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A self stylized "Grounded Shonen" which has some of the best world building and tactic focused combat. This is one of the most fiercely intelligent shows I've watched in a while when it comes to fighting, this isn't "super sayian beat by super sayian 2", this is anyone can beat anyone if their tactics are better, but at the same time still a clear hierarchy of skill sets so you know who the underdog is and who isn't. The later half and biggest chunk is a bunch squad vs. squad combat when it really comes into its own and it's all about ... tactics, flanking manoeuvres, bluffing, misdirection, and using established tools, abilities, and weapons in new unique and creative ways. A lot of fights don't boil down to "whose stronger", they boil down to which team thought the most steps ahead or could adapt to a changing situation the quickest.

However, biggest pitfall is it's TOEI production which means it can be maddeningly inconsistent at times in regards to animation, pacing, and repetition is especially bad in the early episodes. The first 8-14 episodes are kind of a slog and often large chunks of later episodes are dedicated to recaps of previous episodes. The characters are also a tad more "muted" for my interest, but that might be to the show's benefit for the kind of action scenes it wants to show. But, if you skip the lengthy recaps (luckily most of them are at the beginning of every episode) and get passed the initial rough boring slog the show steadily improves itself in every problem area from episode 20 onward, getting better pacing, animation, and subtle exposition.

The first season ended in 2014, but it came back with a season 2 and 3 (26 episodes total) in 2021 and the sequel stuff is TOP NOTCH. All the issues I listed above are gone and with all the pieces/world building well established it is 26 episodes of minimal recap, solid to gorgeous animation, and all the other squad tactical stuff that made the first season good.

A self stylized "Grounded Shonen" which has some of the best world building and tactic focused combat. This is one of the most fiercely intelligent shows I've watched in a while when it comes to fighting, this isn't "super sayian beat by super sayian 2", this is anyone can beat anyone if their tactics are better, but at the same time still a clear hierarchy of skill sets so you know who the underdog is and who isn't. The later half and biggest chunk is a bunch squad vs. squad combat when it really comes into its own and it's all about ... tactics, flanking manoeuvres, bluffing, misdirection, and using established tools, abilities, and weapons in new unique and creative ways. A lot of fights don't boil down to "whose stronger", they boil down to which team thought the most steps ahead or could adapt to a changing situation the quickest.

However, biggest pitfall is it's TOEI production which means it can be maddeningly inconsistent at times in regards to animation, pacing, and repetition is especially bad in the early episodes. The first 8-14 episodes are kind of a slog and often large chunks of later episodes are dedicated to recaps of previous episodes. The characters are also a tad more "muted" for my interest, but that might be to the show's benefit for the kind of action scenes it wants to show. But, if you skip the lengthy recaps (luckily most of them are at the beginning of every episode) and get passed the initial rough boring slog the show steadily improves itself in every problem area from episode 20 onward, getting better pacing, animation, and subtle exposition.

The first season ended in 2014, but it came back with a season 2 and 3 (26 episodes total) in 2021 and the sequel stuff is TOP NOTCH. All the issues I listed above are gone and with all the pieces/world building well established it is 26 episodes of minimal recap, solid to gorgeous animation, and all the other squad tactical stuff that made the first season good.

Preface: Most reviews break down into categories to assign a numerical rank too (sound, story, art, etc), so to change it up my reviews will be focused on what works, doesn't work, and what kind of viewer I think would enjoy this series.



Introduction

I won't pretend to hide my fandom for shonen animes, I simply adore the heroes and the common tropes in the genre, from powering up, emotional driven storytelling, and the constant escalating battles and enemies, to the point it's no longer relatable. Fairytail Dragon Cry has all of these, much of the core stuff that made the original series great, ... but yet falls short. Due to pacing issues, the fact scenes just feel removed at times, and how it follows the formula to the point without reason the whole movie is just.....underwhelming.




Welcome Home (what works):

What works here is most of the stuff Fairytail fans are familiar with, the character dynamics, long running jokes, eechi amount of fan service, amazing score, and the bits where the plot slows down really feels like you're watching Fairytail at its best. The action scenes look awesome animation wise, though briefer then the show fights. There is also a half decent twist that I didn't see coming (but at the same time the movie doesn't give hints to this either, so it had some room for improvement). Still Dragon Cry does embody the original energy of the series quite well and when things are working, it's quite pleasant to watch, with the same energy and warmth of its parent show.



The Drop (What doesn't work)

All that being said the rest really doesn't work, and there is a lot here. The pacing is a mess, this movie would have really benefitted from another half hour to full hour of screen time to really explore stuff. The villains are barely flushed out, certain scenes feel missing (one is part of the opening scene where Natsu breaks out of prison and suddenly everyone else is free really bothered me), and there is a lot of new abilities that come out of nowhere. While some are justified with some foreshadow or is meant to leave the audience confused like the characters, the rest just leave you off balance at their sudden appearance. Additionally other characters are shoe horned in when they really don't need to be there and provide nothing of merit to the overall plot. There is also the fact this movie is supposed to be canon, but it doesn't explain the gap between where the anime left off and the movie starts. Even some research suggests it's oddly placed in the Manga. That being said anime movies having odd timeline placements aren't a new issue, but with the ability developments that never aired in the parent show leaves anime only watchers confused.

