Review of Attack on Titan

"Refreshing" is the word I find goes with this anime much like how a cup of tae goes with a sandwich. Let me just start of by saying I was one of those people who immediately shouted "Over-hyped" and could not be convinced by anyone nor would I watch it for any amount of money. If you are even remotely as stubborn as I am I hope this review will prove to be helpful to you. The story starts off good, we are quickly brought to an understanding of where we are who is who e.t.c. standard enough procedure. Its not long before we discover the "titan's"and the fear/horror that comes with them. The theme of helplessness is evidently portrayed quite early on also. So what you say? It starts the same as all the mediocrity out there? Well please believe me when I say that Shingeki goes against the flow of most shounen fight/action cliches. It wasn't full of kawaii, well endowed girls with questionable intelligence nor was the protagonist a perverted coward who got nosebleeds at the thought of a girl. In fact they kept life in this world as genuinely human as possible, there was no blue/green/pink hair people only had hair colors that we can inherit in our own world, and how people broke down/coped with fear/despair was very natural. This was invaluable, it was awesome to be able to feel how the characters felt it brought you into the anime and you "lived" each episode not watched it.

The pacing is usually what makes or breaks an anime for me and they got it spot on, in all 26 episodes there was not a single filler episode in fact the first episode or two covers a few years(sounds too fast but you'll understand if you watch it) and they deliver just the right amount of information to you each episode, of course you'll have your questions but this is good it keeps you interested and your questions will be answered in due time. The plot wasn't exactly "original" but it was by no means predictable some times you had no idea what was going to happen next, it was exciting and at the end of each episode there will be some form of dramatic cliffhanger that'll you'll rocket out of your chair/bed and click next episode 1000 times and curse your slow internet.

The characters much like the plot were unoriginal. The main 3 characters consist of Eren (Y)Jeager who is aggressive and impulsive, often making rash decisions, he's fueled by his hatred for titans and swears he'll kill everyone of them, unfortunately his emotions seem to be limited to anger and sorrow. Armin Arlert who is wimpy, thinks he's powerless and he thinks his friends think they're better than him, he turns out to be the smartest of the 3. Finally Mikasa Ackerman, it took me a while to figure her out which I enjoyed so I wont spoil too much but its very obvious she's one of those lost her parents, moved in with another family fell in love with protagonist types, they don't emphasize this at all but its obvious. Don't get me wrong though, while they are stereotypical its their personalities that really carry the anime. Deriving from most anime trust me when I say NO character is safe supporting, main or random there's none of this we're too important to the story to be harmed crap.

I had mixed feelings about the ending on one hand the final episode gave me everything that I wanted it was full of everything it wasn't one of those endings where very little happens they revisit the past and everything is tied up in a pretty little bow and they all live happily ever after but on the other hand they ended on a HUGE cliffhanger and they did it so subtly it was hard to tell if it was even part of the the story or just fan service, they also did it in such a way that we have very very little to go on, as to what'll happen next but we still want more, if that was what they were aiming for then they succeeded.

[8 | 10]

If just one line on a characters face is off I can't continue to watch an anime so you'll believe me when I say the art was amazing, breathtakingly so.The cover though I found very misleading to me it kind of seemed like it was drawn in a similar style of those in 2000/02 but its very modern, highly detailed and just amazing I can't say this enough, even if it turns out you don't like the anime you'll respect the art. They kept the world colored as "human" as possible. There was no overuse of bright colors nor was it dark and depressing, the city wall in particular was astounding, towering in the distance in most scenes you'd expect it to be flat plain and detail-less to save work/money but they didn't skimp out on even the tiniest detail.

In most fighting/action anime especially ones with very low budgets you'll notice some of the techniques they use to dull out the movement like exaggerated lines to induce a sense of speed or simply skipping the part where said character moves from point A to point B and has another character say how fast they were or something, the scenes in Shingeki however are completely fluent throughout it is guilty in some parts, however I can't say anything because it'll spoil it but those parts are there for a reason to draw your attention to something in particular, in fact if your watching Shingeki without this in mind you probably won't even notice.

[9 | 10]

I'm not really a music person and its difficult for me to talk about it descriptively but I'll do my best for those of you that are. The opening didn't really stand out as other openings have in the past in fact it wasn't until half way through when they changed it that I noticed I liked it. The first opening definitely reflected what happens in the first half of the story in that it carried the emotions people felt and the theme of human or "humanity" resonated through out. As for the second I may be guilty of being biased but I felt like it gave the impression that the story is being sped up and we were near the end and if it replaced the first one it would be misleading for some people.

The sound effects were excellent, when I say this I mean there was nothing unnecessary, no honestly nothing. no talking from third parties, no over exaggerated noises from weapons, even the explosions were what you'd expect maybe even less so from the distance we are at in the scenes, some noises from people who are in despair are kind of cringy but they kept it so realistic and it was never over-emphasized. There was never a single moment where I felt the background music did not suit the scene or set a misleading/wrong atmosphere, and the voice actor is one of my favorites(I didn't notice until I watched it the second time) he also did Issei from highschool DxD and Shu from guilty crown so you might like it if you liked those because Eren is very similar in a way and his voice really suits the role Eren plays.

[7 | 10]

If you're sick of all the mediocrity, then you will like this. In some ways it is unoriginal and I've come to the conclusion that nothing is original but this anime really builds on whats similar and gives us something refreshing and new, the story is simplistic but they make the simple interesting, I can promise you there will never be a moment without suspense or excitement.

If you were like I was before and you can't stand the thought of watching something so over-hyped to the point it literally foams out of peoples mouths like a hyper little girl who puts down anyone who says bad things about it, then here is some advice:throw away all of your expectations ALL of them or you wont enjoy the simple things, ignore other peoples opinions(only while viewing) it's one of my strong if not the strongest beliefs that it's very important to listen to and respect other peoples opinions, so do so but watch Shingeki with an open mind, if you don't the result is already pre-determined and you shouldn't waste your time. There will be some of course who will not enjoy it even after all I've said but keep it in mind, nothings perfect and it might not be your cup of tae but get out of your comfort zone and try something new on your own terms.

Personally I rated this at 9/10 but from a critical point of view it only deserves an 7 or an 8 it definitely did not live up to all the "Hype" but it wasn't far off it, it was refreshing,exciting, interesting and well drawn what more do you need, make yourself a cup of tae and a sandwich, sit back and enjoy, if you're still skeptical just watch the first 2-3 episodes and make your decision then or feel free to pm/vm me I'd be glad to answer any questions related to this anime.