I know what you are probably thinking,"there's already dozens of low rated reviews for this anime, despite it having such a high MAL rating; how is this not just another troll review by a typical fairy tail hater." So I would like to clarify that this is a 100% serious review with no hate specifically towards Fairy Tail or the shounen genre.
So if you have not seen either Fairy Tail or Fairy tail(2014) then you are probably sitting down with a puzzled look on your face wondering why anyone would give a continuation of one of their favorite anime such a low rating.
The answer is pretty simple; this is not the anime that I fell in love with, it is not the anime that i spent over 50 hours watching and it certainly isn't an anime I would recommend to my friends or to the members of MAL. It is just a poor sequel to a popular anime; with drastic quality reductions and sub-par animation to milk more money from it's targeted audience.
Story + Fights : 4/10
Since this review is a continuation for Fairy Tail i presume you already know the basic plot and most likely consider the Grand Magic Games arc that ended halfway in the original was one of the best arcs in Fairy Tail, and are eagerly waiting to carry on.
This is where I would like to state my opinion - Yes, the grand magic games arc started off amazing, but it honestly isn't worth carrying on.
In Fairy Tail 2014, the pacing of the fights is honestly dreadful.
We all got into Fairy Tail for the fast paced,action packed fights didn't we?
Well there is no more of that anymore, instead you are forced to wait 5 episodes in the hopes of watching decent fight, only to realize that it lasts for mere minutes being switched to a different fight which u clearly don't have any interest in, or some characters talking about some plot which is clearly not important and only exists so that the anime can drag a fight for 4 episodes longer than is should be.
Honestly Natsu vs Sting and Rogue in the original Fairy Tail is 100x better than fight there will ever be in the second season. Do yourselves a favor and savor this fight as your last Fairy Tail memory otherwise you will regret ruining your views on such an enjoyable series.
Animation + Art : 2/10
This is very much my biggest problem with Fairy Tail 2014, remember the epic battles with amazing animation and colorful abilities. Well that isn't the case anymore in Fairy Tail 2014; instead you should expect clunky character movement and animation, incorrect and totally absurd body proportions - I am not even joking sometimes you will notice characters half the size of the rest of the cast, and other times you will see characters with the tiniest heads and smallest bodies. But the thing that completely dwindled my faith in the animation for the Fairy Tail 2014 is the fights; it seems as if half the battle seems to be cut out of the picture, the abilities used are half animated and the screen often shifts to the characters so the studio doesn't have to animate the rest of the ability, instead we see stupid crap; such as a zoom in on Natsu as his enemies are sent flying into the air, without us even seeing him remotely use his abilities. The new modern style that the studio tried to use in this production is clearly not working and greatly takes away from what we all loved about Fairy Tail.
Sound : 10/10
The one part of Fairy Tail that will always be amazing; the OP, the ED and the OST are still amazing, everyone already knows that the soundtracks to Fairy Tail are some of the best you will ever see, and this season is no disappointment in that regard, rarely will you find poor music in Fairy Tail and even in such a poor season it is still exceptional
Overall : 5/10
This sequel is nothing like the prequel; every single aspect of the show from animation to battles has taken a drastic drop in quality, and has gotten to the point where you are better off looking elsewhere for the shounen action you desire. Yes, you may have developed an attachment to the amazing cast of characters in Fairy Tail or the concept of magic and the wide array of intricate powers out there in Earthland but trust me when I say that even the exceptional music and sound in Fairy Tail won't save you from being disappointed in the downwards progression of all the other aspects of Fairy Tail.
However you can still find some enjoyment in this series, it isn't complete trash and is still watchable, some of you may enjoy it, so don't let this review stop you! Decide for yourselves if you think that it will be worth it. Yet, I still do not recommend it.
