Eden's Zero: Is it a Fairy Tail Copy?

After the disappointing ending of Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima came back with a new manga. When sneak peeks of Mashima's new work first came out, the internet was outraged; claiming that it was a Fairy Tail clone. People were upset due to how similar the characters looked like to that of Fairy Tail's. 

Of course, this is not the first time Hiro Mashima has transferred some characters and their designs onto his other works. Plue, the little white monster, is seen in all of Mashima's major works, beginning with Rave Master, then Fairy Tail, and now Eden's Zero. So, I don't really understand why people were so upset when they saw Happy, the blue cat, on the colored page. Also, it's not like Mashima is copying somebody else's characters and art style. These are his characters and he could do whatever he wants with them.

After reading the first few chapters, I could say that while the characters do look strangely similar and it follows the typical story line Mashima normally does (girl meets boy and make new friends as they go on fun-filled adventures), it's still an interesting story. Unlike Fairy Tail, Eden's Zero is a sci-fi filled story. If you enjoyed Mashima's previous works, then I highly suggest checking this out, even if the character designs are a little off-putting for Fairy Tail fans.