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It's just hype and motivational, need I say more?

Unlike a lot of other mecha anime that just dive into the war/technological aspect, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (TTGL), or more accurately, Kamina himself, throws caution to the wind and sets not only Simon's (the protagonist) eyes to the stars, but also our own. The show/movies never become bogged down by trying to explain the technical bits surrounding the story like other mecha anime (cough Evangelion cough) and instead just says "f*ck it, you wanna see some sick ass fights? Here you go." In that regard, TTGL is to mecha anime what JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is to ... battle anime. It's fun, fast paced, and you never feel like it gets repetitive- there's always something new, something bigger, something greater to tackle.

Though it may not have incredibly deep themes or underlying messages, it doesn't need that; TTGL more than makes up it with pure enjoyment and quality all around. I strongly recommend this- hell, I'd recommend this to just about anyone, not just people already familiar with mecha anime. If you haven't seen this already, go watch it right now. Easily a 10/10

How did I miss out on this when it was being published regularly and the anime first aired? It was only a few weeks ago (in the summer of 2023) where I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram and came upon some shitpost highlighting "optimistic" and "depressing" anime/manga. You had your usual suspects- Gurren Lagann for "optimistic" and Evangelion/Berserk/Punpun for the "depressing"- but I noticed that this particular account had also included Land of the Lustrous (Houseki no Kuni) in the "depressing" field. Seeing the cover art, I was somewhat intrigued, leading me to the comments of the post and, lo and behold, someone is talking ... about how Land of the Lustrous could be summed up as just "pain".

They were right.

Without any spoilers, I'll give a quick review:

Land of the Lustrous/Houseki no Kuni is a reflection of the author's philosophical journey to find out what makes us human using characters that, despite looking human, are only partially so. In a somewhat-similar fashion to the popular "Berserk", the story (ironically) uses the lovable protagonist, Phosphophyllite or just Phos, to [very] thoroughly explore that idea. The use of the unique world building and character design being central to that idea of philosophical exploration and the incredible character development that these characters go through in the story is nothing short of stellar. I know the manga isn't technically finished, but it's on the last few chapters of the epilogue and I can already tell that it will resolve in a manner that leaves us, the audience, looking at and into ourselves if we haven't already. I strongly recommend this to anyone who wants not only a great story, but a deep dive into some tough, philosophical topics.

Easily a 10/10

Quick Review:
When I was first introduced to Attack on Titan, the series captured my imagination: I was hooked. Initially, I was anime-only, but around when Season 4 rolled around, I began reading the series. After reading the entire manga, I give Attack on Titan a 10 because of the amazing world building, immense thematic depth, interesting, diverse cast of characters, pure enjoyment, and the sheer impact of the series as a whole. If you want more justifications and details, they will be below.

More details (SPOILERS):
I think most people can agree that chapter 1 through 124 were simply stunning and possibly "peak fiction". From the reveals ... to the world building to the imagery to the impact- it was a classic in the making. It was only after those chapters that the community began to split its opinion on the series.

I wish it weren't true, but I will admit that the final half-arc of the series (post-124) felt rushed. The pacing just wasn't the same as the previous chapters. During my final (personal) analysis of the series, I realize this actually may have been an artistic choice and not just one spurred on by the pressure of publishing. The final moments of the series were a big, Avengers Endgame-type coming together of all the characters in the story and I think to really get the reader to realize the limited time the characters had to stop Eren and the Rumbling, Isayama purposefully hastened. This choice seems to befit the story up until chapter 138, but it seemed the pace remained for the last two chapters, so I will acknowledge that the very last few chapters felt more rushed than they likely should have been.

Now, chapter 139. I have seen so many fans of the series drop the score down to a 1-3 because of this chapter alone with very little justification, which infuriates me. While the last two chapters did justifiably feel rushed, the ending as a whole played perfectly to the themes of the series and ended with an ironic tragedy. The series as a whole gave the main protagonist one of the most complex character arcs in all of fiction. People may now call Eren an "incel" or "unsuccessful", but if you had payed attention, his true intentions and goals were crystal clear- rid the world of the titans by following the path Ymir had set and give true freedom to those closest to him, especially Mikasa. Eren succeeded at the cost of his own life and had to come to terms with that truth since his future was seemingly set in stone. On Eren's outbreak in front of Armin: it was something I actually wanted to see since I had assumed this stone-cold, ruthless Eren we saw post-time skip was simply a façade brought on by his perception of his own future. Is his and everyone else's ending deserved? They leave us with the titans eradicated from the world, Eren dead and Mikasa finally moving on from him, Levi living a peaceful life attended by Gabi, Falco, and Onyakopon, the island of Paradis undergoing militarization, and the Alliance becoming ambassadors of peace for survivors of the Rumbling to the new Eldian nation. To me, it's an unexpected but safe ending.

As I said above, it infuriates me when someone drops a series' score down to a 1-3 or simply hates on a work of media with little to no justification. I feel it is equally infuriating for someone to give a series a 9 or 10 or call it "peak" with the same, little to no justification. So... I say Attack on Titan gets a 10 because the series as a whole portrays the idea of a harsh reality and tragedy like almost no other works of fiction. While the last arc/half-arc is paced differently and somewhat harder to "digest", the impact of these final scenes arguably hits deeper and the themes become much more difficult to portray (especially when wonky English translations are thrown in). Most importantly, but also more subjectively, this series is one I enjoyed more than any other. While whoever reads this may feel otherwise, I want to stress the importance of formulating your own opinion on any piece of media or literature you consume. For me, my opinions are first formed based on my enjoyment and then a critical review. The opinions of others should not influence your own besides giving you a read on whether or not you should read/watch/etc. said work.

Final Notes:
It is possible (but I strongly feel unlikely) that the release of volume 34 of Attack on Titan could change the ending of the series. If that were to happen, this will be scrapped and I will make a new review of the series. Also, please forgive any grammatical or syntax errors- I wanted to be quick with this, but I might have rambled on a bit longer than I had initially planned.

Edit after the extra pages (SPOILERS):
Frankly, I'm not gonna change my score. The extra pages/epilogue only nail in the theme of cyclical hatred and conflict that's inherent to humanity. Some may say it undermines the few things Eren accomplished as of chapter 139 (stand alone), but I beg to differ since those closest to him did in fact live their lives in peace. Thank goodness there won't be a sequel, it just wouldn't make sense given the titan powers (if they are still present) would be useless against modern warfare by the end of the series. Again, I still stand by what I said above.

I highly recommend anyone that hasn't to read this series- it's such a unique story that hooks you from the start and never lets go. Since the series is short (relatively), I recommend taking your time with each chapter as some important nuance can be lost if you speed through.