FAIRY TALE THE MOVIE: PHOENIX PRINCESS (2012)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *metaphysical*

I've read assorted collections of the 2006-2017 manga series FAIRY TAIL and its television episodes. I found the series a fairly imaginative if rather chaotic "shonen manga," with lots of antic violence but not much characterization. Like a number of other fantasy-adventures, this one takes place in a vaguely medieval otherworld where magic works. "Fairy tale" refers not to a type of story but to a group of heroes who hire out their mystic powers for deserving clients. 

The "phoenix princess" of the film's title is one Eclair. Her tribe is raided by unknown marauders, and Eclair flees to a nearby city with half of the tribe's precious "phoenix stone." In the city Eclair contacts the five members of Fairy Tail--  Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Wendy and Erza-- and they volunteer to help her protect her artifact. 

Eclair gets one of those rare cases of selective amnesia, in that she does remember just enough to keep the plot moving. The group seeks out a wizard in a forbidding forest, but finds that some enemy, presumably allied to the raiders, has slain him. The wizard leaves behind a hologram that gives Eclair and her friends further guidance. Soon the villain, who bears the risible name Duke Cream, sends his super-powered agents to fight the super-powered members of Fairy Tail, and despite the heroes' efforts, Eclair is kidnapped. One of the Fairy Tail mentors informs the heroes that if the Duke can acquire Eclair's half of the stone and combine it with the half he possesses, the villain will acquire immortality.

All of the above is a serviceable if unremarkable plot for a fantasy-adventure, but the animation is cheap compared to that of the teleseries, so that I found all of the action-scenes underwhelming. In addition, the heroes of Fairy Tail are usually notable for being loud and extreme in their passions, but here they all seem rather laid back by comparison. The only exception is a "guest-heroine," Juvia, who nurtures a daffy love for Gray and becomes jealous of anyone who gets near him-- so much so that when a murderous gunman threatens to mow Gray down, Juvia thinks the man is flirting with her special love.

The unambitious nature of PHOENIX reminds me of some of the animated features based on the DRAGONBALL franchise, where it looks like the animators knew that they had a sure thing and didn't really go out of their way to excel. Anyone curious about the series would do better checking out the TV episodes.