Let me just say, I’m mad at myself for not watching it earlier, and I’m mad at myself for watching it too early before it finished… because I just can’t wait an entire week to know what happens next. The cliffhanger endings make me want to watch it even more. It doesn’t waste time with irrelevant information. This show is very intense, and if you cannot tolerate the slightest bit of blood or violence, it might not be for you.
[Abridge storyline: The human race is about to be destroyed by these gigantic indestructible creatures called the Titans. Most of the people are living in fear, but there are some who are willing to destroy the Titans for a better world. The question is: how will they do it?] Pretty boring, right?
I started this show with the expectation of it being an average anime.
Summaries and explanation of this show doesn’t really do it justice, as most of them make it sound boring and unoriginal. As I watched the first few episodes, the characters didn’t help change this view either. I wasn’t really hooked until episode 5 or 6.
The artwork is absolutely fantastic. It gives off this bright and yet depressing life of the people. It really does set the story. May I add, I’m having a blast watching the action sequences!
As for the main characters, they are not inimitable. They are your typical shonen heroes. HOWEVER, although I don’t feel empathy for the characters (I wish I could), I was able to sympathize with them. ALSO, although it has yet to pass the Bechdel test, I’m very happy that there are awesome women that can fight in this anime. Tropes (e.g damsel in distress) may have been used, but honestly speaking, the women are admirable! Female empowerment for the win! :P
Asides my bias, character development is really subtle. There is so much focus on the main storyline, that there are only a few moments where certain characters are left for development. This is a problem because the majority of the audience is then left to only appreciate the characters with the natural cool-vibe aura (Ahem: Mikasa, and Levi). And just like most anime, some side characters have more well written and proper progressive mental development than the main one (Jean, and possibly Levi- if there is more than 25 episodes).
Since there is only going to be approximately 25 episodes, I am letting that slide, but Erin’s open sleeve emotion (such an angry character!), and Mikasa’s hidden-but-obvious/obsessive feelings are something that I hate; as much as people loves these two characters, I still cannot fully appreciate them.
Pros so far:
-Time is not wasted! I even have to pause the show to read the information that comes between every transition!!
-Has an attention grabber.
-Variety of characters+ character development. (it's done well because full episodes are not simply dedicated to developing the supporting characters; you just see it happen naturally as the story unfolds. Brilliant!)
-Females can fight.
-Art work: the outline also gives it a comic book style (can be a con for some lol).
- Makes an unoriginal storyline interesting.
-The action scenes are aesthetically appealing. Even though I have yet to read the manga, I know that the anime did a better job in that field.
- Story unfolds nicely: proper execution. A+ for that! This is the best part of the anime because it feels like the writers took thought into what they were creating (*Cough* unlike the anime SOA: forgive me if you actually like that anime).
Cons so far:
-Typical main Shonen characters: "dark/cool" girl (usually boys in most shows), smarty-pants, and I-want-to-save-the-world-complex boy. Eren kinda annoys me a LOT (anger issues, I swear), but many might like him. The "odd does seem to be forever in his favor", considering that he appeared to not be strong in the very beginning. I think more could have been done with character personalities.
- Suspenseful events are predictable.
- Storyline has been played with many times+ some minor plots should have been discarded because it just wastes time (e.g. Eren has this moment where he clings to his "dream world" while there is chaos in the real world).
-Main heroine "clings" to the hero. “Omg my life is soooo over without him.” “ I have no life of my own except to follow him.”
- There is no emotional connection with characters. This was a problem for me because it can change my rating from a B to an A. However, this is a serious show with absolutely minimum slapstick comedy. Many people are tossed aside here and there, and there is no way for characters to get emotional in every episode without hindering the main storyline.
Character rating: C-
Action/art: A+
Storyline: A (because it has it's own "flavor" added to it)
Personal rating: B+
Overall rating: B+ (They executed it nicely. And this is assuming that there will be another season to come, and 25 episodes will not limit the progress of the story.)
Again, with any popular/ notorious shows, it is important as the viewers to not expect it to be a masterpiece, or plain trash. These expectations will eventually make you dislike or absolutely love a show that you probably wouldn't have in the very first place. If you decide to give this show a chance, be very open-minded so you can find out your true thoughts and feelings on it. As with any popular anime, if you have any bit of curiosity in you, you should watch it! Regardless of how many reviews there are that approves or disapproves of an anime, it's up to you to discover how you feel about it.
