Fairy Tail 418 Review: Uninteresting Timeskip

Fairy Tail, Chapter 418: The Challenger

Fairy Tail 418 is kind of a longer chapter, running 30 pages long, but really it could've been the normal 20 pages and still have exactly the same amount of content. There has apparently been a one-year timeskip (in which, of course, none of the dark guilds or whatever made a move) after the whole Fairy Tail disbanding thing and a good chunk of the chapter is just Lucy describing what she's doing. And then at the end Natsu shows up.

How is it that last chapter is shorter, has no dialogue, feels like just a random filler chapter, but I feel that it's got more content than this?

The chapter itself isn't bad per se. It's just... well, the whole "Fairy Tail disbanding" thing is kind of pointless, isn't it? Not only has a big theme of the series been friendship and Fairy Tail is within you and all that, and apparently Lucy freaking fell into depression for quite some time after that. And honestly, like, couldn't it just be the important people like Natsu, Erza, Gray, Laxus, Gajeel and the others going off to train? I mean, freaking Macao and Jet and Droy and all those lesser members did jack shit for seven years and they didn't have to go through the whole disbanding the guild thing. And really, instead of being a BIG EVENT like it was probably intended to be the only reaction it got from me is just 'oh. What a stupid and unnecessary twist.'

A timeskip is not entirely unwelcome, I suppose, but the whole disbanding-guild thing really is pointless, especially since in a couple chapters or so we'll probably be gathering the whole cast again. And it's kind of like One Piece's big three-year timeskip where everyone was split up... except in that, they never really talked about disbanding, and everyone was already off in places that are suitable for them to train individually.

Oh well, whatever the case... a good chunk of the chapter is just panels showing Lucy's daily life, including, naturally, tits and ass shots. Lucy gets into the shower like twice in the space of 30 pages, poses as an underwear model and gets her clothes melted off. She's apparently working as junior editor for Jason's newspaper agency and we see her watching the Grand Magic Games... except the people participating there are no one we know and therefore cannon fodder. Lucy isn't really very interested since apparently they're using underhanded methods to maximise their profits from betting, and I really don't care about these nameless dudes. Apparently all the guilds that matter didn't participate that year because reasons.

Apparently after recovering from her clinical depression and after being an underwear model for a bit, she has been gathering information and making this big stalker-wall connecting news article sightings of the Fairy Tail members. Apparently Gray and Juvia are travelling together? Yay for shippers, I suppose. Lisanna and Mirajane (but not Elfman) are also going off on their own. Also Jet (or Droy... whichever one is the fat one) apparently won an eating competition. Good for him.

Lucy is apparently now able to analyze magic powers and whatnot, and after accurately predicting that Pointless Filler Guild B is hiding their real strength, they win... and then a mysterious hooded figure (gasp!) shows up, and emits so much heat it permeates the entire stadium, melts Lucy's clothes and starts to melt statues and everything. Though not flesh, because that would be crazy. It's Natsu, of course, and he blasts the unimportant people with one shot. He's got a Kenshin X-shaped scar on the side of his stomach, and his hair is longer now and it kind of makes him look like Milianna except without the cat ears.

And, of course, the three of them are reunited. So I suppose the next arc will be just Natsu and Lucy going around regathering the members of Fairy Tail? Again, don't see why we need the whole disbandment thing. But okay then. Still kind of excited and underwhelmed at the same time... though at the very least we're not in this whole Tartaros arc anymore (which is surreal) which is a nice change of pace.