Soul Eater Not!
Ja kanjiソウルイーターノット!
Ja romajiSōru Ītā Notto!
Genre
Soul Eater Not!
manga
AuthorAtsushi Ohkubo
PublisherSquare Enix
MagazineMonthly Shōnen Gangan
FirstJanuary 12, 2011
LastNovember 12, 2014
Volumes5
Soul Eater Not!
tv series
DirectorMasakazu Hashimoto
WriterMasakazu Hashimoto
Music
StudioBones
LicenseeCrunchyroll
NetworkTV Tokyo
FirstApril 9, 2014
LastJuly 3, 2014
Episodes12

Soul Eater Not! (ソウルイーターノット!, Sōru Ītā Notto!) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Atsushi Ohkubo. It is a spin-off to Ohkubo's Soul Eater manga series, taking place prior to the events of the manga. It was serialized in Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan magazine from January 2011 to November 2014. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by Bones aired on TV Tokyo between April and July 2014 and was simulcast by Funimation in North America.

Plot

See also: List of Soul Eater characters

The Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA) is a special institution for humans who are born with the power to turn into weapons and the wielders of these weapons, called meisters. While the students of the EAT (Especially Advantaged Talent) class train themselves to become warriors of justice, the NOT (Normally Overcome Target) class is for those who just want to control their powers with the intent to not become a threat to others and to themselves. Tsugumi Harudori is a weapon who takes part in the NOT class and befriends two weapon meisters, Meme Tatane and Anya Hepburn, becoming indecisive about which one of them to choose as her partner. The series follows the daily lives of Tsugumi and her friends as they learn the ropes of the DWMA and have occasional encounters with the characters of the main series.

Media

Manga

Soul Eater Not! was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan from January 12, 2011,[4][5] to November 12, 2014.[6][7] Square Enix published five tankōbon volumes between September 22, 2011, and December 22, 2015.[8][9] Square Enix republished the series in three kanzenban volumes, with the first two released on July 17, 2020, and the third one on September 17 of that same year.[10][11]

The series is licensed in North America by Yen Press and was simultaneously released in English alongside its Japanese counterpart.[12] The five volumes were released from July 24, 2012, to July 21, 2015.[13][14]

Anime

An anime television series adaptation by Bones aired between April 9 and July 3, 2014, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates.[15][16][17][a] The opening theme is "Monochrome" by Dancing Dolls,[18] and the ending theme is "Yūgure Happy Go" (夕暮れハッピーゴー, "Evening Happy Go") by Haruka Chisuga, Aoi Yūki, and Saori Hayami.

The series was simulcast by Funimation.[19]

Reception

The first three of the manga volumes released by Yen Press are best sellers according to The New York Times.[20]

Anime News Network (ANN) had four editors review the first episode of the anime:[3] Rebecca Silverman expressed intrigue in the series. She praised the character of Tsugumi Harudori for being interesting and introducing the world the story takes place in, concluding by saying that it deserves more episodes to see how it will move forward from that; Carl Kimlinger, although praising Masakazu Hashimoto for directing the series from a different perspective, expressed criticism in the lack of bravado and edge that Takuya Igarashi brought to the original series; Jacob Hope Chapman commented on how comparing it to the original series seemed fair, expressing disdain over the animation and characters for being bland and the overall tone resembling that of K-On!. The fourth reviewer, Theron Martin, gave two different opinions on the episode. He said that the change in tone and different art style will disappoint fans of the original series, while as a stand-alone show it might do better with its overall cutesy charm.[3]

Martin reviewed the complete series in 2015.[21] Despite finding some inconsistency in the setting and some subpar action scenes, Martin gave praise to the main trio's presence, the moe-influenced animation and returning to the series' world as a prequel, concluding that, "Overall, Soul Eater Not! looks pretty good and can be quite pleasingly entertaining, provided that you do not go into it from Soul Eater expecting 'more of the same'. It sells its cute and fun factors well enough to stand on its own while also still throwing plenty of bones to fans of the original series."[21] Fellow ANN editor Gabriella Ekens wrote that the modest moe art style made the series come across as "a low-rent K-On!" with its dodgy facial expressions and the main girls' "loving and supportive" interactions, concluding with: "Despite light action segments, Soul Eater Not! is for fans of slice-of-life moé and no one else. Familiarity with the larger Soul Eater franchise helps but is not required. Just remember – this isn't Soul Eater!, and don't go to it for that."[22] Chris Homer of The Fandom Post critiqued that the prequel's overall slice of life vibe, cutesy moe comedy and the Not! cast will put off fans of the original series but felt that new viewers can enjoy it based on its three leads (highlighting Anya and her development), the various SE cameos and its dramatic final third, concluding that "on its own merit, it's harmless. Nothing spectacular, but nothing terrible – a nice slice of life series which you can just smile through."[1]

