「手をつなごう」 (Te o Tsunagou)
“Hold Hands”

Surprise, surprise! I’m here to revive a category that has been collecting dust for almost two years since Omni’s retirement. Am I ready to tackle this? Oh yes I am! Moete kitazou!

A few minutes after I’d introduced myself, I was bombarded with FAIRY TAIL requests. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so many PMs in one day. Thank you guys! I was very happy to see so many FAIRY TAIL fans. It is, after all, one of my favorite titles, both anime and manga. But I’m only going to cover the anime here on Random Curiosity.

This episode isn’t really the best episode to pick up the show with because it was an arc ending but in my opinion, this was one of the best episodes the show has ever had. I was so moved during the battle scenes. I was glued to my TV at the end of the episode, literally screaming “NOOO!” when it was over even though I know what is to come.

For those of you who don’t know, FAIRY TAIL will be hitting its first long time running filler arc starting episode 125, or so I’ve heard, which is quite reasonable considering that the anime is only a few chapters behind the manga. I intend to cover the fillers for as long as possible. Fillers to me aren’t necessarily a bad thing. FAIRY TAIL has had some fillers here and there throughout the show and they’ve all been good. I remember the Daphne arc which a lot of fans disliked. I actually enjoyed that arc because we had a Unison Raid between Juvia and Gray (yes, I ship them very much) at the end. Also, as some of you may know, Natsume Yuujinchou which happens to be my all time favorite anime is full of fillers!

Back to topic! Personally, I think the anime executed this act much better than the manga. I loved the blue design on Achnologia. I had no idea what it would look like but it was so much better than expected. The anime showed a bit more of the dragon’s capabilities and strength by dragging out some of the scenes. I don’t remember if the manga included these things or not but I was quite surprised to see a dragon roar a forest into oblivion.

Master Makarov tried to take responsibility as usual but he out of everyone should know his kids – they don’t listen. For example, a teary eyed Natsu who was seen taking off with his comrades returned to aid Makarov. Soon everyone was by their side and performed one of the strongest attacks (seems like a Unison Raid to me) ever seen in the show which unfortunately didn’t help. But we all know that this guild won’t give up, don’t we?

Putting their last faith and magic in Freed and Levy‘s hands (who are the only people with quick defensive magic out of the bunch), they formed their circle believing they will reach home and it got me all teary eyed. The soundtrack in FAIRY TAIL is such a powerful one. I think FAIRY TAIL has the best soundtrack ever, I truly do. I love the concept of it – Celtic music meets modern rock/orchestra. And with “FAIRY TAIL Main Theme -Slow version-” playing in the background, the Tenrou Island sunk down to the bottom of the ocean.

Six months and some serious searching later, no survivors were found. And seven years later, we see a boy with the FAIRY TAIL mark on his shoulder like Natsu, gazing out at the ocean with an aura of longing and loneliness. Who knows what has happened during these seven years? And what about the guild and its members?

I watched this episode a few hours ago and I’m still shivering. Why can’t it be next Saturday already?

*Full-length shots: 06, 14, 15, 20, 21

 

Preview

106 Comments

    1. Bleach left the “Big 3” a while ago… this is the top 10 Oricon data on combined manga sales for 2011 in Japan:

      1. One Piece [37,996,373]
      2. Naruto [6,874,840]
      3. Ao no Exorcist [5,223,712]
      4. Fairy Tail [4,701,596]
      5. Toriko [4,665,634]
      6. Gintama [4,415,491]
      7. Bakuman [4,399,938]
      8. Bleach [4,187,258]
      9. Kimi no Todoke [4,109,481]
      10. Gantz [4,056,981]

      Steelman
      1. Well, I guess that depends on what you determine the Big 3 to be. To me, since I live in the U.S., I was going by popularity in the states, which right now would be One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach.

        Toriko, Bakuman, and Blue Exorcist are certainly working their way up, though.

        Da5id
      1. I remember the Daphne filler arc (which is the only filler “arc” this show has had so far) was only 7 episodes long from episode 69 – 75. It seemed boring first but it took quite an interesting turn and ended up being very good (and funny). This show (unlike most other shounen shows) can rely on its comedy and therefore get some good fillers.

