[ Episode 51: The Password is Courage! ]

コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　コワイ　

Wow, after all seemed totally lost, I didn’t expect something like this to happen at all. First Maka pulls off Kishin Gari, which looks even more sick than Majo Gari. The gradient, flashy look and the size of it made my jaw hit the floor. She managed to give Asura a serious cut, but he quickly recovered as if nothing happened. Then here came unexpectedness number two: I know Maka was always hot-headed but once the blades came out of her body, things started getting wicked good. And I thought Black Blood Maka was legion. So apparently she has the power of weapons from her blood, despite her role as Meister. A very interesting revelation; it certainly is no stretch, seeing as she herself is the daughter of Death Scythe. Asura was still able to stop her, even after all those blades pierced through his damn body. The most disturbing part was when Asura snapped Maka back to normal and she made that painful PAINFUL scream. Ouch.

Being Maka, though, she still had the courage to stand up against Asura, and she used that courage built up into her right fist and sent a message right to his face. Okay, so it wasn’t that climatic as I thought it’d be, but it was a nice way to end it. The whole thing about having courage is nothing new; rather, it’s a cliché in most stories, but, man, does it work. It was pretty funny how Asura thought that single punch did nothing, but once his face cracked, I started guffawing, especially when he put his face back together right before he exploded. I really liked the line Maka says just then too: how courage is nothing special, and anyone can have it within him or her. Nostalgia comes back once “I Wanna Be” started playing in the background. I’m not a fan of STANCE PUNKS, but I did enjoy “I Wanna Be” since the beginning (even though the other endings are far better), but just hearing it after so long, and now at the end of the series, was pretty cool as Maka takes that one giant leap through time.

So the series ended on a high note, but an open end, so anything is possible from here on out. I can’t believe it’s been a year since I watched Soul Eater, and it’s been an awesome year following it beginning to end. Yeah, sure, the anime did steer away from the manga route, but it was reasonable and BONES did a great job handling this original ending. Whether there will be more in the future is anyone’s guess, but it’s not out of the question. Just look at FMA. It’s fun and interesting just how vastly different the tone of the show went through over a year but the soul (haha, soul) principle of the show stayed true to itself. I could’ve asked for an ending slightly better than this, but I was satisfied, and every other important character was present in the finale, so no qualms! Well, okay, I wanted to see a bit of Ox, Harvard, Kim, and Jacqueline, but you know.

Soul Eater was very action-packed and full of colorful characters, each with their own quirks and behaviors that you just can’t help but love it or hate it. Whether it was Black Star’s god complex or Kid’s symmetry or Excalibur’s “Bakame!,” they were really all a unique cast of characters. While the storyline wasn’t anything majorly intelligent, the setting and the presentation wowed me and everyone else with it’s amazing creative, imaginative visuals and animation, thanks to the guys at BONES. There’s also the great soundtrack the anime provides, by Iwasaki Taku, no less. The variety of music genre was superb. I’m gonna miss having no more Soul Eater, but rest assured, the manga is still continuing, and hopefully this is not the end for the anime. I hope those of you that followed it weekly enjoyed it as much as I did.

[ Episode 15: The Black Dragon That Eats Souls: Cowardly Liz and Her Pleasant Companions? ]

Cowardly Liz is right. It’s kinda hard to believe an ex-street punk would be afraid of ghosts and the paranormal. Personally, the one thing that I don’t like about Liz is her paranoia and such, plus her cowardice. At least Patty’s not afraid of anything.

Now on the episode itself, it wasn’t bad, though a little bit off-centered from what I’m used to. Kid and the Thompson sisters get some spotlight again, though nothing considerably awesome happened until Crona showed up and Ragnarok transforming into the “black dragon.” From this episode though, there was a bit of hint as to what’s coming next. The talk about Kishin hints this much.

Haha. I love Liz to death. All throughout the episode she was completely freaking out and crying in fear of ghosts. I loved every second of it for some unexplainable reason (note: I’m not a sadist). It was even more hilarious knowing that she was a former street punk among all things. As for Patty, I think she’s a little…”special” so fear doesn’t really get to her. I can imagine a few other things probably don’t get through as well.

Crona showing up pretty much means things are going to get MESSED UP HARDCORE and switching from hilarity to awesome. Seeing Kid and the Thompson sisters up against Crona is definitely an interesting match-up though considering they seem to be stronger than Maka and Soul.

[ Episode 14: (Super) Written Test: Heart-Throbbing, Trembling, Nervous, Lies? ]

I’m gonna break your neck!

This episode was pure hilarity. There were so many moments where I burst into laughter that I’m pretty sure I couldn’t have watched if I were eating or drinking. Black Star’s attempt to steal the exam had me rolling. Soul’s gradual breakdown was too damn funny. Kid’s “death” over tearing his paper totally rattled my ribs and Liz’s obsession with her looks was so fun to watch. Yeah, nothing important happened in this episode but I think there are times where lighthearted breaks should be taken and this was a perfect example. This episode also had a good amount of Blair time too. She’s so awesome.

