Final Impressions / First Impressions / SOUL EATER

「魂の共鳴!」 (Tamashi no Kyoumei!)
“Soul Resonance!”

Let’s just jump straight into the Final Impressions.

Final Impressions

As a prequel to the story we’ve all come to love, I think SOUL EATER NOT! did a great job at doing what it did best by not falling into the trap of trying to become a second SOUL EATER!. Sure some fans of the original were probably super disappointed to find out that NOT was more about being a slice-of-life focused on self-discovery and growth instead of a manly action-packed package of goodness but if you continued to watch this spinoff hoping for the latter to occur I’m sure you ended up being sorely disappointed. But if that’s the case you really have no one to blame but yourself.

With that little tidbit out of the way, let’s jump straight into shall we? As hard as it was for me to accept that this show was going to be completely different from the original, I started to really appreciate what it was trying to do once I became a little more open-minded. Because when you take a second to think about it, doesn’t Death City or more specifically Shibusen sound like a fantastic place for a slice-of-life to take place? It resembles the real world somewhat closely but opens up the possibilities for things that just aren’t possible in the real world. Throw in how the ridiculous becomes a lot more believable and it starts to feel like the possibilities are endless.

Besides the amazing setting that leaves almost everything up to just how creative your imagination is, I loved the message SOUL EATER NOT! tried to get across. Focusing on Tsugumi and the trials she faced as she walked along the path of maturity, I thought BONES did a great job at giving us a decent story. Starting with a Tsugumi who wouldn’t survive for five minutes by herself and thrusting her into an environment where it becomes all too clear just how undisciplined and inexperienced she really was, I loved how the trials she faced ramped up just quick enough where she would be challenged but not taking on the impossible. From learning to live on her own to defeating a full blown witch, you can really feel that sense of growing up and becoming self-sufficient. But she didn’t do it by herself! All of that growth would have been impossible without the likes of Anya, Meme, and the entire supporting cast who helped her along the way.

If I were to complain about something though, it would have to be all the half-assed action scenes that occurred throughout the show. Awkward looking and badly animated, I can’t help but feel they were included just to appeal to the fans who came just because of the SOUL EATER name. Yes I appreciated all the cameos of all our favorite characters (Shinigami himself was absent though!) but half the time they looked so different I just couldn’t enjoy it! Honestly I would have preferred just one awesomely animated fight at the end instead of all the funky ones we got in-between.

After putting all the pieces together though, I think we had a decent spinoff that probably won’t get as many watches because of how different it is from the original. But with its loveable characters and darn good themes I think this show is more than worth a watch if you have the time. Plus maybe with enough success maybe SOUL EATER will get the FMA: Brotherhood treatment? 😀

Epilogue:

51 Comments

      1. No, she chose both. That is entirely different from choosing no one, and is, in fact, consistent with the message of the series, if you’ve really been paying attention.

        Wanderer
        Reply

      2. so I can not ask a question.
        I didn’t watch all the episodes otherwise I would not be asking, I never watch soul eaters and I watch some episode because is being cover here. I normally never drop shows but this season was a little bit different I drop a lot of shows,Brynhildr,Isshuukan Friends ( just few) and mow that Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei have been drop also I don’t think is going to be very enjoyable if, I have no where to go after I watch an episode.

        SOUL EATER NOT! I only watched because I do read here about other shows that I don’t watch or would think that interest me, but I came here and read the post for SOUL EATER NOT! – 07 and I thought that maybe I was wrong and perhaps was going to be like Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

        oscuda
        Reply

  3. While I would still enjoy it nonetheless, personally, I don’t think Soul Eater needs a reboot but rather restart the anime series with an original anime only first episode and then progress into where the last series left off. Another option could be to pick up on the Mosquito battle and resume the story from there. I think Bones did a pretty faithful adaption of the first 35 episodes.

    ThatGuy31907
    Reply

  4. And they all lived happily ever after. 🙂

    Out of all the Gorgon sisters, Shaula definitely came to the most humiliating end. Being killed by three girls who aren’t even in the active combat class of DWMA.

