User blog comment:Miskos3/Fairy Tail 527: Emotion, Review/@comment-203.215.121.20-20170317052240

To say that August under-performed the most out of the Spriggan 12 is a gross understatement. The others were able to showcase their signature moves and specialties in ways that don't leave too many questions as to what else they have to offer. Even Irene, whose enchantments could theoretically affect any object within her extensive range, was at least able to show off more even if she too under-performed badly, just enough to make her claims look somewhat credible to readers. But when it comes to the 'king of magic', we don't even get to know the whole point of that red form of his, the meaning of having magic that's neither light nor dark, the extent of his copying, and so on. I think even that ancient suicide magic isn't really a signature move, but just one of many last resort tricks up his sleeve that he didn't even need to use.

August also happens to be upstaged and undermined in the many instances that he is about to show off, while his best side is often relegated off-panel, and merely mentioned by certain characters. Even his backstory, introduced way too late into the game, seems superfluous other than the incidental parallelism and the convenience it affords to Fairy Tail and allies.

If anything, his whole character feels like a mere menu of a meal that we would never get to savor, an utter tease executed badly and cruelly. Perhaps at the hands of a wise seasoned author who knows a lot about magic lore, August's template would have been better portrayed and exhibited. Oh well...