User blog:Ash9876/Fairy Tail Review -- Larcade's Involvement

Hey everyone! Ash here. Been ages since I've done a review. And let me explain why. No, it's not because I've "quit."

I had exams when I started reviewing. Then holidays started and I feverishly began searching (still am) for work. Then I got called to help out Dad at his work. I've also been volunteering a bunch. And then Final Fantasy XV came (don't put your comments about the game in this thread please.)

So as you can see I'm a busy bee. So I've decided to switch up how I review from now on. Instead of the lengthy format I used to do, I'll do a more opinionated review of what I thought about the chapter rather than the summary. It's just easier.

Verdict
White Shadow Dragon's...Stitching Back Together Our Reputation With Rough Silk!

Okay yes I'm not funny. Besides the point.

These past few chapters have revolved around, , and  along with a bit of  here and there.

Overall? The chapters are fine. Nothing incredible to speak of. There were some pretty epic moments in the action, such as Kagura slicing through a mountain, using pain to get rid of pleasure, and Larcade blocking Archenemy with a finger and then subsequently pulling an Acnologia.

The focus of these chapters has been on Larcade and his identity. He proclaims himself as Zeref's son and is allegedly the child of as well. How this works? There are plenty of ways. However, given his comparison to Natsu, I'd imagine he's not necessarily a traditional child in any sense of the word.

He is a man who, in this arc, has a strong parallel with both Zeref and Natsu, more so with Zeref. Unlike Zeref, who is a Black Mage, wields the forces of darkness and is quite easily an emotional man forced into detaching himself from the world, Larcade is almost completely the opposite. He is a Mage born with a strong power of light. He induces death not through the contradiction of life's natural progression, but rather, through causing one to submit to their natural desires.

At a first glance there might not be much to say about Larcade and Natsu's parallels, but some are quite clear. While both are strong forces of "light" (Fire versus Light) and are both "children of Zeref", Natsu's goal is to eradicate Zeref whereas Larcade is completely devoted to him. Both are concerned for their comrades but for very different reasons and are also destined to confront Acnologia at some point.

What do I think of Larcade? Honestly, he's not a bad antagonist at all. His sudden introduction was definitely out of left field and a lot of people probably dislike that another Dragneel got thrown into the mix. But, consider this. If Larcade wasn't a Dragneel, what would he be? We already have and  taking away the prize of the strongest of the Spriggan 12. What's the point in introducing another Spriggan who has barely any plot relevance after them? There isn't. This was one of the few narrative decisions that was smart on Hiro's part and it serves as an expositionary and developmentary tool as well.

His abilities, I will admit, were rather awkward for me to read. To manipulate the three primal desires of sexual desire, hunger and rest is something that is...definitely not done very often. However, given his theme, it is not in the slightest bit surprising. The three primal desires are those "shadows" within the light of a human that we are forced to succumb to, especially when one is all alone. To a man who grew up lacking any sort of love and has transcended humanity, there is little doubt this was the only path for him. That, and, R.I.P is a very obvious parallel to E.N.D (it's also the funniest name just fyi.)

The chapters, in terms of their action, have been good. The fights between Kagura and Larcade and then Sting and Larcade were both presented very well despite how short they are. While I don't think Larcade is out for the count, especially considering that the shadow was only meant to delay his Magic's effect for "an instant," it's nice to see that Larcade (and by extension, potentially Irene and August) are not completely invincible.

On a side note, I do like how Happy is the only person with the emotional burden of knowing Natsu's identity on his shoulders. Despite how much we hate him, there is no denying that his bond with Natsu is something that the series really does treasure and seeing Happy's tears for Natsu in this state is something else.

On another side note. Goddamn it Hiro you're so close to revealing what E.N.D is and yet you're refusing to even touch on who the hell Irene is to Erza. E.N.D IS MORE RELEVANT TO THE PLOT WHY ARE YOU CHOOSING HIM FIRST GAH.

Anyways overall the chapters, in my opinion, were good for what they were. The plot is definitely moving forward and we're anticipating some twists and turns.