Review of Attack on Titan

To be honest, I was hesitant to watch this one due to all the hype surrounding it. However back in the summer of 2014 I watched the clips of the two openings and immediately went to iTunes and bought both songs before even watching the show. About a month later I gave it a watch and it quickly became one of my favorite anime series. Not since viewing Death Note in 2010 had I been so engrossed in an anime, staying up to early hours just to view the next episode. Story (9): This is one of the most original concepts I've seen in anime. It's an actionseries in which the humans are having to fight for survival against these giant humanoid creatures called titans that kill humans for no known reason. A wall was constructed to keep the titans out and it worked for years. However one day an abnormal titan broke the wall allowing the others inside and plunged the human race into hiding while those in the military fight for humanity's survival.

What I like about this anime is that the danger of the situation is real. No character is guaranteed survival. Not even the main characters, not even the important characters, not even the fan favorites. Any character can die at anytime, and in some brutal ways.

This show is heavy from the beginning. The first episode is memorable due to how horrifying the violence and numbers of deaths in that single opening episode. A very important loss that motivates the main character happens in an unforgettable scene. The fear of these characters (both important and nameless ones) is apparent as they realize their hopeless situations too late.

There is a lot of good action. The characters have to rely on their equipment, strategy, and chance (as even the most strategic plan can still fail due to poor luck). That alone makes this anime stand out among others in its genre.

The situation is serious and it treats its audience seriously too.

However it is not flawless. One complaint I have is that some of the conversations can go on for longer than necessary. One instance in particular are Armin's monologues. At one point I even said outloud, "Okay, Armin, you made your point, can we move on with the story?"

In all I was intrigued with every episode and couldn't wait to find out what happened in the next one. I eagerly await the second season.

Characters (9):

Out of this huge cast there are only two characters I'd say I dislike. Ninety nine percent of the characters are believable and endearing which gives an even greater impact when they are suddenly slaughtered.

To begin with I like the main character Eren. He is far from perfect and his personality may not be the best, but his determination and lust for revenge is what keeps him going. It's easy to feel this kid's struggle (keep in mind he's only fifteen) as he's watched so many of his friends fall. Despite all that he holds tight to his goal, and cares deeply for his friends, which I find admirable.

Next is the main female Mikasa. I do like her as a character, especially her devotion to her friend and last remaining family-Eren. However I feel that she is probably too perfect. Even with that she still remains a likable character.

The character I feel has the most development in this anime is Jean. He starts out as a selfish jerk, but over the course of the twenty five episodes grows into a likable and relatable character.

Of course Levi is awesome. I can't write this review without mentioning him. He is such a unique, mysterious character. I actually didn't like him at first, but he quickly grew on me within a span of two episodes. While he may act cold, it's clear that he carries a heavy burden and cares deeply for his subordinates.

For the sake of keeping this review brief, I can't go into every amazing character. Such as Armin who also grows from a timid kid to a great asset with his skills of strategy. The goofy, yet brave Sasha. The energetic and eccentric Hanji who gives some comic relief in this otherwise desolate world. And of course my favorite character Krista/Historia.

In all I found the characters to be a strong point of this anime.

Art (10):

I love the art in this anime. All the characters have a unique design. Even the minor characters and the titans themselves are given distinguished features.

The backgrounds are beautiful. I like the whole medieval vibe the setting gives off. The scale is huge-both inside the walls and outside. I like watching the characters zoom through these setting on their maneuver gear.

That brings me to the animation. Everything is solid and fluid. The action scenes are entertaining. There is so much detail that brings those scenes to life such as steam rising from a titan's injury, or debris slamming into those standing by when the wall in knocked in.

One of my favorite scenes is when one particular titan is fighting the other titans-and the movement when he uses his teeth to fight as his arms are out of order. I've watched that scene countless times due to the fantastic animation (I can't talk anymore on that scene without revealing a huge spoiler). Pretty much there is nothing sloppy as far as animation is concerned.

In short this anime is visually pleasing to watch.

Sound (10):

As mentioned earlier, the whole reason I watched this show in the first place is because I like the opening songs so much I decided to give it a chance, and boy am I glad I did.

The two openings, "Guren no Yumiya" and "Jiyuu no Tsubasa" are both catchy songs that gets the audience pumped up to the fast pace of this anime. Of course I love "Guren no Yumiya" quite a bit more than the second opening.

The original soundtrack has a lot of amazing songs all which go perfectly for the scenes they accompany. One in particular is actually titled, "Attack on Titan" which is used during some memorable moments and I was happy to find that song on iTunes as well. In all this is one of the best anime soundtracks I've ever heard.

The voice acting in the original audio is stellar. I can't think of better voice actors for Eren, Levi, and Armin-each voice fit the characters perfectly. I was actually disappointed when I watched one episode of the English dub after hearing the fantastic work of the subbed voices. However to its credit, the English dub actresses for Annie and Mikasa did a good job.

Enjoyment (9):

I think it's no surprise by now that I really enjoyed watching this anime. It pulled me into its story and made me care to find out what would happen in the next episode.

Some parts of this anime might be hard to sit through for some audiences. This isn't a happy story. However, I think that's what makes it so effective-it's not meant to be happy. There is a high certainty that none of these great characters will make it out alive, or even if the humans will win. Again that's what makes this story unique.

Conclusion (9):

It's been a long time since I saw an anime I liked this much. It has a great story, likable characters, a real struggle for those characters. The art is amazing, the animation fantastic. I would rate the soundtrack among my top five favorite anime soundtracks.

In all I would recommend this anime to everyone thirteen and older. Anyone under that age group might be turned away by the violence and seriousness of the story. I watched it through with intrigue and would gladly watch it again.

9/10