Shingeki no Kyojin or Attack on Titan is perhaps one of the most overrated shows I have seen. Don't get me wrong, it is well worth your time, it just has been overblown by fans whose previous anime experience is most likely limited to Naruto and Bleach. Naturally this is all my own opinion, and feel free to completely disregard it.
Let me get one thing straight though, this show is an excellent gateway for people trying to get into anime. If you know someone who wants to get started then this is perfect.
Right so the story and setting are as follows. In a
...
world that resembles medieval Europe with little sprinkles of Steam Punk throughout, humanity has been forced to seclude itself in regions surrounded by heavily fortified and immense walls up to 50 meters high. Why you ask? To protect themselves from the Titans, giant docile humanoids that simply eat all humans they encounter and no one knows why. These Titans range in classes of sizes with some being only 5 meters tall to the special types like the Colossal Titan who himself reaches up to 60 meters.
So one average day where no trouble could possibly arrive from, the Colossal Titan and his friends the "Armored Titan" and the rest of the titan gang destroy the wall guarding our main protagonist Eren Jaeger's (pronounced "Yaeger") city and basically makes him have a bit of a difficult day to say the least. From here on he and his two friends Armin and Mikasa vow to destroy all Titans while they still live by join the military.
While the story and setting are indeed very intriguing and keep the viewer guessing, they suffer from some pacing issues where something that seems to be important gets disregarded and other events drag on for a bit too long in my opinion. I watched the show as it aired and the animation studio behind it "Studio Wit" did a great job and ended each episode with a cliffhanger making the week between each episode a tense and one that could not go any faster. However, there were some times where these cliffhangers felt rather cheap as the next episode would quickly wrap up the issue within the first minute or so.
I have to give props to the manga writer Hamjime Isayama for creating such a fresh setting that really pulls away from traditional fantasy. The 3D maneuver gear which the military use to fight titans are awesome gadgets that provide some of the best scenes in the show. Also the constant oppressive feeling that Attack on Titan delivers really succeeds in making you anxious about the future for this show. Hope always seems to cave in on itself.
My main issue with Shingeki no Kyojin is its characters. Going on the internet one will see that many fans of the show compare it to "Game of Thrones" for the show's ruthlessness regarding character deaths. This is true and in my opinion is meant to commended, however for that to be effective, one needs to care about the people dying. In all honesty I couldn't give a damn about the characters in this show, none are in any way interesting or go outside the common stereotypes found in anime.
In the 25 or so episodes of the show, the characters and their motives don't change since the first 2. Even the three main characters can be summed in one sentence by the end of the show. Eren is pissed off and hates Titans cause they killed someone precious to him. Mikasa is obviously in love with Eren and wants to protect him. Finally Armin is a guy too scared to fight first hand but has excellent strategic plans.
The other side characters are barely worth a mention, even Levi who all the fans seem to fantasize over for being "badass" is just a sadistic douche. Admittedly he does demonstrate some serious ass whooping skill in the show, and that I have to give credit for.
Without naming anyone, a person dies fairly early on in the show and every other character kept going on about how they miss them and they shouldn't have died. Truth be told, I didn't even know who the hell they were till much later in the anime.
I sincerely hope season 2 of Attack on Titan develops these characters more.
Okay so enough hating on AoT for now, lets talk about the positives. Well for one, the art and animation. Studio Wit are a brand new studio whose first production is this show. I can only say that they must be comprised of artistic gods! The animation here is seriously the best I have ever seen in any anime. Many people complained about still shots being used during episode downtime particularly early in the show but Wit make up for it by delivering some of the most spectacular action scenes I have witnessed. There is something truly jaw dropping about seeing people zip around cityscapes in their 3D Maneuver Gear. I cannot compliment the animation and art in this anime enough.
The music is also excellent. Composer Hiroyuki Sawano (also composed the soundtrack fro Kill la Kill) does an incredible job of emphasizing the setting with sombre and slow melodies accompanied by a some beautiful german singing to elevate the darker scenes in the show. Some pumping electronic sounds mixed with grand and epic choirs also get the hairs on your back standing for the more action heavy scenes.
All in all Shingeki no Kyojin is well worth your watch. While I don't think the characters will find their own space in your heart (not with Eren's constant whining), I do believe you will have a great time with this show, especially is you are a lover of action. I myself am incredibly excited for season 2 and severely hope that they fix up some issues with the plot and characters then.
If you are going to watch, avoid the manga spoilers like the plague!
Thank you for your time.
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May 24, 2014
Shingeki no Kyojin
(Anime)
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Shingeki no Kyojin or Attack on Titan is perhaps one of the most overrated shows I have seen. Don't get me wrong, it is well worth your time, it just has been overblown by fans whose previous anime experience is most likely limited to Naruto and Bleach. Naturally this is all my own opinion, and feel free to completely disregard it.
Let me get one thing straight though, this show is an excellent gateway for people trying to get into anime. If you know someone who wants to get started then this is perfect. Right so the story and setting are as follows. In a ... 
Jun 21, 2013
Usagi Drop
(Anime)
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First, I'd like to say that this is my first review, so I apologize if it isn't very good.
Before watching Usagi Drop, I don't think I've ever fully taken time to appreciate what my parents have done for me and the things that they have sacrificed. This anime shows just what comes with being a parents and how it can be scary, difficult, and demanding (both mentally and physically). However it also shows the many joys of being a parent and I personally, would love to have a daughter like Rin one day. The story is relatively simple. Daikichi is a 30 year old man ... |
