Fairy Tail Master's Edition, Vol. 1

Fairy Tail Master's Edition #1

by Hiro Mashima

MASTERS OF MAGIC AND MAYHEM!
Lucy is a young, rebellious celestial wizard with a dream: to join Fairy Tail, the world’s most rambunctious and powerful magical guild! When she happens to meet one of Fairy Tail’s top wizards, he turns out to be not quite what she expected: a slob traveling with a flying cat. But the promise of adventure is real, and together they escape from pirates and a devious magician! Their next task: to steal a book from the evil wizard-killing Duke Everlue, and outsmart his death trap. Eccentric new friends join along the way in this lushly-drawn modern classic, reissued from the beginning in a large size with a small price (for discerning guild masters).

Contains Volumes 1-5 of Fairy Tail, the hit manga that inspired the long-running anime!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Manga, Comics, Shonen, Graphic Novels, Action

944 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2015

About the author

Hiro Mashima (Jap: 真島ヒロ) is a Japanese manga artist.

He gained success with his first serial Rave, published in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1999 to 2005. His best-selling work, Fairy Tail, published in the same magazine from 2006 to 2017, became one of the best-selling manga series with over 72 million copies in print. Mashima began the currently ongoing Edens Zero in 2018.

Fairy Tail won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen manga in 2009, and Mashima was given the Harvey Awards International Spotlight award in 2017 and the Fauve Special Award at the 2018 Angoulême International Comics Festival.

Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Full disclosure - I've read all of this before and the rating is slightly biased due to personal nostalgia for the series*

80% | B+ | Great

"I have no idea what went on in your past...but you're being a big pain in the rear to a lot of people now!!!"

Celestial mage Lucy achieves her dream of joining the wizard guild Fairy Tail. She goes on quests along with fellow members Natsu, Happy, Gray and Erza who, together, make up Fairy Tail's strongest team

Is this cliché in every way? Yes. Is it full of fan service? Yes. Is it full of plot armour? Yes. Is it still one of my favourite manga series of all time? Yes . Around 11 or so years ago, Fairy Tail, Dragon Ball Z and One Piece were my holy manga trinity. The series somewhat recently wrapped up, and I decided that it was time to relive the journey all over again in this new Master's Edition format.

From an objective stand point, the first few missions they go on aren't the most interesting, with the most notable in this volume being the last one which centres around Gray and his past that, annoyingly, isn't concluded in this edition. However, the characters are as fun as I remember them being, with the core 5 still providing me with a lot of laughs and enjoyable moments. The introduction of one of my favourite characters of all time, Erza, is as iconic as ever, and even early Lucy doesn't annoy me as much as she did back in the day.

If you've never read or watched Fairy Tail, I do highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the shonen genre (Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, My Hero Academic etc.). There are some ups and downs along the way, but I found the journey to be completely worth it, so much so that I'm here to go another round.

[Sarah⭐ The Ultimate Book Hoarder · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been awhile now, so I think it's time I finally talk about my thoughts and feelings of Fairy Tail as a whole. As a manga, and an anime series.

~SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES~

Fairy Tail is quite possibly my favourite thing I've ever gotten into a fandom for. My love for the Percy Jackson series, Harry Potter series, TMI, Avatar: The Last Airbender e.t.c cannot even be compared to my love for Fairy Tail. And trust me, I adored those series too.

I think this was because I was going through a pretty bad time in my life when I first started watching the anime. I was pretty depressed, felt very isolated and alone, and felt like I was drifting apart from all my friends and family. My life was essentially falling apart. But Fairy Tail was like the light at the end of the tunnel. It was colourful, fun, bright and made me forget about all my problems. It made me laugh, smile, cry, and swoon. I felt really connected to all the characters, and honestly, they felt like my family. I know that sounds SUPER sad, but it's true. For example, Lucy reminded me of myself in so many ways. Like Lucy, It's my dream to write a novel, I had issues with my own father, I wasn't "powerful" but I was trying hard to be, and also like Lucy I do tend to be selfish at times and not think of others. I saw myself in Lucy, and it was amazing to watch her grow as a person and as a wizard. Despite all her issues with her father and her past, she kept her chin up and head high. I admire her so much for that.

