Review of Attack on Titan
Shingeki no Kyouji, or Attack on Titan, was a surprise, and a pleasant one. Like a finely crafted piece of art, AoT knows exactly how to tickle your funny bone and then give it a hard whack with a blunt object. The premise of the show is set in within a post-apocalyptic world where humanity, though living quite comfortably within the confines of their city, are essentially self-imposed prisoners. The "titans", humanoid beings of immense proportions who run around all jolly and naked as sunshine while popping people like popcorn, have brought humanity to the brink of extinction. It is essentiallya story of survival and what would people do under extreme circumstances.
What impressed me was the way the anime was crafted. I've read many detractors to the anime who wonder why everyone is giving it such a high score, and whining about the over-hyped low quality of the overall plot and characters. But I think the naysayers are forgetting a few key points. One, its a shounen anime - that is, it's targeted toward young males. Not to say females, or indeed males of any age wouldn't enjoy this series, but the genre dictates the tropes. The shounen will have a male lead, it will have a romantic interest, it will be high on action and low on character development (sometimes to the point of simplicity). But that's the shounen genre. So if you choose to watch it, watch it with that in mind. The action sequences are great, and to be honest, though the plot is hammered by some as being unoriginal, I thought the way they revealed certain mysteries relating to the situation was intriguing and certainly kept you wanting to watch more.
AoT is able to create a very immersive environment. The music, the almost flawless animation, the intense moments where you see human beings callously being gobbled like a fat cop would plough into a doughnut, then lick his fingers without another thought, all these elements hit home, and they hit home in an effective manner. The contrast of these almost comical giant people, naked, smiling with glee and their freedom and their nudity, run around with huge grins all the while smearing the cobblestones with blood - the contrast of comedy and horror is very effective.
The music is another highlight of this anime. Most of the time I don't notice the music all that much, except when it's out of place with the mood of the scene and therefore intrudes upon my consciousness like the quiet yet insidious buzz of the mosquito around your ear. AoT music stood out but for all the right reasons. Combined with the fantastic action sequences and the way the various scenes of wanton brutality play on your heart strings, it is able to move your emotions around at will.
To give the series the honesty it deserves, one does need to acknowledge the weakness of the series. Firstly, although the anime is fantastically animated, and the action sequences are really very impressive, the series also uses a lot of still shots. These will be clear to the viewer. It'll come across as a little odd at first. However, the series really does make up for this flaw. The overall pace is excellent and I found every episode the plot advanced to a satisfying degree.
The characters. They're somewhat simple. I honestly find it annoying when weak characters are voiced by women with high pitched voices. I think it's unnecessary, and at times certain characters even look like young girls, though they're meant to be men. Maybe it's a japanese thing. I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I found it distracting. And the characters aren't all that deep. I mean, they have unique characteristics, they're well drawn and easily distinguishable, but these characteristics are very simple, juvenile almost, to the point where the viewer doesn't really care all that much. It can niggle away like an annoying gnat during the parts that hold your attention the least. Mikasa's obsession with the protagonist, though explained through backstory, is a tad over the top.
However, having said this, this isn't a character driven plot. The plot is really driven by the events and action. You could replace the main characters with any of the lesser ones, and you'd still get the same result. There really isn't anything special about them. Perhaps that irks some people. I actually think it's done intentionally as a plot device and as another way to manipulate the emotions as a fiddler does with his fiddle. We're meant to wonder what it would be like if we were in their shoes. One can complain about the lack of depth with characterisation, but ultimately it's irrelevant. If you want a really deep, meaningful, creative and arty-farty anime, then this is not it. If you want something entertaining, action packed, extremely well executed and an overall polished production, that is the cream of a very bland and uninspired shounen crop, this is it
Enjoy.