Ranked #238

Soul Eater

Soul Eater is an impressive anime. It's one of those where you will no doubt enjoy watching

::STORY::
After watching some of the first episode you'll think Soul Eater will have your typical Shonen story. Basically, human weapons and their student technicians reside in Shibusen and have to collect 99 evil human souls and 1 witch soul, the reward being that the technician's weapon will transform into a Death Scythe.

It seems pretty formulaic, nothing you haven't seen before. The way the first few episodes pan out will make this seem like the main goal, but soon after you'll realise there is actually a deeper story developing. This story isn't something complex or too clever, but events that happen during the story makes Soul Eater watchable and interesting, the action is ever present, it always keeps humour in mind, but can be serious and emotional when it needs to be. Eventually you will forget what the main characters were initially trying to acheive because the story drags it in such a different direction. The problem is that the story isn't anything memorable. At points you might watch and forget the reason why they are doing something. That is the anime's weak point


::CHARACTERS::
This is what Soul Eater will be remembered for. Its colourful cast of characters.

Maka, our main character and a technician, despite being flawed she is always looking to do the right thing, always thinking of others, easily annoyed and determined. She grew on me as I realised she is probably the most human of all the characters. Soul, Maka's weapon. Just your typical cool guy? No. He is much deeper than he looks. Despite what he says he is only concerned about one thing: To protect Maka.

Black*Star is Energetic, rash, loud, bashful and his one goal in life is to become bigger than God. He can provide you with comic relief and become involved in intense battles yet shows his human side often, his weapon Tsubaki is always willing to help him whenever she can.

Death the Kid seems like some 'Mr Perfect' character. And he can be, but also has his flaws, most notable his obssessive compulsive disorder about symmetry. Anything slightly out of alignment will either cause him to fix the problem immediately or spiral into goth style depression. His weapons Patty and Liz are usually around to comfort him when he goes crazy or gets depressed.

The supporting cast are memorable as well. The grim reaper is always cheerful and relaxed; Spirit (Maka's father) is desperate for Maka's attention, even though she doesn't enjoy his company much; Blair is your typical fanservice character; Professor Stein is strong and clever yet deeply maniacal; Crona is shy and fearful, but powerful; Medusa, the main antagonist is pure genious; Mifune is an action and Samurai fan's dream character and plenty more who you'll come across.

Most characters will stand out at least once giving you reasons to like or dislike them. Characters are a strong point in this anime.

::ANIMATION & ART::
The good thing about this anime is that nobody looks ordinary or familiar, you'll notice every character has a certain design, from Soul's sharp teeth and Maka's plain green eyes to Kid's strange hairstyle and Liz & Patty's odd hats, all characters are uniquely styled.

All scenes are quite detailed, the atmosphere is usually dark but manages to look bright at the same time (a rare sight in anime). If its what the background artists were going for, I think they nailed it. Shortcuts are rare which is good, you can see that episodes weren't rushed. The art stays consistent (unlike Naruto) and the quality remains the same throughout.

The action is fluid, creative and non-standard (unlike Bleach) fight scenes aren't just repetitive movements shown at different angles, or just sword bashing and gun blasting. It manages to keep fight scenes interesting. Another strong point is action, which never fails.

::SOUND::
At first you will be introduced to 'Resonance'. A memorable opening track that fits very well to the series. This would be among the best if it wasn't for 'PAPERMOON' the 2nd opening which is even better than Resonance. I'm yet to come across anyone who thinks otherwise. This opening is epic. All ending themes are decent. Some are generic, the best being the current ending 'STRENGTH' and the 2nd ending 'Style' which stands out more than the 1st ending 'I wanna be' and 'Bakusō Yume Uta' which you will not remember at all.

Audio is decent, but there aren't any special moments or tracks that will hype you up or give you that tingly feeling inside when coupled with a good action scene. Songs aren't memorable like something Bruce Faulconer could cook up but do fit well with most happenings.

::CONCLUSION::
Soul Eater is an anime that manages to keep consistency throughout. It's lack of fillers (with the exception of the excalibur episodes which will drive you nuts) is enough for action fans to watch without worry, seriously 98% of the episodes are significant to the story (unlike Bleach which has whole filler arcs. 20+ FILLERS IN ONE GO!!!).

I find this more enjoyable to watch than Naruto or One Piece (which are heavily overrated). Mainly because the anime has a point and sticks to it. The Medusa Arc is to stop Medusa reviving the Demon God. The Arachnophobia Arc is to stop Arachne to allow the Demon God to spread madness over the world.

People complain about lack of originality but I am yet to find an anime that is truly similar. Shinigami's have been used before, but Shinigami literally translates to The Death God or The Grim Reaper, who in this case rules Shibusen and his son. Due to the halloween theme of Soul Eater I find the Grim Reaper necessary and is in no way similar to Ryuk of Death Note or characters like Rukia of Bleach. Let's get this straight their only link they have is the word 'Shinigami'

And finally Soul Eater is a must watch for any Shonen (Action, Comedy) fan. It has already been licensed by FUNimation which means a dub is coming soon and I believe Soul Eater will become another one of those famous anime shows. The only difference is it is actually has consistent entertainment value. show less read more

Here we have Soul Eater, a shounen anime produced by Bones (Wolf's Rain, Full Metal Alchemist, Ouran High School Host Club) that came out in 2008. I've never read the manga, so this is based solely on the anime. Set in the fantastical Death City, Soul Eater focuses on the Shibusen Academy, where students both work together and compete in order to turn their partners - boys and girls that can turn into various different weapons - into world-class Death Scythes. My university pally and I blasted through all 51 episodes in about a week, if you don't count the days that we were too busy to watch any. Let me tell you, this does not make for hard watching.

The first few episodes start off as prequels for the main seven characters - three 'Meisters/Technicians' and their 'Weapons'. These episodes are ones that I found to be somewhat disjointed, and to be honest I probably would have given up on the anime after 4 episodes or so if it wasn't for aforementioned pally. Swiftly afterwards, once the main characters start to interact together, I was hooked. And shortly after that when the frankly ingenious support characters were introduced and fleshed out, I was manic about it to the point where I was screaming in outrage at the screen if any other character DARED to so much as harm a hair on their heads.

Plot - [7/10] I wouldn't describe the plot as being either typical or particularly inventive. I will say, however, that it does dangle a standard premise in front of you for a good few episodes (in order for a Technician to turn their Weapon into the ultimate Death Scythe, they must collect 99 evil souls and then one Witch's soul; cue epic quest) and then almost entirely removes it for something much better - a pleasant surprise that, as I understand it, doesn't quite happen in the manga. While some elements of the plot remain unclear and somewhat incomplete by the end of the series, I ultimately felt that it didn't detract too much from my enjoyment. Bar the very last scenes, unfortunately, in which I was left starving for a bit more of a tie-up, or better yet, a follow-up montage in the ending credits. Still, I suppose that's what the manga's for.

Characters - [9/10] The meat of Soul Eater, with some big-name voice actors who really give the characters life. Firstly, we have Miyano Mamoru-san (Yagami Light of Death Note, Kiba of Wolf's Rain) as the symmetry-obssessed Death the Kid (an awkward-sounding name, I have to say, that belies a truly slick character); the ever-prolific and utterly fabulous Koyasu Takehito-san (Sakarazuka Seishirou of Tokyo Babylon, Zechs Merquise/Milliardo Peacecraft of Gundam Wing) as the Weapon Excalibur, who will surprise you in several different ways with his presence throughout the series; and Kobayashi Yumiko-san (Sarah McDougal of Love Hina, Dan Taichi of Prince of Tennis) as the headstrong Black*Star, to whom a nod must go for the most subtle yet engaging main-character development; to name a few. On top of these, Soul Eater showcases a surprising amount of young, new talent - notably, the voices of Soul (the title character) and Maka Albarn, the female lead who I unfortunately found to be incredibly irritating.

