Soul Eater

Posted by in Anime Video Reviews | | 47 comments

A wonderful little Shonen title, but can it stand up on its own weight? No, at least not literally anyways.

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  • Xane

    Ark, you just got 10 times more awesome in my book!
    Seems like I should wait for a buy then.
    Awesome review Ark, best suprise this month.
    Now Im gonna go listen to the opening again. :D

  • ragozepi

    This is your best review so far. i think i’m interested now. only problem, Youtube and there main site only have 4 dubbed. i prefer to watch action shows dubbed because of the well… action.

  • GENSHIFOX

    Actually the best opening of all time is Hokuto no Ken, but yeah Evangelion opening is better than Soul Eater. Bring it on Ark! BRING IT ON!!!

  • jalford

    Check out the South Park edition of the Soul Eater opening!

  • Raze667

    this is odd, but the artstyle/world design makes me think of D.Gray-man. Nice review by the way Ark. I miss the hat though.

  • freaknr1

    Excelent review, Ark.:-)
    In my humble opinion, Soul Eater is,together with Fullmetal Alchemist and Claymore, the most fun shonen manga today. (Funny how all these 3 also have anime-adaptations that derail from the manga-story to various degrees.) SE is like Naruto before it began to suck or Bleach before it became boring, only better. I really think Black Star is meant to be a parody of Naruto (and maybe a bit of Kamina too), which just makes it funnier when he fails. I agree that his english voice sounded way to girly in the first few episodes, but by episode 13 I had completly forgotten about it.:-)
    I do wish you would have had some mention of Stein or Chrona in your video, since they are my favourite characters, but seeing how much work you already put in this, asking for more would just be ungreatful. I do have to say though that I think Chrona’s english voice does a good job at adding to the gender-confusion surrinding him/her, even if the anime seems to decide that he/she’s a boy. And I love how Ragnarok tortures her in the dub. Maybe I’ve just been watching bad subs, but I think the dub is more creative when it comes to that. “I think you should shut up and give me your money!”XD

  • http://www.youtube.com/MCBigman Michael Flinn

    Looks solid. BTW, Majora moon is WAY creepier.

  • http://blogs.myspace.com/hypnofun685 HypnoFun

    I’d say the Evangelion opening is awesome… except that it goes on and on about the main character being awesome and great. Yea, no.

    Catchy? Yes. Fun to listen to? Yes. Awesome? No, it’s the exact OPPOSITE of the show it’s for.
    Give me FMA: Brotherhood’s first OP any day.

  • OtakuGamer

    3:00- Ginyu Force??? Haha. Great review as always Ark. I’ve heard of this but never exactly knew how good it was. Thanks for setting me straight. Great review.

  • SpacemanHardy

    Spice and Wolf? On the peak of greatness?!

    Haha. HAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

    ……….no. -_-*

    Pretty good review though, but I personally would suggest Netflix-ing the DVDs instead of streaming the series, so you can watch the whole thing in English. Once you get used to Black*Star’s voice actress (and she does get better over the course of the first volume), you realize that the dub is actually pretty good. Plus from what I understand, Chris Patton is supposed to be voicing the main villain in the series later on, and anything Chris Patton touches is instantly full of win and awesome. Yes, even Graham (what, wanna fight about it?!?! >_<).

    One more thing, Arkada… The audio goes out of sync with the video about halfway through. Just to let you know.

  • Muffe

    Blackstar annoying…he fades in comparison to EXCALIBUR >_<
    seriously i think i began showing a similar expression everyone shows after being around him for 30 sec

    but overall great anime which had an end which again surprised me since the manga isn't even close to ending but ill give it credit for NOT going shonen mainstream and make entire filler Arcs (yes Naruto and Bleach im looking at you two)

  • Xane

    I honestly can’t wait to see Chris’s performance as Ashura. I’d buy it right now just for that. ^_^

  • http://devilangel11795.deviantart.com/ devilangel11795

    i just started watching it on funi’s website and i do love it i thought soul eater voice was johnny yong bosch but hes a newcomer O.o and he has the best voice in the show! black stars voice does not fit she doesnt give a bad performance but black star is not a chick and she cant sound like a boy. great review! ill be waiting for the price tag to go down way down :D

  • Dorcas_Aurelia

    $60 for 13 episodes? Remember when the primary method of purchasing anime was $30 for 3 or 4 episode singles? This is like half of that. Quit your whining.

