Attack on Titan (Season 1) Series Review

Attack on Titan was probably the most over-hyped anime back in 2013. I don’t think there is an anime fan out there that doesn’t know about it by now. Some consider it a masterpiece and an animated marvel and others believe it did not live up to its hype, but that’s up to you to decide.

Synopsis

In a world before the beginning of history, where humanity is almost extinct due to the appearance of Titans that eat humans for no clear reason, mankind could not defend against them and had to fall back, building giant walls to keep protected and try to survive. Years later, when everything seems to be okay within the walled cities, a Colossal Titan appeared out of nowhere and broke open the wall, letting other Titans flow through the city eating and destroying everything they saw. The story begins after Eren Jaeger is experiencing a traumatic event and decides to kill all the Titans by enrolling in the military in a special unit that defeats Titans, the Survey Corps.

Plot & Story

No one can argue that the plot of Attack on Titan is very interesting and well written. There is mystery, action, drama, and great horror. Although the story was a bit slow in places and focused more on things we didn’t really cared about, overall it is well made and features an intriguing and immersive concept that really has you glued to your screen. Also, after re-watching it a couple of times, you realize that every single detail matters. The characters of this anime are honestly amazing, well thought-out, and developed. It is amazing to see that even minor characters have their own story and background explained without ruining the pace. It’s also very impressive to see that they work together and experience the same things but they handle it differently giving great variety and engagement to the viewer.

Art & Music

The animation of Attack on Titan is good, but it’s not amazing. People say it has a unique art style with all those thick lines around the characters, but frankly this is not uncommon in other shounen titles, or other works produced by the same studio, Production I.G. Just have a look at Haikyu!! and you will understand what I am talking about. In general, the environments and the backgrounds are pretty with a nice and consistent colour palette that brings out a certain realism to them. The action scenes are great and the movements of the Titans are fluid and are a good use of CGI (The Colossal Titan). The only thing I would love to see more in Attack on Titan would be the gore element. There are some horrific scenes in the show but there is just too much blood and nothing else to enhance the violence.

EPIC. The music is just unbelievable. The opening songs are amazing and so damn catchy. Even if you don’t like the show, you can’t help but sing along to the openings. The whole soundtrack of Attack on Titan is honestly brilliant. The character themes and action music sequence are a combination of so many elements that make you shiver. This track is just astonishing. Voice acting is top notch as well, every single voice actor gives out a great performance.

Themes & Trivia

The Vertical Manoeuvring Equipment: This idea actually came from Desert Punk where in the action scenes the users wear the equipment around their waists and fire wires with hooks which are grappled onto walls or trees. It enables users to move freely in 3D spaces. In this article here, you can read more about it along with some in-depth information about the creator of Attack on Titan, Hajime Isayama.

The battles are influenced by martial arts: Ishiyama’s main inspiration for the Titan’s bodies, physique and combat skills is drawn from martial arts, as he studied carefully the shapes of muscles and the movements in order to apply it in the Titan action scenes. You can read more about it here along with many other interesting facts you might not know about Attack on Titan.

Comments

Attack on Titan really does the horror aspect beautifully. It might not make you scared by the thought of being eaten alive by a Titan (who look unsettling as *fuck) but the way it builds up the suspense is close to perfection. For example, the scene of Eren and his mother is the most traumatising scene I have seen in anime ever. It really makes you feel sad, disgusting and somewhat horrified. The show has moments where it can be really terrifying without being too cheap about it (even though it wouldn’t hurt to see a little more gore).

One major complain that I have in Attack on Titan is the ‘plot armor’ of the main characters. When you are watching the show, especially after one point, you know that characters like Eren, Mikasa, and Armin are not likely to die, which is kind of a bummer if you ask me. Just imagine how much better and more engaging the plot would be if you knew they could die in every upcoming battle. But to be honest, as Season 3 has proved, there are so many plot twists in this show I don’t really know what to expect anymore.

Merciless but Beautiful World

Plus:

Great and engaging story
Interesting characters
Nice environments and soundtrack
Captain Levi should get his own show (just sayin’)

Minus:

Plot can be slow at some points
Some cliché shounen elements

Attack on Titan is undoubtedly a fantastic show. Although it has its flaws, it does not disappoint. It offers both a fascinating and intense experience and gives the right amount of suspense. I definitely recommend this to any anime fan out there as it is has become a must-see anime by now.