#I actually liked him as Doranbolt (or however it’s spelled)

[tea-cat-arts]

Anyone know if someone has edited Mest’s face bouncing around the screen like the Microsoft idle animation while “you ruin everything, you stupid bitch” plays in the background?

And if one of y’all decide to make it, can you please tag me

[6ix-dragons]

Fairy Tail Fan Impressions (FTFI): Chapters 540 AND 541

(Be aware; spoilers for the latest FT chapters can be found below!)

“Dude, where were you, when the last chapter hit?”

Me: Oh, I don’t know...but I can tell you that I didn’t end up in the same place, as where those Seven Dragon Slayers are, right now!

“Anyway, did you check out the latest chapter, by any chance?”

Me: Yeah, I did. 

“Man, the beginning of the battle between them and Acnologia was awesome! Oh, and how ‘bout Lucy, there? She’s finally getting the spotlight of her own!”

Me: I know! Hey...do you think she’ll be the next Guild Master?

“Lucy? Pfft, no way! I mean, she’s smart, and all that...but what truly significant things has she done all by herself, recently?”

Me: (gives a dirty side look)

Before I begin this post, I just want to apologize for not making an FTFI on chapter 540. I happened to be busy with other things in my life...one of which, was having to draw a couple of sketches that will celebrate a significant holiday/milestone (which will be explained further, closer to the end of this post). However, just because I didn’t cover chapter 540 in my FTFI series of posts (not by itself, at least), it doesn’t mean that I won’t make quite a mention of it, in this post! I’ll get to my whole impressions of the latest chapter, after I briefly discuss about the chapter before that. 

Alright, so...chapter 540. What can I really mention about it? Well, for starters, it’s the chapter that has a lot of people talking about it. For quite some time, fans of this series have been clamouring for a huge battle between the Seven Dragon Slayers, and Acnologia. And now that the story is coming to a close, we finally get what we wanted all along! 

As I mentioned from above, I wanted to keep things brief for this particular chapter. So, to summarize: Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers are caught in a different world, in which it is host to the Black Dragon himself. All the other Dragon Slayers are trapped in some crystal chamber-like prisons...presumably, so that they would be harvested of their magic by Acnologia. Natsu, himself, is about to fall victim to this, as well. 

Elsewhere, we see that Ichiya and Anna have fallen from the Ravines of Time/Timelapse—and this will please some people, maybe not so much for others. Then, we get an explanation from Anna, about something important going on with Acnologia. Apparently, because of how much magic that Acnologia consumed, while he was trapped in the Timelapse, it resulted in him being present in both worlds; the one where he is currently confronting the 7DS, and the one where everybody else is. However, everybody who isn’t a Dragon Slayer, finds out in horror—(dramatic gasp)—that Acnologia (in his physical dragon form) is headed to Magnolia. And, so, all the others in that world must try to stop him, as much as they can.

Fortunately, Erza and the others are able to get to the rest at Magnolia, through quite the convenience: yes, Doranbolt comes to their aid! No, seriously, he does. I mean, it’s rather kind of surprising that he’s still here, after all those chapters. 

Meanwhile, Natsu is in the process of being absorbed. However, it doesn’t work. Why? Well, probably because the other Dragon Slayers somehow managed to escape! And, just like the Power Rangers...all Seven Dragon Slayers assemble—ready to take on the biggest meance of their lives! 

Alright, so what do I think about this chapter, overall? I think it’s kind of okay, I guess. I mean, don’t get me wrong, but I think this really sets up nicely, for the inevitable final boss battle. Also, it’s worth pointing out that Lucy’s reaction to the news that Natsu isn’t dead, is actually absent from the chapter. Now, I’m not sure if this is intentional, or if there’s some kind of reason that’s either valid (or not)...but, I honestly think that her reaction should be included in the third series of the anime adaptation. Aside from that, it’s kinda heartwarming to see that Erza has realized of Makarov’s recovery, before her eyes. 

On the other hand, what I didn’t like about this chapter, was mainly on the logic, and wasted potential sides of things. First, what bothers me about this chapter, is the logic that happens earlier on. We see that Natsu can’t use one of his arms to use a fire attack, as it’s still badly damaged, understandably enough. What I don’t get about it, ‘though, is why he doesn’t use his other arm, instead. Maybe there’s something that I missed about this, but there doesn’t seem to be a good reason, as to why he isn’t using that other arm of his. 

The other thing that bothers me, aside from the logic, is the wasted potential...or the lack of focus that resulted in it. This is also what I didn’t like, from the previous chapter, as well. We don’t get to see what happens to all the other characters involved in the entire war, such as the rest of the Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel groups (after they took on Larcade). On top of that, we don’t get to see stuff like Millianna being surprised that the former Oracion Seis members were indeed the ones from the Tower of Heaven, or Kagura being able to meet Erza again. Things like that. 

