User blog comment:IamJakuhoRaikoben/Chapter 428: If Our Paths are Different, Review./@comment-72.193.71.177-20150414033108

My problem with Fairy Tail is that Mashima does not make effective use of his characters and Fairy Tail's plot is primarily character driven. I love his work don't get me wrong, its just a weakness I've happened to notice. The Avatar arc is a different case. I like how all the characters have an important role (excluding Wendy the Midwife). You have Natsu and Gray fighting with Lucy getting a slap in. Then you have Gajeel being shown on the side alongside Levy preparing to battle Avatar, and finally he showcases Avatar's true power: one hell of a curbstomp from the bad guys. Not only that he handled Gray's descent into darkness very well. He's not the laid back supporting character he's been reduced to over the past few arcs. Gray has resisted revenge for a good 8 years until he finally jumped off the slippery slope making him the primary antagonist of the arc. compared to Tartaros this makes the arc much more personal for Natsu Gajeel Levy and Lucy.Its also one of my favorite arcs to date.