Template:TMITM/Jan2012

  We might as well start. But before that… No, don’t worry, I’m not reprimanding you again (though you’d deserve that… GO READ THE CHAPTERS THEMSELVES!!!). What I’d like to do is an EXTREMELY SHORT summary of previous events which led to such chapters… Guess I’ll steal the anime caption (Sorry my trusty Anime Whore!) and go for a “Previously on Fairy Tail” (without the Natsu voice, mine is likely a bit deeper). So, let’s get at it!

I- Chapter 265: The Blooming Capital, Crocus

Here comes the first chapter of 2012! Yay! Published on the 6th of January on most sites, it consists of 18 standard pages and a double page… Kind of a standard arrangement for the weekly chapter.

Alright, new year, new location! The Grand Magic Games will be held in Crocus, the capital of the Fiore kingdom! Widely known as the “Blooming capital” for the vast amounts of flowers it houses, Crocus welcomes Team Natsu and Wendy Marvel, still exhausted by the unconventional training they underwent with Ultear’s aid. Here they meet up with some of their fellow guild members, and we (the readers) are informed about the Games’ rules, among which is, obviously, the Guild Master's impossibility to participate in the event. It’s not long before we learn that the five representatives of Fairy Tail will be… Dammit, who do you think will be? Obviously Team Natsu and Wendy! Something strange, right? What about Laxus, Gildarts, Gajeel, Mirajane…? Simple, they’re not there. How convenient. The event itself is supposed to be a secret: no idea what will involve, it seems to change every year. However, the competitors are supposed to reach their lodgings before 12:00 AM. Taking advantage of the hours still left before the night, Team Natsu splits up to explore the town, with Erza going immediately to the lodgings and having a look around. Gray runs into Juvia (now donning a fashionable new outfit ) who came to cheer her guildmates up; as they ready to eat something together (much to Juvia and our surprise), Lyon appears, boasting about his new infatuation with Juvia, and challenges Gray: if Lamia Scale wins the Grand Magic Games, Juvia will have to join their guild. Fairy Tail’s victory would, predictably, allow them to keep Juvia (Obvious, no? What a profitable bet…). The whole scene is comedic, nothing serious… I think. In front of Crocus’ majestic palace, Mercurius, Wendy and Charle are going touring under the wicked-looking eyes of an hidden, small observer… Don’t think it’s there to sell them cookies, that is.

Elsewhere, Natsu, Lucy and Happy run into the famous Dragon Slayer Duo of the currently strongest Guild in Fiore, Sabertooth: before them are Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney, together with their (seemingly) Exceed partners Lector and Frosh. The four of them don’t lose any time and start acting like the assholes they’re supposed to be, with the boys downplaying Natsu and stating they could take on Acnologia anytime (again, see the character page!), and the two cats casually insulting Happy… The two Dragon Slayers then go on to reveal that they belong to the Third Generation, having BOTH learned their Magic from a Dragon and having had it implanted in their body… “Dramatic music” …To subsequently kill the Dragon who taught them.

Mashima’s art is good as always, and we get an appreciable cover portraying Natsu (in a plastic pose) and Igneel, with everything highlighted by intense colors (these being obviously black and various shades of green… No “real” colors this week, sorry guys).



II- Chapter 266: Sky Labyrinth

After the shocking news and the hanging around, Team Natsu returns to the lodgings, only to discover that Wendy is nowhere to be found. Elfman (who seems to have been overusing steroids during the three-month training) and Lisanna appear to support them with weird-named snacks and beverages! Before they have a chance to boast about the therapeutic effects of the so called “Muscle Cola” (obviously plagiarized by the Coca Cola, which received Muscle Cola’s Magical layers knocking at the door as a result), the clock strikes midnight. And hell unleashes (at Russel Crowe’s signal, of course). Floating in the air above Crocus, obviously high on something, is the Pumpkin King, stranded in Fiore from Halloween Town, weird announcer, who goes on to announce that the participant guilds will be reduced from 113 to 8 through a preliminary event… The so called “Sky Labyrinth”, which has all of the guild’s lodgings unite into a mechanical globe floating high above Crocus and rolling around the town, with each guild’s goal being making it out of the place to the Coliseum Domus Flau, where the main event will be held…

...

Fuck, say what? Mashima must have been high on something as well while planning this...

