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To summarize this Gundam serious so far:

Multiple Corporations agree to work together to end a lethal product, only to years later start using the same product that tried to abolish. All while fucking over the entire lower class and middle class (all of Earth) and working them to death. While this is going on they same corporations that once worked together are now in-fighting using the said abolished product. All for the sake of total monopoly for market dominance. All while using Corporate Militaries to do it, but also while training unaware youth to fight a fight started by a bunch of rich, privileged CEOs ... over a decade earlier.

In short: A story about what happens when unchecked Capitalism meets Military Spending and Resource Allocation head on, with a sprinkling of classism and youth indoctrination.

I.e. A solid Gundam plot.

-Return of the bad CGI the Anime-

*Has bad CGI. Need I say more?

*Has Boring Character and plot. Characters are more flat then the bad CGI, and with less content then the effort it takes to make new CGI Monsters.

*Is clearly banking off of the concept of Covid-19. Uses a generic made up type of virus/plague to help define the setting while also doing very little else with it. Anime came out during the Delta/Omicron variant of the Covid-19 pandemic. So it comes across as cliche and shallow.

Hope this saves you from wasting your time watching this hot garbage of a show. I know my time ... sure was wasted.

-This review as been amended to reflect the final episode 51-

Fairy Tail is...well was a amazing show. It's cast, sound-work, animation and art design and direction were something of a spectral and a dance. It kept you wanting more and more while also treating your intelligence with respect and appreciation. While the show used magic as it's basic premise it never really did a full "Deus EX Machina" and utterly insulted your ability to think for yourself or your imagination.

Story:
That is until this season and on Episode 50. Where entire sections of previous season are ret-conned for the sake of "Plot device" and a clear ... trash written Deus EX Machina.

Remember the season with a massive chunk of it being about a alternative world called Edolas? And how when they left the pathways and connections between Earth Land and Edolas were severed?

Ya well you can act like that never happened. In episode 50 the entire population of Edolas is showing to be helping defeat Acnologia. Better yet there is a scene where Lucy asks Meredy where she's been all this time when Meredy just randomly shows up all beaten and bruised and Meredy says she's been traveling around the world to help "connect" people to help make Fairy Sphere successful.

Which begs the question, how did she get back to Edolas? Why does Edolas care about Earth Land when they two worlds are connected as per the shows own lore? How do the people of Edolas know about the fight with Acnologia? If the fight with Acnologia is only in Earth Land then how would it effect the land of Edolas?

None and I mean none of these questions are answered and with one more episode left it's incredibly unlikely they will, or will do so without insulting the fan base and audience more then they already have.

Yes this show has had plot devices before but they made sense and didn't contradict the show and series own lore and plot. They were all believable in their own way. Not this one.

Also the people of Edolas suddenly have the ability to use magic, as the shows down dialog says that the magic within people is being pulled to help power Fairy Sphere. EVEN though the show itself stats that the people of Edolas has no magic and what little magic that was present (magic items) was entirely transfer to Earth Land. So somehow, suddenly Edolas has some level of magic again and within it's residents?

EDIT: Both Zeraf and Mavis were brought back and aren't actually dead, but it's not actually either of them but some two characters that literally look identical to them and even have the same VAs for them and the characters from the Guild all recognize them as these two people but then it's just...passed off as nothing at all. Even the way Mavis is framed coming into the scene is literally how Mavis has been framed in the entire series up to this point. A ghostly presence in the form of a child.

Acnologia gets a redemption story but doesn't at the same time as a way to pull at the viewer heart strings a little to late and clearly comes across as a insult to the entire audiences intelligence.

Natus acts like he's going to ask Lucy out to be his GF and maybe Wife but then the show is like "Naaah" and pulls a really piss poor attempt at subverting expectations. Natus isn't known to be a romantic in the early parts of the show but he's not that student or ignorant. He's acted in ways or done things for Lucy that shows he also has feelings for her yet the show just slaps you in the face over their relationship. At least Levy and Gajeel are more forward about their feelings, somehow since Gajeel is leagues more dence then Natsu ever way. Same with Grey. It's just insulting.

Oh and the whole thing with the Edolas character suddenly being shown as helping with the final battle against Acnologia and Meredy somehow traveling back to Edolas to get their help is STILL never explained and STILl utterly contrived and forced in for the sake of having a Deus Ex Machina.



Sound:
It's Fairy Tail, Sounds design is still some good stuff with it's sound track still being a favorite of mine and still rocking that Celtic metal vibes. However the sound effects seem like they are just reused ones from the first seasons and you can tell they are reusing them for the sake of time and money.

Art:
It's tanked pretty hard. Animation quality is now sub-par, the amount of movement, fluid fighting and fight scenes overall are pretty bad. Everything feels rushed (will get to this at the end) and it shows pretty blatantly too.


