Review of Attack on Titan

This review contains some minor spoilers. Attack on Titan, AoT for short, has been hailed as a cultural phenomenon, *the* biggest anime to come out in recent years, which took the world by storm, shaking the anime community to the point where tremors are still felt today (08/08/2020). A generation that dropped anime after DBZ, as well as those who deemed anime to be unworthy of attention, changed their mind, enticed by the bandwagon-juggernaut that is known as AoT, which is now heading for Season 4 (at the time of writing). Is this anime a 10/10, a masterpiece, peerlessly positioned on the apex of amountain's worth of anime, staring down at everything that has fallen short of it? No... Absolutely not. It's not in the same bracket as Monster.

Can you have fun, and is it worth watching? Yes, but it depends...

First of all, let me address an important point. Can you stomach gore and violence? How much? If we have a 10-point scale for violence/gore, with Elfen Lied scoring 10 (the maximum) and DBZ scoring 5, then AoT scores 7, which is still pretty high. If you can't handle violence and gore, then this anime might not be right for you.

*POTENTIAL MINOR SPOILERS*

Right... Without further ado, let's address some of the strengths of this anime first:

This anime hooks you with its premise: there are mysterious walls, a society that is pretty isolated from the world, and, most disturbingly, zombie-like titans (massive deformed humans that snack on humans) outside the walls... Why are there walls? What has led to this situation? Where did the titans come from? Is humanity doomed? These are some of the questions that will pop up in your mind. You want to know. The mystery sucks you in. There's a lot of potential.

Episode 1-2 really pull you in, and may I add that they do so with a resounding bang. I have seen countless anime, and I have to give it to AoT: the anime knows how to bait viewers right off the bat. High-octane, non-stop action assaults you without warning early on. The stakes are high. Music just heightens the drama and complements scenes of carnage and chaos. In terms of the first two episodes, this anime quite possibly stands up there with the all-time greats.

Also, episode 21 is almost flawless: the music, the pace, the action, what happens, the shock factor, the dialogue and flashbacks... I might just drop one or half a star out of ten for some of the pointless monologue, but it doesn't get much better than this (9-10/10). It is episodes like this and the opening, as well as the hype and plot potential, that have really launched this anime through the stratosphere.

The action is great when it does happen. Lots of good choreography, coupled with tense soundtracks. If you can stomach the gore, you'll be left in shock and awe several times (but there are problems, which I will address).

The plot has a lot of potential, potential being the keyword. You just want to find out about the lore, certain characters' motives, etc.

Some characters (Erwin, Annie, Jean, to name but a few) stand out, and they are realistic or interesting. The Japanese voice actors for Erwin and Levi are exceptional (Erwin's voice actor is immense). But these characters are not part of the main group (the group of 3 trope that has been done since time immemorial).

Now, despite the plot, premise, action and mystery elements being above average, and sometimes even great, this anime has a lot of issues. Episode 21 is pretty much an exception, but there are many glaring problems in this anime once you start cutting through the surface, past the nice packaging.

Now to the bad stuff:

The main characters are clichés:

1) Meet Eren, a shounen-type protagonist (he might not seem like one initially, but you will know later on), who is stubborn, excessively angry, and who barely changes by the end of the anime (but I do understand that not much times has elapsed in the anime). There is almost no basis for his anger. Sure... A lot of people are trapped behind walls and live like lambs that are about to go to a slaughterhouse. This can definitely damage your psyche. What is out there? What will happen if the walls break? Will I get eaten by a titan today, tomorrow, next week? This uncertainty and restriction of freedom can really mess you up, especially if it has been ongoing for as long as you can remember. But it doesn't make sense how Eren is the only one who is sooo angry. It's not like he has suffered the most hardship initially. He is just a mere child, who hasn't even lived that long. Yet we are supposed to believe that his anger is warranted from the very beginning? In some scenes, I kid you not, he behaves nothing short of a psychopath/ sadist. In fact, it's a bit disturbing how there are so many calm people. Shouldn't there be more mentally distressed people, similar to Eren (minus the excess anger)? This inconsistency affects credibility and the world building. It's very difficult to relate to such an MC. I can accept a flawed MC that needs room for growth, but by flawed I do not mean demented and unnatural. Eren can grow, but many people would be immediately put off by his awful character and his constant screaming.

2) Mikasa (Eren's friend and the female of the group) is another clichéd character, who is actually worse than Eren (absolutely diabolical). She is a good-looking prodigy-fighter (almost a Mary Sue). The only difference here when compared to other anime that feature a group of 3 is that she kicks ass, and a lot (doesn't really need help from a man). But apart from that and her looks, she has NOTHING going for her. If the most complex character is as deep as the Mariana Trench, then she is as shallow as a puddle. If she could be an equation, she'd be y=0, or f(x)= Eren, because her world revolves around that stinking Eren, her dazzling sun, her number one and everything. She's definitely not e^i.pi + 1 =0, and it's not even close. It's pathetic, really. Her character barely grows, and she barely speaks. When she does speak, it usually starts off with "Erreeen". She's so bad that she barely even registers as a character. She's just there, like a fly that hovers around a piece of turd (the piece of turd being Eren). Some die-hard fans might worship her, because she kicks ass, because she looks good, but all of this is shallow (urgh).

