Volume 2 of Soul Eater centers on Atsushi Ohkubo's introduction of what, if the anime kept that much the same, will be a major recurring foe, the witch Medusa. Much like the instructor Doctor Stein, Medusa likes to run experiments on living beings. In her case, a child named Chrona, whose weapon actually forms from his blood and likes to abuse him. Maka and Soul run across them in the middle of a massacre and Soul is nearly killed protecting Maka.
Atsushi then reveals that not only has Medusa already been working at the Academy in the guise of its doctor, but the wound Soul received could have side effects down the line. Side effects besides Maka being sad about failing to help Soul. Which is part of the follow-up, Maka trying to find a way to make herself stronger.
There's a dark reflection aspect to Chrona and Ragnarok (the demon sword). Maka and Soul are trying to kill 100 hundred souls for Soul to devour, and then the soul of a witch, so Soul can become a Death Scythe. In that, he can become a scythe literally wielded by Lord Death. They're only meant to take souls on Lord Death's list, though. Chrona and Ragnarok are being used to kill anyone, good or evil, to become a Kishin, which is some immensely powerful demonic soul weapon thing.
In a sense, they're both being used, but Maka and Soul presumably had some choice in joining the Academy, and they're being taught restraint. Chrona is just a test subject to Medusa, someone she will infect with her magic to nudge him on if he isn't being sufficiently aggressive. And so far, it only seems to be Chrona's confused, indecisive personality (Chrona is constantly fretting he doesn't know how to deal with whatever he's facing, be it talking to girls or getting bags under his eyes because Ragnarok won't let him sleep) that's holding him back.
The other major story is Black Star and Tsubaki's attempt to capture the "uncanny sword" Masamune, who just so happens to be Tsubaki's older brother. Atsushi uses this to flesh out both parts of this peculiar team, and add to their backstory. While Maka and Soul both have aggressive personalities that clash at times, Black Star and Tsubaki are polar opposites. He's always shouting how he'll be greater than God, while she tends to nod quietly and follow along.
What Atsushi reveals is that there's some ugly history to Black Star's past, but also that he believes and supports Tsubaki as much as he believes in himself. While she battles against her brother in some spirit plane, Black Star waits, ignoring the attacks of the idiot villagers on himself. It's only when one of them moves to harm Tsubaki he gets fierce. Tsubaki has to finally stand for herself, for what she wants, instead of always defaulting to what she thinks will make others happy. She tried to be a loving sister, but her brother interpreted it as pity because he can only transform to one weapon, while she can become several. Tsubaki has to show him that "kind" doesn't mean "weak".
Atsushi is able to mix and match between action and comedy, mostly during Black Star and Tsubaki's battle against the villager Masamune possesses. Black Star's ego and overconfidence makes him an easy target for grand moves that backfire. Otherwise it's usually one of the other. Maka's father making an ass of himself in front of her, or the whole thing with Death the Kid and Black Star seeking out Excalibur. During the battle against Chrona and Ragnarok, once they use their "soul resonance" Ragnarok is screaming constantly, and Atsushi adds a vertical black panel along the side of each page for just the scream, to indicate it's constant. During Tsubaki's battle with Masamune, Atsushi does away with shadows or shading almost entirely. Their clothes and faces may still show shadows, but their surroundings don't. Like nothing has any form or substance except them.
There's also some gratuitous fan service, naturally. I'm not sure if it's more or less than volume 1, but there's no real reason why Tsubaki would overhear about Soul's injury in the girl's locker room as opposed to somewhere in the hallways or the classroom.
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