Soul Eater - now with trailer [Archive]

Andrew Cunningham

12-05-2007, 01:16 PM

Anime coming this Spring apparently; looks like a year long series, for fifty odd episodes.
Based on the Gangan manga by Atsushi Okubo, Soul Eater is set in the shinigami academy, where young gods of death train with their anthropomorphic weapons.
The manga is only ten volumes long right now, so expect a fair amount of anime original episodes.
But this is one hell of an awesome book and I'm jazzed to see it hit the big time. Now if only someone would pick it up to release here...

Updated: Trailer up on Youtube, looks amazing
http://youtube.com/watch?v=D5qXZIiIFz4

Lego

12-05-2007, 05:01 PM

But this is one hell of an awesome book and I'm jazzed to see it hit the big time. Now if only someone would pick it up to release here..

Links?

Andrew Cunningham

12-05-2007, 05:01 PM

These shinigami are a lot more graffiti pop than most.

The weapons spend the bulk of their time in human form, but transform into weapons during battles.

It actually started as three short stories riffing on the theme, and those were popular enough that the main characters from all of them got thrown together into an ongoing series. It should also be pointed out that they spend exactly zero time collecting souls and all their time fighting witches; frankly, a lot of the "shinigami" aspect is more a decorative motif, abandoned as a story concept early on.

Each of the three teams from the short stories are total opposites: Straight A schoolgirl Maka gets teamed with Slacker skater scythe Soul, while show off assassin Black*Star gets teamed with a worrywort ninja weapon. Death The Kid is a ridiculous flying snowboard riding powerhouse who is frequently reduced to crippling despair by his obsession with symmetry, and he wields the Thompson sisters, a pair of happy go lucky American ditzes who turn into automatic handguns.

The whole aesthetic of the book is lurdily over the top, with the crescent moon always drawn leering maniacally with blood dripping down its jaw, and villains who got themselves thrown in jail to fulfill their lifelong dream of digging their way to freedom with a spoon only to discover that the jail only provided chopsticks.

It should be totally awesome as long as the staff don't immediately sand off everything unique about it the way they did Neuro.

Lego

12-05-2007, 05:03 PM

Each of the three teams from the short stories are total opposites: Straight A schoolgirl Maka gets teamed with Slacker skater scythe Soul, while show off assassin Black*Star gets teamed with a worrywort ninja weapon. Death The Kid is a ridiculous flying snowboard riding powerhouse who is frequently reduced to crippling despair by his obsession with symmetry, and he wields the Thompson sisters, a pair of happy go lucky American ditzes who turn into automatic handguns.

Oh I have to see this :surprised:

Sly05

12-05-2007, 05:07 PM

I've been intrigued by the series since I say some images for the manga covers in the R2 forum a while back. I'll definitely have to see how it turns out.

HitokiriShadow

12-05-2007, 08:02 PM

This sounds like a winner.

Westlo

12-05-2007, 10:31 PM

Pretty much everything Andrew recommends since I started posting again in April turns out to be, if not excellent at least interesting. So I'll be looking out for this one and will probably check out the manga in the meantime.

Suwako Moriya

12-05-2007, 11:23 PM

*Reads* Okay this sounds like it's either going to be epic win or epic lose. Just depends on how they handle things in this anime version. Not sure if/when I'll watch an episode, but it couldn't hurt to read up on it a bit. It's certainly a curious set up.

barbapapa

12-06-2007, 12:53 PM

If the anime is done well, I'll watch.

Redcoffin

12-06-2007, 01:03 PM

I've seen the first volume. Stylistically it's first rate but the stories are more of the usual shonen stuff and characterization is pretty thin.

It reminded me alot of the Scryed manga and parts of Air Gear: really bizarro wackazoid concepts that just devolve into the same old screaming kid fights we've seen a million times. IMHO it begs for great graphics in the anime, but it's more likely to get standard shonen kid-vid quality animation because that's pretty obviously the audience.

Andrew Cunningham

12-06-2007, 02:12 PM

The first volume is almost entirely those three short stories, and it definitely gets more depth later.

angelx03

12-09-2007, 09:09 AM

NeoSam from that forum everyone knows about posted the staff of this series he got from Moonphase (http://www.moonphase.cc/). Studio BONES is working on it, and it's pretty much the same staff who worked on Ouran.

My interest has now peaked, and the girls look cute according to the manga covers. (http://www.bk1.jp/webap/user/SchBibList.do;jsessionid=B1UK2MC7PVQG42038G4B59AHR PV5G4OCAJLP0TA914SNJCGEJJ2LKLASL4B02000C0000000.we bap008_001?keyword=%E3%82%BD%E3%82%A6%E3%83%AB%E3% 82%A4%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC&genreCd=&initFlag=1&x=46&y=5)

Westlo

12-09-2007, 09:52 AM

Oh nice to see Bones doing the animation.

Edit - Read the first 2 manga volumes, looks pretty fun, needs more Blair!

Lego

12-11-2007, 03:05 PM

Designs on the main page are up (http://www.souleater.tv/). Something about the reminds me of Hellsing..

Andrew Cunningham

12-11-2007, 04:12 PM

That looks awesome. Totally captures the art. And is clearly trying to make that obvious - the girl spends a fair amount of time looking cuter than that, but they clearly went for attitude instead.

Westlo

12-11-2007, 10:25 PM

Looks good, will be curious to see how they start the anime. Will they go into the short stories or stat with the extra lessons chapter at the end of volume 1 and maybe save those short stories for early flashback scenes?

How much of the manga have you read btw Andrew?

Andrew Cunningham

12-11-2007, 10:34 PM

I'm caught up with volume ten.
I'd be surprised if they really did those three short stories as the first three episodes. I think they'll want to get all the cast in play faster. But I actually sort of liked having the teams introduced one by one.
It's almost a given that they'll have to go the FMA route and make up their own ending/second half of the ongoing arc, since that is nowhere close to completion. It's actually been getting steadily more complex.
So a fair amount of anime original material all over the place really; if it weren't Bones, I'd be scared, but they've pulled it off before.

Jumbo

12-13-2007, 07:30 PM

Good to hear more details on this one. Still interesting that they are going the full year route. With all that time though maybe they'll spend a little more on some of the newer characters that haven't gotten a whole lot of fleshing out yet. But now I'm getting ahead of myself.

With Bones on hand for animation I am much more excited about this than I was. I haven't listened to any of the character drama CD's yet either. Wonder who they'll get to do the voice of Death. "Shinigami Chop!"

Also hope this pushes interest in a publisher bringing out the manga in English.

Andrew Cunningham

12-13-2007, 07:44 PM

Wonder who they'll get to do the voice of Death. "Shinigami Chop!"

I vote Wakamoto Norio.

Also hope this pushes interest in a publisher bringing out the manga in English.
It's overdue, isn't it?

Westlo

12-14-2007, 01:09 AM

I haven't listened to any of the character drama CD's yet either. Wonder who they'll get to do the voice of Death. "Shinigami Chop!"

Here's the casting for the drama cd which I got off "that" forum.

Maka: Takeuchi Junko
Soul Eater: Hoshi Souichiro
Black Star: Yumiko Kobayashi
Tsubaki: Mamiko Noto
Death the Kid: Takako Honda
Liz: Yuko Kaida
Patty: Miyuki Sawashiro
Shinigami-sama/Lord Death: Ryusuke Oobayashi
Death Scythe: Hiroaki Hirata
Franken Stein: Mitsuru Miyamoto
Sid: Susumu Akagi

Westlo

12-14-2007, 01:22 AM

True but she will be able to play Tsubaki pretty well, though I could probably say that about another 50 VAs but yeah whatever. Also drama cd to anime lineups often change don't they?

HitokiriShadow

12-14-2007, 01:31 AM

Jeez, Mamiko Noto is everywhere these days.

I see nothing wrong with this. Besides, the average Mamiko Noto role has about three lines per episode at best, so despite being in a lot of shows, she doesn't speak much in most of them.

Westlo

12-14-2007, 01:36 AM

Andrew Cunningham

12-14-2007, 01:38 AM

From what I've read (3 volumes) she will get a lot more lines than usual.
She's definitely the least talkative of the weapons, though. Gets a lot of panels where she looks worried and laughs weakly.

Jumbo

12-14-2007, 11:49 AM

Wonder who they'll get to do the voice of Death. "Shinigami Chop!"

I vote Wakamoto Norio.

I was thinking the exact thing. He'd be prefect.

Also hope this pushes interest in a publisher bringing out the manga in English.
It's overdue, isn't it?

Yes, it really is. I don't know why there are so few Squenix titles floating around over here.

Andrew Cunningham

01-10-2008, 10:23 PM

Official site's renewed, with all the character designs up. I can't get over how awesomely they've captured the art style.
Although the moon appears to no longer have blood dribbling down its chin...

Also, the full cast was announced (see Wikipedia) and only one voice stayed the same as the CD drama.

Westlo

01-10-2008, 10:42 PM

Yep the designs are awesome, now to look at the cast list... looks like Maka and Soul are getting played by newcomers, the rest are fine from what I've seen of them, nice to see Rikiya Koyama in something again.

Westlo

01-16-2008, 10:42 PM

Andrew does it say anything on the website about who is doing the music for this? 1 person on that other website said it was Taku Iwasaki but noone else has confirmed it (not on ANN or wiki as well) and unlike you he's not a reliable source.

Andrew Cunningham

01-16-2008, 10:56 PM

Looks like the right name; definitely Iwasaki.

Westlo

01-16-2008, 11:05 PM

Oh nice, I thought his Lagann score was one of last years best and I've really enjoyed his music in Kekkaishi which I've felt has started to step up a notch in the last 5-6 eps I've seen (20-26).

Thanks for the quick response btw.

Westlo

01-17-2008, 06:31 AM

Even though I like his stuff so much I honestly wouldn't mind if he kept the same style, I thought he definitely has started to vary his work with Kekkaishi and Gurren Lagann. Let's see if he continues to do that with Persona (hmm might go dl this now to check out the score) and Soul Eater.

Jumbo

01-17-2008, 06:20 PM

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if his score for Lagann is what sealed the deal on him getting the nod for this series. While I'm sure there will be the trademark violins the whole atmosphere of the series here screams a kind of punkish vibe anyway. I'm curious to see how he mixes it up this time.

Andrew Cunningham

02-12-2008, 02:45 PM

Here's a weird one - Soul Eater will be broadcast in both an evening and a late night slot, with the late night slot apparently including "Fun" extra elements.

Lego

02-12-2008, 02:48 PM

angelx03

02-12-2008, 02:52 PM

Busaiku

02-12-2008, 03:02 PM

I haven't checked out Soul Eater yet, but it doesn't seem like the type of thing to do such.

But, I dunno. Plan on checking it out some time.

Lego

02-12-2008, 03:07 PM

I haven't checked out Soul Eater yet, but it doesn't seem like the type of thing to do such.

But, I dunno. Plan on checking it out some time.

That or more blood, gore, violence, language, channel based censorship, something will fit the bill.

Jumbo

02-12-2008, 06:20 PM

I haven't checked out Soul Eater yet, but it doesn't seem like the type of thing to do such.

Oh, there could easily be boobies. Blair seems to be there only for fanservice and the other heroines have their moments as well. Some of it works into the story pretty well (The Cid interrigation was quite funny.) but the rest seem like they were more there to reel in the stereotypical audience than anything else. Not so much of it in the later volumes.

