(Resurrects blog from the dead.)
Tumblr has pretty much stolen my fandom life so I am not surprised to see that my last post here was... more than a year ago.
Whoops.
I return to LJ for Fairy Tail archive binging. I am blazing through the series and attempting to get completely caught up. My friends and I have been having a regular anime night Saturdays and Fairy Tail one of the shows we're keeping up with. So it'll be helpful to actually know what the heck is going on.
Episode 154, "For All The Time We Missed Each Other":
Previously on Fairy Tail we accidentally wasted our three months of training time to party in the Spirit World.
Oops.
We start off with the group on the beach, despairing, then vowing to train really hard the last five days. Meanwhile the other guilds are also gearing up for the Grand Magic Games.
Then someone sends them an ominous note by carried pigeon, telling them to come meet somewhere. Team Natsu does and HOORAY IT'S CRIME SORCIERE, meaning JELLAL AND ULTEAR AND MEREDY.
Except I did not miss you Jellal. Go away. You're boring.
Anyway, Crime Sorciere has come to ask Fairy Tail to keep their eyes out during the games for mysterious evil Hanky Panky. And also-oh-for-DAMMIT JELLAL WHY IS IT EVERY TIME YOU SHOW UP YOU BRING DEUS EX MACHINA WITH YOU?!
...Oh. Oh wait, that's not actually so terrible. It just deepens their personal magic containers and gives them access to more powerful spells, they still have to train to use that increased capacity. Also it will hurt a lot.
And now there's a cute still of Gray and Ultear looking at each other fondly and Juvia hugging Meredy. Aww.
And Erza looks with hard eyes at Jellal. So... she's back to resenting and not trusting him?
...Why do I get the feeling that this will be completely ignored and she'll just fall into his arms later on? When is their almost kiss anyway? *check wikipedia* ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? THIS EPISODE?! ERZA YOU JUST MET HIM AGAIN! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HE'S CHANGED IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS! WHAT'S WITH THE HARD EYES? WHAT'S WITH NAGGING HIM ABOUT IF HE REMEMBERS HIS PAST? I THOUGHT YOU HAD DECIDED YOU WERE ALREADY TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THE NEW ATONER JELLAL BACK IN THE NIRVANA ARC?! WILL YOU MAKE UP YOUR MIND WOMAN?! DO YOU OR DO YOU NOT LOVE THIS IDIOT?!
...That got a little away from me there, I'm sorry.
Cut to Natsu getting his Second Origin unlocked and ow. Ow. Ow. That looks painful. Erza's gone off with Jellal somewhere, which prompts Juvia to grab Gray's arm and hoist him away too. Gray is frustratingly unresponsive to her. See, this is why I started shipping Juvia with Lyon. At least Lyon acts like he actually likes Juvia.
"Can I think of you as the 'old' Jellal and treat you that way?" The "old" Jellal was a ten-year-old kid that we the audience knew for like twelve minutes. Why are you still clinging to your kid crush after six or eight or however many years?! Jellal has grown up sweetie. He spent the remainder of his childhood possessed and evil, died, came back to life sans the memory of who he was, started developing a new non-possessed more noble character, was taken away from you to prison, and you haven't seen him for years!
And he's fully expecting you to still be angry with him to boot! AND HE'S SAYING THAT HE CAN'T EVER ATONE FOR THE WHOLE TOWER OF HEAVEN MESS EVEN WITH CRIME SORCIERE APPARENTLY IT'S POINTLESS AND HE'S ALL EMO ABOUT IT AND AHLASKFHASF WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP YOUR STUPID FACE. JELLAL, SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME FOR A MOMENT. THERE IS NO MOTIVATION FOR ME TO BELIEVE IN YOUR ATONEMENT AND REDEMPTION IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IT YOURSELF. If you were to just be a little more, "I did terrible things at the Tower of Heaven and I don't know if I can ever make up for them but I'm going to try I MUST ATONE FOR MY MISDEEDS." instead of, "I did terrible things at the Tower of Heaven and NOTHING I DO OR HAVE DONE SINCE THEN HAS EVER OR WILL EVER BLOT OUT MY SINS WOE IS ME." that would be much appreciated.
