Wow, I was expecting scenes from next ep to be filler arc stuff since that was the last chapter of S-class trail arc...
Overall, a good episode but I was hoping for less filler fighting and more omg this is it...
As to you anime only fans well, the manga was even more of a tearjerker since the cover page showed Makarov in heaven at the pearly gates waving goodbye. Every manga reader I recall was literally holding bated breath wondering if the only reason Makarov survived Hades was to save everyone from Acnologia, though there was less people believing he'd die than after his fight with Hades but still people where holding there breath since that Dragon ate half of Gildarts in a second flat.
The chapter with the above cover page (252) started with Gildarts hearing the dragon and ended with Laxus grabbing Natsu and running for the hills (first half of the ep, the filler of that part of the ep was Makarov, Erza and Laxus talking; which was very good for filler material kudos to the anime staff for that part). The next ch was a WAY shorter fight with far more pawning down by Acnologia and less counter attack by Fairy Tail (aka no unison raids... didn't they also use a Juvia x Gray unison raid in the last filler? wonder what it is with filler and unison raids
). Also Lucy didn't cry her eyes out and whine that they where all about to die (pushing getting out of character imo, especially after not crying that she was about to die vs Hades) but she did randomly get teary eyed though when running to join everyone's hand, however
Mest sorry Doranbolt's omg face was just as cowardly
.