Anyway, Elfman rapidly takes the absent Wendy’s place in the team (maybe a chance for a secondary character to shine?). Yay!

Inside the “labyrinth”, Lucy, in order for her group to orient itself, displays the use of a new Celestial Spirit, this being the result of the union between the babies-bringing stork and a compass, who proves itself useless like her master. Team Natsu soon realizes that the best way to leave the place is taking away the maps other teams are trying to draw… Something they achieve by punching, burning, freezing and sexually whipping (no, I’m not joking here) opponents. In the end, thanks to this “winning strategy”, Fairy Tail makes it out of the preliminary event… 8th. Last place among the “winners”. Who was it that beat the former strongest guild in Fiore? Wait and see!

Oh, right: Happy and Lisanna are searching around for the missing Wendy, and spot her bag not far from some bushes… A kidnapping? A young love? A stalker?

The art doesn’t disappoint, and Elfman’s given a new attire and, most importantly, a pair of HUGE sideburns. Which you can like or not. What I think most of the people out there won’t dislike (‘cause I know you) is Erza’s new… Ahem… Kinky Armor (thanks Rauleli for the name), coming equipped with the previously mentioned whip. And with the right outfit to use it the way I mentioned. Ahem. Let's go on. The cover portrays the Guild Card of the older Max, which owes the timeskip for turning him into a cool fellow.



III – Chapter 267: New Guild

Fairy Tail, having entered the real thing, readies itself for the Grand Magic Games, donning their new, matching attires… That is, aside from Elfman, who finds Wendy’s dress a bit too small for it to fit on him… And since we’re at it, Wendy’s back! Momentarily deprived of her Magic Power and unable to remember who did this to her, she was found unconscious by the previously mentioned bushes. She’s out for the moment, much to her changrin, but Porlyusica, in her usual deus ex machina fashion, appears and reveal that, with her aid, she’ll be able to take part in the following phases of the Games. Until then… Elfman’s in! Fairy Tail, at last, enters the Domus Flau’s arena…

We are rapidly introduced to the announcer Chapati Lola and to the commentator, our old acquaintance Shitou Yajima. Together with them is “Miss Fiore”, Jenny Realight from Blue Pegasus. Mashima adds another beauty to the list as Fairy Tail enters the stadium… And is booed at by everyone. Things really change in seven years. Luckily enough, supporting the team is Yajima and, predictably, the rest of Fairy Tail… Among which is Mavis Vermillion herself, complaining about Tenrou Island’s boringness, and claiming that only those with the guild’s crest can see her. Nice add. Please, don’t go around using super-banal Plot Armor again, ok?

In the meantime, the other participants appear! 7th place is… Quatro Cerberus! REALLY? Mashima actually remembered about ever creating a character named Goldmine and ever making him the Guild Master of a guild? It seems the case, since he’s visible on the stand, cheering his weird-looking boys, led by none else than Wolverine himself! who came directly from the dog pound to be adopted by caring families, receive much love and beat the crap out of everyone opposing them. Then comes the all-female guild, Mermaid Heels, and its beautiful (?) members. 5th place… Blue Pegasus! Cheered by an enthusiastic Jenny, Pegasus’ Trimens are flanked by… An individual hidden by a bunny suit. Yeah, right. Let’s just go on to 4th place, Lamia Scale! Flanking Lyon and Jura are Yuka, Toby and, surprisingly, Shellia, Sherry’s younger sister, with the two of them being revealed as the nieces of Lamia’s Master, She-Buddha Ooba Babasaama.

And next comes 3th place… Which, much to the surprise of Fairy Tail (but not ours, given the foreshadowing from some chapters ago) is Raven Tail, the Dark Guild founded by Makarov’s son Iwan! These guys are revealed to have recently been made a legal guild… Though Iwan himself, sitting on the stand, doesn’t seem to have benefited from the sudden legalization of his guild, being creepy as always. His guys aren’t any better, being revealed as the ones who attacked Wendy, with the small stalker being one of them (think we need to give someone our excuses…). Rivalry bursts between the two guilds… Their confrontation will be inevitable!

Just two teams missing… One of them will likely be Sabertooth… But what about the other? Could it possibly be the source of the mysterious energy which Jellal asked Fairy Tail to keep an eye out for? Gray and Erza wonder these things as the chapter ends.