  • MrFitz

    I was a fan of Soul Eater well before Funi got the rights to it so I think that automatically constitutes some bias on my part, but I really wasn’t a fan of many of the casting choices. Most of them are decent but certain ones make me want to gnaw my ears off. I remember back when Funi was teasing the fans by weekly revealing cast members and even then I was skeptical. But when I first heard a dub clip of Black Star I really thought it was a joke. Just because a woman plays him well in Japanese does not mean a woman has to play him in English…well at least not the woman they chose.

  • nagato316

    Totally in agreement with ragozepi–this _is_ your best review yet. Certainly your funniest…I was LOL-ing throughout, especially as you pretended to mix up shonen conventions from other series with those found in Soul Eater.(“collecting crystal shards…I mean Clow Cards…I mean kishin eggs…”)

    Re: your observation concerning Inuyasha’s “end”…sounds like you’re referring to the original abrupt “ending”…I’m sure you’re aware that they’re actually, _finally_ bringing the series to a proper end, right?

    On the similarity between the moon of Death City and that of Majora’s Mask…notice it? Heck, I pointed this out to JO on the comments for her Let’s Play: Majora’s Mask vid a couple months ago!

    Finally, show of hands…how many Soul Calibur 4 owners have “created” Maka? I still don’t get tired of her first battle scene from ep 1…just like you said Ark, _that’s_ how one goes forth and pwns with a scythe…damn, Studio Bones makes everything they touch look suh-weet!

  • Arkada

    @GENSHIFOX: …………….. Ok I honest can’t say which is better between those two. You may have won the battle this time BUT I WILL WIN THE WAR!

    @SpacemanHardy: A man is entitled to his own opinion. And thanks, putting the fix up ASAP

    @Dorcas_Aurelia: This is why I said to “wait”

    @nagato316: Not to be rude but NOOOOOoooo, Yes I know Inuyasha is getting a season to fix the ending, but its no different then the “Fix” to Evangelion. The ending still sucks. Also you need to read the credits more, I actually put info there that I didn’t in the review sometimes.

  • Rin

    hehe. Soul Eater. I watched one episode of it.. Said I would watch it later… and then didn’t XD.
    you’re amazing and your review was awesome.
    Of course!

  • Bigred2989

    FYI Black Star was voiced by a woman in the dub too so I guess they were trying to keep the tradition going.

  • ghazzter

    lol you’ve got to love Canadian Best Buys. They screw up all the time with their products.

  • ImTheMoon

    My friend was telling me just last week about the poor dub of this anime, specifically Blackstar. I can understand wanting to give the character youthful exuberance but come on he’s very much a guy and shouldn’t be voiced by a girl, it sounds like his balls haven’t dropped.

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/ChosenOfKagami ChosenOfKagami

    I almost mistook Soul for Bosch the 1st time I watched the preview too…
    I really dislike Black Star’s English voice though. He probably would’ve been better off sounding like Naruto who’s a little less girly sounding at least…
    Awesome anime (better manga) and awesome review. ♥
    Though, I had to twitch a little at your “EXCALIBUR” bit at the end… ugh… >.>

  • SpacemanHardy

    I keep reading all this hate about Black*Star’s voice and to be honest…

    I DO think Britney Karbowski was mis-cast. If they were insistent on using a woman for the dub, there are other actresses who can voice little boys a lot better then she can. That having been said, however, I do think that she does a great job with what she’s given. It’s not really her fault for the bad casting, it’s the director’s. I think as an actress that she does just fine.

    After all, if you think about it, Black*Star IS the youngest of the main characters, so it kinda makes sense that he’d sound like a little boy. Frankly, while I like Micah Solusod’s voice, I personally think he makes Soul sound a bit too OLD, to be honest.

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/JourneyTraveler NoahClue

    This is definitely one of your strongest reviews to date. The presentation is professional, your overview has me convinced to check it out (YT of course), and the crazed energy just got funnier as the video progressed. It’s always great to have both scheduled and quality entries to look forward to.

