| Synopsis |
|---|
| Death and Spirit Albarn are surprised to find information about witches hidden in Death City, including one of their students, Kim Diehl. Confronted with this news, Kim and her weapon Jacqueline O'Lantern Dupré escape. Kim and Jacqueline are then approached by Mosquito with an offer to join Arachnophobia. Shocked at these developments, Spirit meets with his informant: Medusa Gorgon, possessing the body of Rachel Boyd. |
The Choice is the forty-fourth serialized chapter of the manga Soul Eater. It was reprinted in tankōbon form in Volume 11.
Featured Appearances[]
Characters
DWMA Students, Staff, and Allies
- Maka Albarn
- Soul Eater
- Death the Kid
- Death
- Spirit Albarn
- Sid Barrett
- Mira Naigus
- Kim Diehl (defected to Arachnophobia)
- Jacqueline O. Lantern Dupré (defected to Arachnophobia)
- Ox Ford
- Harvar D. Éclair
- Kilik Rung
- Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder
- Azusa Yumi
- Auntie
- Security
Giants
- Medusa Gorgon (possessing the body of Rachel Boyd)
Locations
- Near the Witches' Realm
- Death City
- Chupa♡Cabra's
- Death Weapon Meister Academy
- Extracurricular Assignment Board
- Front Gate
- Dungeon
- Wrath Giant's Home (flashback)
- A Forest
Objects
- Crystal Ball
- Spider
- Mosquito's car
Plot[]
Near the Witches' Realm[]
Jacqueline pledges herself to Kim
Kim Diehl and Jacqueline O'Lantern Dupre have changed out of their Witch Mass attire and into their DWMA uniforms. Kim bemoans her dilemma: if the Witch Assembly learned of her enrollment in the DWMA, she would be excommunicated from the witches, and hunted by the DWMA. Jacqueline realizes how much more strict witches have been about associating with the DWMA since Medusa's infiltration and resurrection of the Kishin. While Kim worries about being isolated, Jacqueline takes her hand to promise her commitment to her as her partner: DWMA student do not abandon their friends. Kim apologizes for not considering Jacqueline's own worries for her safety and, with Jacqueline transformed, flies away "back home to DWMA."
Chupa Cabra's[]
Arisa and Risa look upon a crystal ball, and a voice from the magical objects asks whether they have extracted information from the Death Scythe Spirit Albarn. It turns out that the two Chupa Cabra's employees are witches, working for Arachnophobia! Risa prides their ability to draw so much information from Spirit, "like taking candy from a baby," but warn their addressee, Mosquito, not to "freak out." Arisa rambles at length before getting to the point: it is Spirit, not Death, who really runs things at the DWMA. Mosquito, less than impressed, asks for more intelligence. Arisa rambles again before revealing that Spirit only needs to "snap his fingers"—and struggles to describe even that simple action—in order to change the world's economy. Mosquito is shocked Arisa and Risa would accept such braggadocio as truth. Arisa then reminds Risa how the two accidentally spilled ice onto Spirit's lap, yet the Death Scythe accepted the act as sexy, failing to recognize that the two witches were actually nervous. Mosquito is too exhausted to express his frustration.
As Risa is about to release Soul Protect, Sid disables her
Arisa and Risa's oh-so-informative intelligence report is interrupted by an employee at Chupa Cabra's, announcing that customers have arrived. Arisa and Risa excuse themselves from the nonplussed Mosquito to see their customers: Spirit Albarn and Sid Barrett, each wearing a mourning armband for the recently departed Joe Buttataki. Risa is surprised Spirit brought a friend, asking who he is. Surprised at Spirit's somberness, she asks what is wrong—only for Spirit to announce that Risa and Arisa are ordered to come to the DWMA under suspicion of being witches. Before Arisa can stop her, Risa prepares to unleash her magic—but Sid removes the ice picket from the nearby ice bucket, threatening to cut her at the neck if both witches do not cooperate.
