Luke's Anime Reviews #1: Soul Eater NOT!

Prequels are an interesting case in any medium. Usually, they're released after an original series has had success. Sometimes they're focused on the same characters before the events of the main story, or the leads are completely different characters. Things like The Kill Order by James Dashner, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, or The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare (with more stuff from her on the way, much to everyone's joy and anger) are examples in the book world, and Fate/Zero sticks out as a primary example in anime. They seem to only attract people who have read the stuff that came before it, which seems strange to me. Wouldn't some people prefer to go into the work that takes place before the main book or series starts?

Soul Eater NOT! is another one of those special cases. First published as a spin-off to Soul Eater in January 2011, the series took place prior to the events in the first series and with different characters as the leads. The minute I saw the manga at Barnes & Noble, I knew it would eventually be adapted into an anime series, and when the announcement arrived, I wasn't surprised in the slightest. I managed to watch a couple of episodes as it was airing in the spring of 2014, but I wasn't able to finish the series until as of recently, when I got the chipboard box set for my birthday.

For some reason, people love to hate on this series, mostly because of its animation and because it's the complete opposite of Soul Eater in pretty much every aspect. I've only been able to watch 25 episodes of the original series in the past 3 years, which is really unfortunate (I mean, I got the series for Christmas 2 years ago, you would think that I would be caught up now). Alas, I still wanted to experience Soul Eater NOT!, and I knew I would be in for a fun ride.

So what happened? Did Soul Eater NOT! turn out to be fun? Or was it disappointing?

The results are in! Soul Eater NOT! was definitely worth the watch, especially for those who have watched Soul Eater and want a little more background on how the world works. It was cute, funny, dramatic at points, but above all, it was a well-rounded and adorable show.

Before I talk about the story for this show, let me start by saying that those expecting another Soul Eater will be disappointed. The title Soul Eater NOT! is literal in the sense that it's everything Soul Eater wasn't. Where Soul Eater was darker and full of action, Soul Eater NOT! explodes in pastels and is much more focused on the daily lives of our protagonists than battles. Of course, action scenes do show up later in the anime, but most of the show is focused on the girls and how they behave in different situations. Soul Eater fans shouldn't lose too much heart, though, as characters from Soul Eater do make cameos, and some who weren't given as much focus in the original are more prominent characters here, which is great.

Even the art style is different. Whereas Soul Eater had a more simplistic style to everything, including the use of blocky eyes and bleaker colors, Soul Eater NOT! is much different. Everything is just more vibrant and detailed, including the characters' hair and expressions. Take these two Maka pictures, for example.

Maka in Soul Eater

Maka in Soul Eater NOT!

While the stylistic quality of Atsuhi Okubo (the original author) remains clearly evident in both, the designs are much different. Given the variety in content between the shows, it makes sense, but there's also a different director and animation staff behind both shows, even if both productions are animated by Bones. Keep in mind that the shows were done about 5 years apart, so it only makes sense that there would be some change experienced.

I'll bring up the animation again in a little bit. For now, let's talk about the main story. Our main protagonist is Tsugumi Harudori, a 14 year old who discovers one day that she's able to transform into a weapon. This causes her to be transferred to the Death Weapon Meisters Academy, or DWMA for short, in the middle of the sweltering Nevada desert. Unlike the skilled meisters and weapons that we've seen in Soul Eater, Tsugumi has no intention of battling against witches and just wants to control her powers. As a result of this, she is put into the NOT class, short for Normally Overcome Target. During orientation, she meets two fellow first year meisters: Meme Tatane, the overly ditzy and forgetful girl who of course has the biggest chest out of the main three, and Anya Hepburn, the cold and haughty princess (literally) who mostly just does this.

After a hectic first day, the girls become friends (Anya begrudgingly) and start their lives as DWMA students. They learn the ins and outs of being meisters and weapons while juggling a part-time job, weird roommates in the dorm, and the ongoing turmoils of female friendship. Along the way, a plot arises from the shadows that involves the handiwork of a witch, and as the girls eventually become involved, they decide to do something about it. The only problem is: will people let them? Or will the girls have to fight for themselves?

