***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Attack on Titan. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
A hundred years ago, the Titans appeared and brought mankind to near extinction. The few remaining humans now live in a country surrounded by three gigantic walls. For the past century, these walls have kept the monsters at bay. Allowing humanity to live.
Eren Yeager (voiced by Yuki Kaji) lives with his family. Feeling trapped, Eren's greatest wish is to explore the outside world. He believes his only chance joining the legendary Survey Corps. Eren tells of his desires to his foster sister Mikasa Ackerman (voiced by Yui Ishikawa) and childhood Armin Arlet (voiced by Marina Inoue).
Then one day, the three are reminded why humanity has lived in fear.
A titan of unprecedented size peaks its head over the wall. With a powerful kick, the giant blasts a hole through the gate. The town is overrun.
Eren, Mikasa, and Armin manage to escape the city and find refuge behind the inner walls. Unfortunately, the land of the outermost wall falls.
Five years later, the friends rise to become three of the most skilled soldiers of the 104th Corps. On the day of their graduation, the three are assigned to garrison duty at the top of the wall in the city Trost. To their horror, the colossus titan reappears and once again blasts an opening into the city.
Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and their comrades must stop the titan advance. And prevent humanity from ending altogether.Series Positives
 |
| Eren |
This series rocked the world when it came out in 2013 and is without a doubt the most successful anime in years.
Therein lays the fundamental question. Is Attack on Titan any good?
Short answer...yeah it’s pretty good.
The Art Style and Visuals
I can’t think of a single show that even comes close to looking liked this one. Attack on Titan was unique and cannot get confused for something else.
 |
| Mikasa |
The setting, the characters, everything was full of vivid detail. So much care and attention got put into this show to make it look amazing shot after shot, episode after episode.
The style made every tense moment all the more nerve-racking. Every triumph all the more empowering. And every death all the more tragic. Then there are the action scenes…oh my God.
 |
| Armin |
These parts alone are reason enough to watch the show. It was the biggest thing I was looking forward to and Attack on Titan did not disappoint.
With talks of an upcoming movie adaption, I have my concerns. Attack on Titan harnessed the raw power of animation. I can’t imagine live action replicating it.
The Characters
Most shows take the time to develop their main characters. A series can remain outstanding even if its supporting cast isn't as well rounded.
Attack on Titan didn't think that way.
Every character was amazing. Every character was memorable. The leads had the most established backstories. But they didn't need to be on screen to keep the story interesting. Anyone can carry this show.
These guys went through hell and back many times. The constant struggle wore everyone down. It was devastating to see characters lose hope. Yet, it was all the more meaningful when they pushed forward. Despite their fear. Then if someone died, it was hard to watch. The effort put into making all these characters feel important paid off.
Themes
The visuals were outstanding. The cast was one of the most memorable in anime. But to me, what defined this show were the themes it explored. This story touched on sacrifice, loss, faith, trust, and survival.
The main thing I took from this series, though, was the strength of the human spirit.
Attack on Titan was set in a time where humanity was at its absolute lowest. Facing a threat that seemed unbeatable. No one was immune to the hardships of this kind of life. There were those who could put on a brave face. But everyone felt the effects.
More often than not, shows with character inaction infuriate me. I'm looking at you, Gantz. It can get to the point where you're begging for someone to suck it up and do what needs to get done. I never once had that thought during this show. Each step was its own victory because it could've been the last thing someone did.
One titan was a threat but rarely did anyone fight one titan. Ask yourself, "What would it take for you to move forward if death was almost assured?"
As a species, we can be beaten. We can be broken. And one day we may lose. But until that absolute last moment, we won't give up. This was what Attack on Titan showed.
Call it corny. Call it naive. Call it whatever you want, I don't care. Something in me resonated with this show. And I won't deny it that acknowledgment.
Series Negatives
That said, this wasn't a flawless series.
A Few Anti-Climatic Moments
The first half of the show was when the majority of the action occurred. This was also when much of the character development took place. These two story aspects alone were amazing, but when mixed, they weren't always in balance.
This was the first time most faced up against a titan. So nerves and fear were understandable. But, the transition from high-speed action to sudden inaction wasn't the smoothest.
Many times a scene came and was building up to something with the potential to be awesome. And then BOOM…nothing. A character would realize what they were up against and hesitate. While realistic, it got old fast. These incidences brought a few episodes to a grinding halt. And one episode actually had the nerve to end on one of these moments.
An animated character can dissipate adrenaline immediately. If the script calls for it. But an actual viewer cannot.
A Left Field Ending
The ending was great, but getting there was a bit unexpected. Not unexpected as in “that’s awesome”, but more of “okay I guess".
The last few episodes set up for an epic showdown. Right before it was about to happen, one of the show’s biggest plot reveals takes place. Now, I use the word "reveal" with a grain of salt.
Was the show going for a huge revelation moment? I hope it wasn't because it was easy to figure out what was going on damn near immediately. There was a piece of information learned at the beginning of this entire set up. Once that happened, it could only have meant one thing.
This was annoying but not the real problem. The reveal could've been shocking if the story spent more time on a certain subject.
I’m being very vague, I realize that. I'm doing this so I don’t spoil anything. But the point is, the show expected you to care about something you had invested much time in.
Final Thoughts
The series didn't wrap up everything in the end, and usually, this would be a huge negative for me. But I’m going to let it slide.
If this show doesn’t get picked up for a second season, not only will I be disappointed, I will be very surprised.
I do try to go into each series I watch without knowing anything about it. This ideal wasn't possible this time around. If you watch anime, and I mean any amount of anime, you've most definitely heard something about this show.
I came into this series expecting a lot and I got what I came for. There's a reason why Attack on Titan grabbed the attention of the world.
 |
| Google+ Facebook Twitter |
Others in the Attack on Titan Series
| photo b |
| photo b |
| photo b |
| photo b |
No comments:
Post a Comment