Written by: Kevin Berge
They all look unassuming, but that's the trick. Especially Franken Stein. Don't go near him. (Image Courtesy of: randomanime.org)
I grew up on action anime, the kind where the characters have to declare their attacks before they are executed and find friendship in continuous near-death experiences. Soul Eater is one of those kind of anime though has some unique elements.
The series delves into the lives of a collection of growing friends who are all interesting characters that are defined by noticeable ticks but also have deeper stories. It does so over the course of only 51 episodes, ignoring the genre's usual filler tendencies.
The reason I was drawn to the series was simply because it was a well received anime. While there are many anime that are aired and released each year, I'm always focused on picking out the best ones that also hit a bit of a nostalgic edge for me.
The series delves into the lives of a collection of growing friends who are all interesting characters that are defined by noticeable ticks but also have deeper stories. It does so over the course of only 51 episodes, ignoring the genre's usual filler tendencies.
The reason I was drawn to the series was simply because it was a well received anime. While there are many anime that are aired and released each year, I'm always focused on picking out the best ones that also hit a bit of a nostalgic edge for me.
Overview
Death has set up the Death Weapon Meister Academy to train young meisters and weapons to collect evil souls. The partnered group are tasked to collect 99 evil souls and the soul of one witch in order to have the weapon become a death scythe.
The anime follows three partnered groups: Maka Albarn and the scythe Soul Eater, Black Star and the multiple weapon Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, and Death the Kid and his pistols Liz and Patty Thompson.
While this trio work to improve and make their weapons death scythes, a dangerous threat that can destroy the whole world appears that will force the entire academy into a battle none of them are prepared for.
The anime follows three partnered groups: Maka Albarn and the scythe Soul Eater, Black Star and the multiple weapon Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, and Death the Kid and his pistols Liz and Patty Thompson.
While this trio work to improve and make their weapons death scythes, a dangerous threat that can destroy the whole world appears that will force the entire academy into a battle none of them are prepared for.
Medusa's actually scarier when she's in the body of a small child. (Image Courtesy of: fanpop.com)
Story Arc Analysis
***This is the only section of the review that will include spoilers, so anyone who has not seen the series and wants to avoid being spoiled should skip to the Impact and Art Style section.***
Introductions and The Demon Sword (Episodes 1-8): Each of the trio of main characters get their own opening episode to reveal their characters particularly their quirks. Maka and Soul Eater are the leads of this story for the most part, making their introduction the most straightforward.
While Black Star's insistence on his own greatness can get old over time, it also provides him with strong dramatic material as he continues to prove his bravado. Death The Kid has the funnier tick with his insistence on symmetry but lacks that dramatic weight mostly.
The real highlight intro though is Franken Stein whose a frightening and complex character who is ultimately a good guy struggling with madness. The first real threat is brought in and wins, the Demon Sword and Crona, who are a fascinating early threat.
The Training Regimes (Episodes 10-16): As with all well told stories, once your characters are introduced, they must be cast down, facing a threat beyond their comprehension. It leads them to work harder and train to find their greater stage of strength.
Most of these episodes are simply about the characters getting better. Maka and Soul Eater recover and find a way to use their new-found madness. Black Star and Tsubaki find her brother and defeat him to get a new stage of power.
Awakening of the Kishin (Episodes 18-24): Stage two of every good story is creating an impossibly large villain, usually by making the other villains look small in comparison which is exactly what happens here. The kishin arose while the main villains established so far were set petrified, killed (Medusa), or became good guys (Crona).
This is one of the better dramatic and action packed sections of the anime with the heroes in big mixed battles while the smaller villains went out on decent high notes even if this was a point where it became clear the anime was moving a bit fast.
Introductions and The Demon Sword (Episodes 1-8): Each of the trio of main characters get their own opening episode to reveal their characters particularly their quirks. Maka and Soul Eater are the leads of this story for the most part, making their introduction the most straightforward.