Let me make my point hard on this. Maka is hard-working and academically very smart, with a down-to-earth attitude that helps her to deal with her absent mother and womanizing father, who recently divorced prior to the start of the series. But (and oh, it's a big But) it doesn't last. Rather than character growth, we seem to have a case of the exact opposite as the series progresses. Maka repeatedly ends up making absolutely ridiculous decisions that can in no way be logically justified. As much as I don't like to use Naruto as a comparison, I think I have to. Maka's choices aren't a Naruto-style situation wherein Naruto makes sometimes-stupid decisions because of his raw emotions, because that's Naruto's character and way of life; plus, Naruto has (for the most part) the strength to back up his convictions. Maka, on the other hand, does not. Not only that, but she apparently doesn't learn from her monumental mistakes. And /then/ she'll bitch to the series' headstrong character Black*Star about how he acts before he thinks. Though, come to think of it, at least Maka isn't exactly a hypocrite on that matter because it's shown that she does in fact think about her actions before she carries them out, comes to the conclusion that it's stupid... and then does the wrong thing /anyway/. If it wasn't for almost every other character providing sustained interest and sheer compelling brilliance whenever Maka's off-screen, I think Soul Eater would fall far short of greatness.

Art - [9/10] And of course, there can be no characters without the visual art. While the quality of the animation itself is fairly standard shounen-style fare, the rating for this section gets bumped up enormously for originality. The designs of virtually everything - from the fantastically surreal moon and sun to the laboratory of the anime's resident Mad Scientist (who would have an entire paragraph in the above section if it wouldn‘t turn into an essay on why he’s such a /darn good character/ on both an emotional and a story-telling level) to the eyes of the later villains - positively shines with mouth-watering creativity. I could wax lyrical about the brain-melting inventiveness of the character designs all day. It's honestly worth watching for the artistic genius alone.

Music - [8/10] With the exception of the very first ending theme (which was painful, if I'm honest), I thoroughly appreciated each different ending and opening. They were well-chosen and fitted the style and feel of the anime well. The music used throughout the episodes themselves suited the atmosphere wonderfully - the fighting music was driving, the sad-scenes music was sorrowful and the cheery music gave the anime a smile. While it wasn't as memorable as, say, the music to Gundam Wing or Gintama, it did its job in style. Also in this section, I'd like to add that the song sung by the Weapon Excalibur made me almost die of Sheer Heart-Rending Joy.

Overall - [9/10] Easy to watch and a great mix of creepy, surreal and fun. Objectively, I'd give this a high 8, and then I'm going to take the liberty of bumping it up to a 9 for the downright enjoyment I experienced with this show. I thoroughly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Full Metal Alchemist or Gintama - or, for that matter, any shounen manga/anime - as well as anyone who enjoyed the quirks of such series as Ouran High School Host Club. read more

Soul Eater is about a group of students who attend a school for aspiring demon hunters, Shibusen. The story follows Maka, an scythe weilder and her partner, Soul, who transforms into the scythe she uses. Each hunter is paired with a partner who can turn into a weapon, and the two must fight in unison. The other main characters include Death the Kid, and his weapons Liz and Patty who become twin pistols, and Black Star, along with his partner Tsubaki, who has the unique ability to transform into several weapon types as a jack of all trades. These students as well as their teachers now fight the various demons and witches who want to destroy Shibusen in order to take over the world without consequence.

This show is incredibly stylish, literally everything has a very cool vibe about it and really stands out from other similar animes. If FLCL and Bleach came together and had a love child, that child would be Soul Eater. The characters are all likeable and unique, even if they do follow the list of shonen anime stereotypes (loud kid who wants to be the best, check; quiet cool guy, check; self-depricating girl who holds much potential power, double check.) The adult characters are less stereotypical than the kids, which can make them more interesting to watch in certain episodes, however. Even if their personalities are familiar, there is enough unique and enjoyable about them that it never becomes a problem.

The fights themselves are very well animated and choreographed. They're all ridiculous and cartoony, but they are always visceral and exciting to watch. The progression is also very shonen in nature, with enemies that are way stronger than the heroes, and the heroes having to train to beat them and gain new powers, but again its so entertaining it shouldn't become a big issue. The fights are all about style and execution though, and if you keep that in mind and don't analyze them with rational thought, they all become very entertaining and exciting. The first 26 episodes are great flashy entertainment for anime fans.

I really wish I could stop the review at this point, and tell you Soul Eater is a really fun shonen series that fans of action anime should see. Now the bad point of the show, the entire second half of the series. Around the halfway point, Soul Eater changes from a lighthearted, entertaining fun action anime into a serious, melodramatic action anime. The story starts to take itself way too seriously, and the enjoyment of this anime greatly suffers because of this. When your anime is about people who transform into guns and swords who fight witches, it's kind of hard to take the change in tone seriously.

Soul Eater ends up losing most if not all of its charm because of this drastic and unnecessary shift in tone. All of the characters become whiny punks who sulk all day, and Maka becomes borderline unbearable as a main character with her melancholic attitude and constant bitching about how she's not strong enough to fight the main enemy of the show. All of this nonsense comes together in a final episode that is so ridiculous I would sound stupid if I tried to explain it in this review. Let me just put it to you this way, all themes the show was building up to this point are thrown out the window, the main villain turns into a gigantic pansy, and the logic behind the ending makes absolutely no sense in the grand scheme of the show. Oh, and it tries to copy Evangelion in ways that are so unnecessary and artistically nonsensical in the show that I laughed out loud when I first saw them in this episode.

What in the world happened to Soul Eater? What happened to this really fun, always entertaining action anime in the second half of the show? What is with all this ridiculous emo nonsense that gets introduced in the second half? How the hell could Bones, the studio behind Fullmetal Alchemist and Eureka Seven fail so badly at this show? I have no idea how to answer any of these questions. If you are going to watch Soul Eater, watch the first 26 episodes, and then stop. Otherwise, you are in store for one of the strangest, confusing, and most disappointing action animes ever made. Come on Bones, you are better than this.

Final Grade, C- read more

:STORY: 5
Ultimately my main complaint about this series lies in this area. And I am going to be a little hard on it because of how much potential I saw that it could have had. I guess I should start by saying that what the story lacks is organization and commitment. Throughout the entire series, different conflicts would be shoved on the backburner right in the middle of their climax, the conflcts would be built way up and then fall flat within a single episode or two, and sometimes conflicts would be forgotten about all together without any resolve being made at all. It became frustrating after being promised some huge development so many times only for it to either turn out to have no relevence to the story at all or just never followed through with. This applies to characters as well. There were several times where there were characters who took up whole episodes to be introduced and set up to do big things only to poke an uneccesary line every 20 episodes or so. I mean, I'm still mad about how this show handled Free and Eruka. Even the tone was a little flakey. It started out almost primarily a comedy but around halfway through almost stopped with the jokes entirely.

But with all that said, I want to point out the good things they did, because there were things done well. I've found that many shounen series are a little shallow, and use things like "cool action" as a crutch. While this series did utilize action, it definetly wasn't a crutch, simply because it didn't need one. The action and the traditional main story of a larger than life villian out to destroy was used effectivley as a medium and as dynamic for what the show was really about, which was the inner growth of the struggling main characters. There will be pieces of the story where you find yourself in an expressionist environment that represents one of the character's soul, where the character grapples with personal conflicts in impressionistic ways. I found these portions of the story to be very profound and moving. Through this process you develop strong relationships and understanding of the main characters and really makes you care about what they are doing and what happens to them.

:ART: 9
The art and animation was truly great. It perfectly fitted the tone of the series as a whole and was furthermore customized to perfectly fit each character. Technically speaking, it was innovative and very fluid. I especially enjoyed the creativity shown in the design of pretty much everything. The characters, the buildings, the backgrounds, even the sky (you'll see what I mean if you haven't seen it yet) was drawn very cleverly and creatively. I could honestly say that someone could enjoy this series for its appearance alone.

:CHARACTER: 7
As said before, the characters are one the series' strengths. I'm sure the fact that a lot of the story comes from character development helps. Each character has tons of defining personality and everything about them, from their appearance to their diction works together and makes perfect sense. What really set the characters of this series apart from others is the intimate introspection we are subjected to as a viewer. What I think this did for the viewer is that it gave a deep understanding of the characters and because we understood where they stood emotionally and what drives them, it made it very difficult to dislike them. The bad guys hardly got the same treatment, which was fine because that wasn't what this show was about. All we really needed to know about them is that they sought to hurt and destroy the heroes (although I would have liked for Asura to retain his crazy mindless monster role instead of turning into the cliche arrogant bad guy).

