Lucy gets by with a little help from her friends.
What They Say:
“Lives on the Line for the Reception”
Lucy wants to show her Celestial Spirits that she appreciates all their hard work, so she summons them one by one to make their wishes come true. Natsu and Happy are on hand to help out, but as often happens with the unpredictable, unstable Celestial Spirits, chaos ensues!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
It’s still filler time in Fairy Tail and this time around we’ve got Lucy and Yukino wanting to give thanks to their celestial spirits. The entire episode is literally that. It’s kind of cute sometimes, often at the expense of Happy, and pointless in most others. Here’s the rundown:
Aries wants a tan, Tauros looked at Yukino, Virgo got flicked in the head, Cancer gives Happy a haircut (in which he grows hair), Capricorn wants to read a poem, Scorpio was on screen for like three seconds, Sagittarius wants to hit an apple off Happy’s head, Gemini wants to pose as Lucy in a towel, Loke wants a date with Yukino and to beat on Natsu, Aquarius wants for Lucy to make her laugh. On Yukino’s side, Libra wants to make the gravity really heavy on everyone, Pisces wants to eat Happy, and I guess that 13th key doesn’t get a favor.
I can’t say I hated it, but it’s definitely a filler episode. Nothing happened aside from the scene between Lucy and Aquarius. But let me tell you how much I loved that flashback, because I really loved it. Aquarius and Lucy have always been at odds because Aquarius hates how Lucy is so free spirited and calls Aquarius in the worst situations. Aquarius isn’t very helpful in turn; she places a bunch of restrictions on summoning. But the two get along, in the end. It’s very much a love/hate relationship since they’ve been around each other for so long. Even before Lucy was Aquarius’ master, it was Layla, Lucy’s mother. It’s nice to finally see this relationship fleshed out, even if it is only in a filler episode.
MANGA SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 385 AND PRIOR BEYOND THIS POINT
What really impressed me is how this is so prescient, given some of the recent events in the manga. Lucy’s sacrifice of Aquarius had me tearing up when I read it, but thinking back now, I question why it was such a big deal. At the time, I waved it off as this being one of the first celestial spirits we see and the first key Lucy received. The bath scene, the fishbowl scene, and finally Aquarius pulling a blanket over Lucy are beautiful moments that show a true kinship between the two, even if they’re always arguing. A little line like, “What’s ‘quibble’?” is perfect for the moment and Aquarius’ reaction shows that she does care, even if she doesn’t want to show it.
In Summary:
I didn’t ever expect to be able to write this much about a filler episode, but Fairy Tail pulled this one out. It knew what was coming in the manga and responded in full. I loved this episode because of the little moments between Lucy and Aquarius. It means so much more and gives such great context to the later moment in the manga (upcoming in the anime!). I can’t wait to see it and how they tie it in, because they absolutely have to. I’ll be sad when they don’t though.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Equipment: PS3, LG 47LB5800 47” 1080p LED TV, LG NB3530A Sound Bar
