Fairy Tail Review pt 1

Hey guys! I'm sorry that I haven't exactly been the best blog mom. I've been a bit busy lately. My sister had her baby on the 28th of July (the day after my birthday) and she had been in the hospital from the 27th until the 30th. Since then between seeing my goddaughter and working, I've been really tired. But nevertheless it does not forgive me for being a bad blog mom when this blog post was supposed to be up last week two months ago. Anyway, I've decided that it was finally time to write a full length Fairy Tail review! I know I can't believe I am taking this on either...but I am. Especially since the manga has come to an end and we wait with bated breath for the final anime arcs to be released. Now I know what you are thinking...Kat, you've already done a Fairy Tail Review. Well yes I have...but that was only of series one and it didn't even cover the manga. This review is different. VERY different. So different in fact that I am slapping a big huge


SPOILER ALERT

on it. So you've been warned. Now without further damn ado, let's get started. (I've slowly realized that all my introduction paragraphs end with phrases I've picked up from YouTubers I've watched....)
Synopsis: 
(From FUNimation) When four young wizards from the most destructive guild in Fiore team up to take jobs, they forge a bond more powerful than any magic. 

(From Crunchyroll) The story follows a teenage girl named Lucy Heartfilia who is determined to join the notorious magical Fairy Tail Guild. During a daring rescue, she encounters Natsu who is part of a guild and eventually he offers her a place. They become teammates performing various missions for the Fairy Tail Guild. Be prepared for an action-packed adventure! 

And that is literally just a quick synopsis. This anime is a whopping 277 episodes long (I jokingly say this as One Piece alone is over 1,000 and Naruto with both series combined is over 700 episodes)...but really, most anime last between 13-25 episodes long. Fairy Tail is actually had two runs on air. The original run which was episode 1-175 ran from October 12th, 2009 until March 30th, 2013 (the series ended before I could get to the final episode and was already a couple episodes into series two when I caught up). The second series which ran from episode 176-277 ran from April 5th, 2014 until March 26th, 2016. In 2012 during the series one run they released a feature film Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess (which makes me cry every time I watch it). Following the ending of the second series, they released another film in 2017 called Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry. It was released in select theaters in the US for viewing...but I have yet to actually see the movie so no movie spoilers.

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As with all my anime reviews, I will cover everything from Anime Arcs to characters to music to manga. If I am missing something...well I hope not since I started writing this in June and it is now August...okay....it's now October...I suck.

Let's get into the story arcs! Now, just a note that I will be talking about arcs related to the anime and to the manga.

Macao Arc (episodes 1-2, chapters 1-3)

This introductory arc is just that, an introduction into the characters and the world of Fairy Tail. It covers Lucy being accepted into the guild and going on her first mission with Natsu in order to find an elder member of the guild who went missing.

Daybreak Arc (episodes 3-4, chapters 4-9)

This arc is the first pairing of team Natsu where Lucy and Natsu officially partner up. It is also the introduction of the true power of a celestial mage like Lucy as she battles against Duke Everlue who is also a celestial mage but Lucy is stronger.

Lullaby Arc (episodes 5-10, chapters 10-23)

The first true arc of the series which follows the final addition of members to team Natsu when Erza and Gray join to track down a dark guild known as Eisenwald who plans on using some of Zeref's dark magic to eliminate the guild masters.

Galuna Island arc (episodes 11-20, chapters 24-46)

This is the arc that gives more back story into the character of Gray. After Natsu and Happy steal an S-Class quest they drag Gray and Lucy along for the ride and Erza goes to stop them but they end up trapped on the island fighting a former friend of Gray.

Phantom Lord arc (episodes 21-29, chapters 47-69)

This arc is Lucy's arc giving you an insight into the world she threw behind as well as introducing you to the family that Fairy Tail truly is.

Loke arc (episodes 30-32, chapters 70-74)

Probably one of my favorite arcs we are introduced to Loke's history and the secret he has been hiding as well as the answer to why he is so afraid to be around Lucy. Loke is actually the castaway from the Celestial World, the leader of the Zodiac Leo the Lion.