I'm curious to see how different these airings are now too.

Westlo

02-12-2008, 09:12 PM

One things for sure with this thing, Blair will be a lot more popular with late night only viewers compared to afternoon only.

HitokiriShadow

02-12-2008, 09:13 PM

Here's a weird one - Soul Eater will be broadcast in both an evening and a late night slot, with the late night slot apparently including "Fun" extra elements.

Am I the only one that takes the "fun" elements as "BOOBIES!"?

I didn't discount the possibility, but I assumed it would be either more violence (i.e. more blood, or blood that's actually red; Japan seems to be pretty sensitive about that these days) or just new scenes. Maybe some "boobies" and while I wouldn't complain, that's not what I'm expecting.

Andrew Cunningham

02-12-2008, 09:24 PM

That's a good point; while the manga does have a small amount of laughably bad panty shots, etc. it isn't known for them.
On the other hand, the moon constantly had blood running down its chin, which was noticeably from the anime website...

Andrew Cunningham

02-24-2008, 02:57 AM

http://www.famitsu.com/anime/news/1213721_1558.html
More character designs. Absolutely flawless.

angelx03

02-24-2008, 06:24 AM

Now that I saw the new images......

One things for sure with this thing, Blair will be a lot more popular with late night only viewers compared to afternoon only.

Blair is the the very busty witch who's also a catgirl?!! UTTER WIN!!! :blush:

Why am I getting a feeling this is going to be the next "megahit" from BONES?

Westlo

02-24-2008, 06:51 AM

Now that I saw the new images......

Blair is the the very busty witch who's also a catgirl?!! UTTER WIN!!! :blush:

Why am I getting a feeling this is going to be the next "megahit" from BONES?

*nods* Blair ftw, looking forward to seeing if they nail Medusa.. speaking of Medusa she voiced by Houko Kuwashima which is awesome.

Westlo

02-25-2008, 11:57 PM

If Bones don't go all out for Chapter 19 I will be disappointed.

Westlo

02-29-2008, 11:12 AM

T.M.Revolution is doing the first opening for Soul Eater, not exactly the sort of artist I thought would compliment Soul Eaters style... but I guess I should wait for the OP before passing judgment.

Lego

03-01-2008, 03:25 AM

T.M.Revolution is doing the first opening for Soul Eater, not exactly the sort of artist I thought would compliment Soul Eaters style... but I guess I should wait for the OP before passing judgment.

Gaaaaaah, hes still around?

BluWacky

03-01-2008, 05:24 AM

Gaaaaaah, hes still around?

He never went away; he just calls himself by different names depending on what kind of music he's doing. In 2007 he was mostly recording stuff with abingdon boys school, his new band (who did the first OPs for D Gray Man and Darker Than Black, as well as a bunch of songs for games). Presumably this just means it'll be hyperactive Eurobeat stuff rather than the rockier music he's been recording more recently.

Westlo

03-01-2008, 05:41 AM

His Abingdon boys school rock style would've suited Soul Eater better than the techno/Eurobeat he does solo.

Andrew Cunningham

03-01-2008, 02:02 PM

I'd have loved to someone like The Hives doing songs for Soul Eater, but I guess the bigger the budget, the more they have to go with big pop names.

Jumbo

03-01-2008, 03:21 PM

Those do look nice. If they can Keep the animation quality good and stay on model (bits of Eureka 7 come back to haunt me) then it should really be nice.

Does look like Blair dropped a few cup sizes, not that it really hurts... Can't wait to see Cid.

Oh and Shinigami Chop!

As far as music goes, I wouldn't mind seeing PE'Z show up for a theme with Soul and his Piano.

Westlo

03-02-2008, 02:05 PM

I'd be surprised if they really did those three short stories as the first three episodes. I think they'll want to get all the cast in play faster. But I actually sort of liked having the teams introduced one by one.

Read this on that site, the poster got this off the staff blog.

Episode 3 is Kid and the Thompson sisters[/hid e] and episode 4 is [hide]the lead characters together for the first time.

angelx03

03-10-2008, 01:49 PM

http://dol.dengeki.com/data/news/2008/3/10/911bf3dae217305a78564ed67c3cc247.html

That has screenshots of what's supposedly the first episode. And my god that looks badass! :beat:

Andrew Cunningham

03-10-2008, 02:11 PM

This is going to be so damn good.
It looks exactly like the manga.

Lego

03-10-2008, 02:47 PM

Nice, style reminds me of Gad Guard a little.

Westlo

03-11-2008, 01:57 AM

Yep all those pics would be from the first short story which will make up the first episode. Looks fucking awesome, I'm pumped for this show, should be a joy to watch.

Westlo

03-18-2008, 08:13 AM

A 3.30 min trailer is up on the website

http://www.souleater.tv/movie/index.html

First off Soul's voice made me go wtf at first but I quickly got use to it... anyway Soul Eater looks very fucking dope and that's all that needs to be said.

angelx03

03-18-2008, 09:06 AM

Oh fucking shit!!!! O.O

That kicked massive ass! Now I'm really hyped up for this!

Danime

03-18-2008, 01:18 PM

Damn, it's offline.

I've had my eye on this series ever since I heard first word of it.

Massively looking forward to it getting an eventual DVD release (albeit probably 2009)...

Oh, and I hope it's been animated in HD!

Sly05

03-18-2008, 02:41 PM

Here's a youtube link of the trailer. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=D5qXZIiIFz4) Soul's voice sounds way too old for his body, but it looks like Bones did a perfect job of capturing the art style of the manga and the animation looks spectacular.

Andrew Cunningham

03-18-2008, 03:36 PM

This is going to be so damn good it isn't even funny.

Busaiku

03-18-2008, 03:41 PM

Oh wow, Soul's voice made me laugh every time I heard it. Oh well...

Death The Kid's voice is alright, thought Liz was kinda weird as well (didn't hear Patty properly). But Black Star is great.

pi8you

03-18-2008, 08:00 PM

Now that I've watched that with sound, it's even better!

As to the whole blood/no blood thing, the moon does appear to be drooling blood in the trailer.

curr

03-18-2008, 08:56 PM

That looks like alot of fun. Looks like the love child of Bleach and King of Bandits Jing. :)

Jumbo

03-18-2008, 10:27 PM

First it was screen shots and thinking "Boy, I hope all those weren't simply taken from the OP sequence or something."

Now with the trailer it's really starting to look like the series is going to be given some proper attention. Call me negative but I just hope it lasts past the first 5 or so episodes.

I so want to believe...

Westlo

03-18-2008, 10:39 PM

Maaya Sakamoto as Chrona ftw.

First it was screen shots and thinking "Boy, I hope all those weren't simply taken from the OP sequence or something."

Now with the trailer it's really starting to look like the series is going to be given some proper attention. Call me negative but I just hope it lasts past the first 5 or so episodes.

I so want to believe...

Well it is by Bones and I have a lot more faith in them than any other company to keep a 50 episode series well animated. The action scenes get a lot better later on so I hope the animation quality stays the same or even improves later on like with the Ed/Greed fight from FMA.

If you have noticed that Bones are also doing "Nijuu Mensou no Musume" this season don't be too worried about that since it's by BONES x Telecom Animation Film.

03-18-2008, 10:44 PM

That is easily the best trailer I've seen in the last 2 or 3 years. This is absolutely going to be a must watch/must buy show.

HitokiriShadow

03-19-2008, 01:30 AM

Oh wow, that looks awesome. I can't wait to see a full episode.

Danime

03-20-2008, 01:03 PM

I just seriously want this released on HD at the same time as normal, hopefully by Funimation with their new and improved video, in a boxset similar in quality to the Trinity Blood one, preferably with even more awesome stuff!

Seriously, I just can't wait.

Westlo

03-22-2008, 09:38 AM

I asked on the thread for Suki if a CM was out and quickly got an answer that one was. Props to manuloz once again.

Soul Eater CM1 (http://www.dailymotion.com/manuloz/video/7992697)

A few new scenes and the OP in the background.

Pastachan

03-22-2008, 01:36 PM

A few new scenes and the OP in the background.
I still don't know what I think of the OP theme. Right now, I wouldn't really say that it fits, but I'll keep waiting until the show actually airs before saying anything else.

Andrew Cunningham

03-22-2008, 02:32 PM

We knew it was going to be entirely inappropriate whine rock; the hip hop in the long trailer did briefly get my hopes up, and would have fit perfectly, but why would we want to do that when we could tie it in to the comeback attempts of a talentless has been?

Sly05

03-22-2008, 06:49 PM

If we're lucky, they will only use the song for the first 13 episodes and ditch it for a new opening after that.

Westlo

03-22-2008, 06:51 PM

If we're lucky, they will use the first song for the first 13 episodes and ditch it for a new opening after that.

I really don't think luck will play a part in getting a new song, it should be like FMA with a new OP/Ed every cour (13 episodes).

Shsway

03-22-2008, 08:06 PM

Updated: Trailer up on Youtube, looks amazing
http://youtube.com/watch?v=D5qXZIiIFz4

HOLY COW!!

I only just thought to look in here (well, took the hint from another thread), and this seems like it has freakin' everything! Including great acting and music (Iwasaki Taku!), plus my anime/manga weakness: shinigami !!

I haven't felt this excited about a preview in a long time. I really hope that this is an instant licensing no-brainer (and really hoping that it goes to Bandai).

The design on that one dark-haired character that keeps popping up reminds of The Big O.

Edit: Ah, Lego's comparison to Gad Guard was a bit better, probably. :sd:

Wonder who they'll get to do the voice of Death. "Shinigami Chop!"

I vote Wakamoto Norio.

Mister, you're talkin' my language!

Westlo

04-07-2008, 07:22 AM

Soul Eater OP HQ version off youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWel6ISqncA&fmt=18

Holy shit that's an awesome op.

Lego

04-07-2008, 07:33 AM

Soul Eater OP HQ version off youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWel6ISqncA&fmt=18

Holy shit that's an awesome op.

For a show I was mildly interested in, wow, that was a nice opening. I'll keep an eye on it.

Sly05

04-07-2008, 08:00 AM

TheGreenMan

04-07-2008, 08:03 AM

OMG. I want to see this. The visual style is awesome. The main girl looks so bad ass. And it's being made by BONES. Instant WIN.

Westlo

04-07-2008, 08:12 AM

Well its nowhere near my fav opening song of the season (that goes to Kaiba atm) but as an overall package nothing comes close to the Soul Eater op atm.

mrsparklenoodle

04-07-2008, 09:31 AM

Soo goood, wow.

The animation is wonderful and the art direction is beautiful, I want to see this series now.

Westlo

04-07-2008, 02:46 PM

Animation is great, op is awesome (need more Medusa!!), I'm not crazy about the ed song but the scenes are good, music is nice and it was a great adapation of the Maka & Soul Eater one shot. Looking forward to watching the uncut version subbed as well as next weeks episode. I hope Maka's VA improves throughout the series though.

TheGreenMan

04-07-2008, 02:50 PM

Saw parts of episode 1...

WOW! The animation is top notch. The show oozes cool. How many episodes will this be? ANN says 51, but I don't believe that (I think someone is screwing with the database). If it's true...Kareha-gasm!

Westlo

04-07-2008, 02:52 PM

TheGreenMan

04-07-2008, 02:57 PM

Andrew said it was confirmed for a year long run all the way back in December, so it could be 49, 50, 51 or 52 episodes. Though it could've been confirmed for 51 recently... I haven't been checking tbh.

