User blog comment:FairyRaven/Fairy Tail Chapter 435 & 436: The Cry of Victory & Memoirs, Review and Commentary/@comment-1839664-20150520022330

Some afterword info from Volume 49:
 * Tartarus arc was suppose to be longer, with three additional enemies cut that was suppose to be defeated by Laxus. Because of that, apparently the Anime will include the fight.
 * Mashima's having fun thinking about how everyone has/hasn't changed after a year.
 * Because of how many dark chapters Tartarus had, Mashima wants the next arc to focus on "hope".
 * Except for the major ideas, Mashima hasn't thought of how the stories will progress. But he ensures us that it will have some hot developments.
 * Doranbolt being FT member was planned from the very beginning, not something Mashima decided to throw in at the last second. Because of the lack of hints, and the indecisiveness on whether to cut that setting off, it seemed like it was thrown in at the last moment.