While Sid and Spirit confront Risa and Arisa, Death the Kid and DWMA security block all exits from Chupa Cabra's. To prevent the witches from performing magic, Risa and Arisa have their mouths gagged. As the witches are taken away, Sid asks whether Spirit believes the report. While the Death Scythe is surprised, based on how often he comes to Chupa Cabra's, he believes the anonymous tip that they received was correct. Sid then realizes that, if such intelligence was accurate, then so would the accusation that Kim is a witch. Spirit responds by noting that, even if Risa and Arisa are witches, he cannot imagine them to be bad people. Therefore, it is best to listen to Kim's defense to determine her loyalties, and Sid agrees.
Death Weapon Meister Academy[]
While Auntie stamps a DWMA student's mission as completed, the hallways have more security officers present than usual. Mira Naigus orders Kilik Rung and Ox Ford to alert her as soon as Kim and Jackie return—and to stay warm. She then speaks to security, warning them not to take any drastic actions against Kim: the DWMA just wants to speak with Kim.
Ox Ford, Kilik Rung, and their weapons party with The Wrath Giant
At the front gate, Soul Eater notices how many students have returned from assignments. Maka Albarn tries to identify anyone from their class, only to be approached by Kilik and Ox asking whether they have seen Kid. Maka and Soul are surprised that these meisters, and Ox's weapon Harvar D. Éclair, are without shirts. Kilik explains they just finished "dukin' it out with an angry giant." While Ox and Kilik, shirtless, faced the Angry Giant, the fight dissolved into a naked campfire dance with Harvar and Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder. Soul complains that he wishes he and Maka had gone with that mission. Maka tries to convince her weapon that their mission was fun, too, as they learned a new attack, before she bemoans how boys "always want[] to get naked all the time."
Ox asks for more information about this new Witch-Hunt Slash, but Maka speaks at such length that Ox asks her to slow down while he writes notes. Soul and Kilik mock the two nerds, then Kilik tells Soul about an interesting talking drum found during his mission, annoying Maka who thinks the two are nerding out over music as she is over her new technique. She then thinks about how the Devil-Hunt Slash may be able to defeat Medusa.
Ox's hair spikes tingle: he senses the return "home" of his "fair lady," Kim. Kim and Jackie land, and Kim rushes to her fellow meister—Maka, who greets her with an exuberant high-five. Ox tries to join the conversation, but Kim, although surprised that Ox is without a shirt, is not interested in him running outside just to await her, as if he wants some monetary tip. Ox admits he is here mostly to greet Kim, but he also has a message from Sid and Naigus to see Death. As Ox explains, Jackie notices security gathering around Kim, while the other students are confused.
Kim leaves the DWMA
Naigus approaches, asking Kim and Jackie to follow her. When Jacqueline asks for an explanation, one security officer seizes Jackie by the arm. Naigus orders the security officer off of Jackie, but Kim's weapon transforms her held arm into a lantern, singing the security officer and allowing Jackie to transform completely into her flying lantern form to help Kim escape. Naigus urges Kim and Jacqueline not to leave, but a teary-eyed Kim cannot hear: she and Jacqueline depart from the DWMA.
The security guard is disappointed that Kim and Jackie have escaped, but Naigus seizes him by his collar, tossing him down for treating one of their own students like a criminal. Despite her frustration, Naigus tries to focus, urging Kim and Jacqueline not to lose their way.
A Forest[]
Kim lands, shocked at what has happened. As the DWMA knows she is a witch, she cannot return to the Academy—and soon the Witch Mass will know as well. Because she escaped before she could hear her teacher and classmates, Kim fears how everyone, knowing she is a witch, must think of her as a liar and traitor. Kim even worries that Ox must hate her now: "I was always embarrassed by your feelings for me...because everyone was watching," Kim thinks. But she cannot help but feel hurt at losing Ox's trust. As Jacqueline reverts from her weapon form, she hugs Kim, who cries that she wants to return "home" to the DWMA.
