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Fairy Tail. It's one of the most popular, long-running battle shounen series out there. Now, you're probably wondering whether or not you should check out this anime... I mean, why else would you be here, reading this? This review will go over all the main points of the series and analyse both its weak and strong points alike, and hopefully help you out in your decision.

The first thing you should know about Fairy Tail is that the first season is part of a bigger story that continues on in the second season, which ups the total episode count by another 110 - but there's ... no need to worry about any of that. Once you finish that 175th episode, you should be able to judge for yourself whether or not you'll want to continue watching the series.

Story: 6/10
I'll be skipping over the synopsis, since it's already at the top of the page. Fairy Tail's story isn't exactly very deep, and it takes some time to get going anywhere. Much like other long-running series, it is split up in multiple shorter story arcs that are all connected together. Each of these story arcs either moves the plot forward or reveals new information about the characters, or both in some cases. One potential problem Fairy Tail has is the issue with repetition, as in each new story arc introducing a new big bad that must be defeated, appearing incredibly powerful at first, but in the end gets defeated, thanks to the good guys all working together and the strong bonds they share. However, if this is what you want from your battle shounen series, then Fairy Tail delivers it in spades.

Characters: 9/10
I can safely say the characters are one of Fairy Tail's strongest points, and easily make up for the lack of a deep storyline. The large cast of main and side protagonists are all very likeable, each with their own unique quirks, strengths and weaknesses, and the way they all interact with each other is very enjoyable to watch. There is plenty of character development, though some of it moves at a slow pace, and may not be immediately obvious until you look back at older episodes again.
Most of the villains, admittedly, are a little less interesting and are often just bad guys because they are, though some do get their own backstories and a few even turn to the good side later on in the story.
There are also hints of romance and many cute moments between many of the characters, but none of it really goes anywhere. If you're looking for strong romance, you won't find it here.

Visuals: 7/10
The art in Fairy Tail is frankly nothing super impressive at a technical level, but it still looks nice and colourful and is overall just easy on the eyes. While the quality of the animation isn't amazing either (which is to be expected from a long-running series like this), it does manage to stay pretty consistent throughout the entirety of its 175 episodes. All in all, it isn't a masterpiece to look at, but at least it doesn't cut corners wherever it can or suffers from huge quality discrepancy between episodes or scenes.

Sound: 10/10
The amazing soundtrack is what got me interested in Fairy Tail in the first place. It's simply perfect and I couldn't wish for anything better. The Irish/Celtic inspired sound in a lot of the tracks really helps set the series apart from the others. The battle music can only be labelled as "god-tier", and really gets your adrenaline pumping during the climaxes. Even in the less interesting scenes of the anime, the music helps make it more tolerable to watch.
Other than the soundtrack, all the character's voices are pleasant to listen to as well and sound like you'd expect the characters to sound like. The voices are full of emotion and passion, strengthening the scenes with intense action or sadness even further. While I didn't think the English dub was as good as the Japanese version, it manages to range between tolerable to good, making it a viable choice if you prefer watching it in English.

Enjoyment: 9/10
If you've already seen the overall score I gave this anime, it's needless to say I really enjoyed Fairy Tail. Compared to other long-running battle shounens, Fairy Tail is a breath of fresh air, mainly thanks to its strong pacing. Even though the first season is 175 episodes long, there is so much stuff happening, and all of it happens at a reasonable pace. Battles generally don't take more than a single episode to end, with the exception of some of the boss fights, and individual story arcs are usually concluded within 12-26 episodes. The battles, while lacking the depth some other battle shounens may have, are just much more enjoyable to watch because the characters are actually doing something, instead of having to explain every little thing they're doing. Some of the more special techniques will get an explanation, but it's always kept short and to the point.
I also love how light-hearted the series is, thanks to its many comedic moments, but still has plenty serious and emotional scenes as well, and it manages to find a solid balance between all of these elements.

That said, it's certainly not without its flaws. It does move slow at certain points, and there's one fairly lengthy filler arc that, honestly, wasn't very interesting to watch for the most part. As mentioned before, the animation isn't always the greatest, and sometimes make you wish it just was a little better during some of the big battles.

Overall: 8/10
Fairy Tail is a blast to watch and I could easily recommend it to anyone looking for something that involves plenty of light-hearted comedy and explosive combat scenes, accompanied by an amazing soundtrack.