    But, in my mind, what earns you serious brownie points is the nod towards lesser known VA’s. I keep hearing how competative the world of voice acting is in every market, and how hesitant anyone is to hire unless your name is Wendee Lee or Morgan Freeman. There is a literal gold mine of untapped talent just trying to break in, all going ignored at the expense of name recognition. Is that anyway to run a progressive business? No, it is not.

    Needless to say, I gladly give you a Bravo on staying so frosty in the world of internet reviewers. Your talent and opinion is greatly appreciated.

  • Bloodmuffin

    Ya though is sort FMA all over agian because like FMA the manga did not has not stopped so there maybe another series after certian peroid

  • Phsychotica

    To be perfectly fair, Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist, and those other shows are all still going, manga wise. Anime-wise, yeah, but look at what’s getting a reboot.

    And Noah, welcome to the wonderful world of Acting. It’s not they don’t think people are talented, they’re worried about what the fans will say. “Well, if we put this guy here, we’ll make so much because people recognize the name…” that sort of thing. Their goal isn’t to make actors happy, it’s to make money. That’s just the way life is, really.

    Progressive? No. Economically sound? Yes.

  • Ivee

    I hear ya, buddy. Funimation is whack with it’s prices. Re-DICK-ulous. anywho, i know that you loved Baccano. Did you know that the same creators have made another pretty little thing? It’s called Durarara!!. Instead of 1930′s mafia they introduce Japan’s gangsters in the modern day. It’s got quite the cast of characters. Although it’s not completed, I believe it’s worth it to wait for it weekly. Just a heads up that something truly special will be coming out soon.

  • Fiendly

    i thought Black Star’s dubbed “YAHOO” was almost identical to his original. both are infuriatingly awful IMO. Soul Eater’s an awesome show, though. aside from the fact that the irritating main characters (Black Star and Death the Kid) are immeasurably stronger than the awesome main characters (one of whom is the freaking title character) and are used significantly more, the show borders on being a flawless work of entertainment, if not art. also, i hate Excalibur.

  • http://blogs.myspace.com/hypnofun685 HypnoFun

    Following the “FMA manga going on forever” thing… yea… anyone else who reads that manga go “Well… that’s one way to take an entire manga of build up and going ‘fuck it’”? We FINALLY found out what the big bad guy’s plan was all along, and I will not say for people who only read the manga as it gets here or are only watching Brotherhood, because saying anything more is spoilerific, but yea. I’d say it’s a let down, but not an epic let down.

  • Teh Jrn

    It’s nice to know that you and me are in the same frame on mind when it comes to Soul Eater. It’s really cool, everything you had to say about it echoed my feelings about it exactly. A couple of people in the comments have already brought up the manga and said it was better. I can only speak based off the first volume on the manga, but I think the anime is better. My observation was that the manga lost some the edge and intelligence in the first volume that the anime had. It could very well get better later, but I thought the manga felt more juvenile.

  • Xane

    To be honest, I’ve been reading the manga since the anime ended, and I still think the anime is superior.

  • nagato316

    @Arkada…thanks for responding…but to clarify, I did watch through to the end credits of this vid. I guess I should have phrased my response to the “Death City moon = Majora’s Mask moon” observation less clumsily. When I said “notice it?”, I wasn’t actually posing the question to you, as you clearly did and said as much…I was trying to agree that yes I noticed it also. I was trying to be concise and emphatic in saying so…guess I was too concise. Sorry for the confusion…

    *looks for ‘edit comment’ button to rephrase said comment to …did I notice it? Did I ever! In fact…*

  • nagato316

    @Ark…BTW thanks also for the warning about the Inuyasha “proper” ending…didn’t hear any opinions one way or the other on it after it was initially announced…

  • http://www.aniviewreviews.com lyzl

    Good review. I enjoyed soul eater, but found many of the same problems you did. It was hard to tell exactly how much you did enjoy the series though, because you said a lot of bad things about it, yet seemed to enjoy it. Maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention?

  • Arkada

    @ghazzter: Indeed!

