This week, Soul Eater Not got a bit more existential than I was expecting from the show and answered the somewhat typical question many protagonists in fiction ask themselves: Why am I doing this? What do I hope to gain from this? Why am I here, and am I really good at anything? Thankfully, Soul Eater Not does this with some grace; little to no angst with interesting elements intersperced.
This question has been pondered by heroes of fiction probably since the beginning of time. While usually indicative of catharsis, it can sometimes be used as a writing crutch when the author is unsure how to further develop their characters. Thankfully, I feel this is a case of the former rather than the latter. Tsugumi ponders these questions, feeling she lives in the shadows of Meme and Anya, both of whom are dedicated to their craft and naturally gifted. It’s hard not to feel sorry for the poor girl living in the shadow of her two friends. Personally, your raison detre is what you make of it – do you think it’s worth it, does it matter to you? While it’s silly to ponder such questions in relevance to a cartoon show, it is nonetheless interesting to think about and gives you an idea of Tsugumi’s thought process.
There was no further movement on TRAITOR’s part this episode, but that’s ok. Perhaps we needed a week to recupera-ok, given the pace of this show, that’s not necessary, I know, I know.
I felt a bit bad for Tsugumi that Maka didn’t really remember her, but there was something nice about the scene anyway. I’m never one for realism in anime or fiction to begin with but it seems much more likely to me that Maka wouldn’t remember such a brief encounter with someone at the top of the steps anyway. I mean, would you remember some random face in the same situation? I know I sure as hell would not. I hardly remember people I’ve met several times! Hell, I hardly even know you. I don’t even know what I’m writing, or what I even watched actually!
That escalated quickly. Speaking of escalation, I’m not so sure I trust Akane. Sure, it’s possible he was just playing around with Tsugumi’s heartstrings, but I’m not entirely convinced he is innocent – this is especially suspect when you recall that in the previous episode he got the hooded dude working for TRAITOR to buzz off without so much as a warning shot. His weapon seems pretty innocent though, and it did seem like they were corresponding with Sid before and I doubt he’d be dumb enough to be fooled by them. It’s uncertain (and if he wanted to do damage, he could have done it here before backing off), but let’s just say I’ll be keeping an eye on him.
More news as events warrant. Always wanted to end a blog post with that crutch phrase.
