Soul Buster

Soul Buster???...more like Eye Sore!

Plot-wise, it's a really simple Fate stay night plotline of "evil masters wants to kill the main protagonists with their servants" and "main protagonists tries to defend and defeat them"...sure there's character development but the plot seems more focused on their one-note fights than the character development themselves. Yeah, the main protagonists Shin Son, Yu Shuu and Un Ryou and Yi Barin do "get" what little character development they get but they shape more to their Fate stay night counterparts only in lesser detail.

*Shin Son = Emiya Shirou only MUCH worse
*Yu Shuu = Saber, only her development and backstory is rushed ... like hell, but it can be excusable due to it being an anime short.
*Un Ryou = Rin Tohsaka, but less tsundere more "The Ace".
*Yi Barin = Probably the only character not taken from a Fate stay night archetype.

And yes because of that, their investment are quickly resolved through a battle and due to the length of the anime episodes (10 minutes each) or LA has NO investment to them and no, it's not because of it being rushed, the characters are this bland and ripoff-ed LA just didn't care. Plot-wise investments is even worse as the anime has little respite to it's own characters (and thus the audience) in development and plot, it's exposition is all over the place and cares more about it's eyesore of battles Soul Buster entails.

The minor characters are MUCH worse as LA's biggest problem is that there is one character by the name of Hakuanshi who is essentially the main antagonist of this anime short and he essentially brings nearly EVERY SINGLE HEAVY MOOK enemy towards the main heroes and yes, they are all servants, thus we don't even get to know the enemies/Chinese famous figures besides what their "special powers" are, it gets even worse when we get to the even smaller minor characters like the School Nurse, who comes in for one or two episodes then disappears for the rest of the anime...WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ADDING HER!?!??!!.

Really it's kinda troubling when you have an anime with LOTS of characters and you can't even remember the main villains NAME.

The animation was LA's biggest gripe in the anime, the animation is stock filled with MULTIPLE "stylistic choices" from colorful ink splots during battle scenes and mostly used when swords/ultimate attacks clash, shadows having this "woody" texture all throughout the anime, SHAKY CAM and dual to tri "shaky afterimages" outside and inside of battles...do you see the major problem with this setup?. The animation outside of all this is ok at best, however with these in place, makes the animation UNBEARABLE to watch, they put too much focus on these after-effects more than seeing the somewhat decent animation. Soul Buster really didn't need to do this and if it's for stylistic choice, they failed. It felt more or less they saw that SHAFT did these things, yet they utterly failed to realize that SHAFT used those in-tandem to it's plot and symbolism, they are also not in your face with these animation flairs, Soul Buster however is ENTIRELY in your face saying "LOOK HOW COLORFUL AND ALL OVER THE PLACE, ALL IN YOUR FACE THE ANIMATION IS". There's a fine line between stylistic and annoying. No joke, by Episode 10, LA got a headache by the combination of all four stylistic effects in one big battle lasting almost 5 minutes. The animation is that misguided that it caused LA to get a headache!?!?!??!. LA thought Qualidea Code had inconsistent animation, but Studio Pierrot for this stunt of an eyesore is SOOO MUCH WORSE.

Soul Buster, plot-wise is just another Fate stay night story just substitute them with ancient Chinese figures than the global scale Fate stay night does, the plot follows many of the plot beats nearly plot for point even to their main characters. But what becomes to the worst aspect of Soul Buster and what COULD have been an "average" score instead being nearly "HORRIBLE" is the misguided and in your face animation.

The ending really never resolves itself due to how little the main heroes has done and yes LA gets it, it's anime short, if they wanted to resolve the entire plot in a 10 minute x 13 episode timeframe it would be impossible, or rushed as hell, but still, the ending left completely open ended and worst yet, it felt like the main characters accomplished little to nothing by the end of it because of their rushed character development and coincidental incidents that leads them to the ending they got.

Soul Buster falls under the "the scenery is trying too hard to the point of being aggressively annoying more than the lackluster story" or "scenery chews the story more than the character themselves".

Soul Buster your drunk, go sit on the worst animation of 2016 corner!

