Anime: Shingeki no Kyojin

Last time I watched AoT, I got stuck somewhere in S2, but due to all the praise and attention it still gets after 10 years, I decided to pick it up again from the beginning.
It’s a cheesy line to say this anime is great, because of the overhype and blablablah…but…it is, it honestly is greatness.
So, I watched this season for the third time after cca 8 years and I was so often rendered speechless by how amazing it is.
Not just the obvious things, like top-level animation, action and music, but so many details are practically honed to perfection.
All the character interactions, all the small nuances in their behavior, all the miniscule aspects of how shitty their lives are…we get to see, no- we get to live it together with them!

EPISODES 1-8:

Eren riding on the rollercoaster of shitheadedness where you love him in one minute and vividly hate him in the next one…
Mikasa is just perfection except the fact of her being that much attached to Eren.
All the other chars perfectly fit to the whole atmosphere and scheme.

One of the most important scenes as I see it now is when the commander of new recruits yells at them to shape them up, but is skipping certain people:
“Those are the ones who survived the attack 2 years ago. It’s showing in their faces” and really! It is! Double for Mikasa! Damn, that scene is so strong!!!
I suddenly feel much more connected to Bertolt, Rainer and especially Annie, which is very different from my previous watches when all of them were just disturbances and I didn’t understand why they made them such important “pieces on the board” later

No matter from which angle I take it, these first 8 episodes are 10/10 for me.

EPISODES 9-16:

Second third of the show is certainly weaker, but still very enticing and still above almost any competition in the same categories, even now, 10 years later, let alone at the time of its airing.

They are once again masterfully showing human behavior in critical situations: FEAR, frustration, cowardice, stupidity – so masterfully that it’s painful to watch at times – but I wouldn’t say it’s gotten worse because of that. No, the reason for the decline is more complex, but if I was to simplify it: I didn’t like how the whole flow of the show shifted from action survival filled with thrill, suspense and brilliant decisions into a public debate about what to do with Eren, sprinkled with a bit of action and a lot of stupid opinions and decisions. I somehow understand what it’s trying to do and it’s not horrible or off-putting, it’s just much worse than the godly beginning and that itself is disappointing for me.

EPISODES 17-25:

The last third starts to be much more interesting again. Unfortunately, a lot of stupid decisions and stupid behavior ruins what could have been one of the best shows ever. Annie arc is really magnificent and mainly made her shine that much more in my eyes now, as she is able to show such a broad range of emotions during that. I remember vividly hating her back when it aired, now I aggressively love her and it pains me to see 2 of the best female characters being at each other’s throat that much, even if it makes perfect sense.

Once again, the stupidity and weakness of every minor character and mob is strongly emphasized. So much in fact, that it starts to be frustrating in a bad way, in other words it’s already fcking annoying at times. I really wish there were more than 2 skilled people in the entire world.

Anyway, as a whole, it’s still sooo much better than 99,9% of similar shows and no number of these mostly minor flaws that I am listing can change that…

***

Animation: Even now, almost 10 years later, this is visually amongst the absolute top titles I have seen. Unique rough art-style perfectly fitting the atmosphere and vibe of the show. Everything maximally detailed including hair, facial features and especially facial expressions – one of the biggest strengths of this show! Animation of the action scenes is also pretty much flawless, which is unbelievable given the speed they are moving at.
10/10

Music: I am not too big fan of its OPs/EDs like most people were when it aired, but the OST is one of the most epic and one of the best I’ve ever heard in anime. It boosts the drama and action few levels up.
I also absolutely have to mention the voice acting, which is the third best of all anime for me, especially thanks to Mikasa and Eren. They express all the emotions so naturally and perfectly…
9/10

Story: It’s nothing too complicated (yet), but at the same time it has almost everything I need. Apocalyptic and kinda grotesque, yet heavily relatable world. Humankind’s desperate struggle for survival. Seemingly unbeatable enemy. Everything important implicated but heavily shrouded in mystery. Human relationships and desires amped up to the maximum. Criticism of the society and human behavior in general. Portrayal of human stupidity is nerve-wrecking and frustrating, just how it should be. Not losing any time and moving at very fast, yet not over-rushed pace. Stakes always being super-high.
9/10

