FAIRY TAIL 1-2 by Hiro Mashima
I was talking to Chris Butcher about this a while ago, so I looked up his Wikipedia entry and he was indeed an assistant to Eichiro Oda, the creator of the fantastic and long running ONE PIECE, which certainly explains a lot about this book.
FAIRY TAIL in both concept and execution... is almost EXACTLY ONE PIECE. EXACTLY. Chris Butcher even pointed out to me that the TITLE LOGO'S look the same. To quote the MARIO TWINS flash video, "Wow... they look so God Damned the same. You ask one if he wants ice cream, they both say yes!"
FAIRY TAIL is basically ONE PIECE with Wizards. It's about a girl named Lucy who sort of stumbles into a friendship with Natsu, a Fire Magic User belonging to the controversial, but popular, Wizards Guild called FAIRY TAIL, which is made up of weird, rowdy, young Wizards infamous for their great power and the amount of property damage they inflict during the various jobs they take.There's nothing inherently WRONG with FAIRY TAIL... it's a fun, well executed, Shonen title with some nice art and wacky characters. I'm just so struck by how blatantly ONE PIECE it is. Almost everything about it is EXACTLY ONE PIECE, but with one important difference; ONE PIECE is a bit more than slightly better.
There's no doubt that Hiro Mashima can draw, and I really like his style of drawing... obviously, since I really liked it... when Eichiro Oda did it first. His line work is clean, he spots his blacks very well, has a wide and varied range of cartoonish expressions, and some dynamic layouts.
I just find that he doesn't push his character art or layouts nearly as far as Oda does. The best thing about ONE PIECE, and the thing that's probably kept it going for so long, is the energy in every page; the heightened sense of drama and the overreaction to the jokes and the action. The extreme use of foreshortening, perspective cheats, scale, foreground elements for depth, fish-eye perspective; all of this makes for an incredibly fun and energetic reading experience unique to ONE PIECE... Eichiro Oda draws like no other mangaka I can think of... hell, like no other ARTIST I can think of. Solid volumes, exaggerated proportions, a strong emphasis on cartooning, and a surprisingly sensitive line. His linework seems deceptively simple until you really look at it and realise just how much variety there is in his line (sort of like Naoki Urasawa). Hiro Masashima has a LOT of that going for him, but not quite on the same level. He just doesn't push it as far as Oda, so he seems restained by comparison.In terms of the storytelling, FAIRY TAIL moves along a fair amount faster than ONE PIECE... it took almost 10 volumes for the book to introduce it's entire cast, focusing more on Luffy in the beginning as he built his crew, and slowly established a character dynamic and intricate backs stories for each crew member, whereas FAIRY TAIL establishes the three main leads (Natsu, his talking cat Happy, and female protagonist Lucy) in the first chapter, with no backstory, and then quickly introduces the numerous side characters at the Guild, before going headlong into the first adventure in just the first volume.
I find that the characters if FAIRY TAIL are more identified by their affectations than having any actual depth... I have no idea what motivates Natsu as we're given none of his backstory, but I do know that he easily gets motion sickness, loves to eat, and is very gullible. Another character, Gray, is only identified by his inability to keep his clothes on, another, Loke, is a womanizer, another, Cana, is constantly drinking barrels of sake, etc. In a way this works for FAIRY TALE as it is very fast paced and more action oriented than ONE PIECE, which is more story driven. FAIRY TAIL has a sort of shorthand that allows it to plow ahead into the story, whereas ONE PIECE is much more decompressed, taking it's time to introduce and solidly ground the characters, giving them rich and detailed back stories and firmly establishing WHY they are they way they are, giving them far greater depth beyond their affectations. You know WHY Sanji is a cook and where his kicking techniques came from, you understand WHY Nami is so obsessed with treasure and unwilling to trust others, you understand WHY Usopp is a liar, etc etc.I think the main difference between FAIRY TAIL and ONE PIECE is that there is no goal in FAIRY TAIL... it's basically just a vehicle to tell some short, fast paced, stand alone comedy/action stories, which are, in the end, inconsequencial. ONE PIECE starts out with a goal, which is actually more of a McGuffin I guess, which is "Find the ONE PIECE and become the King of the Pirates". It doesn't really matter if they actually FIND the ONE PIECE, as it's just something to drive the story forward... even though that goal has become sort of beside the point in ONE PIECE, it gives it direction, something to move towards. FAIRY TAIL has no goal to reach, and so, is mostly just aimless. I can't really say if that's a negative or a positive, as the results seem to be the same, but it is a key difference between the two.
