Reviewing Anime With Tinker

Soul Buster

***Anime information***

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 12

Episode length: 11:00

Genre: Action, Samurai

Viewers rating: 6/10

Opening: SOUL BUSTER

Ending: MY OWN LIFE

Plot: Keishuu, China.

The history books say that in the era of the Three Kingdoms, this land was a place of never-ending war. A young high school boy, Sonshin, who hates his city's history, is troubled by a certain dream. When he wakes up from the dream, strange things begin to happen one after another, and without understanding what's going on, he suddenly finds himself facing Gien, one of the generals from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, who's trying to kill him! Just before Gien's blade strikes home, a mysterious beautiful woman appears in front of Sonshin. What trials await Sonshin, as he witnesses this terrible battle between two generals of the Three Kingdoms?

***personal input***

Personal rating: 7/10

Opinion: Considering that the only other card game themed series I've seen is Yu-Gi-Oh, I was pleasantly surprised by the turn put of this show. And the fact that it was based on Chinese history was also very interesting. So, let's talk about this! Here's my review of "Soul Buster!"

The story was cool. It was something that I'm attracted to in a more general sense, but nevertheless it was something I could get behind and even more so, that I could enjoy. In so many ways the show was similar to the "Fate Stay" series (one of my favorite series) and so I was incredibly pleased in this area. Masters summoning servants to do battle, hoping to vanquish a forbidden evil. Sounds simple and entertaining enough.

The show leans towards magic quite often, and magic is something I quite enjoy, so seeing this historical fantasy type story (Something like a Chinese Percy Jackson) was just really cool.

I did find that the paving of the series was a bit off. Far too quick for my liking. The episode here weren't quite as long as a usual episode and they only had twelve episodes to work with, so I can understand to some extent. I just didn't like how quickly things seemed to move. It started and within an instant things had escalated and only continued to escalate at a fastened pace.

And honestly I felt like they could have done more with the season and it's story as a whole. The protagonist spent the entire season running from their pursuers, and then there was a big fight at the end, and to finish it off, they give us a cliffhanger that will probably never be answered.

While the story was enjoyable, there wasn't much to it. It was simple, bland almost blank. The series just didn't have a well planted plot. There were so many more options in my opinion and they could have done a tone more with the twelve episodes they had.

The art style was good. Not Fate Stay Unlimited Blade Works good, but it was pleasing. I thought that all the servants looked cool, and while some of the regular people, the masters, looked a bit strange in my opinion, overall the character design was very well done and everything looked great. The animation quality was also something I won't complain about. It was very fluid, very nice. Allowing this action filled series to play out in a smooth manner.

The music was incredibly well done. Especially the opening. It was so good! So awesome! And on top of that is an alright ending and some good OST tracks. A solid soundtrack, one that really helped the mood of the show.

And finally, probably the best and most defiantly my favorite, the characters. Now, the one bad thing about the characters is the lack of development between the servants and the masters. Of course, there are a few exceptions. For example, one of the main characters had been in a pact with her servant since childhood. So naturally there was a very strong emotional bond there. And while it was only slight, the protagonist and his servant did have a relationship that clearly grew throughout the show. They trained together, conversed and learn to trust each other. It was a nice process to see.

The characters themselves weren't that bad actually. I found that I liked most of them. I wasn't really enjoying the protagonist, and honestly, I thought the villains were lame. It was with the more main cast that I found my likings. Specifically the servants and warriors of the show.

If you like magic oriented shows, or if you liked the Fate Stay series, then I suggest checking this show out. It's off to an alright start with the story and could be really good if it gets another season or so. There's defiantly some quality in this series.

Favorite character:

Barin Yi (Goku)

Preview :

***Average***

Plot: 80

Op: 83

Character's: 80

Art style: 85

Enjoyment: 85

Soul Buster average: 83 (C level anime)