Okay, so, with all of 540 being covered here...let’s get to the latest chapter, shall we?

Ohhh, yes...chapter 541. This is the chapter where we finally see the Seven Dragon Slayers actually taking on Acnologia, in his world!

Rrright off the bat, the first few Dragon Slayers step up to the forefront! And, just like one of those JRPGs, Wendy enchants all the other Dragon Slayers, with a spell that increases their overall abilities. Then, we have Sting, Rogue, and Gajeel, charging straight towards the Black Dragon himself, aaand...they all get blown back by him. 

Oh, alright, that’s no biggie. Why, in fact, here’s Laxus and Cobra, coming in to the—uhhh...welp. They also got blown back, by him. 

Only Natsu and Wendy are left standing on their heels, after all this. Then, we see Acnologia going about boasting how he’s still the strongest Dragon Slayer. Pretty typical for a main villain, who isn’t as developed as the others. 

Meanwhile, in the other world, the whole crowd is trying to figure out how they can defeat Acnologia (in his physical, full-on dragon form). It doesn’t take much more than a moment, before the actual Black Dragon comes swooping in, and attacking the town’s center! People are panicking, screaming, and scrambling around, as he starts wrecking stuff over there. Who, on Earthland, would know something about how to defeat this meance, before he continues on with his destructive rampage?

And here’s the answer that, I think, will please a lot of people out there. For all the flak that’s given to Lucy—especially so, as a major protagonist of this story—one thing that’s certainly a strength for this Celestial Spirit mage, is her intelligence during combat situations, and the role it plays for solving those sorts of situations. I would also have to mention, another strength that’s been emerging for her, for quite some time, and that would be her leadership. That kind of strength (along with the other, aforementioned strength)  is on full display, in this chapter here, as Lucy figures out how they can defeat Acnologia in their world. 

Now, the way they can defeat him, will sound a little bit familiar, to those who have been reading the manga for a long time. Recall back from the time, when Acnologia invaded Tenrou Island, and tried to destroy it. What was holding it back from his attack? Why, of course, it was the Fairy Sphere that prevented him from destroying it! 

As a result, Lucy devises a plan to have Acnologia be trapped in the Fairy Sphere, somehow. She orders Gray and Juvia, to get a boat from somewhere, while having Levy, and Freed, to come with her to the guild’s libarary. 

Back in the world possessed by Acnologia himself, the villainous Dragon Slayer reveals that he’s motivated (simply) by destruction. Well, alright, I guess. /s

Then, we return to the other world again—this time, in Hargeon. We see Lyon, and the rest of Lamia Scale over there. Lyon’s having tea with them, when they encounter Gray and Juvia, who have just arrived, with the help of Doranbolt. Aside from a minor Gruvia moment there, all I have to wonder about Lamia Scale was: ‘What the hell were you guys doing down there? Don’t you notice all that destruction coming across from where you all are? Really?’

Anyway, Gray and Juvia warn them about the impending danger that Acnologia is coming their way soon, and that they need a large boat. Elsewhere, in Magnolia, Minerva, and the remaining members of both Sabertooth and Crime Sorciere guilds, are preparing to lead Acnologia into Hargeon. How will they do it? Well, as one blogger around here will put it: have Orga use his pinpoint blasts to get his attention, have Racer use his magic to distort Acnologia’s perception of time, and maybe have Midnight use his reflecting abilities to agitate him further. I would agree with that suggestion; all of this doesn’t seem too hard.

We finally conclude the chapter, with Lucy, Levy, and Freed, who are all looking for a book that contains the magics needed for Fairy Sphere. They’re joined by Carla, Happy, and Makarov. They must find the book somewhere in the library, if they want to make the plan work. 

Alright, speaking of which...here are the Questions of the Chapter: How does this plan actually make sense? Do you think this plan will actually work?

I mean, sure, Lucy and the others don’t know for one thing that Acnologia can gobble up just about any type of magic. That’s a given. However, it also gives me concern about the plan that Lucy has devised. 

First, as I’ve already mentioned it above, Acnologia can consume just about any type/form of magic. What are the chances he’ll still be able to eat away the magic that’s used for Fairy Sphere? And, even though he may not be able to consume this kind of magic, his dragon scales are inherently immune to just about any sort of magic. Then, you have to consider the way Fairy Sphere works. It’s a spell that freezes anybody in time (like what we’ve seen to the S-Class Trials participants in Tenrou Island, from much earlier). After gaining time magic, by eating up the particles in the Timelapse, Acnologia has gained control of time itself (seemingly). How would a spell that freezes one in time, would work against someone who controls time itself?

