These are my scores for the moment, but as with most anime I find it hard to judge a show overall before I've seen the ending. Endings tend to make-or-break it for me.
What I'm worried about with AoT is that it might be more shounen than I'd like - I haven't read the manga, but if the characters gain new powers then it really waters down the humans vs Titans aspect of the show, and makes it a lot less interesting. But we'll see...
STORY 7/10
The story is pretty classic - humans are on the brink of survival from huge Titans etc etc. Whilst this is pretty cliche, there's nothing inherently wrong with it, but it's definitely not the show's best point. There's enough driving it to keep it engaging though.
ART 10/10
I'm not an animation expert, but everything about AoT's art I just love. I love the detailed shots of faces, the way that each character is animated, the particle effects, the good combination of CG art, and especially the action sequences. It's been a while since I've seen action sequences that smooth. Everything about AoT is just insanely pretty. A lot of reviewers here are saying the colour palate is dull, but I've not noticed that - I think the lighting is beautiful, the characters are all drawn perfectly... *_* I can't rant about the art for this show enough!
SOUND 8/10
I love the music in this show for the most part, though there are some times it is a little too overpowering, and certain scenes I think could use a different vibe to the one they give it. But the music is great to listen to even without the show.
CHARACTER 6/10
I think pretty much everyone knows that the characters are the show's weakest point. They're cliche shounen stereotypes, especially Eren who is the classic determined protagonist who will stop at nothing to destroy his enemies and is always the answer to whatever problem needs solving.
I personally really love Mikasa - she is just the right amounts of badass and emotional, not too stoic, but she'll do whatever it takes to get the job done. She's a fantastic character.
Armin is growing on me, ever since he quit whining and actually used his brain to solve tactical problems (like plugging the hole in Wall Maria).
The secondary characters make the show a lot better, but I feel they need more development than they're giving. Back stories for these characters would be nice, and would make the whole show a lot more complex and interesting, but alas.
ENJOYMENT 10/10
This show is just so fun. In spite all of its flaws, which are plentiful, there are so many great scenes, a whole lot of emotion and it's just a blast to watch. It's not mature, thoughtful, or deep by any means, but who needs that all the time anyway? The entertainment factor, like a lot of Tetsuo Araki's other works, is what really makes the show good, and to be honest that's enough for me to give the whole show an overall 9/10.
