Fairy Tail - Chapter 522 and 523 Review by XXEliteXXAceXXChapter 522: "Gray's Trump Card"This may be one of the best chapters in the Alvarez Arc. It completely exceeded my expectations.
StorylineThis week's chapter starts off with Gray Fullbuster confronting Zeref Dragneel. The two of them begin talking to which Zeref claims that in order to defeat Acnologia, he must obtain Mavis Vermillion's magical power. Then the scene switches to the fight between Gildarts Clive and August. As it turns out, Gildarts was the first to initiate causing August to fight defensively. With one attack, Gildarts disassembles his entire body. However, August quickly reassembles using his own magic and punches Gildarts. Moments later, Cana Alberona appears and sends several cards flying towards August's direction. Yet, he dodges them effortlessly. In realizing that his daughter has come to help him, Gildarts urgently tells her to stay back. Once again, the scene switches back to Gray and Zeref. The black mage tells Gray about the secrets of Fairy Heart and also reveals that Natsu Dragneel, his best friend, is E.N.D. In knowing this, Gray has decided to let go of his revenge against Natsu and instead, fight for his friends who are still alive. The chapter ends with Gray casting "Lost Iced Shell", a type of magic that uses one's life to freeze an opponent for eternity.
AnalysisI have to say that due to the recent amount of poorly written chapters, this one seemed pretty good.
Gray's Confrontation with Zeref - The build-up for the story was quite nice here. I found it interesting how Zeref knew so much about Fairy Tail without even interacting with them. One thing that caught my interest was Zeref's true goal. Was he referring to his plan in defeating Acnologia or something entirely different?
August vs. Gildarts - The fight went much better than I had initially thought. August is truly the only Spriggan who is worthy of his hype. Not only did Gildarts' attack have no effect on him, but he also managed to gain the upper hand. That is a significant feat considering Gildarts is known to be Fairy Tail's strongest. On the other hand, Gildarts is doing quite well too since August went as far as to compliment his magic. The last part where August finds out about the father-daughter relationship between Gildarts and Cana did seem peculiar to me though. I wonder whether he has a daughter of his own or if he is just going to use this opportunity to his advantage...
Gray's Trump Card - To be completely honest, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest with Gray's trump card being "Iced Shell". It turned out for the better than for the worse. Had Gray's trump card been "Devil Force" or some "Demon Transformation", he would have been defeated by Zeref considering he is an immortal. However, with "Iced Shell" being his secret technique, he was actually able to freeze Zeref. Not to mention, Gray's development as a character drastically improved. In trying to save Natsu and get rid of all the misery, he realized that his friends who are alive are more important than his loved ones who are dead. This is surprisingly one of the most important life lessons to learn from. What is done is done. It's time to move on...
CriticismsI have no criticisms for this chapter. Personally, I thought it was very well-written.
Final ThoughtsOverall, I really enjoyed this chapter. The plot is getting more and more interesting. And the characters received major development. Fairy Tail has finally redeemed itself after a long period of underwhelming chapters.
Chapter 523: "Will Fate Burn?"Again, the quality of this chapter really impressed me. This time, we got to see a lot more action.
StorylineAs a continuation of last chapter, Gray Fullbuster starts casting "Lost Iced Shell" on Zeref Dragneel. However, before he could finish, Natsu Dragneel arrives and stops him. This causes Gray's spell to disappear as Zeref comes out unscathed. Looking at Natsu in the eye, Gray confesses that he no longer wants to live due to all the grief he has caused. However, much to his surprise, Natsu starts crying and tells him that they are still friends. With these words of encouragement, Gray changes his mind and decides to live. But he still faces another dilemma which is the fact that if Zeref dies, Natsu dies. In hearing this, Natsu says that he will not die and instead "burn his fate to ashes". This prompts Zeref to take off his cape as both wizards get ready to fight. In the next scene, Erza is seen walking with Wendy when suddenly, a large magical power is felt. The last panel shows Acnologia standing before them.
AnalysisThis chapter was cut a little short but it turned out great.
Natsu's Confrontation with Gray - I have to admit, this part was somewhat emotional. It really showcases the everlasting friendship between Natsu and Gray, despite their differences. Also, I found it amusing how Natsu's words was actually Ur's voice in Gray's mind.
Natsu vs. Zeref - This is the fight I've been waiting to see. I hope it will be a team effort with Gray supporting Natsu against Zeref. But if it turns out to be a solo fight, I wonder how Natsu will be able to defeat Zeref. After all, he already used his one time power-up which was Igneel's power. Either way, I hope we won't be disappointed.
Acnologia's Encounter - Personally, I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it makes sense for Acnologia to arrive at the place where Irene was defeated since she was a dragon and his objective is to eradicate its entire race. But on the other, he is confronting Erza and Wendy. I'll probably wait before judging this part but so far it seems a little worrisome. Anyways, one thing that is certain is that Acnologia's appearance has added much more suspense to the story.
CriticismsRight now, I have no criticisms for this chapter. However, I am a little concerned with Acnologia appearing in front of Erza and Wendy. Just how will this end? Clearly, they can't beat Acnologia. And I just don't see how the two of them could escape. Acnologia is much faster than them and since his goal is to kill all the dragon slayers, I just don't see him letting go of Wendy...
Final ThoughtsAll in all, it was a good chapter. I think the direction in which this is heading is going well. But what I am more concerned about is the outcome. After all, that is really the most important part when it comes to determining the overall quality of the story. With that said, I'm excited for the upcoming weeks!
Looking forward to
Chapter 524: A Black Future...!
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