Tower of Heaven arc (episodes 33-40, chapters 75-102)

I find this to be a truly sad arc and this is Erza's back story. It covers the horrifying past that Erza came from as well as the darkness that truly surrounds the dark lord Zeref.

Battle of Fairy Tail arc (episodes 41-51, chapters 103-130)

After the tragedy of the Tower of Heaven comes the battle for Fairy Tail where the grandson of Master Makarov, Laxus decides that he wants to take over Fairy Tail because it is the weakness of his grandfather that caused his father to be banished from the guild. The battle pits the guild members against one another and turns friends into enemies. It also reveals the true identity of the mysterious S-Class wizard Mystogan.

Oracion Seis arc (episodes 52-68, chapters 131-164)

This arc introduces you to the truly dark side of the dark guilds as the Oracion Seis guild needs to utilize Nirvana but in order to unleash the powers of Nirvana they need the help of Jellal who "died" during the Tower of Heaven incident. In order to awaken the slumbering Jellal, they need to utilize the power of the Sky Dragon which resides in a small girl named Wendy who just so happens to be part of an alliance group between Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Cait Shelter.

Daphne arc (episodes 69-75)

This filler arc is some silly antics among the Fairy Tail guild. Though it does contain one of the cutest episodes ever. The Rainbow Sakura episode. Lucy falls ill with a cold and is stuck in bed during the Magnolia Rainbow Sakura festival and is disappointed she has to wait until next year to see the beautiful tree. Natsu decides to help her out by digging up one of the trees and bringing it to her so she can see the tree that she had been so excited to see. This episode really cements the feelings that Natsu and Lucy have for one another but at this point it is more of crush-like feelings which later turns into full blown love feelings.

Edolas arc (episodes 76-95, chapters 165-199)

This arc introduces you to the different worlds. You have Earthland where Fairy Tail resides but then you have Edolas which is a different world where versions of the members live their lives with different personalities. It is also the world where Mystogan is from and it explains why Mystogan looks exactly like Jellal.

Tenrou Island arc (episode 96-122, chapters 200-253)

If you remember anything, my favorite character from Fairy Tail is Zeref. It is the Tenrou Arc that we are introduced officially to the dark wizard. This arc also hints at the future connections between Natsu and Zeref, but we'll get into that later.

X791 arc (episodes 123-124, chapters 254-257)

This sad arc covers the fact that the main members of Fairy Tail were trapped on Tenrou Island for seven years and the discovery of the sad lives that the remaining members of Fairy Tail were supposed to live.

Keys of the Starry Sky arc (episodes 125-150)

Remember Heather Walker? This is the arc that she is known for. The Keys of the Starry Sky arc brings out the Neo Oracion Seis in this anime only arc. It isn't one of my personal favorites but I do have to appreciate the fact that they brought back the Oracion Seis. Also the Zentopia Legion Corps shows off the counterparts of the Edolas Royal army.

Grand Magic Games arc (episodes 151-203, chapters 258-340)

This arc runs until episode 175 as the finale of series one and then picks up for series two at episode 176. The GMG arc brings in Fairy Tail's greatest rival the Sabertooth guild. I have never held my breath so much as I did during this arc. Plus it also introduces more information about Zeref, the dragons, and celestial wizards. My favorite episode is 100 vs 1 which shows off the true strength of Fairy Tail.

Eclipse Celestial Spirits arc (episodes 204-226)

Again, not really one of my favorite arcs. I really do not like Loke being a dick. He is one of my favorite characters. This filler arc takes place after Lucy and Yukino close the Eclipse gate and are rewarding their spirits with gifts for their hard work. Unfortunately all the spirits go rogue due to the darkness of Eclipse. Again...not my faves...

Sun Village arc (episodes 227-233, chapters 341-355)

This is the introduction are to the second largest arc in the anime so far. This is a introductory arc to the darkness of the Tartaros arc. It gives you a slight taste of the destruction that is set to happen.

