Fairy Tail has returned after the supposed ‘Final Series’ from 2018-2019, and it’s continuing like it never finished. And it’s being as embarrassing as always.
Table of Contents
First Impressions on Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest
The production of Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest is being handled by studio J.C.Staff. Right from the get-go, it looked pretty lackluster, to be honest. It didn’t leave an impact that screamed that it returned after five years and roaring to go. Instead, we got introduced to a new character who turns out to be a major plot point and an episode-long exposition about the new quest the main gang is taking on. The concept of the ‘100 Years Quest’ is intriguing and sets the difficulty level just by its title. But then the question arises: Will the Fairy Tail guild really be spending a century completing a quest? Is it possible given what we’ve seen so far? I am skeptical about how it’s going to be handled to make it truly thrilling.
What Made Fairy Tail So Special?
Now, I will give credit where it’s due. Fairy Tail tackled a shounen battle series with magic as its power system. It brought a sense of adventure with guild members and a colorful cast of likable characters. It all felt fresh and fun to watch. There were many character moments, even for Natsu, who is a thickheaded guy that just yells and runs ahead. The Grand Magic Games arc encapsulated everything and all the developments the characters went through in the previous arcs. The world-building feels like an RPG game, making you want to delve into it yourself to explore everything, which is honestly really intriguing.
What Went Wrong?
It’s more of a “what was wrong in the first place” rather than “what went wrong,” but it works well as the heading of this section.
The Characters
The main cast of characters consists of a fire mage, an ice mage, a celestial wizard, a knight, a wind mage, and two cats. But what do they do? What do they contribute to their adventures? They all do one thing: kick ass, and that’s it. Whenever something takes place, all of them jump into battle. It’s not like each has a different specialty, such as one specifically doing support: casting buffs and debuffs, one as a healer, and one solving puzzles and stuff.
This is one of the worst writing trends: making all the characters jack-of-all-trades. Wendy can cast healing and buff-debuff spells, but she’s also a fighter in the group. It’s not like she fights only when the situation calls for it; she is always battle-ready. That takes away the one thing she is good at, and the show itself sometimes forgets that she can do all that. What’s the point of her being a support character, then?
Lucy is supposed to be the brain of the group, the thinking type and figures out puzzles. This could’ve been handled well in a balanced manner, but the plot rarely introduces such situations for her to shine. Most of the time, she is treated as the damsel in distress and needs saving the most. She is the weakest in battle, yes, but she can contribute more. And the show tries to fix that by introducing plot points that feel forced and unearned. Like that time she summons the Celestial King by sacrificing one of her spirits, but it didn’t have any prior buildup or any hesitation on her part before making such a decision to make it look actually hard. Fast forward, now she can pretty much undo that sacrifice and re-summon her spirit. It’s only a matter of time in this current season. And it’s not like she is held back because of that. She went through the hardest battles in the previous arc as if nothing was missing. If the sacrifice meant something, then write the following events as if she really needed her spirit in different situations, not with crocodile tears.
Another instance is when she re-writes Natsu’s book of E.N.D, which is written in some ancient language that she’s never seen before. But she manages to pull off the impossible anyway because the plot needs her to, and the author can’t kill off the poster boy. So then, was there anything she had to suffer to meddle with some ancient magic? No! She is fit as a fiddle afterward and didn’t go through any loss. It lessens the stakes previously imposed and makes the whole plot empty.
If you need a better example of writing, then the author needs to look at his own work. Take Erza, for example. She lost an eye during her childhood and now has to live with an artificial eye. But that works as an upper hand against illusion and brainwashing magic instead of being a disadvantage. Her suffering turned into a blessing.
Gray goes through many changes throughout the story. Either his past confronts him or current events take a toll on him; something is always up with him. His character has layers, and he does his best to overcome the obstacles he faces.
Fairy Tail has some good writing, but it’s not consistent in all characters.
The Characters Part 2
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After seeing the entire show, it almost gives the idea that Hiro Mashima hates his characters to the point of demeaning and humiliating them straight up. Fan service is one thing, but putting them up like it’s some sick fetish is just shameless and cringy. I don’t know what he gets from it or if it’s to attract brain-rotten degenerates. He has zero respect for his own characters. The show basically objectifies women, puts them in revealing clothing, and pretends it’s cool; it’s just plain shameless. One of Erza’s character arcs is when she throws away her armor, symbolizing throwing away her insecurities, and gets into revealing clothes (LMAO). Lucy is practically a s** t**, as every now and then she’s stripped of her clothes and has to walk bare-skinned (WTF). It’s a recurring phase and a running joke in the series. I just can’t fathom the point of all this. I guess if your plot sucks, all you can do is provide shameless fan service.