While Black Star's insistence on his own greatness can get old over time, it also provides him with strong dramatic material as he continues to prove his bravado. Death The Kid has the funnier tick with his insistence on symmetry but lacks that dramatic weight mostly.
The real highlight intro though is Franken Stein whose a frightening and complex character who is ultimately a good guy struggling with madness. The first real threat is brought in and wins, the Demon Sword and Crona, who are a fascinating early threat.
The Training Regimes (Episodes 10-16): As with all well told stories, once your characters are introduced, they must be cast down, facing a threat beyond their comprehension. It leads them to work harder and train to find their greater stage of strength.
Most of these episodes are simply about the characters getting better. Maka and Soul Eater recover and find a way to use their new-found madness. Black Star and Tsubaki find her brother and defeat him to get a new stage of power.
Awakening of the Kishin (Episodes 18-24): Stage two of every good story is creating an impossibly large villain, usually by making the other villains look small in comparison which is exactly what happens here. The kishin arose while the main villains established so far were set petrified, killed (Medusa), or became good guys (Crona).
This is one of the better dramatic and action packed sections of the anime with the heroes in big mixed battles while the smaller villains went out on decent high notes even if this was a point where it became clear the anime was moving a bit fast.
Still the creepiest thing in this whole series is that bloody moon. (Image Courtesy of: tumblr.com)
Arachne vs. Medusa (Episodes 25-31): The weakest part of this anime is that its pacing is odd throughout. Medusa dies and then becomes an interesting villains while the kishin sits on the sidelines until the climax. A new villain is also introduces with her lackeys in Arachne.
This section screeches the building pace to a halt though only for a few episodes. None of the episodes are bad per say, but this builds up characters just so that there were more threats near the end of the series.
Medusa's Manipulations (Episode 33-40): Medusa reborn though is a fascinating villain. It would have been more interesting if her tricks weren't explained as they developed. Still, the way Medusa plays the Academy then walks out with free reign is great storytelling.
During this section, the fight against Arachne for the magic tool Brew is nice build up that also helps develop the abilities of the heroic trio before the big battle at the end.
The Madness of the Kishin (Episodes 41-51): These last eleven episodes are top notch with steady streaming action, big moments for the whole cast, and a huge final battle with the whole trio delivering. It was an excellently crafted action climax that made the most of the build up.
The climax though does have its faults. Death and Crona both seem to die in the climax with a close call for Black Star and Kid as well. However, everyone comes out unharmed besides the villains despite this being the last part of the anime. More consequences would have been nice.
The final moments for the trio were also a bit too similar. Each character ended up showing their final form in order to overcome a problem. The ending was also a bit corny. Still this was one of the better action climaxes in any anime.
Legend of the Holy Sword (Episodes 9, 17, 32): I said there weren't any filler episodes, but there is a filler arc of sorts. It's the only time the series is purely comic which is a nice break in proceedings even if the episodes are unnecessary. Excalibur is a hilarious side character but would an annoying regular character.
This section screeches the building pace to a halt though only for a few episodes. None of the episodes are bad per say, but this builds up characters just so that there were more threats near the end of the series.
Medusa's Manipulations (Episode 33-40): Medusa reborn though is a fascinating villain. It would have been more interesting if her tricks weren't explained as they developed. Still, the way Medusa plays the Academy then walks out with free reign is great storytelling.
During this section, the fight against Arachne for the magic tool Brew is nice build up that also helps develop the abilities of the heroic trio before the big battle at the end.
The Madness of the Kishin (Episodes 41-51): These last eleven episodes are top notch with steady streaming action, big moments for the whole cast, and a huge final battle with the whole trio delivering. It was an excellently crafted action climax that made the most of the build up.
The climax though does have its faults. Death and Crona both seem to die in the climax with a close call for Black Star and Kid as well. However, everyone comes out unharmed besides the villains despite this being the last part of the anime. More consequences would have been nice.
The final moments for the trio were also a bit too similar. Each character ended up showing their final form in order to overcome a problem. The ending was also a bit corny. Still this was one of the better action climaxes in any anime.
