Original Run: October 7, 2018 - September 29, 2019 Number of Episodes: 51 Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy Based on the Series Created By: Hiro Mashima
***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Fairy Tail The Final Season. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
A year has passed since the epic battle against Tartaros and the disbandment of the wizarding guild Fairy Tail. During this time of peace, the world has not needed the strength of adventurers to defend against the forces of evil.
But now, ominous shadows lie ahead.
The Dark Wizard Zeref (voiced by Akira Ishida) and the all-powerful dragon Acnologia threaten to turn everything to ash.
Therefore, the Fairy Tail guild must come together again. Wizards Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet, Wendy Marvell (voiced respectively by Tetsuya Kakihara, Aya Hirano, Yuuichi Nakamura, Sayaka Ohara, and Satomi Sato), and their friends return to fight one last battle.
Series Positives
We have returned, and indeed, what a bitter-sweet moment this is.
I am writing this review under the assumption you have seen seasons one through seven of Fairy Tail, as well as Fairy Tail Zero (season eight).
Additionally, please keep this in mind. Although this may be a rather significant moment in the Fairy Tail series – what with it being the final season and everything – there isn’t much I can say about it. There is only one thing I feel needs to be addressed:
If you have enjoyed the rest of Fairy Tail up to this point, does its last chapter make the whole thing worth it? After all this time, after so many episodes, after all the ups and downs and everything in between, did this series finish strong?
To that, as both a fan and a reviewer, I must full heartily say:
Without a shred of doubt.
Fairy Tail The Final Season was everything you could have expected out of a finale. It was extremely fun, the action was great, the characters were as enjoyable as they have always been, and with no hint of exaggeration, this was completely and utterly satisfying.
Now, if you were to ask me what my favorite story arc of the series was, then that title would have to go to season seven’s Tartaros Arc; to Final Season’s detriment, most of the truly epic moments were in its predecessor. Be that as it may, there were still plenty of moments to get excited about in this one.
Naturally, there is so much I would love to talk about as a fan of Fairy Tail. However, seeing how this is a review of the last season, I don’t want to spoil anything unnecessarily. As a result, I must speak in the vaguest of terms and hope my point is getting across.
For example, this season exemplified what has made Fairy Tail such a fantastic watch. This is a character-based series, or, to be more specific, this is a characterS-based series.
To compare, let’s look at Fairy Tail and Dragon Ball. Both shows have an outstanding cast of characters that breed so much life and personality. Both shows also have plentiful amounts of bad guys and obstacles to overcome. One of the critical areas where they differ is with who handles all those bad guys and obstacles.
In Dragon Ball, the answer is usually Goku. Although there are far more interesting characters – Vegeta, Piccolo, and even Gohan – Goku is, more often than not, the one who saves the day. Not only that, but Goku is also the one who comes along to defeat many of the main boss’s most powerful lieutenants. Other characters on Goku’s side may put up a good showing, but it is usually Goku who must deliver the final blow.
In Fairy Tail, Natsu may be the one to defeat the final villain, but getting there has always required the full might of the Fairy Tail guild. When Gray, Erza, Laxus, Gildarts, and other wizards show up, they make a difference. No one character has had a claim to all the epicness. This has made Fairy Tail so much more diverse with its action. Final Season kept this alive by making it so that not just a single character was the hero.
And it wasn’t just Fairy Tail. All the other guilds and wizards the leading team of Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, and Wendy met along their journey rose to take on this series’ ultimate threat.
Final Season was as good as it was because it felt like it was the cap off to a story that took the time to craft its world and the characters within it. Everything that happened before this season was important, things mattered. Attachments, growth, failures, triumphs, everything meant something in the end.
Yes, it was sad as the final episode played, but there was nothing else to do. Fairy Tail has come to a close and left nothing behind.
Series Negatives
Fairy Tail The Final Season ran into an unfortunate, as well as an unavoidable problem.
With this being the last chapter with a set number of episodes, it was hard for anything spectacular to be a surprise. So, if at any time the heroes had some ultimate, foolproof, never-in-a-million-years-going-to-fail plan and were about to use it in episode seven of fifty-one, then take a wild guess what was going to happen.
Final Season mitigated this problem as much as it could (and more than in past installments).
Other than that – and this is going to sound weird seeing how this was Fairy Tail and all – but the fanservice was a bit blatant during times when it really shouldn’t have been. Now, saying Fairy Tail had fanservice is like calling the ocean wet; the two are synonymous. However, in the past, Fairy Tail had toned itself down when the story tried to have a moment. Yeah, that restraint was less prevalent in this season.
It wasn’t too distracting, because again this was Fairy Tail after all, but it was a tad disappointing to see.
Lastly, Final Season was hesitant to (and, again, I’m going to be vague) let the consequences of an action last. There was something that happened that was perfect for the story, and it meant so much for the characters, and the aftermath of it was severely felt in a good way. Sadly, nothing came of it because the story backtracked and undid it.
But these were only small knicks in an otherwise robust and formidable tank of a final chapter.
Final Thoughts
This was a considerably short review when considering everything that happened in this season. As is the nature of a final installment, though, any details at this point exist in spoiler territory.
As such, I’m stuck with broad stroke words. However, those words include:
- Fantastic
- Outstanding
- Great
- Thoroughly enjoyable
This was a solid end to an amazingly fun series, and though I’m sad to see it end, the ride was so much fun.
Fairy Tail The Final Season has earned a huge recommendation.
But these are just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise Fairy Tail The Final Season? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
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