Fairy Tail 423 Review: Bluenote Gets OHKO'd

Fairy Tail, Chapter 423: Because I Love You

Well that's a bit of a disappointment, isn't it? Really the fights and cool magic and whatnot are the cool stuff that I wait for in these kind of mangas. And for the big 'whoa holy shit Bluenote!' vibe I got from last chapter, he gets taken out by a single roar from Natsu after a 'I don't remember you' moment. Without any kind of powerups. Not even a friendship speech. Hell, Bluenote only gets to make gravity attacks a couple of times... and remember that Bluenote was on par with Gildarts eight years ago. I guess Natsu trained a shit-ton in that one year and Bluenote just... didn't, but what the hell? Not even a good fight scene? I honestly expected Bluenote to be serve the role of 'oh look Natsu can defeat this really strong dude after the timeskip' that Jura did for Laxus back in the Grand Magic Games arc, but this is just kind of a bit too much. Natsu just no-sells all of Bluenote's magic and one-shots him with a single roar. So whatever Natsu found in that year of wandering around in the mountains manages to make him Gildarts-level?

I mean, I know Fairy Tail has never been really good with power levels and really likes Mary Sue'ing the main characters (except Lucy) but this? I wanted a good fight. Not even a long, drawn-out one because I don't want this gather-everyone arc. Just have Natsu beat Bluenote over the course of a chapter, not over the course of two panels... and I honestly appreciate what they're trying to show here. Natsu getting stronger, Natsu growing from the peon who can't do anything before Bluenote to someone who can easily take him down, Bluenote comparing him to Gildarts... if, y'know, we've seen Natsu actually do something and accomplish anything to become stronger beyond some vague 'trained in mountains' scene. Hell, he didn't even train with Gildarts! He fucked around with Gildarts for one chapter before going off on his own way. I dunno. I just thought it could've been executed a lot better.

Heck, he had Igneel leave him. By rights wouldn't that make him weaker, not stronger? Unless Natsu has somehow unlocked his E.N.D. stuff on his own over the year or something.

And naturally because this is fucking Fairy Tail we've got Natsu accidentally burning off the clothes of a basically prepubescent girl. And Loke salivating over the prepubescent girls and waiting for three years. What. And all the generic Lamia members going all 'nooo Wendy don't leave we love you in ways that we're sure not pedophilic'. I did chuckle a bit at Oobabababa posing and trying to be Chelia's new partner but that's really the only thing that does it for me.

And Wendy, naturally, joins Fairy Tail. I guess I can't be too mad for it because they actually had some time talking about it last chapter but really, I felt stupid for considering that this manga might, y'know, do something different than its normal formula. Not even the Lamia people really thought Wendy was going to be a permanent addition and they know Natsu will show up to take her away and stuff.

Also apparently Wendy loves Natsu, but not in that way. And we get some 'we're BFFs 4eva' moment from Wendy and Chelia that went a bit too long since we've had a variation of it last chapter already. For what's supposed to be Wendy's mini-arc it doesn't really focus much on Wendy, does it? Or at least give us something new other than repeating 'oh look Wendy and Chelia are BFFs but Wendy wants to be with Fairy Tail' over and over ad nauseam.

Next chapter is apparently Juvia, who's gone back to be the Rain Woman and whatnot. So she broke up with Gray after the whole 'cry together' moment near Silver's grave? I don't care. It'll all be sunshines and happiness after all. Frankly at this point I'd be surprised if Juvia and Gray's dynamic actually got some development to it by the end of the arc and it didn't just stay in the same status quo.