Purchase Soul Eater, Vol. 3

"Soul Eater Volume 3" is all about the swords -- some are offensively annoying, and some are dangerous and powerful. And after a brief interlude of comedy, Atsushi Okubo launches our eccentric heroes into a whole new round of supernatural battles, with some special attention paid to the sweet-natured Tsubaki.

While Soul and Maka recover from their previous battle, Death the Kid and Black Star go off on a special quest to recover Excalibur, a legendary weapon that can bestow unparalleled power on its meister... and the only problem is that it's also a huge pain in the butt. Meanwhile, Medusa is approached by a pair of witches who have a problem with her undercover job, but they have no idea how powerful she is.

Then Tsubaki and Black Star are sent on a special, highly sensitive mission -- they must stop a demonic sword named Masamune, who also happens to be Tsubaki's jealous older brother. When Masamune takes control of a young boy, Tsubaki must enter a creepy inner world where her final battle with him will begin...

Most of "Soul Eater Volume 3" is a sort of "in-between" part of the story -- there's a one-off story that serves mainly to expand the characters, a comedic story, and a chapter that underlines just how evil Medusa is. Plus, it turns out that Soul's injuries from his previous battle have left him with some weird side-effects.

But most of the attention here is on Black Star and Tsubaki. We discover more about the hyperactive ninja's background and maybe even his motivations for wanting to be the best of the best -- and Tsubaki, who usually gets overshadowed by her partner, is revealed as a shy, timid girl who still has a core of strength that cannot be broken.

And Okubo is definitely taking the series in a creepier direction, especially since Soul is being haunted by nightmares about shark-toothed, jazz-loving demons and exploding out of Maka's stomach. But there's still plenty of slightly eerie action as Tsubaki/Black Star fight Masamune, and some entertaining comedy in the first chapter (words cannot express the horror of Excalibur).

"Soul Eater Volume 3" takes some side-trips from the brewing plot arc -- legendary swords, nasty big brothers, and witch infighting. And Okubo's work is getting nicely creepy.Get more detail about Soul Eater, Vol. 3.