Soul Eater

A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body.

-Maka Alburn, Soul Eater

Alternate Title: ソウルイータ

Studio: BONES

English Liscensor: FUNimation Entertainment
Episodes: 51
Demographic: Shonen
Genres: action, adventure, comedy, supernatural
Related Content: Soul Eater (manga)
                         Soul Eater: Monotone Princess (Wii game)
                         Soul Eater: Plot of Medusa (Nintendo DS game)
                         Soul Eater: Battle Resonance (PS2, PSP game)
                         Soul Eater Not! (manga side-story)

Summary:

Death Weapon Meister Academy, more commonly known as the DWMA, stands as the defense against the forces of evil – the demons called kishin and their insatiable hunger for human souls, chaos, and destruction. Should these corrupt souls be allowed to wreak havoc, humankind would be plunged into the depths of fear and madness. To ensure that the kishin never regain their hold on this world, the DWMA was founded by the grim reaper: Death himself.

Lord Death’s school trains meisters and their human-weapon hybrid partners in the art of reaping kishin eggs, corrupt souls on the verge of becoming powerful demons of chaos. Like every other student in the DWMA, Maka Alburn, an exceptionally talented meister, and her delinquent partner, Soul Eater, aspire to collect 99 kishin eggs and one witch’s soul in the hopes of becoming a true reaper and Death Scythe pair.

Soul Eater chronicles the development of Maka and Soul as well as their friends: Black Star, Death the Kid, and their weapons. Their missions range in difficulty, occasionally putting their friendship and group skills to the test. When not in school, the DWMA students are depicted studying for exams, training on their own, or running off on missions far from their homes in Death City, Nevada. Soon, the group faces off against the powerful and crafty evil witch, Medusa, who will stop at nothing to see her wish of resurrecting the first kishin, Asura, become reality. Medusa's presence threatens the peace, looming over them like a blanket of dark storm clouds as she sets her plans to free the demon into motion. Defeating her and those just as powerful quickly proves to be one of the most difficult tests in the young students' lives.

Review:

Soul Eater just screams “shonen!” in every way. It has the quirky, energetic, and overly-obnoxious antics of stubborn youths that possess incredible powers; the comedic asides and incredible displays of strength from their oddball mentors; a series of tests that increase in difficulty; and the looming presence of one almighty villain who threatens to destroy the world. Along with those basic shonen elements, the plot also contains a subtle (or not so subtle) theme on self-awareness. This is mostly reflected in Soul’s character, although Crona, Maka, and Black Star also must come to terms with their true identities when faced with the choice between good and evil. This element is one of the few that manages to balance out the overall wackiness of the show. I like the fact that it adds some complexity without making Soul Eater too much of a melodrama.

Soul Eater certainly has flair. The music certainly contributes to that aspect. The soundtrack is a blend of hip-hop remixes, hard rock ballads, techno beats, and beautifully orchestrated compositions. There is rarely a moment of gentleness with every new scene – which is something the Japanese and English dubs also see to. Unlike the English dubs, the Japanese voice-over is much more spastic and hyperactive. However, the more “normal-sounding” dub really doesn’t take away much from the original. Black Star (Brittney Karbowski), though obviously more feminine-sounding in the English dub, still manages to come off as a funny bone-headed loudmouth. Laura Bailey, in my opinion, actually makes Maka’s character more lively and emotional rather than too dull or monotone.

Funny (or even clever) as it may be at times, however, Soul Eater manages to fall flat with its repetitive classic shonen humor. This involves boys getting slapped around, facefuls of cleavage, and the constant use of the word “idiot” in every other episode. I found it irritating at times, but the series had me hooked with its purely fantastic, overly-exaggerated settings, dark backgrounds, slightly disturbing characters, smoothly rounded animation, amazing action sequences, and the overall message of the show: it’s the soul that matters, nothing else.


I would recommend this show to anyone who loves adrenaline-fueled action sequences backed up by a plot full of crazy (in more ways than one) super-powered characters with exaggerated personality quirks. It certainly makes for a good stress-reliever, too! It probably has something to do with all the hitting, shouting, and simple humor that is often displayed in Soul Eater.

Rating: «««

Start watching Soul Eater HERE!

Soul Eater - FUNimation Website