:ENJOYMENT: 7
I hate putting a numbered rating for this because of how subjective it is. It really comes down to what you appreciate in an anime, and even still, it depends on what you are feeling like at the time. So I just put what level of enjoyment I found myself getting from Soul Eater. This series definetly fits a niche and provides easy-to-watch stimulation. Despite a good handful of deep moments, I don't know if a classy no-nonsense viewer would like wading through all the episodes to find them.

:OVERALL: 6
This anime could have been truly great, but all the extra, unimportant nonsense they threw in kept it from excelling. But still, if this fits your style, it'll definetly be one among the good ones. read more

Dazzling animation, zany characters, seductive story-lines, awesome music scores - these acclamations yet still fail to justify Soul Eater enough as my favourite anime of the current season.

Produced by Bones, who brought us Ouran High School Host Club and Darker than BLACK, Soul Eater is adapted from the manga by Ookubo Atsushi. It is of personal importance to mention the manga for the animer is a very close adaptation of the latter. In a nutshell, the story follows three student weapon technicians and their respective partners, as they embark on a journey to combat evil, and yet grow up with each other at the same time. Each of the main protagonists are attractive in their own right - ranging from the slick yet ridiculously symmetry-compulsive Death the Kid, to the broodingly cool scythe, Soul, Soul Eater provides characters which are strong enough to carry the series on their own backs.

The story follows a general plot-line really, with the student weapon technicians going to school, equipping themselves with combat skills, so as to fight the forces of evil in the context of the show. Throughout however, we are treated to comedy and mere innocence from the characters - for they are really just kids trying to grow up - so Soul Eater as a show generally turns out to be quite the light-hearted pick. Nevertheless, there are episodes which tug at the strings of the heart, where the emotions of the characters really reach out to you, and also episodes which are pure comedy, where you inevitably laugh at the zaniness of the world. Why can't school and friends be like these, you wonder?

The music is awesome - produced by Iwasaki Taku, of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann fame. Responsible for tracks in the latter, like Libera me from Hell and FIGHT THE POWER (remember?), he delivers as well in Soul Eater. The music fits the mood perfectly, fighting and comedy scenes are complimented by their music, and I really believe he does a good job here.

Art is Soul Eater's strongest selling point. Bones did really well animating the fight scenes in the manga, and the colours are so rich and beautiful, that every episode is a joy to behold. The drawing of the characters are good - but these are pretty normal, I must say. It is the sketches of the environment, and the animation that really stands out. Soul Eater was the anime which spoiled me in terms of fight scenes. Used to think that Bleach offered really good ones - but after watching this, the former seemed really average at best.

Characters are attractive, and you will find yourself liking some of them more than the others. Antagonists are seductively evil, and you cannot help but like them. Powerful, and pretty witches make up the cast of the latter - and it is quite fun to watch the inner dynamics where they manipulate each other for their own benefits. Voice talent is not too great, but it is acceptable. Most notable is Miyano Mamoru, who did Yagami Light in Death Note, but that is pretty it, really. The seiyuu for Soul and Maka are making their debuts, and they have quite a mixed reception. Not its greatest selling point, that's for sure.

Nevertheless, Soul Eater is a great show for all its strengths in animation and music. Its light-hearted tone throughout is also ideal for those who seek to enjoy the anime after a tough day at work or school. There is no need to think too much about plot implications (apologies if you are a sucker for these), Soul Eater allows you to just sit back and gawk at the wonders of modern-day art. Definitely a show worth your time.

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This is my first anime review!!! X )

Story: While Soul Eater does have an pretty good story line, it seems somewhat stereotypical. There is an organization that was created to protect the world from bad guys, and some evil organization is plotting against them and trying to destroy them. (Other examples are Bleach, Naruto, Tokyo Mew Mew, etc). Then suddenly out of nowhere, collecting almightly weapons all over the world comes into play, and now it seems that the characters are tied somewhere between Tsubasa Chroncle and Bleach, and are doing too much at once.

Art: The art is probably one of the most unusual characteristics of Soul Eater, a sort of alternative anime look like many that have popped up over the years. The use of 3-D animation is astounding, there is pretty good detail, and colors and shading well support the story itself and the essence of the anime. The art work is not like any other anime that I have seen yet at least, most notibly the bloody sun and moon. The animation is also quite appropriate to the story line, and overall runs smoothly.

Sound: The music was what got me addicted to the show. The opening theme astounded me as I watched all the characters go through the motions. As the theme song ended, I looked forward to the show itself, a sure fire way of knowing that the music is good. But then, the ending theme comes along. While not bad, it just couldn't compare to the opening, and left me slightly dissapointed. The animation and the sound were seemed together almost flawlessly, and that highly raised my liking of the show.

Character: While not all the characters stood out to be memorable and interesting characters, there were a few characters that caught my eye: Death the Kid and Dr. Stein. Death the Kid adds a lot of the comedy with his addiction to making everything perfectly symmetrical, almost a pushover when fighting a symmetrical being, but a complete powerhouse when not doing so. The other Dr. Stein, with the awesome bolt in his head, has a fetish for dissection and experimenting, no matter how cruel. Also somewhat creepy and a sadist, but making him just a more likable character. While these two stood out the most, the other characters unfortunately seemed to blend too much in the background or were too stereotypical of commonly seen character types. All the characters were obviously well thought out however, and I praise that. Each character gets a fair amount of screen time, and have a decent past, and that just adds so much to the anime itself.

Enjoyment: As you can see, I fairly enjoy this anime for many reasons, and I hope you enjoy it too, which I'm sure you will! The show is only about half over, so there still is a lot more Soul Eater to come! : )

Overall: Overall, it's a great anime, and that's why I'll will give it an 8. read more

Soul Eater is a relatively famous anime based on a manga written by Okubo Atsushi. Now, it is from Bones studio. So far the only reviews I've done of their stuff have been Darker than Black, Fullmetal Alchemist and Wolf's Rain and while that doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to like this it does bode well. Let's take a look at Soul Eater and see if the trend of quality continues.

Soul Eater follows a group of students at Shibusen Academy, a school that trains living weapons and their masters. The goal of the students is to collect 99 souls from evil humans and a witches soul to advance the weapon to the level of a death scythe, but that's interrupted by a conflict with witches who are experimenting on using souls of regular humans to create a demon god called a Kishin. One big problem with the story in this anime is that the death scythe setup ends up getting dropped pretty quickly and ultimately serves no purpose to the plot. It's just clumsy writing. I'm told that it serves a purpose in the manga, but it is a problem with the anime. The biggest issue with the anime though is that the end is pretty rushed. The series has a lot of subplots and most of them just get rushed resolutions that don't have a satisfactory payoff. The final fight scene is just lazy, which leads to an anti-climactic ending. That being said, there are a lot of good elements to the series. It has a lot of creativity and the series maintains a good blend of humorous and semi-serious moments, for the most part. A lot of the subplots start out pretty strongly, even if they kind of fall apart towards the end. There are some really stupid action elements towards the end, but I'm pretty sure they're intentionally stupid for the sake of humour and they are pretty hilarious, particularly Death City's transformation.

The characters range quite a bit in quality. The main cast works pretty well, but a lot of the side characters get one or two personality traits or, like Maka's dad, get used for the same types of jokes whenever they demonstrate any kind of personality. It especially becomes a problem toward the end when several characters get introduced and ultimately have very little impact on anything. Still, there are a lot of interesting characters in this. Maka, Death the Kid, Tsubaki, Crona, and so on.

The art in this has a very bright and vibrant style. It kind of reminds me of a cel-shaded game, actually. The backgrounds look nice, but the character designs fall a bit flat. The noses just look bizarre and the eyes look pretty blank most of the time. Which can lead to some awkward moments where you don't know what emotion they're trying to express. Although you can usually tell from the context. Also, like Katanagatari, this is a series that tries to have fan-service in spite of an art style that doesn't lend itself to it.

The cast in this is pretty strong. Miyano Mamoru, Omigawa Chiaki and Nazuka Kaori all give strong performances. The biggest issue with the acting is that there's quite a bit of exaggeration. Particularly from the over the top characters like Black Star and Patty. The music mostly works effectively, albeit not spectacularly.

