Comics / Manga

Soul Eater Volume 4

By Chris Zimmerman
October 14, 2010 - 13:04

Maka and Soul are two of the many prospective students attending the DWMA. Tasked with collecting wicked souls, the pair protects the fictional Death City from the forces of darkness that seek to corrupt and devastate the world.

Volume four continues to pile on Maka’s and Soul’s woes when they are forced to contend with an immortal werewolf in procession of the witch queen’s eye. Needless to say even with the help of the boisterous Black Star, the two find themselves outmatched. Fortunately, things turn around when Soul begins to rely on the Black Blood that has been circulating his system since his duel with Crona, allowing the pair to squeeze out a narrow victory.

Speaking of Crona, he and Death the Kid are given ample time in the spot light when they square off against one another on board a haunted ghost ship. The battle isn’t a serious affair and stinks of filler until Okubo can plan for the next arc. Things pick up toward the tail end of the volume as Medusa’s plot finally begins to take shape and her arranged assault on the DWMA nears. Especially intriguing is her interplay with Stein as the two verbally banter with each other trying to discern the other’s motives. 

Unlike the previous volume this one is mostly comprised of two main battles, allowing little room for character development. This isn’t necessarily a negative as the series excels at presenting entertaining fights thanks in large part to the mingling of the character’s eccentric personalities.

The artwork has shown a definite improvement over the past two volumes and has finally come into its own. Okubo’s distinct style offers the series unique visual substance that more than distinguishes it from other titles of the genre.

Atsushi Okubo’s supernatural fighting manga has been getting progressively better with every volume from a cleaner, tighter line work to an entertaining story littered with unique characters that offer a spicy kick that helps to distinguish it from the other titles on the rack.

Rating: 8.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12