Book Review: Soul Eater, Vol 9 by Atsushi Ohkubo

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!

Book Review: Soul Eater, Vol 5 by Atsushi Ohkubo

Soul Eater, Vol 5   

Author: Atsushi Ohkubo

Publisher: Yen Press

American release date: November 4, 2014

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/manga/paranormal/192 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

DWMA is having a celebration! It’s their much-anticipated anniversary and should be a blast! Unless a certain someone gets her way, aka Medusa the Witch, who has plans of her own.

Maka is concerned about Soul. He’s hanging out by himself, but denies there’s anything wrong. She tries to get him to dance with her, thinking it will help with their Soul Resonance, but ends up with her father as a partner instead, to her dismay. Meanwhile, Crona and Ragnarok have entered Death City and are waiting for Medusa to give them the signal.

A rather drunken Dr. Stein drags Medusa out onto the dance floor, to her embarrassment, but it seems he has his own agenda, and confronts Medusa with the knowledge that she’s a witch. He connects her presence at the school with the presence of a kishin beneath the Academy, and she admits that he is right. Sid returns, having survived the explosion at Medusa’s lab, and warns everyone to get out. But it’s too late, the trap is sprung, the school sealed. No one can get out! Free warns Eruka the seal will only  hold for about an hour, as she sends in the Mizune.

Stein tells them the only way to stop the intruders is by going underground and asks if anyone wishes to go with him. Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Kid and the sisters all volunteer. Meanwhile, Shinigami-same tells those who remain the story of the Kishin beneath DWMA.

Blair the Witch, in cat form, is strolling through Death City, wishing she could be at the DWMA celebration, which apparently is only for students, when she runs across the guy from the fish store who gives her free fish and he isn’t looking very good. Just then the mizune attack!

Stein instructs all the weapons to remain in weapon form and not take human form. He realizes the enemy has split up, lying in wait for them. Taking charge, he tells them he will take on Medusa as Make, Black Star, and Kid break through Medusa’s wall. Kid, being fastest, is to go after the ones who are after the Kishin. Maka is to pass Medusa and the Demon Sword and catch up to Kid. Black Star will hold back the Demon Sword so Maka and Kid get past, driving his soul wavelength into the enemy.

However, Maka has her own ideas of how things will go down. She is determined to get back at the Demon Sword for what he did to Soul!

This is one of the more action-packed volumes of this series, as Stein and his students work together to prevent Medusa and her minions from getting to and reviving the Kishin beneath the Academy. As always, the story is interspersed with the author’s humor. I love the scene with Stein and Medusa as they dance, and the one with Maka and Soul is very sweet. We learn about Crona and his background (his mother is a real witch!) and one has to feel sorry for him. (I keep forgetting that Crona is male, since he looks female to me). I guess we’ll find out if this treatment has destroyed his humanity or if there is a good person lurking underneath.

I liked the scenes with Stein and Death Scythe. Even though Death Scythe tends to be on the sleazy side, I can tell he really loves his daughter. Be aware that there are scenes involving Blair Witch that some might describe as ecchi. But I’ve seen worse in Food Wars lol

There is also another consideration here, that of Soul having the Black Blood in him. How will that work out, and will it become a problem? More to come, can’t wait to read it!

Book Review: Soul Eater, Vol 4 by Atsushi Ohkubo

Soul Eater, Vol 4      

Author: Atsushi Ohkubo

Publisher: Yen Press

American release date: April 15, 2014

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/manga/paranormal/208 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★

Medusa uses Eruka to free a prisoner from the witch jail. Surrounded by prison guards, the prisoner shows why he is no ordinary man. Back at DWMA, Maka tells Soul, to his dismay, that she has requested special tutoring from Dr. Stein. Stein warns them that if they fail, they may never be able to match soul wavelengths again. But Maka decides to take the risk, wanting to get stronger so she will never put Soul into danger again. When Stein tells them what they need to do, it sounds simple in theory, but doesn’t exactly work out that way.

Make, Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki are in London! While attempting to cross a bridge, they encounter the escaped prisoner, who’s now working for Medusa. They realize he is on Shinigami’s list, so think their assignment is off to a good start. But this man isn’t what he seems, and he is stronger than they think! Medusa watches from the sideline, waiting to see how Soul’s black blood will react to the situation.

Stein warns his students that it is almost time for his “ultimate written exam”, which is required for meisters and weapons alike. Some students are more excited than others, and Maka is determined to rise to the top of her class. Unknown to her, her father is sending her “good luck” vibes. Maka finds getting Soul to study is difficult at best, while Black Star’s methods leave something to be desired. As far as Death the Kid is concerned, he has no need to study because he’s a Shinigami.

Death the Kid and his father are in a rowboat being rowed by the Thompson Sisters investigating the sighting of a mysterious black dragon that has apparently bitten off part of the Baltic coast!  They come upon an old ratty ship, the ghost ship Nidhogg, and the pursuit is on! Presuming this is the terrifying Black Dragon, Kid and the girls board the ship ready to do battle. In the process, they learn disturbing news concerning the DWMA.

Maka confides in Dr. Medusa her concerns regarding the black blood she coughed up, but Medusa assures her all is well and offers her some medicine. Stein may be on to her. Suspicious, he sends Sid to investigate her, which doesn’t end well. Kid tries to speak to his father of his concerns, but that doesn’t go well either.

I love the humor in Soul Eater, and I love the characters Atsushi Ohkubo has created. I even think Maka’s dad is cute, although very flaky and unreliable. Soul and Black Star are goofy and immature, but they are both good boys underneath it all. Maka and Tsubaki provide the stability in their lives. I like Death the Kid too, even if he has issues of his own. I liked the adventure with Kid and the Thompson sisters on the ship. I think it’s the first time, I haven’t seen him leave the scene to check on a supposed asymmetry.

The arc with Medusa continues, Now that they seem to be on to her, hopefully they can take measures to counter everything she’s done or plans to do. We see Crona and Ragnarok again. Hopefully we’ll see the end of all of them soon, including this new guy, Free. I’m sure there will be other villains, of course.

Another good volume of Soul Eater, looking forward to the next one!