*blows his load*

I think the only problem with the show is that people think the lead girl (Maka) VA is amateurish. The blogger at Randomc said the voice ruined the whole show for him. It doesn't sound bad to me, but after hearing the trap in H20, everything sounds better to me now. Hopefully the seriyuu will become better.

Westlo

04-07-2008, 03:00 PM

I think the only problem with the show is that people think the lead girl (Maka) VA is amateurish. The blogger at Randomc said the voice ruined the whole show for him. It doesn't sound bad to me, but after hearing the trap in H20, everything sounds better to me now. Hopefully the seriyuu will become better.

I think she is amateurish, she makes Macross Frontier's Megumi Nakajima (Lanca Lee) look like a veteran in comparison and that's her debut role as well. I'm hoping she improves and improves quick. That blogger overreacted hardcore though.

pi8you

04-07-2008, 03:08 PM

Hmm, I might just get impatient enough to download the raw, except I won't be home to watch for another 9 hours.

bluesilo

04-07-2008, 03:09 PM

where did you hear the kaiba song? it hasn't aired yet so I couldn't find the op

TheGreenMan

04-07-2008, 03:14 PM

That blogger overreacted hardcore though.

Yeah. Definitely. Show ruining? Hell no.

Lego

04-07-2008, 03:17 PM

04-07-2008, 04:03 PM

That blogger overreacted hardcore though.

Yeah. Definitely. Show ruining? Hell no.

If theres one thing I've learned about anime bloggers, 4chan, and even around here one little thing can ruin a series for some people. "Zomg her hair is blue, thats it, I'm not watching!".

Random C is usually even-keeled when it's the site founder (Omni) doing the writing. He has some help who hits certain genres for him and a couple of those writers are a bit more flamboyant in their enthusiasm or hatred for a show. See the ep.1 writeup for To Love-Ru for a good example. Not that I don't agree with him, but the bias was obvious and was probably there before he even watched the show.

Andrew Cunningham

04-07-2008, 04:06 PM

Yeah, they really animated the shit out of that. Shinigami's voice could not sound less like I imagined. I'd forgotten the awkward attempts at catch phrases early on - thank god he utterly abandoned that quickly.
Doesn't matter at all.
Show just has style in spades.

BluWacky

04-07-2008, 04:09 PM

where did you hear the kaiba song? it hasn't aired yet so I couldn't find the op

In the background of this trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWYub5dqvvk), for instance.

Back to Soul Eater - I have absolutely no problem with Maka's voice. Sure, it sounds like she recorded on the worst quality microphone available, but the vocal direction of the show is deliberately (I think) off-kilter, as is the character. At least she can act!

I'm not sure whether the plot's my cup of tea, but boy is the visual direction of this show astounding. I love Bones SO MUCH.

Andrew Cunningham

04-07-2008, 04:15 PM

I'll stand by my earlier thought that TM Revolution wasn't the best choice for a singer, but it turned out better than I feared. The parts where he isn't singing are great and he at least seems to be trying to fit the tone of the show. I love animation direction of the op and the animation its self is really fluid and beautiful. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this.

The parts where he isn't singing weren't as painful as his horrible, horrible voice, but there was pretty much nothing good about that song.
The ending is pretty great (at least, as far as fitting the show), as was the totally random musical cut away.

BluWacky

04-07-2008, 04:21 PM

Random C is usually even-keeled when it's the site founder (Omni) doing the writing. He has some help who hits certain genres for him and a couple of those writers are a bit more flamboyant in their enthusiasm or hatred for a show. See the ep.1 writeup for To Love-Ru for a good example. Not that I don't agree with him, but the bias was obvious and was probably there before he even watched the show.

No-one actually READS what Omni writes, though, do they? Surely they just look at the pictures, hence why none of the comments on the entries ever really have anything to do with what he's written? At least Patrik ventures an opinion occasionally...

Disclaimer: this post written by a bitter blogger who would love an audience as large as Omni's

Danime

04-07-2008, 04:57 PM

I'm still squealing and clapping my hands together like an idiot.

I'm glad I've got that to look forward to whenever this gets licensed!

(I might watch the opening before that, but my computer is retarded so I might force myself to wait until it's completely released then marathon the whole thing... Should finish it sometime in 2010 then!)

Every time I try and describe how awesome Bones are, the words just don't do the feelings any justice, so I'll just have to say the usual cliché 'there are no words to describe what Bones does for me'.

This has to be the best hobby/obsession in the world.

TheGreenMan

04-07-2008, 05:12 PM

Just watched the ED...interesting. I'm not into punk, but it fits the show nicely. I like how it opens clean and nice, but then roars to life.

bobma

04-07-2008, 06:41 PM

Had a look at the first episode and had a really good time with it. It's definitely in my watch list, if only for the lovely animation (if they can keep this up) and fun setting/design. There's two and a half points though that left a bad aftertaste as I progressed through the episode:

1. The OP song. What happened to TM Revolution? They used to have a fair number of songs I can enjoy, but this one...meh, I don't like it at all. The musical bits sound pretty random without forming a coherent whole, if I had to describe it and the vocalist is just randomly singing to yet something else that apparently only he can hear. The sad thing is I want to watch the OP because of the great animation and design, but have to put up with the song for this. Well, there's the mute button, I guess.

2. Maka's voice acting. While I like the "down to earth" or "natural" feel her voice has, there were plenty of scenes where I got distracted from the action, because I found her performance to be too flat. This was especially jarring after I watched the great performance of the voice actress doing Murasaki in Kure-nai, right before this.

3. The ED song. Not really my style, but I can live with it, so this is where the 1/2 bad point came from.

Well, as for the songs, I can hold out to the hope that after 13 episodes there'll probably be a change of OP/ED as BONES usually does. As for the voice performance, I hope that the voice actress will rapidly adjust to her role and take advantage of the (plentiful) room that's present to improve her voice acting.

Overall though I'll be following this show with a stupid grin on my face, just as I did with Kekkaishi, if BONES can keep up the quality for the whole run.

mike.motaku

04-07-2008, 07:37 PM

This looks absolutely crack-tastic! Just what I need. Another longish series to hope comes to the US sometime before I'm too old to focus. Sigh.

Jumbo

04-07-2008, 09:59 PM

While I certainly don't expect the quality to stay this good, it certainly did capture the spirit of the manga perfectly. Those long full motion cuts at the beginning were quite impressive. Also seeing Medusa dancing around in there was sure different. Nice to see Excalibur get some time in there too.

Maka's seiyuu doesn't bother me one bit. I'm glad they were willing to take a chance on a style that is very distinct and quite different from the norm as far as the dime a dozen lead female voices I seem to hear nowadays.

Curious to see what if any changes they end up making to the "late show" version... This seemed pretty faithful and didn't seem to hide the fan service parts too much.

Iwasaki Taku seems to be carrying quite a bit of his Gurren Lagann influence over here but the tracks that didn't sound so similar were nice too. Also would appear that he's going to try and get some more vocal tracks mixed in there as well. Looking forward to hearing more.

Here's hoping for continued solid presentation.

angelx03

04-10-2008, 06:18 AM

Saw episode 1.....

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/4826/souleater0142lgxz3.jpg

FU**NG WIN!!! And she's voiced by the same seiyuu who did Kagamin in Lucky Star!!!

Westlo

04-10-2008, 08:02 AM

She did an awesome job with Blair, her and Maka's dad were the clear standouts for the vocal cast.

Aiia

04-10-2008, 10:30 AM

Maka's seiyuu doesn't bother me one bit. I'm glad they were willing to take a chance on a style that is very distinct and quite different from the norm as far as the dime a dozen lead female voices I seem to hear nowadays.

I didn't dislike Maka's voice either. Even though it was obvious that she wasn't very experienced, I sort of liked her voice except for a few places where it was a bit off. But her acting was good, and I'm sure she'll become better quickly. And besides, nothing could be worse than Searching For the Fullmoon, and Maka's seiyuu certainly wasn't. ;)

Curious to see what if any changes they end up making to the "late show" version... This seemed pretty faithful and didn't seem to hide the fan service parts too much.

I think that shampoo bottle or whatever it was will disappear. Actually, I thought the witch was a little too over the top with the nudity for my taste, but it didn't bother me so much I'd stop watching or anything, since I liked the rest of the show so much.

Westlo

04-10-2008, 10:58 AM

Except for Chapter 19 (Blair ftw!) the first one shot probably contains the most fanservice in the manga. Though I've only just finished reading 23 so that could change later...

Westlo

04-10-2008, 02:59 PM

Late night version was exactly the same... just lol.... maybe chapter 22 will be the only thing they change the late night slot content... from what i've read anyway..

Andrew Cunningham

04-10-2008, 03:22 PM

Fencedude

04-11-2008, 12:10 AM

I went in with no idea what to expect and got blow away with AWESOME

something

04-11-2008, 06:12 AM

Seeing as how this already had over 100 posts, shouldn't we really have started a new thread for the actual discussion?

Also, I kept hearing all this talk about how amazing Soul Eater would be, and from the talk I thought it was this dark, dark, serious show from Production IG or something along those lines. But I never looked into it (and still haven't seen it, but planned to and will after work tonight). Then I looked at the ANN page and official site just now and and... wow, it seems totally shounen jump and so does the plot. And 51 episodes too. I'm very surprised at just which of you are so excited about it. Interesting. Will finally get to check this out tonight with Alison and Lilia.

Jumbo

04-11-2008, 10:27 AM

Late night version was exactly the same... just lol.... maybe chapter 22 will be the only thing they change the late night slot content... from what i've read anyway..

Yeah, new reports were suggesting the episode was unchanged, but there was a bonus omake sort of thing.

More like a simple trailer with money shots for the next few episodes of the show. Certainly not going to wait around for this version of the show anyway, especially if this is all they have planned.

HitokiriShadow

04-11-2008, 11:53 AM

That was pretty fucking awesome simply for the animation quality. I hope the "comic relief" is cut down a bit because its not that funny and will quickly get worse than Ed's "I'm not short dammit!" routine. Anyway, this was purely a set up episode and the outcome was completely predictable but it was fun. Soul is pretty good, and Maka and Blair are awesome in their own ways.

The OP music didn't bother me as much as it seems to bother others. It was okay but nothing special. I've never been much of a T.M. Revolution fan but its passable. The visuals for it were great though. The ED had so-so music but the animation was pretty good.

In short, it more than met my expectations. Great stuff.

Fencedude

04-11-2008, 12:20 PM

The OP music didn't bother me as much as it seems to bother others. It was okay but nothing special. I've never been much of a T.M. Revolution fan but its passable. The visuals for it were great though. The ED had so-so music but the animation was pretty good.

I actually like the OP song. I'm not exactly a huge fan of TM Revolution, but the song reminds me of ZIPS, which was always my favorite of their Gundam Seed songs. (which is what I mostly know them by)

Anyway, the show was absolutely pure style, and utterly shameless about it. It was GREAT.

Westlo

04-11-2008, 12:32 PM

Too bad next to noone saw the ZIPS insert song scene for Kira/Fllay and the Desert fightfrom Gundam SEED Special 2 :(

Fencedude

04-11-2008, 12:41 PM

Too bad next to noone saw the ZIPS insert song scene for Kira/Fllay and the Desert fightfrom Gundam SEED Special 2 :(

It was better as the MSV OP from Neverending Tomorrow.

