That Attack On Titan is one of the most popular contemporary anime is not an exaggeration. It has been the recipient of overwhelming praise for its thrilling action sequences, visuals and amazing character development.
It has also won the Best TV Animation at the 2013 Animation Kobe Awards among many other accolades. All these achievements will be understood better when one is introduced to the unique and engaging plot of a show like Attack On Titan.
1. Quick Review
The anime does a brilliant job at highlighting intense moral and psychological conflicts. Interspersed with equally intense battle scenes and a good plot, the anime does not fail at capturing your imagination.
2. Is it worth watching?
I. Plot
Based on the manga series of the same name, the plot follows the struggles of Eren Jaeger and his friends, Armin Arlert and Mikasa Ackerman after their hometown gets destroyed by the Colossal Titan and his gang of humanoid man-eating giants called “Titans.”
It is revealed that 100 years ago, humanity was forced to retreat to a huge plot of land, guarded by walls to protect against the threat of extinction at the hands of Titans.
Anyone new to the kind of violence portrayed in anime and manga should be warned beforehand. Right from the first episode, one bears witness to the emotionally intense and gory scene where Eren’s mother gets devoured alive by a creepy looking Titan, the Smiling Titan.
It can get very unnerving and quite painful to watch that scene, which has such a strangle on Eren’s psyche so much that he swears to annihilate every Titan on the planet.
There is no dearth of deaths in the anime as almost every character falls prey to the titans and gets devoured most crudely. For that, Attack On Titan is probably right up there on the list of anime with the most deaths ever.
II. Characters
However, this is not to say that Attack On Titan is some typical gore anime that shows the most macabre and morbid visuals without any plot or character development. It does a brilliant job of interspersing adrenaline-packed fight scenes with intense psychological battles and trauma that each character fights.
Attack On Titan should be commended for being one of the few anime which has succeeded in accomplishing such a task. The anime forces us to root for the success of each character’s struggles and dreams as they try to fight for what they believe in and desire. It takes us through the myriad of emotions that each character experiences: hope, fear, pain, desperation, desire, courage, et cetera.
Most shounen fantasy anime feature a male protagonist who miraculously wins the fight after being on the brink of defeat and gives a dramatic speech where he invokes the love of his friends and family. However, Attack On Titan will not give you any of that.
It will feature Eren Jaeger screaming his hatred for the Titans but, as if mockingly, gets injured or lands in a Titan’s stomach. This happens in “Battle of Trost,” though his Titan powers are revealed to the audience later in the next episode.
Annoyingly, for fans, Isayama refuses to provide any fan service or relief as every one of our favorite character gets killed off from the show one by one.
Later on, we are introduced to Titan-shifters, who are humans with the ability to turn into Titans, and each has special powers. They are known to possess human intelligence, and hence their destructive powers are much greater.
After the huge destruction and deaths that the Female Titan unleashed on the Survey Corps outside the walls, the identity of the human controlling the Female Titan is revealed to be none other than Annie. Although Eren initially refuses to believe that information, he decides to not hold back in fighting Annie.
III. Themes
It is also about friendships, love, and the desire to secure a good future for one’s loved ones. The whole anime is colored with these themes, as this informs the motivations for both Eren and Armin. They share a mutual desire to see the ocean one day and restore their hometown, Shiganshina, back to what it was like before.
As the trio undergoes intense training to become members of the Survey Corps, they encounter people like Bertholt, Annie, Connie, Jean, Sasha, and Reiner, who become lifelong friends and with whom he shares cherished memories and experiences.
Eren also gets to meet the most skilled “Levi Squad” among the Survey Corps, whose members all vow to protect him from the Female Titan. It is in this episode, where we witness the Female Titan murdering members of the Levi Squad as if they were mosquitoes.
The trauma of having to watch his comrades die as a result makes Eren mature as a character. He realizes the huge responsibility he shoulders in winning the battle against the Titans.
3. Final Thoughts
Besides this dreary atmosphere in which the plot is set, the anime is punctuated with much-needed comic relief that works to elaborate on the friendships and rivalries that exist between many of them. Sasha’s gluttony earns her the nickname “Potato Girl.” At the same time, Jean’s supposedly long head makes Eren call him “Horse face” as an insult.
It is also very delightful to watch the Survey Corps soldiers fight titans with their ODM Gear. Isayama’s skill is further proved by his invention of new weapons, which have never been thought of before.
There is no doubt that Attack On Titan will continue to earn more laurels and accolades. Season four might be its last season and will be released in the fall of 2020.
4. Grade
Story: A+
Cinematography/Animation: A
Art: A
Music: A
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