3) Now to Armin(a). I said Armina because he looks like a girl (sorry, that was uncalled for). She, I meant he (ha!), is another cliché: he's the smart one, the one with the brains. His brains make up for his cowardice (ah yes... compensation). Haven't we heard this one before? Why do characters have to be two-dimensional? If you are really smart, then you have to be a coward. If you are a nerd, you have to look incredibly average. Black and white... He does sometimes display bravery, but he is a coward nonetheless. His deduction skills are also not as impressive as many would tell you. He is neither an L (Death Note) nor a Norman (The Promised Neverland), but he doesn't have to be (that's a tall order, and not really necessary). Out of the group of 3, however, Armin is the most realistic and has some reasonable growth... (Yes, you go Armin! Fighting!) But this really doesn't mean much, considering how low the bar was set by characters (1) and (2).

Many minor characters are just fodder, and you also don't care about them. But it is very disturbing how there are many supporting characters who are more interesting than our main group of 3. Something is seriously wrong when those with the most screen time are also amongst those who are poorly developed and forgettable.

World building: As already touched upon, there are some issues... Not many citizens seem to be that affected despite living behind walls, despite being like 5 m away from a potential horde of human-eating monsters. I don't know about you, but I'd be shitting bricks regularly, especially after seeing wounded soldiers return covered in blood... Even in the real world, where most people are free (or freer than in AoT), you have so many depressed people, yet in AoT we have so many calm people, who not only live in a titan-infested world, trapped behind walls, but who also often see elite soldiers, who are covered in blood, return from failed expeditions. Would you feel safe and carefree and get on with life while all this is happening?

Also, there seems to be no plan in place if there is an invasion. No countermeasures. This seems ludicrous and hardly believable. Even in the real world, we have better plans. In AoT, unlike in our world, the threat is literally outside a wall... One mistake... The repercussions would be colossal if the walls were to fail. Any sensible person would not just rely on the walls. But in AoT, we have no pits, no anything. Seriously? You're having a laugh. I'd have been generally impressed if they had something like a taut cheese wire, which could then be released to instantly cut through a whole bunch of titans, essentially mowing them down as the wire moves across to release its stored energy... But no such ideas were implemented. No booby traps... Hard to believe. Wouldn't it have made sense to have at least some underground tunnel or something for people to escape through? Facepalm. Nothing. Nope. We'll fight the titans once they break in, and of course we will also send a bunch of inexperienced soldiers to fight them as well...

And don't even get me started on the physics, how a bunch of teenagers can move like Spiderman without getting whiplash (even an Olympian would not be able to move like that... but apparently teenagers, regular humans, ffs, can withstand G-forces that only a mutant would be able to endure). "There are titans, so stop nitpicking," I hear you say. No... Titans=fine. Normal teenagers (they are supposed to be human, remember?) moving like Spiderman after crappy training=not fine. I didn't see anyone get bitten by a mutated spider. How can they move like that? How can they even see and aim accurately at that velocity, as they sling across (no goggles for dust and air?)? How does the equipment hardly jam despite so much wear and tear? If the omni-directional mobility gear (odm) is that sophisticated and reliable, then why has this civilization not advanced that much? You are telling that they can invent odm but not bombs? They only have cannons, ffs. If you have something like odm, you'd think that they'd also have something better than cannons. It's like moving around in a Eurofighter Typhoon while still fighting with pebbles (cannons, really?). The flashy odm is just there to make the action look cool. Screw physics, anatomy and logic.

Pace: Some episodes are slow and boring. There's too much exposition and monologue. Often, just before some no-name-who-are-you-again? dies, said person rambles, a monologue that is supposed to make you feel something. This diminishes the horror and undermines any urgency, especially when overdone, and it wastes time.

Plot and conclusion: Unfortunately hardly anything gets solved by the end. For every question that has been solved, you probably have two new questions (like a hydra growing more heads). The next seasons answer a lot of questions, and hopefully your curiosity will be satisfied then, assuming you still want to hang around... There's also too much exposition, too much "tell", not "show", and this undermines the mystery.

In conclusion, if you can stomach gore and some cheap shocks, as well as tolerate a clichéd main group that has an insufferable protagonist who quickly becomes a bog-standard shounen character, then you can definitely find something fun here. The premise is pretty refreshing, and some episodes are remarkable. However, too much exposition, lots of monologue, which is often melodramatic and forced, illogical world building, many shallow characters, etc., undermine this anime. Watch the anime for the action, plot potential, music, some exceptional episodes, and for Erwin (not Eren). If you are a critical viewer and like to analyse, then you will be disappointed. If you need strong characters, then you will be disappointed (but there are some exceptional characters such as Erwin, really). If you want answers to all your questions, then you will be disappointed. This anime is like fast food. You can enjoy it, but it leaves you feeling empty and still hungry. It will pique your curiosity and leave you hanging. If you are prepared to invest time in subsequent seasons, then you will find out many answers to questions that have not been resolved.

I used to enjoy AoT a lot when it came out (felt like it was a 9/10). But I guess my taste has changed. If you can switch off your brain for a few moments, then you can definitely enjoy this anime. Once you start asking too many questions and actively look for flaws, the anime dips in quality, but not by much (like 2 or 3 stars lower).

Is it a 10? No. Is it above average? Definitely.

If you enjoyed AoT, you might also enjoy The Promised Neverland (although, I heard that the manga has a bad ending, so don't say that I didn't warn you).

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