Director: Shinji Ishihira,
Starring: Aye Hirano, Cherami Leigh, Tetsuya Kakihara, Todd Haberkorn,
Running Time: 300 minutes
Certificate: PG
Delivering a strong mixture of comedy, fun, and thrilling adventure, FAIRY TAIL is a show that does try and tick all the boxes. Successful for the most part it may be, but it also means that certain stories seem to start and stop with jarring intervals while characters catch up to what’s going on. Also, in this set at least, there are many filler episodes that amount to nothing more than a bit of fluff.
FAIRY TAIL follows the exploits of a number of mages from the Fairy Tail guild. They use their magic to fight evil in the long term, but also use it for individual problems. That’s where this collection may deter some viewers, as there are a number of generic episodes focusing on the lusty feelings of young women. Whether it be blind dates, potions of infatuation, or mistakenly believing somebody has a crush on them, the girls are relegated to such comedic adventures of misunderstandings and infatuation. It can be fun, in small doses, but this does seem like a bit of overkill.
It’s understandable though, as this 5th collection marks the beginning of Season 2 for the show, and so until deeper plot elements start to make their way in, you can expect a number of stories which will seem inconsequential in the long run. We can be thankful then, that there is a wide range of characters, each of whom are enjoyable in both personality and design. Sometimes you get bright and colourful talking cats, which are always a bonus (ask Sailor Moon), that seamlessly meld with the more generic looking human characters. You’ll probably feel as though you’ve seen many of these characters before, but their actions and chemistry make them seem fresh.
The show certainly generalises its audience, with romantic stories for the ladies and busty female characters for the lads, but when it gets into deeper and darker plots it’s able to leave such nonsense behind. It may be loud and obnoxious, but it does so in an endearing way. There’s a rich mythology to sink one’s teeth into, and relationships that become gradually more complex. The animation is very bold, if not particularly dynamic in its execution, but on Blu-ray it’s still a marvel to behold many of the settings. A decent start to season 2.
FAIRY TAIL Part 5 is released on Blu-ray and DVD on 2nd December via Manga Entertainment.
Check out more Anime news and reviews here!