        Stereoman
  1. What a surprise this is! It will be a good replacement for the soon-to-be-gone weekly Bleach. I sure hope you’ll continue until the series’ end. We’re counting on you. =)

    Dusk
  2. This was a great show at the start but since the Nirvana arc I’ve started to hate it, the usual shonen bs made worse. I still watch it but only because FT still has some good events, the second another Natsu asspull power up happens or when the Gajeel x Levy or Show Spoiler ▼

    goes all the way I’m done.

    jingoi
  3. Not expected to see Faity Tail here, I don’t have time to watch fairy tail but I’m totally shipping Gray X Juvia LOL and Levi X Gajeel XD

    Since you are a Natsume’s fan too, I wish you would make an entry on it (but I don’t think that’s going to happen).

    kurini
  4. Awesome to see you covering this Stereoman, you got some newcomer points right there, hehe.
    As for the next arc, and it’s filler (Spoiler about the manga): Show Spoiler ▼

    Crook
  5. Fairy Tail blog…. I’ve been waiting for this!

    ‘The soundtrack in FAIRY TAIL is such a powerful one. I think FAIRY TAIL has the best soundtrack ever, I truly do.’

    Exactly my thoughts, ever since I’ve been watching this, the music always makes my emotions run free. Wether it’s sadness, joy or triumph.

    As for this episode: I was in total disbelieve when I noticed our group of Fairy Tail hero’s had disappeared from the surface of the earth. This feeling of disbelieve was soon followed by a feeling of wanting more. But I had to face reality, next episode air next week… :'(

    Shrubbery
  6. :D:D:D i really wanted to ask about fairy tail in those introduction posts.. but didnt know who to ask… turns out i dont even have to ask >:)

    this episode got me eyes all watery >:( … “tears are not hollow”… w/e that means.

    n0216332
  7. This is definitely a surprise, in many ways. I never followed the anime, only the manga, so like many others, I’m surprised the anime is essentially caught up with the manga.
    I probably still won’t watch the anime, but I’ll definitely be reading your posts.

    A nice surprise indeed.

    Kentaiyoshimi
    1. Well, even if you don’t plan to watch the anime, I do highly recommend you watch the third OVA of Fairy Tail, called “Memory Days”. It’s an entirely original story written by Hiro Mashima, and even answers a couple of trivial questions. In case you’re wondering, it involves a magic book that sends the main characters six years into the past.

      Just FYI, the first and second OVAs are based on omake chapters that have appeared in the manga, and are also recommended even if you’ve read them before. The first is “Welcome to Fairy Hills”, which has Lucy exploring the Fairy Tail girls’ dormitory while being forced to wear a cat suit. It’s a bit fanservice-y, but it’s MUCH better than it sounds. There’s even a hilarious subplot where all the guys accidentally peep on their master in a swimming pool (ALSO much better than it sounds). The second is “Fairy Academy”, which reimagines the series as a high school slice of life comedy. It is HILARIOUS as hell, with references to past moments in the series being thrown left and right.

      If you find the time to watch these OVAs, you won’t regret it.

      immblueversion
    1. It’s pretty faithful. If anything, the studio has found a way to improve upon the manga. And the fanservice shots/angles capture Mashima-sensei’s style really well. Voice acting is also great. However, Natsu is my least-favorite character right now… he’s too one-dimensional.

      SOSAnimeBoy
  8. I don’t get this anime, the art is fine but the animation isn’t really good yet the show is so epic it’s just awesome.
    Seriously they just need to add the FT theme song (when everybody come back to help Makarov) to make a great scene.

    Oh and FT might not be selling as well as others manga but it has become one of the most popular, in many countries it is more well know than Toriko or Ao Ex

    KTNO
    1. What do you expect from animation? It’s long-running shonen anime after all. They need to stretch the budget to cover more grounds. For limited-budget series like this, I’d dare to say the visual is impressive, especially the battle scenes.

      Kusabi
      1. Well yeah non moving scene are quite nice but once in a while you, in Naruto or Bleach you have an episode with a very high quality of work.
        In FT they keep the same pace; wich is good in a way since we are never disapointed.
        In comparaison One Piece is always very good with both art and animation but I guess the budget is not the same.

        KTNO
      2. Since I’m not watching Naruto Shippuden and One Piece anymore, I can’t make comparison among the three. Well, if One Piece art and animation quality is always good as you said, then good for you all One Piece lovers…

        Kusabi
      3. Actually, I don’t think OP animation is consistent. There have been some episodes where the animation reminds me of the godawful Naruto Shippuden 6-tails Naruto vs. Pain fight. Character design and fluidity often changes wildly during arcs as they shuffle teams or outsource to even out the budget. The story and the characters are what draw me to OP more than the animation. 90% of the time the animation is superb.

        On that note, Mashima-sensei used to be an assistant to Oda-sensei, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these two shounen anime are at the top of my list.