Another reason why I love this series is because of Natsu. Natsu is one (if not my absolute) favourite anime character of all time, partially because he's honestly my dream guy. He's adorable, funny, goofy, cheerful, loyal to his friends and people he cares about, and just an amazing person in general. He's my little baby. Even if I'd had a really bad day, just seeing him smile would make me feel better. Oh god, now this really sounds sad *sigh*. But yeah, everything about him is just... AH! I love him so much. Also, another reason I love him (and this show) is because of his relationship with Lucy. As I said before, I really connected with Lucy, so it was like seeing myself with him. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right? But I'd love to have a guy like Natsu in my life. I love their friendship. I love the way they watch out for each other, how they goof around with each other, and I love watching how their friendship (and possibly feelings for each other?) grow. I want a relationship like theirs, and because of this reason, I ship Nalu from the bottom of my heart. They are my all-time ultimate OTP. But I also ship Natsu with myself (yes, I am THAT person).

Anyway, I found happiness watching this series where I didn't find it in real life. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Grey, Happy, Gajeel, Levy and so on are all characters I hold near and dear to my heart, I honestly do not have the words to describe how this series has impacted me. But I do know that it really helped me through the tough times, and I really have to thank Hiro Mashima for creating this series. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I appreciate you for coming up with this story.

Yes, Fairy Tail has its flaws. It's not perfect by a long shot. But to me personally, this show is incredible. It's the best anime/show/manga I've ever watched in my life and I doubt anything will ever come close. But again, this is just my feelings. I know not everyone will agree with my opinion, as I know it's definitely not the most critically-acclaimed anime/manga ever. But without this show, my life would've been a lot duller. So, that's why it's an all-time-favourite and forever will be.

“Do fairies really have tails? Do they even exist... Like them, this place is an eternal mystery... A never-ending adventure”

UPDATE 4/20/2019: Even after all this time, I still adore this series from the bottom of my heart. I'm watching the current 2018 season now, and words cannot describe how happy it makes me feel. When I heard the new season was going to be released, I was ecstatic. I just started university this year (2019), and I started watching this series in 2016, back when I was 16 going on to 17; my second-last year of high-school. It surprises me even to this day how much I'm in love with the story and the characters. I stopped watching the new series for a while after it released back late 2018, and recently, some of the people in my book-club were "dissing" the show which I can understand, but it still hurt me a little to hear bad things about a show that literally changed my life. But on Friday, after a practically bad day with a biology lab and feeling sick, I went home and caught up on the anime and fell in love with the show all over again. And I know in my heart nothing will ever compare, and my love for this series will never diminish no matter what anyone else says about the series.

UPDATE: 11/12/2019

So, Fairy Tail is finished for good (the main series at least, the new 100 years quest looks fun!) and I don't know how to feel about it. I wanted to take this oppourtunity to discuss how I feel it ended, and some also little nitpicks :( only a few though

Firstly, I am so appalled at how Juvia and Gray's relationship was handled in the finale. I've always despised this ship, and I knew that it would become canon unfortuantlely; but I was willing to give it a chance depending on how Hiro Mashima potrayed it. The final episode was laughable in how it showed their realtionship ("oh I guess I like your body too", like c'mon, really? That was the best you could come up with?) and with Gray leaving for a quest without her, it really shows how good this ship is, right? (Sigh). If anyone actually ships these two, were you satifsfied with the finale? It really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Secondly, once again, Hiro Mashima raises my hopes and then crashes them back down again with the ending Nalu scene. I should know better by now, but man, after so much build-up over the years just throw us a bone please! I'm dying over here.

Thirdly, I'm a little confused how they showed scenes of Edolas in the finale. How did they even back there?? I'm so confused?? I thought it was impenetrable now?? What???

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly don't know why it has taken me this long to read this manga. The characters are awesome, the story is fantastic and I am completely hooked. Plus who wouldn't love a magic guild that fights itself as much as the enemy and has a flying, talking cat! <3

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading Fairy Tale and I had wanted to start earlier but then I heard these omnibus editions were coming out so I waited. Omnibus editions are the glory of my home library manga bookshelves! Kodansha publishes beautiful collections, suitable for collectors at a price that is reasonable for the quality you are getting and a lower price point than buying the volumes individually. A large oversized volume containing volumes 1 thru 5 with huge pages and large text that make it a joy to read. There are no colour pages, but that is not something I fall for or need. The pages are quality, a far cry from viz omnibuses, but viz is serving a different market with their omnibi (?). The back information following each volume is crazily informative and I've been reading every word. Admittedly, I often find manga backmatter boring and skim at best and skip usually, but not here. Fans of the series will be pleased with the omnibus.

