Attack On Titan - Shingeki no Kyojin (37 Episodes 2 Seasons 5 Ova's - 8.56 out of 10 Stars)
Attack on Titan skyrocketed into ethers of popularity, penetrating pop culture after it's anime debut & with good reason because it's Jam packed with stimulating and excellently choreographed high action animation scenes. Being absolutely fearless when it comes to the acrobatic like camera movement & tracking, as Attack on Titan being adapted from the popular and well off manga illustrated and written by Hajime Isayama. First let me just tell you that S*%# happens... Fast.... Though rest assured I'll try my best not spoil any of the fresh produce. I do feel this series got a good jump start, lots of things going for it, and since the Second Instalment has been released, I thought I'd revisit and spend more time with this series.
On the surface Attack on Titan seemingly is an eventful roller coaster of brutal violence, eye blinking impact & neurotic intensity, where humanity lives in fear of these towering humanoid cannibals - dubbed the Titans/Kyojin - An innumerable horde which dedicate their existence to solely prey on their much smaller human counterparts, which makes for plenty of failed heroics and desperate sacrifice. Though later on Attack on Titan begins to allude to the mysteriousness of the Titans origins and the Secrets of Humanity & possibly how a larger conspiracy may be at play, leaving a lot more than initially meets the eye...
On the surface Attack on Titan seemingly is an eventful roller coaster of brutal violence, eye blinking impact & neurotic intensity, where humanity lives in fear of these towering humanoid cannibals - dubbed the Titans/Kyojin - An innumerable horde which dedicate their existence to solely prey on their much smaller human counterparts, which makes for plenty of failed heroics and desperate sacrifice. Though later on Attack on Titan begins to allude to the mysteriousness of the Titans origins and the Secrets of Humanity & possibly how a larger conspiracy may be at play, leaving a lot more than initially meets the eye...
Attack on Titan seemingly is Eren Yaeger's story in his humble beginnings at the start of the series along with characters such as Armin and Mikasa in wonder of what lies beyond the walls and the rest of their world. Which Eren idolizes the Scout Regimen as Hero's for travelling beyond and is personally wrought with dissatisfaction of living inside the towering concentric walls, believing humanity to be cowering away from the threat of the Titan's that loom beyond and away from the populaces's general conscious. However Eren's life changes forever as a wave washes over the entirety of what seemingly was his boringly peaceful life. Initially, Attack on Titan is Eren Yaeger's story as he utilizes his compassion for his comrades, the Joy of fond memories and both the pain of loss and betrayal to empower and fuel his revenge for righteousness. Further along though, Season 2 takes a moderate departure, alluding to the mysteriousness of the Titans, as the scout regimen slowly begin to piece together the fragments of the vague knowledge and ambiguity of the Titans origins. Such as how humanity could have possibly erected these colossal concentric 50 meter walls encircling their entire settlements, while the Titans were busy terrorizing human civilization.
After learning more bit by bit about the Titan's and plausibly a larger conspiracy at play, at the end of the second season, we slowly begin to question if theirs something much more, something much larger at work than we've even begun to actually realize. The overarching narrative slowly begins to introduce aspects such as theocracy, royalty and abuse within the shadows - As the scout regimen pause to investigate the secrets of Humanity, the Titans and how they are both related - Which the Scout regimen, championed by Erwin Smith, believes that without fail, that the truth will lead to Humanities Salvation and Freedom from the Titans - In that belief the scouts are commanded with reckless abandon to obtain it. As a result many scouts are slaughtered and cannibalized by Titans in the process to inch closer and closer to the truth.
I love the work that was done detailing the mythology of Attack on Titan, along with the exciting and combative nature of this series, we're also given a bit more when in regards to the Titans origins and the Secrets of Humanity - Two things I'm sure will be important, immensely so, for the coming resolution of the series. Attack on Titan is also somewhat set in a post apocalyptic/Industrialist setting and definitely has a sense of place, time and setting. I've also grown to like the Germanic esque architecture and technology within the world - it contrasts well with the post industrialist theme where humanity had seemingly somehow regressed from it's previous technological advances. It adds to sense of wonder as well as mystery of what exactly transpired for humanity to be driven back so far into the past, and I trust it will make for some interesting creative opportunities in the near future.