Ok, so as this Chinese inspired anime, which is based from a Chinese manhua ends, we are left to wonder about that "Tomorrow" sign that was left at the end of this anime, in fact I'm a little bit puzzle if there will be an OVA or season 2 of some kind, I mean, we just don't know, however if this is Studio Pierrot's way of giving this anime an opening ending, they surly provided a very wide one, so how do I rate this 12 episode 15 minute long anime?

Well, I really have nothing good to give it more than 7, so here goes:

Storywise, ... well the plot does have a direction, I give it that, but it kinda disgust me that all that plot can fit in just 2 episode, now I don't know if this is deliberate or not , but given the political tension that Japan has with China , I probably won't be surprise if the Japanese studio intentionally wants to keep Chinese manhua stay as manhua, and keep it off Japanese television, by deliberately making it a bad anime, but despite of it, it's a fair 6 in my book.

Art, well, it was a poor 3 , base on the background, coloring , hues and the whole scape layout let's face it, this is where Color Designer: Yoshimi Kawakami and art director, Toru Koga fucked up. then again character designer Tsutomu Miyazawa did a good job on the characters especially with the 2 eye candies Shū Yu, whom is the quintessential zettai ryoki/ samurai girl/ tsundere and Ryō Un who is the quintessential, top student, btw don't expect any panty shots from either of the 2.

Sound, since I don't have any comment on the opening , closing and the seiyuus who did the character's voices, I'm just gonna gun for a mediocre 5.

Characters, I gave it a fair 6 on the ff grounds:

Son Shin, ok so as the main character, he's chicken shit that turns me off, but on the other hand he's this quintessential guy who has no other choice but to face the situation that he unknowingly got himself into. Turn off, he has a general who is seemly a bull head and he doesn't even do anything to make her his obedient familiar.

Shū Yu, I would have wanted her to be this caring familiar, however her stubbornness is a turn off . Though, she one hot eye candy her character alone is leaves a bad after taste.

Ryō Un, another eye candy, that I kinda like........just a bit, now I like that she serves as Son Shi's ally . But I just think that she could have done more than just be another card holder, I mean if this anime is done fairly without the geopolitics she could have some potential to be as powerful as Barin Yi.

Another reason for the rating was that most of the characters were introduced in an instantaneous manner, that we the audience were only left to tell who is good and who is bad, just like that, they come in and come out just like that.


Enjoyment, thought annoying since, like I've said the whole 12 episode anime could fit in a just 2, well, it was still a decent 4, enough to watch. In fact this is something that one should just let it accumulate and watch it in one go.

Overall, Studio Pierrot should have just done an OVA of this thing with just 2 episode, so yes, for it's slow pace, simplistic plot and bad art layout it was a dreadful 2.


节日快乐给大家

Anime based on card games are a dime a dozen but mix it with Chinese lore such as The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and you get an interesting take on it. A Chinese co production Soul Buster based on a manhua of the same name certainly sets itself out from the pack through its unique visuals but is there more to it?

Son Shin has a bizarre dream containing all sorts of mythical and unnatural imagery only to awaken when he sees something extraordinary. He then comes across a card and suddenly comes under attack from his teacher who has some sort of warrior ... beside him wanting his card and will do anything he has to. Little does Son Shin know this is the first act in a series of escalating events.

A fairly simple set up for a card based series but I am a sucker for a card based series as long as it gets the basics right. Here that is the case for me. There is more to it than on the surface with a lot of world building, twists, new parties with their own goals and characters to come but it doesn’t get needlessly complex. The simplicity here works for the better as it allows greater focus on the characters and action which is what this show does best from Son Shins first battle with his teacher to his clashes with Hakuanshi.

We don’t really get that much background on Son Shin himself so can only go on his actions throughout. He isn’t stupid, quick on his feet, adapts to challenges quickly and will do almost anything for those who have protected him. A bit typical I suppose but I like that he isn’t afraid or constantly questions himself. Shuu Yu I liked a lot, she is a noble warrior but also has a softer side, being used in this game has took its toll on her and she hates losing master after master so seeing her change her tune somewhat after Son Shins efforts is nice to see.

