Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 20 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 20 by Hiro Mashima

The final showdown between the master of the Oracion Seis and the Alliance group (wizards from Fairy Tail, Cait Shelter, and other guilds) happens a bit too quickly at the beginning of this volume. The aftermath is more interesting, as characters sort out their feelings for each other and the Alliance members head back to their guilds. When our heroes return to Fairy Tail, a lot of new mythology is introduced. A higher level magical mission (way above the S-class missions) has been pursued by Gildarts, one of the most powerful wizards in the guild. His century mission (as in it takes a hundred years to complete) has failed since he had a run in with a black dragon. This revelation gets Natsu's interest, since he wants to find the dragon that trained him, All the dragons mysteriously disappeared several years ago. That quest will have to wait since Fairy Tail and the whole town of Magnolia has mysteriously disappeared through a magic portal. Magical talking cat Carla is forced to reveal her origin and that of Happy, Natsu's magical talking cat.

As I said, I thought the big finale for the Oracion Seis arc was not all that impressive. The new developments are intriguing though they seem like new additions to keep the story going rather than something planned all along. I'm ready for my break from Fairy Tail and this seems like a good spot. It's been fun and I may come back, but I will be trying another manga series soon.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 19 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 19 by Hiro Mashima

Erza finishes off the last of the Oracion Seis, only for the master of the evil guild, a wizard named Zero, to appear and keep up both the fight against the good wizards and the attempt to destroy the Cait Shelter. Zero is obsessed with only one thing--destruction! So he makes a pretty good villain for just about anybody. The story gets awfully close to wrapping up in this issue, but I guess I need to go one more to see the finale.

The volume also includes a little side story about Lucy's most fateful day. The story is cute but reads like filler.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 18 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 18 by Hiro Mashima

The battle between Fairy Tail's alliance of guilds and the Oracion Seis continues as the Nirvana magic activates. Nirvana was designed a long time ago to turn darkly-motivated wizards to the light, but it also functions in the opposite way, i.e. turning light-minded wizards evil. The promise of a lot of chaotic mayhem doesn't quite play out in this issue; even so, the story and battles are interesting. Helping the story is the return of Jellal (the villain from the Tower of Heaven story arc), whose amnesia causes interesting complications. The fight doesn't quite finish in this volume but things are finally going in favor of Fairy Tail.

Recommended, though at this point readers definitely can't jump in without reading several, if not all, of the previous volumes.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 17 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 17 by Hiro Mashima

The battle between the Oracion Seis guild and Fairy Tail's alliance of guilds continues as both groups search the woods for the source of Nirvana magic, an ancient and mysterious power. Wendy, who is a healer for the good guys, has been kidnapped by the Oracion Seis. Erza has been poisoned by one of the Oracion Seis, so the number one priority is to recover Wendy to heal Erza. Turns out the bad guys kidnapped Wendy to heal someone else...Jellal from the Tower of Heaven story arc! He's revived, Wendy is recovered, and Erza is healed. Meanwhile, the Nirvana magic is also activated. It has a nefarious effect--it turns good people into bad and bad people into good. Can the Fairy Tail team succeed without getting corrupted? The story isn't finished in this issue but is exciting with a strong cliffhanger ending.

Recommended.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 16 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 16 by Hiro Mashima

The Laxus story arc (where Laxus tries to take over the Fairy Tail guild by having everyone fight each other, leaving him in charge) ends with the unsurprising defeat of Laxus. The very ending of the arc is sweeter than expected. Then the guild has their fantasia celebration as part of Magnolia's harvest festival (Magnolia is the town where the Fairy Tail guild hall is located). A new storyline starts with several Dark Guilds teaming up to seize control of a special ancient magic called Nirvana. Fairy Tail teams up with other guilds to send their top wizards to fight the Oracion Seis, a Dark Guild with only six wizards. Naturally they are supremely powerful wizards so the fight will not be easy.

