Shonen Beam

[scanlation by Binktopia]

Fairy Tail reviews return with a triple-chapter week mega-post! My anticipation and expectation is high for this series of chapters.

(207) We begin with Mest demystifying himself by trying to eat snow. Right out of the gate in such an important week, Mashima uses comedy to kill the tension (and, by association, interest) surrounding a character with limitless potential. His comedy moments are decently funny, but these character traits could either have been assigned to someone else, or saved for much later, when this character isn’t at the center of attention.

Comedy is well-covered, thanks. Be serious.

Mest and Wendy losing this early can’t be right. Regardless of any criticism I may have towards Mashima, he’s not foolish enough to build up a character this much only to swerve us this badly. Something is amiss.

As evidenced by Gray and Loke failing to remember any vital details about him, Mest is apparently a completely unknown quantity. A mystery element would add considerable excitement to this arc.

Poor Gazille. Certainly, he was the last person who would have wanted the “Quiet” route, even less so than Natsu. As far as a writing choice, though, having Gazille avoid fighting right now is the right decision. He needs the spotlight firmly on him for his next fight, instead of sharing it with others fighting around him.

Juvia lost?! What was the point in including her in the S-Class Exam, then? Mashima better have something major planned for her in this arc, or I’m going to be incensed. Well, I’ll be more incensed than I am now.

That's quite the understatement, Gray

Uh, Natsu, perhaps you missed the point of … well, this entire exam… but you already are challenging your fellow guild members to see who can become an S-Class mage. That’s the whole reason all of you are here. (Seriously, generic shonen hero statements are one thing, but this is a slap in the face.)

The last page unveils the major plot twist: Mest really isn’t who we’ve been made to think he is. We don’t really know who he is, but to an extent, we know who he isn’t. Also, we know he can make one hell of a creepy face. Incidentally, having Pantherlily be the character to figure things out is a nice touch, given both his association to Mystogan and the fact that he’s the last person to join Fairy Tail, meaning that if Mest is using some kind of manipulative magic, Pantherlily should be the least affected by it.

Fantastically scary

(208) Suddenly, Tenrou Island has become Little Garden.

I still don’t like Happy, but a comedic straight-man was definitely needed in the scene where Natsu interrogated the beast, and Happy duly delivered.

Halfway through, the chapter still hasn’t shaken the comedy focus. Fairy Tail is good at comedy, but an unprecedented triple-chapter week might not be the best time to get sidetracked from the main story. Incidentally, the Conan O’Brien “If They Mated”-esque concept of what Elfman and Evergreen’s baby would look like is nowhere near as funny as Mirajane’s head-in-hands reaction in the following panel.

World's unhappiest would-be aunt

In a twist that wouldn’t shock even a child whose first reading material is Fairy Tail, romantic tension is being developed between Elfman and Evergreen. The most insulting aspect of that plot cop-out is that, if predictable and unnecessary romantic development is all we’re set to gain from Elfman and Evergreen progressing in the exam, they might as well have lost instead of Juvia and Lisanna.

Emo kid is back, and he’s still on the verge of tears as he tries to get Elfman and Evergreen to run away. Sadly, those two don’t have the chance to prove their worth, as Natsu enters the scene from out of nowhere to save them from “Death Preying,” which is one of the most redundant names ever given to an ability.

Oh, nevermind. Emo kid isn’t on the verge of tears at all; he actually is crying.

Cheer up, genocidal terror

(209) It really is unfortunate that this whole “depressed character with an unwanted devastating power” storyline has been done enough already, because each individual aspect of this storyline is being handled well. Still, I can’t overlook obvious authorial laziness.

Emo kid has been waiting for Natsu to grow strong enough to kill him? Again, that’s tried-and-true at best. More interesting to me is the fact that Natsu has no idea who he is.

As unusual of a sacrificial lamb as a muffler is, any involvement in the storyline from Igneel is worthwhile. We’ve had to wait far too long for any advancement of this plot; I’m certainly not suggesting that Mashima should have had Natsu head directly for a reunion with Igneel without any adventures along the way, but entire arcs have gone by without even the mention of his name. This is a good sign.

Do you have any idea how few Targets exist in Earthland?

Mest is apparently aware of the existence of emo kid. His creepy face conveys mixed messages, however; it’s difficult to tell whether Mest is fearful or excited.

... or both fearful AND excited, perhaps?

Emo kid now has a name, but I don’t like “Zeref” as much as “emo kid.” I suppose I ought to let the manga speak for itself, though.

An airship full of baddies shows up, headed by a man named Hades. Could there possibly have been a more boring way to introduce the antagonists of this arc? Here is an airship, this guy is named Hades, this other guy is ugly, this narrative box says “Dark Guild.” Completely unimaginative.

As long as none of you are secretly Gérard

Final Flash: 207 was the standout of the three, but each chapter had some quality to it. That said, there was no incredible event or unified storyline that warranted a triple-chapter week. In that sense, then, this was a bit of a letdown.