Soul Eater NOT!

Soul Eater NOT! is a 12 episode fantasy action series based on the manga of the same name by Okubo Atsushi.  It is a side story related to the Soul Eater anime and manga.  The series originally aired in Japan during the Spring of 2014.

    Harudori Tsugumi is a typical Japanese 14 year old until one day she discovers that she can transform into a Weapon.  Upon this discovery she enrolls in the Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA) is order to learn how to control her powers.  Being not particularly talented or promising she is enrolled in the NOT category in the academy, students who are not destined to be warriors but instead will learn to control their powers to not endanger the general public.  Upon entering she ends up being paired with 2 Meisters; Tatane Meme and Anya Hepburn.  The three students fast become friends as they try to survive their new schooling.  Unknown to them a witch of unknown power is lurking in Death City, ready to hatch a plan of revenge and mass destruction.  Before the girls know it they find themselves in the middle of a crisis that far outweighs their abilities and training.

    Let’s not fool ourselves this is little more than a fanservice piece for the Soul Eater universe.  This short series is filled to the brim with innocent fanservice shots and dojinshi style lesbianism.  The first half of the series really seems like ‘a day in the life of cutesy girls’ instead of something related to Soul Eater.  I remember being entertaining with the original series, thinking, this is what a shonen fight series should be like.  With this one it more seemed akin to ‘Is the Order a Rabbit’, set in Death City.  Don’t get me wrong, there was some good comedy in the series.  In fact, my favorite episode was the 9^th one that seemed like a collection of omake.  The series was also somewhat disjointed in the way it progressed.  Only bits and pieces really lent themselves to the ultimate climax arch of the show, while most of it was developing the personalities of the three main characters.  But, when the final arch kicked into gear it started to become enjoyable…until the final battle, then it went to shit again.  I don’t know what to feel in regards to this show.  It had its good points but it had its bad points.  So I’m on the fence.  If you are a big fan of Soul Eater and want to absorb everything related to that world then watch this, just don’t get your hopes up.  Unless you are looking for a dojinshi side story only loosely related to the original.

    The series was simulcast in North America by FUNimation and we can expect a disc release sometime in the near future I suspect.  The manga is licensed by Yen Press in North America as well with 5 tankobon slated for the entire thing.