War were declared.
Creative Staff:
Story/Art: Hiro Mashima
Translation: William Flanagan
Lettering: AndWorld Design
Editing: Haruko Hashimoto
Kodansha Comics edition cover design by Phil Balsman
What They Say:
Makarov, Natsu, and the group return bearing news of the impending invasion by Zeref and the Alvarez Empire. With Fairy Tail back together, everyone’s hearts beat as one in their resolve to fight! Then, the ghost of Mavis appears, recounting the guilt and power behind Fairy Heart, the lacrima crystal that holds her preserved body. Her tale begins over a hundred years ago, when two desperate individuals, bound by a curse, brought forth an unthinkable sin…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Two key things happened in this volume: Points on the backstory between Zeref and Mavis were revealed and the Spriggan 12 began their attack on Fairy Tail.
The flashback speaks of a war for trade routes in which too many people died. Yet it ended relatively quickly thanks to the introduction of magicians as mercenaries, including Mavis and the then-beginnings of Fairy Tail. It is prophetic in a manga without much, if any, killing that there has to be some to come in a situation that must call for it. Even Natsu says he likes to test his strength in battle where they can shake hands afterward. But he is willing to kill now.
The story itself speaks of something darker in Fairy Tail’s past. Nothing Mavis did was her fault, though she did kill likely thousands for the sake of winning a war. Never acknowledged is the reality that there is no winners in war. Guess that’s too real for shonen manga.
The second is the beginnings of the high level shonen action that Fairy Tail can deliver on. As much as a war between two entire continents (essentially) can be mined for much more than fights, it is also sure to give some great fights. Nothing quite yet, but the situation does great to exude a feeling of terror over everyone involved.
In Summary:
This is supposedly the beginning of Fairy Tail’s final arc, but Bleach’s final arc took like seven years or something, so I won’t hold my breath for a quick resolution to this plotline. In any case, I’m sure Fairy Tail can continue to deliver is great action sequences mixed up with moments of emotional highs. What it does best, in other words.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: April 12, 2016
MSRP: $10.99