        SOSAnimeBoy
  9. There goes 21 members of the Fairy Tail guild.
    https://randomc.net/image/FAIRY%20TAIL/FAIRY%20TAIL%20-%20122%20-%20Large%2034.jpg
    Isn’t this boy the son of a fairy tail member?
    https://randomc.net/image/FAIRY%20TAIL/FAIRY%20TAIL%20-%20122%20-%20Large%2036.jpg
    Who is this girl suppose to be?
    https://randomc.net/image/FAIRY%20TAIL/FAIRY%20TAIL%20-%20122%20-%20Large%20Preview%2001.jpg
    Is this a flashback or a sign that everyone is alright?
    https://randomc.net/image/FAIRY%20TAIL/FAIRY%20TAIL%20-%20122%20-%20Large%20Preview%2003.jpg
    I’m so psyched Fairy Tail is on Random Curiosity!!

    random viewer
  10. PLEASANTLY surprised that Fairy Tail was being covered. I actually thought that maybe there was a chance of Stereoman blogging FT due to his gravatar, and I’m glad I wasn’t wrong.

    That being said, Fillers? I hope more Lucy!

    underMebius
  11. Thanks for reprising Fairy Tail ! You’re the greatest !

    I do fear the worst though at this point in the series… because they’re gonna FILL it with a bunch of fillers here. They almost caught up the manga !

    I’m calling it: 8 episodes without filler, and they’re gonna catch on to this week’s chapter.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    JiCi
  12. i haven’t seen the Fairy Tail anime yet, but I’m surprised there so much. I used to watch OP, Naruto, and Bleach anime as well, but stopped like back when I was in high school. Now I just can’t seem to try and pick up 3~4 years of missed long running anime cause of how slow it is, but if Fairy Tail is this close to the manga and have a good pace, I might actually try to watch it, just for Erza. XD

    thenewhorde
  13. I’m curious, how has the animation quality been? Honestly, I was a bit turned off by the animation quality since the anime’s first arc. It was my fault though for being excited about Fairy Tail’s anime adaptation a few years back and I ended up setting expectations way too high, but it goes to show how much I enjoyed the manga.

    My other issue with the Fairy Tail anime is Kugimiya Rie as Happy. I mean, she is one of my favorite seiyuus of all time, but her as Happy just didn’t sit well with me (Too much Louise from ZnT I suppose). However, if the anime has been doing a good job now, given the rather faithful pace to the manga, I may pick up the anime again.

    Civil discussion please, I just want some opinions from those who watch the anime.

    1. Personally, I haven’t noticed any change in animation at all. I didn’t expect much to begin with so I’m pretty content with how things are. I think the story and comedy in FT make up for the lacking animation quality, and of course, the music!

      About Kugimiya Rie, I guess it’s all about getting used to it. You hardly care about such things after 122 episodes…

      I’m sure there are people who think differently; this is just my personal opinion.

      Stereoman
    2. Contrary to what you said, Stereo, there was a drastic change in FT from the first few episodes to the rest of them. In the beginning, they did animated sequences with backgrounds and poses whenever the main characters busted out their magic attacks – think Sailor Moon transformations. After a couple of episodes of that I was frustrated but they seamlessly removed those sequences. After episode 1 and 2 I almost dropped it because my expectations were so high from reading the manga. Later I got used to the voice acting and the animation and then I really started enjoying it.

      SOSAnimeBoy
  14. Thx for picking this up. I was so disappointed then when Fairy Tail got dropped. I would’ve liked to have seen the Edolas arc blogged since that was probably my favorite. Oh well.
    I skipped the fillers before but I’m actually interested to see the story behind the next filler arc considering the timeskip already happened.

    Jin
  15. Thanks for covering this show! I find the anime a little better than the manga because they added a lot of scenes to the story flow better.

    I cannot wait for the next arc to appear~!

    skylaris
  16. great show but my favourite shonen are one piece and gintama ( holy epic stuff ) honestly i think these two are so much better than the other shonen and fairy tail bothered m at first coz i thought it was just a copy of one piece but it’s actually a good manga still like it better than naruto

    selma
  17. I have been following the manga diligently and must admit I’m tempted to watch the anime now. Animation quality looks pretty good for a long-running shounen and blue/black Achnologia is indeed pretty badass.
    Hopefully we’ll see many yummy full lengths of Juvia, Erza and Lucy in the future 😉

    Seishun Otoko
  18. Fairy Tail again, never thought we would see a summary of the anime episodes here again.

