Blue Pegasus defeated Quatro Puppy.
Lamia Scales Lyon and Mermaid Heels Kagura drew.
Time has come for Fairy Tail and Sabertooth to meet two-on-two in the battle stage.
Natsu & Gajeel v Sting & Rogue.
Men
***SPOILER***
So last week we thought we'd have the epic battle but the epic battle only begins.
This week we'd hope to get down to the fighting right away but we get a recap (with evil music) about what has happened so far on day 4.
Get on with it!
Their master is just as cheerful as ever I see. The contrast to the Guilds were made perfectly in that one scene. Were as Makarov is interested in seeing Rogue and Stings power and cheering on Natsu and Gajeel Sabertooths master just believes Fairy Tail is below them and treats them like they are a blight on the battle field. It is a real important comparison to look at as most of these Mages were raised by their Master, the Masters attitude kind of rubs off on the people in the Guild. Makarov is always positive and fights hard for his "brats" so the "brats" fight hard for each other and Makarov. Jiemma looks down on everyone and believes only the strong should be in his Guild so Sabertooth are more distant from each other and always out to prove that the rest of the Guilds are scum to be sneered at and not taken seriously.
Of course Makarov has the better attitude because the nurture over nature is important. Fill your Guild full of hatred and fear and they'll never learn. If you believe someone is below you and get beaten by them how will you learn? The fear that being beaten will leave you out of a home will make you put your life on the line in situations that isn't needed in. Makarov wants his brats to love life as well as do what is right, Sabertooth don't love their life, they don't love anything, they aren't incapable of loving (Rogue and Sting and their love of their Exceeds is proof of that) but it has been taken out of the make up. The only "love" they are allowed to feel is that of winning in a battle, but it has left them cold and in a way very weak.
Of course they win a lot, they win against heart broken mages (Fairy Tail and to an extent their friends in Lamia and Pegasus), they win against weaker opponents who still have a lot to give to a Guild. But when faced with a real challenge, faced with friends who just love to be together, faced with burning passion like the returned Fairy Tail mages brought back to their Guild and other Guilds their weakness is made ambundently clear.
It isn't quite "The Power of Love" but it is close enough.
The power of friendship is an important part of Fairy Tail, it is an important lesson for all humans to learn, some of us learn it the hard way.
Fairy Tail are stronger because Makarov taught them to rely on each other as well as their selves to win. Even if you lose you win because you fought for your team, with your team, with all your strength.
That would never be enough for Sabertooth (as was proven with Yukino being thrown out).
Sorry gone totally off topic of the episode!
So yes Rogue and Sting take it up a "Drive" and Natsu and Gajeel start to lose control of the match. Rogue looks totally cool in Shadow Drive I have to say, and him and Gajeel is a battle I'd love to see in the anime (just them one on one).
I love how Gajeel is the first to find a way to attack, though I don't love it as much as Levy with Lily, just rubbing his head with that evil "go Gajeel" look on her face.
It is nice to see both standing strong though, testament to the fact they are both first generation Dragon Slayers.
If the story of Sting and Lector had been the story of Rogue and Fro I would have cried but I dislike Lector so much that I can't be bothered with it. Sorry but nothing will make me like them two as a pair, just personalty clash for me... Or the lack of personality that is!
Basically though Sting promised Lector a long time ago to beat Natsu in front of everyone to prove Lector wasn't a liar.
If Lector was nicer I'd care.
Sorry I just wish this was Rogue and Fro, I love those two.
And after the gloating from Sting up stands Natsu and Gajeel to piss them off again! Ohh you have to love our Dragon Slayers (and the other much more amazing one that isn't in this fight but he did defeat a whole Guild by his self because he's wonderful and Laxus like and ..... Wait what was I talking about again?)
Well they WERE both standing... They start fighting over what position Stings foot is in when he attacks. And somehow Gajeel ends up in a cart being sped away with his new found travel sickness leaving Natsu v Sting & Rogue.
And it ends.
So the last episode at the moment is going to see Natsu fighting two Sabertooth Dragon Slayers.
Exciting cliff hanger to end on!
Another really strong episode, really nice to see this fight get some good time as well. Nicely paced out, it means that the danger feels real. The flashes to the people that care about these people most and the small back notes on their history and the 7 year build up to this match are a nice touch. It gives it all a bigger sense of importance then it could have had. It is a pivotal moment for the games as Fairy Tail fight for their title that they lost when they lost 7 years of their lives.
It is kinda sad that this is the penultimate episode, especially if you read the manga as you know how important this battle is for Fairy Tail, what it means to them. And don't go "well that is a manga spoiler" because it isn't, you can already tell that this is important to Fairy Tail. If they lose or win it is important. You don't get any clues from that. And anyway chances are you've already watched the last episode.
The thing this episode reminded me of most though was the chances Fairy Tail give.
Juvia and Gajeel were Fairy Tails enemy.
Gajeel nailed Shadow Gear to a tree yet Levy is in the stands cheering him on with Jet and Droy.
I keep going on about the comparison this fight is giving between two Guilds. Sting might be fighting for his friend but he's doing it for the wrong reasons. Natsu is fighting for his friends because he loves his friends and he wants to be strong for his friends, Sting is fighting to prove a point Lector made about him being the strongest true.
At the end of the day we all know what wins in these kinds of battles.
It is an interesting comparison to look at though, I might write a bigger blog about it sometime.
Join me tomorrow for my review on the last episode (for now) of Fairy Tail.
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