Yes... incredibly, I’m going to review Shingeki no Kyojin, a series that left a strange taste in my mouth. Elitists call it terrible, somewhat pretentious people call it perfect, and more average viewers usually say it’s very good or good with some issues at the end.
But for me, Shingeki no Kyojin is a very ambitious shonen that, on one hand, deserves praise for its marvelous premise, full of philosophical and even somewhat existential themes. And this author, Isayama—who, whether you like it or not, is undeniably talented—is able to stretch the boundaries of his story to the point where your perception of it can continuously
...
evolve and change.
It’s also undeniable how much effort he puts into foreshadowing every single event in the plot. Things that happened long ago can gain twisted or entirely opposite meanings later on, playing with your expectations and making you realize this story goes far beyond what you initially imagined.
But on the other hand—let me clarify again that this is a shonen—and despite its aspirations toward mature storytelling, it still relies on the same typical and overused shonen tropes. Melodrama with characters overreacting to the deaths of others we’ve barely interacted with, super convenient last-minute saves (ahem, Falco and his flying titan), power-ups, the “special protagonist” trope, plot armor, pompous (and honestly pretty expository) dialogue, simplistic and archetypal characters, among other things... all of which make Shingeki no Kyojin feel like a series that bites off more than it can chew.
It crams in a million philosophies, symbolisms, “parallels,” and at the same time relies on devices like amnesia, magic, time travel (like the whole Paths thing) as plot tools to achieve its goals. Sometimes, just to shock the viewer, it introduces completely random stuff out of nowhere, which then gets justified retroactively—or, in cases like the final chapters, some of these things are never explained at all (the worm, for example, or even Eren’s Colossal Titan form which is never explicitly explained in the manga or anime).
Basically, Shingeki no Kyojin touches on deep themes, presents interesting and paradoxical parallels, explores the nature of humanity and all that comes with it, but... ends up using magic to explain every plot point, which often makes it feel like the characters don’t have true autonomy. It's the script that decides for them. Eren is a prime example of this.
Yes, Eren is a conflicted character who ties into the series’ message, but his character arc is chaotic. He spends a good portion of the series as an angry, vengeful youth, then shifts into someone who understands the power and responsibility he was handed, goes through some development, and then... his real goal remains a mystery until the final chapter. Eren becomes an abstract figure, as if his development was always artificial—because it was tied to his "destiny," a reinterpretation of the “chosen one” protagonist trope. Sure, his character is tragic. I get that. It’s a nice touch that his final internal conflict revolves around the illusion of freedom and free will. But the author leans too heavily into this concept, limiting the character too much and turning him into a symbol of the story itself. That’s why his arc in the first three seasons felt competent, but in the fourth, the author overcomplicates things—conflicting the character by introducing narrative devices like the Paths. As if the script itself is conspiring against him.
And this affects the series as a whole. The plot becomes nearly omnipotent, in the sense that when you look back, the main characters (aside from Eren) feel less relevant in their actions, because everything was already "predestined" by some greater force. This is something the series reiterates often, and the best example I can think of is how the Colossal Titan appears and disappears arbitrarily at the beginning of the story.
One thing I can applaud Isayama for is having Mikasa kill Eren. Yes, sounds crazy to call that a positive. But truly, amid all the melodrama involving characters that either didn’t matter or weren’t well developed, in a final battle that demanded tension, the author did manage to establish Mikasa’s internal conflict—showing us her perspective on Eren and making his death at her hands genuinely impactful. I don’t consider this a narrative error, because Mikasa, in her simplicity and repetitive obsession with Eren, managed to close her arc symbolically and coherently. It’s even emotionally moving. I can’t say the same about the other characters. Sure, they had arcs and were relevant—but in the end, they didn’t feel like they had real weight in the final conflict. Isayama clearly focuses everything on Eren and Mikasa, drawing a parallel to King Fritz and Ymir, while characters like Levi, Connie, Jean, etc., are just relegated to the fighting. They get sporadic moments, which are nice, but considering how important they were in earlier arcs and the attention they got, it feels like the author just left them there—giving them a future without really exploring it. Even Yelena—are we not allowed to know what she thought about everything that happened?
The supporting cast ended up feeling underused, or at this point, just not very memorable. Still, I’ll give credit to the author for at least trying to build some final interactions between them and that feeling of “we made it this far together,” with those (a bit pompous) lines. But characters like Erwin and Levi—well, they were overshadowed by the Eren/Mikasa conflict. Erwin, at least, had a well-rounded arc. Levi, while not deeply characterized, did have some weight in leading the Survey Corps and his ending feels more grounded.
And that’s basically Shingeki no Kyojin. A shonen that tries to be mature, succeeds halfway, but still falls into the same traps as any generic shonen, just with a layer of deeper messages and themes. It’s extremely emotional, sentimental, warlike, brutal, nationalistic, symbolic—but also, its own ambitions end up suffocating it. It’s worth watching. It’s not a masterpiece, but it had the potential to be. Some character arcs land well, the premise is fantastic, the story—even with weak tropes—manages to reinvent itself, and while some messages come off as meta, a few actually resonate. And for a shonen, it’s definitely above the average one that relies only on power-ups and fights.
That’s why I give Shingeki a shaky... 6/10.
Oh, and its ending? I don’t know if I’d give it a 5 or a 4. Let’s say a 5. Everything feels rushed, things are implied rather than shown, the dialogues are pompous... and well, it’s not like it doesn’t make the same mistakes the series made all along—it’s just that, being the ending, those flaws shine even more. But Mikasa killing Eren was poetic and the best way, the final fight starts well and then becomes random,the "freedom" message as an ilussion, it's at least developed a bit and.. Idk. Can be 5 or 4.
Apr 23, 2025
Yes... incredibly, I’m going to review Shingeki no Kyojin, a series that left a strange taste in my mouth. Elitists call it terrible, somewhat pretentious people call it perfect, and more average viewers usually say it’s very good or good with some issues at the end.
But for me, Shingeki no Kyojin is a very ambitious shonen that, on one hand, deserves praise for its marvelous premise, full of philosophical and even somewhat existential themes. And this author, Isayama—who, whether you like it or not, is undeniably talented—is able to stretch the boundaries of his story to the point where your perception of it can continuously ... 
Apr 17, 2025
Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3
(Anime)
add
While the political element plays a huge role in the plot, I feel like it's resolved in a somewhat basic way compared to what it could have been, and the corrupt politicians and the false king are somewhat one-dimensional and disappointing. Otherwise, the season isn't so bad, I suppose.
Some characters who were sidelined or not as important in the previous season (Levi and Hange) had much more involvement. Hange commanded the legion alongside Levi, doing the dirty work on several occasions, and Levi's role is even better, adding to his past, becoming more proactive in the story, and adding his relationship with Kenny, another interesting ... 
Mar 24, 2025
The JoJoLands, Part 9 of JoJo's, tells the story of Jodio, a 15-year-old boy who dreams of becoming rich in the tropical islands. This part has only 24 chapters so far, and I’m going to share my thoughts on it.
So far, it has the best start to a JoJo’s arc that I’ve ever seen. This is because, unlike JoJolion, the series takes a concept (volcanic lava) and squeezes it to the fullest without getting lost in other things. Also, unlike other arcs like Diamond is Unbreakable and Stardust Crusaders, this part constantly changes its status quo, the battles are extremely dangerous, and after each confrontation, ... |
