Review: Soul Buster

Anime based on card games are a dime a dozen but mix it with Chinese lore such as The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and you get an interesting take on it. A Chinese co production Soul Buster based on a manhua of the same name certainly sets itself out from the pack through its unique visuals but is there more to it?

Son Shin has a bizarre dream containing all sorts of mythical and unnatural imagery only to awaken when he sees something extraordinary. He then comes across a card and suddenly comes under attack from his teacher who has some sort of warrior beside him wanting his card and will do anything he has to. Little does Son Shin know this is the first act in a series of escalating events.

A fairly simple set up for a card based series but I am a sucker for a card based series as long as it gets the basics right. Here that is the case for me. There is more to it than on the surface with a lot of world building, twists, new parties with their own goals and characters to come but it doesn’t get needlessly complex. The simplicity here works for the better as it allows greater focus on the characters and action which is what this show does best from Son Shins first battle with his teacher to his clashes with Hakuanshi.

We don’t really get that much background on Son Shin himself so can only go on his actions throughout. He isn’t stupid, quick on his feet, adapts to challenges quickly and will do almost anything for those who have protected him. A bit typical I suppose but I like that he isn’t afraid or constantly questions himself. Shuu Yu I liked a lot, she is a noble warrior but also has a softer side, being used in this game has took its toll on her and she hates losing master after master so seeing her change her tune somewhat after Son Shins efforts is nice to see.

Most side characters are interesting also. Quiet girl Ryou Un and her lord Shuu Sou know much more than Son Shin does and help him when he needs it whilst also providing an insight into this world. A few more pop up over time including a seemingly punk fighter kid Barin who is fun and Ryou Uns father. The villains are fairly generic (apart from their designs), trying to revive their master who wants to start a war but do bring a very real sense of danger and excitement. Other than that the lords themselves take centre stage with an array of designs, personalities and wants.

I like that because this is a Chinese co production the historical elements are based on The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It’s refreshing to see a new batch of lords, what they’re like and their powers instead of the umpteenth version of Oda Nobunaga. They’re also quite interesting as they’ve been part of this game for a long time, have their own feelings and thoughts, losing master after master so their personalities have warped to reflect this to the point where stability can be key, they are not disposable cards as evidenced by the link to the user. Seeing them in the now modern world is also rather nice, a real contrast of ages.

The action scenes are frantic and exciting despite the visuals (I’ll get onto that). Scenes flow well as characters move naturally and smoothly. Sure it’s typical of these types of show with bombastic powers that fill the screen but when it’s enjoyable it’s enjoyable. More so when you have an array of powers on display from the usual sword wielders, archers who can unleash more than just an arrow, soul taking and a swathe of magical influences.

One of the problems I do have is the length of episodes. As a mid length series (with episodes 13 minutes long) it feels off. Multiple episodes follow the same battles or directly continue the story with nary a break. It feels like it would be better suited to a full length series as the constant stopping part way through a battle or particular story arc is too stop start. Episodes at this length are more suited to an episodic nature even if you are linking the story together such as Diabolik Lovers which is prime example of how to do it.

Visually is where most people will raise an eyebrow. The actual art is fine, depicting the lords with good detail and nice and varied designs from armour to battle garments to physiques. In shows like these focusing on historical elements that can usually be the case but nevertheless it’s nice to see varied designs or warriors from past Chinese history.

The issue here comes from a completely unnecessary filter or two. Over most scenes there is a filter which covers over half the screen at times which contains heavy almost pastel like line use, it’s hard to describe covers a large part of the screen. Then when actions scenes are taking place they make the bizarre choice to include a paint filter where whenever there are clashes or strong hits lashes of paint hit the screen obscuring the action even more.

Neither of these works particularly well. They obscure too much of the action and darken the visuals too much. The animation isn’t bad but actually decent so they wouldn’t have used this to hide the cheapness so I can only think it as an artistic choice which flails.

The paint filter I think they were going for the blood effect to heighten the sense of danger but it falls short. Take it away and the series becomes more vibrant and colourful and you can see effects more clearly. I got used to it 3 or 4 episodes in but even then it became distracting when overused (which it will).

The soundtrack is rather indistinct; there is the feudal, oriental if you will sound effects you’d get in a lot of anime from these eras. The OP and ED stood out above this though with catchy J-Pop tunes from Ayane and Zwei. They’ve been on repeated listens for a bit now.

An enjoyable series marred by the visual choices which is a shame. The story doesn’t wrap up the full story since the source material is ongoing but finishes on a relatively good note. I hope there is more to come as it left a longing taste for more which is proof a series has done something right.

Studio: Studio Pierrot

Release: Autumn 2016

Length: 12 episodes

Availability: streaming, Crunchyroll

7/10