The yuri factor in this one is kind of difficult to measure. Why? Because there's a character named Crona, who is just a great character by the way, who doesn't have a stated gender. The series keeps it vague, always referring to Crona with gender neutral pronouns. I'm not sure how they manage that in the English version given the lack of English gender neutral pronouns, but the fact is that I'm going to have to give to different scores because of Crona's ambiguous gender. If Crona is female, then the yuri factor is a 4/10. Largely because Crona and Maka seem to have a pretty substantial amount of sexual tension. If Crona is male, however, that would qualify as het and the yuri factor goes down to a 2/10. There are still a couple moments in the series, but nothing substantial.

Now we move on to my final rating. I'm giving Soul Eater a 7/10. Yeah, it has some issues, but at its core it's a fun, energetic and creative series with some strong characters. If you can appreciate the goofier moments, you'll probably have fun with it. read more

Soul eater, soul eater, soul eater. What can I possibly say about thee?! The description at the top tells you the base of the story but it doesn't nearly touch on how great and truly entertaining it really is! As I continue to watch this anime is never ceases to make me laugh and I just want more and more and more.

Story:
This story takes place in a area called death city where a shinagami helps humans destroy eggs of kishin by turning them in meisters and giving them weapons to obtain these eggs of kishin and one soul of a witch and turn there scythe into a death scythe. Though this is what all students at the school Shibusen school aim for they are also being taught how to fight and protect the world against the development of a demon god and a demon sword. Though the plot seems pretty basic kill the bad guys, it is far from it and has its own unique characters and twist itself. It somehow manages to tie in school life and relationships between people without being overly cheesy and turning everything into a romantic story.

Art:
THE ART IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! When I first began to watch this I just kept saying in my head the art is great the art is great the art is great and thats what it is its great. The art is very different from the typical anime it sleek and it gives something new and fresh to bring to the animation table. By just looking at the first 5 minutes of the show you can see that. Props to the artist. You will definitely not be disappointed in the art.

Sound:
Ah and so TMR strikes again with his poppy tunes. The opening is awesome I suppose it matches the anime very well and not mention very catchy! Th ending theme is well, I've heard better lol. But I guess it also fits it well. So music gets an A.

Characters:
I must say these characters are all hilarious! They all have their own special charm about them. My favorite being death the kid. His obsession with everything being symmetrical provides many laughs for the viewer. Black Star is the overly hyper kid who wants to be the best (sounds familiar) but unlike others he actually doesn't win all the time, very funny character as well. Maka the lovable heroine. Soul the unpredictable side kick always giving maka words of advice. All the characters as I said are very fun to watch and you get to know them well.

Enjoyment:
I thoroughly enjoy this anime. It has its action but is full of laughs. Everything in it just works out really well with each other and theres always something new to learn about everyone and everything in every episode. Very interesting, very addictive, and I expect you who reads this to watch the show!

Trust me you will laugh more than once! Its worth the watch. So now go on whatever site you go and search for it now! read more

Soul Eater succeeds in delivering large amounts of entertaining filled with a combination of fine comedy and action in every episode. Aside from the few obvious shonen-ish vibes there aren’t many flaws that I can find. I, myself, am certainly not a fan of the shonen genre however that does not stop me from finding this anime to be greatly remarkable.

Music:

Possibly the second strongest point is the music department. It’s fast paced and has a nice beat. I rarely skip the opening theme when I watch SE, thing that not always happens when I watch other anime. The new ending themes are nice to listen to. No complaints in this department.

Story:

It’s fairly good but it’s not where it shines the most. The story takes place in a Shinigami Weaponry Vocational School, where “technicians” and their partners attend in order to get rid of the evil spirits that wreck chaos upon the world. Likewise, as technicians their goal is to ultimately turn their partners into “Death scythes” for “Shinigami-sama”, the founder of the school, to use for greater good by collecting 99 corrupted souls and a Witch soul.

Art:

Not out of this world but it gets the job done. It definitely fits the anime.

Character

The strongest points are the characters in the show. They manage to be hilarious and mature at the same time. Similarly, they all have strengths and weakness but try their best to every time. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t find much of the so common “I want to become the strongest of all to “protect the people I love”, etc etc philosophy here. To be frank, I lost count of how many times I’ve heard this recycled statement and I bet you have too. Having watched my fair amount of shonen shows in the past I tend to avoid anime that religiously emphasizes this philosophy. Luckily, Soul Eater manages fairly tone it down in and present the anime in a way that you can enjoy the show if you aren’t into the genre.

Enjoyment:

Plenty. After you’re done with the silly “you know what this anime reminds me of?” phase, you will find SE to be a result of clever combinations of factors. I’ve watched 30/50 episodes and not a single one have been ever dull. Soul Eater has not disappointed and hopefully it will never. I’m tempted to buy the manga once it’s released.

Overall

Before I was introduced to SE I expected it to be yet another super clichéd and awfully overhyped show. It came as a nice surprise that it was not. I have not read the manga myself but if there are any fillers in the anime I hardly felt them. If you enjoyed Bleach or FMA there’s a high chance you’ll love this one as well. Prepared yourself to NOT be disappointed.
Verdict 8/10
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Let’s talk about Shounen.

Shounen is probably easily the most popular and most celebrated form of manga, and respectively anime. Typically characterized by high action, sometimes comedic, fights and more often than not featuring a sunny, hero-type protagonist and his jolly crew. Any women tend to be extremely attractive with ‘exaggerated’ features (see: fan service) and the antagonist tends to be some asshole with a god-complex, waiting inevitably to be taken down by said cookie cutter protagonist.

Dragon Ball Z basically epitomizes the shounen genre (though it has been known to vary in theme and tone) but were I to mention Naruto, One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, Magi, Fairy Tale etc. you get the gist what I’m talking about.

So where does Soul Eater come in? Well, it also epitomizes the genre— adolescent protagonist, intense fight sequences, some bitch who wants to take over the world, and of course, boobs. Now, it’s easy for anime fans to write off this kind of show because it’s more of the same thing. However, people LOVE this series, so there must be a good reason for it.

Somewhere in Nevada, the Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA), run by Death (also known as Shingami) himself, trains young adults— human weapons and their wielders— to combat souls turned evil and help them to achieve “Death Scythe” status ((99 souls but a witch ain’t one)). Top student Maka Albarn and her partner, a scythe named Soul Eater Evans, along with the rest of their team, face off against a witch attempting to unleash the first kishin— a demon god who once threatened to plunge the world into madness.

Production for the series was helmed by Bones, so you already know it’s going to always look great. Sounds great, opening and ending animation and themes are all really wonderful; I won’t waste words talking about the technicals this time. Even the dub was very good. You see a lot of typecast choices like Laura Bailey, Chuck Hubert, Todd Haberkorn, etc. The stand out for me though was Micah Solusod as Soul; Soulsod is a fairly young voice actor, often compared to JYB. For me, he has more baritone and attitude than Bosch, coupled with good acting ability, he believably carried Soul’s ‘cool guy with a good heart’ routine through.

One more comment that I’ve made before about the adaptive script: the character of Crona, in the manga, is of indeterminate sex, and the Japanese language allows Crona to be present and talked about without sounding awkward. However, in English, the language doesn’t work in the same way, so they chose one arbitrarily for convenience’s sake (I could be mistaken, but I think they got it wrong). I’m not sure if this is a legitimate point of contention against the anime adaptation or English dubbing, but it deserves to be mentioned.

So what I do need to address though are the characters. In addition to Soul and Maka, the team is made up of a brawly ninja named BlackStar, his partner Tsubaki, and Shingami’s son, Death the Kid, who is meister to two pistols named Liz and Patty (there are several others, but let’s stick to our mains for now).

I think opinions on Soul and Maka vary. For what my two cents is worth, I loved both of them. Cool guy with a good heart on it’s own isn’t very interesting, but he has his own demons to face and in an unexpected way. The partner dynamic between him and his technician is so strong it’s tangible, almost on par with Edward and Alphonse, and really works in the series’s favor. Maka, for her part, is a great example of inserting a female protagonist in a shounen series. This is almost unheard of, even in gender-neutral fare, so to see it in a legitimate shounen series is very rare. Maka’s character is a meister, a partner, and a protagonist first, who then reacts in certain situations they way an adolescent girl would second. Changing her sex wouldn’t change her character, just her quirks. For anyone wondering, this is how you write a strong female lead. Kudos, Okubo.