The book also has a side story about Lucy's father, who has fallen on hard times. It's also sweeter than expected but does seem more like filler than part of a greater story arc.

Recommended.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 15 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 15 by Hiro Mashima

The Battle of Fairy Tail continues as Laxus' small cadre of wizards, the Thunder Legion, has been defeated. He has to enter the fray himself, though few of the Fairy Tail wizards are left. Heavy hitters Natsu, Erza, Mystogan, and Gajeel are still up for more fighting. They have to contend with Laxus's lightening magic and his Thunder Palace--a set of 300 small orb encircling the town of Magnolia which threaten to release an electricity attack on the town if the Fairy Tail people can't stop them in time.

The fights are exciting and they have a lot of kung fu-type sparring along with the magical strikes. I am impressed that the battles get more and more epic as the story goes along. You'd think a limit would eventually be hit but Mashima manages to squeeze out more as he goes. He puts in a little character development and some new mysteries as well, so there's plenty to enjoy.

The book includes a side story, "Natsu and the Dragon's Egg," which is very similar to one of the filler episodes on the anime series. The other typical supplements are provided.

Recommended.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 14 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 14 by Hiro Mashima

The Battle of Fairy Tail continues as Laxus's three companions strive to eliminate members of the guild. Ezra's false eye gives her the chance to beat Evergreen, who turns people to stone when she makes eye-contact. The battle starts to go south for Laxus's crew, but will their defeat come in enough time? Will Master Makarov have to surrender the guild to save everyone?

The list of epic match-ups continues, which is fun. The battles are entertaining but feel like filler before the big final show-down which looks likes it's coming in the next volume.

Recommended.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 13 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 13 by Hiro Mashima

After a little coda from the Tower of Heaven arc, the team returns to the Fairy Tail guild hall, which has finally been rebuilt after the Phantom Lord fight. The hall is huge and sprawling and welcomes new members Juvia and Gajeel, former members of Phantom Lord. So the newcomers aren't too popular. A reporter from a wizard magazine shows up to do a story on the new hall. The guild members make a bit of a bad impression which comes through in the article. Master Makarov, head of Fairy Tail, is not too happy, especially when his grandson Laxus comes back. Laxus is mad that the guild looks so weak, especially since he wants to lead the guild at some point. So Laxus sets in motion battles between the Fairy Tail members which occupies the last third of the book.

In addition to the main plot, the book contains some hints at future story lines--Natzu's trainer, the dragon Igneel, makes a brief appearance. Ultear, Jellal's ally on the Wizard Council, reveals she had more going on and that Zeref is not done yet. They are intriguing hints but no payoff is in this volume.

The book also has a lot of gratuitous "cheesecake." Lucy decides she want to be a star in the magazine article so she vamps it up for the reporter. Later, during a harvest festival in town, the guild hosts a "Miss Fairy Tail" contest which involves a lot of the guild members in bikinis.

The book has the usual notes in the back on Japanese culture.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 12 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 12 by Hiro Mashima

The Tower of Heaven storyline (including Erza's backstory) concludes as the Fairy Tail crew take out the remaining wizards from the Assassin's Guild and Erza takes on her former friend Jellal. Jellal's plan to raise the evil wizard Zeref is on the cusp of completion even as his twin brother Sieg finally convinces the Magic Council to use the Etherion weapon (a massive amount of destructive power) to destroy the Tower of Heaven. Can Erza finish off Jellal and escape in time? Or does she have other plans? And why isn't Jellal worried about Etherion?

The story has some interesting twists (though one big twist is very predictable) and an epic scale. Erza's story is fascinating and her growth as a person and a magical warrior is inspiring. The conclusion hits just the right note, emphasizing the importance of friendship and perseverance.

