To me, this manga is like a moutain : with ups and downs.
I began to read FT just after I finished Rave, so it was a long time ago. At the beginning, the story seemed good : Natsu was stupid like a lot of shonen heroes, but not too annoying ; Lucy was cute but not totally helpless (and she was a beginner). The plot promised a quest and mysteries but, a few years after, I can't help but think that I wasted my time reading this story.
First of all : there is NO PLOT ! The author himself says in his manga that he improvises since volume 8/10. How can there be a plot, let alone a good one ?
I know that in a lot of shonens, plots are really random but look at Naruto : Kishimoto improvises a lot of things, but we know where the story is going. In FT, there is no such thing.
Secondly : the characters. Natsu IS more and more annoying with each passing chapter (and believe me, it cost me a lot to write that, since I really like him). He wins almost ALL his battles without any kind of logic (except the first ones).
And Lucy... Lucy, after a few chapter, became an "helpless princess who wait for her prince in shining armor (aka Natsu)" and "miss fanservice". Why did she have to be a weak girl? She was a good character at the beginning.
And I do not speak of Erza, Gray, Luxus.... They were interesting at the beginning too but now...
Anyway, this manga disappoint me and I object strongly to those who said that FT is "like One Piece". You can't compare One Piece, which had a plot and good characters, to this disappointment.
