Fairy Tail, by Hiro Mashima
In Fairy Tail, by Hiro Mashima, celestial wizard Lucy wants to join the Fairy Tail, a guild for the most powerful wizards. But instead, her ambitions land her in the clutches of a gang of unsavory pirates led by a devious magician. Her only hope is Natsu, a strange boy she happens to meet on her travels. Natsu's not your typical hero - but he just might be Lucy's best hope. Fairy Tail won the 2009 Kodansha Manga Award for shounen manga. It has also won The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation's Industry Awards for best comedy manga.Although this was another shonen series I initially liked too, I lost interest as the plot became riddled with plot holes, fan service, and countless new characters. It was just like Bleach and Naruto in that aspect.
Reviewed by Jacqueline L, grade 12
Central Library
Comments
I liked this book very much. It makes you wonder about the backstory of some of the characters. The story line was nicely put together, and even though it had many characters, each had a unique personality. Fairy Tail is a light hearted book, with a bit of mystery in it, making you wonder if there's something else going on. All in all, it was a nice book, and I would recommend to anyone who is interested in reading a manga.
Reviewed by Parvaneh, Grade 9
Montrose Library
The first volume wasn't that bad for a starter pack. I like how the manga is in black and white rather than colored because I think if it were colored, the graphics would've hurt my eyes since I am graphic sensitive. The cover looks intriguing as well. It may be colored but it is appealing in my personal opinion. One thing I dislike about the manga is I can't tell what is happening based on the images sometimes because it may be either too light or too dark to see. Whenever I open the book like a typical American one, there's a sign stating the reader is opening the book the wrong way since manga originated from Japan which is something beneficial to those who are new to reading this kind of content. Fairy Tail should be read by individuals who are 13 years of age or older because there is some language that may be sexual related or may have rude humor. There may also be slightly sensitive graphics as you read along.
Reviewed by Hannah Rachel, Grade 10
Glendale Central Library
Lucy Heartfilia is a young spirit-summoning wizard that aspires to join the infamous Fairy Tail wizard's guild. She crosses paths with a fire breathing wizard named Natsu Dragneel, a member of Fairy Tail, with his flying cat partner named Happy. The first volume of the series revolves around the three fighting off a dark guild who were impersonating Fairy Tail and Natsu, saving one their fellow guild members after a job request that had gone wrong, and Natsu and Happy tricking Lucy into being a maid for a job request they chose.
The first volume of the Fairy Tail manga gives the reader a good idea of the characters, world, and magic system. I believe those who want to try to get into this series, manga or anime in general, will enjoy it overall. This was the series that got me into other book series or anime like Sword Art Online. However, those who already have read or seen other series like Naruto and Bleach will find this to be much more clichéd than the former titles. While the story is unpredictable and can get interesting, I find the characters have clichéd personalities as can be seen with the protagonist Lucy who can be sexual, sassy and smart, Natsu being the naive and rambunctious of the three and Happy being the comic relief. The world of Fairy Tail has a unique setting and the atmosphere is similar to that of Medieval Europe. There is a lot of variety and creativity that can be seen in the magic system. The overall art style is not good (at least for volumes 1-5), being inspired from One Piece. It does stray from the skinny limbs of Eiichiro Oda's work and finds its own art styles that are aesthetically appealing to the eye and look good, especially during fight scenes. Overall, I find Fairy Tail a good read for new readers who want to get into manga. It’s not the best manga because it can get predictable, cliched and it is filled with fanservice, but it’s fun and enjoyable. If you like fantasy like Lord of the Rings or even tabletops like Dungeons and Dragons, give it a read.
Reviewed by Rafi, Grade 10
Glendale Central Library