Well, what to say… The art lives up to Mashima’s reputation. Quatro Cerberus looks like a group of brawns, while Mermaid Heels sport rather cartoonish females… The one to shine, however, is Raven Tail itself, shown in a glorious two-pages picture, and making their entrance in great badassness… Armors, make up, weirdos, absurd cleavages, they have them all! Not to mention the Exceed-like assailant, who can seemingly alter its head’s appearance in a cartoonish way… Maaaan, cant’ wait to see those guys in action! Cover's in medias res, with the crowd cheering for the beginning of the Games.

Last but not least, Mashima offers us some gems during the course of this chapter… A pair of pretty funny jokes and, most importantly, what you could call a visual easter egg… Up to you to find them!



IV - Chapter 268: The B-Team

The atmosphere is tense as the competitors wait for the 2nd place... One of the two remaining teams will surely be Sabertooth... So what about this second group? Another guild? The one related to the mysterioys magical energy? Or maybe the one which killed Dr. Black in the library with a candlestick?

Nope... It's even better than that...

IT'S FAIRY TAIL B-TEAM!!! Standing before the astonished public of everyone are Laxus (All hail Laxus-sama!!!), Gajeel, Mirajane, Juvia and... Mystogan???!!! What is he doing here??? Ah no, wait, it's a disguised Jellal... What is he doing here???

The commentators announce that it's not against the rules for a guild to have more than a team participate, and the Fairies chat a bit, with Natsu claiming he'll beat up anyone stepping in his team's path, guild or not, and Jellal revealing Makarov allowed him to act as Mystogan in order to investigate this nasty energy, which keeps remaining mysterious... "Hand gesture" Mysteryyyyyyyy!!! Mavis herself's quite satisfied to have a former Wizard Saint on her guild's side... Despite him not actually being part of the guild. Oh well. Mere formalities, right?

Once the chatting is over, the team who made it to the 1st place makes its entrance... Sabertooth appears! Leading the 5-men (or rather, 4-men 1-woman) squad is the exulting Sting, with Rogue following. The two of them exchange gazes and (in the former case) insults with, respectively, Natsu and Gajeel. Now that the guests are all there, the party can start! The announcers go on to explain the program of the Games, which will last for 5 days. Every day a particular contest will be held, together with a battle: the teams will choose which member shall take part in the contest, but the participants for the following battle will be chosen by the organizers depending on fan preferences. Variable amounts of points will be awarded for completing contests and either winning battles or finishing them in a draw. Without losing time, the first contest is announced: "Hidden!". Mhm. Interesting name. There are many hidden things in this world. Among which are blades. But that's another story. Still oblivious to the contest's rules, each team chooses a member to participate: Quatro Cerberus goes for its professional wrestler; Mermaid Heels is represented by a cute, noseless girl (if the contest was related to smell,s they'd be fucked); Raven Tail shows its hand with a bifurcated-bearded dwarf; Pegasus sends in Eve, and the strongest guild in Fiore chooses Lady Oscar its bard member as the competitor (wonder how come Rustyrose's less gay brother a fellow like him ended up in a guild which bears the name of an extinct, furry and dribbling ferocious animal... Though, if that's the case, I also wonder why Elfman or any other hulking Mage in our known guild chose Fairy Tail...). Solving the discussion within Lamia Scale is Lyon, who steps forward to participate. Something which prompts Gray to act as the competitor for Fairy Tail's "lousy team"... With Juvia following shortly after for Fairy Tail's "cool team". Tsk. Talk about chain reactions... What will this "Hidden" test entail? Will it really be a stealthy contest, like Erza assumed? There's just one way to know... Wait and see!

Usual good art, plus a pair of two-pages shots... The first portraying Fairy Tail's second team and the chapter's namesource, the other, obviously, the "almighty" Sabertooth... Which, aside from Sting, Rogue and the above mentioned bard (going by the name Rufus), has a massive, fur-clad fellow (again... What did you expect from a guild which bears the name of an extinct, furry and dribbling ferocious animal?) and a delicate young girl clad in a cape and feathers... Same question which I came up with for Rufus. And same rumination about Fairy Tail. Mhm. Let's just go on. Talking about Fairy Tail, the élite team's members got themselves some pretty nice outfits, check them out... Simple stuff, nothing too elaborated, but worth watching. The cover shows us the Guild Card of the "new Warren", sporting his weird hairstyle and shouting his love for vegetables to the world.