Shingeki no Kyojin (SNK) is by far the only anime that has ever satisfied me thoroughly. Though the story itself is unoriginal (apocalypse theme with humanity on the losing side), I praise the author for his obvious devotion in this. It's evident that a great deal of research was done to come up with this epic tale that so far is free from any plot holes. How he skillfully manage each of the events and the characters involve so as to diverse it from the stereotypes and the current trend in anime is just- wow.
The art is what literally brought me to the animated series.
...
I knew of SNK before it was adapted. Me reading it was more or less prompted by the lack of activities back then but not once have I regretted anything since I clicked it. Anyway the visuals are very pleasing to the eyes, and the fact that the animators paid attention to every possible detail is what made everything suitable for the kind of genre SNK has and commendable enough to leave one's mouth hanging open (tested and proven). From the historical setting to the action scenes, everything is well accounted for. Contradictory to how meticulous the environment is portrayed, the less-complex looking characters look at home probably because of their dark borders and how color coordinated they are with their surroundings (thank god I haven't seen any of the pink or green hair common in anime). I have my hat's down for the artists and animators.
The soundtracks are nicely done. The opening songs are really attention grabbers, with all those operatic voice(s) at the start and the indescribable instruments that worked remarkably well together. The rest of the instrumentals you can hear throughout the series (usually backing up intense, rise of action moments and such) also did great in strongly depicting the emotions and in not competing with the characters' dialogue. I can't say I'm a good judge of music, but it's not everyday that I immediately like them in one sitting seeing as I'm very picky when it comes to them (which is what happened in this case haha).
I must say, the characters are what really surprised me. They have all the elements of the common characters found in other animes (I had to compare), but how these accustomed personalities are twisted to match the ever dreary atmosphere of the story was stupefying. My speculations regarding their attitudes and how they work with it are always thrown off the cliff. Though I did get some right, it is a new experience for me not being able to prognosticate their intentions. Their unpredictability is what got me glued to the monitor and what kept me clicking on the next episodes.
Erwin never ceases to amaze me with his intellect that seem to get sharper and wider as the story goes on. His growing experience in the field is obviously the reason why he's often a few steps ahead Armin's smart analyzations and I'm sure the latter will become like him in due time.
Armin's tenacity is one of the things I'm looking over because by now I've deduced that fools like him are the ones who are capable to continuously adapt themselves in a frightening pace (he'll soon become someone mentally and physically stronger than the Armin we know of). Eren as well, since I never thought that a blood-lusting young man who's only filled with revenge and dangerous desires be made into the hero of mankind. But that's a good thing though, because he seemed like the personification of the fearful and weak mass of people; full of flaws and near impossible ideals. Because Eren's character is not overly done and nowhere near close to perfection, I love and hate him at the same time.
Conni also caught my attention, particularly because of how forced his passive attitude is. His drastic resignation to being a person who's caught in the flow caused by abandonment of his previous headstrong attitude was sadly obscured by the strong presence of the trio, but that didn't stopped me from noticing him (okay, I paid attention to him first because he's bald). He's a great guy and someone you can count on, although a bit cowardly and small in size.
The other surrounding characters also have their own eccentricities and dark sides. It seems that their inner demons are slowly gaining the spotlight because of how desperate the situation is becoming. Again, another good thing because it shows how disgusting, at the same time praise worthy, a person's real intentions are. SNK's creator really made a great clash with fantasy and reality.
I did not enjoy this series, because "enjoy" is a happy emotion stimulated by happy moments. SNK has none of that. Fear, distress, tense, anxiety, sadness, gloom, thrill, mental breakdown, and overwhelming horror/terror is what I felt while watching/reading this story. Add those with the blood and gore shown throughout the whole series, it's spectacularly hair-raising. I have no regrets.
Overall is a perfect score of ten. Bias or not, you can't deny the fact that it's EPIC AND FILLED WITH AWESOMENESS.
Jun 10, 2015
Shingeki no Kyojin
(Anime)
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Shingeki no Kyojin (SNK) is by far the only anime that has ever satisfied me thoroughly. Though the story itself is unoriginal (apocalypse theme with humanity on the losing side), I praise the author for his obvious devotion in this. It's evident that a great deal of research was done to come up with this epic tale that so far is free from any plot holes. How he skillfully manage each of the events and the characters involve so as to diverse it from the stereotypes and the current trend in anime is just- wow.
The art is what literally brought me to the animated series. ... |
