Before you begin, I must let you know that I've only seen the first episode. Usually I wait until I see at least two episodes before I review a series, but this show needs to get its word out.
“Soul Eater,” based off the manga by Atsushi Okubo, takes place at a Shinigami technical school for weapon Meisters in a “Nightmare Before Christmas”-like world. The two main characters, Maka the Meister and Soul Eater, are near to getting their 100th spirit (an evil witch one), making Soul Eater a “Death Scythe.” Yes, boys and girls, Soul Eater is Maka’s weapon that can transform into a human when not in use. They meet Blair, who Maka and Soul Eater see as a witch; and proceed to defeat and eat her soul. As it turns out Blair is just a powerful magical catgirl with nine lives (which means Blair comes back after being eaten by Soul Eater). Because of this mistake Maka and Soul Eater have to start from scratch, and their journey for Soul Eater to become a Death Scythe begins anew.
Now that I’ve gone over the synopsis of the first episode, my thoughts: it’s got action, it’s got comedy, and it’s got excellent characters. Maka and Soul Eater are the best partner team since Edward and Alphonse Elric in “Fullmetal Alchemist,” and it should come as no surprise that Bones Studio made both these series. There’s also Maka’s father Spirit, who is a total crybaby and can’t even go pick up a couple of cabaret girls without hearing someone talking about his pending divorce from his wife. He reminds me a bit of Tamaki from “Ouran High School Host Club,” what with his style of fatherly instincts. Finally there is the grim reaper himself: Shinigami-sama. He’s like Grim from “Billy & Mandy,” Ryuk from “Death Note,” and Tingle from Zelda all rolled into one being. Plus his finishing move, the Direct Noggin Shinigami Chop, is so damn funny! One whack over the head and you’re out like a light; and he tends to do that a lot to Spirit.
The action sequences are to drool for, and seeing Soul Eater transform into Maka’s weapon is probably one of the coolest visual effects I’ve ever seen. And the animation is simply marvelous. It’s like a blend of Tim Burton, Gorillaz (Soul Eater looks like the bastard child of 2D and Murdoc), and Takeshi Murakami. Plus, as mentioned, the jokes are great. Soul Eater always talks about being cool, but he’s just a giant womanizing idiot looking for a good pair of melons. There are also awesome music-inspired tributes. One of Blair’s fighting moves is called “Smashing Pumpkins,” and there’s an upcoming zombie character named Sid Barrett (named for the former Pink Floyd guitarist).
Now you must be thinking, “Well if you’ve only seen the first episode of this series how can you make a good judge of a show?” Well normally if I watch the first episode of a series, and then see if it’s worth following. I’ve done it with everything I watch, and have actually stopped watching a couple after the first episode (such as “Blue Gender” and “Reign: The Conqueror”) because it was so terrible. However this is the first time, probably not since watching “Furi Kuri,” that a series has grabbed my attention so wonderfully. I do not see “Soul Eater” becoming a dull show anytime soon. It’s fresh, wild, imaginative, and will probably pave way towards a new genre of anime. It’s already the first series to air in two versions: one for kids Monday evenings and one for adults late on Thursday nights. By doing this TV Tokyo has made the smart initiative to market a series for both the young and old to enjoy. There is no way in Hell that an American company isn’t going to license this show. It’s too damn good for the Japanese audience to keep to themselves! (Also, early reports say the second episode of "Soul Eater" is actually better!)
After saying that, I’ve already made my prediction: “Soul Eater” will be the anime series of 2008. It’s got everything that I, personally, look for in an anime: great fights, hilarious gags, and characters that are easy to fall in love for. Oh yeah, and its end theme is by STANCE PUNKS: the greatest punk band this day and age; and it’s the first time since I was a kid that I actually started singing along to a cartoon theme song. My grade: A+.
This is King Baby Duck saying, "If it ain't made in Japan, it's usually crap!"
“Soul Eater,” based off the manga by Atsushi Okubo, takes place at a Shinigami technical school for weapon Meisters in a “Nightmare Before Christmas”-like world. The two main characters, Maka the Meister and Soul Eater, are near to getting their 100th spirit (an evil witch one), making Soul Eater a “Death Scythe.” Yes, boys and girls, Soul Eater is Maka’s weapon that can transform into a human when not in use. They meet Blair, who Maka and Soul Eater see as a witch; and proceed to defeat and eat her soul. As it turns out Blair is just a powerful magical catgirl with nine lives (which means Blair comes back after being eaten by Soul Eater). Because of this mistake Maka and Soul Eater have to start from scratch, and their journey for Soul Eater to become a Death Scythe begins anew.
Now that I’ve gone over the synopsis of the first episode, my thoughts: it’s got action, it’s got comedy, and it’s got excellent characters. Maka and Soul Eater are the best partner team since Edward and Alphonse Elric in “Fullmetal Alchemist,” and it should come as no surprise that Bones Studio made both these series. There’s also Maka’s father Spirit, who is a total crybaby and can’t even go pick up a couple of cabaret girls without hearing someone talking about his pending divorce from his wife. He reminds me a bit of Tamaki from “Ouran High School Host Club,” what with his style of fatherly instincts. Finally there is the grim reaper himself: Shinigami-sama. He’s like Grim from “Billy & Mandy,” Ryuk from “Death Note,” and Tingle from Zelda all rolled into one being. Plus his finishing move, the Direct Noggin Shinigami Chop, is so damn funny! One whack over the head and you’re out like a light; and he tends to do that a lot to Spirit.
The action sequences are to drool for, and seeing Soul Eater transform into Maka’s weapon is probably one of the coolest visual effects I’ve ever seen. And the animation is simply marvelous. It’s like a blend of Tim Burton, Gorillaz (Soul Eater looks like the bastard child of 2D and Murdoc), and Takeshi Murakami. Plus, as mentioned, the jokes are great. Soul Eater always talks about being cool, but he’s just a giant womanizing idiot looking for a good pair of melons. There are also awesome music-inspired tributes. One of Blair’s fighting moves is called “Smashing Pumpkins,” and there’s an upcoming zombie character named Sid Barrett (named for the former Pink Floyd guitarist).
Now you must be thinking, “Well if you’ve only seen the first episode of this series how can you make a good judge of a show?” Well normally if I watch the first episode of a series, and then see if it’s worth following. I’ve done it with everything I watch, and have actually stopped watching a couple after the first episode (such as “Blue Gender” and “Reign: The Conqueror”) because it was so terrible. However this is the first time, probably not since watching “Furi Kuri,” that a series has grabbed my attention so wonderfully. I do not see “Soul Eater” becoming a dull show anytime soon. It’s fresh, wild, imaginative, and will probably pave way towards a new genre of anime. It’s already the first series to air in two versions: one for kids Monday evenings and one for adults late on Thursday nights. By doing this TV Tokyo has made the smart initiative to market a series for both the young and old to enjoy. There is no way in Hell that an American company isn’t going to license this show. It’s too damn good for the Japanese audience to keep to themselves! (Also, early reports say the second episode of "Soul Eater" is actually better!)
After saying that, I’ve already made my prediction: “Soul Eater” will be the anime series of 2008. It’s got everything that I, personally, look for in an anime: great fights, hilarious gags, and characters that are easy to fall in love for. Oh yeah, and its end theme is by STANCE PUNKS: the greatest punk band this day and age; and it’s the first time since I was a kid that I actually started singing along to a cartoon theme song. My grade: A+.
This is King Baby Duck saying, "If it ain't made in Japan, it's usually crap!"
Labels: Anime, King Baby Duck, Soul Eater
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