Characters: Mikasa is one of the best chars of all times (also best waifus, which is not always connected)!
Eren is a little bit too edgy at times, but that actually fits to this kind of environment. I can’t say I like him, but at least he makes the others shine that much more and he is needed for every bit of the story. I already can’t imagine him being any other way.
Watching it for the third time (after a long break) finally made me appreciate Annie and even Rainer+Bertolt much more than before. When you know who they are, you are able to focus on how their behavior match that at all times and how nicely and subtly it’s all done!
Many other characters are there just to die, but even if, they are all quite masterfully fleshed out.
9/10

Value: As I already wrote, I am now watching it for the third time and honestly having great time without any regrets. Can see myself watching it many more times.
10/10

Enjoyment: First 8 episodes are all amongst the best and most enjoyable eps of anything I’ve ever seen. After that, it goes steeply downwards for a while, then again quite high up, again a bit downwards and then upwards, but it unfortunately never reaches the heights of the first 8.
9/10

Conclusion: Even after third watch, this still stays at 9/10, a very very strong 9

The single coolest and maybe best moment is about episode 7 when the Rogue Titan first appears before Mikasa and takes down the Titan about to attack her and then he screams in anger and vengence. The utter look of shock and surprise on her face match a sense of real emotions perfectly. It solidifies the efforts to reallly bring you into the story. All those years of facing Titans to see something so unexpected really play out in her carefully illustrated expressions. One recurring theme that you never seem to shake off but gradually get a greater sense of is that the Titans are not the only enemies. As is often the case in such epic animes, there is a great deal of hidden enemies lurking below the surface. The last scene shows you such a grand surprise it is reminiscient of Planet of the Apes when Heston sees Old Lady Liberty buried in the sand. Then again, part of the negative side is that there may well be too many hidden secrets in the series or more importantly that those secrets are dangled before the audience like a carrot before a hungry horse and we are never rewwarded. Thus perhaps the biggest negative is just that, they tease the viewers with promised forshadowing secrets but drag on revealing them so long that it risks losing the audiences' interest and earning their ire.

Though the story is pretty strong, it would be a bit overzealous to say everything was perfect. Maybe the single biggest positive is how well and how strongly the series can stir the emotions of the viewer and draw them into that rocky ride that is the drama of life. From the first moments when the enemies attack and do so with such utter brutality, power, violence, destruction, speed, and painful emotional scares really sets the stage for things to come. The residents are a dismal lot and it is hard to sympathize anymore with them than the Titan Shifters, the Titans, the Royal faction, or the rising rebel faction. The lead characters are too often mistreated so badly it is hard to feel a connection at all to the humans inside the giant walled commune at all. As the story progresses in fact, the sympathy seems to oddly shift to the Titans themselves.

It is likely this series will need at least 2 maybe 3 more seasons just to catch up to the manga let alone get to the final conclusion of the story. Of course that may depend in part on how much the abridge the events or follow them closely with the manga. There are enough answers left unresolved by the end, you might feel compelled to get the jump on things and read the manga rather than wait for the next season when and if it comes, though it is very likely too come. It is cool they even made a live action movie but the story is generally so long and detaied it is kind of difficult to imagine how they could have packed it into only 2 hours of action. There is so much tension and action that even when they just sit around doing nothing, it is hard not to remain on edge. No one seems friendly to our ragtag crew, not even their own neighbors or nation when it is all said and done. They are treated more like dangerous weapons.

The whole purpose of what the Titans are is a bit murky to say the least given why the feed on humans and the result. It is just as mysterious and confusing as to exactly what they are and how they live and exist. The very nature of their life form seems to defy any known form of biological life known to us with no great sense of or clue as to how such a creature could exist or function. Then again that mystery can be appealing but like the other secrets it is frequently dangled before the viewer with no end in sight. It maybe fine for now but, I should expect a bit more clarification before too long.