As to the manga itself, for a first-timer, I'm in delight! Such a fun old-school (2006) shounen fantasy with all the tropes that were popular back then. There are a lot of characters and it promises to be a large world inhabited by many people and creatures. These first five volumes establish a small core of main characters: Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Gray, Erza & Makarov. Many others have been introduced too but just in the Guild's pub setting so far. There is going to be a lot of variety here as so far in the five volumes the characters have gone to the board to select jobs/missions for themselves, they have been gathered together to go on a mission of great importance to the Guild Masters and they have snuck out without permission to accept a mission for glory which ended up having personal meaning for one of the heroes. There is a lot of character development which I'm loving; the battle scenes are many, wild, but short and the plots are both hilarious and serious. The general tone of the series reminds me of "One Piece" with the obscure, wild characters and enemies they meet and the extreme overreaction of the main characters. On the other hand, the art is highly akin to "Dragonball"'s Akira Toriyama, especially the facial drawings. This is so much fun; I'm so glad I'm finally getting into this must-read classic. I haven't settled on a favourite character yet because I like them all so far!

[Holly Letson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read the first 6 single volumes of *Fairy Tail*. I hope to pick this series up again, someday.

Right now, there's a Humble Bundle up for the single volumes up to Vol.45 ( https://www.humblebundle.com/books/fa... ), and I am trying to get my honey to get those for me. If not, it'll be back to the library for volumes later on.

[Athaliah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about wizards. The main character (Natsu) is looking for a person that he calls his father. He thinks he finds him but it's not him. This other character, Lucy, is trying to get into this Guild called, Fairy Tail. This man tricks her into going on his ship. He says that he can get her into fairy Tail. He actually doesn't. Then Natsu comes and helps her get out of there. Natsu then actually gets her into her dream guild. They both have this crazy adventure. This book is a good book.

[Echoes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one huge volume collecting the first five manga of the series. With almost a thousand pages, and the size of an average textbook, this beast gave me hours of entertainment and kept me wanting to turn the page. It introduced all the major players of the early arcs of the series and ends on one heck of a cliffhanger. I loved this book. The art style is actually better than the show (in my opinion) and the translation notes at the end of each section are really useful. I love how the translator left the attacks in their original languages and even translated people's tattoos.

This was just overall fantastic. I can't even complain about the price because I got it from the library, and honestly, $40.00 is not bad at all for the quality and content of this master's edition collection.

[Melissa Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful start to a wonderful manga series that has been turned into a wonder anime. I cannot recommend this magical series enough and the first volume is still one of my favorites. It isn't perfect but it has heart and is ridiculously fun.

[evofox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this was a fun read.

I got into Fairy Tail a few years ago through the anime. There was something quite entertaining about a group of miscreant wizards questing throughout an area. I sadly never read the manga due to getting distracted with other series. Now that the final season is airing I have decided to read the manga from the beginning and then the sequel manga. This omnibus was my starting point.

The story follows a guild of mages which the main cast is part of Fairy Tail. The story is full of magic, adventure, cool villains, plot twists and fights. The omnibus contains the first five volumes which go from some of the main characters meeting to an arc which delves into a main characters past.

Mini review of the five volumes:

Volume 2: Primarily set characters up and location. In it we were introduced to a large portion of the protagonists as well as their particular magic. The arcs in this one were fairly short and it ended with the set up for the next one. I also enjoyed the little side story with Happy at the end since it was light hearted fun and fairly amusing.

Volume 2: This picked up where the other volume left off with Lucy, Natsu and Happy’s first proper quest as a group. It also ends with the set up for the next arc which brings together the eventual main character group with the addition of Grey and Erza to the initial group. We also found out more about the nature of Lucy's magic and how she is able to use it. The first part of the volume was slightly dull but the next arc set up is promising.

Volume 3: okay this is where the storyline really picks up and starts to get interesting. Even though the plot line is fairly episodic This volume is the start of the more interesting long arcs. The fights were cool to read, the magic rocked and the art style made things interesting. The volume also ended on a cliffhanger to keep readers wanting to see what happens next.

Volume 4: This resolved the cliffhanger from the previous volume and set up for the first multiple volume arc. In the past they only were really one volume arcs but the arc started in this volume spans a few volumes. We also get in this volume a better idea of power levels with the characters and met some of the more powerful members of the guild. We also got hints as to greys backstory and what happened to him in the past.

Volume 5: Okay this was the last volume of the omnibus but sadly it did not wrap up the arc. We got the rest of greys backstory and his link to this arcs villain. We also got some fairly interesting fights between main characters and the villain group which helped show what Grey and Natsu are capable of better.

