Ladies and Gentlemen, it's my misfortune to be the bearer of bad news. The final installment of Soul Eater is upon us. I know what you're thinking. "But the show's great. Why is that bad?" My answer is quite simple really; since the show is so damn good I didn't want it to end, even though I knew it had to. Silly, I know, but that's my logic and I'm sticking with it.
Soul Eater, Part Four is set to release on July 27th and it contains the final two discs in the series. This collection contains episodes 40 through 51, just in case you were wondering.
Soul Eater takes place in an alternate reality where Death runs his own school called the "Death Weapon Meister Academy". Here he and other monster types train humans to work in pairs in order to collect souls. One person is a Death Meister who wields a powerful weapon, while the other actually turns into the weapon. Together they make a formidable team, but their mission is to transform the weapon into a Death Scythe which only happens when they collect 99 regular souls and then the soul of a witch. Right out of the gate the show sets up the premise and goal for the characters which is definitely a good thing. Thankfully the personality of the cast, and outlandish brand of humor, come together to complete the package.
The show more or less focuses primarily on the duo of meister Maka Albarn and her partner, Soul Eater. They are the students who see the most action and are quite interesting to watch due to their dynamism and chemistry. Other meisters are featured in the anime, though to a slightly lesser extent. Death the Kid works with a pair of twin guns named Liz and Patty, and a goofball ninja named Black Star (who would really give Naruto a run for his money) teams up with Tsubiki to get the job done. In addition to these characters there are plenty of others from recurring villains to a cat-witch who endears herself to Maka and Soul.
Last time around there was some stuff involving Medusa and her kid, Crona. Asura began revving things up a bit, and a witch named Arachne was introduced as well. The third collection kept things episodic, as the rest of the series had, but there was a definite feeling that events were leading up to the conclusion.
This entire volume is essentially one big finale. The schoolmates gather to take on Arachne's forces, Arachnophobia, in the beginning, and there's quite a bit to do with Medusa and Crona once again. These episodes set things up with Asura quite nicely and give all the main (and secondary) characters a chance to shine. The real highlights of this volume come in the latter portions as the show really heads into its final run.
Beginning in episode 48, the scythe really hits the fan as Asura and Lord Death duke it out. This battle eventually spills over as other characters such as Maka, Soul, and Kid get involved. With four episodes focusing on just this one battle, it should go without saying that it's exhausting in a good way. The action in this show has always had a nice intensity, and if you've seen it then I'm sure you can more or less guess how a four episode long stint of action would be. It's downright awesome.
The show also ends on an appropriate note and as the dust settles it feels like things were wrapped up nicely. There are a couple questions left unanswered, but ultimately this was a satisfying conclusion to what should be considered one of the best shows of the season. If you haven't picked this show up yet, then you've missed out. If you've been collecting it then look forward to the 27th, because you'll want to marathon watch the whole thing once you pop in the first disc!
Soul Eater is presented on DVD with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio that has been enhanced for anamorphic playback. One of the first things you'll notice when watching this show is that it's probably one of the most vibrant and dynamic series to come along in quite some time. Everything pops here and it draws you in with the marvelous palette that was employed. The designs in the show are unique and all around the animation is very good. Equally good is the audio package which features Japanese 2.0 stereo and English 5.1 surround. Both dubbing casts do a phenomenal job here and quite frankly I didn't have a favorite out of the two. Technically speaking the English track stands out with more use of the soundstage and nice implementation of the rear channels. The bonus features here include trailers, clean animations, another episode of the "Soul Eater Late Show", and an audio commentary for the 44th episode.
Soul Eater is a must buy. The series is awesome from the first episode to the last and it never once lets up on its fantastic sense of style, attitude, and humor. I had a great time with this show and it's one that I'll be returning to again and again in the future for sure!
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