User blog comment:Miskos3/Fairy Tail 519: Show Me Your Smile, Review/@comment-25111584-20170127183844/@comment-25111584-20170127193715

Honestly, trying to be completely unbiased, I still can't say this battle was even half as bad as Gray vs. Invel. It actually had its moments, and, while Irene's character went down the drain in the end, she still was appealing at times, not to mention a proper character in her own right. It has raised incredibly relevant plot points (Wendy can basically create an army of Dragon Slayers) which will most likely be used later, not to mention the amount of lore it provides (along with plotholes that are inevitable in FT).

Gray vs. Invel, on the other hand, was pure, refined BS, from its setup to execution to conclusion. Gray turned into nothing but a musclehead who can do nothing but punch, which is not only OOC, but also an insult to Ur's beautiful Magic of Freedom. The fight had no coherence or structure. 'Twas just a massive Gruvia wank because that was clearly Mashima's goal. Invel went from being a crafty bastard to a dumbarse to a crafty bastard 'cuz fuck consistency and proper characterization. But, ultimately, he was nothing more than a plot device to further Gruvia (which is a sin, but I'm trying to be unbiased) and setup Gray vs. Natsu simply because Mashima thought that it would be interesting. Not to mention the fact that it raised the plot point that Gray is going to go insane... except Mashima clearly intends to ignore it now that he's done with the Gray vs. Natsu fiasco. The entire battle is an absolute mess and a waste of one of the only good Shields (although this last is bias :P).