I read this before seeing the anime and after watching, they are still virtually the same--both enjoyable.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 11 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 11 by Hiro Mashima

The Tower of Heaven story arc continues as the Fairy Tail team arrives at the tower to take out the crazy evil Jellal. Unfortunately, Jellal has brought in a trio of magicians from a guild specializing in assassination. Maybe Natzu could take them out if he hadn't got a gigantic cat's head mask stuck on his head! Meanwhile, the Magic Council is discussing whether to use a weapon of mass destruction to take out the tower before Jellal has a chance to revive Zeref, an extremely evil wizard whose return is sure to be a world-wide catastrophe. Erza's backstory continues as we see her coming to Fairy Tail for the first time.

The action is exciting and the new villains are entertaining and a legitimate threat. The stakes are suitably ramped up and the story is interesting. I'm looking forward to watching the anime episodes (season one, episodes 36-38?) for this volume. It's fun to read before seeing.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 10 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 10 by Hiro Mashima

The focus shifts to Erza as the gang enjoys a much-deserved vacation. The vacation is spoiled by the arrival of people from Erza's past who want to kidnap her. She grew up as a slave working on the Tower of Heaven, an R-system intended to resurrect a god who is fueled by hate. Erza's backstory is told in flashbacks as the gang is drawn toward the island where the tower is located.

This story has a lot more drama than comedy. There's still plenty of fighting. The drama is especially tough as children get tortured for rebelling against their enslavement. The story is unresolved by the end, so who knows if a happy ending is in store? The usual notes are at the end of the book, along with a bonus story that's very light, like a filler episode of the anime.

I've slowed down my anime watching so now I am in sync with the manga. I will get the next manga before I watch another episode just to see how that is.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 9 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 9 by Hiro Mashima

The epic battle with Phantom Lord Guild finishes when Fairy Law magic gives Phantom Lord a knockout blow. Fairy Tail then has to rebuild their own guild. Guildmaster Makarov considers retiring but isn't ready yet. He has a grandson named Laxus that is itching to take over, though Laxus seems like a poor choice based on the fact that he's only just shown up in the storyline and he acts like a jerk. Erza is also a possible candidate according to Makarov. Meanwhile, guildmembers start going on jobs again. Lucy and company travel to a nearby town to help a theater get back on its feet with comic results. Next, guildmember and ladies' man Loke winds up explaining why he doesn't get along with Lucy, leading into his backstory and a less-than-convincing current story about whether he will die or not.

This is another fun volume though the last story is not as internally believable as earlier stories, so it doesn't end on the best note.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 8 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 8 by Hiro Mashima

The war between the Fairy Tail Guild and the Phantom Lord Guild continues as Natsu fights the last of the Element 4 and then goes after Gajeel. Gajeel also uses dragon slaying magic but his is based on iron dragons, so will Natsu's fire dragon power have a chance? More big, long battles are told in this volume and still the war is not resolved!

I like the action a lot, there's some intelligent strategy and fun banter along with all the bashing. But this vollume is mostly battles with occasional monologues about motivation. Readers finally find out Phantom Lord's ultimate purpose in picking the fight, which is a rather shallow one, so readers are even more inclined to root for Fairy Tail.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 7 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 7 by Hiro Mashima

The Phantom Lord Guild steps up its attack on Fairy Tail in three ways. First, their very guild hall transforms into a walking giant and comes to attack Fairy Tail's wizards at their guild hall. Second, the Phantom Lord Guild has a massive magical cannon which will destroy not only Fairy Tail but also half of the town of Magnolia. Finally, readers are introduced to the Elemental Four, Phantom Lord's most powerful wizard team. With Fairy Tail's master wizard already out of the picture for the foreseeable future, what chance do they have? Fairy Tail does have the reputation as the most destructive guild ever, so maybe they do have a chance.

The action is almost non-stop in this issue. There's a little breathing room when Makarov, the guildmaster for Fairy Tail, is taken off to convalesce, but otherwise it's battle after battle, with occasional motivational or explanatory speeches woven in to fill in details and back story. I enjoyed this one a lot, except for the cliffhanger ending. I can't wait for what comes next (except I already saw this in the anime version, so I do know what happens next).