Tartaros arc (episodes 234-265, chapters 356-417)

One of the saddest arcs that Fairy Tail has. This arc is true darkness. So much sadness and destruction. Plus the end of the Tartaros arc marks the disbandment of the Fairy Tail guild.

Zero arc (episodes 266-275, This is from the Fairy Tail Zero manga which is 13 chapters long)

This arc tells the story of the creation of Fairy Tail and reveals a lot of the darkness that is behind Fairy Tail. It also introduces the character Yuri Dreyar who is the father of guild master Makarov. Isn't that fucking sweet??

Avatar arc (episodes 276-277, chapters 418-437)

This arc has not been introduced in the anime. I have a feeling that they will be bringing it back since I saw screen shots from the Fairy Tail Dragon Cry movie and Gray had his Demon Slayer form. This is very prevalent in this arc since Gray went rogue and joined the Avatar. This arc is the mission between Natsu and Lucy to try and reform the Fairy Tail guild. This arc also introduces the new and improved Sabertooth guild.

Alvarez Empire arc (chapters 438-545)

The final arc and the longest arc. The arc we had been waiting for. Fairy Tail has finally been revived, Makarov is still missing, Erza is the new guild master, and the Fairy Tail guild is taking on the Alvarez Empire who is led by their ruthless Emperor Zeref and his Spriggan 12. While Fairy Tail just wants to save the world, Zeref wants the Lumen Histoire which is Fairy Tail's greatest secret. It is soon revealed to the whole guild that E.N.D., Zeref's greatest demon is actually the Fairy Tail guild's very own Natsu. It is also revealed that Lumen Histoire is the encased body of the first master Mavis. So many secrets are revealed including the intense love between Zeref and Mavis (which had produced a child...believe it or not). It is also the arc that marks the end of the series.

I really cannot wait to see this entire series animated and I also look forward to all the work that is supposed to be coming out in the future. Fairy Tail will live on forever.

So now that we've looked at the story itself, how about we take a look at the characters of Fairy Tail.

Main Characters

Natsu Dragneel
VA: Todd Haberkorn
Seiyuu: Tetsuya Kakihara
- Fire Dragon Slayer
- Etherious Natsu Dragneel (E.N.D.)
- Zeref's Younger Brother

Lucy Heartfilia
VA: Cherami Leigh
Seiyuu: Aya Hirano
- Celestial Wizard
- Novelist
- Owns 10 of 12 Zodiac Keys

Happy
VA: Tia Ballard
Seiyuu: Rie Kugimiya
- Exceed
- Natsu's Best Friend
- Liiiikes Carla

Gray Fullbuster
VA: Newton Pittman
Seiyuu: Yuichi Nakamura
- Ice Make (Maker Magic) 
- Demon Slayer
- Wants to defeat E.N.D. for his father

Ezra Scarlet
VA: Colleen Clinkenbeard
Seiyuu: Sayaka Ohara
- Requip "The Knight" 
- Titania
- Fairy Tail's 7th Guild Master

Gajeel Redfox
VA: David Wald
Seiyuu: Wataru Hatano
- Iron Dragon Slayer
- Levy's love
- Captain of Magic Council's Arrest and Custody Division

Julia Lockser
VA: Brina Palencia
Seiyuu: Mai Nakahara
- Water Magic 
- In Love with Gray

Wendy Marvell
VA: Brittney Karbowski
Seiyuu: Satomi Sato

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- Sky Dragon Slayer
- Healer
- Member of Cait Shelter, Fairy Tail, & Lamia Scale

Carla/Charles/Charle/Sharuru 
VA: Jad Saxton
Seiyuu: Yui Horie

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- Exceed
- Daughter of the Exceed Queen
- Learns Transformation Magic

Panther Lily
VA: Rick Keeling
Seiyuu: Hiroki Tochi

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- Exceed
- Battle Mode
- Buster Marm/Musical Sword - size changing sword