As you can see, the story is very different from its sequel. While Soul Eater was action-packed and focused on defeating villains, Soul Eater NOT! has a more realistic conflict: adolescence and the change that comes with growing up. Tsugumi must become accustomed to her new abilities as a weapon, she and her friends must learn about weapons and meisters and work hard, but she also must make a choice on who will eventually wield her: Anya or Meme. Compared to the exciting episodes that Soul Eater had, this may come across as boring to some people, but I didn't mind it. Sometimes, simplicity is all a story needs to make it special, and even though small conflicts like dealing with two crabby waitresses (hint: two characters from the first series) or how to get more money to get food will have people rolling their eyes, it really brings the girls closer together, making them even more adorable and adding to their already potent chemistry.

The characters themselves in Soul Eater NOT! are a great bunch as well. One of the biggest problems in shonen anime in particular that I've picked up on myself and in reviews other people have written is that although the characters go through events that should make them more mature, there's hardly any change in them by the end of the show or that arc. Soul Eater kind of has those problems (and my brother loves to bring it up) and while I don't necessarily agree, I can see his point. Those problems are not present in this anime series, as each and every character goes through development in their own way.

Tsugumi, as our main protagonist, probably goes through the most change. At the start, she's hesitant and unconfident, not really believing she can do anything of worth. At some points during the series, she reverts back to this negative way of thinking, but her friends always help her out of tight spots. She always believes that people have good in them (excluding our main villain), even if it's not shown on the outside, and once she becomes dedicated to something, she won't give up on it. This shows her brave and kind heart, and although it takes her a while to blossom, the journey is still fun to watch.

Anya, one of Tsugumi's meisters, also goes through a lot of change. She starts off as outwardly cold, not seeming interested in becoming friends or partners with Tsugumi. However, this is all a facade, as deep down, she wants to understand how "commoners" work and maybe even get to be friends with girls her own age. However, Meme always beats her to the punch, and although Anya tries to brush it off, she's still affected by it. The other girls realize this, and Anya soon becomes less of a tsundere and opens herself up, becoming stronger and more honest. That doesn't stop her funny facial expressions, though.

So cute ^_^.

Meme, the second meister, easily goes under the least amount of development out of the three, but I still like her as a character. Her ditziness is done in such a bizarre and unique way that I couldn't keep myself from wondering where Soul Eater NOT! would take things next. Meme suffers from a terrible memory, one that makes her forget her own name or even something that just occurred. The reason why she has this is really cool, but alas, I shouldn't spoil. I should probably just say that Meme can fight like a boss in her sleep and go on.

To wrap up our new characters, let's end with some boys. We all like boys, don't we? I like boys *twirls around like a fairy*! *clears throat* Anyway, Akane Hoshi and Clay Sizemore are two other students that are part of the NOT class that seem to be looking after the girls for some reason (you'll find out in Episode 3 of the TV show, but their appearance in Chapter 90 of the original Soul Eater manga might provide some clues). Akane is the only one ever put into a romantic role, but other than that, they're just side characters who play a part in this story.

Akane and Clay both go under some development throughout the series, and it's not just the revealing of secrets. Throughout the series, although they have respect for the girls, they view them as people that need to be protected and who can't hold their own. However, their feelings change near the end of the show.

Between themselves, Akane and Clay are like a pair of bickering brothers, Clay always being the butt of Akane's jabs that mostly have to do with Clay not doing well under pressure. However, the two work incredibly well together, as Akane wields Clay's weapon form with excellence and they get serious when things become dire. That doesn't stop the jokes from coming, including "Clay's problem with the arcades".

Speaking of conversations like that, one of the greatest things these characters share are their interactions with each other. Everyone has vibrant facial expressions and body language that can tell what they're not willing to say or reinforce points they've already made. I found myself easily slipping into the series and feeling for the characters, whether it was happiness, sadness, or anger.

In this scene from Episode 3, Anya has been separated from Meme and Tsugumi and forced  to partner with someone else. As Meme and Tsugumi get along, Anya watches from afar both embarrassed at what her friends are doing and jealous that she isn't partnered up with Tsugumi, which is what she wanted in the first place.

This comes from one of my favorite parts of the entire series. In Episode 10, Anya and Tsugumi are waiting outside a hospital room and waiting for news. They get something unexpected (which I can't say because of spoilers) and then it turns into a double whammy: Anya must return back to her homeland per the request of Akane and Clay (their roles in why they were sticking around the girls are also revealed). As Anya tries to defend herself , the events of the night eventually get to Clay, who snaps in anger. Anya can only listen, both frustrated  and upset, but a statement will later stick with her: "We don't have time to be watching over three helpless little girls anymore."

