Soul
Eater, Vol 9
Author: Atsushi Ohkubo
Publisher: Yen Press
American
release date: April 8, 2014
Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/manga/paranormal/204 pages
Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★
Death the Kid has gone to the DWMA
library, determined to learn all he can about the mysterious Eibon, who is
supposedly the same as the Shinigami. Wth? He tells the librarian he needs to
go through the books in the level 4 stacks, but she tells him he isn’t allowed
access, as he’s just a one-star meister. But when he shows her his badge, and
she realizes he’s the Shinigami’s son, suddenly she’s all kinds of cooperative
and offers to fetch the books he wants herself. Unfortunately, the one book on
Eibon the library owns was checked out two months previously and never
returned. The only signature is a single M. Kid has a bad feeling he knows who
that is.
Crona is in a touch position. He
is beginning to make friends for the first time and has been accepted by Maka
and her friends, only to be approached by his crazy mother, Medusa, who has an
errand for him. How can he please her without betraying his friends? Does he
even have the strength to stand up to her, even after the way she has treated
him? Ragnarok is no help, constantly reminding Crona that if he doesn’t do as
Medusa says, she will get very angry with him. Crona just can’t handle anger…
While searching DWMA for the
secret vault, Crona runs into Marie, and is fearful she will be suspicious of
his being where he should not be. Luckily, she is clueless and thinks he is
lost, just like her, and offers to help him find his way. The blind leading the
blind! Will her assistance be worse than her thinking he’s up to something?
Crona receives his next assignment,
when he fails to find the vault. He has to bug Dr. Stein’s lab!
The worst meister ever at DWMA is
Hero, a guy the other students pick on and use for menial tasks. But Hero has a
goal—to claim the Holy Sword as his weapon. Then no one will treat him like that.
So what if it comes with some strange requirements he has to meet. The fight is
on! How long will DWMA remain under Hero’s control?
Shinigami informs Stein that
Arachnophobia knows the whereabouts of another Demon Tool known as Brew. Stein
must begin more intensive duel instructions with his students immediately!
Teams who are unable to synchronize their wavelengths will be cut from Stein’s
class by the end of the day! Maka, Black Star, and Kid are failing
spectacularly, and things aren’t looking good for them. Maka wants Black Star
off the team, but Stein refuses. Can they get their act together in time or
will they end up being cut?
Brew is located on an island just
north of Alaska, Lost Island. But there’s a catch. Once the witches had a demon
tool development facility on the island, but it was accidentally destroyed.
Because of that a magnetic field has arisen, keeping people from approaching
the island. Anyone who lingers inside the magnetic field risk permanent damage
to their body. Twenty minutes is the limit. The timer has begun, the race is
on!
This volume of Soul Eater
introduces us to a couple of students we haven’t met before, including Hero,
Pot Meister Kilik Rung, Lamp Meister Kim Diehl, and Spear Meister Ox Ford.
Before this, we seldom saw other students, so it’s good to have that chance
now.
Death the Kid is one of my
favorite characters. Despite his quirks, he’s a really good Shinigami, and has
a strong sense of justice. I know he will research Eibon until he finds an
answer, no matter where the information leads him. Stein has come a long way since we first met
him. I can see what a good instructor he is. He won’t let the students get hurt
if he can help it. Interesting that he and Marie are living together now. I
hadn’t seen him as the domestic type. You have to feel sorry for Crona, caught
between a rock and a hard place—the mother he loves, for some unknown reason,
and the new friends he’s made at DWMA. I suspect that when the time comes, he
will do the right thing.
Justin is on top of his game in
this volume, and shows he is more than just that annoying weapon. Watching
Maka, Black Star and Kid attempt to resonate together, and failing at it, is
just a reminder that despite what kind of students they are, they are still
teenagers who have a lot to learn. But they will, I’m sure.
Another appearance by Mifune, whom
I truly believe will end up on the right side in the end, and DWMA will learn a
lesson in tolerance as well.
A special mysterious guest
appearance at the end of the book sets us up for the next one! Not sure when
I’ll be able to read that, since the libraries are closed right now because of
COVID-19, but will get to it as soon as I can. Looking forward to it!
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