Dhruv Sharma
A huge chunk of the western anime audience consists of only teenagers and kids and that’s one big reason why the bell curve is narrowing down to the more mainstream so-called classics like ‘Naruto‘ and ‘Dragon Ball Z‘. Now, being a 90s kid, I’m not denying that these shows were great in every aspect and I still find myself drifting back to the good old shounen era from time to time. But the problem with shows like these is that after a point of time, as a viewer, you start giving up on your rose-tainted nostalgic perspective and start seeking something more than just repetitive archetypes and cliched tropes. Certain anime shows like ‘Cowboy Bebop‘ and ‘Outlaw Star’ are the few exceptions of this but for others, I just cannot ride on for the sake of nostalgia. And by others here, I am referring to ‘Fairy Tail.’
Many anime viewers would argue endlessly about how ‘Fairy Tail‘ is one of the best anime shows of our time but I find it really hard to comprehend where this hype is coming from. The series started off really well and shows immense potential in the beginning; especially with its huge cast of characters. But today, the anime offers nothing more than a stale story where the same formulaic approach is repeated in every other arc. Every arc involves the rise of a new evil antagonist who is then defeated by the “power of friendship” of the main characters and that’s pretty much the entire series in a nutshell. Since the anime’s emphasis has always been on the relationships of the characters, I can understand why most viewers feel attached to it. But that is just not enough to make it a great anime show.
‘Fairy Tail: Final Series’ is no exception and it pans out exactly the way you would expect it to. It is the kind of anime that will sell regardless of what happens now because just like the three big shounen—’One Piece‘, ‘Bleach‘ and ‘Naruto‘—’Fairy Tail’ also has a lot of extremely loyal fans who are willing to follow it till eternity. Again, just to make things clear, I’m not saying that ‘Fairy Tail’ is downright boring and is as bad as those typical Isekai that small studios are churning out these days. I just feel that the series is from a bygone era and it has failed to adapt to the new trends of the anime world. I will be further reviewing every different aspect of the anime in the Review section of this article. So if you want to know what I still like about the series, move on to the next section.
Fairy Tail Season 9 Premiere Date:
‘Fairy Tail: Final Series’ premiere on October 7, 2018 and with a total of 51 episodes, it ended on September 29, 2019.
Fairy Tail Season 9 English Dub:
The English Dub of ‘Fairy Tail’ is available on Funimation.
Fairy Tail Season 9 Plot:
Fairy Tail, which was once a force to be reckoned with, has now been disbanded and all of its members live distantly all across the lands of Fiore. But somewhere, deep down, Natsu Dragneel still believes that his guild members can get back together and live in harmony. While a new threat from the Alvarez Empire starts to dawn upon Fiore, Natsu, along with his companions, Happy and Lucy Heartfilia, must reignite the spirit of his good old guild in order to face a new strong enemy.
Fairy Tail Season 9 Review:
Starting off with the story, the good thing about it is that it barely has any plot holes and a good connection is created between all the previous arcs with the present one. Since the anime’s main focus goes on the relationships between the characters, every arc of the story has an emotional touch to it. However, considering that ‘Fairy Tail: Final Series’ takes place one year after the previous season, it is surprising how the characters have all powered up so much without any training arcs or backstories.
For me personally, the battles are downright hilarious a lot of times, because after getting brutally beaten up by their enemies, the characters somehow get cheesy flashbacks from their past and all of their health is suddenly restored. So the battle scenes are pretty much the same where the villain boss tries to show off how immensely powerful he/she is and then the main characters suddenly get overpowered to knockout the seemingly strong boss with just one move. Speaking of the characters, if you have been following the series all this while, it is very easy to get attached to almost all of them. But just because I don’t appreciate unnecessary fanservice, I really despise some of the characters who are solely in the show for silly nonsensical nude-gags.
The animation quality remains consistent throughout and the battle scenes are quite enjoyable if you manage to overlook the fact that they’re all predictable. The art style is loyal to its manga but that itself could be a problem for most viewers. The art style adopted in the manga is very suitable for its comical approach but when it comes to the actual depiction of the show on an audio visual medium, the same art style feels a little dull at times. Music, for the most part of it, is pretty good and fits well with all the scenes it is being played with.
Overall, ‘Fairy Tail: Final Series’ is crisp with its 51-episode span and I really appreciate the fact that it has absolutely no filler episodes. By keeping things short and simple, it does hit a sweet spot for concluding this long-running fantasy shounen. But defying the common opinion, I don’t think there is anything sensational about this show. Since this was the last season of the anime, I’m sure many fans just wanted to be done with it for good. And if you haven’t seen the whole franchise yet, the ball is entirely in your court and you should certainly give it shot. But I certainly cannot guarantee if it will be as enjoyable as it once was.
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