Characters:
They are...there. Nothing to write home about and some of more interesting ones are killed off in really cheap and haphazardly ways. Irene was probably one of the most interesting characters they not only introduced but also fleshed out in this entire season. You got a pretty interesting backstory, some lore about her you'd have never guessed about (she invented dragon slayer magic) and had the most potential to be a redeemable character. Something this show has a knack for doing when there is as much build up for Irene as they gave.

But nope. Killed her off like it was nothing. Which is disappointing because far FAR less interesting and redeemable characters were in-fact, redeemed in this series. Showing a complete lack of continuity from the shows writer who can't keep his own writing method straight and it's pretty obvious.

Other then her characters are forgettable, bland or pretty pointless and are just there to push the plot along. Something this series didn't fall prey to prior to this season as each character as a important role and motive they made them believable and enjoyable. Even the villains.

EDIT: With the death of both Zeraf and Mavis any reasonable viewer would think that they'd never been seen or heard from again. Yet within the shows own last season this gets utterly retconned as well. Both of them are brought back with absolutely not explanation. Just given different names and the way it's set up and their design it's clear this is EXACTLY who they are and even the Guild Member of Fairy Tail know it's them. Yet that's all dropped when the two act like they've never met and neither are actually mages, let alone know any of the rest of the cast. Outside of the cast from Edolas being brought back it's the most jarring and trashy thing the show and it's writers could have done.

Also Acnologia suddenly has a change of heart when he realizes he can't have everything and is starting to crumble into literal dust. Saying that Natus is now the King of Dragons (which he thankfully declines) but it's some feigned attempt to garner sympathy for Acnologia. I am sorry but what? This makes no sense and is another notch on the shows grave stone of how to insult your fan-base and audience. Acnologia shouldn't have any sympathy for him yet the show tries to pull this "have it both ways" crap.



Enjoyment:
It's...bland to put it nicely. If you like a show you just turn your brain off of then you MIGHT like this last season. But if you are like most of the intelligent population and can tell when you are being insulted by a shows writing and how it's slapping you around with a wet rag then you probably won't like how this show ends. It's better off putting on in the background while doing something else (like a Podcast) then actually sitting down, putting it on and watching it and doing nothing else.

Overall:
Fairy Tail started off strong. REALLY strong and continued to be strong until this last season. Ending on a strong note is the most important part of a story or any medium, even if you had a poor season or half of one as long as you end on a strong note then people will tend to be forgiving to the parts you flubbed on and say good things about your work overall.

Fairy Tail however ends on probably one of the weakest seasons I've seen in a anime to date, and I've seen a lot. From ones in the 70s (Star Blazers) to the 80s and 90s (Gundam and Gundam Wing) and all the way to date. From multiple different genres and studios, Fairy Tail has ended on the worst possible season from not only a critically acclaimed franchise but also the budget something like this would get.

It insults your intelligence as a view with their pulling a Deus EX Machina by dragging the entire land of Edolas into the frey which fundamentally makes no sense based on the shows own lore, the bland and boring characters during this entire last season and killing off ones that were actually interesting and (based on the shows own history) would have been kept alive and redeemed, to some of the worst art and animation within a series own show when compared to previous series.


Fairy Tail started off with a blazing fire but has sadly gone out like a puff of smoke with no fire in it's belly. It's gone from someone wonderful and amazing to a utter joke and one that's not even funny.


Closing Note:
I had reason to believe that this season was made not because the studio wanted it, but because of fan entitlement and fan backlash for not having the last season. And the publisher jumped on as their eye turned to money signs and they could see how easily they could make dough from it. As such the product is bad because there is no longer love, heart and appreciation put into it.

EDIT: This season is by far the worst in the life time of this franchise. It has massive plot holes that it not only digs deeper then they already were but creates entire new ones for no reason other their to give a excuse to try and help force the plot along. It's contrived, shoddy and does nothing but slap you in the face repeatedly and insults your intelligence as a viewer the entire time while also leading you to believe that serious questions that have been created WILL be answered but never bothers to.

This series started off very strong and it wasn't till this last season that it fell to very far from where it once stood. It's a joke and a joke that no one is laughing at. I used to love this franchise, characters and the story, but I can't be bothered to care anymore after the train wreck of a "Final Season". And based on what I am seeing there's supposed to another entire Arc called the "100 Year Quest Arc" and good lord please don't let that become a thing. The show just need to stop existing now after how bad this "Final" season turned out to be. We don't need more from the abysmal season.

Until the most recent episode (#5) I felt like the show was picking up the pace at a very organic pace, character's were developing in a organic way and the plot was thickening. However my low score (that would have been a high by the end of the show had things kept on the track they were) comes from the most recent episode that has caused me to have serious doubt for the rest of the show.

