Apr 13, 2021
Once, there was a high schooler who did not watch anime, aside from a few Ghibli films. His friends convinced him to watch the hilarious Team Four Star parody that dropped in late 2013. It was hilarious, and I was surprisingly invested in seeing where the adventures of Jaeger Bombastic continued to. Low and behold, that is how I became part of the "attack on titan boomer" movement on the anime scene. Fast forward about 8 years and here we are, still hard to believe that it finally ended.
I am not going to be too sappy here, but forgive me if it seeps in a
...
little bit. I will also try to avoid spoilers for those of you that are careful on the internet.
The story is easily a 9-10, it especially follows the theme of fighting an enemy you can't communicate with (as Isayama said in an interview). For about the first 50 chapters it feels awesome watching the characters demolish man eating monsters, but slowly after that until chapter 90 or so things take a turn and you realize there are victims of larger forces. Then there comes a point where you come to realize it is not as black and white as it used to be and you don't feel good watching people get demolished. And as a last layer of irony, the one who serves the role of "end boss" is someone that you can't communicate with and you have no idea what they are thinking. Honestly a heart breaking role reversal.
Art is honestly a little rough at the beginning, but there came a point where Isayama had the thought "wow, people actually like this" and started to adapt his artwork. These last 10 or so chapters are really a testament to show how far he has come. Not quite to Berserk or Vagabond levels, but it is still iconic.
Characters are one of the strongest points of the series. Speaking generally, the main characters go from being naive teenagers to people who really understand how the world really is and try to make a difference. The slow development of the main cast is really something spectacular. The main character starts out as a borderline stereotypical shounen protagonist but over time becomes the most complex character in the franchise. The side characters vary in depth and characterization, however at the very least they all serve their role progressing the narrative. However, the main thing AoT does a phenomenal job at is making everyone feel human. Nobody is perfect and they all try to do what they think is right, even if they make mistakes.
One last thing I am going to mention is the controversial ending for people who want my opinion (and I will try to speak as generally as I can here). At face value, the final chapter feels a little weird. However, there are a lot of things foreshadowed that aren't explicitly stated that play a major part in it. From a thematic standpoint, it really does bring the story full circle in a satisfactory way. Most people giving it 1s wanted a more concrete ending instead of the reliance of "show don't tell". I would probably give the ending itself a 8/10, however its the kind where it has to sit with you. It is also the type of ending that warrants a partial if not full reread of the series to fully understand and appreciate. The anime does a great job of improving the manga's few shortcomings, and I have faith that MAPPA will do a better job building up to and showing Isayama's final message.
Overall, Attack on Titan has been a central part of my life for the past few years and many others. I would not trade it with anything else looking in hindsight. It started off simple when simple appealed to me and it evolved into complex later when complex appealed to me more. A quick glance at my profile shows I have been busy since late 2013, and my tastes changed and I was pleasantly surprised AoT accommodated. While I admittedly prefer the anime, the manga has been a central part in the entire experience.
I did say that I would have a hard time keeping the sappiness entirely out of the review. Very good if not amazing manga, can't wait to see how the anime adapts this final stretch this winter.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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