Either way, FAIRY TAIL is a fun read with some nice art, but if you're reading ONE PIECE, I think you're already reading the better of the two books. I was just struck by the sameness of them.
If you don't believe me, check out these two gallery's and compare.
ONE PIECE Gallery: http://www.animepaper.net/gallery/s
FAIRY TAIL Gallery: http://www.animepaper.net/gallery/s
34 comments:
i like fairy tail better, the pace and story intrigue me, and there IS a back story to the characters it doesent reveal it as quick because it continues to be part of the story. i do like one piece, but fairy tail has its own charm that has me hooked....
Supposedly Oda and Mashima knew each other at one time... Oda was his assistant or the other way around... Well, I'm not sure, but I heard it somewhere...
I find One Piece much better! And I find Fairy Tail a bit of a rip-off of One Piece. Don't get me wrong, I kinda like FT, but I just like OP better <3
I dont really agree that Fairy tail doesnt really have a "main goal" For One Piece its find "the one piece and becoming the king of the pirates" For Fairy Tail would be "finding igneel, Natsu's father"
and throughout the story you get to learn about the characters pass like for example Grey era. You learned why he was learned ice magic,who taught him..etc. and erza era you learn about how she came to FT guild and her past.
But Fairy tail and One piece are both unique mangas.. you cant really blame 2 mangakas of having the same style, its their way of making money.. and sooner or later styles will develop into something bigger and better..xD
hmm, i do agree with what you say that fairy tail does really look like one piece, gosh, even Natsu smiles the same as Luffy in the first chapter and i was like O.O is this a rip off?
though i have to say that they do have separate plots though it is kind of disturbing seeing 2 mangas having almost the same style and portrayal of stuff etc, especially if you had read one piece first. lol.
but in short just you just need to enjoy reading both of the manga eh? it is still a form of art, one that i believe the mangakas had spent a lot of time and effort on so, yup ^^
I always thought Hiro Mashima was copying Oda since the Rave Master days. With Fairy Tail he became a complete clone. That said, aren't you that guy who used to copy JoJo and stuff?
There is no contest. Fairy Tail is an okay manga. But when compared to One Piece it does not take a genius to figure out that Fairy Tail is inferior in every way.
FAIRY TAIL tried to COPY ONE PIECE !
failed desperately...
In one piece "nakama nakama" emo stuff are shown in a logical way.
there is a flow of things.
In fairy tail there is no logic, just crap...and there are SOOOOO many ass-pulls. almost every fight is an ass-pull..Its pathetic for people to even compare fairytail to a decent manga coz its lower than garbage.
One Piece to Manga is like the Beatles to music, Fairy tail would be like anyone on American Idol top 10 singing the Beatles' song. It's good, but not legendary.
It's a good read, it's nicely done, the mangaka sure got talent, but it's still not original. OK, so you may say that OP is a lot under dragon ball influence, but they end up very different (story line, art, characterization...)
Plus I'm so sick of the way Fairy Tail portray its women. Nami is sexy but Lucy, c'mon, she (or the mangaka) takes every chance to show some cleavage intentionally without any significant meaning to the storyline itself. Some chapters are so dull that if it's erased it won't have any impact on the whole story.
I'm glad I found this. I thought it was just my imagination, but it seems it wasn't. I agree with you. The sameness of the two was just too big.
Still, it's very evident which one is better in all aspects.
I don't think Mashima's trying to copy One Piece. Yes, I know that there are some similarities, but it's not Mashima's fault. Just like Oda, he was under Dragon Ball's influence, which more or less explains the similar style in art.
I really like Fairy Tail, but I like One Piece even more.
One Piece is better, but Fairy Tail isn't bad either.
Yeah, One Piece is a lot better, but Fairy Tail does have a charm that makes me keep reading, which is great.
I like both, but One Piece blapsifies Fairy Tail.
i don't really get how people say his style is similar to oda because they both admired dragon ball. sure, they might be inspired to follow the same themes(friendship, adventures etc.) but one piece's art style is so different from dragon ball. in fact, oda's art styles were influenced by another manga, jungle king tar-chan( i kid you not.)
Fairy tail > One Piece Nuff said =P
You moron, Hiro Mashima was never Oda Eiichiro's assistant. They are two entirely independent mangaka who have similar drawing style and both liked Akira Toriyama. Honestly, do your research. And, just because One Piece came first doesn't mean it's a copy. Dragonball Z came first but people don't say with all the inexplicable ways for Luffy to win like Goku did that One Piece is a copy.