Most side characters are interesting also. Quiet girl Ryou Un and her lord Shuu Sou know much more than Son Shin does and help him when he needs it whilst also providing an insight into this world. A few more pop up over time including a seemingly punk fighter kid Barin who is fun and Ryou Uns father. The villains are fairly generic (apart from their designs), trying to revive their master who wants to start a war but do bring a very real sense of danger and excitement. Other than that the lords themselves take centre stage with an array of designs, personalities and wants.

I like that because this is a Chinese co production the historical elements are based on The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It’s refreshing to see a new batch of lords, what they’re like and their powers instead of the umpteenth version of Oda Nobunaga. They’re also quite interesting as they’ve been part of this game for a long time, have their own feelings and thoughts, losing master after master so their personalities have warped to reflect this to the point where stability can be key, they are not disposable cards as evidenced by the link to the user. Seeing them in the now modern world is also rather nice, a real contrast of ages.

The action scenes are frantic and exciting despite the visuals (I’ll get onto that). Scenes flow well as characters move naturally and smoothly. Sure it’s typical of these types of show with bombastic powers that fill the screen but when it’s enjoyable it’s enjoyable. More so when you have an array of powers on display from the usual sword wielders, archers who can unleash more than just an arrow, soul taking and a swathe of magical influences.

One of the problems I do have is the length of episodes. As a mid length series (with episodes 13 minutes long) it feels off. Multiple episodes follow the same battles or directly continue the story with nary a break. It feels like it would be better suited to a full length series as the constant stopping part way through a battle or particular story arc is too stop start. Episodes at this length are more suited to an episodic nature even if you are linking the story together such as Diabolik Lovers which is prime example of how to do it.

Visually is where most people will raise an eyebrow. The actual art is fine, depicting the lords with good detail and nice and varied designs from armour to battle garments to physiques. In shows like these focusing on historical elements that can usually be the case but nevertheless it’s nice to see varied designs or warriors from past Chinese history.

The issue here comes from a completely unnecessary filter or two. Over most scenes there is a filter which covers over half the screen at times which contains heavy almost pastel like line use, it’s hard to describe covers a large part of the screen. Then when actions scenes are taking place they make the bizarre choice to include a paint filter where whenever there are clashes or strong hits lashes of paint hit the screen obscuring the action even more.

Neither of these works particularly well. They obscure too much of the action and darken the visuals too much. The animation isn’t bad but actually decent so they wouldn’t have used this to hide the cheapness so I can only think it as an artistic choice which flails. The paint filter I think they were going for the blood effect to heighten the sense of danger but it falls short. Take it away and the series becomes more vibrant and colourful and you can see effects more clearly. I got used to it 3 or 4 episodes in but even then it became distracting when overused (which it will).

The soundtrack is rather indistinct; there is the feudal, oriental if you will sound effects you’d get in a lot of anime from these eras. The OP and ED stood out above this though with catchy J-Pop tunes from Ayane and Zwei. They’ve been on repeated listens for a bit now.

An enjoyable series marred by the visual choices which is a shame. The story doesn’t wrap up the full story since the source material is ongoing but finishes on a relatively good note. I hope there is more to come as it left a longing taste for more which is proof a series has done something right.

I could begin this analysis with an explanation of why I find Soul Buster so bad, but by not having such words for that fact, I will go me abdicate any comments that might attack the director’s honor directly. So I will express myself in a respectful manner, so that no one will be offended here. Since that I do not gratuitously hate any form of artistic representation, even though this art is ugly and a frequent nuisance to my eyes, but still thus with its cultural value. I could easily say that the reason of Soul Buster fail as much how an action piece ... is due to its misuse of textures to create the so-called visual identity, or even speak of its lack of ability to create an acceptable censorship for the struggles (at least this is what I believe it to be, a great example of the connotative sense, that through the gouache, ink being splashed on the screen, we are protected from something frightening, thus making a beautiful allusion to censorship). However, all this is just excuse, any open-minded person can handle watching an anime of 12 episodes with 13 minutes each with a slightly different artistic look... We’ll just have that develop Alzheimer in the process to let's forget about the Plot Hole, but other than that, Soul Buster has no flaws.

