Soul and Maka find themselves on different wavelengths, literally! Which means that as Soul transforms into a scythe, Maka is unable to wield him. That’s a problem they only find out when they, along with Black Star and Tsubaki, battle against an immortal wolfman. Meanwhile, Kid and the sisters face their own legendary figure in the form of The Flying Dutchman, and then all seven face off against another enemy: exams! And soon, Medusa.
Compared to the first two, this volume’s progression feels more natural. That’s not always going to happen because of the 1.5-in-1 omnibus nature of The Perfect Edition, but this one features an engaging opening, some downtime and buildup (including more about Medusa’s plan), and then ends with DWMA’s biggest crisis. There are a couple of dull sections like Maka’s dad giving Blair the money to buy Maka a gift, but fortunately they aren’t as bad as the finding Excalibur chapter of volume 2.
A reader could arguably start their Soul Eater journey right here without too much difficulty, and it might be a good way for someone to test it out without dealing with the original one-shots. Like those chapters, the early fights here end because of comedy. Some of you may laugh or while others will roll your eyes at being distracted by the sun or screwing up a spell, but the humor isn’t quite as out-there (or ecchi-based). If nothing else, all the humorous endings to these fights do is make the end-of-volume stand-off full of tension. As Medusa’s plan unfolds, there’s almost no chance she’s going to fail because of her own general stupidity. Her cohorts are another story, but at least she’s likely to give Maka and company a challenge.
Volume 3 also did well to show DWMA instructors are not as obtuse as the younger generation. Maka takes some medicine without questioning the nurse, but Stein and Sid were clearly suspicious of Medusa. Stein and Medusa try to fish for info from each other while also acting innocent, and that’s the type of humor I enjoy more than demanding a boat re-crash directly in front of a ship this time. Plus, Stein and Medusa have a bit of a love-hate thing going on, as both have a desire for experiments and research. To see the normally sinister Witch blushing is likely going to be a rare treat.
But while that relationship is going to full of obstacles, Soul and Maka’s biggest obstacle is their own stubbornness. Their desire to protect each other (and Soul is trying to hide his body’s situation) ends up rubbing them the wrong way. Tsubaki leads them to realizing what’s important, but this conflict will surely rise again. Black Star even half-jokes Maka’s going to go through her rebellious phase because of it. But moments like when Maka fixes a plate of food at the party emphasizes their connection. If nothing else, Soul and Maka can bond over thinking her dad’s a perv even though, for once, it wasn’t totally his fault.
As the story finds its groove, this gave Ohkubo more chances to draw color pages. Although they’re all splash pages and not actually part of the chapters, quite a few full color inserts are included. Combined with the excellent print quality, his Halloween-themed art pops off the page.
Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition volume 3 encapsulates much of the series’ strengths and weaknesses. Which means readers get to witness some tough battles, strong character relationships, and general incompetence. Fortunately, there are more positives and negatives here, as this premium release helps mask some of Soul Eater‘s drawbacks.