Ah they are back, the strongest guild in Fiore!
And it is finally official, the guild renowned as the trouble-makers of the magic world has finally revived and with it the return of all its members, well save for a few – Laxus and the Raijinshuu in particular. The manner in how Lucy’s despair was addressed was handled quite beautifully, not only did it express the traumatic effect Fairy Tail dissolving had for her but it also exemplified exactly how much she loves Fairy Tail and how much her experiences with everyone meant to her. That love which strengthens Lucy also created a vulnerability inside her that caused her to fear accepting the realisation that the time she cherished most would be gone forever. I’m sure each and every member of Fairy Tail felt the same way, which is why they only returned to Magnolia after the recent events.
Having flashback panels of the moments that made Fairy Tail such a beloved guild to Lucy was a great way to invoke the nostalgia of the reader’s endearment to Fairy Tail. Such a scene preceding the flashback of Makarov decision to dissolve Fairy Tail only exaggerated the point that to the members, the guild dissolving was a major emotional tragedy to them. I have an idea of what Makarov was intending by dissolving Fairy Tail, but I would love to have it confirmed by Makarov himself that he desired for each and every single member of Fairy Tail to “find themselves” outside the guild.
Oh Cana, good to see you again!
It was good to see everyone again after a year of manga time, especially the minor members who could develop a more prominent role in the series as previous members have in past arcs (e.g. Cana and Levy). The timeskip enables those minor members to have developed and if Mashima-sensei chooses and can create moments for any one of them if not all. I eagerly look forward to seeing what Mashima-sensei has planned for the members of Fairy Tail.
Elfman’s new physique surprised me, it seems after every timeskip, he can’t help but train and buff up. His new build does seem more well balanced now with his upper body not being so excessively massive, though it still is quite muscular now but it certainly looks more cooler. A few other character have had their hairstyles changed, which does help to give them a fresher look (Nab and Lisana). And of course Mirajane, lovable and sexy Mira-nee, she is looking as welcoming as ever! Glad nothing major and dramatic was changed about her design as she already looked fabulous.
Mira-nee!
Will be interesting to find out who the 7th Guild Master of Fairy Tail will be. It obviously won’t be Natsu as being a guild master at this point in time is not his role and not his style. I can only really think of four candidates for being the 7th Guild Master; Laxus, Doranbolt, Erza or Lucy. Gildarts is probably still on his fantastic adventure around the world, so he probably won’t be the next Guild Master.
As for Erza, she does have the required skills and expertise to be a Guild Master, but with Erza having such a prominent role in the arc battles, I have to wonder whether she is too directly involved in the arcs to be the next Guild Master. Lucy helped to catalyst the revival of Fairy Tail and her love for the guild has been conveyed deeply this past arc, so she has the heart of being a Guild Master. For the same reason as Erza, Lucy may be too directly involved in the arcs to be the Guild Master.
With Laxus and Doranbolt, I wouldn’t mind either but I am leaning more towards Laxus. Even though Doranbolt is a fantastic character and his dependability conveyed at the end of the Tartarus Arc was an extremely cool development, I can’t help but feel that Laxus has been built up as a character to become a Guild Master of Fairy Tail. He already knows of the existence of Lumen Histoire and thanks to the turbulent journey he has had in life and the struggles he has overcome, he has gained an appreciation for what Fairy Tail really represents. Doranbolt and/or Erza being Laxus’s advisers wouldn’t be so bad and I would actually love that. The Raijinshuu would serve nicely as Laxus’s elite guards =D.
Very excited to see who the 7th Guild Master of Fairy Tail will be. Looking forward to the next chapter.
12Dimension 