Of course the most interesting parts of the series have to be the Titan shifter clan. By the end of the series, at least 4 are known though one is not technically of this mysterious clan. it is a bit shall we say imbalanced because the Rogue titan on the face of things appears to be completely outmatched by any of the other titan shifters. I certainly hope perhaps he gets better, more skilled, tougher, stronger, or develops some sort of additional abilities to make him a bit more challenging to them. The hidden yet so called stolen ability he has is a totally separate thing and should ideally make him a cut above all the others. Yet, if he is a wimp compared to any other titan shifter, thats a bit of a let down.

It is also somewhat of a letdown that he and his entire squad were so virtually helpless despite all their skills, training, and tenacty demonstrated before hand. I might well have expected a little better results during or before they were defeated. It is a bit shall we say refreshing how innocently he is unaware of his own hidden strengths after the Rogue Titan goes on his first rampage. That crazy general looked so panicked that I would dare say, it would be hard to find any character ever to demonstrate a greater sense of lose of judgement and utter fear in the history of entertainment. I am surprised he did not wet himself. As amusing as it was, it might even pushing that it was a bit too much. His second showed so much more resolve than he did, I have to wonder, why is such a man in command at all and she not his boss?

Events being as they are and ever more dangerous to the ever growing tight knit group, they do grow surprisingly closer together and that is another positive to the story. They might be conflictive of each other or even at times have disliked each other but the events that follow them serve to practically force them together ever closer. You can get a general idea how Robin Hood and the Merry Men felt as events also pushed them closer together so that not just their own force of will decided such a tight knit group of friends. This reason that they become comrades in arms gives a pretty powerful motivation for why they become as bonded as they do.

It is almost ironic that the same can not be said of the other humans in general and that factions of them in fact even grow further apart and more distrustful. I sense irony here. There are whispers of some social sabateur negating efforts at uniting all the people yet it is still pretty shadowy so it may well be missed. Most of the titans look like normal giant sex organless humans but a good portion of them look so fugly it is somewhat hard to imagine them as scary monsters but instead as comical side shows. Perhaps an ironic twist is the mention that only one human at least one among the known and named characters is of Asian descent at all, and this is rather uniquely reinforced with character names. This is one of the few animes to have any let alone a good portion of Western non-Asian sounding names. Part of the strength of that here is, even when stories of most series involve non Asians, they will often still have Asian names or even be called half or part Asian. This practice kind of disrupts the validity of some fantasy worlds those series' that do that created. It might even be one of the reasons it has gained so much popularity because it represents a much broader population than most animes. They have in a way even gone the complete opposite of most animes that are dominated by Japanese characters and reduced it to one. Was this perhaps born out of the repetition or frustration of having so many stories center around Japan or those of Japanese descent? Maybe. Variety is a good thing in entertainment and in all honesty, anime though they all appear very imaginative are at the same time very repetitive. Too often the story is not only similar but exactly the same. High school or middle school, with students between 12 and 17. And that is your main character. There is almost always a pervert, a child hood best friend, some mega crisis or world wide danger that only these underage children are somehow able to respond to. They are often part of some powerful or hidden organization and somehow have alot of training or combat experience. i probably do not need to list all the cliches we see time and again in anime to get the point across. This show pretty much follows none of that.

I do not know exactly how old the various characters are, but you get the impression that they are probably the equivalent of high school graduates, which is sort of implied by when they graduate from training. Though they appear somewhat young, none of them have a childhood feel. Sure tragedies can forcefully mature a child rapidly well beyond their years, but it feels like it is more than just that. By the time the heart of the story really takes off, there is no sense of child hood or immaturity in any of the characters save maybe the girl that keeps sneaking food which ends up acting as a source of humor. There is definitely a general gloomier, darker, grittier, real world ish, and more mature atmosphere to the series than what is usually seen in popular anime. This may well be the most popular mature adult with adult ish characters anime yet to date. And those are good things. These things all grant this show a great deal of distinction and uniqueness far apart from your ordinary average anime.

There are underage characters seen in the show. Three of the main characters first appear about maybe 8th or 10th grade range ish in age when the first attack occurs. There are sometimes children scrambling about among the environment as well. That in point of fact is another good thing. The characters literally grow not just mentally or experience or skill wise without any physical changes like many other animes.

