It’s time to take a look at the recent mini series that launched for Fairy Tail. This one didn’t last very long and definitely came as a surprise since there was already a fairy tail sequel that was out. It definitely feels very authentic to the original series so as long as you enjoyed that one then you’ll like this one. At the same time, it does fall into all of the same issues as the original as well so that didn’t go very well. This title is entertaining but that’s about all that I can really say for it. It still has too much fanservice to make for a real recommendation and stays in the middle.
The main plot centers around a big contest that is coming up. Fairy Tail competes in a beauty contest every year and so everyone is super stoked about this. Laxus doesn’t feel like he should attend though because he attacked Fairy Tail a while back. Time may have passed but he doesn’t feel like he has earned the right to attend. Unfortunately the contest is thrown into disarray when the characters are all attacked by a mysterious villain who is leading a group against Fairy Tail. He aims to erase them all and Natsu may be in for the toughest fight of his life. Can he put out this threat and ensure that the contest runs smoothly?
This is a true miniseries all the way as it has less than 10 chapters in total. That means there isn’t a whole lot of time for story beats or fights in general. It’s really just an excuse to see all of your favorite characters again and that would have been fine, if not for the fanservice. The beauty contest is really just an excuse for this and the series isn’t very subtle about that. It’s not quite as bad as the original series but of course at the same time that is partially due to how short the title is. It also stands out a lot because in general a lot of mainstream manga have really distanced themselves from fanservice and that’s a net positive all around.
The story is also a bit of a stretch because it feels out of character for Laxus to be having doubts now. The guy has been teaming up with Fairy Tail for ages at this point and was welcomed back into the family shortly after he had temporarily been a villain. This series could work if it took place very early in the series, not being put near the end like this. It feels like a very forced story option and one that doesn’t even feel necessary because it doesn’t really change anything. I guess at best you could say it makes for an easier reason to have Laxus be by himself for a shipping moment. I don’t really think that’s a good enough excuse though.
Whatever my thoughts on it, I do feel like that was the main driving force behind this miniseries in general. Laxus and Mira have the longest conversation in the title and it’s certainly the most serious one. She basically ends up asking him out since Laxus was never going to move forward on his own and they get a little team up. It’s hard to set up a romance with so few chapters but you could argue that the main series was building up to it. I wouldn’t say it was ever pushed as hard as the Natsu/Lucy and Gray/Juvi ships though.
So it’s not a bad plot but I still just feel like Laxus was dramatically out of character here. No matter how many times the series tried to convince me why he would still be feeling down, it doesn’t work in the timeline. If you ignore the ooc elements, then the story itself is still great. Laxus has to confront his past and even attempts to take on the entire villain group by himself. He is willing to be a martyr for his friends and Fairy Tail has always been very passionate about the friendship themes. That’s never changed before and I don’t see it changing in the future either. It’s a good thing, no other title pulls this off quite as well as Fairy Tail.
As for Eraser, he makes for a pretty good villain. The guy has a solid intro and gets to beat up on Jellal like all of the good Fairy Tail villains. You always need someone to style on after all and Jellal is perfect for this. The guy manages to lose almost every fight but there’s a part of you that always feels like he may still be a threat in the end. When Eraser revealed that he had an entire villain group behind him, I did smirk a bit because there’s no time for that. They don’t get to fight until chapter 4 and this is a 9 chapter series. I should also note that the chapters are only slightly longer than weekly sized so in total this is basically a single manga volume. I guess I can give the author props for being ambitious.
Also to continue the focus on Laxus, his father Ivan returns. The guy was a fairly minor villain from the old days so it was interesting to see him return. The guy never really ranked for me but it makes sense to include him if you’re trying to make Laxus the main character here. The rest of the characters get to still have their own fights which was nice. They may be short but the series had all of the proper ingredients that make Fairy Tail stand out. If anything it’s another impressive thing about the series, which is that it is easy to get you hooked.
I think this is partially due to the stunning art, but the writing style is also good. Fairy Tail is genuinely funny and balances this well with the action scenes. The fanservice is the only thing holding it back and it reminds me of a lot of conversations I had on the original series. It has so many extremely hype moments that I would check out here and there. The series is the ultimate “Potential” title for me because it is always so close to being the next big thing. It just needed an extra boost.
The artwork is pretty solid as always. Fairy Tail has always been really terrific in this area and that’s why it has some of the best fights in the business. Take everything else away and Fairy Tail would absolutely thrive as a serious action title. It’s just nostalgic to see Natsu beating someone up with his flame powers. You may be hoping for a longer fight but again, this is a miniseries.
The author even has a little fun with this by making one of the antagonists a character from Eden’s Zero, another manga that he created. Now this is most likely just an alternate version of the character who looks like him but that’s close enough. Still captures some of that crossover energy. I really think he should do a full crossover ongoing series someday. That would be amazing and at the very least I do think it would be super engaging the whole time. Hopefully Mashima could just rein himself in a bit though. Fairy Tail’s probably the closest thing you can have to being a true guilty pleasure title. I know the series is always going to end up messing up but I’ll still be there for all of the adventures. It’s just such a charming title. Laxus and Mira is far from one of my favorite ships but I can still say that the author went all out here with both characters talking like real adults.
Overall, This is classic Fairy Tail through and through. If you felt like the 100 years quest title was way too grand and missing the local charm of the original, this one will definitely be a pleasant surprise for you. That being said, it doesn’t bring a whole lot to the table beyond being a nostalgia trip. That part isn’t even done correctly because the fanservice just holds it back in a big way. I’m still a fan of bringing all these titles back for short sequels but ultimately it would still be nice to be telling a complete story. Maybe next time we can get a series that lasts at least 3 volumes or so. The more I was writing this review, the more positively I started thinking about this series. That’s how infectious it can be.
Overall 5/10
