Anime Review: Fairy Tail Part 13 (Lights, Camera, Action!)

Fairy Tail Part 13 (UK Rating: 12)

The Infinity Clock / Key to the Starry Skies has taken a long path from its beginning where Lucy was left a memento from her father from a long lost relative to this battle that could result in the end of the world. The conclusion to the story here has plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting right up until the finale, including the truth behind Michelle. It's ironic that the, frankly, stupid actions of the Fairy Tail guild all contributed to the plan of Oracion Seis - they practically delivered the clock to them. As a result of this, the Legion Platoon was placed in an antagonistic role against Fairy Tail, despite being hardly evil itself. Both guilds had now united in their battle to stop Oracion Seis; however, now as the hands of the clock begin to move, that uneasy alliance is on shaky ground as the Legion Platoon wants to destroy the clock with Lucy in it.

This finale to the story may be filler but has all of the elements that make Fairy Tail so loved. There are tons of magical battles between tons of mages, each with their own unique magic abilities and spells, and there are some particularly fantastic fights in this collection. There is plenty of the series' signature humour that falls somewhere between Naruto and Pokémon, with slightly too many childish gags and some horribly unfunny gags that just won't stop… The butt jiggle gang are still here… for goodness' sake… There are also some very surprising emotional punches at the close of the arc.

After the finale of The Infinity Clock arc, a brand new arc begins in this collection, consisting of the final three episodes. This is a massive and fantastic arc that will easily take up at least the next five volumes! Harking back to the classic Shonen series, martial arts/combat tournaments have long been a cornerstone part of a series like this. Fairy Tail does it right; this is by far one of the best arcs in the whole story and something to be very excited about. This initial glimpse into that arc just sets the groundwork and sees the characters getting ready and beginning training. They have been gone seven years after all and now have fallen behind the other wizards of the world. With the guild going from the strongest to the weakest, they have some big challengers waiting, including both new characters and returning faces from their history.

7/10

Very Good - Bronze Award

The Infinity Clock arc was enjoyable enough and while ultimately Fairy Tail Part 13 is an anime exclusive filler story, it contains story developments that are indeed canon and worth watching, even with the drop in quality. It's impressive that the multiple story threads and the numerous characters are all pulled together into a completely satisfying ending, and then leading into a highly anticipated arc. The next few volumes are indeed looking good.