Soul Buster
Synopsis
Keishuu, China. The history books say that in the era of the Three Kingdoms, this land was a place of never-ending war. A young high school boy, Sonshin, who hates his city's history, is troubled by a certain dream. When he wakes up from the dream, strange things begin to happen one after another, and without understanding what's going on, he suddenly finds himself facing Gien, one of the generals from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, who's trying to kill him! Just before Gien's blade strikes home, a mysterious beautiful woman appears in front of Sonshin. What trials await Sonshin, as he witnesses this terrible battle between two generals of the Three Kingdoms? (Source: Crunchyroll)
Audience Consensus
Audience reception is largely negative. Reviewers criticize the derivative plot, poor animation choices, and rushed pacing. However, some appreciate the unique blend of Chinese mythology with the card battle genre and the character designs. Overall, the anime is considered a disappointment due to its technical flaws and lack of originality.
Strengths
- Interesting take on card game anime by mixing it with Chinese lore.
- Varied and detailed character designs, especially the lords.
- Frantic and exciting action scenes with a diverse array of powers.
Weaknesses
- Overuse of stylistic choices like ink splots, shaky cam, and afterimages makes the animation unbearable to watch and causes headaches.
- Plot is a ripoff of Fate/Stay Night, with bland and unoriginal characters.
- Rushed character development and coincidental plot incidents lead to an unsatisfying and open-ended conclusion.
- Episode length is too short, leading to a stop-start feel and preventing proper story development.