Sasha Blouse

Hannes

Hange Zoe

Levi

Armin Arlert

Jean Kirstein

Erwin Smith

Connie Springer

Ymir

Hugo

Eren Yeager

Nick

Samuel Linke-Jackson 

Carla Yeager

Dot Pixis

Kitz Weilman

Petra Ral

Mikasa Ackerman

Annie Leonhart

Armin no Ojii-san

Reiner Braun

Grisha Yeager

Gustav

Keith Shadis

Bart

Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by titans. Titans are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest of titans. 
Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a titan in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a colossal titan that appears out of thin air. As the smaller titans flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single titan and take revenge for all of mankind. 
(Source: MangaHelpers)

Shingeki no Kyoujin, AKA Attack on Titan, is an absolutely fantastic anime. It’s the tale of a small faction of humanity fighting a hopeless battle against an overwhelming force that can and will kill each and every last one of them. And yet, despite being on the bottom of the food chain, faced with a natural predator that will drive them to extinction, they fight back. They rebel against nature itself, despite the fact that the battle seems hopeless. “Seid ihr das Essen? Nein, wir sind der Jaeger!” “Are you the food? No, we are the hunters!” I thought the show was grim, it was painful, it was depressing, and I loved every second of it.

And then we got into the ninth episode.

Attack on Titan is eight of the best episodes of anime I have ever watched, followed by the deepest betrayal I have ever experienced. Because after those first eight episodes, the show decides that it wants to completely ignore all the themes it’s built up and go a completely different direction with it. Suddenly, it’s not the story of a desperate struggle of humanity to survive. Now it’s part action, part mystery, and part political intrigue. This wouldn't necessarily be bad, but the mystery and political intrigue are, unfortunately, painfully mediocre and bring the show to a screeching halt.

Let's talk about the good first. The technical aspects of the show are all incredible. The direction is fantastic, the music is fantastic, and while the art style isn't one that personally jives with me (the thick outlines throw me off a bit), it's distinct and I can see how many people would love it. Sure, it's a bit on the brown side, but it fits the tone and brown is in with the show's target demographic anyway. The setup, world, and overall aesthetic are all strong, and between all of these things, the show becomes instantly captivating. It's grimdark and edgy, but it's grimdark and edgy in a way that doesn't feel like it's insulting the viewers' intelligence. The violence and desperation are all a result of the world and the premise, and both of those are strong enough to work. It's dark to the point of being hard to watch at times, but in a way that kept me coming back, at least at the start. It got me invested in what happened to the characters and whether or not they could overcome these insurmountable odds. I actually cared about and became invested in them--again, at least at the start.

Okay, now that I've gotten the praise out of the way, let me launch into why this show is a massive disappointment.

One of the largest issues with the show is the pacing. The first eight episodes move at a very quick pace as the world and premise are set up, the characters are introduced, and mysteries begin getting introduced. After that, a huge bombshell gets dropped on the audience, opening the door to many more mysteries. However, instead of addressing the how or why, the show instead spends five episodes establishing that yes, this did indeed happen, freaking out over the lack of information regarding it, and moving a boulder. This would be frustrating even if it weren't delaying the answer to questions we desperately want, because it takes up roughly 1/5 of the story and it builds up to a halfway-point climax that ultimately isn't particularly enthralling.

This issue with preserving mystery at the cost of killing momentum is something that happens continually throughout the series. Plot points are raised and consequently abandoned in favor of pursuing plot points we don't care about. We've just seen something that turns everything that has been established upside down! Do we really need to have a court session? When Eren joins the survey corps, why do we need scenes of them cleaning up their base? When it's established that there's probably something of very great importance in Eren's basement, shouldn't there be at least _some_ form of payoff for that instead of launching into the Female Titan arc? These issues only grow more pronounced in the manga, where several arcs are started, then cut short because following through on them would result in mysteries being answered, and apparently the author believes that as soon as someone gets answers they're going to stop reading.