    @NoahClue: Why, thank you very much! It’s very appreciated ^-^

    @nagato316: Nah it’s ok sometimes text is a little harder to understand then talking, so its easy to get people confused. No problem ^-^

    @Lyzl: I do that. Epically with shows I like, its so much easier to say what’s wrong with a show then to say what’s right about it. Nothing is perfect so even when I like something I try to say what’s wrong with it. Hope that helps.

  • WiseOtaku

    This is definently Ark’s best review yet. I agree with him on every single point made in this review. I think Funimation knew that people would eat Soul Eater up, so they didn’t even try making the dub and product the best it could be because they wouldn’t have to. Now I going to watch the opening again for the hundreth time. Nothing beats Soul Eater’s opening.

  • MagiFox

    I actually really like Micah Solusod as Soul so far. And believe me, when I was a my local con (Otakuthon) last year, I felt really bad for Johnny Young Bosh (he was one of the guests) being asked countless times by fans about being cast in Soul Eater. Laura Bailey as Maka does a really good job too. I’d love to see a clip of Chrona and Medusa dubbed, but that will wait for a little while until Funimation posts more English episodes for streaming on their site.

    But overall, nice review! Best one so far, I think, as you’ve really made it very professional with your awesome editing and examples. And I agree about Funimation’s crappy advertisements. I bought FMA Season 1, Part 1 two years ago for $50 on impulse, watched it twice and then I sold it at a con last year for around $30 when I found out about the full season box sets. I can wait for Soul Eater to be released as full season boxsets. They’ll get them out eventually.

  • JZ42

    Loved this show so far, can’t wait for the next release. Good review, and blackstar’s voice really does hurt to listen to in the beginning.

    When I saw the price though I flipped out originally and was ready to watch illegally until the price dropped. Fortunately, even funimation must have realized they overdid it because the amazon price dropped to 38$. And only 26$ if you can sacrifice having the box.
    I swear I listened to that opening 10 times in the first few hours after I saw it lol.

  • Krinku

    Technically this is still on-going as a manga…but this is anime so meh

  • TokuAniGuy

    do you have a problem saying “Inuyasha” right or something? I won’t think of you any less for it. aslo, why has nobody here reviewed Eureka Seven? the show is AMAZING… once you look past the science and politics

  • The Keeper

    I don’t have a full opinion of this anime yet, but I dig it’s style. It’s like if punk were an anime.

  • Loraluna

    “Thank you Best Buy, and your mislabeling of products!” :)

  • An1m3L0v3r

    Little tidbit, the guy who voiced Death the Kid also voiced, guess who? RAKI FROM CLAYMORE

  • AkiAmeko

    Ah, thank you for this review, Ark! And I agree with like…EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT IT LIEK WOA IT’S AS IF THE REVIEW WERE COMING FROM ME. 0_o;;

    After showing my bro this AWESOME AMV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV7AzNYh5bo&playnext_from=TL&videos=Sk9DByOBfsY he consented to give the show a shot. He loved the action and the creepy things seen in the video, but when we started in on the anime he was a little frustrated by some of the more annoying traits, like Black*Star and Death the Kid. Also, he had a hard time suspending disbelief for the “WTF WHY IS THIS THAT WAY??” moments in the series. Things like: Why are they collecting souls? How come Lord Death is so goofy? Why do the sun and moon grin at you? Things like that never really bothered me until he pointed them out. I suppose I’m more open to anime that’s a little less believable. *shrug*

    YOU WILL DIE FOR YOUR INSISTENCE OF EXPOSING US TO EXCALIBUR.

    Speaking of which, my bro HATES Black*Star but finds Excalibur HILARIOUS. XD

  • Austinembrey98

    Did you have to be so god damn dramatic and trying to be funny?

    But I do agree with you in many points such as Black stars voice, It was so…god damn… ANNOYING!
    But the voice actor did get better or more into it as time rolled on.

    • Animallover

      Its not that the character got better, its that you started to get used to it. honestly i think all their voices are fine because i first watch the show dubbed. When watch a show dubbed first (I’ve done that like a million time), both the Japanese and English versions sound decent. There voices usually match their personalities. In Japan, they have waaay different speech patterns compared to America. I’ve been able to realize that over the years.

  • Njrk

    putting aside black stars voice this show was so funny and so good ushra was freakin epic