Review of Attack on Titan
I've watched this season 3 times: once while it was airing, another time a few years ago and now just this past week. I can say on all three watches, my level of enjoyment and captivation on the series, its characters and its mysteries never dwindled in the slightest. Story: 10/10. Easily one of the most interesting plots I've seen, mainly due to the level of mystery and gradual development we get towards that mystery. What are Titans? Where did they come from? What is inside the basement? Questions like these provide a sense of the unknown to the characters of the show and theviewers, which at the very least grabs our attention.
The show doesn't rely just on setting up the scene, so to speak. Characters are interesting, dynamic and diverse; even though we have a main trio of Eren, Mikasa and Armin, our side characters have equal relevance and significance towards the plot.
Also, I was surprised at how tightly-knit the plot-threads of this show are; nothing happens without a reason, and there are little to no 'holes' throughout the story. I'm one to sometimes nitpick plot-heavy shows, and in AoT I never felt anything happened out of bad writing. Motivations are explained clearly, things that aren't made known to the viewer are definitely made known further down the line.
If I had to bring up any issues, it might be some weird pacing towards the beginning of the show, but it doesn't hamper enjoyment and it's not really an issue later on in the series.
And just to add, AoT probably is the best in ending its episodes on cliffhangers that make you want to see more. If you watched this show while it aired, when an episode ended you were practically hoping the week would end quickly so you could see what happens next.
Art: 9/10. Really good, and more importantly consistent. I'd say literally all of the show looks beautiful and well drawn. The only downside might be the occasional use of CGI, which is hard to even notice unless you are actively squinting your eyes during every frame trying to pinpoint when CGI is used.
Sound; 10/10. Easily one of the most powerful, bombastic soundtracks to date. The instrumental and vocal OSTs are both on another level, and you'll never get tired of hearing these tracks.
Character: 9/10. AoT offers a diverse cast of characters, each with their own personalities, motivations and effect on the progression of the plot. Some characters are more important than others, but in general there is no one I saw in AoT as lazily written or boring to watch.
There are some static characters of course, like Levi, but what they don't offer in terms of character development they make up for in unique personality and interesting complexities to their character that are only gradually revealed to the viewer. And then of course, we have meaningful developments with other characters like Armin, who starts out as an introverted, cowardly kid but eventually shows his worth as a great tactician and soldier on the field.
This diversity of the cast really helps the world of Titan feel ALIVE; we feel the character's pains and motivations, and are engaged as they explore a world unknown to them and unknown to us.
As an aside, I see a lot of complaints that some characters are somewhat generic or downright annoying, but I think such complaints just ignore the complexities of the characters and try to blow the 'core personalities' of the characters out of proportion. It's a big disservice to the show in my opinion. For example, people complain that Eren is a whiny brat who just yells all the time about killing Titans. Yeah, that's true: he does yell a lot about killing Titans. But it seems such complaints blatantly ignore everything else to his character...
1. As a child he saw Titans invade his home and eat his mother. So at the very least, his hatred for Titans is pretty well justified.
2. This strong will to kill Titans is what makes him lively and a more capable soldier than others at times. When others are cowering in fear, he's ready to attack. All in all, his exterior temperament is a product of underlying courage and devotion to his role in serving mankind, which is a laudable characteristic.
3. It's not like being 'loud' is his only personality trait. He actively cares for his comrades, questions his motives and why he wants to break out of the walls, and goes through the dilemma of believing in others or believing in himself
All in all, yes Eren is a rather simple character in term of core personality: he's bombastic, eager and frustrated. But the show paints him as something more than a loud-mouthed kid, and he meshes in well with a cast of varying degrees of persona such that he feels like a natural fit (it wouldn't make sense for all novice soldiers to be calm, composed and calculated like Annie).
Enjoyment: 10/10. If you haven't guessed from me watching this season 3 times in the last 5 years, then I'll just spell it plainly: I love this show.
Overall: 10/10. From the great production value to interesting plot and characters, AoT is a must see.