Of course no one saw THAT either because it was replaced with an instrumental for the US release of the game.

It was also used in the Red Frame OVA...WHICH ALSO NEVER GOT RELEASED.

orz

Westlo

04-11-2008, 12:44 PM

Yeah that was a dope intro for MSV. Not quite sure on this one... but didn't it also get used for when Shinn first went into SEED mode in SEED Destiny Special 1?

HitokiriShadow

04-11-2008, 12:49 PM

I actually like the OP song. I'm not exactly a huge fan of TM Revolution, but the song reminds me of ZIPS, which was always my favorite of their Gundam Seed songs. (which is what I mostly know them by)

I don't remember ZIPS. *checks YouTube* Eh, didn't really care for that one.

My memory of it is vague, but I think I liked some of their SEED/Destiny songs. I believe the did the first SEED OP and I think I liked it. I loved Meteor though.

Andrew Cunningham

04-11-2008, 02:22 PM

Really not that interested in the story admittedly. I could mute the episode and still be entertained, just because of how mind-blowingly good the production values are for the first episode. Shit like that doesn't happen for animation everyday.

The story really gets loads better than the early going suggested.
I think the sensibilities of it are just off kilter enough to make it stand out from the crowd...but then, I do like shonen manga quite a bit.

Andrew Cunningham

04-11-2008, 03:19 PM

Ashyukun

04-11-2008, 06:04 PM

Finally got to watch the first episode. I'm definitely in for this one- it looks awesome, and the world looks like it will be rather amusing.

something

04-11-2008, 08:34 PM

Seeing as how this already had over 100 posts, shouldn't we really have started a new thread for the actual discussion?Probably. Tell you what, I'll start one with episode four, when it finishes the initial short stories and digs into the meat of the series.
Well, probably doesn't matter now, just keep this thread. It's going to be 51 eps so it'll never all fit in one thread anyway. Because contrary to what Chris had indicated, threaded/hybrid capping is even worse in VB because it just straight up completely stops working over 600 or 700. At least in Fusion it'd switch you over to flat beyond the limit. VB just gives you a blank screen and a foot up the ass.

Fencedude

04-11-2008, 08:35 PM

Well, probably doesn't matter now, just keep this thread. It's going to be 51 eps so it'll never all fit in one thread anyway. Because contrary to what Chris had indicated, threaded/hybrid capping is even worse in VB because it just straight up completely stops working over 600 or 700. At least in Fusion it'd switch you over to flat beyond the limit. VB just gives you a blank screen and a foot up the ass.

Less talking more watching!

something

04-11-2008, 09:08 PM

Episode 1:

- CG castle made me twitch but everything else until now (OP just ended) is holy shit awesome. It's actually not my kind of style to be honest (looks sorta... I don't know, but Soul looks like a reject from the Gorillaz), but it's done so fluidly and competently that I don't really care. Very interesting.
- Holy shit, the fights are unreal. If they can seriously keep this up for 51 episodes I'll be astounded.
- I'm not feeling Maka's voice at all though. A bit too monotone, like she's afraid to act her lines out fully. No entry on ANN makes me think she's a new actress.
- Mmmm, Blair. Sex Appeal, Sudden Kill.
- Maka's voice is quickly becoming a major problem for me.
- Heh, and there go all the souls. I was wondering what Soul was up to, and what would happen with 51 eps if he became a Death Sythe so early, but there you have it. That and Blair was in the OP too, all nekkid and nekomimi.

So overall a really good first episode, but Maka's seiyuu is bringing the show down. It's unfortunate, but she just can't act. Let's hope she gets up to speed, and FAST.

Fencedude

04-11-2008, 09:10 PM

Episode 1:

- I'm not feeling Maka's voice at all though. A bit too monotone, like she's afraid to act her lines out fully. No entry on ANN makes me think she's a new actress.

So overall a really good first episode, but Maka's seiyuu is brining the show down. Let's hope she gets up to speed, and FAST.

Dammit, Maka's voice is awesome. half the problem is that the encoder of that version was an idiot and ruined the audio quality. Maka sounds like her voice is cracking every time she talks. I got a 500 meg raw of the Nightime version and its just a billion times better in audio quality.

I had the OP repeating about fifty times last night.

something

04-11-2008, 09:14 PM

Dammit, Maka's voice is awesome. half the problem is that the encoder of that version was an idiot and ruined the audio quality. Maka sounds like her voice is cracking every time she talks. I got a 500 meg raw of the Nightime version and its just a billion times better in audio quality.
Well, I'm sure about half a dozen versions will be available so I'll check another and see if it improves, but I don't think the audio encoding can account for that much. It was just bad acting.

Westlo

04-12-2008, 05:53 AM

I don't mind Maka's voice, it's her acting that's bad.

Danime

04-12-2008, 11:10 AM

If Funimation get this, with my calculations using the FMA model. The first DVD would probably be out August 2009. But hopefully it would have a good releases...

(Damn, I don't want to wait that long...)

Suwako Moriya

04-13-2008, 07:21 PM

This series certainly has a weird style to it, but in some ways it interests me. I guess due to the curious nature of it. Blair is kind of nice looking. In any case I'll say this much. If Maka gets decent focus I might lean towards watching more. Not sure about this whole voice discussion, but I do like her design and character for some reason. Either way I think I may check out a couple more episodes at least to see if it retains the same feel.

Raye

04-14-2008, 01:02 AM

I see that some people agree with my opinion that Maka's voice isn't that great. When watching through the episode, I was thinking that there was just something missing, like, not enough emphasis at certain parts. Couldn't quite put my finger on it... Oh well, this show is still downright awesome.

Westlo

04-14-2008, 03:14 PM

Just finished watching 2

Milfune was awesome, I think Kaori Nazuka's Tsubaki will work out better than a Mamiko Noto one would have. Animation is still very high and I liked the musical score for this episode better than the first but that may be because I was paying more attention to it.

Can't wait for episode 3, Death the Kid is awesome XD

Andrew Cunningham

04-14-2008, 03:44 PM

TheGreenMan

04-14-2008, 04:44 PM

Andrew Cunningham

04-14-2008, 04:54 PM

Black Star = Naruto. That's the impression I got from the OP and ED (maybe the ninja "weapon" he wields :sd:).

Exactly. I think the fundamental personality is strikingly different - Black Star is more a parody of that type of hero - but we don't really want to underline the similarities by giving him an identical voice.

bobma

04-14-2008, 07:49 PM

Just finished watching 2

Mifune was maybe a bit too awesome; he really did steal the spotlight until the very end.
I initially liked the idea of Black*Star being the only character whose voice hasn't changed, but I think it may have backfired a bit with this episode; it really made him come across like a very generic shonen series lead, which was absolutely not the impression I got from the manga.
I seriously loved the eyeballs over the tree branches...

Black Star as I saw him in episode 2 sure has brought my enthusiasm for Soul Eater to a very manageable level. I can see how you'd classify him as a parody of "Naruto type characters", but honestly he didn't come across very parody-like, but rather plain annoying, at least so far. I love his weapon partner though. Oh, and the animation was still lovely. I thought the climax of Black Star's battle looked especially awesome.

Death The Kid looked great from the preview, so I'm very much looking forward to his introduction episode.

Westlo

04-15-2008, 08:52 AM

Mifune was maybe a bit too awesome; he really did steal the spotlight until the very end.

Even though I liked him he came across a lot better in this episode than he did in the manga. Speaking of the manga... spoilers to follow people!

I liked how we briefly see him and Angie when Medusa goes to that witches meeting since I thought he was too awesome to be just a complete throwaway character. Than I saw him on the cover for Volume 11 and was happy about that. How big a role does he play in the manga after chapter 23 when all the death scythes are called in?

Andrew Cunningham

04-15-2008, 01:23 PM

Mifune!

While he isn't in volume 11, he did have a big reappearance a few volumes back. Can't tell if that was 23 since I've never paid attention to chapter numbers.

Christ, if you quote blankly it just cuts the tags. Have to add something in to give context...

Critic Chris

04-17-2008, 07:49 PM

Just saw the first episode, and my god this is a fun fucking show.
Random thoughts:
-Maka's VA SUCKS. I wasn't too keen on Soul's VA for a little, but I got used to him by the end end of the episode, and everyone else is fine. But she needs to improve BADLY.
-The art style/character design looks like the illegal lovechild of Gurren Lagann and Tim Burton. I love it!
-Holy shit, these are some great production values. BONES tends to go the extra mile with most of their series (hell, even Angelic Layer and Scrapped Princess still look and move fucking great), and this is no exception. The first fight is totally badass.
-BLAIR. I LOVE LOVE LOVE BLAIR. She is just plain sexy and funny as hell. Please tell me she shows up more in the series; I realize she's in the intro, but does she become a recurring character or what?

Onward to Episode 2!

Westlo

04-17-2008, 07:53 PM

-BLAIR. I LOVE LOVE LOVE BLAIR. She is just plain sexy and funny as hell. Please tell me she shows up more in the series; I realize she's in the intro, but does she become a recurring character or what?

She's in the intro twice isn't she ;)

Critic Chris

04-17-2008, 08:35 PM

Fencedude

04-18-2008, 12:38 AM

Just watched Episode 2:
-Ah, I already love Black Star. He's just so over-the-top that you know his true badassery will emerge once he focuses. And ya gotta love that ending; what good is being a ninja if you can't get high enough to peek at the girls in the hot tub?
-Episode 3 Preview: DEATH THE KID. Looks like another goofy, lovable badass. Can't wait to meet him.

The best part of Black Star was how blatant a jab at Naruto he is.

Otherwise I'm meh on him, but Tsubaki is win on every level.

Critic Chris

04-18-2008, 07:37 AM

Suwako Moriya

04-20-2008, 12:58 AM

Tsubaki is awesome with all those forms and I like her body. Angela's kind of cute and the fact Mifune is willing to protect makes me respect him a bit. However in terms of Black Star, I have a feeling he's going to get old fast. Hopefully Death the Kid will be better.

Still it's kind of funny. Soul goes on about how cool he is. Black Star seems to be full of himself. On the other hand the females seems more down to earth. I wonder if this pattern will continue to repeat. Or if perhaps one pair will have it so the female is the one with the ego that can swallow planets.

In some ways episode 2 gives indication that series might be worth sticking with, but it also gives indication that they could easily fall into a rut. Granted it was nice how much focus they gave to Black Star and more importantly Tsubaki in order to properly introduce them.

Jumbo

04-20-2008, 11:29 AM

In some ways episode 2 gives indication that series might be worth sticking with, but it also gives indication that they could easily fall into a rut.

The trick with these first three episodes is to remember that while they do introduce the basic world set up, they are more focused on simply giving the various stars of the show their introductions as opposed to really setting up any major plot devices.