Finally the biggest thing that doesn't work here is the lack of focus, on well anything. The Dragon Cry is our plot gimmick, but it's never even terribly clear what it is and our heroes have zero emotional investment in the object. The plot works fine enough as it starting to be a mission, but never really evolves into anything grander. The characters that do have emotional connections are all antagonists and are barely flushed out, getting maybe one to two lines of dialogue to explain their motivations. This lack of focus really doesn't give the movie any real "impact" moments to be built towards. Even the previous movie had the main gang be friends with the movie character, that created some sense of the "family theme" Fairytail has at its core. While Dragon Cry is just going through all the correct motions, it just doesn't justify a reason to be invested in the movement.



Do I give it a shot? (Viewer recommendation)

This is a movie for Fairytail fans and that's about it. If you don't like the show or are unfamiliar with it, don't watch this. Cause of it's weird canon placement the background of the show (or manga) is pretty mandatory, so new viewers will be pretty alienated here. If you like Fairytail, I recommend the movie, just be up to date first, suspend some disbelief, and don't get too hyped.

Preface: Most reviews break down into categories to assign a numerical rank too (sound, story, art, etc), so to change it up my reviews will be focus on what works, doesn't work, and what kind of viewer I think would enjoy this series.

Introduction

I have never had a love hate relationship with a series as I do with the two seasons of Kekkai Sensen. I find this series bounces back and forth from getting me invested into the character drama and then to leaving me behind with a bunch of events that have no stakes to them. It's beyond colourful in all ... the right ways, but then blinds us with too much colour. Kekkai Sensen & Beyond or Blood Blockade Battlefront Beyond is such a roller coaster that it either leaves me either breathless or with whiplash.




A fun ride (what works):

I love this cast, the Libra gang is colourful, diverse, easily stand out from each other, yet their chemistry is flawless. The show never stops to explain these guy's interactions, it just shows them to you, and they feel real and natural. Some episodes spend more time flushing out these wonderful characters and while the episodic nature is problematic (talk about this later), I can happily say there isn't a single character based story that is boring in comparison to the others. The writing, animation, and voice actors knock these characters out of the park every time. If there is one thing you should learn from this show, is this is how you create a interesting and diverse cast.

The serious moments/episodes. The moment this shows decides to slow down a tad, focus on something tangible with stakes, is it awesome. Not going into spoiler territory, but when Kekkai Sensen manages to find out how to showcase it's crazy world in a grounded perspective, it is truly unique. The shame is these moments are far and few between, and can only be really explored in a spoiler full essay format, then a review. However, the two episode finale is a great example of this and if you make it through the first 10 episodes, the ending is pretty solid reward.



I'm afraid of heights (What doesn't work)

This show has a tendency to more often then not leave me scratching my head confounded, confused, and curious as to why I should care. While the wacky destructive events of the Salem's Lot is undeniably important to theme, setting, and general feel of the show, the second season has a tendency to take it too far. We had season 1 to establish the setting pretty solidly, we really don't need to have how "hilarious" and "chaotic" this place is constantly beaten over our heads. It all just ends up feeling like destruction for comedic value, and that joke only has so much reusable value.

Additionally a second season is building on what the predecessor established, but this really isn't the case here. To be honest you could probably take most of these episodes and insert them randomly into season 1, and wouldn't feel all that lost (more then you already were). While certain Libra members did become more defined in this season, it was really more flushing out there history, not their present/future. The stuff that is present day happens in their own little bubbles you're never worried about something bad happening in let's say episode 4, will affect the character or the world in episode 10. While this formula does typically work for episodic storytelling, their isn't even single episode growth displayed in any episode. This leaves you wondering what was the point of having this specific story shown to the viewer? It all just feels filler at the end of the day. The episodic format is also hindered since season 1 did have a sort of story advancement to it, which makes the fact season 2 is running in place stand out that much more by comparison.



Am I tall enough for this ride? (Viewer recommendation)

This is not an anime for new comers to the medium. This anime sort of requires a bit of history and knowledge about anime customs to appreciate this. While Kekkai Sensen isn't a meta-narrative, it does require you to already possess the ability to suspend your disbelief on a lot of levels in way western shows would never force you too, while needing to stay grounded at the same time.

That being said if you're a more seasoned anime viewer and looking for something to shake up the standards in ways similar to Studio Trigger (Gurren Laggan, Kill la Kill, etc), Kekkai Sensen maybe just what you're looking for. Just don't expect a masterpiece or a lot of consistency in your viewing, for better or worse.