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For an action adventure shounen anime, Soul Eater really lacked a lot of 'action'. There were a few good battle scenes, but they barely last. Then there are the fights that are bogus compared to other shounen animes. All I'm saying is, I picked up this shounen anime for some good action, but ended up a bit disappointed, so if you're looking for an anime with good action, you might want to put this on hold; however, if you want to watch an anime with an 'ok' story and great lovable characters, this is the anime for you.

Story (7):

(Read the synopsis before reading the rest of my review!)
The story isn't anything new or special. I've seen similar plots in many other animes, but of course, each anime carries it out differently; however, if you look closely, it's almost the same plotline. Overall, the story isn't the highlight of this anime, but it isn't such a bad storyline that it would make you want to shoot someone in the head.

Character (8):

The characters in this anime series is the real highlight. Soul Eater mainly follows the adventures of three characters and their weapons (so that makes six). Yes, in the world of Soul Eater, weapons can take human form, which is what interested me a lot in the beginning.

Maka and Soul comes up regularly during the course of the anime. Maka is the heroine of this anime; she is a lovable character. You get to see her develop a bit as the anime progresses. Soul is her weapon, and he has a very unique sinister look on his face sometimes.

Death the Kid is another character that comes up regularly. He is the son of the death god. He is obsessed with symmetry of things, and he will make you laugh through many scenes. His weapons are twin sisters, and they are both very lovable as well.

Lastly, we have Black Star. His fighting style and attire is somewhat similar to a ninja's. He is loud and obnoxious, but deep down, a really nice guy. He aims for the highest, making himself work harder to become stronger. His weapon is Tsubaki, a reserved and shy girl, which matches him perfectly. Black Star and Death the Kid are both very comical characters, which brings light to the dim setting of this anime.

The reason why I gave an 8/10 for Characters is because there are other characters present; however, rarely paid attention to. The character development in Soul Eater wasn't that great either. Even so, I still love the characters in this anime. Perhaps the manga will elaborate more on the other side characters, but this review is solely based on the 51 episodes watched.

Art (7):

The animation looks nice and neat, but I didn't like the way the noses look on the profile perspective (side view of the noses look like pig snouts). I'm usually not that picky with the way the anime is drawn, but that nose part really bothered me for the length of 51 episodes (thankfully not all characters have that nose). The background and buildings are drawn in a very unique way, to me anyway. The buildings in death city are drawn in a way that makes me feel like it's somewhat abstract. You will have to see for yourself =).
Other than the buildings, the outdoor scenes are drawn pretty nicely. The forest, the mountain, and the desert, etc.

Sound (7):

I really liked the first opening of Soul Eater. That's probably because it's sang by T.M. Revolution; I really enjoy all of his music. The second opening was not bad either, but can't compare to the first one. I didn't really care for the endings, they sound like 'ok' songs to me. I didn't take much notice to the soundtracks within the anime itself (if there is any), so explore that on your free time.

The (Japanese) voices for all of the characters were really well done. It matched the characters image and personality really well. But then again, most animes have nice voicing nowadays. Even so, I'd like to point out that the voices for the main characters are just awesome! =)

Enjoyment (7):

To be frank, I probably cannot sit through more than two or three episodes at once for this anime. It is somewhat enjoyable, with a simple plot, but It's missing a lot of action, for an 'action' anime. It also doesn't give much suspense, nor does it get you too excited about the battles. Overall, I think this has more drama than action and adventure. Soul Eater, in my opinion, also left some things unanswered or vague enough to make you go, "huh? what just happened and why?" (not plot wise). I don't want to get into spoilers, so see for yourself.
They aren't big plot holes, and I only started noticing on the last few episodes. I felt like they rushed the ending a bit. Perhaps the manga explains things more elaborately, it's just too bad I never started reading it.

Whether you'll enjoy this anime or not, really depends on the amount of other shounen animes you've seen (many other shounens have much more exciting battles and more character development).

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This review is based on the 51 episodes of Soul Eater I've watched.
I have not read the manga (I heard the anime strays away from the manga around episode 30).








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Natsume Yuujinchou is one of the few animes, in my opinion, that deserves a 10 out of 10 in every category. This series is so light and peaceful, it's a great getaway from all those heavy animes. At first, I was skeptical about this series, but in the end, I gave in; every episode gets better and better. I recommend this anime series to any age group, and both male and females.

(Please stop here and read the synopsis of this anime if you haven't already.)

Story:

Natsume Yuujinchou has a beautiful storyline that follows the life of Natsume Takashi as he discover friendships and form strong bonds. The story tells of his pains of saying goodbye and his joys of encounters so small yet so meaningful.
It's a peaceful story filled with emotions of every kind, not to mention there's a bit of comedy as well.

Character:

Natsume Takashi, the main character, is a gentle person with a soft spot in his heart for youkais (spirits) in need of his help. His relationship with youkais develop more and more as the series goes on. At first, he feared them, but as he get to know them, he begins to see similarities in youkais and humans alike.