Furthermore, how will they even get Acnologia onto the boat, to begin with? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see, about how all this will go. Maybe it’ll all happen with fewer ass-pulls than needed—buuut that’s just me hoping for the best case scenario. Let me know what you think!

So, what do I think of this chapter, overall? Well, I thought it was good...for the considerable part. The start of the battle between the 7DS and Acnologia went out the way I expected it to be—nothing much more, than the Dragon Slayers trying their best, only to be repelled by the Black Dragon. It just goes to show how powerful Acnologia is...and he really demonstrates it, in the start of his encounter with the 7DS. Oh, and I also did enjoy Lucy taking the lead role, too. All by herself, I must say. I always thought it would be really spectacular, to see her shine in the spotlight, and do whatever it is that would not be overshadowed by any other character. It just goes to show that great things happen, when the focus is turned more to the other protagonists. 

Now, here are a couple of things that I didn’t like about this chapter, and they mainly have to do with logic (again), and Acnologia’s character. 

Let’s start off with Acnologia’s character, first. I only have to mention about how one-dimensional he is, in the more recent chapters of the story. As described earlier, Acnologia always talks about destruction—how motivated he is, by it, and how much he always wanted to destroy the world. While it’s a given that these can be one of the qualities of certain antagonists/villains, it’s actually not the only quality that an antagonist/villain can run by. And, while the explanation is given to his background—through the Dragon Cry movie (spoiler alert)—it really doesn’t help much for his own character. 

With that aside, there’s also the logic that I didn’t like. I mentioned above that I didn’t like the logic of the plan that was devised by Lucy (moreover, I didn’t like how Lucy went off with Levy and Freed, when she should be the one looking after the others, instead). I also didn’t like the logic of having Lamia Scale being somewhere else, away from the battle. They should have joined the rest of the guilds at Magnolia, earlier...instead of sipping away on tea, elsewhere. And then, there’s the discovery of a book that would provide the ability to cast Fairy Sphere, somewhere. 

The issues that I have with this, is: firstly, there was no mention of a book, at any point, earlier in the story! No, really, where did the book come from? What should have been done, was that the book should have been introduced somewhere in the main story. And, secondly, the Three Fairy Magics can be transferrable! Just ask Cana, when she received Fairy Glitter from Mavis. Or, ask Makarov, when he came back to life. My point is, this whole situation could have been solved easily, if the Three Magics can be used by those means. 

Otherwise, there's something else I noticed in the chapter, that was quite interesting. There’s all these rumblings about how Lucy’s leadership moments in this chapter, parallel to that of those moments involving Mavis. In fact, there’s all this hubbub about how Lucy should be the next Guild Master, based on what was seen in this chapter alone. Ehh, I’m a little bit mixed on this one. While she does have the intellectual strength, and determination, I don’t see much that would suggest she should be the next Guild Master. I mean, she has done some significant things that have helped her, and her other guild-mates, in the long run...I just don’t completely see it, like that. Who knows? Maybe Mashima will surprise us all, by actually making her the next Guild Master, instead of Laxus!

Also, speaking of Dragon Cry...looks like it was mentioned by somebody, in this chapter! Unless I’m wrong, then that means everything about the Dragon Cry movie is considered canon. Whoaaa!

Alright, so that is it, for this one; thank you very much to those who have read this, from the top! Click like, if you like this post; follow my blog, if you like my content; reblog this post to all of your friends...and there’s now only FIVE chapters remaining (if the chapter cover for 541 is any indicator of such). Let’s wait anxiously, and see what happens to the 7DS—and the others in Earthland.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I mentioned around the top, about a couple of things I’m making right now. Currently, I’m drawing two sketches to celebrate Canada Day, and Canada’s 150th anniversary. Before anybody asks, yes—these sketches will feature your favourite characters from FT. Which ones? Well, you’ll have to wait ‘til July 1st, to find that one out! Also, I’m still in the process of typing out the actual chapters for my upcoming fanfic, Center Ice. I’ll probably provide an update on how that one goes, at some point, very soon. 

Anyway, stay tuned for the next FTFI!

Peace out!

[fairytail-whathesays]

A very long post about Makarov

I’ve gotten an ask about Makarov for the five canons meme, and I realized that, aside from talking about his death, I haven’t really given much of my opinion of Makarov. And I guess that that’s because, until recently, I didn’t have an opinion on him. The more I think about him and his actions, the more I realize I really don’t like Makarov. Major salt warning applies.

