Kari’s Anime Corner: First Impressions of “Attack on Titan”
Hi! My name is Kari Lane, and I’ve been an anime lover since I was a little girl. Those good old days when classics like Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z, Card Captor Sakura, Digimon and Monster Rancher were on the most basic of cable.
Over the years, I have expanded my anime repertoire and have attended numerous anime conventions. I’m currently a host on Neo-Cinema, a web-based anime and Japanese live-action movie review show. Recently, I’ve been watching the first few episodes of various anime series’, and thought it an excellent idea to write reviews based on my “first impressions”. Of course, you’ll have many unanswered questions after viewing just 4, 5, or 6 episodes, but you can get a feel for the show and decide if you want to continue watching! I hope my reviews will help introduce you to some awesome anime, or help you avoid the more mediocre junk that’s out there!
Every year at Anime Expo, one show seems to be cosplayed the most, and this year that anime was Attack on Titan (also translated as Advancing Giants). I had heard of it via my anime friends and they all raved about how good it was so I decided to check it out. It totally met my expectations! It is good and INTENSE! The show is set in a post apocalyptic future where strange creatures called, titans, have wiped out most of humanity. Humans retreated and built a citadel like city consisting of three circles within each other framed by massive walls. This system kept the titans out for almost a century but then a new titan appeared, a colossal titan, who broke down the outermost wall. Chaos ensues and most of the humans in that city are annihilated. Eren, his adopted sister Mikasa and their friend, Armin, narrowly escape into the next inner city. There these three young people decide to join the army to kill titans and get revenge.
This show is filled with death and destruction. Do not get too attached to any of the characters because they will probably die. It is worse than Game of Thrones or a Joss Whedon show in terms of killing off people you care about. Also, it is not just that these characters die but they are destroyed. Nearly every death is cringe worthy. Speaking of disturbing, the titans are so weird they make your stomach turn and totally creep you out. They are giant humanoid creatures that look strange, move abnormally and, oh yeah, they eat people. The animation on this show is done so well as to make these creatures super unsettling.
Even though the humans have the odds stacked against them, you root for the underdog and hope Eren and his friends succeed in there missions. The humans do have one small advantage and that is the 3D maneuver gear. Humanity has developed a way to fight back and that is by using a device that makes you swing through the air like Spider-Man and use thick swords to slice the back of a titans neck (the only way to kill them).
The show’s style is similar to Claymore and Akira with emphasized eyes that convey the emotional intensity of a situation. At times it can be a bit much but it goes with the overall heavy feel of the show. The outlines of characters are done with thick black lines and the overall color is nicely saturated. The actual animation is seamless and perfect to show how the characters zip around with the 3D maneuver gear and how bizarre the titans move.
I liked the show so much I am caught up with the current episode on Crunchyroll. I will definitely continue watching. Will Eren be able to conquer the titans? Where do the titans come from? What are they exactly? Who will die next? Will humanity be able win this war? If you want action, fierce character driven drama, and cool animation, you should check out this show!