As a OP and FT fan, although many say their art and stories are similar, I beg to differ. OP has a more cartoon-style to it. FT is a lot more anime-style.
The stories are the same? You're on crack. OP is about dreams and making them come true. FT is really just ass kicking and past burdens coming to light and having to fight bad guys. While OP also contains those elements it's definitely not the entire point. Not to say FT is all about just that, but it's very heavily based on that. Aside from that, OP goes from place to place while FT sure they go places, but they always return.
It's really just the coincidences of an action/adventure shonen series. Neither is a rip-off, it just so happens that Oda and Mashima share a style, this can be seen even in RAVE, Mashima's earlier work.
Before you kick me out or something, I have to say that I shouldn't voice my opinion yet, since I haven't even read OP.
But seriously, I'm kinda offended when you wrote "FT has no goal." What! I think it's clear that FT's main goal is to find Igneel. But if you still think it's just a crap, you should read the Afterword in Volume 1. Mashima kinda hinted that 'Fairy Tail' is not just a title, but some sort of pivotal point :P Even maybe the main goal will be revealed later. Like in RAVE: the main goal is to collect all the pieces of RAVE. But at first, we only know that we have to do it to restore the peace of the world, and we don't even know how. But later it is revealed that we need all RAVE pieces to unlock Star Memory, and that's how we're gonna restore the peace of the world. Oh, and plus: to destroy Endless.
I'm not gonna say that FT is better whatsoever, but I've been rooting for RAVE since forever (which is so far better than FT, btw). So no, I'm not here to vote between FT and OP. I just want to voice my opinion about that goal thing. And after all... I think I should go to a bookstore and buy OP asap.
fairytale vs onepiece i like wacthing fairytale when they arent any new onepiece episodes but overall onepiece is more awesome onepiece vs fairytale is like compairing in height which is better a tower or a house tower=onepiece house= fairytale
fairytale is a great show though but if i had a choice to wacth 5 new episodes i would choose onepiece
I'm sorry but the similarities are too great not to annoy me. Things like Natsu=Luffy, Natsu's Scarf=Luffy's Hat, Lucy=Nami, In some respects grey=zoro, gildartz=Shanks etc. Also there are even scenes that resemble it such as the scene where Lucy is fighting Luvia who is being controlled and stops the spiky thing JUST LIKE NAMI STOPS MRS DOUBLEFINGER WITH HER FOOT.
I'm sorry for being really nit picky but people have found more than what i listed but it really pisses me of when someone tries to ride of anothers work, it's shameful.
Personally i dont see how you can like one without liking the other, they're similar enough so you know whats going on but different enough so that it doesnt seem like de ja vu. im a big fan of one piece and no other anime/manga has ever come close to it. thats where the similarity's come in, its almost impossible to break down a tower of success with a completely different concept. although i dont think that fairy tail wants to take over one pieces audience, just share it. i like them both equally and think that was the intention. and now for my personal idea of the similarity's and differences
Luffy = Natsu
The powerful idiot that saves the day and always acts happy unless something really pisses them off they they kick ass.
Lucy = Sexy Nami/Usopp
Sex appeal/the weakling that somehow manages to win a fight 0_o
Erza = Scary Nami/Zorro
Keeps everyone else in check with fear/Kicks ass with Swords
Chopper = Happy
Cute animal factor
Gray = Sanji
Contains a Character flaw
Strips/Horny
Franky = Gajeel
The "metal" show off
Zorro vs Sanji = Gray vs Natsu
Differences
Magic:
Fairy tail magics is more broadly use, One Piece magic comes in a rare fruit that ironically every other person has eaten
Goal:
One piece the goal is present in every episode cuz he wouldnt be there if it weren't for his goal.
Fairy tail, goal is really important but is not shown in every episode
Presentation:
One piece takes time to look at the flowers
Fairy tail stores the flowers and looks at them when necessary
In conclusion they are 2 halves of the same coin, some people chose heads and some chose tails, but unless you have both, whats the point?
Me too,i got offended when it says "fairy tail has no goal".....is finding Igneel not a goal? o.O
at first, having seen the manga and anime of onepiece and then watching Fairy Tail i couldn't help but think it was a rip-off.
Fortunately i came to my senses. I want to keep my rant short so i'll give three reasons.
One: i love the art styles of both, and I am happy that they are similar. How many naruto/most other anime's have basically the same style. I hope more people use this style just from a viewing perspective. I think it lends itself great fighting scenes.