Real plot development and the introduction of more supporting cast etc. is where the manga really starts to take off. At this rate it would seem the anime would follow it pretty faithfully.

pi8you

04-20-2008, 02:19 PM

Ah, fun times.
-Caught the parody vibe off of Black Star, should be fun to watch.
-Tsubaki's more upset that he's failing to hide himself than that he's peeping? Awesome.
-Shinigami Chop not reserved for Maka's dad? Excellent.
-Mifune's weapon setup is great, always has a weapon at hand, and the Keep Out tape makes for a nice touch.
-Death the Kid looks like a fantastic neurotic character, I can't wait to see how they abuse him. Mention of being a Shinigami's child, any chance he's Maka's brother?
-Looooooove the Guillotine Torii.

bearcounty

04-20-2008, 03:04 PM

I just finished watching the second episode and I'm still
enjoying it. I like how each episode starts with the three
main characters so we can learn more about who they are.

something

04-20-2008, 06:50 PM

Episode 2:

- Heh here I was thinking Black Star would be all cool, and he's ten times cheesier than Soul Eater with all his talk about wanting to be "big". :sd: He's so... so... shounen jump male. Tsubaki, however, is LOVE.
- ...Figures Soul and Black would be friends.
- "And now I'm dying, presence zero, okay?" "Okay!" XD Tsubaki needs to dump him for a real shinigami. Even so though, I really like her in this "big sis" mode, patiently putting up with the energetic but clumsy young guy. He's still grating on me though.

Well, the more I watched the more I wanted to strangle him. Yeah, Soul was full of "manly" nonsense in ep 1, but Black Star was far more annoying about it. I was starting to hate him when suddenly he got serious, and things turned around nicely. The battle with Mifune was quite good. Unfortunately, I'm guessing Black will primarily be in fucking annoying mode, and the badassery will be reserved for "dramatic" moments here and there. Eh.

And it looks like we meet Death The Kid next, with this gun girls. So Maka and Black are both at zero, Maka by accident and Black because he won't get serious. As for DtK, I'd imagine he's close to 99, but maybe he has to get double to feed both girls? :sd:

So far Soul Eater is pretty good, though how it'll hold up in the long run remains to be seen.

Andrew Cunningham

04-20-2008, 09:12 PM

Mention of being a Shinigami's child, any chance he's Maka's brother?

Maka's dad is the Shinigami's weapon; Death the Kid's dad is the Shinigami himself.

04-20-2008, 09:34 PM

It took me a while to get around to ep.1 for some reason, but I finally caught it and while I have no clue what's going on I really like what I saw. I have to agree with everybody's feelings on Maka's VA. I'm not that observant or picky about VAs and even I thought it was rough so that's a bad sign. I mean anybody could deliver lines like that, she had no control over her inflections or intonation at all. It put a real dent into the show's polish. Also, with all the boobage this show gave us I found it just a bit odd how they go to such great lengths to have Maka's skirt exhibit some kind of super cling so as to never give the viewer a panty shot. It's not like I was wanting to see or anything, but considering the gravity defying moves going on it began to struck me as unrealistic that we never got a hint of white even once through all that.

pi8you

04-21-2008, 12:13 AM

Mention of being a Shinigami's child, any chance he's Maka's brother?

Maka's dad is the Shinigami's weapon; Death the Kid's dad is the Shinigami himself.

Ahh, good good, though a sibling rivalry would have been fun.

Westlo

04-21-2008, 11:44 AM

Miyano Mamoru was perfect for Kidd, his past work as Tamaki from Ouran (same director as this show) shows with this role. Quickly mixing from serious to comedic, I couldn't think of anyone else who could do Kidd better. Watanabe Akeno was great as Liz and Patty's VA suited her as well.

The symmetrical thing was great fun and it was nice too see the extra stuff with the two previous teams interacting, Sid as well got some screen time. The score for this episode was pretty damn good, Taku Iwasaki is in top form.

HitokiriShadow

04-21-2008, 04:46 PM

Well, the more I watched the more I wanted to strangle him. Yeah, Soul was full of "manly" nonsense in ep 1, but Black Star was far more annoying about it. I was starting to hate him when suddenly he got serious, and things turned around nicely. The battle with Mifune was quite good. Unfortunately, I'm guessing Black will primarily be in fucking annoying mode, and the badassery will be reserved for "dramatic" moments here and there. Eh.

Yeah, I thought I was going to like Black Star based on the tiny bit we saw of him in episode 1, but so far, he's almost as annoying as Naruto. Maybe he's supposed to be a parody, but that doesn't make him any less annoying. At least he was good for a few laughs, like the "I'm dying, presence gone..." thing.

On the other hand, Tsubaki is awesome.

Suwako Moriya

04-21-2008, 11:28 PM

Maybe he's supposed to be a parody, but that doesn't make him any less annoying.

That's the problem with parody in general. Sometimes the parody becomes as bad as what it is parodying.

Fencedude

04-27-2008, 04:19 AM

DEATH ZA KID is awesome, though the Thompson sisters are even more awesome.

That bit with them swapping between each other was great, a good use of the concept of them being guns.

Otherwise, looks like the preliminaries are over and its time to get into the meat of things.

Funkatron

04-27-2008, 07:25 AM

Critic Chris

04-27-2008, 08:31 AM

-Death the Kid is really cool, and I like how his obsession with symmetry can decide even the fate of a battle. Kicking the ass of a mummy demon just because you think it's horribly ugly=AWESOME. I laughed out loud at his reaction to how Liz and Patty were "trapped" (hey, he's a growing boy, I don't blame him), and his "Your boobs are nonsymmetrical!" running gag.
-The Thompson Sisters are fun too (Patty's just so cheerful!), and the scene where they "switch off" in their gun modes was pretty damn cool; it shows that a weapon doesn't have to helpless without its Master around.
-Didn't catch the name of the dreadlocked teacher, but I like his design, and he apparently shows up in the next episode.

Ah, this is such a fun, crazy series.

Suwako Moriya

04-27-2008, 09:56 PM

Death the Kid definitely has screwed up priorities. Patty and Liz are awesome. The switching scene was kind of cool to see. So far the only really weak one right now is Black Star. Although I have to admit the quirk about Symmetry that Death has could get as tiring as the "big" thing that Black Star has. Right now in terms of weapons I'm most partial towards the Thompson sisters. And in terms of technicians, I'm partial towards Maka.

Granted watching all of them in action in these first three episodes leaves me wondering how the heck they'll survive if/when things get more serious later. In any case with episode 3 ending the prologue and 4 being where things truly start. I'll be curious to see how the true flow of the series will be.

pi8you

04-28-2008, 03:28 AM

Hands down best part of the episode: 'I think the picture frame is slightly tilted...' :poof: Leaving the sisters to fend for themselves with much style.

I think I can safely say Death the Kid and the Thompson sisters will be my favorites throughout the show, the combination of personalities is perfect. Insanely curious about the person wearing the sleeveless hoodie in the OP though, so maybe its a little early to call.

Man, waiting on the uncut versions is painful... (I know, I know, but I just can't help myself)

Westlo

04-28-2008, 03:32 AM

Don't wait on the uncut versions because aside from the next episode previews there is no difference.

Suwako Moriya

04-28-2008, 09:14 AM

Don't wait on the uncut versions because aside from the next episode previews there is no difference.

Heh well that answers that question even before it's asked by me.

Andrew Cunningham

04-28-2008, 03:42 PM

And the series proper starts at last.
Black Star definitely comes off a lot better this episode.
It's definitely still warming up, though.

HitokiriShadow

04-28-2008, 05:12 PM

Well, that wraps up the prologue. Death the Kid isn't nearly as annoying as Black Star and his obsession with symmetry can be amusing, I just hope that aspect is toned down after this, otherwise it could easily be as annoying as Black Star or worse. The sisters were fun and I loved how they wielded each other and swapped out.

Death the Kid definitely has screwed up priorities. Patty and Liz are awesome. The switching scene was kind of cool to see. So far the only really weak one right now is Black Star. Although I have to admit the quirk about Symmetry that Death has could get as tiring as the "big" thing that Black Star has. Right now in terms of weapons I'm most partial towards the Thompson sisters. And in terms of technicians, I'm partial towards Maka.

Maka wins the technician department because A) she's a girl and B) she's the least annoying. Death the Kid has potential provided the symmetry aspect is toned down. Tsubaki wins the weapons department, but the sisters were fun as well. Soul Eater is okay, he's annoying like Black Star, but he's just kind of there.

something

04-28-2008, 06:20 PM

Episode 3:

- Hah, Death the Kid is... not what I expected, though I guess I should have after his little preview intro at the end of 2. Also, his gun girls = WIN.
- "Even your cup sizes are completely different!" Poor Liz :sd:
- ...Stupid R&B (or whatever) type background music is annoying me.
- Awesome. Patty and Liz should just ditch DtK because I love how they fight with each other. Sisters using each other to blow mummies away =D
- PATTY UNDERBOOB! YES!
- Kid is getting his ass kicked. He deserves it because he holds his guns like a retard.
- Haha wow, don't piss him off. So now all three teams have someone obsessed with an annoying catchphrase, but DtK's it at least slightly amusing, and thus the least annoying.

And there go all his souls... So yeah, now the show can start for real.

something

04-28-2008, 06:23 PM

Maka wins the technician department because A) she's a girl and B) she's the least annoying. Death the Kid has potential provided the symmetry aspect is toned down. Tsubaki wins the weapons department, but the sisters were fun as well. Soul Eater is okay, he's annoying like Black Star, but he's just kind of there.
For me, mixing them all together:

Thompson Sisters > Tsubaki > Maka > Death The Kid > ass cancer > Soul Eater > Black Star

HitokiriShadow

04-28-2008, 06:47 PM

Jumbo

04-28-2008, 09:02 PM

Don't wait on the uncut versions because aside from the next episode previews there is no difference.

Yeah, I've been pretty unimpressed with the Late Show. (Though the symmetry quiz was kinda funny.)

Though there was a whole scene missing from the manga that while not important by any means (complete fanservice) would make a nice omake or extra scene for the late show for ep. 4.

Don't have my fingers crossed or anything though. That would mean actually animating a whole scene, not recycling old footage.

Suwako Moriya

04-28-2008, 09:25 PM

Thompson Sisters > Tsubaki > Maka > Death The Kid > ass cancer > Soul Eater > Black Star

Interesting list, but certain biases of mine tempt me to swap Tsubaki and Maka, but other biases tempt me to keep it as is.

Critic Chris

04-28-2008, 09:59 PM

something

04-28-2008, 10:04 PM

I must admit to being a little surprised at the hostility thrown at some of these characters and their little quirks (specifically Soul, Black Star, and Death the Kid); that's why I've ended up liking them, to be honest.
I've seen too many shounen action series to be terribly amused with Soul Eater or Black Star at this point. Some cliches are great, some make me want to put a poker in my eye.

I like DtK, btw. In my list I was exaggerating for effect anyway, of course. We haven't seen enough Soul for me to truly dislike him that much, and he's a lot better than Black Star at the least. Black did some cool things in his episode two fight, but I'm betting that's going to be the exception, a short respite here and there from his annoying "big" obsession.

Also, please try not to use the "Post Reply" button when posting, it causes your post to strip out the subject line of the post you're replying to, and replaces it with the generic thread title. Just click "quote" instead.

Critic Chris

04-28-2008, 10:07 PM

Andrew Cunningham

04-28-2008, 10:17 PM

I must admit to being a little surprised at the hostility thrown at some of these characters and their little quirks (specifically Soul, Black Star, and Death the Kid); that's why I've ended up liking them, to be honest.

I think it's a combination of the jokes inherently not working as well in English (since cool no longer refers to a specific type, for example) and the show maybe taking them a bit too seriously. Having read the manga, I was a bit surprised by how clunkily broad some of the catch phrase stuff was early on. I'd forgotten it was ever there.