My only real complaint was the art style. It was a bit strange and definitely took a little getting used to. Also some of the character designs were slightly strange and different from what I remember seeing in images. This was a minor issue though since the art style was not the worst I’ve seen and at times worked with what was going on to make the scenes more interesting. On a related side note, there is far less fan service in the manga then there was in the anime.

Really enjoyed this and will definitely read more in a bit. Will be interested to see how series plays out and if there are too many differences between this and the adaption.

4.9/5

[Lea VW]

I read the first five volumes of the Fairy Tail series. There are a total of 50 volumes. Since each volume is short, I read five to make one book. This is a fiction, and categorized in Manga, a japanese type of comics. The story is Fantasy and Mystery. The reason why I chose to read these books is because the anime, which I first watched, became on of my favourite animes. I’ve watched a lot of animes, and this anime is about 200 episodes long. I loved every episode, and I bought the first 15 volumes in 3 Master Editions for christmas.
This story is about a girl named Lucy Heartfilia, who is 17 and a Celestial Wizard. She uses keys for her magic, summoning spirits from a different world. She wants to join Fairy Tail, a guild where wizards meet and have fun while taking jobs for money. Fairy Tail is known as the most obnoxious and rambunctious guild in the country, however they stand tall as the most powerful guild as well. While Lucy joined, she met a Fire Dragon Slayer named Natsu Dragneel and his blue talking cat(exceed) Happy. Natsu is looking for his father, a fire dragon who disappeared seven years ago. Together, they go on adventures and form a team to go on jobs with rewards. The rewards are jewels, which is the money currency. They are joined by four other members later on, while Erza, a powerful S-Class(A class where you can take higher, harder jobs) wizard joins them, as well as Gray, an Ice Make mage and Natsu’s ‘rival’. Thy join them in the 15 volumes I have read so far. The plots mostly include the main characters backgrounds, and other links to their mysterious pasts. The first large plot that came was when Natsu stole an S-Class quest. The quest requested a wizard to lift a curse on a demon island, and Natsu ‘convinced’ Lucy to join him. The kind master of the guild, Master Makarov(I think he’s about as old as Professor Dumbledore), sends Gray(Fullbuster) to retrieve them. Eventually, he joins them to. On the other hand, Gray never expected what would come next. The curse was caused by a powerful magic spell called Moon Drip to awaken a demon called Deliora. When GRay saw the demon, he was terrified. Deliora destroyed his city and killed his family, while later he was taken in by another ice wizard, who taught him
I loved the story. The story has a very powerful feeling of friendship and family, and this is constantly displayed through the story. After a while, I felt like Fairy Tail was my family too. There is no plot in general, just that they keep strangely encountering life-threatening adventures, and I think they saved the world about four times. Fairy Tail is a funny manga, and contains lots of puns and jokes. This is definitely one of the less scary manga out there, but can get very emotional and teary. You can really feel what the characters are feeling, which I enjoy. I don’t really have a favourite part, but I really love the Grand Magic Games, which are introduced a lot later than the first 15 volumes. Nonetheless, I enjoyed every part of the book. I would recommend this to a friend, and I have, but most of my friends said no, due to the fact that they don’t watch anime in general. However, I’m planning to recommend this to my friend later this week, and I hope she’ll like it. This is a book for all ages, but mostly ranging 12+. As I said above, I give this book a full 10.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

To each their own.

That's really what it comes down to. I did enjoy my time reading this Master's Edition volume. It was certainly interesting to see the different forms of magic and how the various characters exhibited them.

Alas, other than that, it was kind of generic for me. That does not make it bad, but it also did not stand out for me. That is going to be my mantra for this review because Fairy Tail obviously has a strong following and that's great. Truly. I am just not one that has fallen in love with it. Will I read more, probably, but I'm not chomping at the bit to get to the next one.

One quick word on the Master's Edition -- it is a great book, the pages are huge and readable and not paperthin newsprint. I wish more omnibus books would take this route.

Verdict: If you're looking for a fantasy manga, Fairy Tail will fit that bill. It has an interesting magic system. The rest I leave up to you.

[KristynRene SwissCheese JellyBean · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 Stars

This manga series is my favorite story and fictional world of all time.

The way people feel about Harry Potter? That's me with Fairy Tail.

It always makes me speechless. This story is also why my favorite books include An Unkindness of Magicians and A Darker Shade of Magic, they honestly just remind me of what I love about Fairy Tail. Ugh, I love it so much. Seriously.

