8/10
Summary
Attack On Titan takes place in a dystopian world where humans live in constant fear of having their city destroyed by 10 meter tall flesh eating humanoid creatures called “Titans”.
The only human city introduced thus far has developed a military system used solely for protecting the city against titans. The protagonist, Eren Jaeger, has passionately and zealously strived to join the military division called the Scout Regiment that goes beyond the confines of the city to explore and eventually reclaim land that the titans have inhabited.
In the midst of an attack by the titans, while Eren and the other soldiers are defending the city, Eren discovers that he has the ability to transform into a titan. However, there are a couple of drawbacks. Firstly, Eren has little control over how he behaves while in titan form and secondly, many civilians and high ranking military members believe that somehow, Eren is working against humanity and for the titans. Eventually, after much deliberation, Eren is allowed to join the scout regiment under strict surveillance by the captain to help hunt down the extra-powerful abnormal titans.
Upsides
Attack On Titan is a well done and unique anime. There is the expected large amount of heart pacing action, but there is also a good amount of psychological action which often gets overlooked or forgotten. The psychological action comes in the form of the military members endeavouring to figure out whether there are more people with the ability to transform into a titan, who they are, what their motives are and why they have their abilities.
Downsides
The downsides are scarce and mostly inconsequential in Attack On Titan. However little, there are still a couple. The first few episodes may leave some viewers underwhelmed and disinterested as they mainly consist of the city preparing for and defending against titan attacks. Nonetheless, the series takes a dramatic turn for the better when Eren realizes his power.
The only other downside might be that almost everything Eren does is over dramatic. The author might have gone a bit overboard on Eren’s charismatic and over-zealous qualities. It often seems like everything he says is meant to inspire either the viewer or another character. He does not often succeed in inspiring the viewer and his constant attempts at it can become irritating.