Madara, aka nyanko-sensei, is the other main character aside from Natsume. Madara is a high level powerful youkai that possess great spiritual power. Because he wants the book of friends from Natsume, a deal between him and Natsume was made; Natsume will hand over the book of friends once he dies. Thus, begins the journey of Madara and Natsume. Madara stays by Natsume's side, acting as his body guard til the day that Natsume dies. As the series go on, the relationship between Natsume and Madara becomes closer and closer. Madara begins to see Natsume as a friend rather than just another human being, and Natsume slowly begins to cherish their friendship.

Aside from Natsume and Madara, there are other characters in this series worth mentioning, and they are... everyone else of course! Yes, each and every one of the characters that appear in each episode is different, yet worth mentioning, because everyone of the characters plays an important role in Natsume's development; his acceptance of the 'gift' or 'curse' he possess: the ability to see spirits. While accepting Youkais, he also accepts other's (human's) concern for him. He begins to make friends and slowly change his lonely self.

Art/Animation:

The art of this anime series is superb. I really like the way the characters are drawn, but I like the outdoor nature scenes even more. Since the setting is the countryside of Japan, there are a lot of nature scenes. The art contributes a lot to the overall peaceful feel of the anime. The art is, at times, very detailed, so I give the art a 10 out of 10, because it suits the anime so well.

Music/Sound:

There are two openings and endings so far, and I have to say, all four songs are awesome! There's also the soundtrack within the anime itself, and those are great too; it really suits this anime. One thing I'd like to point out is the first ending song of this anime series; it really pulled each episode together.

Enjoyment:

I enjoyed this anime a lot. At first I watched the first three episodes, and I had a good impression of this anime. Then I waited a day and watched some more. Somewhere around episode 6-8, I was hooked! This anime just gets better and better each episode. Every episode, you learn the story of a different youkai, and at the end, you feel the emotions that were presented in that episode, whether it be the happiness of a new bond, the sadness of a farewell, or the excitement of a new encounter. This is a wonderful series to watch when you need something to relax you from whatever stresses you may have. The art is especially soothing; the animators did a superb job on the nature scenes.

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Note: Second season is even better xD
Note#2: Natsume Yuujinchou is more of a heart warming story, than an action packed shounen anime, as some people might mistakenly believed. read more

Story:

The storyline is very simple; it consists of four good looking guys trying to change a girl into someone presentable to society. The simpleness in the plot is what makes this anime so enjoyable. Yes, this is the type of anime you watch for pure mindless entertainment! The lucid plot is clearly laid out for you from the very first episode. All you have to do next is sit back and enjoy the show, with every episode encountering another obstacle that will have you laughing to the edge of your seat. Though, I do have to admit that I've seen funnier animes, but there's just something about this one that just got me to watch until 3 AM in the morning.

Though this anime contains very subtle hints of romance, it is still a very enjoyable shoujo themed anime series.

Characters:

There are five main characters; the four pretty boys and one weird girl.
The four boys all have different personalities. There is the straight-laced strict type, the playboy flirty type, the baby doll face cute type, and the mean bad boy who is actually a very nice person type. The author did a great job distinguishing each personality. However, the author did not put enough effort into developing each character any further. That goes for the main female character as well. If there were more character development, I'm sure this anime series will get a much higher rating than it already has. Perhaps the anime was a bit too short to have any further development, so if you feel unsatisfied after you've seen all the episodes, please, by all means, read the manga ^-^

The main character is a weird girl that likes to seal herself away from others, especially beautiful people. She likes scary things, and crave scary movies. I think she is the most unique girl I've seen from all the shoujo themed animes I've watched. Her personality, to me, is fun and entertaining to watch.

Though the character development is minimal, I still fell in love with everyone of them.

Animation:

The animation is average. It's not bad, but also not amazing. Honestly, I don't care so much about the animation quality, as long as it doesn't look like a 6 year old drew it. Everyone put a lot of effort into producing this animation, so I enjoyed it as much as I can, knowing that It's a privilege to enjoy their hard work.

The real problem is the opening sequence. The first opening sequence, that drags on for about 13 episodes, is solely taken from episode one, cut and glued together, then slapped it on to the screen. It sounds bad, but I didn't mind it much. Then there's the second opening which did get better, but it also got more provocative. Some people might like it, some people will be a bit surprised. All in all, I don't think it's that bad, considering the low budget they were on (or so I heard).

Sound/Music:

The opening and ending themes, to me, were good enough. I usually skip the openings and endings, but for this anime, I would sometimes stop and listen to the music. It is not as horrid as I first perceived it to be. It sort of grew on me overtime. In the end, music preference differs from person to person, so even if I enjoyed it, doesn't mean you will. Only way is to check it out for yourself! =)

Conclusion:

This simple plotted anime is great for entertainment when you have nothing better to do, and If you're reading this review all the way til now... you probably have nothing better to do, so... grab a bowl of popcorn and go watch this anime already! =)

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*Please note that I watched the original Japanese version with subtitles. I can not guarantee that you will share the same experience with the english dubbed version of this anime. The original is always the best, so please don't hesitate to try it =).
*Another side note, I never read the manga, so this review is based solely on the 25 episodes that has been aired. read more