Fairy Tail Guild Masters

1st Master
Mavis Vermillion

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VA: Leah Clark
Seiyuu: Mamiko Noto

2nd Master
Precht Gaebolg

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VA: John Swasey
Seiyuu: Masashi Hirose, Yutaka Aoyama

3rd Master
Makarov Dreyar

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VA: R. Bruce Elliot
Seiyuu: Shinpachi Tsuji

4th Master
Macao Conbolt

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VA: Brian Mathis
Seiyuu: Masaki Kawanabe

5th Master
Gildarts Clive

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VA: Jason Douglas
Seiyuu: Kazuhiko Inoue

6th Master
Makarov Dreyar

7th Master
Ezra Scarlett

Notable Fairy Tail Members

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Mirajane Strauss
VA: Monica Rial
Seiyuu: Ryoko Ono

Mystogan
VA: Robert McCollum
Seiyuu: Daisuke Namikawa

Lexus Dreyar
VA: Patrick Seitz
Seiyuu: Katsuyuki Konishi

Cana Alberona
VA: Jamie Marchi
Seiyuu: Eri Kitamura

Loke
VA: Eric Vale
Seiyuu: Daisuke Kishio

Elfman Strauss
VA: Christopher Sabat
Seiyuu: Hiroki Yasumoto

Liana Strauss
VA: Carrie Savage
Seiyuu: Harumi Sakurai

Levy McGarden
VA: Kristi Kang
Seiyuu: Mariya Ise

Mest Gryder/Doranbolt
VA: Alex Organ
Seiyuu: Shuhei Sakaguchi

Fried/Freed Justine
VA: John Burgmeier
Seiyuu: Junichi Sawabe

Evergreen
VA: Caitlin Glass
Seiyuu: Saori Seto

Bickslow
VA: Scott Freeman, Tyler Walker
Seiyuu: Yoshihisa Kawahara

Romeo Conbolt
VA: Kayla Carlyle, Lindsay Seidel
Seiyuu: Mariya Ise

Alzack Connel
VA: Austin Tindle
Seiyuu: Yoshimitsu Shimoyama

Bisca Moulin/Mulan
VA: Angela Chase
Seiyuu: Satomi Arai

Asuka
VA: Kristin Sutton
Seiyuu: Satomi Arai

Wakaba Mine
VA: Charlie Campbell
Seiyuu: Daisuke Kageura, Eiji Sekiguchi

Jet
VA: Michael Chinnchi, Corey Ceary-Stoner
Seiyuu: Masaki Kawanabe

Droy
VA: Z Charles Bolton
Seiyuu: Eiji Sekiguchi

Max Aloze/Alors
VA: Shelton Windham, Erich Cherry
Seiyuu: Yuichi Iguchi

Warren Rocko
VA: Gregory Lush
Seiyuu: Daisuke Kageura

Nab Lasaro
VA: Mike McFarland
Seiyuu: Daisuke Endo

Vijeeter Ecor
VA: Tyler Walker
Seiyuu: Eiji Sekiguchi

Laki Olietta
VA: Apphia Yu
Seiyuu: Ikumi Hayama

Reedus Jonah
VA: Sonny Strait
Seiyuu: Yuichi Iguchi

Kinana
VA: Lara Woodhull
Seiyuu: Natsue Sasamoto

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Antagonists

Zeref Dragneel
VA: Joel McDonald
Seiyuu: Akira Ishida

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- Black Wizard Zeref
- Had a son with Mavis Vermillion
- Natsu's older brother

Eisenwald Guild

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Phantom Lord Guild

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Tower of Heaven

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Balam/Baram Alliance

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- Oracion Seis

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- Grimoire Heart

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- Tartaros

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Raven Tail Guild

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Acnologia

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Avatar

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Alvarez Empire

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- Spriggan 12

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Other Notable Guilds

Blue Pegasus

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Lamia Scale

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Lyon Vastia
VA: Jerry Jewell
Seiyuu: Yuki Kaji