As for the rest, I don’t know anybody who doesn’t love Death the Kid and his obsession with symmetry and order. But BlackStar is annoying, Tsubaki is bland, and Liz and Patty are annoying and bland. And these are four of your main characters whom you spend a lot of time with. But this is a consequence of the genre; it’s directly written into the shounen cannon. A brash type, an over endowed ditzy one, etc. However, each of these characters get more screentime and character development than they deserve. As irritating as BlackStar is, his story arc was interesting and realistic, and I’ll give Soul Eater credit for giving even the comic relief the freedom to develop. Moreover, everybody is varied in design and personality, and all have unique abilities that lend themselves to some really creative fight sequences.

So why does Soul Eater stand out despite representing one of the most cliched oversaturated genres in anime?

Because it excels at it’s genre.

Soul Eater knows exactly what it wants to be. There’s no pretention here; Soul Eater is a silly, action-packed roller coaster ride of a series and sometimes, that’s all you need an anime to be. So when a show is also balanced, perfectly paced, and each character is given room to grow and shine, it elevates the shounen standard into something more.

Watching Soul Eater, I was reminded very much of Fullmetal Alchemist (also Studio Bones’s work). The two share a lot of common elements. Both were adapted to animation while the manga was still ongoing, so the writers of the show needed to rework what had already been published to fill in the gaps and complete the story themselves, which both did successfully. I know manga die-hards complain, but adaptation is difficult as it is, especially when the work is unfinished. The script writers did a great job of coming up with new endings for each respective series that allow a television show to stand on its own merit (and I like the original series better than Brotherhood so nyahh). *steps off the soapbox* Balance in tone between action, drama, and humor, though FMA is much darker. A wide cast of characters, none superfluous and all ready to jump back into the plot right when they’re needed. Excellent story, pacing, and animation. No filler (with the exception of the Excalibur episodes…). Soul Eater in many ways is a light-hearted spiritual successor to the original FMA series, and that’s also why it’s so good.

I find this much more enjoyable than something like newer series like Naruto or One Piece (which are both highly overrated by the way), because the series has a point and sticks to it (another similarity with FMA). Soul Eater has a story to tell and it tells it, rather than prattling on and on for 300+ episodes making money like Bleach (go flip Bleach on Toonami sometime, I bet you will have no idea where the story is or what’s going on).

Since it was picked up by FUNimation and exploded in popularity in the U.S. it’s easy to lump this one in with all the other uber-popular safe and standard series stateside, but this one is definitely worth the watch for anyone whose taste ranges from Fullmetal to Ouran (also Bones ^_^). Overall, Soul Eater is solid, action packed, surreal and creepy, not always funny, but definitely always enjoyable. read more

Okay, I'm not a fan of reviewing shows in their early stages, but when I read the other reviews here; I just had to write up one, because I don't find it as great as most of the reviewers here on MAL. I find Soul Eater to be a bit of a rip-off from Bleach. It's still decent, though.

Okay, so some people have criticized my opinion that Soul Eater is a rip-off of Bleach (though making an entire review for that is a bit over the top). I'm fully aware that Bleach is very similar to a few older animes too, but the fact still stands that Soul Eater is too similar to Bleach. And evt. older animes about shinigami or similar stuff. It's got it's original contents, but overall it's just too similar for comfort.

The story up to ep. 18 has mostly been an episode-by-episode story, but a plot slowly beginning to sneak in behind the scenes from here on. I'm not sure what direction it will take from here, and this is why I don't like reviewing so early. However, I believe that it will get better as we go on, so for now I'll keep the story at a 7, for unoriginality and because only the latest episodes have shown a continuous plot.

The animation is more cartoony than many anime out there, I feel. That's not necessarily a bad thing; I mean, coloring and shading and effects are very good, but some things bugs me a lot - f.ex. the Shinigami, the moon and the sun aren't very pleasing to look at. The animation deserves an 8: It's good quality and lovable character designs, but there's just something about the overall feel of it that bugs me.

The soundtrack isn't very remarkable either. The background music isn't anything noteworthy, but it's not bad either - it fits with the mood. The OP and ED themes are decent, but I think I'd only listen to the first ED theme outside of watching the show. The voice acting is good too. All in all, I'd rate it a 7.

The characters are fair too. I mean, they're funny to watch, but funny isn’t enough to rate it high up. They lose some points for spurs of unoriginality, but there's still some original characters there. I'm especially fond of Death the Kid and his obsession with symmetry, because I can somewhat identify with him (though not on such an obsessed level). There hasn't been a lot of character development so far either - only Maka's desire to get stronger -, and the series is already 1/3 done. However, much can happen, and again, since I'm reviewing at such an early stage, I won't prejudge them. But for now, I'm keeping it at a 7, losing points for unoriginality and low character development so far but gaining points because they're funny as well as the presence of a few original and likable characters.

I'm enjoying Soul Eater, but only enough to watch it. It loses too much because it hasn't got a large amount of originality. It's good entertainment, but not necessarily good.

To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =) read more

Soul Eater is by far an entertaining anime with fresh comedy packed with action.

Story: The story opens into a more comical theme with the introduction of the main characters and the important sub characters along with the purpose they carry. However, it takes a turn off the normal shounen themed animes and dives into an action rollercoaster with the plot taking a completely different direction to what is first thought. Even with the many plot twists and adventures present, it continues to keep its comedy side to an almost perfect proportion. It must be noted though that once the story diverts from the manga and into its final stages, it loses some of its fresh style and stability.

Art: Although it may not look spectacular at first compared to the many notable animes, the artwork grows on you. One of the most notable and lovable things about the art of this anime is that there is not one character in the whole show that is designed similarly to any other anime characters which is quite rare to see nowadays.

Another refreshing thing about that artwork of Soul Eater is the imaginative backgrounds and area designs, most notably the school in which the plot centers, Shibusen. Although its impossible to say that theses buildings are realistic, it can be said that they are of a unique style never before seen in any of the anime I've watched myself. This style is continued throughout the whole anime, never once changing keeping the Soul Eater style.

The animation is quite well non-standard especially during the battle scenes, notably unique compared to the normal standard shown in battle animes like Naruto and Bleach. Its this animation style which Soul Eaters animation style notable to all anime fans.

Sound: I would say the Soul Eater music isnt given enough credit, it has a brilliant choice of opening and closing themes aswell as some amazing theme songs to accompany it. Also, the music hypes you up, makes you feel the mood of the anime at the perfect moment whether its action or comedy.

Character: All of the characters, protagonists and antagonists, are lovable, colourful and refreshing in both appearance and characteristics. There is a wide range of personalities mixed into the Soul Eater world aswell as unique attributes in appearances such as the the stripes in Kid's hair and the drool mark on Soul. It is both comical and interesting to watch as these characters with almost nothing in common relate to one and other aswell as taking part in the key events of the plot.

Enjoyment: By far, Soul Eater is one of the most enjoyable anime out there at the moment. It is filled with superb action and outstanding comedy, both balanced out perfectly throughout the 51 episodes!

Overall: It is an anime well worth watching; great story, fresh art and animation, nice sound, lovable characters and very enjoyable! The only disappointing factor of Soul Eater is that its only 51 episodes long, it deserves a much longer run! read more

In the world of Soul Eater, there are people who have become evil. When they become evil their soul becomes a kishin egg soul and it is up to the Death Weapons and Meister Academy(DWMA) to kill these guys so they don't become a full born kishin, or the world will be envelope in madness.

Story: The plot is surprisingly quite interesting. The first few episodes seems like "What the hell is going on?" or "Where are they going with this?" but eventually it becomes even more interesting and fun. There are some action since this is mainly a fighting anime, and it also has many funny parts. And important thing is that there is like almost no fillers at all in this anime. It strictly sticks to the plot, except for like one random episode.

Art: Personally I just didn't enjoy the artwork that much. The artwork was decent, like not too much details on the characters. The theme of the whole anime surrounds a Halloween theme, like the smiling and sometime laugh moon with blood dripping from it's mouth, or the crooked fences etc.

