In the Manga/ Anime industry, the three biggest franchises are Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece. They are know as the 'big three'. If there were a 'big four' the fourth would probably be Fairy Tail, an equally long running series of epic battles, juicy laughs, and exceptional art and design.
Fairy Tale is set in a world resembling the southern European Renaissance in all it's architectural glory, but the people dress as if they come from every corner of the world. There are times when the show looks like a giant cosplay convention. Fairy tale it self is the name of the wizards guild whose members are the principle cast of the story.
The first season is told mostly from the point of view of Fairytail's newest addition. Lucy Heartfilia is a seventeen year old, peppy and ambitious. She has run away from home (and her snobby father with his snobby estate) to follow her drew of being a wizard. Her magic specialty is summoning celestial spirits of the zodiac; All of whom are contemporary comic book versions of their mythological counterparts. Sagitarious for example is a man in a horse costume.
As the seasons go on, The members of fairy tail endure various quests or expeditions, and must face of against many foes, including other wizard guilds. The recurring gimmick is that each season ends with an enemy becoming a friend and joining Fairy Tail, so the cast gets bigger and bigger, but it retains a focus on the select few that were there to begin with.
Perhaps the main difference between this series and the 'big three' is that Fairy Tail is not a show with overarching narrative direction. It is not a story about a protagonist on a journey to achieve an ultimate title. Lucy achieves her goal in episode one and from there she goes where the show takes her. The character of Natsu who brings her into Fairy Tail, is the one who is marketed and recognized as the protagonist because he fits the criteria of the young boys (shounen) genre to which Fairy Tail (and the big 3) belong.
Natsu represents, physical strength, juvenile Bliss, a big appetite, and the themes of comradely. Like Luffy and the younger Naruto, Natsu is just a really big kid. He is a lot of fun, but unlike Lucy, we don't get a good look into his heart. The show just asks us to accept that he has one by giving him monologues of phony sincerity and insight which his character type is too immature to be capable of summoning. He does have a personal quest however, which is to find this 'foster father', the dragon known as Igneel who raised him as a child and gave him his fire magic, and there is a touching episode in the most recent season where this pays off. Yet the emotional impact is still underwhelming because Natsu's motive is never really part of the character, it is merely a side note. This makes him a harder character to invest in as a protagonist than say Luffy of One Piece or Naruto Uzumaki.
Fairy Tale's show stealer, is one of the best manga/anime characters to date. Erza Scarlett, is the queen of Fairy Tale Wizards. Her personalty and powers are as attractive as her name is repulsive. Erza comes from a dark place, having escaped child slavery. Her magic is swordsmanship coupled which her dozen suits of armour which she can swap in and out of live a video game character. She has cunning and disciplined, and as a fighter she is dazzling to watch. Yet she is also amusing because she shares the same soft soft for spas, cake and pretty dresses as the next girl, while maintaining her conservative appearance.
Dramatically, Fairy Tail is a hit and miss show. There are times when it flat out fails through the classic mistake of telling and not showing what the characters feel. Every now and then it does surprise you in it's ability to channel thoughtful emotion but realistic human emotions are few and far between in the show, and the scenes that should be intimate turn usually turn out rather more bombastic. What it is missing most is the feeling mystique that can absorb you completely into the anime world. It needs more quiet scenes and fewer loud ones.
Fairy Tail succeeds most on the grounds of action comedy. Interwieving slapstick comedy with visually intoxicating scenes of action and peril, and a strong, celtic-tinted score Fairy Tail manages to build momentum from season to season. I would have preferred less dialog during the action scenes, but such a thing is inevitable in manga/anime. Even when the writing slow the show down, the picture keeps it moving.
