User blog comment:Wrath022/Chapter 516: The Truth About Enchantment, Review/@comment-7418318-20161227071721/@comment-24039234-20161227130937

Well, yeah. If your opinion would've been "stoking the flames" below, mine could be that much-quoted smell of napalm in the morning. So, allow me to join you in the pacifist camp of people "not hating" this chapter. Things seem much ...calmer here, than, well, elsewhere. ^^"

I was actually surprised that this chapter is being torn apart the way it is. I actually enjoyed it. I even dare say it was good...ish?

The strange thing is that I more or less agree with everything all the other good chaps are saying about this chapter. It's stupid, it's convenient, etc. But somehow, all this just doesn't result in me not liking it. Maybe my expectations are lower than other people's at this point, I don't know. The way I see it, the story of FT is a train wreck by now, and we're only arguing about what irks whom more, and who can forgive what from the billion problems we have.

This chapter, specifically, gets my pass because, quite frankly, it didn't feel like an FT chapter. Irene's state and her dilemma, as well as the presentation was kicked up a notch toward being more serious(mature? heavy handed? - pick your choice) than your average FT chapter.

A, In this battle, shit was going down. I mean, just look at the cross-cut on Irene's stomach. This is not your average shounen style "slight bruises instead of real wounds"; that actually looks serious. For the first time in ages, I can believe that someone (Irene) is really hurt. Then, at the end, I'm pretty sure her real body was killed. By a sword-cut. To the head. Completely "on-screen". That's not something FT usually does.

B, The things she does are stupid, but coupled with her backstory, it's humanly stupid. I take good drama and human mistakes over a pitch perfectly logical story any day. Of course I can make up a million ways she could reach her goal in a better way. Look for August, team up with him, demolish the entire country (preferably starting with Natsu before he gets that completely bullshit demon-dragon hybrid powerup that's being foreshadowed - damn, how I will hate that), capture the W in the process, posses her after the battle has been won = profit! But, she can't think clearly, she wasn't a level headed character to begin with (that's August of the two) then her entire life has been ridiculed in a matter of minutes, and finally, she unexpectedly sees the thing she's been looking for for 400 years. She's like a junky gearing up for her last hit; she's taking that delicious loli body right now, and logic be damned.

So, that's that. Since it's FT, I'm having my doubts the same as you, but as Nick said it, we have to give credit where it's due: we did not expect this. This is new, something interesting. If I would not be a 100% sure that Wendy survives, I would even be excited and hyped for the continuation. In any other story than FT, where I could hope for a proper resolution, I'd eat this shit right up, and ask for seconds.:)