Just because it's a new year doesn't mean I've forgotten my previous resolutions. Thus, expect more manga reads throughout 2023. BACKGROUND:
Though I haven't watched much of the anime, I have seen some Fairy Tail stuff online and recognize the main characters. I can't say I know much about the story, though. Now I have the opportunity to check out a fairly popular manga. SUMMARY: In the world of Fairy Tail, magic is real and a more or less normal phenomenon. Wizards from all over form guilds (overseen by a greater council) and make a living by accepting contracts. One such guild is the titular Fairy Tail guild itself, and one of the main characters, Lucy, dreams of becoming a member. A fateful encounter with a villainous wizard causes her to cross paths with Natsu and Happy, who are conveniently members of Fairy Tail. After Lucy joins their ranks, she, Natsu, and Happy become a team, and thus the adventures begin. Off the bat, I like the formula. The main characters are all lovable morons who say and do weird shit, there's already cool ideas for magic (Lucy's in particular being based on summoning celestial spirits was interesting to me), and the whole of Fairy Tail being a ragtag group of lunatics is hilarious to me. I'm sure later volumes have an overarching story, but I wouldn't mind reading the more episodic adventures. What they have here is pretty fun already. My favorite moments from this volume are the all-out bar brawl in the Fairy Tail HQ (the absolute batshit nature of which I found hysterical) and Natsu taking on a mission to rescue fellow guild member Macao (which had a simultaneously badass and heartwarming ending). I also enjoyed the initial reveal of Natsu's fire powers where a bunch of goons were completely annihilated, and I found Lucy's contentious relationship with her summons amusing. While we get snippets of other Fairy Tail members, most of the focus is on the main three characters. Lucy's backstory isn't explored yet, but I found her shock at Fairy Tail being a chaotic mess hilarious, and I look forward to seeing her powers expand. I thought Natsu was both amusing (both for his weird motion sickness problem and his penchant for property damage) and immediately compelling, as one chapter reveals his backstory and main motivation. Happy is equally funny and he says a lot of ridiculous shit. I quite enjoyed the art, which depicts rather dynamic action sequences and features hilarious facial expressions. I thought the shading style (which is largely hatching) notable, and the level of detail in some of the panels is impressive. Some of the character designs are neat as well; Natsu's mostly shirtless is pretty memorable at first glance. VERDICT: Fairy Tail's first volume immediately hooked me with its silly characters, over-the-top action, and potential for world-building. The formula of the main characters going on various missions and solving problems with magic sounds fun to me, and I'm not opposed to reading more of the series just for more of that. My knowledge of manga isn't extensive to the point that I feel confident naming "essential" titles worth reading, but I feel like Fairy Tail is one title that could fit into such a category. The fact that it's fairly well-known probably qualifies it as "essential." Regardless, I think the first volume is a fun read, and I recommend it based on that. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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