Story: Yes, I have read the manga, and I do have a couple of problems with the story arcs that haven't made it to the anime yet, but since talking about them would give a ton of stuff away, I'm not going to talk about that here. So, the story here is that the last of humanity have been pushed into living within three giant walls by monsters called Titans, who prey on humans. In the first episode, the outermost wall falls to the Titans, who have become a threat again after a century of relative inactivity. In the midst of this threat, Eren, a boy who lost his family to the titans, sets out to KILL THEM ALL!
The story is surprisingly complex despite having a fairly basic premise, and they do bring up quite a bit of what is wrong with this world. While there is a lot left hanging and storylines that haven't gone anywhere yet, those problems are mostly negated by the fact that it isn't over yet. I also like that it actually deconstructs a lot of typical shonen cliches, something it does well. Basically, the story, while it has its problems and leaves a lot of loose strings and holes, is pretty good, and it isn't bogged down by filler either (always a good thing).
Art: I love the animation and imagery in this. It pretty much gets everything right in this aspect. The backgrounds are all beautiful, especially the forest scenes, the walls, and the various towns. The characters are fairly distinct from each other, and none of the designs look off-model or weird. The Titans, especially the Titan Shifters, all look appropriately creepy and grotesque. The fight scenes and anytime someone uses the maneuver gear are awesome. Basically, the animation and the imagery are amazing, and I would watch the anime over and over again just to look at it.
Sound: Another A+ for the soundtrack. It's awesome, it's beautiful, and it ranges from quiet and calm to loud and booming very well. The two opening themes are great, and when I was watching the show, I got excited about starting a new episode just to hear them.
As for the voice acting, I personally prefer the Japanese version, which is excellent. The English version is fine, but this is a big show, both in terms of visuals and in terms of emotion, and I just felt like the Japanese voice actors did the big, sometimes over-the-top emotions of the characters better than the English ones.
Characters: This is where the show falters the most. I know a lot of people don't like Eren, but I think he's fine. Other than screaming a lot and yelling about how he's going to kill all the titans, he doesn't have that many horribly annoying character traits, and he does grow up a bit throughout the anime and especially the manga, so I'm pretty okay with him. The other two main characters, Mikasa and Armin, are far more likeable (at least for me). I know a lot of people don't like how devoted to Eren Mikasa is, but to be fair, it's presented as a flaw and she has good reason for it, adding some depth to a character I would probably find kind of boringly invincible otherwise. She is awesome, though, one of the show's more bada## characters. Armin is also quite interesting in that he isn't really that good at fighting, but he's incredibly smart, and he puts those skills to use throughout both the anime and manga, making him surprisingly fun to watch after a couple of episodes watching him scream and cry a lot. The characters also compliment each other quite well, making their interactions pretty good.
The problems come with the supporting characters. With a couple exceptions, most of them aren't really developed beyond a couple of traits, and anyone who isn't in Eren's immediate group of friends only gets enough development so you feel bad when they die. A lot of them get some further development in the manga, so I can't complain too much, but the lack of character or development beyond a couple of traits really hurts the show as a whole. When the characters do get development (Jean), or an interesting backstory and memorable traits (Hange), it's done well, so maybe the anime will give the other supporting characters time to grow as the series goes on. Right now, they're kind of lacking, though.
Enjoyment: For the most part, I enjoyed the show. While there were a couple of parts where the plot dragged or there wasn't enough going on, it's a lot of fun to watch and I always finished one episode looking forward to the next. Again, it had some pacing problems, but it was never bad.
Overall, I don't really think that Attack on Titan is the best anime ever, but it's certainly not bad either, and I can definitely call it good. The story is interesting (if a bit confusing), the animation and soundtrack are great, and while not all of the characters are all that interesting, they do the job for a show like this. I'd definitely recommend it, and I do think it's good.
