Soul Eater Not! Complete Series Collection
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating:12
Running Time: 84 Mins
Audio: English DD 5.1 Japanese DD 2.0
Release Date: Out Now!
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes
Death City might sound like a dark, doomy place, but when Sugumi visits it isn't, it's more like everyone wants to help her out as she's special. When she discovers purely by accident that she can create weapons, she enrolls at the DWMA school for those who are more than human.
The students fall into two categories, those who can make weapons and Maisters who control those weapons in battle. Death Weapon Maister Academy 's students welcome her with open arms and though Sugumu might be the new kid, she has day dreams about situations where she gets to look around the academy.
Sugumi Haranori wonders about the reason why Maisters come to the academy and a certain person gives her the idea that they hope to go into a career after being trained is an amazing thing to do, yet Sugumi wanted to pursue a career also, she would have to be protected from others who would see her fail - this is what prompts him to tease her, then tell her she has to make her own career, her own life and no one can help her out in the way she thinks. As a weapon, she has to take notice of what her teacher says during seminars, but it's not easy when she finds out a secret about another pupil from Clay while Clay has to confess he's in love with her and four other girls!
It might be easy to think it's all about cute, funny girls, but if you've looked at the opening titles, there's plenty of guy candy in the male students at the academy. Anya, Sugumi and Ami try to settle in, though the other residents are a bit over-the-top' there's a witch of the girls' dorm, a resident fortune-teller who reads rather dubious tarot cards and the house master with the scary name; Misery (if you've watched the movie version of the Stephen King novel, you'll get the general idea).
Kim is regarded as a witch by other Maisters and weapons and is always rude to Jacqueline and her friends yet she has dreams about her, ones that make her think she might be in love with her. No matter how friendly she is to Kim, she still regards her with scorn, so when she finds out her favorite sweet, she can't help but see if she can cook it for her.
Kim might be bad and rude but no one knows where she came from and why she is always mad at her and her friends. The truth is, it's not Jacqueline or her friends she is mad at, but her own situation as a witch and as a witch, she's not meant to be liked, but feared. Soul Eater Not! is one of those feelgood anime that make you warm inside even though there is a side story with sinister overtones in the background with the DWMA. This could well fall between magical girl and a comedy show where Anya, Mei-Mei, Kim and Jacqueline are the stars. Characters like the Thompson Sisters are brought in as the obligatory bad girls who like to stir up a little trouble, and as these girls are in the Not Clan, it is fitting they would want to make use of their skills outside of being waitresses at a local diner.
The only thing I will say is that it is full of a few generic characters you would find in most any anime series, but thankfully they are in the background (with no lines).
Bonus Material: Episode 5 Commentary, Soul Eater Whoops!, Episode 9 Commentary, Commercial Collection, Textless Opening Song "Monochrome," Textless Closing Song "Yugure Happy Go" and US Trailer.
Summary: You can have more fun than you think with this anime as it is a series that will appeal to young or old alike with hilarious situations.
