Plot: One-hundred years prior to the start of the series, mankind was plagued by their predators, The Titans, gigantic humanoid creatures whose only purpose in existence is to devour humans, despite having no apparent need to eat in order to survive. Humanity was driven to the brink of extinction. The few surviving humans built a society behind 50-meter walls that kept the Titans out. The walls were named Maria, the outermost wall, Rose, the middle, and Sina, the interior. There, humanity enjoyed a century of peace... Until... Our main characters, teenage boy Eren Yeager and his foster sister Mikasa Ackerman witness something horrific... The city's "divine" walls are destroyed by a colossal titan that appears out of thin air. As the smaller titans flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother along with thousands of other humans are eaten alive. Eren vows to murder every single titan and take revenge for all of mankind. And so, mankind finds their secret weapon in defeating the Titans...
First thing you may be wondering, is this anime as epic as everyone says it is, and is it filled with amazing action scenes? Well eh, I guess you could say that it's a tiny bit, not too much, but just a teeny bit ... IT'S DEFINITELY EPIC. This anime's introduction of the 3D maneuver gear was certainly an creative pleasant to the say the least, surprise. The way the characters jump/literally fly from rooftop to rooftop, swinging their dual swords at Titans, screaming their lungs at every second leaves the viewers mouths opened, and their eyes glued onto the screen. May I add that the soundtrack in this anime is arguably the best set of music in an anime ever. It's epic music certainly adds to the suspense of every single episode in Shingeki no Kyojin. The only thing I'd say took away from the EPICness in Shingeki, was that there was awfully too many dialogue scenes... Although some were pretty nerve-wrecking, others seemed to be useless and pointless.
Secondly... is this plot depressing? Yup. Are there multiple scenes that have brought me to tears? Yup. Have I witnessed characters I love meet their end in horribly gruesome ways? Yup. This is not an anime for the faint-hearted. Shingeki no Kyojin will ruthlessly rip your heart out, throw it into a grinder, then turn it into processed dog food time after time after time ... after time again. This anime is also quite gory, so if you can't stand that, I'd... still recommend you to give Shingeki no Kyojin a try.
As for me, what I had wondered the most were, is this plot deep (theme)? efficiently written? And enjoyable to watch? Is there an explanation for everything that happens or is it one of those anime that something happens for no reason or leaves me going What happened to the _____ or how did he/she even know _____.
The storyline itself has no contradictions, is full to the brim with plot twists that are almost impossible to predict. And most importantly, it is VERY enjoyable to watch.
(Skip if you don't care about historical information + deep themes) Well I will say that the plot has a deep theme. The circle of life and escaping every-day routine and achieving freedom (humans trapped within walls, never seeing the ocean, mountains, volcanoes, forests, plains, and never having an adventure until...) concept is included in the plot. What was also quite intriguing that you probably didn't know was in Shingeki no Kyojin was the use of Norse Allusions. Narrative tales for centuries have, for centuries, been borrowing and re-constructing myths from previous generations in order to create new tales to amuse and inspire. Mythology has been incorporated into many stories to provide emphasis on major themes and create a more complex universe for the reader to experience. “Shingeki no Kyojin” written by Hajime Isayama draws extensive inspiration Nordic myth such as Snorri’s “Gylfaginning” and “Prose Edda,” creating integral elements and parallels within the story by incorporating fundamental Norse ideologies into the fictional universe’s framework. It is these elements of inter-textuality that create a context in which hermetic moments can be experienced, while expressing creativity through the literary tradition of interpretation through connotation. As for the circle of life, humans for once are on the side of the preys. Why is it wrong for titans to eat us, while it's okay for us to (raise and) kill animals in order to eat them? In this world, the strong are the predators, and the weak are the preys. The strong steal all and win all, the weak get stolen from and lose all. That's just how this rotten world (in reality) works. The anime delves into the "strength" of humans vs the titans. Escaping everyday routine has been a theme in many famous stories, such as "The Dubliners" (read it, very famous). How can a person live when doing the same thing over... and over... and over everyday. How would you feel if you were confined within a small amount of space and never allowed to go outside of that tiny space because you would get eaten mercilessly by a predator out there?