Sound: I really thought the soundtrack for this anime was just superb. Each time the OP or ED theme came on I didn't want to skip it at all. Especially the second OP theme song, it was even better than the first and is probably my favorite song out of the whole series. Overall the music and sound was pretty good.

Character: Um, I would have to say the characters are unique, like the anime portrays their personality more than showing the character development of each main characters. Like it shows their strength and weakness and the acceptance of it, but there wasn't really much character development. However I can assure you that much of the characters are quite funny, especially Death Kid and his obsession with symmetry.

Enjoyment: The anime was alright, though I did not understand some concepts about. It is fun and had a lot of fighting scenes. But there was some times where I was just like "what the heck?" but most of the times it was enjoyable. Well I hope this is not a spoiler, but I do feel like the anime could have been longer, like elaborating more on some arcs/parts, especially the last 5 episodes. I seriously felt like they rushed the last 5 episodes, and the ending was kind of strange. However, it was a pretty good anime and I hope you can enjoy it too! read more

Soul Eater is a good series with a great sense of humor, art style, and an excellent cast of characters but lacks the strength to be an over 50 episode series. What really stops this series from being a great series is that the story is dull and you feel like that the show is moving like a snail on a freeway in the middle of the series.

Story: 6
From the beginning, Soul Eater threw you the three meisters and their weapons. These short "monster of the week" episodes were exciting with tons of action and humor which kept me laughing and admiring the direction this series was going. Once the main plot kicks in you start getting introduced to more side characters and antagonists which keep the story interesting. I would have gave this story an 8 if the other half of the series wasn't so long.
It seems at the second half the action starts to repeat itself and the show suffers from the main plot not going anywhere. The plot is predictable and probably because the second half has not been written in the manga and it just makes the ending seem rushed. It feels to me that the story is your average "Kids save the world" story and acts like a generic show because of this.

Art: 9
I have to say, the art in this show is awesome. The fight scenes look slick and the animation never seems to slow down or I never really notice. Bones is a studio that knows how to use animation right and it amazes me.
The atmosphere of the show is done in a Halloween like style that really works with all the characters and the setting and makes it stand out to other anime out there. The characters all look great and all have a clever design.
The only thing that really bugged me with the animation was that the random people were just purple, I found this to be lazy and question why they make them fit in with the classroom.

Sound: 8
The OST of the show has a varied selection of songs which is I love in Anime. There is a feeling of jazz, rock, and hip hop surrounding the soundtrack and I never felt like I was hearing the same song over and over again. I never felt that there was a song that I was in love with during the show but all and all I recommend you try out the soundtrack for yourself.
As for the Openings and Endings I really enjoyed a lot of them. The first opening "Resonance" felt like it was kind of a pump up to the series and had to be my favorite out of all of them.

Character: 7
All the characters in the show are very unique looking and have a nice style to them. Maka and Soul are both enjoyable characters that are fun to watch. Black Star and Tsubaki were a mixed bag for me and Black Star most of the time felt obnoxious and Tsubaki was dull but they had their moments. My favorite out of all of the main characters has to be Death the Kid and the Thompson Sisters because they were all so goofy and different from other characters I have encountered. Kid's obsession with symmetry was a funny gag and the sisters acted like two nuts but all and all it worked.
The supporting characters (there a ton of them) all have something to offer the viewer and you can choose which one is your favorite. All I have to say is that all of them are unique and throws something different to the table.
The main problem with these characters is the lack of development with them. Since the number of characters is so high I never really got attached to a character and notice their potential. The series constantly jumps from one character to the next which slows down the story. If the anime was more focused on its protagonist than every other character in the show I think it would have been stronger.

Enjoyment: 8
With everything negative I said about this show, I still enjoyed it. The first half was hilarious and the humor is something this series did an excellent job on. The action scenes looked awesome and kept me watching and seeing all these characters throw crap at each other was just so satisfying. The only thing that killed the enjoyment of this show was the second half lacking the same punch as the first and I wish the humor was as well delivered in the second half as well.

Overall: 7
I enjoyed Soul Eater and it was a solid series and I wouldn't mind giving it another watch another time. I will conclude saying that this is a show that you would like if you are a fan of the action and comedy, it does a great job with both of these and if you are a fan of either one of those genres, give it a try. If you are a fan of the series, go check out the manga as well because it does a better job with the later parts of the story than the anime.

If you have any comment you want to share or questions about the review please message me on my page. read more

Well I loved this anime the moment i began watching it. The concept used for making this anime was different. Well that's what i think. The anime kicks off with an intriguing storyline. As the anime progressed there were interesting developments in it. The characters were great. Each one of them had their own unique personality. But what disappointed me is the fact that the anime suddenly deviated from it's original plot leading to a different ending. If it were to follow the original storyline i.e that of the manga the anime would've run for a longer period of time. Well thats all i 'm going to say about it's plot.


Now coming to it's audio, well the voice actors did a fantastic job fitting into their respective characters. The BGM sound tracks were amazing. Each main character had his/her respective soundtrack. The opening and ending songs were awesome too. Overall the audio was impressive.

Now coming to the video. Well the art was different in this anime. This is probably the firs anime where i saw the sun and moon having facial expressions. As far as the visual effects are concerned, well the were pretty impressive as well.

So for the people who are done with the anime and are upset about it ending so soon you could always continue with the manga.

According to me the manga still has a long way to go for it to reach it's completion.


Those who want any recommendations for anime well i strongly recommend you to add this one to your anime basket.

CHow! read more

Soul Eater is an amazing anime. That said, it's not without it's flaws. And they're not few, I warn you. The thing is, they don't take away from the enjoyment experienced while watching the anime. Let's go in depth, shall we?

Story (6): This is the worst of the aspects in this anime. Each arc has a purpose which is well introduced. In the beginning, it's also well explained and concluded but as the show progresses, major plot holes are left open. The plot lines are built way up and then dropped with a scrappy or even none explanation. Things that were introduced and developed as important end up not contributing for the plot at all.
Some examples (minor spoilers): Everything built around the black blood is completely resolved in one episode and we never get to know why Medusa wanted to watch Soul and Maka so badly to begin with. Death The Kid suspicions and investigation about his father and the Academy ends up being unfounded and the explanation we get for this is one of the poorest I could imagine.
Unlike some people, I don't think the final was bad as an episode. But I didn't like the fact that it left so many things unanswered. Those plot holes really pissed me off more than anything. (Well, perhaps the walking city pissed me off a little bit more... That was just plain stupid, hands down.)

Art (10): The art of this show is what got me to watch it and I have to say: it's the best art I've ever seen in an anime. Its success lies on its uniqueness. Everything on this show is designed differently from what we're used to.
The moon and the sun have faces that will give you chills whenever they're shown. The laughing sun and the grinning ironic moon with blood coming out of its mouth are totally creepy and set the atmosphere for this halloween themed show.
The colors manage to seem bright while giving a dark tone to the anime. The backgrounds are detailed and well define in contrast with the less detailed characters. Speaking about the characters, their designs are also pretty cool. They all have characteristics that distinguish them. From Soul's drool and sharp teeth to the most unusual portray of a Shinigami I've ever seen you won't be disappointed with they're designs nor will you ever get tired of them.
The animation is smoothly done and its quality is consistent throughout all the 51 episodes. And what a good quality, especially the action scenes which are quite appealing.
The art is amazing, there's no other word to describe it and it will undoubtedly add a lot to your viewing experience.

Sound (10): The soundtrack is great. I've never skipped an opening in any episode. In fact, both "Resonance" by TM Revolution and "Papermoon" by Tommy heavenly6 are amazing, particularly "Papermoon" which I listen to on my iPod all the time. The endings are a mixed bag. The first two are not memorable at all and the first one "I wanna be" by Stace Punks hurts my ears. However, the 3rd and 4th endings are absolutely amazing with "Strenght" by Abigdon School Boys being one of my favorite songs ever.
During the episodes the music is well applied to the scenes and the final result is quite impressive. I really enjoy "Bang Bang Bang Bang Have a Nice Dream" being used on most of Kid's fights and I absolutely loved listening to "Psychedelic SoulJam" during the punch scene in the final.
I can't say much about the voices because I watched the English dubbed version. What I have to say is that Funimation did a nice job at it though BlackStar's voice was quite annoying... After seeing so many people talk about Maka's scream I decided to watch the original version of the final and I have to say, that scream convinced me. It gave me goosebumps. The seiyuu made an amazing job.

