Attack on Titan
Over one hundred years ago, mysterious humanoid giants called Titans suddenly appeared. Unstoppable, insatiable, relentless; the Titans began literally consuming mankind to the brink of extinction. In a last ditch effort to survive, the remnants of mankind were able to erect three massive inter-circling walls to keep the titans at bay. Wall Maria at the forefront, Wall Rose at Maria's interior, and Wall Sina tucked away at the center. The walls were able to purchase mankind 100 years of peace, but one fateful day a massive Titan appeared, bursting down Wall Maria's formerly impenetrable gate, allowing a flood of titans to once again menace humanity. Facing extinction, humanity must rest its fate upon the shoulders of its very young, yet highly trained military force of titan killers. Enter Eren Yeager, a young cadet who carries a power within him that can finally change humanities' fate for the better.
First and foremost, Attack on Titan had an amazing production value. The artwork was stunning down to the last detail. From the character design to the minute details in the back drop, Attack on Titan is eye candy for any die hard anime fan. Simply put, the unique art style was beautiful.
The music was epic. Howling melancholy choirs can really only be described as having an epic sound. That's doubly true when coupled with an anime as visually stunning as this one.
Don't let the hype about this anime lull you into a false sense of security, it can get a bit dark and depressing. The sheer scale of death and suffering in this anime is astounding. The titans are a terrifying enemy and you're reminded of this fact time after time. At the very beginning of the series, a very young Eren Yeager and his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman witness the terror of the titans first hand as their family is ripped apart in a brutal and shockingly disturbing scene. Forever scarred, Eren, Mikasa, and their friend Armin Arlert, another poor scarred soul, go on to train and join the military to fight the titan threat. You'll get no spoilers from me, but the first episode sets the bar for the rest of the series and what a high bar it was. The shock factor alone will have you sucking down episode after heart episode.
Despite its darkness, the series does throw comedic jabs from time to time. These comedic moments were a nice reprieve from the darker aspects of the series. These scenes transition in flawlessly; you'll be hard pressed to not at least chuckle. I mean, they were pretty darned funny.
I loved the character development. Throughout the progression of the story you'll see the ever constant growth of characters as they're forced to mature quickly in the face of the titan threat. The main characters Mikasa, Eren, and Armin will literally transform before your eyes. They transform from naive children to deep, complicated and troubled teenagers who must fight and kill to survive. With Eren's hot heatedness and sometimes irrational actions, Armin's constant search for inner strength, yet brilliant strategic mind, and Mikasas's efficiency in killing titans and aloof attitude to everything about her except for Eren's well-being, an interesting dynamic is created. I would even go as far to say that the three balance each other out. But of course I'd be remissed not to mention potato girl. She sure loves her potatoes.
One of this anime's strongest aspects are its action sequences. Due to the Titans massive size, the humans must use a device called ODM gear to fire gas powered grappling hooks from a portable device strapped to their waists to rappel high enough to attack the nape of a titan (their weak spot). ODM gear has become the trade mark of this series. Try typing in Attack on Titan on YouTube. You'll instantly be inundated with scenes of characters grappling gracefully between buildings as they battle titans with their dual flesh searing blades. The ODM battles alone will entice you to watch this series. As amazing as it is to watch these beautifully choreographed scenes, they are also among the most bloody. Soldiers are brutally ripped from the sky, crushed due to a titan slamming them into a building, or just outright eaten. Let's just say the titans are very efficient at keeping their big goofy mouths wide open. If a soldier happens to come swinging by why shouldn't they take a bite?
The plot is a deep, complex story that envelopes itself in an addictive cloak of plot twists, relatable characters, darkness, and the challenging of morality. I don't want to go on too much about the plot from fear of revealing spoilers, but holy crap, does this anime suck you in. I couldn't stop myself from greedily sucking down episode after episode. I guarantee you're going to get addicted to this anime.
Ultimately, epic doesn't even begin to describe the awesomeness that is Attack on Titan. This anime has easily become one of the greats for a reason, and with an ending that implies a second season I eagerly await what more this anime has to offer. I give Attack on Titan a 10 out of 10 and I applaud as I do so. I recommend this one to all anime fans.