Sabertooth

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Sting Eucliffe
VA: Michael Jones
Seiyuu: Takahiro Sakurai

Rogue Cheney
VA: Garret Storms
Seiyuu: Kenichi Suzumura

Yukino Agria
VA: Mallorie Rodak
Seiyuu: Fuyuka Oura

Minerva Orland
VA: Anastasia Munoz
Seiyuu: Kikuko Inoue

Crime Sorciere

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Jellal Fernandez
VA: Robert McCollum
Seiyuu: Daisuke Namikawa

Ultear Milkovich
VA: Lydia Mackay
Seiyuu: Miyuki Sawashiro

Meredy/Merudy
VA: Bryn Apprill
Seiyuu: Saori Goto

Mermaid Heel

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Celestial Spirits 
(note: I'll add in the VA and Seiyuu later I'm really struggling at this point)

Celestial Spirit King

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Silver Keys

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Nikora (Plue)
Horologium
Lyra
Crux
Caelum
Pyxis

Zodiac Keys

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Leo
Aquarius
Taurus
Cancer
Virgo
Sagittarius
Aries
Gemini
- Gemi
-Mini
Scorpio
Capricorn
Pisces
- Mother
-Son
Libra
Ophiuchus

Holy crap. The amount of characters in this show are ridiculous. If you follow me on Twitter you saw how much I was struggling with this damn character section. I sure didn't write about ALL the characters in the show.  It is kind of hard to believe that there are so many characters. I wish I could cover them all but there are way too many for me to still be sane after. So you will have to settle with these ones. 

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Now a bit more about the series itself. The manga by Hiro Mashima ran from August 2nd, 2006 until August 2nd, 2017 (that's an impressive 11 year run) with a total of 63 volumes of manga. The TV series was directed by Shinji Ishihara and written by Masahi Sogo with music by Yasuharu Takanashi (normally I'd include a music section of a review but this review is already very long, so the music of Fairy Tail will be a blog in and of itself). The two series ran from October 12th, 2009 until March 26th, 2016 (with a 3rd series coming out some time in 2018...at least that's what the rumors say...). The spectacular 8 year span of this show left a whopping 277 episodes for fans to enjoy. On top of that you have two amazing films in case you are looking for something more to enjoy. Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess came out in 2012 and let me tell you something, I bawl like a little baby every time I watch it. So have a box of tissues on hand if you want to watch this movie. Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry came out earlier this year and I have yet to see this movie...so no spoilers...at all. I can't wait for it to be released so I can watch it. I wanted to go see it in theaters when is came out but I was unable to attend due to work restrictions. 

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Before I decide to close out this blog post let me tell you a bit about who has the license to this show, Funimation happens to have the rights to the series and with that they have the distribution rights. I cannot begin to list the amount of staff who has worked on this wonderful show but I can at the very least thank the amazing ADR Director Tyler Walker for loving this show as much as us fans. This show is his baby and I can't wait for more of the show just like I bet he can't wait for more of the show. Now a few other credits that I can list from Funimation are a few notable writers for the series: Tyler Walker, John Burgmeier, and Monica Rial. I'd have more but I really don't want to have to go through each episode to find them out...That is WAY too much work. 

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Seriously though, this blog post was a serious pain in the ass. It was a lot more research and a ton more characters. I also was going to make it even longer but I was having way too many problems in my own life to continue with this. So if this seems like it is incomplete I sincerely apologize. I really wanted to get this blog post up and out of the way...which sounds terrible. I know. But I have other blogs that I want to start writing and this beast has been looming behind my shoulder making it hard to write anything else. I also wanted to let you all know that I have been slowly but surely getting back into writing outside of KAC and so I apologize again if you don't hear more from me. I will make the promise to for 100% certainty write a 4 year anniversary blog post. I won't miss that one. 

Until next time.

Ja ne! 

xx Kat
=^.^=

Update 10/13/17


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