Leon_Belmont

04-28-2008, 11:29 PM

Andrew Cunningham

04-28-2008, 11:40 PM

Maybe that's why I'm finding the show not funny at all? They milk a quirk to no end and the humor style had no subtlety at all, or so I thought. But maybe I just don't get it? Either way I want to like this show. I like bones and I usually like even bad shonen. But I think for me at least it just kinda sucks. Well, I'll at least see where episode 4 takes it before dropping it.

All I can say is, stick with it, because the manga becomes really great - in my top five shonen books. (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, One Piece, Eyeshield 21, Kekkaishi, and Soul Eater.)

Aiia

04-29-2008, 01:31 AM

All I can say is, stick with it, because the manga becomes really great - in my top five shonen books. (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, One Piece, Eyeshield 21, Kekkaishi, and Soul Eater.)

This reminds me that you were pimping the Soul Eater manga in an old recommending thread I started once (asking for fun manga I think), and I was actually going to buy it after that. But when I flipped through the manga in the bookstore, I accidentally found a fanservice scene with the catwitch and decided to pass on it. Judging from the anime, I realise that I probably would have liked all the other stuff in the manga a lot if I had tried actually reading it, but at the time I was pretty fed up with fanservice.

So far, I personally like Soul Eater, Maka and Death the Kid a lot, and Black Star as well. It's the fanservice girls I find annoying. Or maybe its just the fanservice, actually. I think I would like the girls more without it. ;)

Andrew Cunningham

04-29-2008, 04:36 AM

So far, I personally like Soul Eater, Maka and Death the Kid a lot, and Black Star as well. It's the fanservice girls I find annoying. Or maybe its just the fanservice, actually. I think I would like the girls more without it. ;)

Yeah, the more blatant fanservice pretty much vanishes a couple of volumes in; he was never particularly good at it, and as the book matured, it didn't fit in very well.
The Thompson sisters remain the Thompson sisters, however.

ndm

04-29-2008, 04:45 AM

And the series proper starts at last.
Black Star definitely comes off a lot better this episode.
It's definitely still warming up, though.

Yeah, I thought Star came across a lot better this episode. He's still not as good as Maka or DtK in my opinion but I would no longer be surprised if anyone said they liked him best.

something

04-29-2008, 06:07 AM

the more blatant fanservice pretty much vanishes a couple of volumes in
DAMNIT.

Westlo

04-29-2008, 06:08 AM

He should win over a few people around the ep 11/12 mark but he's a lot more bearable when he's with the other characters. Death the Kid is my fav meister out of the 3, though I like a lot of the other characters better.. who you see in the OP. Episodes 5-7 of this should be awesome, hopefully the budget stays good for those episodes.

RZetlin

04-29-2008, 03:49 PM

I read the manga and I liked it a lot.

As for the anime, all the right ingredients are here: Good production quality, J-pop songs, big name sponsors.

Though I find that the chemistry needs work.

Some of the voice acting does not match how the characters would sound like. Shinigami-sama voice sounds similar to Kururu from Keroro Gunso.

Maka and Soul's relationship is dry as a rock. Soul's voice is too deep while Maka delivery of her lines is deadpan.

Blackstar is how I would imagine he would be - an annoying version of Naruto.

Death the Kid and the Thompson Sisters chemistry works well -- probably the most likable of the main characters.

The anime would benefit if filler episodes was done focusing on main characters to flesh them out more.

04-30-2008, 09:21 PM

a short respite here and there from his annoying "big" obsession.

This put a damper on my enjoyment of that episode as well. Andrew has said they drop this kind of talk fairly early in with the manga, so with some luck the same will apply to the anime.

pi8you

05-01-2008, 07:17 PM

Alright, no more waiting on the uncuts, those'll just be for the collection.

It kind of felt like they were stretching the comedy just a bit too far/long in the lecture hall and waiting in the graveyard, but all was forgiven as soon as the action kicked in.

Maka's VA seems to have improved, at least a little bit, so that was nice.

Suwako Moriya

05-02-2008, 08:22 PM

Andrew has said they drop this kind of talk fairly early in with the manga, so with some luck the same will apply to the anime.

I'm hoping the same thing because if they don't, I'd probably have to drop the series.... In any case in some ways while his quirk is best for comedic value, if you look at it from a more serious stand point Death the Kid may be the worst. Yes his quirk is/was the funniest, but at the same time his quirk caused him to literally abandon his allies... This thought came to mind after discussing the first three episodes with someone.

Westlo

05-02-2008, 08:48 PM

Episode 6 should show why Death The Kidd needs this quirk.. he's seriosuly imba compared to the other 2 teams atm

something

05-03-2008, 08:44 PM

Episode 4:

- Maka... CHOP!
- ::blinks:: Wasn't Sid just alive in episode three? =P
- Anyway, on to the fighting. Takes awhile to get going, but gets good. Maka is so awesome (even if her seiyuu still can't act). I love how she dodged the gravestone and then kicks him in the head.
- Although, just as they get really hardcore... oops :sd: Guess it's too early for them to be that cool. But damn I loved the huge scythe.
- And it's Black Star that gets to upstage everyone this time. It ends in goofy mode of course, but that was really damn cool. Just as I figured, Black Star will have moments of brilliance amid a sea of "Ehhhh..."

I'm glad to see the sweet fights earlier on weren't a fluke, but this is only ep 4, so... Still, surprised we're meeting Franken Stein already.

Andrew Cunningham

05-04-2008, 01:15 AM

Maka is so awesome (even if her seiyuu still can't act).

I was puzzled by this assertion on the first episode, but didn't love her performance enough to bother defending it.
But I have no idea how anyone can hear that little sob she put in her voice while she was slumped against the tree, pitched perfectly to make it funny instead of actually sad, and say she can't act.

something

05-04-2008, 02:18 AM

But I have no idea how anyone can hear that little sob she put in her voice while she was slumped against the tree, pitched perfectly to make it funny instead of actually sad, and say she can't act.
Anyone can nail one or two sounds here or there by sheer luck. And I don't remember anything particularly special about that scene, so I'm thinking I wouldn't agree with this anyway. Her seiyuu still sucks.

A lead character's voice should be something I look forward to heading every week. Maka's is one I have to actively make an effort to "tolerate", which is really, really disappointing.

Westlo

05-04-2008, 07:59 AM

I like Maka's voice, she just can't act.. though she showed improvements in 4 from 1. I doubt this will be an issue by the time we get to the 15 mark.

angelx03

05-04-2008, 09:48 AM

Man, I have to say that if this gets licensed (which WILL happen *looks at FUNimation*), whoever is going to do the voice of Maka will have a damn good advantage.

Jumbo

05-04-2008, 12:03 PM

Man, I have to say that if this gets licensed (which WILL happen *looks at FUNimation*), whoever is going to do the voice of Maka will have a damn good advantage.

To bad it will be done in English.

Sorry, it had to be said.

something

05-04-2008, 01:14 PM

To bad it will be done in English.
Sorry, it had to be said.
No it didn't.

Andrew Cunningham

05-05-2008, 03:20 PM

Yeah, that was pretty damn amazing. Definitely starting to ramp things up a bit.

05-06-2008, 11:16 AM

What I find so amazing is how the production values are holding up. I know this is their 10th anniversary project, but it's still amazing. There are animated movies that probably don't have as many frames as these tv episodes do.

HitokiriShadow

05-07-2008, 04:58 PM

Eh, screw waiting for the other group.

Episodes 4 and 5 were pretty good. Black Star is still kind of annoying, but its not nearly as bad, if only because he's no longer the focal point. Tsubaki continues to be my favorite, but Blair is quite amusing. Needs more of the sisters, who barely appeared in this batch.

Suwako Moriya

05-08-2008, 02:45 PM

I (too) have to admit Black Star wasn't as bad this episode, but probably because he wasn't the primary focus. That being said I have mixed feelings on the battle. On one hand it had some interesting moments to it. On the other hand it felt kind of well a bit on the boring side. Mostly because Zombie Sid didn't do much for me. Then again this is only episode 4 of 51.

Aiia

05-11-2008, 04:39 AM

I absolutely loved the 5th episode! Maka and Soul's teamwork was great to see, the new teacher with his chair had me in tears of laughter, and the fights was really dynamic and fun to watch. And I loved the scene where Soul protects Maka when she's down. Probably my favourite anime with a theme of fighting partners in an anime since Shaman King.

Andrew Cunningham

05-12-2008, 05:51 PM

Pretty missable.
The guns powering up with pretty nice, but hard to get fired up about a completely pointless fight.
The yaoi bait section was played too broadly to actually be very funny.
Black Star's voice is growing into the roll, and selling the parody a bit better than the intro episode; having him screaming so high up he was barely audible was a nice touch.

But looks like next week will be where shit really kicks into high gear.

Suwako Moriya

05-12-2008, 07:36 PM

The battle for this episode was a definite improvement over the last one. Although given how uber Stein seemed to be, I kept wondering how the heck they were going make it out of the scenario. And then the episode provides the answer I should have expected. In any case I'm still liking Maka the best right now.

something

05-13-2008, 07:33 PM

Episode 5:

- An OP can be good for a number of different reasons. One such way is that it instantly gets you in the mood for the show. I think Soul Eater's OP is definitely one of the better OPs in that respect. By the time the song and animation are done, I'm very much ready to go, and this time was no exception.
- Wahaha, I love their reactions to Stein's first (failed) introduction.
- Ah, rolly chair fighting style. Neat.
- Blair works at the cabaret!
- Huh, for some reason I assumed Maka's mom was just dead. But she's alive, and getting divorced from Maka's dad.
- ROCK OUT, MAKA!
- o_O Oh man, Stein is a crazy, awesome bastard. And Black Star just got fuuuuuucked. Wow.
- I thought DtK was going to be all badass and come in saving them, but here he is, incapacitated because he cant remember if he folded his toilet paper right :sd:
- And Patty is hilarious. All she can do is roll on the floor laughing.
- Yay for Witch hunter. Nice to see Maka fighting without her black coat thingie too.

And... it was all a setup. Heh. Well, I was wondering how Stein would be an enemy when there are clearly other more enemy-like enemies in the OP, and this would explain it.

Next ep looks like DtK tussles with the other four, and that should be pretty awesome. I do like the fights in this show, but I've noticed that we don't get enough in the way of sustained trading of blows. There's a quick burst of awesome, then a lot of waiting and talking and then another burst. I want to see a fight that just keeps up a real intensity for a relatively long time before taking a breather. Sort of like Maka's first fight in ep 1, but moooore.

Still, awesome anyway.

Jumbo

05-13-2008, 09:31 PM

This episode was worth it for the Friendship Gattai scene alone.

Though I agree on the yaoi scene being over played, one cut could have done much better than trying to repeat it for effect. That, and whenever Patty has a line, it usually comes off pretty incredible too.

Aiia

05-14-2008, 11:51 AM

The yaoi bait section was played too broadly to actually be very funny.

What? I laughed so much, and watched the scene all over again like 3 or 4 times. I guess you have to be a former fujoshi to fully appriciate the irony of the scene, clearly aimed at suckers like myself in the old days, trying to find BL in a shonen manga. I could possitively feel the author making fun of me. ;)

I actually liked the whole episode. It was nice to have a good laugh at the characters, after all the serious fights in the last 2 episodes. All I missed was Maka's dad.

Redcoffin

05-17-2008, 01:21 PM

Fantastic couple of eps, especially considering the utterly familiar and done-to-death nature of the monsters-n-graveyards setting. To me, this show proves that it is actually possible to elevate a story with nothing going for it into the realm of greatness on style alone. I can't remember the last time I thought that.

