English Dub Review: Fairy Tail “Master Enchant”

Irene and Erza face off in a fight for the centuries.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After learning last week about her backstory, Erza faces off against her mother, the formerly called ‘Queen of the Dragons’. When her mother attempts to use magic to transfer her own soul into Wendy’s body, it almost works, until Wendy saves the day by transferring her soul into Irene’s former body and then reclaiming her own. But this causes Irene to transform into a dragon, and call a giant meteor to strike the Earth. Erza may be injured, but she’s still going to try to sacrifice her own safety to ensure the survival of her people and her friends.

Our Take:

How did Fairy Tail fare this week? I’ll be honest, I would probably be a lot harder on Master Enchant if it hadn’t come on the heels of such an exposition-heavy episode. Last week’s outing may have been necessary for us to get the full effect of this story. It told us where she came from and why she abandoned Erza. But it did it in such a boring, expositional way that it was a snooze-fest regardless of how interesting the actual backstory became. Coming off an episode like that, this week feels a lot more fresh, even if it’s not really a great episode in its own rights.

Basically, the only thing going on in Master Enchant is the showdown between mother and daughter. It’s packed with a fair amount of action, but it feels a bit weighed down from all the talking they do mid-battle. And with three episodes now covering the climactic scene, it’s started to come across as being dragged out. Even the ‘twist’ where Wendy possesses Irene’s body was a little too predictable. I mean, of course, she’d be able to use her magic to take over the only available body there. We get a little check-in with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy, but it doesn’t amount to too much. Just Natsu talking to the dragon Igneel in his mind and learning that he has not only a dragon seed implanted in him but a demon seed as well. And the merging of the two is what will cause him to die. (Would they kill him off? It is the final season, right? But still, I doubt it.)

The English dub is a good one this week, with some solid performances from Colleen Clinkenbeard and Rachel Robinson. I especially thought Colleen Clinkenbeard did a great job at showing off Erza’s emotions upon having to fight not only her mother but her mother possessing the body of her friend. Her determination is clear when she states: “Anyone who stands between me and my home will pay the price.” I thought Irene did get in a clever line here and there herself, like when she took over Wendy’s body and then exclaimed: “I may be a child now, but playtime is over.”

Master Enchant is an okay episode of Fairy Tail that would’ve felt a lot worse if I hadn’t needed a break from all the exposition of last week. The fight sequences between Irene, Erza, and Wendy weren’t incredible, but they were somewhat exciting. I wish there had been a little more to it though, besides what we already knew. After just a few minutes, we get that Irene wants a new body and Erza is content with her Fairy Tail family. But then the episode keeps bashing us over the head with the same information over and over again. I’m excited about a possible fresh start next week!