Let’s take a look at Gajeel being taken into Fairy Tail by Makarov. I get that this is Gajeel’s big flashback showing how Good and Pure Fairy Tail was to a mean, cruel thug like he was back them. On the surface, this looks good--but from a different angle, it looks worse. Ilarual pointed out in a post analyzing Laxus that welcoming Gajeel, a person who had done serious harm and damage to the guild (and nearly killed several of them) was probably seen by Laxus as nothing less than base hypocrisy, considering his father Ivan was excommunicated for the same crime. And really....it is hypocrisy. You can say that it was for Gajeel’s own good, and that it gave him the chance to turn out as something more than a criminal and a brute, but why would that not apply to Ivan? Sure, Ivan is a major monster and Makarov could probably tell, but at the time, so was Gajeel. And letting Ivan loose opens him up to the same downward spiral that would’ve happened to Gajeel. But let’s say the matter was different--let’s say it was about protecting other people, that it was about leading Gajeel to a better life so other people didn’t come to suffer by him like Fairy Tail had. Again, there’s no excuse why this same reasoning shouldn’t apply to Ivan, who is by the time of the X791 Grand Magic Games, apparently in Zeref’s pocket. Laxus would be very right to call Makarov a hypocrite. Now, we could say that Makarov thought of this and that this is why he decided to keep tabs on Ivan, but we’ll get to that later. Right now, we’re not done with Gajeel.

Because again, dig deeper. When Makarov is trying to be kind to Gajeel and invite him to Fairy Tail, he’s brushed off and then violently rebuked by Gajeel--it’s pretty evident that Gajeel has no interest in joining Fairy Tail. When does Gajeel finally relent?

When Makarov does that. In this scene, Makarov is making it clear that yes, what Gajeel did to Levy, Jet, and Droy was unforgivable and subtly--and effectively--implied that any more damage to Fairy Tail will warrant an asskicking. Or death, I suppose--the last time Gajeel saw Makarov doing that, he used Fairy Law on Jose, which Gajeel later recognizes as an instant-death spell when used by Laxus.

You can read this scene another way. When Makarov tries to get Gajeel into Fairy Tail with the kindly old man routine, Gajeel shrugs him off and gets angry when pressed. When Makarov does the glowing eyes thing, however, and implicitly threatens Gajeel, is when Gajeel decides that hey, joining Fairy Tail might not be such a bad idea.

That’s not kindness. That’s force. It’s also basically imprisonment, if you take it as Makarov bringing Gajeel ‘round so he won’t hurt other people--since that’s what real life prisons are for, in addition to punishment. 

That’s Gajeel covered, but I have other, more solid reasons not to like Makarov. Apparently, Makarov is compelled to jam his nose and/or interfering hands everywhere, even in things not remotely related to him. Starting with an issue that is related to him is Ivan Dreyar, and Makarov sending Gajeel to spy on him.

Look, let’s put aside how easily Laxus kicked his ass. Considering that Ivan hasn’t got a hold of Lumen Histoire by X791, when it’s sitting right under the Fairy Tail guild in their basement, unguarded for seven years, I would take that as evidence that Ivan really isn’t that much of a threat. I pointed out earlier that Ivan seems to be in Zeref’s pocket, as Lumen Histoire is what he’s after (which is later revealed to be Fairy Heart/Mavis Vermillion, someone very important to Zeref) and Obra is a creature apparently loyal to him. However, does Makarov know that Ivan is messing around in Zeref-related matters? If so, that’s one reason that might be sufficient incentive to want to be aware of what Ivan’s doing--except that if he knew that, he should’ve been spending his time actively kicking Ivan’s ass himself. Considering what’s revealed about Doranbolt later, it looks like Makarov is just nosing where he doesn’t belong--which is not right of him. You expelled Ivan, Makarov. You no longer have a right to know what he’s doing. You relinquished that right when you exiled him from the guild--and decided that whatever danger he posed to his other guildmates was not worth keeping him around, whatever concerns you may have had. And considering that Ivan mainly seems to be motivated by spite for Makarov, Makarov doesn’t look much better spying on him through Gajeel. 

Second, the war with the Oracion Seis. When we first enter this arc, when we are first informed that Fairy Tail is allying with several other guilds in order to take down one of the heads of the Balam Alliance, the Oracion Seis, we’re not told there’s anything wrong with it. We, the audience, know that there is a ban on inter-guild war by now, and while we are never told that this alliance and attempt at disbandment is a legal affair, it’s fairly implied--after all, our heroes wouldn’t break the law just for a chance to fight the Seis, would they?