    Would be cool if someone made coverage for manga chapters too since I smell fillers soon. The anime is too close to the manga.

    Linkark
  19. In my opinion, Fairy Tail is the most consistent long running shounen. The story hasn’t gotten boring and the animation is still as amzing as it first was when it premiered on Fall 2009. Usually after the 100th episode, these types of anime start to bad, but I’m glad the director and the rest of the crew are doing a great job!

    observantzani
  20. I followed 40 eps of FT thinking something like “OMG, this will never end, I don’t want another Bleach or Naruto show to mess up with the manga that is great enough”… And, after 80 eps more (way less than I thought) it’s already in Achnologia!!! Can someone please tell me when the S-exam arc started so I can at least get it back.

    RoOtZ
  21. It was a very nice surprise to see Fairy Tail here ^^
    I love it very much and follow both manga and anime.
    But I don’t think there are that little chapters between the anime and the manga, I believe fillers, or more like a “long time running filler arc” wasn’t necessary; one of the things I really liked about the anime was that it was very faithful to the manga storyline and had very few fillers eps so I can’t say it’s not bothering me…I rally hope it will be good!

    sherry
  22. yaaaaay!!!! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for reviewing Fairy Tail!!! I missed it being here on RC T^T

    🙂 I also loved this chapter very much!!!

    I loved how Natsu handed his hand to Lucy <3

    Karin
  23. YESSSS! I’m so glad someone decided to cover this, already becoming one of my new favorite writers 🙂

    Also, I felt the same way! This episode was handled better than the manga. I don’t know if its just my memory, but I don’t remember there being too much struggle to fight back against Achnologia. Anyway, sometimes the emotions in this show seem a little force and don’t rub off on me too well, but this episode I feel captured all of that perfectly.

    I’m sad that this series will be entering filler stage for awhile, but we all knew it was coming sooner or later. The few fillers I’ve seen seem to be pretty well fleshed out for this series, I just hope these next ones don’t turn into Naruto fillers where one fucking battle lasts for 20 episodes.

    Keep up the good work and congrats on the position!

  24. Oh thank God someone finally covering Fairy Tail. Granted it’s very “for kids” but all in all I love it. Really reminds me of the days when I was younger and watching Rave.

    Another show I want covered honestly is HunterxHunter, even if it is a remake. Really gives the One Piece vibe.

    ROFLWAFFLELAWL
  25. Finally Fairy Tail makes it way onto randomC. Great to see all these mutual fans.
    My thoughts on the episode:
    Although they displayed more of his/her strength, Acnologia seemed to be portrayed weaker just because Fairy Tail spent so long standing in front of it and talking about his strength instead of just outright running for their lives like they seemed to do in the manga. I don’t recall them actually taking hits from the dragon and seeming so unfazed too.
    Because of that, the episode started off irksome, but once Makarov did his deed, all my emotions flooded and I was tearing up at the display of camaraderie. The soundtrack definitely is a wonderful one, the main theme is amazingly tear-rigging.
    Also loved the blue implementation on Acnologia’s design.

  26. Well I don’t think they’ll be fillers. Fairy Tail’s way of doing a episode is using only two chapters for a episode as opposed to three like most animes do. They add little bits in the story(Like the longer bits with Achnologia). I think it’s a good balance because it allows the manga more time to add new chapters. It’s better than One Piece which uses only one chapter per episode. Mind you, when the S-class Exam Arc started, the arc wasn’t finished and they were very close to catching up. Luckily most chapters are filled with content that allows the studio to work off of and not worrying about catching up. ^_^ So I don’t think fillers will be around.

    Nixxistix
    1. Yes, I do. I don’t know if FT is better than Toriko and AnE, but I assure you that you will never regret watching it. The battle scene, plot and character development are balanced. Even the comedy is not half bad. Must watch-series.

      Kusabi
    2. I’m totally recommending it too! Fairy Tail is just plain awesomeness, it’s one of those rare mangas in which I actually don’t get bored or feel that an arc is ‘bleh’ or the like, pure enjoyment from start to end! Read the manga also! ^^

      sherry
    3. I could never get into Toriko… it is like a bad DBZ clone. AnE had an anime-original ending so I don’t think you can compare the two animes tbh. Animation quality wise, AnE was a notch higher (the backgrounds were so detailed and impressive) but story-wise it sort of gets boring. Fairy Tail is one of those unusual shounens that doesn’t take itself too seriously, so it’s easier to enjoy it. THe fact that comedy is a BIG part of the show also helps.

      SOSAnimeBoy

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