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Fairy Tail: Final Season
Episode 304

by Rebecca Silverman,

How would you rate episode 304 of
Fairy Tail (TV 3/2018) ?
Community score: 3.8

This doesn't have much to do with the episode, but I'm already missing the previous ending theme. None of this season's openers have really struck me, but the last ending song did a really nice job of capturing the tragedy of Zeref's entire situation and the emotions underlying the story arc, plus the countdown theme worked well with the more ominous aspects of the story. This new one is okay, but it seems far too focused on pushing the Gruvia and NaLu couples. The fact that I only like one of them may be at least partially behind my feelings here, but on the whole it just doesn't feel as relevant. The song itself may eventually grow on me, though. If a song isn't overtly annoying, I tend to just sort of bop along.

More to the point, things are gearing up for more important plot reveals. Even if you don't know what's coming (and all I'll say is that we saw Irene's abdominal scar for non-fanservice reasons), it's clear that Irene's use of her land-transforming magic had some major effects on the wizards fighting in Zeref's war. Obviously the fact that the entire continent has been shifted around is one major repercussion; Natsu's obtuse comment about two buildings from different cities aside, the changes are both staggering and important. What's perhaps equally worth paying attention to is the fact that Irene couldn't really control much about the spell at all – she merely cast it and trusted that it would do as she wished. We can gather this information from her comment when she lands in the palace (on the throne, naturally) – she wonders where it is she's ended up. That basically means that the whole thing was a crap shoot that just so happened to turn out well, at least for her – she could have ended up at the bottom of a volcano or something – or perhaps in hell.

I bring that up because that's the one place Gajeel didn't land, even though he by rights should have been going. Irene cast her spell at just the right time, meaning that it shifted the world while he was in transit. Fortunately Levy doesn't have to wait too long to find that out, because where Gajeel ends up is Tennrou Island, where he meets Zera, the lost guildmate. Zera, if you recall, was basically Mavis' imaginary friend, born of her heart. Mavis' reawakening has reset her, so to speak – her powers are back, her body's alive, and Zera, who had returned to Mavis' heart, is once more walking the earth. Because Mavis is more powerful, that means that this time Zera can interact with other people, namely Gajeel. Her Warren-like powers and her improved state of being are probably the single most important factor in getting Fairy Tail back on its collective feet as she guides them back to their guildhall. It's a fitting role for the soul sister of Fairy Tail's founder, and it may also prove an important factor in how Mavis reacts to Zeref, whom she's once again meeting in the flesh.

That has to be difficult for her. She was in love with him back in the day, after all, and he with her, and that love led to some of their worst moments, arguably sending Zeref down the path he's currently on. When Natsu didn't kill him, Zeref gave in to his evil side, and as far as we know he hasn't looked back. But now he sees that Mavis is alive. Could that be the ray of hope we need? Or are we in for a reverse Romeo and Juliet moment where his only hate is born from his only love? There's so much potential in this meeting that it's hard to say which direction it will take or, more importantly, if it will do anything to bring the old Zeref back. I don't normally advocate for making characters sad, but at this point, Zeref could certainly use a jolt of regret, even if he can't truly stop what he started.

That and other big questions are going to be simmering in our minds as we wait for next week, questions such as where are Wendy and Carla? What will Sorano and Yukino do with their unexpected reunion? And most important, can Mirajane find just a little bit more of her badassery now that she's suddenly face-to-face with Irene?

Rating:

Fairy Tail: Final Season is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.


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