...
...Again, that got a little away from me.
"You're not the old Jellal! You're not the Jellal who struggled desperately to survive!" WOMAN, YOU JUST ASKED HIM LIKE TWO MINUTES AGO IF YOU COULD IMAGINE HIM AS THE "OLD JELLAL"!
How convenient. They tripped over nothing.
Okay, admittedly, this is really pretty scenery and animation. Too bad it's wasted on the World's Most Undeveloped Ship.
...Feels were actually moderately tugged there. Good job animation team. Again, too bad that there ain't gonna be any real progress here. But at least Erza gets to be a precious dork.
Aww, Ultear told Erza to take care of Gray!
YES. JELLAL MEANS TO PUNISH HIMSELF. HE BASICALLY SAID EARLIER THAT DESTROYING DARK GUILDS WITH YOU GUYS WASN'T ENOUGH TO CLEANSE THE BLACKNESS OF HIS SOUL.
This would be a wonderful closure point for this ship you know.
Episode 155, "Crocus, the Blooming Capitol":
Team Natsu et. all return to the guild and of course are chosen to be the representatives for Fairy Tail in the Grand Magic Games. And there are adorable friendship moments.
And the city is very pretty of course. Team Natsu meets up with Gramps and various FT members, including Alzack and Bisca's adorable little girl LOOK AT HER SHE'S SO CUTE. They're given the rulebook, which warns that all participants must be in their respective guild accomodations before midnight.
I sense foreshadowing.
The team splits up. Natsu and Lucy and Happy go wander off together. Erza, all business as usual, goes right to the inn and searches their room for anything suspicious.
Lucy in a flower crown aww.
Juvia approaches Gray, ostensibly to ask him out. He actually accepts. Just when I begin to think this relationship might actually show some vague signs of progress though, Lyon promptly arrives on the scene. HI LYON HOW ARE YOU HAVE YOU WON JUVIA'S HEART YET? Juvia gives this adorable look as Lyon's starting to lead her off lol. Poor confused goldfish Juvia.
Gray and Lyon butt heads about the Grand Magic Games and the shipper in me squees at Gray's mention of Erza. And Juvia flails about trying to regain control of the situation.
Back with aforementioned Erza, she flashes back to the almost kiss of last episode. The moment is ruined by Ichiya. I never thought I'd ever be glad to see him. Also Ren, Hibiki, and Eve. Cuties. <3
Wendy and Carla are being watched by something creepy.
Natsu, meanwhile, encounters the dragon slayers of Sabertooth. Sting and Rouge are kind of jerks now but I know from later on that they get better. Presumably they murdered their own dragon parents but again, I know otherwise from later. In any case this does not sit well with Natsu.
Back at the inn, everyone has gathered except Wendy and Carla. It becomes swiftly midnight aaaaaaand the guilds are all thrown right into an elimination round. Yay.
Episode 156, "Sky Labyrinth":
Elfman kindly volunteers to fill in for Wendy in her absence. Mr. Voiceover Guy gives us information we already know and we're off. Lucy conveniently has a compass Celestial Spirit. But apparently it's not a very good one lol.
The pumpkin thing keeps popping in to offer exposition. It is distracting. I don't think we even needed to know why Natsu wasn't getting motion sickness. The labyrinth isn't a vehicle, simple.
Anyway, Team Natsu (plus Elfman minus Wendy and Carla) make their way through the maze. Meanwhile, Lisanna and Happy look for Wendy.
We encounter Twilight Ogre in the maze. They are roundly curbstomped. Then suddenly the labyrinth starts turning. Welp. Okay so maybe that exposition was useful after all. Team Natsu swipes maps from other teams to complete their own. When they put them together... they're still confused. Because the labyrinth has an upside-down green town in it.
