In the title - Soul Eater NOT!, NOT stands for Normally Overcome Target, but it might be a wordplay since the anime has almost nothing to do with the serious battles and action of the original.
• STORY
As I said the focus of the story are not the characters from Soul Eater (Maka, Soul, Kid, Death Star, etc.), even though they do make a few appearances in the show and Maka certainly has a role in the plot.
The story revolves around three girls entering the NOT class. The focus is put on the things students in DWMA do in their free time – when not in class. It shows a bit more of Death City, the girl dorm and a café in the city. Even though the story is quite more relaxed and slow paced, lack of action is compensated for in the final 2-3 episodes. A witch with strong mind control powers – Shaula Gorgon - makes an appearance and is the main villain in the show. In overall, the show might remind you of the original in its final two or three episodes where an actual fight erupts and important decisions are made.
Basically, the show lacks the action of the original and the focus in on the daily lives of DWMA students.
• CHARACTERS
There are three main characters, all of which are girls. Harudori Tsugumi, a weapon, lacks self confidence and is very indecisive. However Maka manages to encourage her not to give up and defend her friends with all means possible. Anya Hepburn, a meister, actually a princess who came to DWMA to study the life and manners of commoners. Meme Tatane, another meister, who tendst to be very forgetful and clumsy, but in the same time skilled in battles.
The three girls meet on the first day of school and easily become friends. The interesting thing is that we are showed two meisters using one weapon for the first time.
As you can probably tell, there is strong character development for all the girls. They experience a lot together and manage to overcome everything with a lot of effort which certainly helps them evolve.
Two boys from the EAT (especially advanced talents) class take part of the action – Akane Hoshi and Clay Sizemore. They have a few very important tasks to do in the plot.
Also, there appears to be a witch in DWMA, called Kim Diehl(those who have read the Soul Eater might recognize her, since she appeared there and had interactions with Kid). However she is not a spy or anything like that and helps DWMA however she can. She has an interesting personality and tends to take money for everything, which makes her a really fun and enjoyable character to observe.
As I said the main characters from Soul Eater do make an appearance, even though just for a little bit. However, the focus is far away from them. The one thing that disappointed me a lot was that Shinigami-sama never made an appearance in the show. I think it is important to show him at least once since he is the most important character for the entire city, not to mention the school.
• ART
The art of Soul Eater NOT! Has almost nothing to do with the art in the original. However, I found it really enjoyable. Everything was well drawn and animated, attention was paid to every detail. Everything typical for a 2014 anime show. And it is not one of those censured animes, which don’t show blood, there is a normal amount of blood for that kind of a show. For those wondering, the producers of Soul Eater NOT! Include Bones, FUNimatio, TV Tokyo and Square Enix.
MUSIC
The music is also good, for that kind of show. There weren’t many intense moments with tense music, but everything was suitable for the setting. Tense music, however, appeared when necessary.
The opening and ending themes are performed by Haruka Chisuga, Aoi Yuuki, Saori Hayami and Dancing Dolls!!. The music itself is by Yuki Hayashi and Atsami Tachibana.
I usually don’t pay much attention to the opening and ending of an anime after the first episode, so I can’t say much, but I was not annoyed by them at all.
In overall, Soul Eater NOT! Puts the focus on the other side of DWMA, the daily lives of students and the NOT class. If you are looking for a show with a lot of action and intense battles you won’t find it in Soul Eater NOT!. However, the show is interesting and makes the environment around Death City and DWMA more clear.
It is a nice show and a good way to relax and maybe slightly remember about the original Soul Eater.