Yeah, actually, turns out they would. As it happens, the Oracion Seis are a dark guild--they’re up for grabs when it comes to getting forcibly disbanded. However, you have to take that up with the Magic Council, who hire official guilds to take down dark guilds they’ve selected. After the whole war with the Oracion Seis has ended, it turns out that oops, those channels were not used at all and Fairy Tail’s war with the Oracion Seis wasn’t sanctioned by the Magic Council. That’s a pretty big deal considering that the Oracion Seis is on roughly equal footing with Grimoire Heart, a guild dangerous enough that merely knowing where they were was incentive enough for the Magic Council to utilize Etherion. 

But wait! The Oracion Seis were seeking out a dangerous superweapon, Nirvana! If the Allied Forces didn’t stop them then and there, they’d have taken over!

Well, if they knew that (and they did, it was knowledge in the hands of Hibiki Lates, at least), why didn’t they alert the Magic Council? The Magic Council could very quickly have put a stop to that without endangering anyone else (as is often the risk with Etherion) had they been alerted to A) the Oracion Seis’ location, which the Alliance knew of, and B) what the Seis were after, which the Alliance also knew of. Instead, Makarov and the other leaders of the Alliance choose to completely flout them and try to take down the Oracion Seis themselves--and while not really putting their all into it, I might add. Makarov is a Wizard Saint and someone the Seis were shown to be wary of, and yet he didn’t come along on a mission which was apparently of great importance, which not only makes Makarov look like an ass with no respect for the rules, but an overconfident ass with no respect for the rules.

Next up is Kinana/Cubellios. We already know that I despise her very existence. And see, Makarov is the one that found her and un-cursed her back into human form (which makes no sense and infuriates me, but bear with me). .....Why? Snake or human, Cubellios was still a dangerous bioweapon and belonged to one of the members of the Oracion Seis--and there can’t be any way Makarov didn’t know that, considering the war that happened, not to mention the pictures Hibiki has in his Archive. So, he just took in this snake-girl and didn’t bother to tell anyone “hey, this was that snake that nearly killed Erza”. And then he just lets her go out in the middle of the second war with the Oracion Seis, with the possibility on the table that she’d return and render aid to the Seis. Lo and behold, she tries to do exactly that and nearly gets arrested. Not to mention that again, Makarov never bothered to tell the Magic Council about this girl/snake, who was kind of important and very dangerous. Why not? Because he wanted another cute barmaid, I guess. I see that Makarov has time to leave his guild hall and do plot-important things when it gets someone a love interest.

Last is the deal with Doranbolt/Mest Gryder. Now, this is the big one. This is one that can’t be interpreted differently or chalked up to kindness or just minor bending of the law in the name of justice prevailing. Makarov had figured out that the Magic Council was hiding info on Alvarez, the western continent, and then had Doranbolt infiltrate the Magic Council and feed him info on that continent. This is blatantly illegal and underhanded. He wouldn’t even explain to Doranbolt why this was being done (nor to the viewer how he’s supposed to feed that information back without his memories). This is where it starts to look like Makarov seriously thinks he’s above the law, and that he thinks he has a right to information the Council has decided that the public shouldn’t have. Mind, this was in X783--Yajima, a good friend of Makarov’s, was still on the Council at this time. This shenanigan with Doranbolt indicates that Makarov didn’t trust Yajima to let him break the law like that even if the reasons were just--or maybe he simply knew Yajima wouldn’t allow it and would tell Makarov to butt his nose out. Since Makarov took his reasons for doing this to the grave, we’ll never know what the cause for this infiltration was, but given that Zeref being Alvarez’ emperor came as a shock, I’m going to guess that Makarov didn’t find out anything that helpful. 

..................

As usual, almost all of this comes from Mashima being a very poor writer. Forgive the rather irrelevant dip into Harry Potter, but you know, I’m almost certain that what Mashima wanted out of Makarov was an Albus Dumbledore figure--an effort that gets repeated by many authors, really--and like those authors, he fails. While Makarov may view the good health of those under his authority as of the utmost importance, and may be lax about the law when safety and justice require it, he’s unlike that Dumbledore figure so many people want to achieve because he seems to have active disdain for the law laid down by those above him and is much more prone to using force and advocating fighting than is excusable. Albus Dumbledore didn’t actually flout the law or send spies into the Ministry of Magic until 1995, when it became apparent that the Ministry of Magic was blatantly corrupt and was seeking out to cause harm. Makarov doesn’t look like that--he just looks like an arrogant, nosy dickhead.

..........Am I the only one that’s thought of this? Am I reaching? I feel like no one else has given much thought to just how much Makarov does and how he does it.