...kay?
Lucy summons her compass spirit again. And off they go towards the finish line.
Lisanna and Happy get into the palace and look for Wendy. The Pumpkin announces the end of the elimination round. And Lisanna and Happy find Wendy's bag. The creepy bug thing from before is spying on them too. Lisanna and Carla are found, drained of their magic. Mr. Voiceover Guy pipes in with... things we literally just saw happen come on now really?
Episode 157, "New Guild":
ANYWAY, the Grand Magic Games proper begins. Team Fairy Tail has their matching outfits. Except of course Elfman can't fit into the one meant for Wendy. Cue flashback of them checking in on Wendy. Poor Wendy.
Later, Fairy Tail enters the arena. They get booed. But then Mavis appears!
HI MAVIS! I guess you can hang around in spirit form or something?
The teams are announced. There's all the usual expected parties, plus a couple new ones. With Raven Tail's announcement... I sense villains.
They've just claimed credit for Wendy, yep, villains. Naturally hurting Natsu's nakama will go over badly for them.
Oh hey, Fairy Tail gets a B team. Awesome. Except they brought Jellal. Nnnnggfffl would you go away Jellal? Stop cropping up in arcs that would otherwise have nothing to do with you.
Lyon gets a nice bit of blushface at Juvia. Cute.
Oh great, now we have Mavis giving a voice-over stanning for Jellal. Just what I wanted. Siiiiiigh. I wish I understood why the writer loves this character so much. It would make liking the Jellal/Erza ship much easier.
And now Sabertooth makes their way onto the scene. I recognize Angel. She looks a little different from what she looks like later on. Not quite sure why. (On a side note, loving how often Gray and Erza have been in the same frame together.)
The first contest begins and the participating members choose themselves. Lyon, Juvia, and Gray are all in it. I sense triangle shenanigans.
Episode ends before we can find out the rules to the game. Naturally.
Whoops.
I return to LJ for Fairy Tail archive binging. I am blazing through the series and attempting to get completely caught up. My friends and I have been having a regular anime night Saturdays and Fairy Tail one of the shows we're keeping up with. So it'll be helpful to actually know what the heck is going on.
Episode 154, "For All The Time We Missed Each Other":
Previously on Fairy Tail we accidentally wasted our three months of training time to party in the Spirit World.
Oops.
We start off with the group on the beach, despairing, then vowing to train really hard the last five days. Meanwhile the other guilds are also gearing up for the Grand Magic Games.
Then someone sends them an ominous note by carried pigeon, telling them to come meet somewhere. Team Natsu does and HOORAY IT'S CRIME SORCIERE, meaning JELLAL AND ULTEAR AND MEREDY.
Except I did not miss you Jellal. Go away. You're boring.
Anyway, Crime Sorciere has come to ask Fairy Tail to keep their eyes out during the games for mysterious evil Hanky Panky. And also-oh-for-DAMMIT JELLAL WHY IS IT EVERY TIME YOU SHOW UP YOU BRING DEUS EX MACHINA WITH YOU?!
...Oh. Oh wait, that's not actually so terrible. It just deepens their personal magic containers and gives them access to more powerful spells, they still have to train to use that increased capacity. Also it will hurt a lot.
And now there's a cute still of Gray and Ultear looking at each other fondly and Juvia hugging Meredy. Aww.
And Erza looks with hard eyes at Jellal. So... she's back to resenting and not trusting him?