Notes

  1. ^ TV Tokyo listed series air dates on Tuesday at 25:40, which is effectively Wednesday at 1:40 a.m. JST.[23]

References

  1. ^ Homer, Chris (December 28, 2016). "Soul Eater NOT! Complete Series Collection UK Anime DVD Review". The Fandom Post. Archived June 26, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  2. ^ Silverman, Rebecca (January 19, 2013). "Soul Eater Not! GN 2 – Review". Anime News Network. Archived January 26, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 7, 2020. [It] Blends moe elements with dark fantasy for an interesting look at the Soul Eater universe.
  3. ^ "The Spring 2014 Anime Preview Guide: Soul Eater Not!". Anime News Network. April 8, 2014. Archived November 14, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  4. ^ Loo, Egan (December 7, 2010). "New Soul Eater Manga Series to Launch in January 2011". Anime News Network. Archived May 4, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  5. ^ "ja:マンガ新連載：「ソウルイーターノット！」　殺伐だけどウキウキライフを新主人公で" (in Japanese). Mantan Web. January 12, 2011. Archived September 3, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Nelkin, Sarah (October 8, 2014). "Soul Eater Not! Manga Ends Next Month". Anime News Network. Archived May 4, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  7. ^ "ja:大久保篤「ソウルイーター」の外伝「ノット！」約4年の連載に幕" (in Japanese). Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc. November 12, 2014. Archived September 28, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "ja:【9月22日付】本日発売の単行本リスト" (in Japanese). Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc. September 22, 2011. Archived June 4, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  9. ^ "ja:【12月22日付】本日発売の単行本リスト" (in Japanese). Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc. December 22, 2014. Archived November 18, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  10. ^ "ja:「ソウルイーターノット！完全版」発売、ガンガンONLINEアプリでリバイバル連載も" (in Japanese). Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc. July 17, 2020. Archived August 13, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  11. ^ "ja:【9月17日付】本日発売の単行本リスト" (in Japanese). Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc. September 17, 2020. Archived October 8, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Loo, Egan (October 14, 2011). "Yen Press Adds Madoka Magica, Soul Eater Not, Yuki-chan (Update 3)". Anime News Network. Archived December 6, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  13. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (July 24, 2012). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, July 22–28". Anime News Network. Archived June 5, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  14. ^ "Soul Eater NOT!, Vol. 5". Yen Press. Archived April 15, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  15. ^ Nelkin, Sarah (December 7, 2013). "BONES Animates Soul Eater Not! Anime". Anime News Network. Archived December 6, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  16. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (March 11, 2014). "Soul Eater Not! TV Anime Slated for April 8". Anime News Network. Archived December 6, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  17. ^ "ja:ソウルイーターノット！" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Archived September 27, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  18. ^ "ja:OPアーティストが決定!" (in Japanese). Souleaternot.tv. February 12, 2014. Archived March 22, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  19. ^ Hanashiro, Emma (April 7, 2014). "Funimation to Stream Soul Eater Not! and Riddle Story of Devil". Anime News Network. Archived December 6, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  20. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (August 10, 2012). "New York Times Manga Best Seller List, July 29-August 4". Anime News Network. Archived May 4, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
    Hodgkins, Crystalyn (November 23, 2012). "New York Times Manga Best Seller List, November 11–17". Anime News Network. Archived May 6, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
    Ressler, Karen (August 11, 2014). "New York Times Manga Best Seller List, July 27-August 2". Anime News Network. Archived June 7, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  21. ^ Martin, Theron (July 17, 2015). "Soul Eater Not! BD+DVD – Review". Anime News Network. Archived December 11, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  22. ^ Dong, Bamboo; Ekens, Gabriella; Jensen, Paul (August 10, 2015). "Cutie Honeys – Shelf Life". Anime News Network. Archived July 26, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  23. ^ "ja:60本以上の新作アニメが一挙にスタート! 2014年春期アニメ新番組リスト" (in Japanese). MyNavi News. April 2, 2014. Archived November 28, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 27, 2024.