Andrew Cunningham

05-19-2008, 02:59 PM

Fuck yeah! Absolutely nailed Kurona. Amazing stuff.
And that cliffhanger! Damn!

Critic Chris

05-19-2008, 04:43 PM

Episode 4 rocked the house, if slightly less than the first three. It's cool that we're getting to see outside the school more, and this Franken Stein guy looks to be... interesting. And the animation is still awesome, even in the low-quality format that I'm watching it in.

Critic Chris

05-19-2008, 05:11 PM

Onto Episode 5:
-Yay, Blair's back! Love Deathscythe trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol.
-Stein is BADASS. Owning opponents using fists and a rolling chair is one of the most badass things I've seen all year.
-Nice little gag with the "guitar solo".
-DAMN. That had to freaking hurt, although I have a feeling Black Star ain't dead (this is a shounen after all).
-Nice little moment between Sid and Tsubaki.
-Liz and Patty are so awesome. Patty laughing her ass off at DTK's OCD is just adorable.
-Maka's VA is definitely getting better.
-Well, looks like everyone in this show seems to be both badass and goofy. I like it!

Critic Chris

05-19-2008, 09:09 PM

A little filler-ish, but still fun.
-Stein remains completely awesome, what with his obsession with dissecting things ("It's all we've done...") and the big screw in his head.
-Love Maka teasing poor Tsubaki about Black Star and Soul.
-The "break-up" admittedly did make me laugh, with its note-perfect parody value (pink pastels and sparkles EVERYWHERE).
-Somehow I knew DTK's fainting and coughing up blood had to do with the symmetry obsession, and I love the blinking arrows that point to stuff like his hair and other things during comedy scenes (weren't those in FMA at times and in Ouran?).

Bring on Episode 7!

pi8you

05-19-2008, 09:45 PM

Post-vacation combo post:

Ep. 5:
-Hooray for Chair-fu! and Science! Stein's definitely a winner
-Death the Kid will NEVER cease to amuse me, particularly not with Patty and Liz around.
-I hope Zombie-sensei shows up periodically, he's delightfully amoral now.

Ep. 6:
-More Science!
-Dammit with the scene changes, I want to see how Stein gets his chair up and down the stairs!
-Death the Kid - see above
-Totally saw the Gattai failure coming, but still loved it.
-Break Up/Make Up scene was completely awesome, poor, poor Tsubaki
-Big Badaboom!

General:
-Maka's VA keeps getting better, albeit slowly, maybe by the end of the series she'll be rocking it

Ashyukun

05-20-2008, 07:35 AM

I love the blinking arrows that point to stuff like his hair and other things during comedy scenes (weren't those in FMA at times and in Ouran?).
Haven't watched enough FMA to know there- but they were definitely used to good effect in Ouran (the first episode had a blinking arrow pointing to the Vase- through several different cuts/angle changes- before Haruhi knocked it over). It's little touches like the arrows and having Black Star so far away that you could barely hear him that bump up the humor factor quite nicely.

Aiia

05-20-2008, 02:04 PM

This was a really good episode, as always. I love how we finally get a reunion between Stein and Maka's father, and I loved how Stein pretended not to know about the divorce just to torment Death Scythe. And the new characters look really interesting. I knew it wouldn't be enough with just one really crazy character in this show...

Next weeks episode will be even better, judging from the preview.

Suwako Moriya

05-22-2008, 08:28 PM

The guns powering up with pretty nice, but hard to get fired up about a completely pointless fight.

Honestly all the fight did was mainly re-confirm things we already knew. Hopefully episode 7 will be more interesting.

something

05-23-2008, 10:19 PM

Episode 6:

- "We're three hours late already." Hilarious. The perfect way to end that scene.
- And again the OP does its job of getting me in the mood amazingly well.
- Black Star wants to partner with Soul instead? Oh god, DO IT! Then we get Maka x Tsubaki!
- Ooooh, this COULD be awesome. Assuming they have a serious fight and don't play it as a gag. Black Star and Soul vs Kid.
- GATTAI! ::slice:: Bwahahahahahaa. I also like the conversation Stein has with Maka about their souls.
- "Hey... can I shoot?" XD
- DEATH CANNON! Hell yes. DtK is awesome. His symmetry obsession will always be there to dampen his moments of badassery, but it can't completely erase them.
- I really like the scene between Soul and Maka after the fight ends. Soul may get annoying, but he's a hundred times better than Black Star, who I don't forsee ever maturing beyond his stupid taglines. It sure hasn't toned down much at all so far, which is pretty disappointing. Forever destined to be a gag character with occasional cool scenes but and little more, it seems. What a waste.
- And Maka can't see Shinigami-sama's soul. Hmm...

Because it envelopes the entire school like a globe O_O

On to ep 7!

something

05-23-2008, 10:53 PM

Episode 7:

- Hmmm, finally we meet dancing chick from the OP. Her personality (or what we see so far) isn't what I was expecting based on that. And I guess this explains Chrona/Kurona/Krona/whatever, also from the OP. He looks sort of almost-but-not-quite-final-boss-ish.
- Why does everything in this show have to have a goofy side? Even Kurona's super evil demon sword. That's going to be a liability later on.
- But for now, this ep is pretty awesome. Short but sweet series of moves from Maka to pin Kurona down and land a hit, but holy crap, his blood is the weapon. That's rather.... hardcore.
- Kurona is sure as hell a unique character. The way his eyes flit around and the way he holds himself when he's not in slaughter mode is great.
- Ahahaha oh god, those bastards. Fantastic cliffhanger.

That was the best fight of the series, easily. Partly because it had a sustained trading of blows without too much stopping to chat, and partly because both Kurona and Maka have such incredibly dyanmic fighting styles. So do want, and badly.

And oh shit oh shit, Stein fighting for real! Oh my god, need 8 NOW.

Fencedude

05-23-2008, 11:02 PM

Andrew Cunningham

05-23-2008, 11:06 PM

Fencedude

05-23-2008, 11:11 PM

The prevailing theory (in at least some circles) is that Chrona is in fact female. I think that that is somewhat akin to a river in Egypt, but it is debatable either way.

And the fact that Chrona wears a dress.
The manga has gone out of its way to avoid specifying a gender, even using words like "child" instead of "daughter".
Apparently, some fan translations went with "daughter" anyway, and have only helped add to the confusion.
English simply isn't cut out to handle gender neutral characters.

Very true.

Also, taking into account that Chrona is thoroughly mad, I guess you can't make much of their major hangup involving girls.

Not to mention its not really shonen anime without a trap, though whether Chrona's a trap or a reverse trap is the question.

...I don't think I really went anywhere with that did I?

Andrew Cunningham

05-23-2008, 11:28 PM

Aiia

05-24-2008, 04:07 AM

Not to mention its not really shonen anime without a trap, though whether Chrona's a trap or a reverse trap is the question.

I wouldn't mind if s/he was genderless, or perhaps a male soul in a female body or vice versa. It'd make things more interesting. And Chrona seems so batshit crazy, that I'm not even sure if the character having a specific gender would be of any value to the story. But many manga and anime seems to feel the need to put a final gender to characters like that.

JINROH

05-24-2008, 06:25 PM

Is this show in any way connected to SoulTaker ?

Fencedude

05-24-2008, 06:29 PM

Is this show in any way connected to SoulTaker ?

They're both anime.

Megadedhed

05-24-2008, 06:37 PM

I figure i might as well ask this, i got up to episode four on this show before dropping, is there a point where it stops being your generic shonen and actually becomes watchable?

Fencedude

05-24-2008, 06:40 PM

I figure i might as well ask this, i got up to episode four on this show before dropping, is there a point where it stops being your generic shonen and actually becomes watchable?

7 is fucking awesome, and 8 looks to be even better.

Zoe

05-24-2008, 06:56 PM

Megadedhed

05-24-2008, 06:58 PM

something

05-24-2008, 07:13 PM

yeah, It was the fourth episode, and a comment on another forum stating the rest of the show should the same as the fourth episode, which led to a drop.
For what it's worth, I've liked eps since that better, though I liked it from the start. If the fundamental atmosphere, style and premise of the show didn't click for you then I don't think it'll change THAT much, but if you were just iffy on where the story was going to go, give it a few more.

If you don't like it after episode 7, then yeah, go ahead and drop. But if you have any lingering attachment to any aspect of the series, and want to believe it gets better... just take the 70 or so minutes out of a day and watch 5-7. You might just fall in love with it, who knows? Ep 7 really was amazing (best so far, if you ask me), and as noted, 8 might be even better.

Zoe

05-24-2008, 07:14 PM

I figure i might as well ask this, i got up to episode four on this show before dropping, is there a point where it stops being your generic shonen and actually becomes watchable?

This probably won't influence your opinion, but it helps to understand that the first three episodes are character prologues and are not representative of the plot and the complete atmosphere of the rest of the series.

yeah, It was the fourth episode, and a comment on another forum stating the rest of the show should the same as the fourth episode, which led to a drop.

I wouldn't necessarily say things are the same as the fourth episode though. That + 5 and 6 are the REAL introduction episodes to the series and as such is equivalent to episode 1 for any other normal series. You get some of the mood in 4, but you won't get any of the plot until 7.

Jumbo

05-24-2008, 07:15 PM

Also, taking into account that Chrona is thoroughly mad, I guess you can't make much of their major hangup involving girls.

That line about not knowing how to talk to girls really doesn't count for anything, since Chrona says the exact same thing about everything s/he encounters. Men, doors, zombies, coffee makers...

...His/her shadow...

Yeah ep. 7 was great. Chrona was perfect and the choreography for the fights continues to impress. Things really are just starting to get crazy here but it always seems like there is something else to look forward to as well.

Two more weeks until Excalibur. Seems the staff is looking forward to this as much as I am.

Westlo

05-24-2008, 07:34 PM

I figure i might as well ask this, i got up to episode four on this show before dropping, is there a point where it stops being your generic shonen and actually becomes watchable?

This probably won't influence your opinion, but it helps to understand that the first three episodes are character prologues and are not representative of the plot and the complete atmosphere of the rest of the series.

yeah, It was the fourth episode, and a comment on another forum stating the rest of the show should the same as the fourth episode, which led to a drop.

Chapter 1 material is weak compared to later chapters. chapter 28 needs to be done by Yutaka Nakamura!

Zoe

05-24-2008, 07:59 PM

Two more weeks until Excalibur. Seems the staff is looking forward to this as much as I am.

I couldn't help screen-capping this (http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff319/ztsukino/vlcsnap-1463836.png). It's like they WANT to start a meme.

Critic Chris

05-26-2008, 09:46 AM

HOLY SHIT. That was freaking cool
-Krona is one freaky-ass character, and his/her fighting style is definitely unique.
-Stein and Deathscythe... "I heard [about the divorce]" DEATHSCYTHE JAW DROP!
-BASTARDS! That was an epic cliffhanger.
-Next episode: HOLY... STEIN GETS TO FIGHT? FOR REAL? KICK ASS

This show just keeps getting more awesome.

Andrew Cunningham

05-26-2008, 03:36 PM

Subdued and tense. Stein's fight not the exhilarating blast I expected, just efficient and brutal. "I've never met a man with a giant screw in his head before, I don't think I can handle it."

Aiia

05-27-2008, 06:32 AM

It was an interesting fight. It was fun to see Stein team up with Maka-papa, and I enjoyed how Death Scythe first was able to score some "reliable dad"-points after saving her and Soul, only to throw it out the window in the next scene... He really can't control himself, can he...

