I recently heard of “Fairy Tail” from a friend, who described it as having to do with dragons teaching magic to humans, and I was instantly intrigued (…after some slight, but comical, outrage initially, as I have been writing some stories of a similar nature, but that’s neither here nor there). After having watched only the first episode (and reading a bit of background online), I will say that the art style is wonderfully done, the characters are quirky, with hints of more depth to be discovered, and the mythos of the world seems to be highly intriguing anime fantasy for sure. In the beginning teaser scene, before the show title, they establish beautifully, the set-up of the world.
In the kingdom of Fiore, magic is a tool used by all, or at least most, to merely accomplish everyday tasks. A select few, however, use magic in more complex and fulfilling ways, and are referred to as Wizards. These Wizards establish or join guilds to further their magical abilities and careers. One guild though, stands out among the rest, as the roughest and most celebrated of them all… Fairy Tail.
In the large port town of Hargeon, we meet Lucy, a young, aspiring Wizard in search of some magical gate keys. She is somewhat naive, and new to wizardry, but is not above using her feminine wiles to score magical items, or at least a discount, as we see in this episode. We also discover that Lucy yearns for a chance to join the amazing Wizard guild Fairy Tail, but is not quite sure how she’ll manage it.
Natsu is a young man, somewhat mysterious, and easily plagued by motion sickness, who is traveling through Hargeon with his pet sidekick Happy, a magical talking cat of course. The two of them are in search of a fire dragon by the name of Igneel, whom they believe is there due to rumors of a “salamander” having arrived recently to the fishing port.
As Natsu and Happy walk through Hargeon, hungry and hopeful to find Igneel, the pair overhear a gaggle of girls fawning over a Wizard they call, “Salamander!” Eagerly, the pair push past the crowd, to find who they believe must be Igneel. As they reach the center of the group of love-drunk ladies, Natsu and Happy are quickly disappointed, as the stranger is not their old friend, but merely a pathetic Wizard using a banned charm to make women adore him. As the two begin to trudge away in despair, Lucy stops them. She had also been lured into the same crowd by the Wizard’s charm, but luckily had been able to break free of its effect through Natsu and Happy’s sudden arrival. After thanking the duo by treating them to a large meal, she leaves Natsu and Happy to search for their friend on their own, so that she might get back to figuring out a way into the legendary Fairy Tail guild.
Without spoiling the rest of the episode, I will say that it was a great introduction to “Fairy Tail.” There were elements of humor, and terrific action, some interesting plot turns, unanswered questions, as well as an ending that is the perfect beginning to a much larger journey. I will definitely watch more from this series, and perhaps even post a full review later on. I urge you all to check out “Fairy Tail” for yourselves (hopefully in a way that contributes to the creators somehow… maybe you click on an ad or two…), and don’t be shy. Be sure to let me know what you think of the series in the comments below!