I don’t normally watch a lot of anime nor do I actively seek it out nor can I tell a good one from a bad one.  But 2013 was the year of referencing Attack on Titan.  Wit Studio, the company responsible for adapting the popular manga series, released the series only to claim a large number of rewards like best series, best musical score, and best theme song.  For all the websites I visit, reddit, kotaku, etc.  Attack on Titan has been at least referenced at least once as an incredible if not at least controversial series.  Especially because I don’t watch too much anime, I normally would’ve brushed this series off due to general disinterest, but all the media coverage and the constant referencing finally coerced me into watching the first couple of episodes.  And by episode 4 or 5, I was hooked, lined, and sunk into an abyss of excitement and sadness.

The Background

The year is 845 where over 100 years ago, a mysterious force called the titans wiped out majority of humanity.  These titans are giants, whose seemingly only purpose is to devour and wipeout mankind.  In response, humanity has created a series of walls, in order to ward off titan attacks and keep humanity safe.  When the walls are breached for the first time in 100 years, ambitious and young Eren Jaeger vows to wipe all the titans off the face of the earth.  With the help of his deadly adoptive sister and brilliant childhood friend, Eren embarks on a journey that can only be viewed as a suicide mission.

Watch Attack on Titan for yourself here on Crunchyroll

The Titans are Truly Terrifying

We learn pretty quickly that the titans are truly an unstoppable force.  The entire series drives in how feeble mankind is when against these Titans.  Lives are lost in blinks of an eye and the anime depicts the gruesome nature of how the Titans eliminate mankind, whether it be squishing, chewing, or swallowing them whole.  Mankind has classified a number of different types of classes of Titans, ranging from 4 meter tall giants to 100 meter tall colossi to the unpredictable aberrants.  The series dives into these more, showcasing that learning all the information humanity has gained from the titans has been paid by a blood price.

Just about every death on the show (and there are a lot of them) are the result of Titans and just about anyone and everyone is game.  Whenever the deaths occur, they’re quick but brutal, not really emphasizing a degree of mercy that Titans have.

Wonderful Universe Building Info  in the Transition Scenes

In the middle of the episodes there are awesome transition slides that reveal little pieces of information about the world Attack on Titan is set in.  These small tidbits include small descriptions on equipment used and general information.  They’re masked as informational military debriefs, making us feel as though we’re being let known a little known secret.  Each piece of information is useful in building the world Attack on Titan is built on and they even debunk some questions the viewer has they watch the series [though it can be said that it also raises some questions as well].

Incredibly Strong Character Development  on It’s Main Characters

For the five or so title characters, there’s enough material in the episodes to really develop their motives and backstories.  Some are more one dimensional than others, but the series really drives the point of ‘what is worth dying for’.  By the end of the series, each character has seen their fair share of deaths and how they react and overcome [or don’t overcome in some cases] this feeling truly defines them.  Do you fight for love? For duty? For loyalty?  For survival?  For vengeance?  Attack on Titan fleshes out what works and what doesn’t by showing the consequences of what you’re truly fighting for.  The title characters get the most development, allowing backstories and flashbacks to give their motivations fuel and reason.  It’s this development that has created the emotional attachment I feel to a lot of these characters [to be more explained below].

Some 1-D Characters Not Developed Enough

Given the large number of characters in Attack on Titan, there are some 1-D characters that I felt deserved a little bit more love.  Early on in the series, some precedence of a comedic relief was set, especially the scene involving Sasha Blouse being labeled as Potato Girl.  A number of connections to the other various characters are lightly touched upon but are rarely followed up, an issue I suppose given by the large number of characters constantly introduced.  It’s unfortunate that it usually takes external research to remember the names of a lot of people who had incredible 1-shot moments but are soon forgotten in the following episodes.

The Absolutely Gorgeous Animation and Killer Soundtrack

Attack on Titan has some incredible action sequences.  The steampunk nature, the city scape, and the maneuver gear action scenes were simply breathtaking.  A lot of the animation revolves around several humans scaling the cities and Titans, which makes for ambitious and complex camera work.  I know I mentioned that I don’t watch a lot of anime, so I don’t know if this is the standard for all anime, but I was completely taken away with many of moments, swooning for the heroes dancing in the air and nearly becoming dizzy.

The music, including both theme songs, was also another incredible aspect of this series.  Sad moment? Queue the heart jerking music.  Badass moment?  Queue the hype music.

Some Rather Unbelievable Moments as Expected from an Anime

There’s a number of beefs I have with Attack on Titan, but they’re often drowned out by the primary story.  It might be just because it’s a Japanese anime, but the idea of using the maneuver gear (although awesome) doesn’t seem like the most practical way to fight the beasts, especially given how advanced the technology is.  The three walls aren’t very well explained either, seeing as how it would take an incredibly long time to create the walls and it isn’t clear how exactly they came up in the first place.  A number of other logistic issues like how they were smart enough to build holes in some places to trap Titans but not others, etc.  I suppose being bogged down by logistics such as these are prime examples of being a stick in the mud, but in trying to find something to complain about Attack on Titan, I’ve been reduced to being a stick in the mud.  But as I said early, these silly things are often drowned out in the primary point of the story.

Plus, I’d imagine a lot of these discrepancies are explained in the Manga.

All the Feels

I just want to hug you, or at least someone to hug you…

Throughout the series, there were a couple of scenes where I had to grab my face in WTF.  Admittingly, I liked the first half of the series more than the second half.  The first half had a lot more things at stake and had me holding my face in pure terror than the second half.  These moments were so powerful that it took every bone in my body to not go to the wiki and read about spoilers before I finished the series.  This is primarily due to the radical climax of the series.  The climax of the series, which properly divides the two halves significantly changes the plot and how it advances for the rest of the series.  In order to keep major spoilers from this, I’m going to refrain from talking about more about what happens.  All that being said though, the entire series is pretty incredible, despite me liking one half more than another.  Both halves share spine tingling moments that make you binge from start to finish.

As referenced above, there is a lot of emotional attachment to characters and I think the internet stands behind me that Mikasa Akerman is simply one of the most badass characters ever created.  Her backstory, current personality, and skill makes her one of the most root-worthy characters on the show.  Emotional attachment isn’t always the best thing.  Like any measurement of a good series, character deaths are good indicators of whether or not someone was developed well.  And there are a lot of character deaths.  Like many of the characters on the show, we’re forced to move on quickly, questioning humanity’s newfound ability to discard their own humanity in order to survive and win.  Topics like these are explored resulting in character development depth…Which hurts even more when they die…

Overall, Attack on Titan is certainly worth checking out if you’re at all interested in anime.  Even if you’re not that interested in anime, such as myself, it’s a worthy show to satisfy anyone who loves fantasy, bleak outlooks, and giant things fighting.  Though I think if you like any of those things, anime certainly has you covered.  But I suppose I’m rambling on now, I guess it’s time that start considering the idea of catching up on the manga…

Let me know what you think of Attack on Titan or have any questions!