So recently I’ve been diving back into my catalogue of shows from when I was younger, and honestly one show that stuck out to me, and that I’ve been racking my brain on how to cover is Soul Eater, now those of you who know me may have heard my love for this show whenever anime discussions arise.
Why does a show that came out in 2008 still impact my fandom so heavily, and keep me coming back to it time and time again, is it blind nostalgia, or is Soul Eater as good as I remember?
Well lets begin where every episode begins, the openings, and oh boy does Soul Eater kick off with some force, Resonance by T.M Revolution is an absolute amped up fireball of a track delivered with emotion and drive, held up by hard rock guitar riffs which accompany the visuals perfectly, there’s a reason why it stays comfortably in any pump up or workout playlist I create even a decade after I first heard it, and that’s only the first opening for the show, Papermoon is another gem in its own right.
Next, the animation, has a very modern style with creative touches, nothing unusual for Studio Bones director Takuya Igarashi who also lent creative stylings to Fullmetal Alchemist prior to his work on Soul Eater and Bungo Stray Dogs later down the line as well.
This was the first Bones project I remember seeing and I was blown away to find out the show had aired in the late 2000’s and not the 2010’s.
Of course, given the show aired around that time you can see hints of that era sewn throughout the story and animation, pickup basketball, skateboarding and other a distinct punk edge permeates Soul Eaters world, and honestly despite that I believe it holds up and doesn’t feel overly jarring or out of place.
With all that established we can move on to the meat of the show, the main subject, the story and lore, and boy it doesn’t disappoint, but that doesn’t make it perfect.
Soul Eater is one of those shows that I felt never got given full reign of what it could do and I believe that would have benefited from even a few more episodes possibly rounding the show to an even 60 episodes could have helped to make the show feel a little more fluid and less compressed, that being said I was fully hooked for the full 51 episode run, even if it did feel a little claustrophobic and flawed at times.
The characters are fun, enjoyable and the villains especially are detestable while also having more nuance than what appears to be apparent at first glance.
The world feels like it has more live and stories to tell then what the show gave to it but that’s not to knock thew Anime, it just means I want more, and I know I’m not the only one in the fanbase who thinks that.
I swear in a perfect world I would wake up tomorrow with announcements hitting my phone for new Soul Eater following the original crew I would be ecstatic and waiting eagerly for the season to hit streaming.
So overall do I think Soul Eater holds up to modern taste and should be given a look by any awakening anime fan?
Yes, this show, is a joy to watch even all these years later, so if you’ve been hesitant to watch it, don’t be, let the world draw you in, ignore some of the flaws, and just settle in for a fun romp through a world with enjoyable characters ominous threats and fun world building that could keep you coming back for repeat viewings.
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