...Why do I get the feeling that this will be completely ignored and she'll just fall into his arms later on? When is their almost kiss anyway? *check wikipedia* ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? THIS EPISODE?! ERZA YOU JUST MET HIM AGAIN! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HE'S CHANGED IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS! WHAT'S WITH THE HARD EYES? WHAT'S WITH NAGGING HIM ABOUT IF HE REMEMBERS HIS PAST? I THOUGHT YOU HAD DECIDED YOU WERE ALREADY TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THE NEW ATONER JELLAL BACK IN THE NIRVANA ARC?! WILL YOU MAKE UP YOUR MIND WOMAN?! DO YOU OR DO YOU NOT LOVE THIS IDIOT?!
...That got a little away from me there, I'm sorry.
Cut to Natsu getting his Second Origin unlocked and ow. Ow. Ow. That looks painful. Erza's gone off with Jellal somewhere, which prompts Juvia to grab Gray's arm and hoist him away too. Gray is frustratingly unresponsive to her. See, this is why I started shipping Juvia with Lyon. At least Lyon acts like he actually likes Juvia.
"Can I think of you as the 'old' Jellal and treat you that way?" The "old" Jellal was a ten-year-old kid that we the audience knew for like twelve minutes. Why are you still clinging to your kid crush after six or eight or however many years?! Jellal has grown up sweetie. He spent the remainder of his childhood possessed and evil, died, came back to life sans the memory of who he was, started developing a new non-possessed more noble character, was taken away from you to prison, and you haven't seen him for years!
And he's fully expecting you to still be angry with him to boot! AND HE'S SAYING THAT HE CAN'T EVER ATONE FOR THE WHOLE TOWER OF HEAVEN MESS EVEN WITH CRIME SORCIERE APPARENTLY IT'S POINTLESS AND HE'S ALL EMO ABOUT IT AND AHLASKFHASF WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP YOUR STUPID FACE. JELLAL, SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME FOR A MOMENT. THERE IS NO MOTIVATION FOR ME TO BELIEVE IN YOUR ATONEMENT AND REDEMPTION IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IT YOURSELF. If you were to just be a little more, "I did terrible things at the Tower of Heaven and I don't know if I can ever make up for them but I'm going to try I MUST ATONE FOR MY MISDEEDS." instead of, "I did terrible things at the Tower of Heaven and NOTHING I DO OR HAVE DONE SINCE THEN HAS EVER OR WILL EVER BLOT OUT MY SINS WOE IS ME." that would be much appreciated.
...
...Again, that got a little away from me.
"You're not the old Jellal! You're not the Jellal who struggled desperately to survive!" WOMAN, YOU JUST ASKED HIM LIKE TWO MINUTES AGO IF YOU COULD IMAGINE HIM AS THE "OLD JELLAL"!
How convenient. They tripped over nothing.
Okay, admittedly, this is really pretty scenery and animation. Too bad it's wasted on the World's Most Undeveloped Ship.
...Feels were actually moderately tugged there. Good job animation team. Again, too bad that there ain't gonna be any real progress here. But at least Erza gets to be a precious dork.
Aww, Ultear told Erza to take care of Gray!
YES. JELLAL MEANS TO PUNISH HIMSELF. HE BASICALLY SAID EARLIER THAT DESTROYING DARK GUILDS WITH YOU GUYS WASN'T ENOUGH TO CLEANSE THE BLACKNESS OF HIS SOUL.
This would be a wonderful closure point for this ship you know.
Episode 155, "Crocus, the Blooming Capitol":
Team Natsu et. all return to the guild and of course are chosen to be the representatives for Fairy Tail in the Grand Magic Games. And there are adorable friendship moments.
And the city is very pretty of course. Team Natsu meets up with Gramps and various FT members, including Alzack and Bisca's adorable little girl LOOK AT HER SHE'S SO CUTE. They're given the rulebook, which warns that all participants must be in their respective guild accomodations before midnight.
I sense foreshadowing.
The team splits up. Natsu and Lucy and Happy go wander off together. Erza, all business as usual, goes right to the inn and searches their room for anything suspicious.
Lucy in a flower crown aww.