Characters (9): This is one of the strong points in the show. I already wrote about the character designs when reviewing the art and I said that every character had unique characteristics that told them apart from each other. Well, that's not only truth when it comes to appearance. It's the same about their personalities.
The main characters are really different from each other and are well developed throughout the show.
Maka is the kind of girl who always tries her best to make things right. She's hardworking, the perfect student and hates to make any mistakes but when she does, she assumes responsibility for them. She always takes a logical approach to the fight but she also lets her emotions get in the way quite easily.
Soul is the "cool guy". He's calm and collected and when he expresses emotions about a situation it's often in the form of "cool" and "not cool". He cares a lot about Maka and would die for her. In the end of the day, he really is cool xD
BlackStar is the hot-blooded guy of the show. I hate the fact that he always wants the spotlight and his shouting annoys me a lot. However, he's the protagonist of some nice comical moments and when you learn more about his backstory you come to accept it or even like him. It started of as the worst character in my opinion but he really grew on me...
Tsubaki is BlackStar's weapon partner and she's a timid but smart girl. She always goes along with what he says and that gets a bit on my nerves but I kinda like her. What I love is the fact that she can turn into many forms.
Death The Kid, the Shinigami's son, is completely obsessed with symmetry. And that's completely hilarious. Besides that, he's an awesome character. A polite boy who's really intelligent. Any girl's dream xD
Liz and Patty Thompson are Kid's weapons and always have to comfort him when he has his symmetry issues. Liz is serious while Patty never seems to be bothered by anything and laughs all the time.
Crap, I've gone too far with speaking of the main characters... And that's not even the most important thing! Which makes this show great is seeing them interact with each other, the fact that so different characters can get along well despite everything they don't understand about each other.
I also love that the support characters are also developed nicely, especially Stein. This show also has one of the best villains ever: Medusa. She's intelligent, and totally evil. Watch this show, and you'll certainly going to hate her. But really hate her, and the fact that you can hate her is what makes her such a good character.
Once again, the character chemistry is one of the reasons you should watch this show.

Enjoyment (10): When I finished watching Soul Eater I felt empty. Yes, that's how enjoyable it is. I simply wanted more and couldn't believe it was over. Its awesome mix of comedy, action and even drama is carefully dosed the right way and will give you a good experience. The action scenes are amazing and will make you want more and more. After watching each episode I just wanted more and when I had to spent a week without my laptop when I was around episode 30, guess what I missed the most? Yes, it was this show.

Overall (9): If you go to my list, you'll see it listed with a 10. But that's probably my feeling towards my favorite show working their way onto it. After carefully weighting every aspect of the show and trying my best to make an impartial review I got to the conclusion that it's worth a 9.
Let's put it simple: Soul Eater is a must watch for any shounen fan. And even if you don't usually like shounen I guess you should give it a try. At least I've seen some non shounen fans saying it was at least good.
Even if you found this review to be a complete crap, just take my word and give it a try. Its amazing art-style, its awesome character chemistry and astonishing soundtrack will do the rest for me. read more

Story [6/10]

There is nothing too big about Soul Eater's story. A pair [Weapon Meister and Weapon(s)] needs to collect 99 evil souls and 1 witches soul to become a Death Scythe. Get some ideas here and there from other animes and *SHEBANGS* we got the Soul Eater plot. At first this anime might seem like a shonen but this anime gets deepens in relation to conflict among ourselves and among each other about half way through the anime. However, the original story line was thrown away with the introduction of the antagonist. This twist really had me paranoid. This happens toooo often in anime's such as these but I guess it is pretty necessary.There were a number of supporting details that were one: too instant, two: was not explained throughly (I'm not referring Crona's ge..) or three: did not follow the other details. With these three points, it is some times hard to understand the concept of the anime making some viewers disappointed or confused.

SPOILER* (read if you dare)
[ I mean what ever happened to Medusa's soul when she dies. There is none.]

The fillers does not give away from the plot nor would they make one want to stop watching thins anime. Most people would argue that it would be better to leave the fillers out. I say it was very nice to have the fillers for its originality. It further develops the main characters in its unique way, BUT Be warned: THE FILLERS MAY SEEM ANOYING TO SOME AUDIENCES. The anime deliberately gives off this message.Dispite the annoying content, it was also pretty funny.

Art [10/10]

The art was a very interesting component. There was a WIDE variety of art ranging from the sun and moon which the animators tried to make 3-D to Maka's eyes which looks manga-like.The art was Halloween-based, which made scene with all the different character designs. One will understand what I mean once you watch this anime.

Character designs were very original. The most interesting thing to me was Soul's design. Some, without watching this anime may think that soul is the Antagonist. With Souls red eyes and sharp teeth, its surprising that Soul did not scare a little kid in the anime. (That would make me LOL) Soul even turns into a scythe... aren't scythes a weapon used by the bad characters? I really loved how the chibi was used because it perfectly defined the comedy. Unfortunately chibi was not used very often, maybe once in a while.

High Definition is highly recommended so that one can fully grasp the value the art has in this anime.

Sound [9/10]

I really liked the sound in this anime. The background music nicely supported the situations and gave a nice feel to it. When I first heard the song: Psychedelic Souljam, i was completely hypnotized. I just told myself "I must get this song". Although I really loved that song, I thought that it could be replaced in the end. A new song would exhilarate and refresh that moment. The intros and the ending themes were also nicely done. All if not most of the tracks were original. Each track was introduced effectively and embraced each arc.... with a passion.

The voice acting in this anime was good at times but can be a bit awkward. The only noticeable sides to the voice acting was the laugh and screens. The scream by Maka at the end was TERRIFIC. I really felt the pain and it gave me a sensation that made me smile because of its ingenuity. The sudden stop of the scream to some other tune made the atmosphere sloppy.

The only thing I disliked about the sound was the laughter. The laughter seemed too forced or too artificial. This did not happen once but a couple of times during the anime and i just could not stop myself from face palming myself.

Characters [8/10]

If i were to describe most of the characters with one word, the word that would suit them the best would be IDIOTS. Yes.. they're all IDIOTS. The main characters personalities were all unique and played an important role. There was the cool / not much known about / dark, the smart one / cry baby and the really idiotic / energetic one. We got to see their good sides and bad sides. That is what I love about this anime. Their interactions with each other through their hardships.

Each main characters were developed greatly. Unfortunately I cant rate characters a perfect 10. I felt that some secondary characters have more potential like Justin. There are also groups/character that was not fully or not even introduced. *Note: I have not read the manga. This made Soul Eater feel incomplete but yet acceptable for apparent reasons. There were then suspicions that Soul Eater might have a 1/3 chance of making a second season. Maybe there would be because lucky for us, the manga is still publishing. Talking about secondary characters, I have to discuss about one secondary character, Excalibur, although my discussion may not relate to this anime at all.

Excalibur oh Excalibur... When He got introduced into this anime I was filled up with mixed feelings. His character is... well better not spoil it. He made me think of the my recently watched anime " Fate/Stay Night". It would be in your best interest to watch Soul Eater before you watch or consider to watch Fate/Stay Night. This anime gives a whole new meaning to the word "Excalibur".

Enjoyment [8/10]

For the most part, I found this Soul Eater very entertaining and very funny. Comedic relief was used a lot in this anime. Unfortunately it may be good but to such an extent. For the most part the comedy was very original and priceless but there were times when the comedic relief ruined a couple of serious moments.

As said before, I enjoyed the theme and ending songs and it was good enough for me to watch them before and after each episode. Fight scenes did not over extend and were not completely random strikes. There were some psychological aspects to the fight scenes which makes it different from regular fight scenes.

Many say that this anime could use more work in its conclusion. I agree. It focuses too much on displaying the theme instead of satisfying the viewers expectations. In the end, it is not the conclusion, its the journey that leads to the conclusion that counts and makes this anime enjoyable

Overall [9/10]

Soul Eater was a great anime but not too amazingly great. The art was the most effectively used aspect of this anime, rivaling with the sound. It would be nice if there will be a second season. If there would be, I hope it wont be contradicting itself unlike the first season. It should further develop and the secondary characters and show more of the main characters' power used at the end. read more

"A sound soul dwells within a sound mind, and a sound body."

