#ft 518

Here’s my Review of FT: Master Enchantment

Our cover page is another glamor shot but I actually like it because of how Happy’s face is drawn here.

The Chapter opens up with Irene And Erza facing off and Erza declares she’ll win this soon.

So Irene begins blasting at Erza bringing up how Erza was useless after all that time she had spent protecting her. Erza says how she understands why Irene is angry, and she understands that misery.

Irene, shut up. I know that what Hiro is trying to go for is someone who acts like a child and as we’ll see you are almost throwing a tantrum over this.

And here Erza pretty much explains why you don’t have a pot to piss in, Irene.

Yeah once again it’s obvious what Hiro’s trying to do, people who suffered similar situations but each one turned out different.

Irene gets pissed over listening to Erza wax on about friendship for a little bit (be glad that you didn’t have to put up with it for 10 years like most readers had to) and decides to enter dragon form.

Yeah that’s still a pretty bitching dragon mode.

Erza were you even paying attention to Irene’s story? She had expressly stated she became a dragon, did you just get bored and leave half way through the story.

Oh my god. Erza just took damage from a dragon and it was treated as such. No, being able to stand after it, no brushing it off with only a pained look. It’s treated as it should be.

This is a really intriguing concept. Dragon slaying magic that is solely supportive. We’ve seen there be support based spells dragon slayers have like Wendy and her enchantments as well as Sting and Rogue with their White and Shadow drive. Also we’ve seen with Motherglare that dragon slaying magic can manifest in a way that isn’t an element. So this Sage/Wisdom dragon slaying magic is actually kinda amazing.

Look Irene I get it that using this form you can access pretty much the world and beyond and good on you for doing that but there is a simpler way… STEP ON ERZA REPEATEDLY! If one swing can break most here bones then why not just step on her.

Okay this is just hilarious to me, Jellal’s most powerful heavenly body spell is being outdone by someone who doesn’t even specialize in heavenly body magic. Also Irene aren’t you being to brash, nuking everyone in the area including the body of the girl who you still want for your “happiness”. Seems the only one in your way is yourself.

So of course with her friends lives at stake Erza summons up her remaing power and launches herself into the air. Also that hand is supposed to be the one burned by END natsu, I know wendy healed up Erza’s hands but why do they still look that way?

I actually like this speech. It is a friendship speech but what works for me unlike the previous one Erza did is this speech feels like only Erza’s character can say it. The idea of being a “queen”, someone who’s watched over the guild for a good chunk of her life and is a symbol of FT’s strength, This isn’t some interchangeable speech that wouldn’t make a difference if Lucy, Natsu, or Wendy said it. This is a Erza only speech.

Last panel is Erza glowing with magic and heading toward the meteorite. Oh what fresh new power is she going to pull out of her ass.

Y’know, a lot of people have a problem with the fact Erza is taking on a meteor but I don’t. Because it’s not uncommon in Manga for this to happen in fact there was a time when it almost became a joke in series about “oh a meteor is coming down”. Also in the FT universe we’ve seen characters handle meteors. From the Oracion Seis who took on Jellal’s Sema and Mard Geer who took on the Celestial Spirit King’s Meteor Blade (which admittedly wasn’t a full meteor but most likely had the same force and power behind it as one.). Also in other series we’ve seen characters take on meteors: Kenpachi from Bleach, Law and Doflamingo in One Piece, Onoki in Naruto. And Erza has proven to be strong so using all that knowledge why can’t I accept this. Is it because she is Erza? That I just don’t want to see her win? Well looking over it all, I think I know why I can’t accept it. She’s using her samurai pants. I made a whole discussion on Erza’s powers and what worked and what didn't, and in it I expressed how strong Erza can be with her magic. And thinking about that and what all those other characters did that Erza isn’t doing here, they actually use their superhuman powers. In Samurai Pants mode, Erza has no superhuman abilities only her normal physical strength, what makes Erza is her magic “the knight”, what made her special as Happy said. To stop those meteors: Law and Doflamingo had to use their devil fruits to destroy meteors, Kenpachi needed to use his sword’s shikai to destroy a meteor, Onoki had to use his earth style, even Mard Geer needed to match meteor blade with his own curse power, but Erza… She’s not using any armor, all she is is a woman armed with a normal katanna. You know if she had just changed into the Nakagami armor which can cut through space, or if you wanted to be symbolic why not armadura fairy the armor we’ve seen that has the power to destroy an island. Nope just these pants. That’s why I can’t accept this.

Post Chapter follow up: This made me feel hollow. I didn’t get any joy out of it and while I think I should be mad, I’m just not angry at it. And that’s what I expect fro an Erza fight. When the fight started  my bar was low to the ground because as it’s been proven Erza in fighting is always the same, impossible odds that make what natsu’s facing look like peanuts and is powered by the fact she’s erza and can’t lose. The last 2 chapters got a reaction out of me because they were genuinely stupid and bad even for Erza fight standards but this chapter was what I expected so I’m not disappointed, but I’m not happy.

But what do I have to say on the positives well for one I liked that speech Erza had at the end of the chapter, I felt it was a fitting speech for her character. Also on the plus side, I’m glad that we are introduced to new Dragon magic concepts like this Sage dragon powers.

As for the negatives, well as I stated above I don’t feel anything for this but I guess some more to add is this meteorite was just included to make more drama so Erza can be the big damn hero.

But what irks me the most is Erza is glowing in light, which will be how she beats this meteor. I highly doubt she’ll turn into a dragon or else that would be utter crap and eliminate the whole “human child” thing Irene did, but I wouldn’t put it past Hiro. Another posiblity is maybe Wendy enchanted Erza, it seems farfetched but it might work as an explanation, but if it is then it’ll have still failed due to not contributing enough panels to show wendy regaining power. And finally at the end she is saying “master lend me your strength” so that makes me think of 2 possibilities, one she gain Makarov’s power from beyond the grave which seems dubious or two Mavis is giving Erza a fairy magic.

I guess we’ll all have to wait and see.

Final Verdict: 3/10

It is everything I expect from erza

Shoehorned in conflict

interesting ideas for magic

Even being a die heart fan I get tired of Mashima drawing Erza fighting in her hakama attire. I really think that Mashima is just getting lazy in drawing Erza fighting in other armors with complicated design and therefore goes for the easiest outfit to draw. He’s not treating Erza’s magic seriously and not doing justice to her. 

Wendy’s “spirit” being able to take over Irene’s body is not making senses. Erza with broken bones but manages to throw herself into the sky with one hand and magic isn’t making senses either. 

But out of all the nonsense at least Erza isn’t shown suddenly being able to beaten up Irene. She hasn’t destroyed the meteorite. 

In fact I don’t think Erza’s going to take down the meteorite on her own in the next chapter and to come out unharmed. And if you read carefully, Erza isn’t fighting to win Irene or to destroy the meteorite without any sacrifice. She knows she will be torn in pieces to try to stop the clash of the meteorite on Earthland. 

Call it my wishful thinking. But with heavenly body being involved and his wish to protect Erza, Jellal has to have a role to play in all this drama.