• The Soul Buster’s card game •

* Since the anime explained a little bit to me, and this bit is kind of boring, I’ll try to give a little flavor by summarizing this whole part with all the relevant details of this analysis.

* It all begins in the last year of the Kan dynasty, where everything was in chaos due the lords of the Kan dynasty deliberately start they proclaimed himself emperors of their lands.

* This is a consequence of Gi’s landlord forcing the abdication of Emperor Kentei, and proclaiming himself the new emperor shortly after this attack. Making as soon as China to see itself in the midst of a civil war.

* However, a man named Chouryou from Kan Land came up with a spell to ensure the prosperity of the dynasty. The Kankongyakuten spell, as it was named, was used in nine temples that would be protected by the closest minions of the emperor (this emperor is possibly the Souhi of the land of Gi, the same that made Kentei abdicate his responsibilities).

• Making it a chosen one in Soul Buster •

* One of the ways to enter the world of Soul Buster is through the summoning of Master Suikyou (who would be like a guide for new players), if he sees potential in you will offer you the opportunity to choose from a range of cards, If by any chance you decide to catch one of these cards, you will be warned that should never lose this card under any circumstances, if by chance you lose it, something horrible will happen to your person... At least that’s what seemed to be this warning, but it’s a lot tranquil than this, turns out you just lose your memories and then go on with your life as if nothing had happened (and believe me, even this simple thing that is spoken of in the first episode is forgotten by the steering team, thus becoming one of the first plot holes in the anime).

* The cards in Soul Buster work in a strange way, and when I say strange, I’m saying with every syllable that human beings are summoning their own race through cards to fight their battles. Of course I don’t want to be skeptical about it, but being, make with which souls trapped within a dimension, where the only certainty the individual has is that will only come out of there if he is to go into another senseless war, I don't know about that, but that seem to me like a pretext for something hastily decided.

* There’s something I don’t understand clearly in Soul Buster, I don’t know if it’s because I’m stupid, or it’s the anime’s fault. Yet I can still speak with accuracy when it comes to how this junk of spiritual energy works. According to the anime, the spiritual energy is as if it were our vital force, if it runs out, we will end up perish, ay, there’s the rub, first it is said that the general sucks the spiritual energy of his lord (the context here refers to the general, the one who dwells within the card, and the lord the one who carries this card). Prepare, now that the confusion comes. To demonstrate his unique mechanics of shared damage, Yu Shuu (the general) ends up receiving various damages, and as predicted Shin Son (the lord) suffers from the same injuries. The villain of this part even comments with Shin Son, that perhaps the reason for his constant humiliation is due to his low level of spiritual power... Now you tell me, if is the lord the one who provides the energy for your general, then why now I have a Yu Shuu uttering that if she appeals against Gien she’ll run out of energy, making it impossible for her to run (in this situation I am referring to Gien, the general of the villain we are dealing with here), and worse, just before Shin Son seemed to be on the verge of death to be so panting, due to the intense fight in front of him. However, now after a super-powerful attack by his general, not a drop of sweat appears on his forehead (and as if no longer it wasn’t enough to plot holes almost seconds later, wait a little longer and I’ll tell you even more barbarities of this Pinnacle of entertainment, with the right to the protagonist cheating and everything but the kitchen sink).

* Ends up that Soul Buster’s central focus, is on the MCs' arrival at the southern palace, where is kept under protection the legendary card of Kan U, known as the God of War. Ends up that Soul Buster’s central focus, is on the MCs' arrival at the southern palace, where is kept under protection the legendary card of Kan U, known as the God of War. This is one of nine cards that has an immense power in this world. Evidently Kentei’s plan is to gain the power of these nine cards to achieve unimaginable power and cause yet another senseless war in this world. In all there are 9 palaces, each with its own altar to protect the legendary card, in the anime is only explored the palace of the south, so I have no information about others... as I never wish to have.