In addition, Attack on Titan quickly introduces more characters than it knows how to handle. In the first episodes we begin to get a handle on who Erin, Mikasa, and Armin are, but only Mikasa gets any sort of backstory and after those initial episodes, she's mostly just relegated to a background character as well. Erin is full of passion, but in a way that makes him two-dimensional, and I expected Armin's story arc to actually go somewhere. I honestly thought that the story would be about them beginning to step out of his shadow, but again, that damn ninth episode happened and ruined any hope of that happening. The rest of the recruits are similarly bland. Jean gets something resembling a character arc and a few other characters suddenly become really important (most of them only in the manga), but others serve little to no purpose. Viewers know who Sasha is because she ate a potato in a funny scene. But that's literally all there is to remember about her character. She likes food. That's all she does. Her only purpose in the story is to _like food_. And Connie? Who even knows what purpose Connie serves.

After the first eight episodes, the show starts to become a drag, with the plot beginning to go in multiple directions. The pacing slows down, but the slower pace isn't the main issue. It's that, instead of slower-paced forward motion, it becomes slower-paced sideways motion. What was once exciting suddenly becomes tedious to get through. Things begin to pick up again towards the end, with the climax of the Female Titan arc, when the titan's identity is revealed and there's a big battle that answers a few questions but raises more. Unfortunately, those questions aren't going to be answered anytime soon. I've read the manga, and at this point, I know that these mysteries are just going to be left unanswered until there's no way the answers we eventually get will be anything less than an anticlimax. I'd rate the manga a bit lower for that reason, but I guess in this first season there's still the hope that a second season will bring something resembling resolution to the series, so I'll account for that in the score. If all you're looking for is action or good production values, you'll probably enjoy it, and if you NEED to know about the biggest, most hyped shows around it's a must-watch. But if you're looking for something satisfying and conclusive with good characters, skip it. Three stars.

Attack on Titan is eight of the best episodes of anime I've ever watched, followed by the betrayal of utter mediocrity.

# [~~~**This review will contain Spoilers for the show!**~~~]()
 
At first I did not understand the hype surrounding this series. Yeah the plot and everything sounded nice but why did it get so popular?
Well I learned that when I finally decided to watch this series and fall in love with it.


[**_(MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD)_ STORY:**]()
Season 1 of Attack on Titan is a nice introduction to the universe of the show. It tells us everything we need to know and it lays it out in such a way that is nice and comfortable to watch.

Summary of the story for anyone that has forgotten:
To start us off. Humanity has enclosed its self within walls to keep out the "Titans", creatures which (as the name suggests) are much larger and stronger than Humans. They possess a great threat to the survival of humanity.
 
The show focuses on a group of friends: Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. Although the show does focus more heavily on Eren all of the characters present have a huge role in the plot. They're living their lives quite calmly... until one day, two Titans manage to break the gates to the outer wall in which our heroes live. With no way of beating the numerous titans pouring in the City the retreat. Eren in the process loses his mother due to a Titan, this is a vital part of the story as it build Eren with unspeakable hatred towards these creatures.

Ever since that moment Eren and the rest have been training to join the "Scout Regiment" and defeat the Titans.
After intensive training they manage to get to the top leads in the training group and join the Regiment. Filled with passion Eren tries his best to kill as many Titans during the new found invasion..._he dies_...but not really.

It is later revelead that our boy Eren Yeager has the ability to turn into a Titan. Now he can trully be useful, he can plug the Walls and even venture to his old house to find out the secret his father left him...

