Soul Eater NOT!

This is a semi-prequel/spin-off of the popular manga-anime-video-game franchise Soul Eater. Although it provides some backstories from the Soul Eater mythology, the series basically offers another trip to the well of an intrigue-laden school where powerful magical combat is taught. Students at Death Weapon Meister Academy—located in vaguely Halloween-ish Death City (where even a coffeehouse franchise is called Deathbucks)—are gifted with the ability to bodily transform into magical weapons (scythes, spears, flames, etc.). They meet their "meisters," i.e., BFF partners who will physically wield them in the fight against evil (principally, witches). Initially, the show centers on lighthearted classroom antics—heroine Tsugumi doesn't know what kind of weapon she'll turn out to be, while demure Jacqueline has a lesbian-tinged crush on busty Meme (who is hiding her ancestral witch origins). But real danger and dark forces eventually make their appearance. Presenting all 12 episodes from 2014 in a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-14, extras include audio commentaries. Recommended. (C. Cassady)