In some respects, this series maybe all about breaking chains and molds of cliches frequently seen in so many other similar types of shows. Overall it is a pretty unique, original, engaging, dramatic, sci fi, fantasy, adventure story with lots of action, drama, intrigue, and suspense. There is plenty of fuel given to many different genres and types of plot elements. It is hard not to find something to like about the show, but even if you do not love it, you will no doubt find it quite entertaining if not very enjoyable

Authors will sometimes forgo intricate writing to tell a simple story, and the self-described Attack on Titan is just that. A throwback to a time when heroes were men, heroines were men, villains were just evil obstacles, and stories could kick logic to the curb and screw the rules because it gets by on being simple and unabashedly GAR.

Well, not quite.

While high-adrenaline thrills are Attack on Titan’s calling, they’re actually quite controlled, much like the disciplined soldiers fighting the Titans. They use grappling hooks that essentially let them “fly” anywhere so long as there’s a structure to latch onto and their gear is fueled. This is key, because while some characters move more ridiculously than others, no rules are broken and the surrounding environment and remaining fuel must be taken into account, and this comes into play on more than one occasion. And yet, the frenetic actions scenes create an illusion that there are no limits to how they can move. This illusion makes the action scenes greatly satisfying because there’s always a method to the madness, to say nothing of the presentation itself.

And the presentation itself is visceral. Hard outlines trace the character and background designs to give this show a heavy look, colors are vibrant despite the limited color palette, and action scenes are well-choreographed without character models turning to mush, except for when the story intends for them to be smashed into unrecognizable bits by a Titan. The Titans’ expressions and movements are often stupid, but it creates an uncomfortable disconnect with how terrifying they are. But the audio doesn’t hold up quite as well as the visual. It rises as action rises, and falls as action falls, and has the occasional vocal track, and while good, isn’t anything that can stand on its own. Nonetheless, the audiovisual is solid and goes a long way to telling the story.

But more than the presentation, Attack on Titan’s greatest strength is its story, especially during the Battle for Trost and the 57th Expedition. These story arcs are fast-paced, yet, at the same time, slow to go anywhere. The quickness of it all represents how fast the soldiers need to move to avoid death, yet the slowness of story events mirror the arduous task of fighting a Titan. It’s a lot of energy spent on a slow, punishing process that wears out the viewer as much as it does the characters. Beyond the direct threat of the Titans are questions of discarding humanity, self-sacrifice, and blind faith that are usually handled well—the appearance of a certain character in the Battle for Trost is a particularly standout example—though at times these themes become forced when a character starts speaking like a philosophy textbook. It ruins what little character the characters have.

This is because while the story is very good, the characters leave much to be desired. Eren switches between self-degrading and angry as the plot calls for it, Makasa goes back and forth from cool and silent to sympathetic, and Armin breaks his cowardly streak at his convenience. There are moments when the characters show roundedness, but their development ultimately becomes an excuse for shouting and fighting atop more shouting and fighting. Once the viewer realizes a certain event that happens to a certain character during the Battle for Trost isn’t as impactful as it should be, it should at least make them place expectations on how well developed or not the rest of the characters will be. Among all of Attack on Titan’s accomplishments, good character development isn’t one of them and that hurts this show a great deal.

Not to say the characters are bad, they’re just not good. In an average anime they would be harmless, but in an anime where everything else is at least good, these characters are like the weak points of a Titan itself, crippling something impressive if it received a direct blow. But if the weak point isn’t attacked, the Titan—the show—runs amok in awe-inspiring fashion. People who can mostly or entirely ignore the weak character development will find a lot to like in the solid presentation, excellent fight scenes, and very good story. So despite an obvious problem, Attack on Titan still towers over most shows at a solid 7/10 meters

Shingeki no Kyojin is the most hyped up anime of 2013. Many even go as far as saying it is the best ever, and those people are the ones who cannot see (or refuse to see) the flaws of this show.