What can I say about Soul Eater? Well, it's hard to review this anime since there are times where I hate it and times where I love it. The moments where I find true brilliance and moments that are just flat out annoying. Let's take the show apart piece by piece.

Story and Characters:
The story is the weakest part of the show, but it's not bad it's just it could be better. We have a conflict and that's good, but then halfway through the series we have another conflict, then comes in the MacGuffin. One thing that confuses me about the series is that in the first episode (without spoiling anything), the characters do something, fail, and redoing it again seems like that would be the plot of the show but no, that gets thrown away. It's not a hard story to follow, but it's a story that doesn't have a central focus. However, like I said earlier, there are moments in the show where I just stare at it and say to myself, "Wow, that was beautiful." If you happen to see the character Crona, then make sure you pay attention because when he's involved, believe when I say that it becomes among of the best episodes in the show. Although, there are the episodes that are just plain filler which are good episodes except for the one that happens THREE times that I swear to god provides nothing and is literally there to annoy us. I have found it, I have found the most annoying character in anime and his name is Excalibur.

The story maybe weak but the characters are nothing but memorable. You got Maka and Soul, one is the bookworm with passion and her partner Soul who tries his best to be cool. You got BlackStar who wants to someday surpass a god and his weapon the kind hearted soft spoken Tsubaki. Then you got my favorite Death the Kid, a boy who fears nothing but has a obsessive compulsive weakness to things that are not symmetrical and his two weapons, the Thompson sisters, pretentious yet likable Liz and clueless yet cheerful Patty. There is never a dull moment with these characters except for maybe when they give cliche friendship speeches but beyond that these are really great characters that I really wish I could see more of. Every character in the show has a personality and I love every last one of them...except for Excalibur. Really, Excalibur is so annoying even the characters in the show hate him...SO WHY HAVE HIM!?

Art:
The art in Soul Eater among some the best I've probably seen in an anime. The characters all have distinct appearances and not one character is a carbon copy of another just with different features, except for Excalib--OKAY I'M SORRY, but how can I not be upset with him when he looks like something out of Dr. Seuss' trash can. The way I look at the animation of Soul Eater is like if I'm seeing a Japanese Picasso on drugs. It has a dark Tim Burton feel to it but it also has this bright color imagery that you stare in awe at. If there is one thing I can say I don't like about the animation, it would probably have to be the character's noses. Another thing, since this is Bones Animation expect their famous emoticons but unlike FMA: Brotherhood where I felt they didn't fit, it fits perfectly here since this is in fact a somewhat dark-action comedy.

Sound:
The music in Soul Eater is pretty good. You'll get musical cues that sound like the whistles of train and sometimes even the intro to a Reggae song. You'll get the dramatic choir and your epic metal fighting music. There's a different genre everywhere. Now comparing the SUB and the DUB. Both are pretty good, often I would see myself switching back and forth just to hear what each really sounded like the other language. One doesn't have one the shines over the other and I don't really prefer one over the other.However, if there was problem it would have to be the voice of BlackStar in the DUB. First of all it's a girl doing a boy something that is very common but my god is it annoying. It's not unlistenable but it's something that you are going to get over. Everyone else in the DUB on the other hand is actually pretty good including Excalibur despite being the abomination of this anime. Let me just mention that Vic Mignogna is in this doing a surprisingly deep voice which is sort of interesting especially from what he normally sounds in other roles but don't worry his famous screaming voice still gets in there.

Overall:
Soul Eater is a very good anime with great characters and beautiful animation. If the story was a lot better than it is, than this anime would probably get a better rating and probably be in my top five favorites. Is it worth watching? Hell yeah it is. Watch it for the characters and the animation but if your looking for a strong story prepare to expect the least. I'll say it again, when Soul Eater is good, I love it, when it's bad, I'm just waiting for it to end. I definitely recommend Soul Eater for any anime lover. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to now destroy the person who thought Excalibur was actually a good character. read more

Rating: 8-9

Overall:
Finished Soul eater about a week ago.
Loved the overall concept and the artwork.
Although the ending left me wanting more. I just felt that the anime could have done more with the story.

Story:
The development of the story proceeds pretty well with the exceptions of the excalibur episodes.(after the 2nd one, I got pretty sick of that guy)

If you read the manga(which is pretty good right now), you notice the anime stays true for awhile and eventually darts off and does its own thing, the ending really threw me for a loop.

From the way I see it, the manga is taking soul eater to its true potential. So if you love the anime give the manga a go. I think the story starts darting off around episode 38 if you don't wanna start from the beginning start there.

But the story in the anime wasn't bad, but like I said It left me wanting more and who knows if this is gonna have a 2nd season.(I hope so)

People have been saying its a typical anime with good vs bad or whatever, but looking past that, this anime is pretty damn unique. There are things to be discovered, you just have to watch. ^_^

Animation/Art:
The artwork has good texture and is unique. The animation is very smooth.

The animators did not get lazy at all. From beginning to end. The animation and artwork is top notch.

Sound:
Not too picky about it, I didn't notice anything bad.

Enjoyment:
Even though the anime darts off and does its own thing. I still enjoyed this anime ALOT, because of the fluidity of the animation, the cleanliness of the art, and I thought the voice actors did an awesome job.
When Maka yelled, it pierced my soul, a powerful performance in my opinion.

Conclusion:
-If you're looking for lovely action scenes that will blow your mind. Watch it

-Looking for unique artwork and characters. Watch it

and it's not a serious anime, so expect a few laughs. ^_^

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For the record, this review is for the Japanese subtitled version of the anime.

Story: The storyline for Soul Eater does jump around about halfway through the series. They start out with the collecting 99 kishin souls and 1 witch soul to evolve their weapons into a Death Scythe. The anime however goes straight into another direction in the middle and jumps into a more epic scenario. To not spoil anything, lets just say that emotions start running deep, and battles get a lot more epic. With the exceptional filler episode, which you'll know when you see, the story keeps you sucked in and wanting more till the end. However the last episode is a bit of a let down, the second last episode totally makes up for it. 9/10

Art: I really like the artwork in Soul Eater. It has a unique style to it that kinda has a more punk feel to it without the cockiness. It goes with something different and the battles in the series are quick paced and smooth. Not to mention I love the sun and moon in this series. I also enjoy some of the surreal environments because of how far of a depth they go to, ranging from smooth and beautiful to just downright creepy. 9/10

Sound: Ok I know there's a lot of people out there who say "You know, since its Japanese voice acting you'll never know if it sucks or if its good". This anime gives a general stfu to that statement. Along with some of the amazing music, it has some of the best voice acting I've ever seen in an anime. When you hear some of the high pitched vengeance shouting of Maka, you can feel how much hate she has. Black Star's cockiness is blatantly obvious, but amazing. Even the quirkiness of Shinigami is just awkward and awesome. Not to mention, some of the music is beautiful at times, and scary when it needs to be. 10/10

Character: The character development in this series is pretty damn good. Soul Eater doesn't have a lot of characters you don't really care aboutl. From the loud and oblivious assassin to the OCD filled son of death, the characters fill their roles very well, especially when the insanity aspect starts to kick in. I also like the the dialogue which is filled out very well. The characters aren't always oblivious to everything or overly heroic, they have different emotions at different times which is great to see. The only reason I'm giving this a 9 is because of one particularly annoying character that will be obvious when you see the series. All in all though pretty well developed. 9/10.

Enjoyment: I have to say, usually I don't watch series while they are coming out to prevent Naruto-syndrome (constantly watching episode after episode though 90% of them are pointless), but this anime was an exception. Though the series is a little bland during some parts of the first story arc, the drastic change it goes for later on really makes an awesome difference. I really enjoyed it, but the only major disappointment I have is that i feel they could have done the last episode so much better than it was. However that doesn't make up for the awesomeness the series has on a general level. 9/10

Overall: Overall Soul Eater is pretty damn good. I generally liked the series and even though it may not be for everyone, it has some awesome storyline, epic battles, and really sucks you in when you get into it. If you have a chance, give it a look and check out a few episodes. 9/10
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