    It’s good to see Meme truly “awake” at last: no longer the forgetful airhead she’s been throughout the series. Once it was revealed that her forgetfulness was due to Shaula’s mind control, suddenly all the moments in the past where it may have seemed amusing or cute… weren’t so much any more.

    It only really makes sense that Tsugumi would partner with both of them in the end. That’s really been the message of this story all along (in so much as this story can be said to have had a message): the three of them growing together as a group. Really I think one should read the lyrics in the OP as applying directly to this trio. All of it. At this moment, these lines in particular stand out:
    we won’t be satisfied with the routine future
    we were born to make a new history come true
    there is absolutely no absolute thing in this world
    this road goes on forever as long as we won’t give up

    So there has never been one weapon with two meisters. So what? What is the past to tell these girls what their future will be? They have matched their souls to each other and faced greater trials than anyone could have expected, and come out on top. If tradition tries to get in their way they will run it over. And that is the way it should be, as far as I’m concerned.

    Wanderer
    Reply

    1. Having two meisters does make for a unique fighting style, too bad we were only given a tease with the final showdown.

      Kind of like if you were to play as Hisui and Kohaku in Melty Blood, but their move set being more of a dance perhaps?

      Longhaul
      Reply

  5. SHAULA’S SOUL IS A BALLOON!!! 😀 Most brilliant part of the finale!

    It was a cute ride, but other than that detail, the finale was utterly predictable and routine.

    starss
    Reply

    1. The question is, what did they do with the soul afterwards?
      Did someone from the EAT-class get it or did they store/seal it somewhere and only take it out if Tsugumi ever wants to become a death scythe?

      Zannafar
      Reply

      1. Presumably the latter: the EAT students have to earn their own witch souls, after all. In the manga, at least, some notable time passed between Maka and Soul killing SPOILER and the point when Soul actually ate her soul (they had a sort of recognition of him becoming a true deathscythe as they handed it over to him), so they must have some means of storing souls.

        I’d say the only question is how long can they store it, and whether or not they’d want to just have Shinigami get rid of it instead of waiting to see if Tsugumi wants it.

        Wanderer
        Reply

  7. Even if it never quite broke out of the SoL stream, NOT! was a fun little show for what it was. Plenty of cute, plenty of yuri potential, and enough action to break the monotony (ignoring that horrible, horrible animation :P). Plus Shaula’s art styling is one of the more imaginative villain looks we’ve had in a while.

    Pancakes
    Reply

  8. so I can not ask a question.
    I didn’t watch all the episodes otherwise I would not be asking, I never watch soul eaters and I watch some episode because is being cover here. I normally never drop shows but this season was a little bit different I drop a lot of shows,Brynhildr,Isshuukan Friends ( just few) and mow that Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei have been drop also I don’t think is going to be very enjoyable if, I have no where to go after I watch an episode.

    SOUL EATER NOT! I only watched because I do read here about other shows that I don’t watch or would think that interest me, but I came here and read the post for SOUL EATER NOT! – 07 and I thought that maybe I was wrong and perhaps was going to be like Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

    oscuda
    Reply

  9. I thought it was interesting that in the epilogue both Tsugumi and Anya had a more mature appearance (longer hair, less gaudy cloths), while Meme was still the same old Meme.

    Shaula needs to work on her aim in her next life.

    Longhaul
    Reply

  10. A random note: that last screenshot, with zombie-Sid coming out of the ground, does not appear in any version of the episode I’ve been able to find. The episode ends with the girls on the stairs. THIS IS A TRAGEDY. I must find whoever is responsible and do… something I haven’t figured out yet until they fix this situation.

    Wanderer
    Reply

  14. Well, that was a strange 12 episode experience. To be frank I had fun, but of the guilty pleasure sort.

    I’m reminded of Roger Ebert’s review of Wes Anderson’s Life Aquatic:
    “It’s the damnedest film. I can’t recommend it, but I would not for one second discourage you from seeing it.”

    That’s how I feel about NOT! I will never recommend it and I can’t really praise it, but if someone who knows what they’re doing says they are going to watch it I’ll just say, “Cool, I liked it and you might too.”