All in all the way the story builds up along with the character, and even how the atmosphere changes is trully magnificent.
From the get-go this has managed to capture my interest and made me fall in love with the series. I cannot express enough just how much I love this show.
~~~img420(https://i.gifer.com/M4dS.gif)~~~
 


[**CHARACTERS:**]()
The character we get to see in Attack on Titan are very interesting and work really well in the atmosphere of the show. We have:
Eren, a young lad, he is basically the focus of the show due to his powers. Though he mostly cries and gets kidnapped.
His character is great, he is very determined and tries his best which is something that I admire. The sheer will power he has is incredible.
Mikasa, a young gal, she doesn't speak much apart from screaing **"EREN"** every now and then to check up on him.
She is one of my favourite characters in the show, she is the pure defenition of badass. The way she sets her eyes on a target and smoothly completes her task is to be awed.
Lastly I'll be talking about Armin, the character which does not really build much hype within me but still is an important part of the series as a whole. He is the brains of the whole show. Without him we wouldn't get as much plans. Despite his lack of strength I still do like him, he is very determined on helping people as much as he can which always is a plus in my book!

AoT has many more characters, all of which have important parts in the development of the story. Some have much bigger impact and some are just one off characters. Each and every one of them have their own personalities and back stories. With most of the characters we get to know their backstory which further cements their part in the show and in our hearts and thus makes the whole experience of watching much more enjoyable.
~~~img420(http://www.hxchector.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/attack-on-titan-s1-amazement.gif)~~~
 


[**ART/ANIMATION:**]()
This show has great art and animation. It does improve throughout the various seasons but the one we see in Season 1 is also quite a sight to behold.
In my opinion I'd have to rate it above the average. The animations too, they are very smooth and fluid. Well that is expected since a lot of the combat scenes have the character move in very agile and fickle ways which require such smooth animations.
~~~img420(http://www.hxchector.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/attack-on-titan-s1-mikasa-titan-kill.gif)~~~
 


[**MUSIC:**]()
Attack on Titan, man it has a banger of an OST. Each and every song that plays throughout the show is so fitting for the scene which it resides in. They fill the viewer with the right kind of emotion for the scene that is about to unveil, may it be sadness, anticipation, or even sheer **HYPE**
The OPs, too, are bangers. They are up there with the Steins;Gate OP, which always manages to build up hype and nostalgia within me.
The EDs, too, had (and still do) a huge impact on me when re-listening to them. Much hype to be had.
~~~img420(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/FeistyWildBabirusa-size_restricted.gif)~~~
 


[**OVERALL OPINION:**]()
All in all Attack on Titan is a series with amazing combat and story.
Like with Steins;Gate (going back to comparing this to Steins;Gate xd) I do try to get people to watch this since it is such a great show.

As I said in the very first sentence:
>I did not understand the hype surrounding this series.

But after watching it I understood why, the story and characters, just the whole show in general fit together so well.
*Though I did give it 92/100, reason for that is...Season 3 is soooo good compared to this season.*

#####*(Note - Tried changing up my style of writing a little bit. Hopefully it turned out alright!) *

An amazing start to an amazing series filled with grief, hype, and sheer will power.

Attack on Titan. An anime i watched 3 years ago and never finished. I probably reached at least 20 episodes until i decided to drop it since at the time (around 20 eps) mostly because of my laziness. But after actually rewatching the first 20 eps  I've watched years ago and continued on, i have to say i don't regret a single thing in finishing it. 

