The Bottom Line
Fairy Tail Volume 2 delivers on the promise of the first installment by giving readers more of the wacked-out magic and heroic adventures of fire wizard Natsu and wannabe wizard Lucy. This second book shows us that Lucy can do more than yell at Natsu and adds Erza Scarlet, a no-nonsense woman warrior to the crew. Mashima also introduces new villains, the dark wizards of Eisenwald.
Mashima manages to keep the momentum going, but with villains who don't generate genuine menace to our heroes and a lack of a compelling cliffhanger, he'll have to up the ante in Volume 3 to keep readers coming back for more.
Pros
- Lucy finally gets to show that she's more than a wizard-wannabe who hollers at Natsu
- Woman warrior wizard Erza Scarlet brings a strong femme hero to the Fairy Tail cast
- Mashima introduces new villains, magical objects and places to flesh out this fantasy world
- Excellent translation and translator's notes make it enjoyable for non-Japanese readers too
Cons
- As villains go, Erigor the Death God isn't menacing enough to create a suspenseful cliffhanger
- Cancer's "-ebi" suffix to all his sentences just doesn't come across as humorous for Western readers
Description
- Original Title: Feari Teiru (Japan)
- Author & Artist: Hiro Mashima
- Publishers:
- Del Rey Manga (US)
- Kodansha (Japan)
- ISBN: 978-0-345-50330-5
- Cover Price: $10.95 US / $12.50 CANADA
- Age Rating:
T – Teens Age 13+
for partial nudity, comical violence
More about content ratings. - Manga Genres:
- Shonen (Boys') Manga
- Action / Adventure
- Comedy
- Fantasy
- US Publication Date: March 2008
Japan Publication Date: January 2007 - Book Description: 208 pages, black and white illustrations
- More Manga by Hiro Mashima:
Guide Review - Fairy Tail Volume 2
Now that wannabe wizard Lucy is officially a part of the Fairy Tail guild, she's sent on her first paying mission. On a quest to retrieve and destroy a rare book from a rich man's home, Lucy and Natsu think that this job is a breeze. But upon accepting the assignment, they find out that the 200,000 jewels reward has been upped to 2 million and the risk has gone up accordingly.
While the threats to their lives and limbs are more comical than menacing, this adventure gives Lucy a chance to show off her magical skills, and demonstrate that she can do more than holler at Natsu. We also learn more about Natsu's fire powers and how the magical world of Fairy Tail works.
The second half introduces us to a new woman warrior, Erza Scarlet. Armored and dangerous, Erza is the kind of straight-shooting, butt-kickin' gal that everyone respects (and fears), which is nice to see in a boys' comic. We also learn more about the other members of Fairy Tail, as well as dark wizards who act outside the law.
Fairy Tail Volume 2 serves up more of the hyper-wackiness that made the first volume a fun read. It also offers a few enjoyable twists and fleshes out a few characters, but delivers very little suspense. Sure, we meet more villains here, but they don't give readers a sense that they pose a genuine threat to the Fairy Tail crew. It all seems just too easy for them to win against this new pack of bad guys, which is a shame, because a great cliffhanger or intriguing storyline would make it more compelling to pick up Volume 3.
All in all, this is a solid second volume that delivers on the promise of the first. There are a few hints of character back-stories yet to be revealed, but Mashima will need to up the ante and throw in some curveballs and plot twists in the next volume to make this an addictive read over the long run.