A spider lingers near Kim and Jacqueline, raising their suspicions that it is one of Arachne's sentries. Jacqueline prepares to burn it, when they are interrupted by a voice coming from a luxury automobile that, out of nowhere, has driven into the forest. The driver, Mosquito, already understands the entire story from listening through the spider, ordering the two girls to enter, as they have nowhere else to go. Jacqueline refuses to join with the DWMA's enemies at Arachnophobia, but Mosquito responds that "a lovely young witch" like Kim does not deserve to be hunted by "your beloved DWMA." As the DWMA and the witches will never stop fighting, it is in a fellow witch such as Arachne that Kim should place her trust. Kim asks Jackie how to proceed, and the weapon replies that, as Kim is the meister, Jackie will "travle whatever road my meister chooses." Mosquito gleefully drives Kim and Jackie away to "a first-class world of wealth and luxury" with their new "sugar daddy longlegs."
Death Room[]
Azusa Yumi reports that Arachnophobia has attacked the DWMA East Asian and African branch offices, which Death assumes is the result of their lost battle for Brew: at every point in which Arachnophobia removes this demon tool and threatens to use it against the DWMA, forces leave their bases to focus on this potential Brew attack, at which point Arachnophobia attacks the unprotected base. Azusa says delays are lengthening this war, and at some point Arachnophobia will use Brew to make a demand that is impossible of the DWMA to address. Death sighs, claiming he cannot make a preemptive strike without first knowing where Arachnophobia's base is located.
Death's conversation with Azusa is interrupted by Sid, who reports that someone has arrived at the DWMA, claiming to be the source of the anonymous tip about the three Death City witches. Sid has placed this person into the dungeon. Death asks why someone who gave them anonymous information would be so dangerous as to place into the dungeons.
Death Weapon Meister Academy, Dungeons[]
Medusa wants to make a deal
Spirit is furious. He lights a lantern as he enters the prison cell, asking where this "evil" person has the nerve to return to the DWMA. Grinning, Medusa, still possessing the body of Rachel Boyd, is silent. Spirit asks this "snake bitch" why she is so much smaller. Medusa yawns as Spirit reminds her of her crimes of releasing the Kishin and with him madness. Medusa asks where is Stein, until she remembers, with a devious smirk, that the scientist has departed. Spirit is surprised how much Medusa knows when she has not been within the DWMA for some time. As Medusa obviously has so much information that she can offer, confirmed by the list of three witches she provided, she proposes a deal: she will provide the location of Arachnophobia's headquarters, Baba Yaga Castle. And as she knows that the DWMA will not trust her, she'll sweeten the deal: she also will provide them with the real Brew. Spirit stands shocked: Arachnophobia does not actually possess Brew, but Medusa does, and she is willing to give it to Death.
Manga and Anime Differences[]
- The original anime never referred to Kim Diehl as a witch. The later anime Soul Eater NOT! would confirm Kim is a witch.
- Likewise, Risa and Arisa were never identified as witches in the original anime.
- The anime showed Medusa walk up to the DWMA to face Mira Naigus and surrender herself, along with information about Brew's location. In this chapter, the manga shows Medusa as already imprisoned when she informs Spirit Albarn about possessing Brew. As well, in the anime, Medusa never revealed the names of any witches hiding in Death City.
Trivia[]
- The talking drum that Kilik discusses with Soul is a West African percussion instrument, in the shape of an hourglass, that mimics speech rhythms. These drums were used to pass messages across long distances.[1]
- Mosquito refers to himself as "nagaashi-ojisan," directly translated as "Daddy Longlegs" but in Japanese referring to someone who provides financial support to college students, especially girls. The term comes from the early twentieth-century United States novel Daddy-Long-Legs, about an orphan girl whose college fees are paid by a generous man whom she has never met. Mosquito uses this term to refer to his wealth as well as to Arachnophobia's spider conceit.[2]