Attack on Titan really is deserving of the hype and praise it has. The story is hardcore, as well as the anime openings. The opening song for this season really does get stuck in your head for a while too. I was literally knocked off my seat at the first episode because of the intense and emotional feelings i had from watching Erens mom die because the titans have attacked. What broke my heart the most in this scene is the fact that she didn't really wanted to be left behind.. but of course had to make the necessary sacrifice (since Hannes was too weak to fight against the smiling titan). The other episodes built up adequately, going through training, backstory, more characters introduced etc. and then skipping to when Eren and the crew are about to graduate from their military training as the top of the class. The fast-paced buildup was great, leaving no room for fillers, and everything exploded again in episode 5. By the time episode 5 came around, I was completely hooked. I, like everyone else, usually skip anime openings after watching once or twice just because it gets tedious, but I've seen the opening to this anime every single new episode that came out because A) it has a great soundtrack and B) it hypes me up lol. But yeah, episode 5 gave the audience a sense of, "Eren and these guys are going to completely kick some Titan ass and shit's gonna go down." To be honest, I was completely expecting him to. Then out of nowhere, like in episode 1, AGAIN the enemies seem impossible to beat. When Eren rushed into that Grandpa Titan's mouth to save useless Armin, I didn't feel like he was actually in any danger despite losing a leg and w/e just because the protagonist always winning has become the accepted norm. But NOPE!@%! When Grandpa closed his mouth it was gg. That was by far the best anime moment of 2013, probably even 2012 just because it felt so unexpected. Props to the original creator for not being afraid to be different and step out of the bubble. At the same time, I was worried for how the series would progress from such a dramatic change but some people who have read the manga told me they either loved the progression or hated it so we'll see...

Overall, the first season was great. The main character was kind of meh in my opinion but other supporting characters really help in making the story interesting. You could see the different character developments they all go through as the episodes go on and the action scenes really . This is surely a season i will re-watch someday.

Amazing first season. Lives up to its hype. 

__A review containing spoilers of the first season of ‘Attack on Titan’'__

Ever since completing the second season of the Hajime Isayama written series ‘Attack on Titan’ for the first time I never really felt the urge to continue as more episodes were released. I described my experience as exciting yet hollow, and the further the series went it seemed this didn’t change. While I always found appreciation in technical elements of the filmmaking, such as its animation and the musical score by Hiroyuki Sawano, I seemed to be disappointed by the “writing”, an appropriately vague justification for my disliking for the series as I was definitely not experienced in the field of media consumption, at least in the way I approach it currently. But as episodes of the third season got increasingly highly rated, to the point of many of its episodes standing on the top of IMDb’s most highly rated tv-episodes among shows like Breaking Bad, Mr. Robot and Bojack Horseman, I found myself more intrigued than ever as to what quality the show had that I might’ve missed on my first visit. But I don’t think I expected to miss so much right from the beginning.

By far, ‘Attack on Titan’s most impressive element is how it establishes itself, whether it would be its characters or the world they live in. And while I can only speculate, I think this may be why the series had such enormous popularity since it’s incredibly easy to get into. And while this can turn into a double-edged sword which we will discuss later, it is an aspect I would be remiss to not go over. And the best example of this would be the titans themself. 
While we see glimpses of what they look like, episode one barely has any surface-level development of what the titans are but rather sets up a mood and presence that makes it so that you already know what the titans are even when you haven’t seen one. From Carla Yeager reacting to her son saying he wants to go outside the walls, to the Survey Corps coming back after a mission lacking what used to lie behind their eyes, there is a powerful sense of the danger the titans have imposed on humans. It keeps the mystery the titans thrive on and makes the scene at the end of the episode extremely emotional as everything that has been set-up is paid off. And this is emblematic of what’s so good about the first episodes, they are incredibly efficient.

What I mean by this is how well the series disguises its expositions and developments with very basic narrative elements and does so in a way that doesn’t rush over anything or slow to a crawl. Episode 4 is set 2 years after the previous, a narrative device I have seen many use as an excuse to not write important development between characters. And while I could see a version of the series where we see these two years in more detail, which may give some more camaraderie to the main cast, taking the pacing into account I don’t think it's worth it. Episode 3 is already a good substitute to the general training process I could see the soldiers going through, and so going over it again for let’s say two more episodes would just ruin the pacing for no real reason other than following some arbitrary “good writing” rule. And this is what I again find so intriguing about the establishing episodes of ‘Attack on Titan’. I feel like it lets me into the process of how to write a series like this, which needs to convey as much information as quickly as possible. You could say the writing is very transparent, but in a way, I think there’s a lot to learn from. I would go as to say that the first eight or so episodes are a pretty great screenwriting teacher. Not because it’s the most well-written piece of media I’ve witnessed, but because it wears its techniques on its sleeve. 

