Fairy Tail: Final Season

Episode 308

Fantasy worlds are, by definition, lacking in some real-world things in exchange for other, usually more awesome things. Every so often, however, there's a lack that could really use filling because it could help avoid some particularly irritating problems. In the world of Fairy Tail, two of those roles are “bra fitter” and “therapist.” Okay, the first is totally my own pet peeve (maybe magic helps make those tops more comfortable?), but the latter really could help to, if not solve problems within the story, at least prevent them from happening again. I'm speaking specifically of Brandish and DiMaria's issues this week, both of which appear to stem from an inability to recognize and deal with their own emotions on difficult subjects. Sure, therapy may not cure their ills, but it might help them to stop trying to kill other people over them.

Snark aside, both women do stand as foils to Lucy and Natsu in this episode (and Gajeel and Levy, to a degree) in that they cannot handle their conflicted feelings. Where the Fairy Tail members draw strength from the warm feelings they have for each other, whether those be romantic love or familial love, neither Brandish nor DiMaria know how to cope with emotions usually viewed as positive. Brandish, to a degree, seems to know this, and she plays it up in order to hopefully drive off DiMaria, whose burning jealousy she can presumably feel behind her. And yet there does seem to be some truth to her statement to Lucy that she can't deal with the conflicting loyalties Lucy embodies – as a member of the Twelve and Zeref's army, she's supposed to hate Lucy and all of Ishgar. But now that she knows that Lucy was her childhood friend and the daughter of the woman her mother adored, she isn't sure that she wants to hate her, much less hurt her or anyone she cares about. When Brandish says that killing Lucy is the solution to her problems, she may actually mean it, at least in some small corner of herself, because she's been uncomfortable with her role in the entire war ever since the two women met.

Of course, she also knows that DiMaria isn't going to take this well. Technically speaking, she's known DiMaria well for far longer than she's known Lucy, and she has to be aware to a certain degree that DiMaria's not only jealous, but also prone to acting poorly when that jealousy is activated. Like a third grader arguing over who her first best friend and second best friend is, DiMaria isn't going to just stand aside while Brandish finds someone else to be pals with, and her reaction is just as mature: hurt the person who makes her feel this way. In DiMaria's case, that's both Brandish and Lucy, because she blames both nearly equally: Brandish for leaving and Lucy for taking Brandish away. Add in the way Lucy's guildmate Wendy humiliated her and DiMaria's out for some serious blood.

It's this that allows both Lucy and Brandish to shine, though. Lucy has always been strongest in moments where all hope seems lost, and her fights with the two Alvarez wizards are no exception. She doesn't know that Brandish is play-acting, remember, so she's really going all-out with her use of magic in the battle, something we don't often get to see her do. Not only does this give us the chance to see a couple more of her Star Dresses, but it also reaffirms that a large part of her strength is in her bonds with her spirits: among the Dresses she wears is the one for Aquarius, a spirit she's no longer contracted to. Much like Lucy's strength was able to save Loke, now it allows her to call upon Aquarius despite not having her key, something that also speaks to the feelings Aquarius has for her. It really shouldn't be possible for it to happen, whether she has Aquarius' boyfriend's key or not, and it's a good reminder that despite not being as outwardly strong or flashy as some of her guildies, Lucy's still a force to be reckoned with.

That's going to be very important going forward, because Natsu's E.N.D. is showing. Porlyusica's statement that the tumor isn't what she thought it was and that by regrowing it Brandish has triggered something dangerous is no exaggeration, and with Gray reeling from what he thinks is Juvia's death and the revelation of E.N.D.'s true identity, things are not looking good. The real battle of ice and fire is on its way – dragon and demon included.

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Fairy Tail: Final Season is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.