I actually just reread the first chapter the other day, and what strikes me most is how it's less about the plot and more about establishing a wild, kinetic tone. It opens on a dark, stormy night with Maka Albarn and her weapon partner, Soul Eater, hunting down a witch. The action is chaotic and stylish—Soul is a scythe, and the whole thing reads like a punk rock album cover in manga form. The witch turns into a monstrous snake-thing, which was a pretty standard first-boss setup even back then.
The real meat of it, though, is the character dynamic. Soul is introduced eating the witch's soul after Maka defeats her, which is just a fantastic visual. You immediately get their vibe: Maka is the strait-laced, determined meister, and Soul is the cool, aloof weapon with his own ambitions. There's a great panel where he's just lounging, completely unbothered. It doesn't waste time on heavy exposition; it just drops you into this bizarre world and lets the odd-couple partnership carry the energy. The chapter ends with them heading back to the Death Weapon Meister Academy, mission accomplished, and you're left with a sense that this world has very specific, weird rules that you're excited to learn.