Summary
- Fanservice has plagued Fairy Tail, taking away from character depth and narrative focus.
- The 100 Years Quest sequel continues to prioritize raunchy scenes over storytelling.
- Mashima's Edens Zero showcases a more nuanced, high-stakes narrative free from fanservice.
Hiro Mashima's magnus opus Fairy Tail is one of many long-running shonen series that populate the anime landscape, and while it was able to garner a sizable fan base, the show never took off like it's other shonen counterparts. From inconsistent character development to hasty storytelling, anime are held back by all manner of issues, yet Fairy Tail's primary flaw stems from an easily avoidable pitfall – fanservice. Whether it's the female cast's raunchy dresses or unsolicited scenes of characters undressing, Fairy Tail is laced with incessant fanservice, which, more often than not, takes away the focus from the primary narrative.
With the premier of Fairy Tail's 100 Years Quest sequel, fans of the show were expecting Hiro Mashima to rectify this glaring flaw in the series. Unfortunately, Mashima has ended up disappointing viewers once more, with instances of fanservice taking up a significant chunk of the show's screen time. With a blatant repetition of the same mistakes, it's clear that the 100 Years Quest sequel will be another low-stakes arc muddled with comedic relief in the form of skimpy fanservice.
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Why Fanservice Is Fairy Tail’s Biggest Problem
Fanservice Undermines the Narrative
Fanservice is a persistent problem that has plagued anime for years, and series continue to fall into this shonen trap. Fanservice isn’t inherently a negative concept, yet overusing it to the point of making it the focal point of the narrative is what turns this phenomenon into an overwhelming nuisance. Fairy Tail has been riddled with this problem since the show’s earlier seasons, though it became more apparent as the series progressed.
From characters stripping down in every other scene to shifting the perspective to obscene angles, Fairy Tail has it all in terms of providing viewers the perfect fanservice experience. However, this aspect of the show has become so overwhelming that the anime is now notorious for its raunchy scenes. Any semblance of depth and profundity in the show is lost the moment fanservice kicks in, and since every episode is laced with such profanity, the entirety of Fairy Tail seems akin to a low-stakes filler arc.
Why am I dressed... In a swimsuit?!
Due to this rampant problem, any depiction of nuanced subtexts is immediately lost, as the show keeps transitioning to its comedic tonality. Even scenes of considerable significance, such as Erza’s mortifying torture at the hands of Kyoka or Lucy’s humiliating defeat against Flare, are seen as nothing more than low-stakes fanservice moments.
Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest Repeats This Glaring Flaw
The Sequel Features Raunchy Scenes Of Similar Nature
Released after almost half a decade since the original’s conclusion, the 100 Years Quest sequel has been a long-awaited continuation of the series. With a considerable gap in the release of the sequel, it was speculated that Mashima would rectify the series’ flaws and make a few reiterations to the show’s tonality.
She's my toy. I plan on playing with her a little longer.
However, the 100 Years Quest’s airing has, unfortunately, disappointed fans once more, with Mashima upping the ante on the frisky fanservice and racy antics. Even with the introduction of dangerous entities such as the Five Dragon Gods and the Dragon Eaters, Fairy Tail has failed to incorporate any sort of gravity into the premise.
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Erza’s fight with Kiria, the Blade Dragon Slayer, is a prime example of how fanservice heavily undermines the story’s impact. What was meant to be a scene of mortifying punishment ended up presenting itself as one of the series’ raunchy antics, with Erza’s body merely being used for the purpose of comedic relief and fanservice. This not only relegates Erza’s character but also removes what little depth and character growth she has, making matters worse for an already under-developed character roster.
Can Mashima Rectify These Mistakes?
The Author Can Potentially Address These Issues Down The Line
Spanning over an entire decade, Fairy Tail’s long run gave Mashima plenty of opportunities to reiterate and improve the series’ premise and flesh out his characters. With the same issues persisting in 100 Years Quest, the sequel gives the impression that the author is incapable of writing a nuanced premise.
However, Mashima’s newest work, Edens Zero, proves this speculation wrong, as the series presents a profound premise that is free from comedic relegation, incessant fanservice, and unwarranted power-ups. The show also features a much graver tonality, immediately giving the impression of a high-stakes premise. While Edens Zero never exactly took off like its predecessor, it is certainly Mashima’s superior work.
Since it’s clear that the author is capable of writing a fleshed-out narrative with plenty of nuances, it becomes all the more disappointing that he failed to improve these persistent pitfalls that have long muddled Fairy Tail’s legacy. With the 100 Years Quest sequel currently airing, it’s possible that the show could take a turn for the better. Considering Mashima’s past writing decisions, however, such a change remains unlikely for the most part.
Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest
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- 2024 - 2025-00-00
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