Ang Aking Sariling Pagkukuro Hinggil sa Fairy Tail (My Own Insights Regarding Fairy Tail)

[Paunang salita: Ang mga sumusunod na mga ideya rito ay isinulat ko sa wikang Ingles para na rin mabasa ng iba. At tsaka ang paksa natin ay isang tungkol sa gawa ng isang banyaga kaya minarapat ko na isa-Ingles ang mga susunod na mga talata.]

I am a long time fan of Japanese manga and any other types of graphic literature made by different authors of different cultures and nationalities. It relaxes me from my stressful work during my college years and even as a worker in a semiconductor firm. And one of the mangas (or should I say anime, since there is an anime version of it) that entertains me the most of the time is Fairy Tail which is created by Hiro Mashima, the author also of Rave Master.

The following are the qualities that makes Fairy Tail appeals to me:

1. The story revolves around magic or any variants of magic itself. Many stories have touched the concept of magic but no one has the approach like Fairy Tail has - origins (though the story still building it up), uses and combats , and of course, side effects. The third reason made me hooked with this manga. Many has conceived magic to be a tool of the Gods, or a weapon of the powerful, or ability of a chosen one. Fairy Tail explains that nature of magic, its uses to the beholders, and its probable side effect if one has to overuse it. This manga also explains that magic can be essential to people if used properly but can also be wicked if used otherwise.
2. Fairy Tail is not like other shonen manga that has long fighting battles. Most of the fights in this manga are considerably short in comparison to Dragon Ball or any similar pieces. Long fights can make the story draggy and less entertaining, and can sometimes, lead to boredom.
3. The names are unique (of course, it should be) and somewhat connected to their personality or origins. For instance, the name Natsu Dragneel refers to somewhat thing or idea of the dragons plus Natsu is fire in Japanese (if I am not mistaken), the name Lucy Heartfilia denotes somewhat a wealthy personality, and so on. By this naming convention used in Fairy Tail, no need to explain what are their power since it is already being hinted by their names! ^_^
4. The girls are super cute and sexy. In some shonen mangas, most of the women there are drawn like scribbles (except for One Piece). Since the shonen manga is mostly intended for males, the author or creator must also have excellent drawing on his female characters as well.
5. Every latest chapter makes you crave for the next chapter. If you haven't read Fairy Tail and don't understand this fifth quality I had stated, just give it a try and read chapter 1. By that way, you can understand what I mean.
6. There is no random killing of main and supporting characters. A good story plot doesn't always need killing a person in order for the protagonists to gain strength. Every character placed plays a significant role in a plot development and that is what Fairy Tail is doing right now.
7. It has some comedic or comical relief in some of the plots. The use of it is to somewhat lessen tenses that has been built-up due to confrontations with stronger and smarter villains, and also make the reader out of the boredom borderline.

Though Fairy Tail has some good qualities, it has some flaws also and these are the following:

1. Natsu Dragneel is always powered-up every time he faces with stronger and badass villains. These character development hole (my own term only) on Natsu makes his opponents look weaker than him although some of the match-ups (example with Zancrow) looked very one-sided (of course, I am expecting Zancrow to win). In addition, Natsu currently experiences nearly zero serious defeats. I think this would help Natsu character to grow a lot. (Note: Natsu is designed as a person that doesn't know how to surrender or to take defeat, so if that is the case, then that's it ^_^ )
2. Some of overpowered magical skills are not explained substantially, so some of the readers keeps on guessing what the exact meaning of those overrated skills.
3. The concept of having nakama armor plot is little lame for me. There are some ways to power up your character. Of course, it is up to the author.
4. Some of character wounds and attacks are illogical. For example, when Hades attacked Makarov, he inflicted a damage on Makarov and it cause hole on his torso, but after the attack, he is still at 20% HP. I think it's logical if Makarov is in critical condition. Another illogical attack is Azuma's bomb on Mirajane. The bomb bursts only in front of Mirajane, leaving Lisanna mostly unharmed (if I recall correctly). When I read that, a big question mark appears on my head. Anyway, the story is still on-going so maybe it is explained in one of the chapters in the future.
5. It seems that some of the art work becomes less creative than the others and it seems that some of them are recycled. I understand that part since releasing a manga weekly has a lot of pressure on mangaka's part. And, I use that copy-paste method too in some of my works (if there's any ^_^ )

Ergo! You had witnessed my insights regarding this manga. It is only based on my own preference and my experience on reading some shonen mangas before. But to summarize, I recommend Fairy Tail to manga fanatics. It is a good pick.