* Bonus addendum: in Soul Buster has something that I consider very funny, and that would be the creation of the character named Ba Rini, I don’t plan to extend this part too much right away, preferably in a more in-depth analysis of the character below, despite this not couldn't help but mention the unique power of Ba Rini in this work of fiction... Being the lord of the earth element. What does it add to the character? Hands that glow in the dark. Ah! He can also fight without needing a general, but that’s not as cool as the blossoming hands.

• The characters of Soul Buster •

* Shin Son is our protagonist of the time. As Yu Shuu would say "you are a useless." That there’s no doubt that that statement is entirely true, because of Shin that Kentei has regained his heart and is now arming himself against the world again, therefore, from the beginning he is one, two-faced who ruined my week, because it’s a nervous little toe that can’t keep from touching possessions that don’t belong to you.

Yu Shuu is Shin’s general. Shuu is a bit obsessed with the sunset, says that whenever he loses a battle the sun is setting. Shuu is also slightly hypocritical, because of this resource-poor plot. In a scene where Shin was transported to the world of Shuu’s heart, it turned out that she doesn’t remember him, and so far so good, Shuu begins to wonder why has a Shin is spying on her bathe and saying things that don’t make sense... Until the moment she starts to look like a little girl all in love with him, seconds ago the only thing that was going on in Shuu’s head, what herbs would Shin was enjoying that instant, And now she found herself all affectionate reciting that the sunset looks beautiful next to him... I still have memories of the old Shuu calling Shin useless. Ahh... I miss her.

* Un Ryou is the apprentice of the master of the southern palace, who is also his grandfather. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what your name is, so I did a search and everything indicates that you have the same name as a granddaughter, but that’s just speculation. Just so it doesn’t look like I’m being lazy at the her part, I’ll say an "interesting" fact here. Un Ryou is the bearer of the Kan U War God’s card, if you take that fact off, it’s like she doesn’t even existed.

Shuu Sou is the general of the Ryou. If allowed myself to be a little unsympathetic, I can tell you in detail why Shuusou does not please me. It’s quite simple actually. At a time when Shin is seeking a justification for Shuuyu to act so recklessly. Shuusou realising our boy’s doubts, ends up fraternizing with Shin, thus deciding to share the story of the day he began to respect Ryou. Since I don’t plan to extend myself, I’d better exemplify... Ryou threw himself against an arrow that was coming towards Shuusou in order to save him from imminent death, then made that little speech of the protagonist of Shounen, and everything ended well (as it became very shallow, I will remove the gaps that were missing here. Shuusou did not respect Ryou for being too weak, even if she be only a child at that moment. Therefore, he decided to help Shin. It shouldn’t be too hard to know why Shin was having problems with Shuuyu now, but if you’re still having doubts, remember the word "useless" that you’ll notice right away).

* Yi Barin is what I’ve already said here, a guy who fights without his general using only his hands that glow in the dark. What I didn’t mention is that his motivation is to find a general who may have something to do with his past, but I’ll leave that to the spoiler session.

I almost have nothing to talk about Ba Ryou, but luckily he showed up in an episode so I’d have something to talk about him. He uses a mirror as guns, as well has a larger eyebrow than the other... Imagine if he hadn’t appeared to me in that one episode, it would have ruined my analysis (I know Baryou appears in 2 episodes, but as it is useless in the second, for me it does not count).

• Spoilers Alert •

From now on I start talking about everything that could make this anime interesting to someone else, so let’s get back to the characters.

* Haku Anshi is the multi-purpose character of Soul Buster, due to the lack of money in the studio had to give up the villain scheme of the week, so Haku is virtually the only dangerous enemy of the MCs. Despite all this, he still plans to betray the former Emperor Kentei, soon making Haku one of the most versatile villains in the anime market.

As I said before, Haku is a very versatile character, so it is notorious that he has several generals with him, so I will only talk about the two most important here:

Sou Sei maybe not Haku’s most powerful general, so it turns out he’s between the most important and the most useless at the same time. " Important" to Ryou’s development, and useless given that his accomplishment could have been done by any other general.

