Hey all, Dani here.
It’s my first Manga Monday post of the year! Woohoo! As such, you’ll notice a slight change in the format of this post. I will start posting a details section with information on the writer and the artist (and colorist if there is one), plus publisher details and all of that. Most of the manga I read have the same person behind the story and art, but there are some manga and most graphic novels have different people, and it feels rude to not even mention them anywhere.
All right, let’s jump into the review.
Details
Story and Art: Hiro Mashima
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Summary
MUSICAL MURDERS
The evil members of the Dark Guild Eisenwald have found a cursed flute that can murder anyone who hears its music–and now they’ve taken over a midtown train station with a very loud public address system. Only Natsu and his crazy friends (including a flying cat) can stop them!
Includes special extras after the story!
My Thoughts
Rating: 5 stars
I am feeling really nostalgic thanks to starting at the beginning of the manga and reading it. Where I currently am in the anime is roughly Vol 43 of the manga, so I have a long way to go to catch up. But I find that I am enjoying watching before reading with this series, and that isn’t something I will often say. Typically I prefer reading the source material first.
But no matter what format I go with for Fairy Tail, I am still emotionally pulled into the lives of these characters. And really, coming at it from my current perspective, where I know just how much they are going to learn and grow in the future volumes, I get excited to join them in those adventures again, even the ones I know are going to hurt them.
Because Fairy Tail is about family, and friendship, and determination, and never giving up or giving in. Fairy Tail is about love and loss and trust. It is knowing that you are never truly alone, and knowing you are accepted.
This particular volume contains the entire Eisenwald and the magic flute story. Honestly the first few volumes are basically just shorter quests that get wrapped up fairly quickly. Then the story starts getting into adventures that will last at least a few volumes. We see more of the power yet also the destruction that Fairy Tail can dish out. So you kind of see why people both like and dislike this guild. They do a lot to help save the communities and the world, but they don’t really think about all the wreckage they leave in their wake.
Do the ends justify the means? I feel like this isn’t something that I’ve seen resolved with this series. It is an interesting idea to consider. But I get lost in the emotional journey of the characters, to the point where sometimes I forget about the other details. Mostly though, I’ll just say that the bond of the guildmates in Fairy Tail has made me want to have that sort of bond and drive with my own guild.
Where to Buy
You can pick up this volume from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local indie bookstore.
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