So like many I also watched Attack on Titan. Wow this anime is so intense it reopens what anime is about and I want to focus on the emotion in this anime. Cause this anime has tons of it.
Story:
The story is original, as in that It has an unique setting. This world they live in is a hell and no one knows how it ended up being this crazy. So we as a viewer also don't know how all of this happened and why it's happening. Thus the basis for the story is set, we live in a world of fear where we are protected by huge walls from Titans that want to murder us and destroy us until none of us are left.
Now this anime starts with the Titans breaching the wall and it sets the story in motion. Our main Protagonist now has a reason to fight these titans with a hatred not even Lelouch could match.
So we see these kids who join the Army and become fighters against the Titans. But what this anime does different than any other anime where the story is driven by revenge, is that it's so realistic. Now I'm not saying giant Titans are realistic but giant Titans fighting people who are but insects to them, well if you ever stepped on a bug how often did it fight back succesfully?
So we enter this world we know nothing about and we only see the POV of the main Protagonist who's only wish is to kill all Titans. So we are limited to what he knows. And as the Story moves onward we learn bit by bit more and more about the world of the titans and how it all started.
Here I have to say that all of this happens in an extremely slow tempo but it never bored me. Yes every episode ends with a huge cliffhanger so at the time I watched it I had to wait a week before finding out. And even then an episode could not even reveal what happened the week before. So if you can be patient like I am this anime will be the anime for you.
Now the Story is still vague and since I don't want to read the manga I don't know what is going to happen in season two. But that doesn't matter the first season of AOT was amazing, an adrenaline ride full of emotion. Where no one is safe from the wrath of the titans! (don't watch that movie it blows.)
So the story is hard to judge, the synopsis is great and creative and this world is amazing with lots of detail. But yea until we get the answers I feel like I cannot judge an incomplete story.
Characters:
Well here is where AOT shines. The characters: So much emotion has been put in these characters. We actually see fear in this anime, something most anime don't seem to know. Characters are actually so afraid that they abandon people instead of playing the hero. People get confronted with themselves and trusting others becomes very hard. We also see the burden of these decisions come back to haunt those who made them. We see people cry out to the gods to bring back their loved ones. People scream out of fear or sadness in a way I want western movies to show us more. More is more in this case when it comes to emotion. But it's never to much, the emotion is never at a level where it becomes weird or unrealistic. No the emotion here is what I expect when we are confronted with our biggest fear: Death. How many will cower and how many will stand up in a failed attempt to save someone.
Yesh the Character development is rich, it might feel slow as with many of these episodes but it's there, it's subtle but I rather have it slow than hasted. People need to endure a lot before they can change and our main characters are young, therefore the confusion in their actions is what is so great about this anime. It shows a world I would never want to live in.
Anime often offers a rich world that even though there is war, murder or agony you still want to be part of it, play the hero and look bad ass while you do it. Well forget that with AOT no one wants to live in that world, there is no place for heroes, acting like a hero gets you killed. No this world is fear and survival there is no time for happiness not when you're up against giant titans.
Now as I said the Characters are rich and well drawn out. There isn't a single person I hate in this anime, they don't feel cliché and they act never out of their own line.
Sound:
Sound/Music, is simply amazing in this anime. Might I also add the lack of sound in some scenes makes the scene so much more intense. Yes this anime will shiver you with their use of sound fx and the music will push your adrenaline to a new level.
Art:
Now this is a beauty. The Art is AMAZING, rarely we see an anime this nice. Just look at some screen shots and you will see why this anime is living up to it's hype. Yes the Art adds all that is needed to make this so intense. And maybe best of all are the Action Sequences, I think that if we had this anime four years ago we wouldn't of had this kind of sequences it's perfect, just watch the official trailer and you get what I mean, it is as if you are flying with them and that is where I leave art at.
Overall:
Yes this anime brought me so much joy, It's intense, it will bring you to the edge and even throw you over at some times because you cannot hold in. You want to scream like they do, you want to fight and punish like they try and in the end you just want to look away and cry. This anime gets weirder and weirder as it progresses and the story becomes more and more intense, and even when we don't know what will happen next it's still an awesome ride that everyone should watch.
Happy Watching :)