The art and sound in the anime is absolutely spectacular. The soundtrack of Shingeki no Kyojin, composed by Hiruko Sawano is (insert the greatest positive word you can think of). The openings were absolutely incredible as well, and I'm sure that everyone, whether or not you've seen the anime has heard of and fairly enjoyed/absolutely loved the opening, "Guren Yumiya". I believe it's the most famous anime song ever. The art is fairly nicely drawn up, and the drawn up 3D maneuver gear certainly was well made. I must say in terms of visuals, the titans were drawn up to perfection! Their faces are disgustingly disfigured and what is up their skin/teeth! They look creepy as fuck, which is great! As for the characters, each person was fairly well drawn up... Although I wouldn't say great! and the horses/skies/plains (nature) was absolutely beautiful and realistically drawn. I must mention that the freedom of wing capes were quite desirable, very cool capes/art.
Eren is anything but a traditional protagonist. While a typical hero is driven by a great sense of morality, honor, pride, or a desire to make the world a better place for everyone’s sake and not just their own, Eren takes every stereotype and crushes it. Having lost his mother to Titian, monsters that he already despised to begin with, Eren’s motivation to join the military and eradicate the Titans are based purely on his bloodthirsty need for revenge, not his desire to improve the world. While it is true that he has expressed that he wants to see the world outside the walls, he didn’t really show initiative (his crazy hatred) until his mother died (although he did plan on joining the recon corps).Perhaps my favorite trait of Eren is that, even though he’s the main protagonist, he is pretty weak as a fighter. That is a quality that makes Eren very real. He’s not an overpowered main character; he’s human. He has powers, but his powers are pretty much the only reason he’s still alive. He’s not some kind of god, and he’s far from invincible. He’s, at the core, just a very angry boy that has lost his mother and wants to avenge her, and he does so with an unbreakable spirit.
As for Mikasa Ackerman, she is a quiet and withdrawn girl and maintains a near constant stoic expression, except when Eren is in danger. Mikasa's attachment to Eren may or not not go beyond feelings of siblings (well, she is adopted). Mikasa is one of those characters that people will love because first off she's beautiful, secondly she's funny and somewhat kind and mean at the same time, and to top it off, and last not but least she's the concrete definition of badass (kicks some Titan ass).
Last but not least our 3rd main character Armin Arlert, a cowardly smart boy who possesses a sharp mind and a natural intuition for strategy which has proven useful on many occasions. Armin Arlert is a character that some will hate for his cowardice and "no fightingness" but others will like because he actually uses his brain, and you have to feel bad for him for being so very human (fear).
Why did I present dragging info on the characters? Because, their charactistics all add so much to the anime. All the other characters in Shingeki no Kyojin are quite likeable, it's just a shame that a lot of them will die out one by one before your eyes. And of course, I will have to mention Levi because he's obviously the most popular character in Shingeki no Kyojin. Why? Well because first of all, he's smart, secondly he's always composed, thirdly he kicks everyones ass, both humans and titans, fourthly he wants to protect people and is in a way a "jesus" figure to mankind, and lastly and most importantly, his fetish for always cleaning makes him a hilarious character.
Even though the whole concept of naked giants devouring humans sounds a little weird at first, the main idea behind it (that is, humans not being on top of the food chain anymore) is pretty well done and the plot grows into an epic adventure that you would regret not watching. Overall the anime is very enjoyable and although some people may call it overrated (it can't be everyone's favorite anime...) I will tell you that you'd regret not watching it for sure. Epic is written all over the anime.
Conclusion: I guess it's a bit overrated considering it could become the most popular anime of all time, but it's certainly not as bad as a lot of haters claim it is. I guess the hate can't be helped though since with popularity and greatness comes hate. But, people can have different perspectives on things, that's what makes humans so great right? That concludes my review, thanks for reading!~