Art and Animation
There is something peculiar about this anime's art. While the background was pleasing, and some shots of the characters were also pleasing,sometimes, it seemed like the producers weren't even trying. The heads are over-sized and too big for their bodies, while their waistlines, and overall body were very stick figure like. The animation is good,very pleasing, though some of the moves they were performing on the 3DMG are deemed rather impossible for a human, even if you do have steampunk'd gear. Some of the moves they perform seem like it would snap their tiny bodies in half. But, it's anime, and real life logic doesn't apply. Especially to Shounen series. About half-way in,the art seems to decrease in quality, but so does everything else. I also had difficulty recognizing one of my favorite characters, Jean. They really should fix that, so Jean looks like Jean. Not some hillbilly with an unsymmetrical face. I feel as though when they animated the Titans, they weren't really trying- No, Isayama wasn't really trying. They have anime faces. Some people even call some of the "Kawaii" and let me tell you something: Those things are not supposed to be "cute". They are supposed to be terrifying. But, I guess with those faces, they were. Some ran like they had to go to the bathroom and some looked like models going down the runway doing the catwalk. If all the Titans looked like the Colossal Titan, it would make this rating go up an 8.

Sound
OP/ED were not good. At all, yet people are deeming them they best ever. I have heard far better OP/ED than these. I've heard more memorable OST's than these. From what I can remember, the guy who composed it is trying too hard to give off that "Holy" feeling. Like, he's trying to be like Two Steps from Hell. He uses lots of electric guitars and vocals. This is supposed to be back, in the what-800's? Why is there electric guitars? The OST's don't go with the time period, is what I'm saying. If he could master what Kaoru Wada did for Inuyasha, the rating would be higher. Kaoru gave off that sense of the Warring States Period, so he should try and do the same. Not add electric guitars to a time period where guitars aren't even in thought.

Story As I have seen everyone say, "this story is so original." Though, let me point out, there are many concepts/stories with the same ideas. One story that SnK somewhat resembles is a novel called the "The Painted Man" Or in America, "The Warded Man" by Peter V. Brett. The Painted Man is about a character named Arlen, who is introduced after an attack of the demons known as "coreling" that kills 27 people. He realizes that humans have been mostly on the defensive, hiding behind something called wards. He is disgusted by his father's cowardice after his mother is attacked, and leaves his home to seek training as a messenger.As he matures he becomes determined to hone his skills and help turn the tide against the corelings. Sound familiar? These characters are tired of living in fear of the corelings. They hide behind things called Wards, which protect them from corelings, but aren't invincible.
Back to SnK...During the middle part, it seems to slow down DRAMATICALLY. From them on, it's constant talking and horseback riding and a bit of action here and there. Also, I take it that Isayama was "inspired" by "Jack the Giant Slayer" and used that concept for his story.

Characters
Weakest point, in my opinion. Shall we break it down to see exactly what is wrong with these characters?
Eren Jaeger- MC of SnK. He is your typical Shounen Main character, which consists of being the overly powered, loud-mouthed, rude, believe it! type.
Mikasa Ackerman- Your typical Mary Sue. As Menagerie's editors stated, "Mary Sue stories—the adventures of the youngest and smartest ever person to graduate from the academy and ever get a commission at such a tender age. Usually characterized by unprecedented skill in everything from art to zoology, including karate and arm-wrestling. This character can also be found burrowing her way into the good graces/heart/mind of one of three characters, if not all three at once. She saves the day by her wit and ability, and, if we are lucky, has the good grace to die at the end, being grieved by the entire ship."
Armin Arlert- One of four of my favorite chaarcters. Although he is kinda useless, his intelligence is a good thing. Although, I'm still trying to figure out how HE figures out some of the stuff....
Another favorite of mine is Jean Kirschstein. Though he doesn't show up much. I seriously do not know why. Nothing particular that I like. I was just watching one of the episodes and I randomly said out loud to my sister, "I like Jean." I don't know why, it's just "Hey, I like you. I don't know why, but I do." Also the Jean x Armin ship is appealing to me for some reason.
Annie Leonhart is another favorite, I actually have a crush on her. She's different in a sense. She's interesting, her design is appealing. She's more interesting than Mikasa. I really would have liked it if she was the MC instead. I also like her interactions with Armin.
Levi, often mistranslated as Rivaille, is the most most interesting character in this series. He is the reason I stuck to watching SnK. He is amazing, mysterious, short (ha ha) and overall fun to have on the screen. Though my love for him has died down a bit. He makes the MC's personality change to effeminate. Though, making him humanity's strongest and that he can even incapacitate a 14 meter titan, when Eren Titan can't, is a bit much.