Juvia approaches Gray, ostensibly to ask him out. He actually accepts. Just when I begin to think this relationship might actually show some vague signs of progress though, Lyon promptly arrives on the scene. HI LYON HOW ARE YOU HAVE YOU WON JUVIA'S HEART YET? Juvia gives this adorable look as Lyon's starting to lead her off lol. Poor confused goldfish Juvia.
Gray and Lyon butt heads about the Grand Magic Games and the shipper in me squees at Gray's mention of Erza. And Juvia flails about trying to regain control of the situation.
Back with aforementioned Erza, she flashes back to the almost kiss of last episode. The moment is ruined by Ichiya. I never thought I'd ever be glad to see him. Also Ren, Hibiki, and Eve. Cuties. <3
Wendy and Carla are being watched by something creepy.
Natsu, meanwhile, encounters the dragon slayers of Sabertooth. Sting and Rouge are kind of jerks now but I know from later on that they get better. Presumably they murdered their own dragon parents but again, I know otherwise from later. In any case this does not sit well with Natsu.
Back at the inn, everyone has gathered except Wendy and Carla. It becomes swiftly midnight aaaaaaand the guilds are all thrown right into an elimination round. Yay.
Episode 156, "Sky Labyrinth":
Elfman kindly volunteers to fill in for Wendy in her absence. Mr. Voiceover Guy gives us information we already know and we're off. Lucy conveniently has a compass Celestial Spirit. But apparently it's not a very good one lol.
The pumpkin thing keeps popping in to offer exposition. It is distracting. I don't think we even needed to know why Natsu wasn't getting motion sickness. The labyrinth isn't a vehicle, simple.
Anyway, Team Natsu (plus Elfman minus Wendy and Carla) make their way through the maze. Meanwhile, Lisanna and Happy look for Wendy.
We encounter Twilight Ogre in the maze. They are roundly curbstomped. Then suddenly the labyrinth starts turning. Welp. Okay so maybe that exposition was useful after all. Team Natsu swipes maps from other teams to complete their own. When they put them together... they're still confused. Because the labyrinth has an upside-down green town in it.
...kay?
Lucy summons her compass spirit again. And off they go towards the finish line.
Lisanna and Happy get into the palace and look for Wendy. The Pumpkin announces the end of the elimination round. And Lisanna and Happy find Wendy's bag. The creepy bug thing from before is spying on them too. Lisanna and Carla are found, drained of their magic. Mr. Voiceover Guy pipes in with... things we literally just saw happen come on now really?
Episode 157, "New Guild":
ANYWAY, the Grand Magic Games proper begins. Team Fairy Tail has their matching outfits. Except of course Elfman can't fit into the one meant for Wendy. Cue flashback of them checking in on Wendy. Poor Wendy.
Later, Fairy Tail enters the arena. They get booed. But then Mavis appears!
HI MAVIS! I guess you can hang around in spirit form or something?
The teams are announced. There's all the usual expected parties, plus a couple new ones. With Raven Tail's announcement... I sense villains.
They've just claimed credit for Wendy, yep, villains. Naturally hurting Natsu's nakama will go over badly for them.
Oh hey, Fairy Tail gets a B team. Awesome. Except they brought Jellal. Nnnnggfffl would you go away Jellal? Stop cropping up in arcs that would otherwise have nothing to do with you.
Lyon gets a nice bit of blushface at Juvia. Cute.
Oh great, now we have Mavis giving a voice-over stanning for Jellal. Just what I wanted. Siiiiiigh. I wish I understood why the writer loves this character so much. It would make liking the Jellal/Erza ship much easier.
And now Sabertooth makes their way onto the scene. I recognize Angel. She looks a little different from what she looks like later on. Not quite sure why. (On a side note, loving how often Gray and Erza have been in the same frame together.)
The first contest begins and the participating members choose themselves. Lyon, Juvia, and Gray are all in it. I sense triangle shenanigans.
Episode ends before we can find out the rules to the game. Naturally.