    I get the feeling this is the end of the Soul Eater franchise. I’m not really bothered by that, though I would have liked a movie based on a condensed version of some of the better events later in the manga. Oh well.

    Passer By
    Reply

  16. I appreciated the story man, I really did but this last episode was just…off. A full blown witch as you put it whose combat prowess was worlds beyond Anya, Meme and Tsugumi put together was defeated by a cheesy named attack. They even showed just how much stronger Shaula was than the three of them evident in the fact that she didn’t even bother to move when they attacked her and deflected all their attacks while standing still and then suddenly there is a combined attack and she takes it in full and bam…dead. Remember Medusa? Remember just how much it took Stein to defeat her while wielding a Death Scythe. But you’re right I guess I’m focusing too much on the action, this show wasn’t about the action. Maybe I’m just getting too nostalgic. The none action parts and the story about growing as an individual was definitely great.

    gawrshness
    Reply

    1. I can sort of see your point that defeating a witch seems a bit much for the three but I think you are forgetting a few things here.

      Witches in general, even though they have hightened senses due to their magic, are sort of bad at physical combat and witches like Medusa and the Mizune are big exceptions. Even Arachne, who is considered one of the most dangerous witches by Shibusen, needs to rely on illusions when she fights. Shaula not moving much was less of a display of power and more a good way of using her magic to lighten the physical burden a close range fight causes.

      Additionally Shaula doesn’t seem like much of fighter overall, which is evident in her plan. When Medusa started her plan she was confident enough in her own strength to attack Shibusen with 5 people (8 if you count the Mizune seperately) and join in the fight herself. Shaula on the other hand still felt the need to sneak around even after the city had already sunk into chaos with a big part of the population under her control.

      And most importantly, no matter if the attack was cheesy named, it still was a full soul resonance, which at this point of the story, even experienced EAT-studentes like Maka and Black Star cannot use. It also helped that they most likely took her by surprise with it, since her latest information was that Tsugumi was not only blunt as a weapon, but also didn’t have decided on a partner.

      Zannafar
      Reply

  18. Agreed, Takaii. People kept looking down on Soul Eater NOT for not being like the original series(or whatever), but I think it stood just fine on its own. Based on what everyone was telling me, I expected it to be cute girls doing cute things, and nothing else; but there was actually a story, fights(even though they were limited by the budget here), and character growth. I enjoyed it, and I’m glad I gave it a shot.

    So, um, what does “Gagantous” mean? Greatest mystery of the series.

    Also, Anya best girl.

    Mormegil
    Reply

  20. Just finished it and yes it’s a great series. It’s too bad the three of them aren’t in the EAT class. A 2-meister, 1-weapon team sounds unique. Though I was expecting more from the fight with Shaula, it was great seeing their teamwork with Anya and Meme wielding Tsumugi. It’s a little sad that from the aftermath and epilogue, Tsumugi and company didn’t exactly get a lot of recognition that they defeated a witch and saved Death City. Still I think that’s the great thing about them, that they’d value each other over a little fame. Also at least NOT confirms what happened to Sid-sensei.Show Spoiler ▼

    Zhinvu
    Reply

  23. I seriously do not like this series, because it’s a complete contrast from its main series, which had a somewhat darker tone. HOWEVER, I cannot say that it is a bad series. It is as it appears, a cutesy anime with a supernatural tone. If you’re hoping to see Soul Eater, then look away, because this one is nothing like the original. But if you want to see something more light hearted, friendly (a bit fun I guess) and shows some of your old faves, then check it out.

    iion42
    Reply

  27. I enjoyed the show. If you could not capture the slice of life aspect of the show after a few eps then your bound to be dissapointed. Soul Eater is was not, and it was pretty straight forward about that.

    The final battle could have been done better. In general the battles were half assed. Anyhow happy with the 12 ep cour. Any idea is s02 will come about?

    Cheers and thanks for following it till the end.

    Miaminights
    Reply

  28. i enjoyed this series even with the lack of fights and the low bufget for said fights. maka just looked like she was hopping back and forth in one of them. but i would love to see another season. they gave themselves a big doorway for another season. unlocks a blade at her end and kills a witch. ends series. guh

    souleaturwat
    Reply

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