Well, ok, I finished Soul Eater!
The ending was really intense, as it should have been, and I liked it well enough, even though it was a little weird. I feel like there are still a lot of loose ends that it didn't tie up very well, though, and, of course, that bothers me tremendously.
Basically, I liked everything about the series up until Maka decided to go and help Crona. After that, it was just one blow after another. It kept getting worse and worse, and not even the really big finale saved those final few episodes for me.
I was extremely disappointed that Crona didn't get to defeat his mother. That's probably the biggest thing that ruined the series for me. It spat in the face of his character development, and he never got his closure. He never got to truly defeat his own demons. Maka did it for him.
Marie's healing pulse was another thing that bugged the hell out of me. If she had that all along, why didn't she use it earlier, before Stein went to Medusa? I feel like, if she had done that, things would have turned out differently and, overall, better for everyone involved. It wasn't a one-time use ability, either, as far as I can tell. She could have used it at any time, and that's a big plot hole.
The series also had a bad habit of introducing characters and then not doing much with them, like Free. He was initially portrayed as someone who was going to be an important antagonist, but then he was hardly ever heard from or seen again. He was kind of replaced by Giriko. Don't get me wrong, I loved Giriko (and I loved his rivalry with Justin even more), but Free deserved a bit more attention, I feel.
Overall, I'm glad I watched it, and I'd consider it one of my favorite anime series, excluding the last few episodes. I'll just pretend that those didn't happen.
Crona was my favorite character, with Stein and Kid coming in as close seconds. I felt a very strong connection to Crona, given my own history with an emotionally abusive and manipulative mother. I guess you might say that he...resonated with me.
I also resonated strongly with Kid. My OCD isn't nearly as severe as his was, but it was nice to see a character with similar obsessive-compulsive behavior. I'm all about order and balance. Even if a room is chaotic, everything has its place, and if something is removed from its place, I'm uncomfortable. I have a deep love of symmetry, as well. Asymmetrical things make me nervous and jittery. It was fun being able to laugh at Kid, and, in a way, at my own neurotic tendencies.
Then, of course, there's Stein. Do I even need to say why I liked Stein? I have a passion for characters like him, who fight against their own madness, but who can't do it all on their own. He's a strong person with a great sense of humor and a pretty hilarious premise. I was so glad when he finally snapped out of it and joined the fight against Medusa (even if I think that fight should have been Crona's). There was this sense of relief that washed over me, and I actually screamed, "He did it!" out loud.
I got really attached to all of the characters! Each one was unique and vibrant, even the villains, and that made me really love the series! The animation was gorgeous, the art style was fun, they weren't afraid to go a little crazy with facial expressions, the world building was a breath of fresh air; what more can I say about Soul Eater?
It was a wild ride from start to finish! Now I get to experience it all again with the manga!