Enjoyment
It was good. I agree, but it has it flaws, and it is definitely is not the best of 2013. It didn't live up to its hype. I was somewhat disappointed because everyone was talking about how this anime makes you feel all types of emotions, and that this is the best of the decade, yet, when I watched it, I didn't feel all those emotions everyone else was feeling. It didn't leave an impact on me. Anime that leave impacts on me(Samurai Champloo, Inuyasha...) are what I rank 9's and 10's.

Bought into the hype of this show, watched it now, and I wasn't disappointed! Attack on Titan is not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it does have a few redeeming qualities that make it an entertaining show, if nothing else.

Art & Animation

Attack on Titan looks really nice. It has a nice warm, if slightly brownish, color scheme, fairly good looking characters with no over-the-top silly elements, and mostly fairly beautiful backdrops. However, it's in movement that Attack on Titan shines. The combat is very dynamic and does not shy away from a multitude of camera angles, fast, but relatively fluid movement, and good choreography. Battles, the main dish in Attack on Titan, because of this are a treat visually. You can see the occasional influence of "budget" here and there, repeated art in some landscapes, very simple cgi moving landscapes (when characters are moving fast, be it on field, in the city or deep in the forest), yet because of how fast the show is the simplicity of these few scenes do not subtract significantly from the overall experience.
It doesn't sport too unique a designs or technically absolutely amazing animation and vistas, but it is a solid action title that looks its best... in action! haha. 9/10

Sound

Just like with animation, Attack on Titan, sports a solid effort in the sound department, but without truly unique shine. The choirs are convincing, the drums propelling, and actors are screaming. Everything is as it should be, but, while a technically good effort, none of the bgm themes are memorable, OP and ED are above average for an anime, but nothing extraordinary, and the voicework is pretty fine, and the fact that actors didn't have to really do too much is more of a problem with how the characters are written, not with them. 7/10

Story

This is an action show, a thriller almost, and pretty much from the first few episodes it was clear that there probably won't be any deep revelations on human psyche, great drama or anything of the sort. Instead what you get is combat, combat, then some training combat, and then more proper combat. And if you're fine with that, then Attack on Titan doesn't disappoint. The combat is justified by a fairly interesting, even if a bit "gamey"(artificial-feeling?) setting, where humans are reduced to prey. But a medieval european feeling prey, mind you, so the taste is actually somewhat unique. Mankind's enemies, Titans, while not the most unique as an idea of overwhelmingly strong, but somewhat dumb enemy, are presented with a nice intrigue. While the show reminds you frequently that we don't know much about them, it does share a few interesting details here and there, creating a sense of delving into the secret behind the Titans.

Among other qualities, I'd like to note the solid and fast pacing of the show. It stops very rarely, and mostly it propels itself towards action, and then proceeds a good time showing this action, which for an action anime is definitely not a bad thing. The battles themselves don't sport too much of a tactical "depth", if you wish, but the struggle often feels authentic. Titans chomping on secondary characters on a regular basis creates a somewhat ambiguous sense of horror - on one hand, death is happening often, somewhat reducing the horror of it - "oh look, another clumsy guy/gal got eaten", on the other hand, it's a fair reminder that secondary characters will die often for the noble cause of illustrating the brutality and hopelessness of going against titans.

notice how I said "secondary characters dying". of course, it's natural for the main ones to be more "invincible" than the rest, but here it sometimes gets a bit funny, creating a really, really vast gap of "skill" between various characters, where one can take down what feels like 10 titans at a time, yet others die in packs to a single clumsy giant babyface. this makes the deaths of characters often feel dependent on mere chance or whim of the scriptwriters - the factor of titan randomly smashing or missing feels inconsistent.

