SubscribeIf you mess with Tsubaki’s stage…
I saw your trembling soul…
It has a nice scent.
Her brother fades.
This was the best episode of Soul Eater yet. An episode that’s sweeping, burning with feeling, with animation and character as a synthesis of the soul. Such anime is poetic, exciting and inspiring, such is Black Star and Tsubaki. I admire their loyalty, their affection for one another, that Black Star will take a beating for his friend, understands the strength of her spirit, and yet is close enough to know when to offer a hug. Tsubaki is shy; she isn’t often noticed and would rather take-on a little hardship to please another. That doesn’t mean she is arrogant or weak, but she needs someone around her to carry her along, to push her onto the stage, to support her. A friend, to support her trembling soul.
Though it’s something we’ve come to expect from Soul Eater, I have to say the animation in this episode was superb. Not simply in terms of the fluidity of movement, which ebbed and flowed in waves of animated bliss, but the art direction too. The use of colour, the gloomy clouds and rain overhead as Black Star is beaten to a pulp for his friend and anxiously awaits her return. The metaphysical battle against her brother, the dull landscape that transforms with her victory into a tranquil paradise of clear sky and sparkling blue sea. It’s absolutely evocative and vibrant, swings and shifts with the tone and mood of character. It’s lyrical anime, streamlined, perfect.
bateszi 
Arbalest 
okiru14 
On a more serious note, I’ve loved almost every episode of this series, but (remembering my previous Soul Eater post) I understand others aren’t so taken with the shonen action genre. Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing if they can force us to invest some serious empathy in characters as strange as Death The Kid. I suppose Soul Eater is a lot like One Piece, in that it requires us to laugh at characters doing stupid things, only to care about them moments later.
qwertypoiuy 
Helen 
Wow, great screencaps as always. That reminds me, I actually need to catch up on the latest couple of episodes!
I’m trying to ignore the SJ-derived drawn-out battles and occasionally grating character archetyes (I’m looking at you, Black Star) too because with those minor annoyances aside, this is a great character study in terms of people being compatible in a more far-reaching sense than, say, a simple romantic pairing. I’d even go as far as saying that this ‘weapon and handler’ concept has enough mileage to last the episode run, provided it doesn’t descend into repetitive filler territory.
That’s what’s keeping me watching – and the artwork of course, which is so unlike Bones (hard to imagine they’re working on The Daughter of Twenty Faces at the same time, quite frankly) but so refreshing and FUN.