•        
 


Title:
 Fairy Tail Part 2

UK Distributor:  Manga Entertainment

BBFC Certificate:  PG

Suggested Retail Price (SRP):  £29.99

Episodes:  13-24 (ongoing series)

Audio Options:  English 2.0, Japanese 2.0

Subtitles:  English

Release Date:  21st May 2012

Reviewer:  Rich (Webmaster)
 

It seems like a very long time since the first volume of Fairy Tail came out.  In fact there's been a two and a half month gap and with the main characters facing a life or death battle as the volume came to a close, it's been a frustrating wait.

At the end of the last volume Natsu, Happy and Lucy were frantically searching for a way to stop the powerful demon Deliora from being resurrected, whilst Gray faced down the so-called 'Cold Emperor' Lyon, a fellow Ice Make wizard who is orchestrating the resurrection attempt.  We pick up here where we left off, it seems that Deliora was sealed by Gray's master Ur at the cost of her own life, and he's desperate to stop it being released for the sake of her legacy.  Lyon on the other hand wants to release and defeat the demon to prove that he has surpassed Ur, and is determined not to let anything get in his way.  The spell to release the demon is underway and so our heroes face a race against time if they are to stop it, but there's another problem.  Taking a high-ranking mission was against guild rules for the low-ranking Natsu, Gray and Lucy and a furious Erza is on her way to bring them back for punishment!  However, their indiscretions pale into insignificance when compared to the crisis facing the Fairy Tail guild itself, as its headquarters are destroyed in a surprise attack from the rival Phantom Lord Guild.  With Fairy Tail licking its wounds things go from bad to worse when Phantom Lord's powerful Element Four wizards kidnap Lucy, an act that could lead to an all-out war between the two guilds.  The problem is that Fairy Tail has no headquarters and their wizards have used much of their magical power attempting to fend off the surprise attack, so is it a war they can win?
 

As you would expect from a second volume the starts in the middle of a battle unfinished in the first, the action flies thick and fast from the word go.  The pace is pretty much unrelenting throughout, with the battle against Lyon and his henchmen preceding an even bigger battle between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord.  In fact the only time the series slows down slightly is by flashing back to Gray's past and showing how he came to be with Ur and the events that led to her sealing Deliora, and a further flashback later to show Mirajane's tragic past

and explain why she no longer fights.  For me these flashbacks were the high point of the volume, very little has been revealed about any of the characters as yet which makes it difficult at times to identify with them or understand their motivations.  The depiction of past events goes some way to fleshing out the Fairy Tail world more than we have so far seen, as well as inject some emotion and heart into the series.  Both Gray and Mirajane have tragic pasts which have shaped their character and abilities and this makes their current battles all the more poignant, it also serves to introduce several other characters who have previously been little more than faces in the background.

The near relentless drama and action sees the comedy take a back seat in this volume, although it still squeezes a few amusing moments in here and there.  However, the biggest plus is that the story has begun to move forward, with Fairy Tail coming under attack, a mysterious wizard who uses ancient, forbidden magic appearing and Lucy's past starting to be revealed.  The series has some newfound direction, and it will be intriguing to see how characters like Elfman and Mirajane will develop once they have faced their pasts, and also how Lucy will deal with discovering the reasons for her kidnap.  For the first time Fairy Tail come up against enemies that are equally as powerful or possibly more powerful than they are and have the same levels of hidden powers to unleash.  In Phantom Lord's head wizard there is an opponent who is a match for Fairy Tail's own master Makarov, and with many of Fairy Tail's top ranked wizards away the future looks bleak for both the guild and the city of Magnolia in which it resides.  The series' stakes have been raised higher than ever in only its second volume, and its hard to see which way the story will go.
 

The only real problem with Fairy Tail so far is that it's been a little too fast paced.  It feels like we've only just started to learn about the Fairy Tail guild and get to know the other wizards, so the sudden destruction of the guild headquarters and desperate fight for survival seems to come far too soon.  The series has always seemed to claim that Fairy Tail were the most powerful guild, but they struggle to fight back Phantom Lord's forces during their initial attack and seem outmatched against the Element Four. Apart from Natsu, Gray and Erza

there's been very little time to introduce any of the Fairy Tail wizards, which leaves you having to find out more about them and their abilities through the fights they have with Phantom Lord.  On the plus side this gives you the same introduction to the guild and characters as Lucy gets in the series, but on the minus side it all feels a bit hectic and slightly rushed.

Fairy Tail Part 2 is still entertaining and enjoyable, even if it is a bit too relentless at times.  We are starting to learn more about the characters and the world, even if it is only a little at a time, and we are part way through what seems like a longer storyline.  As you may have guessed by that comment this volume once again ends in the middle of a big battle, and on a massive cliffhanger so it's another two month wait for part 3 to find out what happens.  It's a shame the wait is so long as with such fast paced action you're not used to waiting to see what happens next.  However, it's still a strong fantasy series and despite the reduction in comedy it still has the charm that makes it reminiscent of Slayers.  This time it also bumps up the tension and drama with a more in-depth storyline which has the power to surprise and shock, and the flashback storylines do serve to increase the show's depth.  Roll on volume 3!

Extras

Textless opening and closing sequences, trailers and a commentary for episodes 19.  Decent stuff once again.

Ratings

Feature:   Extras:
___________________________________________________________________________

Reviews Archive