EDIT 29 APRIL 2014: I WILL REDO THIS REVIEW ONCE I SEE THIS AGAIN DUBBED.
Well, this is my first blog post, and I hope you guys enjoy it. So I decided to review a wildly popular anime with a lot of praise and not too much hate going for it. So, here we go.
Story and Characters:
I have to say, the base of this story is so simple, but it’s presented in a way I haven’t seen before. The world of Attack on Titan is completely based on the fact that Titans are human’s natural predator. this also provided for some horrifying scenes, such as the end of the first episode. But after the first few episodes, around when we realized Eren could become a Titan, the “arcs” got kind of long, dragged out, and it was a little hard for me to keep track of what was going on. There were also moments where I wasn't paying close attention to the subs, so then I had to replay the last minute or so. And once I saw the ending, I was like, “That’s it? There had better be a second season!” It left many questions unanswered (including the basement key!) For the characters, I would like to note is that I had some trouble remembering character’s names in this series. It took me a whole 3 episodes to say “Mikasa” instead of “Misaka.” I was about halfway through the series when I finally remembered Connie’s name. Many of the military higher-ups I could not remember the names of either. And yes, I did call Sasha “Potato Girl” until I could remember her name. The one thing I did not understand was why many others perceived Mikasa to be absolutely devoted to her brother. I honestly didn't see her that way.
Art/Animation:
Attack on Titan’s art and animation really suited the series well. (It's better than the manga.) The neutral colors of the landscape & buildings, the art styling of the characters, and the fantastic action sequences all brought the manga to life pretty well (aside from the loooong parts in the series.) I could tell studio WIT wanted to make this look semi-realistic, gritty, and a bit horrifying by the amount of blood. I honestly expected this series to be a bit bloodier, almost like Elfen Lied. (Okay, bad reference.)
Voice and Music:
If you haven’t seen or heard the show’s first opening, DO SO NOW. I cannot describe the intensity of the opening animation, or the sheer EPICNESS of the song. The second opening was a bit of a letdown compared to the first, but it’s still good. As for the OST, there was a good mix of dark, moving, hopeful, goose bump-y, and blood-pumping songs in the mix (Probably not all of those in one track). As for the voice acting, I did like the choices for the main characters. But, I could not find much distinction in the other’s voices. I guess that should be understandable, though. My message to Funimation is, “PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT BOTCH THIS DUB!!!”
My Enjoyment:
I gave into the hype and watched this. I was even impatient to watch it while it was still airing. It was an interesting experience, but I didn't think it was the “BEST ANIME EVAAAAAAAHHHHH” I can certainly see why so many people reeeeaaallly liked this anime, but I honestly don't think this series is worthy of it's large fandom. So what I’ll probably do is I’ll wait until the dub comes out, then re-watch it (assuming I have time, of course.) There were some parts where I was like, “Yeaahhhh!” and “Oh, that’s nasty!” but my enjoyment of this series was actually fairly neutral to me.
The Score:
With all things considered, (even a potential second season) I give Attack on Titan an 8.3 and would recommend this series to action fans, people who are relatively new to anime, and those who want to join in on all the hype-conversations about this series on the internet. And as for a similar anime, if you liked the concept of humanity being forced to live in a small space while giant beings roam around on Earth, I suggest Chrome Shelled Regios. But I will say the similarities ends there.
Story/Characters: 7.75
Art/Animation: 8.5
Voice/Music: 8.9 (There is no dub at this point, so this may change.)
My enjoyment: 8
This has been Selena, and follow me for more anime/manga reviews, first looks, rants, otaku news, and general thoughts!
Last Updated: 29 November 2013
Originally Published: 21 November 2013
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