Story: 9
The title is somewhat misleading. You'd think a show called Attack on Titan would involve you hunting these things down, but the truth is, the people live in fear of these mindless monsters. The anime rearranges some events from the manga (most notably the trainee corps' basic training) in order to introduce you to the secondary characters faster, and in my opinion, that was a stroke of genius. This allowed you to get emotionally attached to more than just the main cast, and gives you a sense of dread since any of them can easily die in this apocalyptic setting.
I would give the story a 10, if not for one little problem: The uneven pacing. The show starts off at a crazy pace up to the eighth episode, then it slows down to an aggravating halt. Towards the end of the series, the action really picks up again and ends on a satisfying, if inconclusive, note.
Art: 9
The titans look pretty damn scary in some moments, then look absolutely retarded in another. The art and animation is very consistent for the most part, although I did catch it lagging in certain areas where it just became still frames with conversations continuing through. The animation of the omni-directional gear is an absolute joy to watch, and definitely sets it apart from its manga source.
Sound: 10
Even the staunchest critic of AoT cannot reasonably argue how flawless the effects and soundtrack are. From the chilling groans of the titans, to that burst of an activated maneuvering gear hook, everything sounds as it should. The music is well orchestrated and is used brilliantly to add dread or tension in the right moments. And then there's the opening sequences, where AoT is at its finest. Few series will get you hyped up and ready for shit to go down just from the opening sequences alone.
Character: 9
Quite a large cast, and virtually all of them have screen time and have a big impact on the story. And yet as powerful as some of them are, they still feel small and insignificant compared to their predators. Almost every character has a chance to develop as the series progresses, although we may have to wait until later before a certain badass female protagonist can evolve beyond her current state.
Enjoyment: 10
Incredibly thrilling and engrossing. Even during its slow moments, I cannot remember any moment where I once felt bored watching this series. Although the moments where the story develops can feel a bit time consuming, the show rewards your efforts of keeping attention with some incredible action.
Overall: 10
People are going to have something to say about its pacing, but as of right now, AoT is doing very little wrong and deserves the hype its getting. We may not see another season until at least 2015, but the second hype train is building up and is ready to roll!