But it leads me to my central problem of the series. With such an exceptional setup, I feel it is almost bound to disappoint in some way the moment the series starts answering questions and developing itself, especially for a series so reliant on mystery and not understanding the world. And the aspect the most reflective of this, ironically enough, would be the titans again. 
In the eight-episode of the series, it is revealed that inside of the mysterious titan that has helped the cast get to the HQ during the battle for Trost lies Eren Yeager, who was seen eaten by another titan hours prior. This marks a change in direction the series goes into, where I think some of the mysterious intrigue to be found in the titans is lost.
While we gain surface-level knowledge of the titans at times, the core of their being is very much kept hidden. Giant human-like creatures that eat people for the sake of it is a very creepy premise that should be kept that way. So when it is revealed that normal people could potentially be inside of the titans, or at least that a human can turn into them, so early on in the series, it removes just enough information about the titans that they stop being intriguing to me. And the thing is that I wouldn’t really be complaining if I couldn’t almost see a version of the series where this wasn’t a problem.

In episode 17, Armin encounters an intelligent female titan during the 57th exterior scouting mission which seems to be looking for Eren and has no other objective. Over the next 6 episodes, the scouting party is slowly informed of the danger the titan could have, until captain Levi decides to direct the formation into a large forest. This all culminates into a number of action scenes, and they are without a doubt some of the best action direction I have seen in anime in a long time, if not ever. It is incredibly exhilarating and interesting to just look at. I can’t really say it in a smart way, it’s fucking dope. There is a shot where a soldier shoots a grappling hook next to the female titan, she grabs the wire and drags the soldiers so she can mash them into a tree, and then another soldier swings towards the screen and the female titan grabs their wire and throws them to the ground. The depth used in these animations is honestly incredible and the only time I’ve actually wanted to see anime in 3D, amazing stuff. But it is here where we encounter the problem I brought up, and the potential I think was lost here. 
While I love practically every scene the female titan is featured in, the only problem I have again is that we know too much about her. There are still questions we might have for sure, but because the idea of turning into a titan was established earlier in the series, we can almost immediately predict that this is the case for the female titan. And it doesn’t diminish any enjoyment to be found in the scenes, that would be hyperbolic and the spectacle is still phenomenal. But storytelling-wise, I think there’s a lot of lost potential and reflective of how too much information is given at times. And while it may seem incredibly nit-picky to spend two paragraphs on being mildly annoyed at how the development of the titans are handled, I think it's worth bringing up

But after having experienced it all I am extremely impressed, especially for a series I wasn’t very intrigued by on my first visit. The writing is very efficient and conveys information and themes of humanity I will go into more depth on in a bigger analysis of the series when season 4 is complete, and Tetsurou Araki’s directing is some of the best I’ve seen in recent years! And while I’ve expressed my problems with the series, I think they’re mainly noticeable because of how great everything else is in comparison

__Strong 8 / 10
__

A review on the first season of Attack on Titan and how it surprised me

Spoilers ahead.

First of all, we are extremely well introduced to it world. The first scene shows a huge Titan sticking out the wall, while the show explain to us what the humanity knows about the Titans, that is, particularly, not much. The only think we know about the humanity, is that they live in 3 different walls, and they have been in peace for hole century, but no one even know how the walls were built or even what had happened before. 
After that scene, which don´t really know if it´s a moment from the past or future, we are teleported to our 2 of the 3 main characters, Eren and Mikasa. Later on, they will get to Armin, the third one.

img2220(https://occ-0-2794-2219.1.nflxso.net/dnm/api/v6/9pS1daC2n6UGc3dUogvWIPMR_OU/AAAABZlzrksqIpo1R-i949SNb-kvOsD-c6wnWw4d3wOaxxEJFs98pA2bX-Rnd0qOmsuYLP5vJp2vIkXKYb4cNZizQK8Y_SAfw8ch6CUz4Fi8gX8_rAdk.jpg?r=75a)

