Announcement: Those who have been following my blog for a while now have probably noticed that this review isn’t very new; in fact, I deleted the original post due to how messed-up the format was and fixed some aspects about it that I wasn’t very fond of. I hope you guys don’t mind, and the same anime review as planned will be out on Sunday. See you guys then!
I think that we can all agree that the most popular genre of anime is without a doubt shonen. All of the over-the-top powers, obsessed fanboys and fangirls claiming their favorite anime to be the best anime ever, never-ending episodes and manga volumes going into the triple digits…yep, that’s the shonen genre. I’m personally indifferent towards it. Sure, I’ll watch it, but for the most part I’m one that likes to stay away from “tards” as much as possible because I believe in the right of having your own opinion. I do realize that some might call me a hypocrite because both of my favorite anime of all time, Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, are in fact shonen action series. To that I say, “Just because I’m indifferent towards the genre as a whole doesn’t mean that I don’t love specific entries of the genre, see Blue Exorcist and Attack On Titan.” So, is Soul Eater an anime that stands out among its peers? Sit back, relax, and read on as I review the popular shonen anime, Soul Eater.
The Setup:
Soul Eater takes place mostly in Death Academy, where the Grim Reaper himself is the headmaster, and the students have to hunt down “keishan eggs”, or evil souls. Students are divided into two categories: the meisters and weapons. The weapons are students who have the power to turn into weapons, and the meisters are basically the wielders. When a pair obtains 99 keishan eggs and 1 witch soul, the weapon becomes a death scythe. Even though this sounds like the typical setup for a shonen anime, Soul Eater doesn’t actually follow this story pattern, giving the story a different type of structure completely throwing the original setup out the window. So, even though I did enjoy Soul Eater for what it was, I would’ve liked for them to intertwine this original setup with the actual story, but it doesn’t, thus destroying your original interest in the story and giving you something completely different. I’m not entirely sure if this is a flaw or not because it really is up to the opinion of the viewer of whether it bothers them or not. Call it a nitpick, if you will.
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| In Soul Eater, each meister has to obtain 99 Keishan eggs and 1 witch soul to turn their partner into a Death Scythe…for the first few episodes. |
The Characters:
The characters of Soul Eater aren’t something to write home about. Our main protagonist is Maka, who is probably one of the least interesting main protagonists in existence. I feel like she’s a combination of your typical shonen protagonist a la Yumeji from Dream Eater Merry and your bookworm character, aka Kitomi from Clannad. The only difference is the fact that she can get pissed of at Soul really easily, and it is pretty funny at times. The next character is Soul Eater, our title character. He doesn’t get much development beyond being the “cool” guy, but he was a good friend to everyone else, so he’s okay. Next there’s Death The Kid. GOD WAS HE ANNOYING! Seriously, his OCD was so extreme that he almost got himself along with his other weapons Liz and Patty killed! Not only does this make him look like a complete idiot, but this also makes him look like a spoiled brat! And you know what the worst part of it is? He doesn’t get better! You know, if his OCD were played more subtly and was resolved by the end, he would have been tolerable, but instead the anime didn’t think that was a good idea. The only redeemable quality about him was his character design, which is awesome. The other two characters worth mentioning are Black Star and Tsubaki. Honestly, Black Star was my favorite character. He was the only character who really got development throughout the story, and for those fans that hate Black Star, I did originally hate him too. I thought he was annoying as all heck when I first saw him. But my impression of him changed once we got to the episodes where he was chased out of the village because of his heritage. After learning his backstory and watching him get beat up protecting Tsubaki, I respected him completely. And, unlike some other characters I’ve seen, he can back up his arrogance to an extent. Tsubaki was also my favorite female character, for seeing the good in Black Star that no one else really could. There’s also Death, my second favorite character after Black Star. I never thought Death could be so welcoming and cheerful, and he fit this anime perfectly. He just had this likable charisma about him that I find rare in most leaders in anime, and I also really like his character design. Then there’s Excalibur…um...I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused as to what to think about an anime character before, but if there’s one thing that’s certain, his confusing dialogue just makes him irritating. Finally, there’s Crona, who may have more fangirls than Death the Kid. Honestly, I don’t get it. Call me heartless, but there was something about Crona that kind of pushed me away, and I couldn’t really feel sorry for him. I think it may have to do with just how I couldn’t figure out his gender, despite the anime saying he was a boy, and confusion and sadness don’t always occur at the same time for me.
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| From left to right: Patty, Liz, Death The Kid, Soul, Maka, Black Star, Tsubaki |
The Story:
As stated before, the story deviates from the original setup, so talking about the actual story would probably spoil the anime. I will say that the first season is paced really well, and really exciting. I was actually convinced I had seen my new favorite anime after the first season ended, but then I watched the second season. Three words: The pacing sucked. It began to drag on so much that I literally felt like I was forcing myself to watch it, and the icing on the cake is that the ending is probably one of the most clichéd and contrived things I’ve ever seen, and that’s coming from someone who sat through Guilty Crown and liked it. And yes, I do know that the manga’s still on-going, but I don’t read manga so it’s just really disappointing.
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| Despite a mediocre second half, Soul Eater's story was overall pretty good. |
Sound and Animation:
Studio Bones animated Soul Eater, and it is insanely good. For those who don’t know, these are the people behind both Fullmetal Alchemist series, Darker than Black, Scrapped Princess, and Wolf’s Rain. Their animation is famous for great detail and well-animated action sequences, and Soul Eater does not disappoint. Another thing that must be acknowledged is the design of the world they live in. This would easily be my favorite anime world that I would just love to live in, mainly for just how abstract and sometimes rather creepy it is. The designs for this anime are probably some of the most creative I’ve seen, and the anime just has this cool atmosphere to it. The soundtrack is also pretty impressive. My favorites are Black Star’s theme, Death the Kid’s theme, and the OST “In his mind”, which is played during the comedic scenes. Even though none of them are on my favorite OST list, Soul Eater’s soundtrack as a whole is one of my favorites. Also, a quick mention of the first opening; IT IS AWESOME!!! Seriously, check it out:
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| The art and music are great accompaniments; as expected from Studio Bones |
Final Judgment:
As far as shonen goes, Soul Eater is probably one of the most well-rounded out there. There’s humor, action, a touch of romance, and is overall just a really enjoyable show in the first season. The second season, however, kind of forgets its goal and just turns into a mess, complete with a terrible ending. The characters were lacking in a lot of areas, mainly falling into you typical anime stereotypes with a few exceptions being Black Star, Tsubaki, and Death. So, how does Soul Eater hold up, even with its flaws? Well, I give this anime a 3 out of 5, an average score. Honestly, some of the issues I had with this show probably won’t bother most people, and if nothing else you’ll get a visual treat. Soul Eater stands tall and solid in the shonen genre, and it’s something that almost anyone can enjoy to some degree, but it all really depends on your opinion.
Soul Eater on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/soul-eater
If you live in America, you can watch it on Netflix too!
Further Recommendations:
Black Butler
This anime and Soul Eater both share wonderful atmospheres that set the tone and give each anime a bit of an eerie feel to them, though Black Butler is much darker than Soul Eater. Check this anime if you like that kind of thing.
Blue Exorcist
One of my favorite shonens of all time, this anime has great characters, story, animation, and it overall more entertaining than Soul Eater. Give this anime a shot; it’s a great watch.
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