If I had to find something from before Fairy Tail's tenure to compare it to, it would be more akin to if you took the silly, non-serious fantasy action settings of Slayers or Those Who Hunt Elves Fairy Tail borrows those themes, and then adapts them to the 2000's shonen battle formula (a la Bleach), instead of the episodic formula utilized by the two previously mentioned franchises. Where those critiques do lose me though is the comparison to One Piece.
While a lot of the critiques of this series I've seen over the years are valid, they come down to if you like simple, fun, lighthearted franchises. The characters are fun and while some just exist in the background (which tends to happen when you build a 100+ character cast), the inner circle of main characters each had their own personality that could stand on its own. Each episode of this series tells the story of a famous fairy tale. The art direction is a little prettier when compared to its battle shonen peers of its time, and the action is eye-catching and very easy for the reader to follow and feel engaged in. Manga Fairy Tales of the World Episode 12 English Subbed at WCOStream. Official English Translation Note: Won the 33rd Kodansha Manga Award for Best Shounen. The fun of this series is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Natsus not your typical hero - but he just might be Lucys best hope. Gouda Takeo is a freshman in high school. They're the ones responsible to protect Japanese soil and its people from supernatural and paranormal events. Fairy Tail is a simple, silly, feel good manga that focuses more on the bonds of the characters and the adventure itself rather than the end goal, which is why, from my observation, it has gathered the ire of fans of other shonen manga fans. The Japanese Ministry of Defense has an anti-paranormal special forces group called the Paranormal Disaster Countermeasure Headquarters.