User blog comment:LastationLover5000/Fairy Tail 416 - In Which We're Back To Bullshit (Tartaros Arc - Final Chapter)/@comment-3030647-20150121040547

I honestly don't see why people found this chapter so bad...


 * Natsu has grown up a little bit, in fact. The fact that he's willing to go and train independently after fostering strength in friendship shows that he's attempting to take responsibility for things that he believes are his fault. He's taking the death and parting messages of Igneel to heart. Though I suppose everyone's blinded by Natsu's "nakama-ness" to really see this.
 * Laxus' scene was touching. We have never, ever seen Laxus so self-pitying before. The fact that he's willing to embrace the Raijinshu and express his sorrows proves this very much. Instead of being solitary, he's instead embracing others in order to grow - an almost opposite dynamic to Natsu, ironically.
 * Erza's scene was...well, expected. But you have to consider this. Remember the Tower of Heaven Arc where Erza broke down in front of Jellal? Yeah, that isn't what Erza represents. Her torture by Kyouka? Also not what Erza represents. The reason why Erza's seen as so overpowered (albeit, she is and Hiro could pull this off a bit better) is because she is a symbol of strength. Natsu himself has said that he refuses to see Erza weak. Nobody expects Erza to be weak. Burdened with expectations from people such as Natsu, Gray, Lucy and even Jellal, one can expect that Jellal's reassurance was necessary for Erza. Also remember it's been one week canonically. In that one week that wasn't shown, everyone (including Erza) could have been brooding miserably despite putting on a happy face now.
 * Gray and Juvia's scene was...exactly how it should have been. I have no complaints about it. And for those complaining about Gray not being receptive to Juvia's feelings...how exactly can he be? He's been bombarded with tragedies ever since the Deliora Arc. Does he really have the time to be thinking about a relationship with someone who he could potentially lose all the same? However, in another sense, I also believe that Gray truly does have feelings for Juvia. Given the tragedies that have been his way, however, he doesn't have the confidence to express his feelings and then succumb to even more loss than he has. Juvia is one of the few pillars of strength that Gray can rely on; in fact, she's the only pillar of strength Gray can rely on. Gray has never been as open about his feelings to anyone except for Juvia, a characteristic trait for a man in love.
 * Wendy and Lucy's scenes showed a strength of character to me that wasn't present in a lot of others. Carla's commentary on Wendy was in fact, quite accurate. She's smiling despite the tragedy. No twelve year old should have to go through something like that and yet she's still smiling. Although I believe her haircut should have stayed given that it demonstrates a new attitude, I think Hiro might just be trying to represent that physical changes might not be necessary to reflect mental ones. Wendy's strength of character isn't from her hair, it's from her actions. (Despite the fact that I liked her hair short). Lucy, on the other hand, showed something similar. She realized that even after tragedy, life goes on. She's attempting to bring a smile on people's faces and, honestly, her reaction to Natsu leaving was pretty spot-on with her character. We all know Lucy's depended on Natsu for a very long time. Now it's time to see what she can without him.
 * Doranbolt's scene was...interesting. I didn't expect this sort of thing to happen but, then again, given the prevalence Doranbolt had among the Magic Council...it wasn't too surprising. What that revealed to me about Makarov's character, however, was something that we should probably point out. Makarov is quite, uh, let's call him sneaky. He's used Gajeel to spy on Ivan and co. He's used Doranbolt to track the actions of the Magic Council. And he's used people to this extent. While he might parade about camaraderie, Makarov also understands risks and necessity and is, to some extent, detached to certain individuals he places in these tasks. Or, on the other hand, he simply bears a lot of trust in people.
 * Gajeel's scene was also appropriate given the sheer magnitude of things he's been through. He nearly lost his life, lost his teacher for good and probably feels rather useless given that he couldn't even beat Torafusa without the assistance of Levy. A rather accurate representation of Gajeel's character (and a bit of comedy to boot).

Now with the whole END thing being predictable...yeah, we were all certain of it. And to be honest, I didn't mind that much. Maybe Hiro just used the Tartarus arc as a sort-of step on a ladder that isn't meant to be heeded for very important things. Honestly, Tartarus seemed more like a bit of exposition here and there and that's it. So I'm personally looking forward to seeing a development in Fairy Tail's characters and even its storytelling. My expectations aren't very high still, but you know...this chapter had its good points if you look at it from another angle.