Review of Attack on Titan

Popular anime very rarely receive balanced reviews, which is a shame, because they often set themselves up for a balanced judgement. You either get people worshipping the ground that it would walk on if it hypothetically grew legs and start walking, or people throwing so much crap at it that it becomes in serious need of a shower. Shingeki no Kyojin is no different in this regard, but almost uniquely among recent mainstream titles it's actually deserving of much of the praise it gets. Don't get me wrong, you can still expect a balanced review here. This certainly isn't the life-changing and complex masterpiece thatmany people will promise you, but neither is it as shallow and bland as a lot of shounen anime prove to be.

When examining the story, it's best to get the flaws out of the way first. Shingeki no Kyojin is predictable. Very predictable. In fact, the final 2 arcs hinge upon an important mystery element, and if you haven't worked out the big twist almost immediately, then you must have already kissed your braincells goodbye. It certainly does have surprising elements, but when the progression of the plot becomes dependant upon a major story twist it starts to become a little obvious how things will turn out. A second key issue that the series suffers from is a lack of engagement around the mid-point. I'm talking about the "Battle for Trost" arc, when I simply found that I no longer felt emotionally invested in the story, nor did I particularly care about the conflicts of the characters. One suspects that this is a side effect of the conversion from manga to anime (though I can't be sure, as I have not read the manga). Shingeki no Kyojin tends to place a lot of dramatic flare on events but the action and development that take place in this arc were perhaps not entirely suited to the impactive stylistic elements that we witness, and it all starts to feel a tad inane.

Now, it's important to note my use of the phrase "impactive stylistic elements," because when I say that Shingeki no Kyojin has dramatic impact, I mean it. It might not be the most amazingly well-written anime in history, but it certainly ranks among the most absorbing as well as the most intense. It builds a rich and complex world with an interesting society and carefully crafted history. We see the structure of the military, the social class system and the lives and attitudes of various demographics clearly laid out before us even when they are not necessarily integral to the plot. It makes it believable, and that makes it absorbing, and this in turn can make it both gripping and powerful. When the action hits it's a cathartic experience, riddled with brutal violence alongside the typical OTT flash of the shounen genre. It looks good and it hits hard. When it slows down to prioritise drama, it generally feels personal and relevant (with the finest example being the finale of the "Expedition" arc). The characters do feel a little static unfortunately, but there's some nice development thrown in that hinges upon decent character conflicts and interesting backstories. At times however, it becomes apparent that several characters are forgotten throughout the course of the story, though it is entirely possible that a continuation will expand upon these unfortunate victims of limited season length.

Highly stylised while still showcasing normal anime conventions, the art and animation are entirely deserving of all the praise they get. The animation has weight and the aesthetic is effective and unusual. At times, and most often when the show slows down, inconsistent character models become noticeable, but not to any concerning degree. And if we're talking sounds, then it's damned close to perfect. Fantastic musical score and great voice acting. Whatever you think of the story, you'd be wrong to call Shingeki no Kyojin anything other than a technical masterpiece.

Not much else to say, so I'll leave you with this closing statement: watch it. Even if, like me, you tend to adopt the attitude that because many people lack critical judgement it means that most mainstream anime aren't as good as popular opinion might imply, at least be open-minded enough to appreciate the possibility that, just this once, the majority may be right.