All of the characters for the show had interesting back stories that we learned about. These stories helped shape each and every one of them and their behavior up ... to this point matched their back story. However...
Then comes in Luca, who we've had no real interactions with save for a few and have been given no glimpse into them as a character until now. That's been a side-kick up until this point.

During a scene in EP5, they told their group they are non-binary (for the sake of this review, I don't want to say too much and remain in the guidelines). Be what your bias or personal opinions are on the current gender, sex and identity political climate in 2019, there is a fine line in story telling where your character is either naturally and organically developed or shoehorned in as a form of pandering. Luca's review is disappointingly the latter. He's been given almost no screen-time, we have no real idea about their personality and the anime dropping this on the view the way it did is clearly a way to pander to the current climate such discussions are being had in the real world.

While I have not read the Manga, I will say this reveal is jarring, immersion breaking and entirely unneeded with the setup and lead up to it.

Organic Story telling is a must to tell a enjoyable and coherent tale for others to listen, watch or read and really get into. Kanata no Astra has utterly dropped this most basic concept to push a political narrative and is flat out pandering.

If you don't like or want politics (of any kind) in your anime, you can safely pass Kanata no Astra at this point. Otherwise be ready to stomach one of the most out of touch and out of place reveals in recent years that utterly breaks the enjoyment and immersion in this anime.


Outside of that the story has been okay. Sound design is pretty nice, as well as the sound track. Art is pretty gorgeous without a doubt and I did fine the interesting designs of the other worlds they visit to be really interesting and attention grabbing. They really hit a home run with the creatures and vegetation of the other worlds and I do love how they handled that.

However you don't come to watch anime simply for the visuals or sound, you come to watch to get invested in the story and characters. As such, Kanata no Astra is a pass for anyone who is against real world politics being dragged into their anime. Real bummer too because until this point, everything had been organic, fun and natural in story and character development.

This is a shameful reboot of a series that had hit so many high notes in the original three seasons. Hell even the filler season of Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu had more fulfilling episodes then this hollow shell.

Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory is anything but good. With episode 10 just being released and only 12 full episodes being planned so far, this is by far the worst season of them all. Don't even get my started on the two (yes two) recap episodes that somehow someone at the studio thought was a "good" idea. The original season had 24 episodes, with Fumoffu having 12 and ... Second Raid having 13 (plus a OVA), and none of them had a recap episode. Let along TWO!

This season isn't worth your time. You are treated like a child (the two recaps only drilling this treatment worse) and the story bounces all over the place. There animation is hit and miss. With vehicles being CG and the mech being a pale comparison to what the series use to have, it's would be no surprise to me if they canned the series permanently with how bad Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory has ended up being.

And yes, the old seasons had GI, but at least they bothered to blend it into the drawn elements. Here anything CG just sticks out like a sore, bloody thumb. It is clear that Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory suffers from the CGI treatment that so many mech and robot based anime end up suffering from.

Other then the CG the series has OK animation. There is a part in episode ten (you'll probably know it when you see it) that they tried to so a weird half-slowmo but it just looks choppy. Sometimes the moving of a character (or a limb of theirs) looks really blocky.

There's even a scene in episode 9 that has you wondering if a character is kissing another because of a really bad camera change. Since there's no lead up to any sort of concept of a kiss happening, you are left wondering if it was a mistake or a intentional choice.

There's also a really bad case of cut and paste story. Meaning there's odd time jumps (both forward and back) that are jarring and it is clear that very little story boarding was done for this season. Maybe this is why they had to have two recaps, however bad production decisions are not the fault of the viewer.

Last but not least is something that is probably the biggest offend out of all of these. Remember the charm and humor of the original seasons? Ya well that's gone. Only one episode so far in this entire season has put a smile on my face. Where as the original seasons I couldn't stop laughing. Obviously this season is supposed to be darker, but one of the very things the series is known for (it's sense of humor) is all but gone. Only added to the shell the series has become.

There is very minimal music (even the famous theme that plays Tuatha de Danaan seems to be missing. Which makes me wonder if they couldn't get the original writes for any of the series most icon themes). Gun sounds are of course pretty good, but you it's hard to mess that up with the internet having a plethora of samples the studio could have bought and used.

I have nothing to say about the characters because, what characters? There is no focus on any of the characters, and instead we just get constant cuts between one character to another. As such there is no character development (further development I guess in this case), and the characters we do know and love have been chopped down into bite sized pieces.

Overall it pains me to give this season of Full Metal Panic! a 2/10. With the sound (somehow) being the highest rated thing for this season, with a 7/10.

Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory is not what is should be, and it shows. This season is sadly a husk of what the series once was, and double recap, choppy story, poorly blended animation and CG and the deeply missed musical themes only aid to the fact that this may be it for the series once and for all.

In short, Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory was clearly rushed out the studio's door.