フェアリーテイル

Fairy Tail Volume 21 Review

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Highlights from this volume start with Natsu, Wendy, Carla, and Happy getting used to the idea that there’s another Fairy Tail with the same but different members. The guild is forced to escape the Fairy Hunters, whereupon the foursome head out, aided by Edo-Lucy, who provides Natsu and Wendy with magical artifacts to help them since their own magic appears sealed. Lucy shows up to assist, and gets used to the fact that she has a double on this world. After Edo-Lucy departs, Edo-Natsu arrives to get the group to the city, where they learn their guild is a giant magic crystal that is to be used to create magic for the people in the city.

Carla leads the group to the palace, where they are met by Edo-Erza and a squad soldiers, all as part of an apparent planted plan by Clara’s and Happy’s people so that they’d capture dragon slayers. Carla, revealed to be royalty, and Happy are devastated to learn the truth of their existence, but decide to escape, ending up outside of the floating Exceed city at the farm of a cat couple whom are revealed to be Happy’s parents, though they don’t tell him this. Happy and Carla proceed to rescue Lucy, only to be trapped from above by the Exceed and below by Edo-Erza and soldiers.

Well, one way to make Lucy semi-useful is to make everyone a crystal save Natsu and Wendy, but take their dragon slayer magic from them. I laughed when Lucy tried summoning Leo, only to have Virgo appear. I wish I knew which “brother” term Leo requested/ordered Virgo to use, but unfortunately, the adaptation doesn’t give us that. Also, I’m told that Virgo refers to Leo as “Leo-sama” at some point during the discussion, but that’s not included in this translation, and I can’t verify since I don’t own the Japanese tankoubon.

For whatever reason, the notion of there being doubles on Edolas for all of Fairy Tail doesn’t really do much for me. I think that’s thanks to CLAMP curing me of alternate world takes on established characters, which they accomplished so “wonderfully” in Tsubasa.  So seeing a wimpish Natsu, a bolder Lucy, or an villain Erza just made me yawn.

The plot twist having the Exceed having planted the idea for Happy and Carla to capture dragon slayers made me smile and shake my head, more so when their original mission was that they were to kill dragon slayers. I guess I keep thinking, “So, how’d you know that Earthland had dragon slayers, and how’d you know to send your eggs down there so they’d be found by them? What took you so long to make your move on said dragon slayers?” *lol*

That being said, I did like seeing Happy’s parents. That was a nice moment, even if they couldn’t reveal themselves to Happy. Plus, the events here have allowed Carla and Happy to become closer, which I heartily approve of.

On the Kodansha side of things, the usual extras are here, including an afterward by Mashima-sensei, “cards” on minor Fairy Tail members, Mysteries of Fairy Tail Q&A, some sketch art by Mashima-sensei, and translator notes. The usual honorifics are here, but as I noted earlier, not the brother honorifics.

So, while the story elements in this volume are mostly rather “whatever,” I have to say that the volume didn’t bore me at all. I was entertained, and well that’s the most important thing.