ANIME MONDAY: Fairy Tail – “Natsu Vs. Yuka the Wave User” Review


Previously on Fairy Tail:

Natsu & his team finally square off against the Cold Emperor, things take a turn however when the group finds out that their adversary is Lyon Vastia, and Ice Make wizard and former friend of Gray. Spoilers Ahead.

After sending Natsu (Todd Haberkorn), Lucy (Cherami Leigh), & Happy (Tia Ballard) to protect the villagers from Lyon’s (Jerry Jewel) forces, Gray (Newton Pittman) faces off against his old rival. Still reeling from the revelation that his former friend is reviving Deliora, Gray is soon defeated and Lyon leaves. Natsu comes back to retrieve his friend and the two make their way to the village to back up Lucy & Happy. After failing to destroy the village outright, Lyon’s minions are separated from each other, as are the Fairy Tail wizards; causing Natsu to find himself  in a two on fight against the calculating Yuka (Anthony Bowling) & the dog man Toby Horhorta (Chad Halbrook), while Lucy finds herself alone in the woods against the “lovely” Sherry Blendy (Trina Nishimura).

Natsu Vs. Yuka

No revelations in this episode instead focusing a bit on the dynamics of Natsu’s team. Most of that focus is put on Natsu & Gray’s relationship as friendly rivals. While the two do come to blows ALOT in the guild (mostly due to Gray’s constant stripping, Natsu’s impulsiveness, and their conflicting magic abilities), they genuniely are friends and care about one another. This was briefly touched upon in the Lullaby arc when Gray told Natsu not to die on him, but is shown more prominently here when Gray pushed Natsu off the altar when Lyon froze his body (because he said Lyon could have blown up the ice killing Natsu) and when Natsu came back for him and told him to stop moping because their Fairy Tail wizards. Natsu also knocks Gray out before he fights Yuka and Toby because he knew he wasn’t recovered enough to fight. These are some good moments that slowly advance their relationship as well as the guilds.

Sherry

We are also introduced to more of the antagonists in more detail. Natsu’s opponents, Yuka & Toby, were members of the Lamia Scale guild before joining with Lyon. Yuka is sort of calm and calculating and likes to hear himself speak, he uses “Wave” magic which can cancel out magic he comes in contact with. Toby on the other hand is an idiot and very easy to fool, this is evident when Natsu tricks in into touching his head with his own poisonous claws. Sherry on the other hand is more of a problem, she is obsessed with love and Lyon, so much so that she attacks Lucy in a rage when they arrive in the woods because she fears Lyon won’t love her anymore. She has a giant pet rat named Angelica (anime) and uses “Marionette” magic in which she can control living things (except humans), this spirals into Lucy’s development for the episode. when Sherry takes control of Taurus (Jeremy Inman) Lucy is able to snap Taurus out of it and close his gate, showing she’s gotten stronger.

“Natsu Vs. Yuka The Wave User” is nothing too spectacular but it is a good ways away from mundane. Natsu’s fight scene (while panfully short) shows how versatile the Dragon Slayer can be when he uses his head, and the interaction between him and Gray works well here. The adventure continues next week as Lyon continues his plans and Lucy takes on Sherry.

 3.5/5