Sep 3, 2023
As my first review on this site now I'm fully expecting to get back into anime and watch a wider variety, I am obligated to post about my favourite, yet flawed anime. Spoilers below - my general opinion is that Soul Eater is great - though a lot of watchers will be disappointed by the final arc.
I was first enamored with Soul Eater after seeing the famous OP 2, Black Paper Moon online. On first watch, I was bewitched by the character designs, the animation quality, (Episode 1 is possibly one of the greatest introduction to characters i've seen in media to date. Not that
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I've consumed much anime though, so this should be taken with a grain of salt.) and the world building. The idea that humans were infused with weapons which resulted in the DWMA being founded is pretty sick - and there are some fantasy elements in an otherwise futuristic world that I enjoy, too. I think that Maka is a great protagonist and her inner battle between following orders or following her own tuition is a great inner turmoil to have in this particular world, and the question of authority when other characters (particularly Kid's storyline) ask wether the DWMA is good at all.
Contrary to some opinions I've seen online, I think Maka is a great, flawed protagonist. Yes - I do think the Deus-ex-machina in the final episodes does ruin some of this development, considering (spoiler) a demon weapon (a death sycthe - which ruins the whole "working" towards the death scythe form) lying within Maka only to be abandoned as an idea minutes later is pretty terrible - but then, I still fanboy over the overall message of that episode and the sick visuals that came with it. Overall, yes, I think the Manga does do the story better - but that's pretty standard for an anime that became an adaptation from just over halfway through with only 20 episodes to tie up the loose ends. There are some things the manga does that I really dislike, but that's a story for another day.
Amid the mismatched story in the final arc of the anime, Soul eater showcases some unique concepts, music and designs that I think go far under the radar for some fans. The Soul Eater OST is pretty masterful in some cases and I'm yet to listen to one that fully enthrawls me like this one. I love the cheesy humour (this can put some people off - but I mean, it was 2008.) and the supporting cast, the villains are pretty sick too. The complex relationships between characters through their unique abilities to 'resonate' with each others souls and therefore enter them is a nice, intimate and goddamn useful trope used throughout the series - and I really like it. The relationships between each of the main cast (+Crona!) kept me hanging on and wondering how things would develop.
I also appreciate the 'filler' scenes where kids just get to be kids - playing basketball, partying, etc. It really makes me feel for this glorified child soldiers as they charge into certain death with only their souls to protect them. Death itself does feel pretty impermanent in this anime, though thats pretty standard.
Overall, I think the cast does kinda save the anime's weakness in plot, but I think the whole concept of this anime is interesting, and the world building is sure to keep the watcher enthralled. Does the plot fall of nearing the 40 episode mark - yeah. Am I biased as this was my first experience with anime - oh, for sure. Do I still recommend watching soul eater for it's cast, music, animation and world building - of course.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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