For those who do not enjoy gore and despair in an anime, I do not recommend you this anime since you may probably end up with nightmares at night. Even I almost ended up puking in the end since humans were killed like flies without any consideration and I found it hard to accept that the lives of humans can be so easily lost.
However, I have to admit that the storyline was very unique and attractive since it was different from the common anime where hope was actually visible with the progress of the anime. In SnK, even with the protagonist, hope for mankind was barely visible and it was frighteningly easy for one to fall into despair just like the people within the anime. As I didn't read the manga, from the ending of the anime, I could only say that mankind was doom for destruction in the face of the ultimate enemy: titans.
As for character development, the producers did a really good job in defining the characters. For the main protagonist, Eren, his hatred towards the titans throughout the storyline is what propels the plot forward, and for me, it was tough to accept as the depth of his hatred was overwhelming. Truthfully speaking, I did not like his character, and probably he was one of my unfavored characters. On the other hand, LEVI (Rivaille) was awesome, pronto. Enough said right? He is the only reason I would say "I LOVE this anime".
In conclusion, I personally did not like this anime as its gore and the despair I felt while watching this anime left me feeling desperate, dark, and gloomy even after the anime ended. It certainly did not leave a good aftertaste. But just because they presented an awesome character, I rated this anime a decent 4.
P.S. If I were to live in the world of SnK, I will immediately commit suicide when facing a titan because I definitely do not want to get eaten by such a ridiculous and disgusting living thing with weird running habits and leaves you feeling extremely gross. Urgh..
