Fairy Tail Parts 21 & 22 DVD review
These two volumes of Fairy Tail close out the current series with the grand finale of the Tartaros Arc, as the mages of Fairy Tail race to prevent the demonic Mard Geer and his guildmates from reviving E.N.D. and triggering Face – a secret weapon that threatens to wipe magic from the world.
Our heroes have already had a pretty torrid time at the hands of the dark guild Tartarus – especially poor Erza – but if you reckon things are going to get any easier, we’ve got 25 fight-filled episodes that say otherwise. Sadistic dominatrix Kyôka, shark devil Torafuzar and the rest of the Nine Demon Gates are no pushovers, while underworld king Mard Geer himself is a total beast. Even über powerful dragon Acnologia manages to get in on the action, the big jerk.
Fortunately, the forces of Fairy Tail are pretty baddass themselves, with the likes of Laxus, Levy and Mirajane joining Lucy, Natsu and the regular crew in taking the battle to the bad guys. They’ll need all the help they can get, too. While there are still spots of comic relief – a persistently loquacious demon mushroom, for instance, or the perils of perving at Lucy while being telepathic – they’re few and far between; this is Fairy Tail at its darkest and edgiest.
We’re tiptoeing nervously around spoiler territory here, and with good reason. Though the Tartarus Arc at times feels a little stretched out, even for a season-ending finale, there’s a couple of big revelations that fans won’t want to miss out on. And while we’re fine with Fairy Tail in fluffy fanservice mode (provided it’s not god-awful filler), it is good to see our favourite exponents of magical mayhem all embroiled in high stakes, world-changing events.
The sight of the gang battling evil together also highlights one of Fairy Tail’s most likeable qualities; its penchant for redemption. Laxus, Juvia, Jellal, Gajeel, Sting, Rogue… more than a few of the mages standing shoulder-to-shoulder against the Zeref-forged forces of Tartarus started out as antagonists of Natsu and co; anti-heroes at best, downright villains at worst. For all of Fairy Tail’s sturm und drang, its outlook remains an essentially optimistic one.
Speaking of optimism, this isn’t the end for the Fairy Tail anime as a whole – although primarily a prequel telling the story of guild founder Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail Zero also moves the main story forward, while manga creator Hiro Mashima has confirmed that a ‘final season’ of Fairy Tail is set to air later this year. Volumes 21 and 22 do, however, provide a suitably heavyweight conclusion to the current series… and it’s going out with a bang!
INFO
RELEASE: Out Now
FROM: Funimation
FORMAT: DVD
PRICE (RRP): £24.99 each
AGE RATING: 12
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