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 6 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 6 by Hiro Mashima

The big conflict between Gray and Lyon is resolved along with the defeat of the no-longer-ice-encased demon Deliora. Even all that action and excitement still doesn't resolve the Galuna Islanders' problem of turning into demons at night. So the Fairy Tail team winds up trying to destroy the moon anyway! The end of the story does feel a little bit like the writer coming up with anything to get out of the corner into which he'd painted himself, though the time-controlling magic guy is an interesting development. Erza brings back the Fairy Tail wizards, expecting some intense punishment from Master Makarov for going AWOL. When they return to the city of Magnolia, they discover the guild hall has been attacked by the Phantom Lord Guild, leading right into a new big battle. The wayward wizards get off with minimal punishment as they prepare to go to war with Phantom Lord.

This volume again mirrors the anime series, except that two filler episodes (one fun Twilight Zone episode and another with Happy's backstory) are not represented. The manga came first, so the bonus episodes are extra material. The manga does have the usual supplemental material (fan art, explanations of in-jokes and cultural references, and a preview of Volume 7).

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 5 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 5 by Hiro Mashima

The investigation into Galuna Island's problems heats up as the bad wizards attack the only village on the island. Fairy Tail wizards Gray and Lucy are there to save the townsfolk if not the town from an acid attack by the bad guys. Meanwhile, the other Fairy Tail wizards are investigating the weird rituals in an old temple on the island. The battles are fast and exciting, showing creativity and comedy in equal measure. To make things more complicated, Fairy Tail's Erza shows up to bring back the other wizards, since they are there under false pretenses--the job of saving the island is an S-class job and none of them are S-class yet. Since a mad wizard from Gray's past is trying to revive a horrible demon, that sure seems like a good reason to see the job through before returning to Fairy Tail for punishment. Can the uber-just Erza be persuaded?

The story moves along at a good clip and reveals more of Gray's background (who he was trained by and why he's always taking his clothes off). The story is still about identical to the TV show, though the females are a little chestier and less dressed than on television. It's not annoying enough to turn me off of reading but it is a little grating. The book does have some nice explanations of little cultural details at the end along with some fan art.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 4 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 4 by Hiro Mashima

After dealing the destructive consequences of their last mission (the Fairy Tail team took out a lot of buildings and railroad tracks resolving the Lullaby plot line), Natsu, Gray, and Lucy try to relax back at the guild hall. Natsu sends Happy the flying cat up to the second floor to steal an S-class assignment from the upstairs workboard. Those missions (and indeed, the second floor itself) are only for S-class wizards in the guild, a status to which Natsu aspires. How can you gain S-class ranking without performing an S-class job? Also, the guild is known for its looseness about following rules, so he should be okay, right? Natsu drags Lucy into the mission and Gray tags along. The task is to end the curse on Galuna Island. The natives turn into horrible creatures at night, especially under the moonlight. They assume their curse is related to the moon (which looks purple from the island), so their request is that the Fairy Tail team destroy the moon. The team wisely decides to investigate the rest of the island first, in case some other cause is responsible or another solution is available (i.e. possible).

The story is an interesting mystery that opens up some of Gray's history. The ultimate cause of the problem turns out to be more than just the moon's weird color. The manga is still very faithful to the television series with some fun supplemental material at the end.

Recommended.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 3 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 3 by Hiro Mashima

Dark Guild Eisenwald's plan to wipe out lots of people by playing the evil magical flute Lullaby gets nearer to success. The Fairy Tail team (Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Happy) have a big battle with the Eisenwald folks at a train station with a public address system. This location is only part of Eisenwald's plan, so a lot more action happens before the end. Happily the story does end in this volume (the last two volumes both split story arcs in the middle). The author manages to pull out a cliffhanger at the very end when Natsu and Erza's battle is interrupted by a surprise visit.