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| Hajime Isayama |
Attack on Titan also has nice amount of character story and drama, particularly which I feel was more focussed on in S2, regarding characters such as Sasha Blouse, and Ymir and Christa's relationship, which is great since the first season was far more action oriented, as opposed to being more focussed on relationship developments and struggles. In that sense the second season is a bit more somber and toned down - Something that I personally came to like. Watching the Ova's as well definitely did wonders to help improve my impression of the series as I initially felt that the series needed a couple more stand alone arcs/episodes about for neglected characters. While this still remains the case somewhat, Levi's personal arc was fantastic, and the other Ova's helped out a bit as well for what was more of an Eren-Centric story. I Highly recommend watching the Ova's not only because do I feel they're required viewing material, (Particualrly the First Ova as well as the Levi standalone arc) they also do wonders to help mitigate some of Attack on Titan's more serious flaws by supplementing some extra content & additional character story - Particularly so in the glazed over training time period the 104th Squadron went through. The Ova's already finished airing, so you'll need to purchase (If still available) the manga volumes their bundled with. Head onto MAL (MyAnimeList) to find more about them.Hajime Isayama - If I can just give the readers & the people I know a moment of joy and let them get lost in the story, then I think it will have succeeded as a story.
Attack on Titan also tells a tale about the everyday insecurities and duties of a soldier on the front lines, as each individual is tested on a consistent basis , which is something that takes center place as a core theme within the the story. Being that I feel the over arching narrative and the immense premise of this series also plays a role in affecting the psyche of Attack on Titan's characters quite a bit.When whole squadrons are getting annihilated by Titan's, we are often privy to a given character's thoughts such as Jean or perhaps Armin, and how the neurosis of killing and slaughter can get to a person. Often times when the Scouts are on the loosing side (Heavily so), with every engagement with the Titan's, the scouts who believe they are fighting for humanity and are willing to sacrifice it all, are forced to question the futility of their resolve as a soldier to continue to fight, and to search and uncover the secrets of the Titans, without knowing they'll live the next day or perhaps whether or not their struggle will be in vain.
Often time's, Attack on Titan involves some traditional mystery aspects to the plot - In other words "Who Dunnit'!?". Mystery is practiced and implemented pretty well in conjunction with high action scenes in addition to larger ploys that take priority within the given scenario. The story is structured enough that, unless your a little bit dopey, you'll more or less will probably figure a lot out on your own without too much thought or investigation. Despite extremely and sudden early character deaths, the conspiracies within Attack on Titan on the other hand are somewhat predictable and easy enough to figure out, especially if done on paper, regardless of the break neck pacing. However the dynamically transient nature of this series in how developments take place more than make up for it, as each episode nicely leads on to the next.
"Wait, why do we have pre adolescences saving the world again?"
I understand the apprehension some felt when pondering if you should watch Attack on Titan, but Attack on Titan's lore details adequate reasoning for this, being that the military is evidently often times decimated by the Titans in most of their skirmishes and small engagements with the towering giants. So older veterans are rarer in the Scout regimen being that with every engagement always brings high casualties along with it. Revealing humanities desperation to fight and survive by enlisting young talent & blood into their ranks, so it's fine with me - It's the main reason why in past and even now how the practice of enlisting child soldiers is commonplace in war torn countries such as Sierra Leone in Africa. It makes for good storytelling mechanics in this case since, young characters such as Eren demonstrate how they have to quickly grow, adapt and toughen up as they are tested on a consistent basis (like in Neon Genesis Evangellion) To which some prevail and others get consumed by it.
Attack on Titan is, without a doubt a progressively linear storytelling experience, driven by it's fast paced action oriented nature, and having many combative and confrontational moments between characters when dealing with the Titans, loss, and just the mere density of overwhelming emotions, which some are slowly consumed by. It's a story about Hero's.. Hero's whom have their backs against the wall, who are fighting against the cultural malaise and docility of their populace, as well as combating other obstacles such as fear and politics. Eren is a focal point, being that he symbolizes the resistance and courage to go against the grain of consensus and not to quietly get lost within the gravity of his situation. Pressure that both the threat of the Titans and Humanity weigh on him as well the rest of the Scout regimen. By having characters feel young and vulnerable, their feats of strength and how how they draw there willpower and inspiration is made more significant thanks to this contrasting mechanic.
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