Legend of the Holy Sword (Episodes 9, 17, 32): I said there weren't any filler episodes, but there is a filler arc of sorts. It's the only time the series is purely comic which is a nice break in proceedings even if the episodes are unnecessary. Excalibur is a hilarious side character but would an annoying regular character.
Who knew the physical embodiment of death could be so... adorable? (Image Courtesy of: myth-weavers.com)
Impact and Art Style
Soul Eater condenses many of the anime tropes and sells them extremely well. It does in 51 episodes what many anime fail to do in four times that length. The anime does not reinvent any wheels though with its standard stories and themes.
Ultimately, the anime succeeds as a fantastic introduction to the shonen anime genre with action-heavy stories, multiple individual stories grounded by characters ticks, and sweeping themes about friendship, courage, and good vs. evil.
For those used to the genre, it is both satisfying and frustrating particularly since its story feels like only the first of many arcs even if it is a very well developed arc. The great cast of characters never reach their goals, only achieve the first step.
The art style of Soul Eater is fairly standard. There's an overabundance of fan service, but, other than that, it works out. All the characters have visual uniqueness with the extras all colored the same to show how they are not important. Many of the characters and environments stand out and are memorable.
The animation style is strong, selling the action well. It isn't overly complex but makes for some great sequences throughout the anime and some memorable expressions that sell the character better than the writing often.
Ultimately, the anime succeeds as a fantastic introduction to the shonen anime genre with action-heavy stories, multiple individual stories grounded by characters ticks, and sweeping themes about friendship, courage, and good vs. evil.
For those used to the genre, it is both satisfying and frustrating particularly since its story feels like only the first of many arcs even if it is a very well developed arc. The great cast of characters never reach their goals, only achieve the first step.
The art style of Soul Eater is fairly standard. There's an overabundance of fan service, but, other than that, it works out. All the characters have visual uniqueness with the extras all colored the same to show how they are not important. Many of the characters and environments stand out and are memorable.
The animation style is strong, selling the action well. It isn't overly complex but makes for some great sequences throughout the anime and some memorable expressions that sell the character better than the writing often.
Sub vs. Dub
Funimation handles the dubbing work for this anime which means the leads are always going to be strong. Laura Bailey (Maka), Todd Haberkorn (Death The Kid), and Chuck Huber (Franken Stein) are particularly strong as are some of the supporting characters.
However, there are still some quite weak filler roles that are so bad you'd think some of the actors involved had never acted in any form. If you can get past the dead delivery of those actors, the dub is strong. If you can't, the sub is the way to go.
Recommendation: Either
However, there are still some quite weak filler roles that are so bad you'd think some of the actors involved had never acted in any form. If you can get past the dead delivery of those actors, the dub is strong. If you can't, the sub is the way to go.
Recommendation: Either
Anime still may never get past its need to animate giant breasted women. (Image Courtesy of: wallpapercave.com)
Conclusion
If Soul Eater was an anime I watched when I was younger, I would likely remember it quite fondly. I have no qualms recommending it to anyone who is into most of the popular anime, but I hope the new viewer does not get too attached.
The show has the usual issues of the genre. The expository dialogue is intense at times. The fan service is overdone. The themes are fairly generic throughout, and the characters are too defined by one-dimensional quirks and suddenly strong friendships.
Those issues though don't take away from it being an engaging 51-episode ride that exceeds many of the popular anime in the genre. The characters are memorable, and the stories are intense and fast-moving.
Soul Eater is one of the better shonen anime out there but also one of the least satisfying in its short run.
The show has the usual issues of the genre. The expository dialogue is intense at times. The fan service is overdone. The themes are fairly generic throughout, and the characters are too defined by one-dimensional quirks and suddenly strong friendships.
Those issues though don't take away from it being an engaging 51-episode ride that exceeds many of the popular anime in the genre. The characters are memorable, and the stories are intense and fast-moving.
Soul Eater is one of the better shonen anime out there but also one of the least satisfying in its short run.