Review of Fairy Tail

You know, it takes a certain kind of skill and finesse to create a genuinely interesting universe along with intriguing characters and an adventurous setting, then screw that up entirely as the story progresses. Ah Fairy Tail, you and Hiro Mashima have done what I had thought to be impossible. Story: Where do I begin? The show starts off very interestingly, I'm forced to admit. The magic is interesting, I can't lie. Dragon Slayer magic, Elemental Magic, Requipping, and the Zodiac gates are all well done in the beginning, enough to pique my curiousity. And then of course, as I said before, it slowly progresses intoutter nonsense.

So we start off with Lucy Heartfilia being inducted into Fairy Tail by Natsu Dragneel, and we get intros of the main group -Erza Scarlet, Gray Filibuster, and Happy- which is the focus of the story.

Were I to give you a brief summary of all the arcs in the story, you would think, 'Well, that sounds interesting'. There are three arcs that introduce recurring characters, whilst simultaneously attempting to flesh out the protagonists. There's a sort of civil war-esque arc for the control of the guild, the introduction of Dark Guilds and world threatening schemes and hyped up villains.

So why does Fairy Tail 'suck'? Because the resolution to almost all those fights is by the 'power of friendship'.

And this increases throughout the series, to the point where it forced me to drop the series at the finale. I kept hoping, praying even, that the story would improve, that sometime soon, they would meet a true challenge.

But no. Every antagonist they meet is hyped up to the point where there literally was a 'God Slayer'. But wait. There was also a leader that was touted to be leagues above this, and would you care to guess how he was defeated?

He was beaten by a character that was literally said to be weaker than another fighter, but got a power up out of nowhere. Literally nowhere. No training. No previous indication. How, you ask? Because Hiro Mashima, I answer.

It kept deteriorating even after that, impossible as it may seem. My personal favorite was when for the sake of humor, they sacrificed the time they needed for training, and then got a massive power boost from previous antagonists. It makes you wonder, if that was the case, then why didn't everybody from Fairy Tail just get some? Heck, why didn't the powerhouses get some, at least?

But wait, it gets even worse. The season climax, also the point where I dropped the series, was when SPOILERS the protagonist beat two antagonists who were touted to be the strongest fighters of a rival guild. By himself. At the same time. Just... Just no.

Story: 1/10 (The one is for the potential)

Art: The art is quite good, I'll admit. The animation however, is pathetic, to say the least. 175 episodes and they couldn't even bother to spend some money to pretty up at least the main fights. Honestly, the fights in Fairy Tail are like watching animated slideshows from visual novels. Actually, that would be better.

Art: 3/10 (Because the Magic circles are nicely done.)

Sound: Surprisingly, the sound is very nice. Some openings are very well done, much like the endings. Background music is also nice, along with the combat music. The effects could be worked on, in my opinion.

Sound: 7/10

Characters: Pathetic. That one word is enough to describe all the characters in Fairy Tail. I'll give a few basic descriptions.
Natsu: Interesting start. Devolves into pathetic nakama loving lucky moron.
Lucy: Interesting ability. But is eventually made a fanservice character for the most part. This also applies to the Zodiacs she summons.
Gray: Rival to Natsu. But sadly, not given nakama powerups.
Erza: Strong, independent, and also fanservice. Think Quiet from Metal Gear Solid.
Happy: Why does this abomination exist? Why? What purpose does this thing serve? Why? Why, Mashima, Why?

Props to Mashima for making the most badass character, Mystogan, also the most pathetic one.

Characters: 1/10

Enjoyment: No. Just No. It's just sad to watch this world go into ruin.

Enjoyment: 3/10

Overall: For the love of NAKAMA!! Don't watch this show, please.