes the script feel subpar. Despite its flaws, it doesn't prevent you from enjoying the work. This ability to make you like it despite its numerous shortcomings is something remarkable.

Art - 9
No complaints about the art. Hiro Mashima did an excellent job with the manga illustrations. I appreciated his drawing style.

Character - 10
Characters are easy to relate to, both the main characters and some antagonists. I particularly highlight Happy and Wendy as the kind and lovable characters in the story, and Zeref as the most charismatic villain I’ve ever encountered. It’s hard not to like him, even though he's the chief villain—at least that was how he appeared.

Enjoyment - 3
I like it; I hate it.
Why give it a 3? My profile name is Zeref, making it easier to understand why I chose this rating.
Zeref Dragneel
A badass character, likable, overpowering, intelligent, with a dramatic and sad past. The story revolved much around him even before his appearance. Hiro had all the ingredients for a masterpiece that could have remained in people's hearts for centuries. The fantastic world, incredible characters, and an unexplored realm through Zeref were underutilized. And the worst part was the ending given to Zeref Dragneel.
I'm genuinely upset about the end of Fairy Tail.
The work was already declining, but I didn’t expect it to ruin my favorite character’s portrayal.
He failed to use Zeref effectively, giving him a very cliché ending.
This angers me, reflecting on my overall view of the work.
I feel like I wasted time and effort following something.
Though it wasn’t entirely in vain, it feels that way.
I didn’t anticipate Hiro would treat Zeref this way.
I don't care much about the other characters (except Wendy and Happy). Zeref was why I kept reading the story.
He was the reason I continued despite feeling disheartened.

Overall - 6
I like it, but the ending didn’t satisfy me at all.
Without Zeref, or with such a poor ending for Zeref, it falls short.

This review contains no spoilers and is aimed at those interested in reading the final arc of Fairy Tail, which follows the Tartaros arc and concludes the series.

I must admit I'm extremely disappointed with the last arc, and I believe you will be too. From the beginning, I enjoyed Fairy Tail despite knowing it wasn't a masterpiece. It had good humor, amusing characters, and an interesting story (though not initially focused on it) with subpar fight scenes (the "power of friendship" trope). What I liked most about Fairy Tail was how villains transformed upon realizing their wrong path, and the life lessons learned throughout the series.

After the excellent Tartaros arc, I had high hopes for the finale. Initially, it seemed epic, but problems emerged halfway through.

Story: The plot was becoming intriguing as elements from previous arcs connected. Mashima's clever planning impressed me, but his execution was poor, resulting in a chaotic mess. Major plot holes and convenient plot armor were evident, with illogical events beyond character capabilities, which I'll detail in the fights section. Many cliffhangers built hype only to disappoint, pushing readers to buy the next volume out of curiosity.

Characters: Character development significantly contributed to the story's disarray. Some characters were interesting but poorly developed. Fake deaths created hype that led nowhere, either resulting in nothing or anti-climactic resolutions.

Fights: This aspect heavily impacted the arc's failure. Many fights lacked sense due to vast power gaps between characters, ending unsatisfyingly. Additionally, Mashima's apparent admiration for One Punch Man influenced some major fights' conclusions, suggesting he lost interest and did the bare minimum to avoid burnout.

Art: The art remained unchanged and good.

Enjoyment: If I had to describe my experience in one word, it would be disappointment. An enjoyable series declined rapidly. I advise against reading the manga or watching the announced 2018 anime. If you choose to do so, prepare for disappointment, but ultimately it's your decision.

This had so much potential, yet it ended terribly. I truly loved its beginnings; it seemed like the best shounen manga I've ever encountered. The characters were likable, the guilds distinct, and the atmosphere great. Art is supposed to improve with time, but to me, it feels like the author is focusing more on appealing to readers through ecchi elements rather than developing a solid plot. That became his main focus for this manga, with perverted jokes overshadowing everything else.

The way Mashima presents fights is insulting. Every battle where the main hero is at a disadvantage is resolved with "nakama power." That's not how it should work. Characters need proper development. Overall, there's no real aim in this manga. Everything revolves around the same theme:

Start arc.
1. Learn about the bad guys.
2. Defeat the bad guys.
3. Celebrate the win.
End of arc.

The author is too afraid to kill any main characters, making everything laughable. He even revives them a few times, but that's a semi-spoiler. My main question is: what's the point of reading if you already know the outcome?

Story Summary: A girl named Lucy is searching for a magician guild and ends up meeting the main protagonist, Natsu. He introduces her to the one and only Fairy Tail.

Story (6): The beginning of the series was fantastic, but as it progressed, there was an overused theme of friendship triumphing over evil, which became quite annoying. It doesn't help when a well-paced, simple story suddenly gets complicated by unnecessary situations, making the arc overly convoluted. The best moments were when the characters had no villains to fight and just enjoyed each other's company or had fun. If the author focused more on slice-of-life aspects instead of constantly adding unnecessary scenarios, this manga could have turned from a 6 into a 9. In short, too much multitasking, rapid pacing, too many deus ex machina moments, predictability, and numerous character revivals detract from the story.

Art (9): The art is excellent, similar to One Piece character designs, making it visually appealing.

Characters (5): The main cast like Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Grajeel, Happy, Wendy, and some other Fairy Tail members are well-developed and lovable. However, supporting characters lack depth, and there are far too many to keep track of. Antagonists also feel underdeveloped and are often defeated and forgotten quickly. Constant character resurrections rob the story of tension. Many mentioned characters are easily forgotten later on.

Enjoyment (7): There were times I read 40 chapters in a row because it was exciting, but there were also times I put it down due to boredom. It's a rollercoaster ride that felt unfinished even at the end. Additionally, if romantic hints are scattered throughout, they should be resolved, not left hanging with no progression in the final chapter.

Overall (7): If a follow-up manga were released to continue the story, I'd read it without hesitation. But currently, it feels incomplete, with most arcs needing toning down since every arc felt like the end of the world if Fairy Tail lost. Many unanswered questions remain. At the moment, I won't reread it despite loving Fairy Tail.

I felt the special chapter where Fairy Tail was depicted as a school slice-of-life manga was more enjoyable and should have been the main premise. It would've been better than the predictable Shonen genre.

I recommend anyone thinking about reading it to go ahead; I loved it despite critiquing it. <3 I would love to read that school slice-of-life manga someday if my dreams come true! ~ Shaney A.K.A 69th Street