Anime Reviews: Fairy Tail Episode 96 - That Which Extinguishes Life

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Introduction
With the previous arc at an end, now we take some time to recover before the next big arc. A good chunk of this episode is filler, but as is par the course, none of it is stupid. If nothing else, Fairy Tail can be trusted to be entertaining. No matter how odd it gets.

Plot Summary
The episode picks up in Edolas, right after Natsu and his friends left. The citizens are all busy rebuilding the city, while Mystogan has his father and council brought before him. Edolas' Fairy Tail are busy trying to figure out how to move their guild. Natsu attempts to pull it with his car, but without magic to fuel it, he's left a spineless wimp for good. So instead the guys have to pull the guild, while the girls leave all the hard work to them.

Mystogan passes judgement on the former antagonists, banishing his father, while giving community service to the rest. While they argue this, he says that they all have skills he intends to put to use rebuilding the kingdom. Faust remains surprisingly sane, and accepts his banishment in stride. As Faust leaves, Mystogan does the Fairy Tail farewell symbol, most likely looking very silly to everyone else around him.

The Fairy Tail girls all ride in the guild as the guys pull them, and once they get to the city they offer the guys' services to help rebuilding. For a small fee.

Everyone back at the Earthland Fairy Tail is in shock to see Lisanna returned from the dead. They all have the same reaction Natsu had to seeing Lisanna alive.

Take that, shippers!

Master Makarov welcomes Lisanna home, and she has tackle hugs him. What follows is a guild wide party that erupts into chaos. Evergreen from the Raijinshu has changed her style...

Uh...what happened to the art?

While Juvia on the other hand has gone back to her old character design, after hearing from Happy that in Edolas it's Gray who is in love with Juvia. He suggests that perhaps it's the hair cut.

Gajeel tries to instigate a cat fight between his, Natsu and Wendy's cats. Lily refuses, saying that even though he looks tiny, he was still a captain in Edolas, and fighting would only lead to unnecessary injury. Erza comments that he's surprisingly mature, which he counters with saying that everyone else is just childish.

Elsewhere, the new Magic Council discusses Fairy Tail, and declares that they have caused too much trouble. At the next chance they get, they will shut down the guild. The new council head, Grandoma, looks suspiciously like King Faust, but there is just enough difference for doubt.

Lucy wakes up in the middle of the aftermath of the guild party, to find everyone else asleep. She looks at Mira and her siblings, and feels happy for them. She wonders, as she crouches down next to a sleeping Natsu, if he misses Igneel, and hopes that they can meet soon. She thinks that he looks kind of cute while he's sleeping.

Of course any possible character development that could come out of that is milked for all the comedy possible. As is Mashima's style.

The episode ends with the strange person from earlier drinking from a pool of water. He is surrounded by wolves, but before they can attack him, something kills them. The strange boy starts to cry, saying that the world is rejecting him. And that he wants to meet Natsu.

My Opinion
While a good chunk of this episode is filler, it does a nifty job of cleaning up from the past arc, giving a breather before the next arc starts, while at the same time setting up said next arc. This is a very dexterous episode. It's good to have an episode like this, that lets the viewers take a deep breath before the next story starts. Though I am surprised that the next episode starts a new arc. I would imagine that between each canon arc would be a good place to insert filler. I really have a hard time seeing how shows like Fairy Tail and One Piece get by having so little filler, while shows like Naruto and Bleach spend dozens of episodes on filler arcs. Fairy Tail has a pretty good pace going, tough I think another short filler arc wouldn't be misplaced here.

Faust's ultimate fate seemed out of place. While banishment works, I don't buy the sympathetic twist they gave him. The man was literally insane, driven mad by his lust for power. Perhaps at one point he did it for the good of the people, but after how far he went I'm not buying that he's suddenly a reformed bad guy.

Originally I had a theory that Grandoma was the real world version of Faust, but on closer inspection I think I might be wrong. But anything is possible, though I doubt this will ever be a plot point.

If you liked my review, Watch the Episode Here!