Nov 29, 2013
Attack on Titan is a particularly unique case for me. As such, my review needs to be broken up to properly analyze it.
Story:
Attack on Titan has an absolutely astounding setting. The sheer idea behind the setting, the exposition pieces, and the initial plot elements held the potential for it to be one of the best action anime ever. From the first three episodes, I could see how someone could believe this would be that one anime that is just absolutely amazing. It simply becomes disappointing as things continue. Long story short? The start is absolutely amazing. It's powerful. It's grabbing. It does everything
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an introduction should do. The problem after that stems from the plot slowly becoming painfully predictable and a personal dissatisfaction with the protagonists in place as well as the decisions of various members of the cast completely destroying the story's credibility at times.
Art:
Art is completely subjective. I would not actually judge art based on someone's own opinion. You would really have to see it for yourself to deem whether it is "good" or not. As for me, it seemed fairly mediocre. The effort is there, but something with the art style simply does not jive with me. The settings are well done, but the characters are quite bland.
Sound:
Finally. This is what I can praise Attack on Titan for. If anything, this series's soundtrack deserves to be remembered. It is excellent and its execution throughout the anime was not only strategic but tasteful. The tracks range from dark and depressing to powerful and moving pieces designed for a battle against a completely hopeless situation. In my opinion, the music in and of itself is the true beauty behind this anime.
Characters:
The main protagonist Eren Jeager is heavily set on his goal to a fault. Some call this good writing, but given the setting, it actually works against the story and its credibility. It is literally almost difficult to not find the main character's obsession with revenge nostalgic and downright hilarious. If you don't like avenger-type characters, you will despise Eren beyond imagination by the time the story is over. The worst part? He finally starts developing three-quarters through and goes right back to the bratty child he was in the first few eps. The same can be said of Mikasa. This anime is one of the few to portray women with some form of decency, but Mikasa's obsession with Eren is a pretty sad window of how the author wants people to worship his poorly-designed protagonist. To boot, Mikasa literally has no flaws other than her obsession with Eren. No character flaws. No ability flaws. Her only real flaw is her obsession with Eren, which usually only winds up helping them, not causing them problems like it should. Your only real likable protagonist? Armin. He is one of maybe three characters we really see that has a solid character, solid flaws, and solid development based on those flaws and his interactions with other characters due to the plot. In all honesty, Armin should have been the main protagonist.
Enjoyment:
Now we move onto enjoyment. Despite vehemently despising roughly eighty-five percent of the cast, I enjoyed Attack on Titan. Is it a great action anime? Sure. Definitely! Is it realistic? Sad to say, but no it is not. Is it the most well-written anime ever? Astronomically far from it. If you're looking for an action anime to sit down and enjoy, this is a wonderful choice. If you're looking for an action anime with a strong plot and emphasis on lovable characters, I recommend pretending that you never heard the hype and staying far away from this anime.
With a heavy heart, I cannot give the anime anything higher than a 5/10 in good conscience. It had oodles of potential, but an irritating cast, some half-baked plot elements, and predictability ruined it. Mediocre at best.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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