I was sort of hoping that Chrona would follow the rest back to the academy, but by the end of the episode I realized why that hadn't been possible storywise. Creepy! This episode also made me realise (a bit late...) why Soul has such a huge scar all over his chest in the opening.

HitokiriShadow

05-27-2008, 03:27 PM

From the OP and initial appearances, I had thougth Kurona was a girl. And apparently s/he might be. Regardless s/he is an entertaining character to watch as s/he is apparently not quite all there.

something

05-29-2008, 06:53 PM

Episode 8:

- Episode 7 was so awesome even the pre-OP recap was cool. Then OP. Now it beginssss.
- Well, it should have been obvious that Stein would fight using Maka's dad, but I guess I assumed he had something else after their falling out. But this should be awesome.
- I think we have a new most annoying character. Stand aside Black Star, Kurona's weapon makes you look downright fascinating. Argh. Kurona himself is awesome though.
- Stein's fighting style is pretty cool. This wasn't as good as the Kurona/Maka fight at the end of 7 though.
- ...Medusa is the school nurse? O_O Hahaha, wtf? So that's where Soul Protect comes in handy.

And she makes the most amusing faces.

I really want to see DtK vs Kurona now.

Edit: next ep has Kid and Black pairing up? Haha oh god, how's *that* gonna work?

HitokiriShadow

05-29-2008, 08:17 PM

Stein sure kicked some ass in this episode. But I must say, I'm not fond of Soul Eaters tendency to show things like that before the episode even starts.

Andrew Cunningham

06-02-2008, 08:53 PM

Excalibur. Not my favorite bit in the books either.
But the pre-credits teaser was fucking great.

something

06-02-2008, 11:04 PM

Episode 9:

- I rather liked the Soul/Maka stuff before and immediately after the OP. Soul spends so much time being goofy and sometimes outright annoying that it's always nice to see him interact with Maka in a serious way.
- And Maka-papa isn't doing too well with his "Be a dad!" quest :sd:
- Black Star and Kid, teaming up. And to get the sword even Stein couldn't pull from the rock! A sword they both pull out at the first attempt with no effort.
- ...A sword voiced by Koyasu Takehito :sd:
- Ah, some backstory on Raganarok, and Tsubaki's cleaning skills in action.
- Oh wow. Excalibur is, uh... BWAKA! XD It's simultaneously incredibly stupid and incredibly annoying. His utter disregard for the thoughts of the people he's talking to and his bizarre tangents are great.
- TSUBAKI IS HOT.

And yeah, wow. :sd: The sword of the hero, resonates with just about anyone... but it's so annoying nobody wants it :sd:

Since it's in the OP clearly it'll continue to play a role, though as a one off episode (for now) it was alright. I'm glad we got more serious stuff on the side about Soul and Ragnarok too though.

Next episode is a Black Star episode? Well the good part is that 1) when he's cool, he can be really cool and 2) MOAR TSUBAKI, but on the other hand... it's a Black Star episode. And he'll be cool for 30 seconds and then annoying the rest of the time. Still, he wasn't nearly as annoying in this episode as he usually is, partly because Kid got focus as well and partly because Excalibur didn't give him a chance to say much :sd:

Aiia

06-03-2008, 05:01 AM

Episode 9:

- And Maka-papa isn't doing too well with his "Be a dad!" quest :sd:

And yeah, wow. :sd: The sword of the hero, resonates with just about anyone... but it's so annoying nobody wants it :sd:

For being a filler episode, I actually thought it was pretty funny. I liked the unorthodox take on the classic story about Excalibur. And all scenes with Maka-papa and Maka (or rather, all scenes with Maka-papa!) have been really funny so far. That thing he did with his fingers in one scene had me almost in tears of laughter. What a complete failure! I also liked the interaction between Soul and Maka in the beginning of the episode. The way they care about and respect each other is really well portrayed.

Westlo

06-03-2008, 10:25 AM

Since it's in the OP clearly it'll continue to play a role, though as a one off episode (for now) it was alright. I'm glad we got more serious stuff on the side about Soul and Ragnarok too though.

Next episode is a Black Star episode? Well the good part is that 1) when he's cool, he can be really cool and 2) MOAR TSUBAKI, but on the other hand... it's a Black Star episode. And he'll be cool for 30 seconds and then annoying the rest of the time. Still, he wasn't nearly as annoying in this episode as he usually is, partly because Kid got focus as well and partly because Excalibur didn't give him a chance to say much :sd:

Next bunch of episodes are pretty good episodes for both Tsubaki and Black Star. Even though Black Star is stuck in his archetype he does improve as the manga goes on. As for Excalibur.. I'll just say this.. I'm amazed he's in the OP and Sid isn't.

Andrew Cunningham

06-09-2008, 07:48 PM

Yeah, this arc is turning out fantastic. Next week looks even more spectacular.
I forgot he went and gave Black Star depth. This episode ought to go a long way towards redeeming him.

Westlo

06-10-2008, 03:31 AM

Yeah, this arc is turning out fantastic. Next week looks even more spectacular.
I forgot he went and gave Black Star depth. This episode ought to go a long way towards redeeming him.

Yeah if you don't like Black Star after 10 & 11 you never will probably.

Critic Chris

06-10-2008, 09:12 AM

Well, I finally got around to Episode 8 (about to start Episode 9 as we speak), and damn. I think Stein may be my absolute favorite character. He's just such a total badass.
-Stein's fighting style with Deathscythe is like Maka and Soul's style times ten, and the dissection-happy professor's smackdown of Krona and Ragnarok is made of epic win.
-Comic relief near the end: I can't help it, Black Star makes me laugh. "Let the great smile of Black Star get your ass out of bed!" And next episode he gets to team up with his polar opposite, Death the Kid.
-PLOT TWIST! Medusa is the school nurse? Interesting...

Episode 9, here I come!

Critic Chris

06-10-2008, 10:40 AM

Well, that was pretty cool, although not as good as the one-two punch of Episodes 7 and 8.
-Love how "Excalibur" ends up being an annoying, inconsiderate jerk. The fairy showing up again at the end was fun: "Looks like you did..."
-Black Star had some nice chemistry with Kid, and I like their little "moment" at the end where they shake hands.
-Sigh... Poor, poor Deathscythe. The guy just can't catch a break.

Next episode looks pretty cool, and a change of scenery is always nice.

Aiia

06-11-2008, 04:01 AM

Yeah if you don't like Black Star after 10 & 11 you never will probably.

I liked him a lot before as well, but I liked him even better in this episode. It's finally starting to show why he and Tsubaki has paired up. For me, Tsubaki is one of my least favourite characters, but I liked the conversation the two of them had in the tree. It made her feel less submissive, and I hope that next episode will strengthen that even more (seemed so from the preview).

All in all, a good episode.

Westlo

06-11-2008, 04:22 AM

Yeah if you don't like Black Star after 10 & 11 you never will probably.

I liked him a lot before as well, but I liked him even better in this episode.

Yeah I was the same as you, liked him before and this episode just increased it.. as does the next chapter/episode.

something

06-11-2008, 07:04 PM

Episode 10:

- Oooh, a serious Tsubaki episode? This could be awesome, or it could fall prey to Black Star being stupid. I hope he holds the goofiness in check where necessary.
- Awesome, and he did just that. The conversation under the tree in the rain about the Star Clan was really quite good. Needs more of THAT Black Star, please. I really like the backstory they just set up for him.
- Now that's the kind of fighting I like to see. Exciting and sustained, with Black Star showing his best face throughout most of it.

But oh hell yes. 11 cannot possibly come fast enough. Tsubaki going solo? Oh my god yes, please. This is going to be utterly epic (preview just reinforces that feeling), though I hope she's able to finish it off herself and doesn't need to be saved by Black Star or whatever.

<3 Tsubaki! I kept hoping for more of her, and this is a damn good way to do it.

WANT 11 NOW!

HitokiriShadow

06-11-2008, 08:25 PM

I was a little worried that Black Star would ruin an otherwise great Tsubaki episode, but he was actually pretty good for the most part. And he got bloodied up good.

The relationship between Tsubaki and the Murasame was exactly what I expected. But next episode should kick so much ass.

Fencedude

06-14-2008, 11:22 PM

The relationship between Tsubaki and the Murasame was exactly what I expected. But next episode should kick so much ass.

Judging from the preview they are pulling out all the stops for the fight in 11, which makes sense, 10 was just a prelude for what should be the main event.

Also damn, Black Star's pretty cool when he's not being an idiot.

Andrew Cunningham

06-16-2008, 04:12 PM

That was definitely some violent stuff.
The big finish was hella impressive looking.

Fencedude

06-18-2008, 09:58 AM

That was definitely some violent stuff.
The big finish was hella impressive looking.

Wow, that was epic.

Great animation on the fight, good backstory on Tsubaki, and while Black Star is, fundamentally, very annoying, its pretty apparent now WHY he's that way, and that he can, when necessary, be god damn awesome.

something

06-18-2008, 05:49 PM

Episode 11:

- +1 to Black Star. Sitting there taking the beating, bleeding all over, and just smiling and trusting in Tsubaki... fuck yeah. He's doing an incredible job making up for his stupid moments. I fear we'll get an avalanche of pent-up goofiness when this is all finished, but for now I'm so, so very enjoying these two.
- ...First half over. Tsubaki is taking a brutal beating... and then gets impaled through the chest. Goddamn.
- ...Episode over. Damn that was good. It wasn't the Tsubaki ass kicking extravaganza I had expected, but they instead went for a (mostly) subdued, mental battle, with well timed flashbacks and a great visual style and it worked really damn well. And the final burst of action was just animated so damn well.

They also avoided excessive goofiness at the end, and I loved when everyone greeted them at Shinigami's mirror. "Okaerinasai!" Hell yes.

Soul Eater has really amazing potential to dip into, and we're definitely seeing what it's capable of lately. Keep this up for ~51 episodes and I will be very pleased.

Aiia

06-19-2008, 11:46 AM

- ...Episode over. Damn that was good. It wasn't the Tsubaki ass kicking extravaganza I had expected, but they instead went for a (mostly) subdued, mental battle, with well timed flashbacks and a great visual style and it worked really damn well.

I really liked this episode as well. You guys can count me in with the Tsubaki fans now (I thought she was rather bland before this). While there was not a terrible lot of sword swinging on her point, she really showed where her real strength lies. Very impressive! I also thought that it was fun that she's now stronger than Black Star can handle yet. She probably was the stronger one before as well though. ;)

Redcoffin

06-20-2008, 01:34 PM

Fantastic graphics as usual and OMG, they took the two blandest characters in the show so far & made them epic. But I notices we didn't get to see Tsubaki actually eating Masamune's soul. Apparently there are still some things that are considered too uhm, personal to be shown... I almost can't believe a shonen screamer is on the point of becoming the show of the season for me.

Jumbo

06-24-2008, 11:04 AM

Casting Ohtsuka Houchu for the Oni was brilliant.

Medusa finally gets a chance to really shine as a villain here too.

Andrew Cunningham

06-25-2008, 03:55 AM

Casting Ohtsuka Houchu for the Oni was brilliant.

Medusa finally gets a chance to really shine as a villain here too.

Dude whose name I forget - shows up at the very end here - has a really awesome voice that should sell him.
Great episode, despite actually not having a real fight - definitely has become the series I know and love.