Two: the fighting. I like it, it's usually short while being satisfying enough (could be a little more epic/less friendship=win). and avoids the greatest pitfalls shown in Naruto, Bleach, and OP. There is no super long dialogue describing how they performed their special move or long speaches on tactical planning that you have to admit (aside from usopps case), is purposefully used to take up time. I mean half a show is just talking about their chakra/ability where it comes from the founding principals and finally the move. Fairy Tail says in a nutshell what they did an leaves it at that (there is one instance in the whole thing where they used a diagram to explain it, and it took a second or two not ten to fifteen)<--- A plus to me at least. Let them explain magic energies and system in a later episode instead of shoving down my throat the whole time, every single time.
3. A lot of the characters have 1 or 2 episodes dedicated entirely to their history. Gray developed a habit of disrobing/joke in his backstory while training in the frozen mountains/ice mage to get used to cold.
Sidenotes: Natsu may be 'gullible' but not to the extreme luffy is. The best argument you could make is he is a more toned down version of luffy. No actual bad guy used it against him as happened many times over to luffy, his weakness is motion sickness.
There is a lot of suspicious looking characters though that you can point out look like other animes too. But they usually have their own personality that sets them apart and clearly shows they are not rip off, more like 'inspiration.'
There are powers that match, but the same was said about naruto/op. I'm glad that more have joined the table.
I love OP, but it can get very convoluted and and fighting can take episode upon episode to finish, Enel story arc boss was annoying for this very reason.
after taking a look at both manga's i have to say i like how Fairy Tail is able to seem more realistic while still holding onto its artstyle, Onepiece at many times is overly cartoonish.
I think the creator was able to strike a balance that is just as pleasing for the differences it does hold. This statement becomes more true later on in the manga around 163, if you look at the last page where Erza is by herself, you'll see what i'm saying.
page 18 sorry for the mixup
i just stared reading one piece after watching fairy tail and have got to say this, I honestly like the flow of fairy tail better. it might be because im a girl and long fight scenes that never seem to end can bore me, but i just think the stories can barely be compared. if you look at ANY shonen manga, ou will see these similarities, same with looking at any manga for the fact that characters have the same personalities. all of the characters are alike in anime/manga , characters have to meet certain "qualifications" almost, it isnt that they are copying one another, its more that there is only so many character designs someone can have, and the main core group in shonen almost always has SOMEONE with these characteristics. there's the flirt, the idiot, the weakling, the gullible, and the scary one. and mixes of these traits. and as for the story.......how can you say fairy tail doesnt have a story????? its introduced in the first volume! they need to find the dragons! and as for one piece that has an obvious plot too! luffy wants to become king of the pirates and to do that he needs to sail the grand line to find the legendary treasure of "one piece" . seriously, at first i didnt even know they were by different mangaka, i honestly thought they were the same person, but then, after some reading, you realize that fairy tail is only like one piece if you havnt delved into it! dont get me wrong, i love one piece but fairy tail is my favorite at the moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy4lkLVBWzk this might help people see
Well,actually FT'S maker (forgot his name) is Oda's student they said. That's why their drawing looks identical but of course different.
FT is more like bleach to me than OP.
ASSISTANT?? THAT'S JUST A RUMOR!!! READ THIS: "Hiro Mashima was not only never Eiichiro Oda’s assistant–he has never served as an assistant to any artist at all" -http://web.archive.org/web/20110707081343/http://activeanime.com/delreyblog/?p=129
I really don´t know why anyone should read or watch Fairy Tail when One Piece exists. One Piece is so much better in EVERY way. It has the better comedy, far better drama, better fights, better written plot... don´t get me started on the characters.
Some people say Fairy Tails goal is finding Igneel but I really don´t get the feeling this is the main point of the story. It doesn´t feel like it. It's almost never mentioned and Natsu doesn´t seem to be THAT desperate to find Igneel.
Well anyway, for me FT is crap and bored me to tears after 80 chapters or so, while One Piece still exites me after over 10 years. That says everything!
i watch and read the anime and manga for both i do agree that the styles are similar and natsu and luffy they also have similar character traits but i have no problem with it i personally prefer one piece thou, i disagree that FT as no goal i believe that each mission natsu and his friends get they find a new gaol with every battle but its just that one pieces goal is more long term as is seen that FT is more fast pace and OP is of a slower pace.
If you guys remember Rave it is created by same mangaka as Fairytail, and Rave is already mimicked One Piece, and Fairytail is just following Rave...
Fairytail is better than Rave though, and why Hiro is identically create manga just like One Piece that because Hiro is fans of Oda works.
It good that Oda can inspired people, so i can blame it for copycat.
But One Piece have better stories for me,
Post a Comment