User blog comment:IamJakuhoRaikoben/Chapter 500: Fire and Ice, Review./@comment-2214433-20160906042703

This might be the most disappointing chapter out of all the 'big number' chapters. Ya know, 400, 300, etc., each of them had something big and cool happen. I take it Gray learning of END is supposed to be the big thing here, but hey... All of that is overshadowed by the rest of the chapter. And not in a good way.

Ouch

As far as my enjoyment of the story goes, I have put up a quite impenetrable shield against all kinds of bullshit around myself. I'd like to think that outta all of you, I'm one of the few who still read the series because I find it fun. I don't come here every week to whine when something stupid happens and boy, does a lot of stupid happen.

Ok, this is actually hella cool. Too bad he's still getting Gray'd

The problem is when Mashima suddenly tries to make things look super serious and then undoes everything the very next chapter. That's not how suspense works. In a battle shounen, the threat of death is apparently a very requested attribute and while I disagree that it's a must to make the story interesting, I'm sure many can see how a character's death can add suspense to the story and provide a character development to those who survive. After all those years, I understand that it's not the kind of story FT wants to be, so I learnt to accept that and simply enjoyed the story for what it was. Within Fairy Tail, I think Simon, and perhaps even Rob, are a great example of that, as in my opinion, those two scenes are still one of the most powerful in all of Fairy Tail for me and it escalates into Natsu's dragon force, which, all of combined, makes Tower of Heaven the best arc of FT for me.

Yup, Gray'd. Still, I like this move

On one hand, we all know Mashima can write an exciting story, full of action and feels. We all read Rave (fuk u Rai) so we know Mashima has it in himself. Even recently, Fairy Tail has shown us Silver or Igneel dying. He can write good scenes. Hell, even this arc has plenty of them. Gajeel and Juvia being the prime examples. And I'm not even upset all that much that both of them survived, hell, Gajeel's plot armor is through the roof, being a Dragon Slayer destined to defeat Acnologia, but... the way it happened and how fast it happened. Irene saving Gajeel by transporting him is all cool, albeit a bit too random, but why don't let the suspense build up by showing it much later? Juvia surviving thanks to Wendy is even better - even though she wasn't able to do that for Future Lucy, but eeeeyyy, plot reasons, but why did we have to learn about it the very next chapter? Where is Mirajane losing to Azuma and not appearing for a good while? Where are Elfman and Evergreen losing to Rustyrose and again, being gone for a good few chapters, until we learn that they are relatively fine? It's just... it all happens so fast these days that it feels like there is no point.

Is Neinhart gonna do something relevant..?

With that said, I'm actually fine with the way Invel went down. His armor was cool and Gray's new move was cool, I don't even care if it was fast, he was fighting for Juvia's sake. The whole Brandish thing was whatever, just a copy paste of all Brandish's previous warnings about how Irene and August will fuck shit up. Dimaria is mad, eyyyyy. BUT LOL, NEINHART DOESN'T EVEN REACH ERZA, HE GETS ONE SHOT BY NATSU. H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S.

Guess not, he's basically just a Rufus now .-.

Also, thanks Mashima for reducing Sabertooth to Quatro Puppy-level fodder. Their magic literally counters their opponents, not to mention that they are just Historia, so weaker, yet...

Rekt

O yea and now Gray knows that Natsu is END. Moar NarutoSasuke drama pls no.