I've seen this series get a lot of flock from some folks online because it's a "cash grab", but unlike other works of the same nature, this one still retains the heart of the original and reinterprets it to create a fun and refreshing new story without the urgency and peril of the Attack on Titan most people are familiar with.
Attack on Titan: Junior High's story follows Eren Jaeger and his friends as they begin their first year of middle school. On the first day of school, a titan steals Eren's lunch; a cheeseburger, and this becomes Eren's plight and motivation for the rest of the 12 episode series. The titans don't play a huge role in every episode and the ones they do, they're never threatening to the point of fatality. Characters are frequently stepped on and thrown resembling comic relief you'd find in a rom-com, and when the mood gets serious, it's hardly ten seconds before somebody gets interrupted by some ridiculous incident.
It's hard to focus on the story because for much of the series, it's apparently absent right up until the very end when something relating to Eren's first incident occurs again on a bigger scale and reminds you what he was fighting for.
Eren's noble quest to protect everyone's lunch from the titans seems silly in the grand scheme of other issues titan's cause, but in the context of this fun parody, it's motivation enough to stir some powerful and unsettling reactions in Eren.
His character is exaggerated and he's usually the loudest in any scene whether the situation warrants it or not, but he's still someone who inspires those around him. When it's time for someone to step up to the plate and fight, Eren's the first one to do it.
It's interesting to watch the dynamic between Eren and the rest of the first years because even though he's virtually the same in every episode, the interactions each character has with him is always unique and something to look forward to. The relationship between Eren, Armin, and Mikasa notably becomes the strongest towards the end and their companionship in this parody hints at something stronger and unbreakable in the original.
Even for someone who has not sat through Season One, and now, Season Two of Attack on Titan, by paying enough attention and connecting a few dots, it's not hard to guess what might happen to these characters in the original.
Overall, even though it's a parody, the characters still retain the soul of who they're supposed to be and make each episode humorous by playing off their flaws and warping them to extreme degrees.
In regards to the art, the original style returns, only shrunken, to create chibi variations of otherwise intimidating cast members such as the titans, Levi, the teachers, and some of the second year students. The style works fine to communicate the nature of the series and you know what you're getting into just looking at the cover. No complaints on that front, but the backgrounds are forgettable if you start to remember they exist.
The sound quality is great. The opening theme is a reinterpretation of Attack on Titan's original and unforgettable first theme song, "Guren no Yamiya", and the ending theme, "Hangeki no Daichi", is a lively J-Rock song sung by the Japanese voices of Eren (Yuki Kaji), Mikasa (Yui Ishikawa), and Jean (Kishō Taniyama). The background OST adjusts for each mood like it should and when the situation is romantic or tinged with danger, the soundtrack does not disappoint and provides some stirring tracks.
I could go on and on about everything well this series does, but for a person who sat through the original Attack on Titan and cried and struggled with those characters, I can understand their irritation. I imagine their feeling is the same as a person who grew up watching Teen Titans and waited years for its return only to get Teen Titans Go on Cartoon Network. But set all that aside and take this show for what it is: a joke. It's taking everything that scared you, Eren, and the rest of the first years in the original and putting a baby face on it so it's not anywhere near as intimidating as before. And maybe that's not for you. Maybe that's not what you look for when you watch anime. That's fine. But this anime, even if it's a parody, has a lot to offer. It still bears a lot of the same emotion I imagine was present in the original and reconstructs it to fit inside a fun and cute story about a man and his burger.
If you like Attack on Titan and you've already seen everything else; while you're waiting for that third season, you may as well sit down and at least tolerate this 12 episode series. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And if you don't like it, there's still casuals like me who have money at the ready to pay for more cash grabs like this and the toys that come with it.
So you may as well come along for the ride.