the central struggle, that of the main character Eren and his buddies, is propelled by edginess - revenge, "kill 'em all", "people livestock" etc. are phrases you hear often, and they are enough to understand that "ok, this guy ain't gonna be too deep". he's also armored in plot, but the show does an ok job of making his fate at times feel unknown, even if very slightly. at the end of the day you understand that there wasn't really gonna happen anything else with him than what happened, alternatives are very virtual. that being said, I was interested to see what's gonna happen with him, and he, unlike many characters in arguably better written shows, does not suffer from complete verbal diarrhea - while his edgy phrases do pop up here and there, there is very little attempt to mask his messages under "epic" words like "truth", "reality" or whatever. that's a definite plus, straight up "kill 'em all" or "I MAD" is way better than flood of words that have nothing to do with matter at hand. mind you, he does do this sometimes, but it's very occasional, and sometimes even feels fitting because of the rarity.

and the final criticism will be that, it turns out (I went in not knowing this) this is based on a bloody currently on-going manga. fuuuuuuuu, that's like the worst case scenario for an anime, it's incomplete, plain and simple. both manga and anime, and given how commercial success can increase length of things, the show loses something very substantial to any good (or ok?) story - the promise of resolution. There are many intrigues and details that must be resolved in another season (seasons? gods, please no).
In the end, what we have here is solid combat, relatively fast moving events, and an intriguing world. But no resolution, really. It's nothing unique, but it will keep things moving along and make the viewer interested in whatever's happening. I'd say that's worth 6/10.

I'd also like to dispel the criticism of "shock factor" that I hear often leveraged against the show. So, does it employ shock factor? hmmmm. nope. there's blood, some ocassional guts, people being chomped down, but none of this is out of place in an anime about, well, war. for me, a shock factor has to be somewhat unexpected, you know, for the shock to occur. here I felt nothing of the sort, it's all rather fitting in the action, and there isn't even that much of it. Elfen lied was pure shock factor, madoka magicka perhaps, too, but this? anime straight up about war and people being eaten using gratuitous violence to inflate how people perceive it? yeah, no.

Characters

I already touched on this a bit, so I can just add that in addition to Eren being the main edgelord, everybody else is easily as edgy as he is. Characters are pretty much the weakest point of Attack on Titan, none of them are particularly deep, despite some of them even having some backstory. All it amounts to is being "cool" in this or that way, and this coolness then is shown off in battle, the central stage in this show, where all qualities of character are evaluated and played out. What's happening off-stage isn't really very impressive, although it does have some ties to what's happening at the center. But characters who don't do or influence battles are of very little importance here.

I don't even have any standout characters, a bit too one-sided they are to pick favourites, and picking Mikasa just because she's the pretty one, well, talk about shallow. In their defense, very few of them are downright annoying, some of them have a few humorous replicas and sides here and there, but they're all a bit like toy soldiers.
oh well, the characters seem to serve to move the combat effort along, they do this, and one shouldn't expect much more from them. 5/10

Value & Enjoyment

it's hyped and a big name, and it's a solid action anime, but since it's incomplete, its value is diminished. since it's not particularly original, its value is further diminished. but it is an entertaining watch that has some of that "drive" action movies/animes/whatever tend to have. there's plenty of that.
6/10 in value, solid entertainment, very little beyond that, at least, as of now.
if you're looking for a more atmospheric, moody and, well, despair-filled take on humans versus overwhelming monsters, then I recommend Blue Gender, a slightly older title with weaker animation, but vastly superior mood and one of the best soundtracks among animes, ever. I found the whole situation to be rather reminiscent of that show, so I dared insert it here.

personally, I enjoyed attack on titan. it had addictive action, pretty scenery, Mikasa, but, ultimately, it reminded me of better titles and made me curse shows being made after incomplete things. that sucks big time. but oh well, 7/10 in enjoyment, a fun ride, even though it doesn't leave much behind it.

Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan

Introduction - "I am back"

So here it is, my second review. After my SAO-debut I felt compelled to give another mainstream series a shot. So bear with me, even if you think the show is nothing but a pile of dungpie :grin:.

Art & Animation - "My dear, you are a clunky beauty!"

