MISC. MANGA, *Fairy Tail

Hiro Mishima had a decent amount of success with his first serial Rave Master that got an anime adaptation with a catchy theme song by Reel Big Fish done for the American dub. His next manga had ties to the same universe in this pseudo-spinoff titled Fairy Tail. Whereas One Piece could be seen as "pirate-punk", this genre of this manga would be something along the lines of "fantasy-punk". The manga was first picked up for American readers by Del Rey Books who went defunct in 2010, so Kodansha picked it up after reprinting the volumes that were already released. The anime adaptation has become one of the most successful releases among American otaku, and its follow-up, Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest has just come out in Japan with western fans salivating for the latest installments.

Lucy Heartfilia is a young summoner who is looking to join the guild of rowdy wizards known as Fairy Tail. After an experience with a poser magician, Lucy comes across Natsu Dragneel, a member of Fairy Tail that was raised by a dragon. In their first mission together, they take their winged talking cat colleague Happy on a mission to the mountains investigating the disappearance of fellow wizard Macao who got turned into a horny primate. From this point on, we learn more about Natsu's mysterious past, and the revelation of a secret cabal of villains who are plotting their demise just to relieve their boredom.

With two hit anime TV series, a pair of full-length animated movies, and a series of OVA specials, Fairy Tail has left its mark in anime fandom. Their adventures do include a brief crossover with the Rave Master cast. Whether this will lead to a Hiro Mishima multiverse is yet to be revealed. The manga is dynamic, even though it does give into a much of the anime cliches of characters doing cartoon takes of being surprised or the males lusting over the females in a way that's borderline creepy. Fairy Tail is not for kids, but young adult readers who are looking for a little more adventure in their fantasy stories should be satisfied.