With these great characters, they need good animation to make their expressions pop and their experiences matter. Soul Eater NOT! both delivers and falters in this step. While close-ups on facial expressions look fantastic, some mid-range shots, battle sequences, and even some of the aforementioned close-ups are clunky and missing that finesse in aspects that worked in Soul Eater. Of course, that series had a somewhat different artistic style, and while Soul Eater NOT! maintains its own and yet similar style throughout, it does so at the expense of quality, leading to rushed frames and missed opportunities to make things better.

Now it's time to talk about the sound!

Well, maybe not exactly the sound of a bat whistle, but the soundtrack and voice acting in both the original Japanese and the English dub. First, let's talk about the OST composed by Asami Tachibana (Seraph of the End) and Yuuki Hayashi (Death Parade, DRAMAtical Murder). The duo has worked together on other shows, including Haikyuu! (which aired the same season as this show) and Robotics;Notes. The score for Soul Eater NOT! is a combination of both orchestral and electronic elements, sometimes going for simple and sad piano melodies and others going for edgy drums punctuated by electric guitar and fuzz. It recalls the eclectic score of Taku Iwasaki from the original series, and although there are a lot more buoyant and happy pieces here, the soundtrack isn't afraid to pack a punch when it needs to,

Despite having watched some of the original Japanese while the show was airing, I stuck to the dub because that's what I have watched Soul Eater in for the past three years (I tried watching the Japanese for the original, and I wasn't a huge fan of Chiaki Omigawa's somewhat babyish voice as Maka; Laura Bailey FTW!). If I could sum up the dub for Soul Eater NOT! in a couple of words, these are what they would be: absolutely fantastic. Everyone from the original series returns, from the ADR director/engineer to the script writer (yay Bonny and her humor!) to the original voice actors who reprise their roles (including Laura Bailey, who I was worried wouldn't return). Plus, we have some great new arrivals to the cast that voice our new characters. Three standouts out of the new cast include Bryn Apprill, Alexis Tipton, and Bryce Papenbrook.

First off, I want to applaud Bryn for her success in the past couple of years at FUNimation. She has easily become one of the most talented voice actresses in the business at only 19 years old, and it's kind of crazy just to see how far she's gotten. Her performance as Tsugumi is easily one of her best, as she perfectly captures the innocent and sweet girl that she is while also making her spunky and super fun to watch. We've already seen a lot of Bryn Apprill this year courtesy to the broadcast dubs FUNimation pumped out, and I only hope Bryn is even more successful in the years to come.

I've always been a fan of Alexis Tipton. Saori Hayami (the Japanese actress) and her are practically voice twins (hey, didn't they also both voice Musubi in Sekirei? *winks*), so it didn't come as much surprise when Alexis got cast, because I knew she would deliver a great performance. And she does, from the haughty tone to the moments where she stands up for herself to the more emotional bits: everything sounds fantastic, and I'm really glad she played this character, because I think no one else would have done her justice. Well done Alexis!

For most of the roles that Bryce Papenbrook has provided for in the past couple of years, I haven't really seen a lot of them. But the ones I have, like Makoto in Danganronpa and Meliodas in The Seven Deadly Sins, haven't really impressed me, as I think his voice comes across as incredibly nasally and just off-putting. His voice as Clay is much more mature and grounded, not to mention it doesn't have any of the qualities that irked me in the first place. He does a great job at making Clay sound both like his age and enthusiastic without getting overboard, and his yell in Episode 10 actually made me want to cower under a blanket (now I sympathize with the English dub Blue Exorcist and Attack on Titan watchers).

So, to sum everything up, Soul Eater NOT! is definitely worth the watch. It's exciting, cute, and can definitely become emotional at parts. It might not be as exciting or as adrenaline pumping as Soul Eater, and the animation might not be consistent most of the time, but it definitely has a big heart. Soul Eater NOT! is available from FUNimation Entertainment in a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack both in a limited edition format (which is a very pretty pink chipboard box) and a regular format, but you can also watch it on their website and on Hulu.

Let's hug it out, and I'll see you guys next time!

Rating: ****

Highly recommended