* Part WITH spoilers: After a battle with the Shuusou, Sousei injures himself severely, thus so getting a scar on your face... Could even ascertain the veracity of this fact, since only Sousei had enough serious injuries to generate a scar, in contrast, the other generals who will go through even worse situations, They did not have a scratch even... Strange.

Now we will proceed to the last landmark feat of Sousei. The great anticlimactic death of Shuusou. Yes, I understand the pain of the fans at this time, dying by taking two arrows is for the few, even more being protected by their armor... It even seemed that he had just forgotten how to fight back in that instant... very tragic.

* Ka Yuu is Haku’s general who is possibly the most troublesome for the protagonists. Earlier I spoke about such a world Shuuyu’s heart where Shin was. Well, Shin was in that situation thanks to Kayuu, who accidentally on purpose made a huge cut on Shuuyu’s breastplate, occurring that a curse fell on Shuuyu, thus triggering in a series of events, like the past of Shuusou and Ryou, until the moment of Shuuyu all lovey-dovey with Shin.

Now just one more thing to close everything about the characters. The relationship between Kayuu and Barini. Finally, it’s time for me to unravel the mysteries of Soul Buster. Starting with who would be Hou Ga the woman from Barini’s flashbacks. Well, in my view, Houga is like Barini’s mentor, at least that’s what I strongly believe, since someone must have taught him how to be a lord of the earth element, otherwise, at worst, the producers really had no idea what they were exerting with the material given to them. Returning, at the first memory that Barini resumes from Houga, she manifests that the most beautiful moon is the one that comes just before the full moon, and that after the full moon it can only wane. Now I may be going crazy, but I’m guessing she’s referring to the phases of a friendship, going from meeting the person until the day she go. Of course I do not say this just by saying, the second memory shown reveals everything crucial to understand Barini’s motives. Houga reminding him that to have a friendship it is vital to take risks, proving that if a person really likes you, they run after you. Who loves, cares. Who likes, protects and cares (just forgot to teach that running after cards not put money in the pocket, but this relieves us).

• Even more holes with a little bit of cheating on top •

* Finally came the most fun part of this analysis. Prove that the concept of sense does not align with Soul Buster. First, we will begin lightly, with a rule so basic that even our Australopithecus friends would have managed to respect it until the end of their days:

"You will lose your memories when your general is defeated in combat". Simple, right? If you lose your general in combat, you will also lose your memories of him, think it’s fair to if we remember that this is a card game almost as if it were a Battle Royale. We just have a little problem here, and his name is Ryou. If you’ve forgotten, let me remind you. Shuusou sort of dying. So how can I express myself in a way that doesn’t skirl arrogant... Whitewash to one of the protagonists or is it just my imagination?

* Now we have a situation even funnier than the last one. If up there we saw a protagonist who does not respect the rules of the game. Meet Gi En, the general who refuses to go. Originally Gien served Chou-Sensei, who was primarily a history teacher, secondly aperitif for the Kentei. After the defeat of Chou, Haku versatile as he is, saw Gien’s card up for grabs and soon swindled. So far it's all right, no problem getting the card from someone who will lose the memories about her anyway... This could be the case if the cards were not being completely destroyed when the general is defeated. So having another reason for our anguish, protagonists who are not affected by the rules, over there a giant Gien bringing the cry of our children.

* I have mentioned earlier that our dear Shin playing dirty. It is concluded in the battle with the giant Gien, when Shin obstinately keeps using the ruse of retreating and positioning Shuuyu in strategic places for the fight, even winning because of it. Some will say that this was nothing less than using the headstock, I also agree with that. The problem here is that there is no restriction on the use of the card, if such a thing is allowed, I want a justification of why Shin at no time has shown himself to be a hyperactive brain genius, since he is the king of improvised strategies.

• What do we learn today from Soul Buster •

We learned today that plot hole is an easy thing to do. It’s hard to connect all these holes in one point to create something totally new. Soul Buster does it so well, that even in the frivolous banality of the depth of the characters, I let myself go.

Moral of the anime: if your life is falling to pieces. Blame the sunset, everything is his fault.