Creative Staff:
Story/Art: Hiro Mashima
Translation: William Flanagan
Lettering: AndWorld Design
Editing: Ben Applegate
What They Say:
By the skin of their teeth, Fairy Tail managed to stop the bomb, but in the wake of their failure, Tartaros unleases a new monster: Mard Geer, King of the Underworld! The dark guild’s cube transforms into a gigantic beast, swallowing all of Fairy Tail’s members—except for one! Now the fates of her comrades once again rest on one brave wizard’s shoulders!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
This volume is Fairy Tail at its best. I remember reading the chapter when it came out and tearing up. I just reread it and the impact has not waned at all. This is a culmination of 44 volumes of and 383 chapters of material and it’s something that only something this long running can pull off. There’s a reason emotion is so easily culled from a ship in One Piece or a sacrifice from a friend—and it’s not because they’re a friend of the main characters (ok, sometimes it is, but not in the example I’m thinking of).
That’s why when Lucy shattered Aquarius’ key, it didn’t just hurt Lucy or Aquarius, it hurt us, the reader. We’ve read them be together for those 383 chapters and, for people who picked it up right at the beginning, almost eight years. A decade of reading these two characters together and they’re suddenly thrust apart for a greater good. And that’s the most hurtful thing about it. It really was Lucy and Aquarious or Fairy Tail. There’s only one option and it’s merely the less bad one.
This is also what I was talking about in another manga review. Lucy is at her wit’s end, but she’s able to get through the situation with the help of Aquarius (it makes the break that much harder!). When she’s at her absolute lowest, she fights back. And when she thinks she’s given it her all, she’s revitalized at the sight of Gajeel and Juvia coming to her aid. And not only summoning the Celestial King, but his entrance is prototypical shonen of the hero coming in to rescue in the 11th hour.
In Summary:
This hit just about every high button Fairy Tail can hit in one manga volume. It had the sacrifice for friends (a real sacrifice instead of the faux, but still feel good, sacrifice of Wendy in the previous volume), it had the introduction of a badass character that laid down the law, and it had the return of friends when Lucy most needed them. The best part is that Fairy Tail only builds. The next moment won’t feel cheap, it’ll feel even grander because we’ve spent that much more time with everyone.
Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: December 30th, 2014
MSRP: $10.99