The story still follows the anime series very closely. That's fine since it's so enjoyable. The story has enough depth and creativity that it doesn't read like mere frivolous fantasy action. The characters are interesting and getting more three-dimensional all the time. The book reads very quickly, which is always a plus with the minimal reading time I have.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 2 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 2 by Hiro Mashima

The mystery of Everlue Mansion is wrapped up in the first half of this manga. The ending is sweet and satisfying, except for Lucy, who was expecting to get more out of the mission.

On returning to their guild hall, Fairy Tail, a big fight breaks out between Natsu and Gray. The fight expands into a bar room brawl involving most of the wizards at Fairy Tail. The fight is broken up by the arrival of Erza, a very powerful wizard. She uses Requip magic, that lets her switch weapons and armor instantly. She is highly feared by the other wizards (except the Master, of course). She asks Natsu and Gray to investigate something with her. Quaking in their boots, they agree, even though they are often at each other's throats. Lucy is persuaded to go along as a peacemaker. She is reluctant but excited.

The new job involves hunting down a dark guild, Eisenwald. Erza heard a rumor of some bad things they are planning to do and wants to stop them. The four are off on an adventure with Happy the talking (and flying) cat.

The plot is still the same as the anime series (which I've found on view.yahoo.com) with one or two small details or jokes that I either didn't remember or are new. The back of the book has some supplemental material explaining some of the jokes and cultural translations, as well as info about character names and the creative team behind the series. I am still watching the anime series and am debating if I should continue reading the manga. Will the stories diverge? Will I catch up? Is the supplemental material worth the time (the price is negligible since I'm getting my copies from the library)? I haven't figured out these answers yet, but will soon.

Book Review: Fairy Tail Vol. 1 by Hiro Mashima

Fairy Tail Volume 1 by Hiro Mashima, translated and adapted by William Flanagan

Young aspiring wizard Lucy wants to join Fairy Tail, a famous guild with top-notch magic users and a bit of a bad reputation for going overboard when working on assignments. Lucy runs into Natsu, a young wizard with a talking cat for a companion. He has come to Hargeon searching for a fire dragon named Salamander. He's found a blowhard wizard who calls himself Salamander and is the idol of all the young women. Lucy almost falls under his spell until she realizes he is in fact using a charm spell to convince women to come to his leisure yacht for a party. Salamander's purposes are much more nefarious than wanting to party with pretty women. Luckily for Lucy, Natsu sticks around to help out and is from Fairy Tail. He's her ticket to the big leagues.

The story is quite imaginative and has a good blend of humor and action. Different wizards have different abilities--Natsu has dragon-based magic with lots of fire-related results. Lucy uses celestial keys to access various zodiac characters (Taurus is a goofy axe-wielding bull). She doesn't have a complete set of keys and has to negotiate contracts with the characters (what days she can access them, how much she can get from them, etc.). When they get to Fairy Tail, Lucy meets a huge assortment of wizards. They wind up in a big barroom brawl (as if the story is an American western and not a Japanese manga) that's broken up by the arrival of their master.

The book ends with Lucy and Natsu (and Happy the cat) going off on a job to recover a book in Duke Everlue's possession. So there's a cliffhanger ending pulling readers into volume 2.

The book also has some handy explanations from the author in the front and the back.* The most fascinating bits are the cultural translations. For example, "master" is a word the Japanese have borrowed but it mostly means "someone who runs a business." The notions of "having expertise or skill (e.g. mastery of cooking)" or "being a slave owner" are completely absent in the Japanese use of the word. 

I was also watching the anime version of this story through Netflix, which no longer has the first season available. So far, the plots are exactly the same. Both are equally enjoyable, though the manga has a bit more fan service, i.e. the female characters are chestier than their TV counterparts. There's no nudity but skimpy outfits are everywhere.

*The front and back of the book are opposite because one reads manga with the book's binding on the right, not the left, resulting in a "backward" paperback book. It's surprisingly easy to get used to reading right to left after a couple of pages.