[Suhail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Fairy Tail. Almost all of the characters are really nice. Friendship is a major theme in this series and the main cast really do feel like a group of friends.

The first five volumes do a good job of introducing the world and the characters. There is a lot of action and adventure right from the start. There is also some comedy and drama mixed in. The timing is good so it feels natural.

The art is dynamic but keeps clear lines even during massive fight scenes. While it does contain some fanservice, the manservice manages to balance it out.

And while most of the women have to fight in impossibly skimpy outfits, they each have believable personalities and lots of them have agency.

[Niamh Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a reread of one of my favourite mangas, which I started reading at a very difficult point in my life.
I love the sense of family and loyalty that this book holds and I think it has a lot of really good lessons in it. Not just about sticking up for what you believe in but also about not giving up even when it looks like you’re going to fail.
I haven’t read any Fairy Tail in a long time and I really enjoyed seeing all the characters again and being reminded of things I had forgotten.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always wanted to read something of Hiro Mashima's. One Piece looks the most appealing, but there's just so much to cover and this was more accessible.. and I could start at the beginning.

Not disappointed! The art is as bonkers as the comedy, and they're a winning, matching pair. Loving the main trio, though Happy takes the cake. (Aye!) And the rest of the Fairy Tail wizards are delightful. I'm on board for the rest.

[Andres Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! If you love magical guilds and a light hearted character flavoring a well done story line, this manga is for you. I was worried that it was going to be cartoony like 'One Piece' however that was not the case. This story is excellent but the art style makes it feel as a very easy read. Well worth the 15lbs of book this thing weight lol.

[Shazne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The oversized format is great but the build of the book is not. Should've been a hardcover. That said, Fairy Tail Vol. 1 is well a rounded set up and journey into this exciting world. Hiro Mashima's art and character dynamics makes it a smooth & fun experience. The action sequences are very well done. Looking forward diving deeper into this world.

[Amy Portsmouth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This edition is MASSIVE but absolutely brilliant.
The characters of Natsu, Lucy, Grey and of course Happy are brilliant and I love how the storyline has been developing!
Eventhough this is a brick to read it’s definitely worth it!

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

So excited to finally be reading the manga of Fairy Tail. I've been obsessed with the anime for over a year and watched all of it. Now to be able to read it is amazing.

[Stacy Milacek · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's just a lot of fun!

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pog

[XZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

🥰🥰🥰🥰 it's nice to return to the Fairy Tail world

[Mangagirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to book

[Casey Wernowksy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was hard to find time to read this, it’s definitely good, but takes a lot more focus (or maybe that’s just me) than a typical manga I read. It’s as wild as the wizards in fairy tale!! 😂

[Geremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watched the anime growing up. It was surprising that it actually still made me laugh.

[SpruceAlmighty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of surprising twists, hilarious moments, and quirky characters. I'm hooked!

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally I was going to skip reading the first volume, in this omnibus of five but as I flicked through Hiro Mashima's oversized art. I had to read it again, it was just mouthwateringly good.

The introduction to the world of Fairy Tail with Natsu and Lucy accidently bumping into each other was fantastic, from the get go I felt a real connection to both of them and what they were doing. Even when Lucy was shopping for keys I was hooked, add the hunt for the Salamander and that twist and it’s just one epic read.

Then you had the search for some kids dad and trying to destroy a book, whilst I enjoyed both of these, they just didn’t hook me the same way the initial story did, though it was a very good way of setting up the story there after.

Meet the black guild, those who have been banish for being too unstable. They come up with a plan to even the score, yet Fairy Tail come to the rescue. I love the fact that they are half cocked and making things up as they go, it’s not a case of here is a casual threat and they’ll be easy defeated. No this felt proper, now the ending was a bit of an arse pull but aside from that this was another very solid story arc.

Finally we get the cursed village, love the idea. We get to see into Gray’s backstory and why he’s always stripping. It had the right mix of heartfelt moments and comedy, we don’t quite see the arc ending in this omnibus but it gives me something to look forward to in the next volume, if it’s half as good as this I know that I’ll love it.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread for me but I still love it .

[Inge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the style of this one, despite finding myself swept away by the action and laughing out loud at some of the jokes, I was truly hooked by the character development that was there as of book 3. Great edition as well, though it is very heavy to carry (1000 pages !)

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Fairy Tail more than anything so like I'm glad I can finally read the manga's