What I've noticed is that people tend to be very split about this anime; you either love it, or you hate it. Clearly, in my case, I love this entire series (the show, the manga, the side-stories, etc.) Now onto the actual review.
Story: 9
At its core, Shingeki no Kyojin is something that we have seen many times in the past: humanity is being attacked, therefore we must defend ourselves. Many, many iconic shows start from this format. However, SNK (as I will be calling it for the rest of the review) takes this simple plot point and expands it into something very, very unique. We have the Titans: giant, humanoid creatures set on devouring humans. Because of the Titans, humanity has been driven behind three walls, with the population dwindling to less than 1% of our current population.
Each and every single plot point in this series is completely thought out and executed stunningly. There are so many twists that you won't be able to see coming. Hell, check out episode 8- you'll be shocked. Even the filler is thought out, and has important significance to the main story. The story of SNK goes even further in the manga. At the time of writing this review, there has been 59 chapters released, and we are just only starting to scratch the surface of this world.
Like most things out there, SNK does have its flaws. But the flaws are so minuscule that it's very, very hard to notice them. The brilliant storytelling of this series completely blew me away from episode 1, which is why it deserves a near perfect score.
Art: 9
If you have read the SNK manga, you'll know that the art, while it is good, isn't amazing. The anime cleaned up all of the character designs, leaving us with a beautiful result. While there were some minor changes in characters (ex Eren's eye colour, Levi's physique, etc,) the anime designs did stay pretty true to the original material. The designs match the characters' personalities completely, which is something that not a lot of shows can brag about.
And the animation is breathtaking. Every single sky we see, the birds eye views; the scenery in this anime is absolutely stunning. And the animation for the characters and their situations is pretty great, too. To me, this is digital animation to the finest degree. But again, as is the case with most shows, SNK does have some animation flaws. For example, in one episode, the same frame is shown about three times. The characters can also have a case of "far away face", but that is pretty common. Again, these flaws in animation are pretty small, and are barely noticeable when you are watching the show. They do not take away from the rest of the show.
Sound: 10
The score for SNK was done by Hiroyuki Sawano. If you don't recognize his name, he also composed the score for things like Kill la Kill, Ao no Exorcist, and more recently Aldnoah.Zero. If I could use any one word to describe the sound of SNK, it would be flawless. The score matches every scene perfectly, mixing electronics with more orchestral pieces. If you don't have any interest in watching the show, I would still suggest you download the OSTs. The sound for this show blew me away. Even the background noises, the additional sound FX- they were all done to the utmost perfection.
The openings and endings for SNK were all absolutely amazing. It's no wonder that Guren no Yumiya in particular has landed on many "top 10 anime openings" lists. The songs will get stuck in your head, and refuse to leave. In my case, they have not left in a year, and that's something that is very hard to do in my case. Just check out the OPs and EDs online; you'll be amazed at how great they are.
And the voice acting is nothing to laugh at, either. With many shows that I've seen, I've noticed that the voices don't match with the characters. Either the voice is too weak, too bold, meek, etc- this is not the case with SNK. Each character is voiced perfectly; each voice matches the personality of the character. The passion put into the voice acting of the show is nothing to laugh at. The voice actors were able to portray each and every line and emotion perfectly, which is something very hard to do. The dub is a different story (but we don't talk about the dub....)
Character: 9
This is where most people decided whether they love or hate this show. To be fair, the characters in SNK can sometimes seem a little extreme with their personalities. However, I love them. For example, the main character Eren can seem very angry, very passionate. Some people hate this. They think he's just a trope amped up to the extreme. In my opinion, Eren's character was done perfectly. His "extreme" emotions fit his personality up to a T.
The personalities of each character in this show are fleshed out near perfectly, in my opinion. Again, some aspects can seem extreme, but that is part of the enjoyment of this series. Not one character is deemed as "perfect." They each have their flaws, which makes them seem very human and realistic. As the story goes on, each point in each characters' personality is explained in detail, even if it seems unimportant initially.
Each character in this series serves a purpose. The main characters, the main supporting characters, the regular supporting characters- each and every one of them is important. There is a lot of death in this show, but every single death we see is important to the story and the character development. And while some deaths may seem insignificant, they really aren't. The entire emotional journey of this series stems from the characters, and SNK has pretty powerful ones.
Enjoyment: 10
I'm not a fan of blood and gore. Really, I'm not. There have been several shows, live-action or animated, that I have had to drop because of their content. When a show like SNK, which has copious amounts of both blood and gore, can become one of my favourites, you know that it is amazing.
Every single episode of SNK had me captivated. Even the filler ones. Each and every episode was an emotional journey from start to finish. Waiting for the episodes to air every week was torture, because I so desperately wanted to see everything happen (even if I had already read the manga.) I loved every single episode, even the OVAs that have been released. Each release had me on edge, with both the show and the manga. Nothing was dull; everything was riveting.
Overall: 9
There is a reason why this show doesn't score perfect. It has its flaws, as everything does. But there is also a reason why it scores so high.
Shingeki no Kyojin was one of the most popular, if not the MOST popular anime of 2013. There is a reason for this. There is a reason why so many people watch, read, and enjoy this series, even if they're not into anime or manga. There is a reason why there are copious amounts of fan works for this series. There is a reason why so much merchandise has been released. There is a reason why so many people cosplay characters from this series.
Like it or hate it, you really can't deny how popular it is. I personally love everything about it. Keep in mind that this is only my opinion; other people will tell you different things. But to me, Shingeki no Kyojin is stunning.