What the hell is even happening in these pictures? Mind you, there are plenty more scenes like this that feel straight-up BDSM. Not to mention the angles from which characters are more sexualized.
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The Villains
The villains are the real main threat in the story. They don’t just clash with the heroes in terms of opposing goals but ideologically as well. So far in Fairy Tail, only one or two villains have any level of depth. In most cases, they simply get in the way of the heroes’ quests because the plot demands. They aren’t even well built up to give the idea that these villains are bad news and that the heroes’ journey won’t be easy. They just show up out of nowhere and seem to gain the upper hand because the heroes need to struggle to make things look interesting. They don’t even feel like real characters. Not to mention, they are given some annoying quirks that seem to exist solely to irritate. They act and behave in ways that have nothing to do with the plot or character development; they’re just there to be annoying. Even certain endgame villains are forgettable and feel like throwaway characters just for the plot. This is common in every single arc.
If a villain needs to feel intimidating and well-written, then give them a proper build up, give them a story and motivation. Don’t just put villains like mentioned above.
The Plot
The plot is well… head-scratching. There are times I question why things need to happen the way they do. Most arcs start when a villain acts and the heroes react. Even in the quests that the protagonists undertake, villains find some excuse to intervene. Arcs like Tenrou Island and the Grand Magic Games are set in motion, but then a third party invades and takes center stage. Then there are arcs like Phantom Lord, The Battle of Fairy Tail, Edolas, Key of the Starry Sky, and Eclipse Celestial Spirits that just happen out of nowhere, mainly because the villains of those arcs decide to drop by and create mayhem. These are self-contained arcs that don’t affect the overarching plot, characters, or development; everything returns to the status quo once they are over. Not to mention Lucy gets kidnapped in almost all of those arcs.
The structures of certain arcs are just simple, run-of-the-mill with some twists. Some of those twists don’t feel impactful either; for example, the arrival of new characters like Lucy’s cousin, Lucy’s mother’s maid’s daughter, a future version of Lucy, and the reveal of an alternate reality. These elements are implemented in a way that doesn’t sit well with the world that’s been built up so far and are introduced out of nowhere, which feels out of place. The plot takes a drastic turn and no longer feels connected. The whole Fairy Tail then starts to feel like a copium field where you just have to accept things the way they are written, even if they don’t make sense.
No Real Stakes
Now, the difficulty aspect comes from the enemies that the main group faces, which is the main issue here. To set an example, in One Piece, the Grand Line itself is a kind of enemy that even the strongest characters must navigate properly. The sea changes course on a whim, the weather can slingshot the ship into the sky, and people can get sick; that’s world-building. In Hunter x Hunter, the environment in the Dark Continent is taxing enough to make the strongest characters pack up and go home. The creatures living there, the weather—everything poses imminent danger. That’s how difficulty is set. But in Fairy Tail, the only difficulty I see is the appearance of new villains without any buildup, and they are only stronger because the plot needs them to be. Hence, overcoming them feels like a whack job. The heroes seem to have trouble with them at first because of being under circumstances (a shameless excuse), then they overpower the villains by unleashing hidden, latent, dormant powers or after getting motivated when someone gets hurt. Then the villains reveal their secret abilities via some uncanny means, thus raising the stakes, but the heroes come out on top because their resolve is stronger or something. It’s all a cookie-cutter, cardboard-box formula that’s been going on since almost the beginning.
Conclusion
Watching Fairy Tail is a brain-rotting experience, yet I still can’t stop watching it. It’s fun to watch, to say the least. But the worst part is that the fandom still doesn’t acknowledge the show’s flaws and continues to defend it as if it’s peak fiction. It’s not the worst show ever made; its fandom can stay within its own bubble. I just had to vent about my experience with it.
Thank you for reading ♡. This turned out to be more of a criticism. Anyway, keep an eye out for more first impressions. Join our Discord server & Telegram chat for the memes and check out our YouTube channel for extra content. Take care y’all 👋.