The moment I saw this episode I had thought this was filler. Of course, this actually did happen in the manga, so I guess not. Anyway, this also reminded me of the first part of the Chuunin Exam in the old Naruto episodes, only this one was an actual test and it was more comical. Everyone’s studying habits were pretty funny and unique. Maka (with the cute dango hairstyle) is book-smart by default, so he studies hard like anyone else. You know, she and Kagami are so much a like sometimes… So Soul looked like he was studying when he was actually writing down cheat sheets. Black Star tried understanding the material but every time he didn’t he forced himself to do some harsh exercising as punishment. Over at Kid’s place, none was studying at all! I can’t believe Kid. Then again, it should’ve been expected of him, but to score 0 points? He’s on the same level as Patty, who by the way, is pretty genius for making that giraffe out of the question sheets.

Surprisingly, Soul, and even Liz scored some points on the test, even though it looked like they hardly got any questions right. I simply laughed at the ending when Blair gave Maka her “present” from Death Scythe. Misunderstandings like this situation calls for some laughter. Ah, that Blair.

BTW, a new ED debuted this episode. Very, very nice, I must say. Nishino Kana has a beautiful voice. Style, indeed.

[ Episode 13: The Man with Demon Eyes: Soul and Maka, the Gap of the Soul's Wavelength? ]

“Goddamn shit!”

Some great chemistry between Maka and Soul this time around. The “training” they did was absolutely laughable, but it was pretty effective in messing up their wavelengths. Maka was more determined then ever in this episode. Usually, she’s a very formidable fighter but she takes an extra step. Not many female characters are as hotheaded as her, which is what I like about Maka.

Free is nothing short of awesome. Someone who stole the Witch Queen’s eye means he’s someone you don’t wanna mess with. I laughed when he told Eruka his dilemma about trying to dig his way out of jail by using a spoon to dig a little each time, but he was given chopsticks for his meals, and then Eruka tells him he could’ve just peed on the bars until they melted. Does that really work? Sounds hilarious. An immortal werewolf being with magical powers sounds unorthodox but it makes him strong. Nonetheless, his rustiness shows when he screws up. I have to say, the many screw-ups were some of the best comedy in this episode. I particularly loved it when Black Star went into Demon Blade mode for less than 10 seconds and took a nose dive into the snow.

This episode was insane. Maka definitely fought with her all against Free as evidenced through some of the desperate moves she made such as slamming her head against her weapon just to push a little further. It made it all the more intense with knowing that Free is immortal. How can you beat a guy who is immortal? Well, apparently you can’t given that all of Maka and Black Star’s efforts didn’t succeed. Well, despite how…comically the battle ended, it’s pretty much a given that Free is going to be back some time in the future though I can’t imagine who would fight him given his immortality and strength.

[ Episode 12: Courage That is Not Lost to Fear: Maka Albarn's One Large Determination? ]

Ah~, Medusa-senseiiiii! It was wonderful having this episode focus solely on her. It gave insight into the world of witches and also displayed just how awesome Medusa is among her peers. It was rather enjoyable seeing her push around a few of the other witches. Why? Well, simply because she’s one of the few villains that I actually like (in general). She’s definitely shown that she’s not one to mess with though as evidenced by what she did to the other two witches in the episode.

On another note, I think it’s pretty obvious that Stein suspects Medusa of being up to no good. It’s kind of like a foreshadowing of the two of them fighting in the future and if that’s the case then I’m looking forward to seeing it.

Great to see the show moving forward again with Medusa at the scene again. She’s a witch, all right. Actually, all the witches in the series seem to represent a different type of creature. Medusa is snake, Eruka is frog, and Mizune is a mouse. It makes each witch very much unique to each other in more ways than one. From the way she’s been acting you know something’s up with her. What exactly she’s plotting is uncertain from here but if it involves Shibusen, it’s clearly something to look out for.

Like Leon, I think Medusa is one of the best villains ever. I don’t really care for witches, but Ohkubo knows how to create witches, or even cat witches. Ah, yes, Blair was in this episode too! Both in her cute, cuddly cat form and also in her sexy, ladylike human form. Kid and Soul’s reactions were completely priceless.

[ Episode 11: Tsubaki, The Camellia: What Lies Beyond Sadness? ]

Definitely one truly awesome episode. The fight between Tsubaki and Masamune was pretty intense in its own way and at the same time, developed Tsubaki’s character more. In the end, she was able to beat her brother and inherit his Demon Blade. I wonder why Tsubaki was the one that inherited the weapons of Nakatsukasa instead of her brother, anyway.

Normally, it’s really hard to tolerate Black Star most of the time, but when you seem his determination like this, it makes you appreciate him. He may be full of himself, but he does care for others even if it may not look like it. I gotta give him credit for withstanding the villager’s assaults on him while he patiently sits and takes it, waiting for Tsubaki’s return. This short story arc has been the deepest one of the series since and I enjoyed it so.

Damn, damn, damn! This episode was awesome. Tsubaki vs. Masamune is easily one of the best fights to have taken place in the series so far and definitely one of the more beautifully-animated ones. The end of the fight was simply amazing, particularly the moment everything exploded into a blue sky. There were some pretty touching moments throughout the episode as well, the best easily being Black Star holding Tsubaki in his arms while she cried. Oh, the fanfiction must be flowing after that!

Anyways, I have to say that overall I found the villagers annoying. Sure, they may have suffered through things in the past but their hive-mentality really pissed me off when considering Black Star and Tsubaki were trying to save their sorry asses. Lastly, Black Star trying to use Fey Blade mode was hilarious. How much energy does he need to be able to wield that thing for more than a minute?