Attack on Titan is a gorgeous show to look at - especially at first glance. The vibrant colors in combination with several lush panoramas and jaw-dropping vistas will deliver a lot of eye-candy to most otakus. Especially in close-ups the attention to detail can be staggering and some of the titans look simply phenomenal. CGI was done rather well too, sometimes it seemed a little blank and generic, though.
As far as animation quality goes, Shingeki No Kyojin is a mixed bag as well. While some episodes and scenes have been animated meticulously, others feel extremly clunky and stiff - to the point where there is almost no animation at all.

Despite these minor hick-ups it's a very nice show to look at.

8/10

Sound - "Epic mediocrity"

I loved the opening music, but - like last time - I will not take that into account (since it's a very meaningless evaluation criteria).
As far as the actual soundtrack is concerned Attack on Titan offers what seems to be common for Shonen-/Seinen-shows these days: a lot of epic, bombastic, fantastic, majestic (blablabla) tracks with a general lack of own identity. I really did enjoy almost every track, but like other popular shows the soundtrack suffers from extensive repetition.

Most of the voicework is very solid even though it often borders on over-acting. Sound effects are top notch.

8/10

Story - "Going nowhere can be exciting too, right?!"

Like a lot of Shonen stuff Attack on Titan delivers a very intriguing setting and promise. While it's a typical "mankind is on the brink of extinction"-doomsday story, the actual setting and opening plot introduction are extremly compelling. Full marks for that, no doubt!
However, after just a few episodes the viewer is forced to learn that the plot generally goes nowhere at all. I have rarely seen a show (apart from stuff like Bleach and Co.) where events move so incredibly slowly. Throughout 25 episodes there is almost no development given to the titan-story at all. Instead the show focusses on dull conflicts between human organisations, which would be fine per se, if said organisations had been covered more carefully. While the recon branch of the military gets a fairly detailed portrait, nearly every other aspect of the interesting world is ignored, though, which is a real shame. This is why a lot of the story branches seem unimportant and uninteresting. The show does surely have its moments, but it's just not enough to rectify the general lack of story development.

I often felt like this kind of storytelling was a very cheap way of creating longevity for future seasons. Other shows have done this a lot better. I'm not punishing the show for its cliffhanger'esque ending, since it's clear as day that a second arc is bound to follow. But it could have been a lot better nonetheless. But I actually am interested how the titan-stuff turns out in the future, so at least there's that.

6/10

Characters - "Sheesh, I'm so forgetful, what was your name again?"

Characters are clearly the biggest flaw of the show. While Eren comes across as fairly interesting boy hero at first, he quickly incorporates the roll of the wimpy, boring and incredibly annoying shonen saviour who needs to suffer all the time in order to get angry in order to beat the overshadowing menace in order to be beaten to a pulp again in order to start the cycle anew. Eren is the epitome of a typical, underwhelming shonen main protagonist.
The other characters are extremly stereotypic as well, with captain Levi being the only positive exception.

The "antagonists" are even worse, since they have no character exposition or development at all. The titans just look threatening and nice, but that's it.

If the show wants to have a long lasting impact, this aspect needs to be improved greatly immediately.

4/10

Value - "Eight divided by fifteen."

It's an extremly normal shonen-show so far. You watch it once, you get excited at first, think it's awesome and gradually lose interest during the remainder of the show. You might re-watch some of the fights or listen to some of the soundtrack, but other than that Shingeki no Kyojin has no long-term value.

5/10

Enjoyment

There are a lot of episodes - especially at the beginning - that were really exciting. Some of the fights are very pleasing as well and I got hooked by the entire idea and setting in general. It just degenerates very quickly once you realize how little plot development there actually is and how uninteresting the characters are.
I did have a good time with most of the episodes, though. That's not something I can say about every anime these days.

7/10

Verdict

I can understand why people get hyped about this show, I really can. It offers a genuinely interesting setting, generally good production values and some exciting battles.
But that's it. And that's why it didn't really have a big impact on me. It has poor characters and a dull story development.
Certainly, there is potential lying somewhere for this show, but the creators need to bring up their game if they want to have a chance to keep their fanbase henceforth.

As it stands now, Attack on Titan is worth watching as long as your expectations aren't too high and as long as you accept that you are watching a typical shonen-show (with slightly increased brutality).

7/10

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Shadowbroker

written on 7.10.13