Soul Eater – The Gathering Storm
Maka is slowly turning into something out of Touhou.
With Maka and crew finally making their way to the moon, Kidd’s team returning after meeting up with the society of witches, Crona having traveled here to find the Kishin, and Excalibur doing something somewhere, the conditions of this arc are quickly turning into something very much like a final battle. I knew this whole encounter on the moon would be very important in the grand scheme of things, but since Maka and Crona were away from that battle, it was difficult to imagine this as anything conclusive. Now things are slowly resembling a scenario I’ve seen several times before at the ends of shonen, which is where every available character gathers in one location to brawl until one side runs out of guys.
I first remember noticing this kind of ending in Black Cat, where the last story arc took over a third of the manga’s running time and slowly had the whole extended cast meeting up on an island to fight. I’m sure I’ve seen it many times before, but that was where it really struck out at me. Aside from the few characters who are stuck in the center of Shibusen watching, every remaining faction has banded together in this one confined area. Hell, we’ve already had at least one casualty with Justin Law a few chapters ago.
The next chapter will most likely center around Kidd and the army of witches potentially coming to his aid, and since this is looking like the last big arc, they will almost certainly help him because that will give at least some closure to their conflict with the Death Scythes. That will quickly put an end to the surface battle, and that means the Kishin will get to start messing with everyone directly. Impressive as the fear elements in Bleach were this week, they don’t even compare to the madness segments of this series.
Does this arc feel conclusive to anyone else? It’s very possible for one or more of the villains to escape, but if that happens then the real final arc would have to be even more grand and chaotic than this. I can’t see how you can do that when virtually everyone is here already. With any luck, we’ll receive a much better ending than “Maka beats the Kishin by punching really courageously”, but since the Arachne arc showed how she can get past difficult enemies strategically, I’d at least like to hope her eventual victory will be grander than that. Assuming the Kishin is even the final enemy, but that’s theorizing a bit too far. For now I think it’s best to just sit back and watch the fireworks.
Posted on July 23, 2012, in Series, Shonen Action, Soul Eater and tagged ending, manga, shonen, Soul Eater, theories, war. Bookmark the permalink. 13 Comments.
Shades of Grey 
For once I’m up to date with a manga and it good to have a place to talk about it.
I’m not as experienced with manga as you but this definitely has the finale vibe to it. The gathering of the characters is the obvious sign but we’ve also stepped over the witch/meister conflict to some degree. Plus the main three have no huge challenges to overcome personally anymore so it makes sense that it can conclude now.
We saw Justin bite the dust already but do you think anyone else could die? I think Steins a bit screwed if the battle carries on too much longer but I doubt he’ll die that easily.
I always thought that Maka’s father was the one most likely to get killed in this upcoming fight. His speech to her before departing had that vibe that he probably won’t be coming back, and he knows it.
That would be so sad but it is possible. If he did die then Maka would be so pissed at Stein too.
I think it’s more likely he just ends up bed ridden.
That seems possible, since as long as he looks like he could die, it would affect Maka the same.
My thoughts exactly. It could get quite emotional if done right.
I do agree that they’re’s a good chance the Kishin will meet his end here, But i honestly think the series finale as a whole all depends on how much of a threat the mangaka will make out Noah to be.
We’ve already seen two incarnations of Noah. A very cunning and insane Greed, and what i think can only be described as Comic Relief Wrath. This man can still be killed 6 more times at least, and that’s if the book doesn’t pull a cheap one and cycles through the roster again. And he works through the will of a book that is pretty nutty in and of itself. So i could see a new incarnation holding another arc, if maybe only a short one.
I don’t think Noah is quite that big a threat. Keep in mind that having six bodies didn’t help Pain from Naruto stay a threat for very long. If anything, the real danger is Crona, since I’m pretty sure she has something brewing that we have yet to see the full potential of.
What do you think will happen with Kagura, the naked clown?
Most likely she’s going to be killed. I don’t know who’s gonna do it yet, since if Blair were around it would probably be her.
If this really is going the be the final, then I think it’s time I get to reading Soul Eater, Last chap I read was like 70, lol.
Likewise, I do hope I can get a better ending then the anime’s “plothacking punch”.
I’m still not completely sure, but this has the finale vibe written all over it.
One of these days I need to see the anime ending. It sounds hilarious.
Hello! I have a question sir, I’ve finished the 50+ episode anime and I want to get on track again to the manga. Do you have any clues on what chapter I should start reading the series?
I don’t know the exact point at which the anime and manga, but I understand that it’s shortly after they acquire BREW. That’s in Chapter 37 I believe, so you should try around there. It can’t be too soon after that, because I know that Baba Yaga’s Castle was never animated.