Inside the walls, people don´t even think about Titans and the Garrison Regiment, one of the military force who “patrols” the city, don´t take their job seriously.
Everything looks very peaceful but it´s nothing but a distorted peace of what´s the world like. The only one who really know the horrible true of the terrifying world they live in, is the Survey Corps. The second military force, the ones who explore beyond the walls and the ones Eren is very excited about.
Just to mention, the third force is the Military Police Regiment, who patrol the city inside the third and most protected city inside the walls.

As I mentioned before, things aren´t as beautiful as they seem. Suddenly, a 60 meters Titan appears and creates a big hole in the wall, letting others titans get through. We went from peace, to chaos, the citizen evacuating the city and much of them dying. Since the first episode we see the reality, titans destroying the city and eating as many humans they can see, and even the force it´s completely in shock. The show shows how terrifying Titans are by the first minutes when one of them grabs Eren´s mother and break her in the middle to scarf her. All that in front of his eyes. That is a very important break down point on our charecter personality, which increase his feeling of knowing the exterior world and generate, consumed by anger, the need for exterminate every single titan. The city evacuated to Wall Rose.

img2220(https://www.hyphytek.net/animehype/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/eren11.jpg)

By far, a very chaotic and stressful beginning, but, does the series calms down on its narrative? No. The following episodes we get introduced very interesting new characters, while they train to become soldiers, the tension between some of them and they progress. 
Eren, by his speech of how the weak cannot became soldiers, influences most of his partners to enter the Survey Corps, the most dangerous one, after 5 years of training. When just after they had graduated, the Colossal Titan appears again. The situation is the same as before, chaos and panic in all the city and the soldiers. This causes many deaths of characters we got to know a bit, Even Eren seems to die, but, did him?

img2220(https://img.cartoongoodies.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Attack-on-Titan-Season-1-Episode-5.jpg)

Suddenly, appears a titan who fight against other titans. Between agony and doubts, Eren Jaeger comes out from that titan. Now we have more questions. Can humans transform into titans?
The series continues by and Eren, using his powers, could took a rock and sail the hole in the wall, with some troubles in within.
The rest of the show is pretty much that, our characters join into excursions with the force, we know new important characters and discover new "smart titans" that are within the humanity.

~~~__Characters:__~~~

Eren Jaeger: He is not an exceptional protagonist, but it´s great because of that. He entered the Survey Corps because it was his dream and to take revenge for his mother. He is a 15 year old kid who doesn´t really know the world, he doesn´t know if he can even trust himself or their partners. Is a very realistic teen character in a wicked world.

Mikasa Ackerman: I really like Mikasa on this season. She was the best soldier during the military train and we definitely see her show off. She got adopted by Eren´s family, so is very close to Eren, which I personally don´t like about her. In the first season it´s okay, but longer, she is VERY worried about everything that has to do with Eren.

Armin Arlert: A bullied kid who always get help from Mikasa and Eren. He lost his entire family and wants to achieve his grandpa´s goal, go to the outside, discover the world. Armin is an excellent character, he starts being very fearful and nervous on every situation, but as long as the events happen, he takes a step forward and manage the situation without much confidence on himself.

img2220(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cf/1b/e4/cf1be4f4b9cd37901910c46d4e5da878.png)

~~~__Art and music__~~~
What can I say, the visuals are just excellent and the music ambient the scenes very well, it has the tone the show need.





This is my very first written review of something, so of course it´s not a good one but I will try to do it better.

There is not much I can say about Attack on Titan that has not already been said. The anime hits all the right notes for a lot of people no matter what genre you prefer. The action is sublime, just the act of the characters using the Omni-directional mobility gear is mesmerizing. Attack on Titan does such a good job of showing human desperation in their fight for survival against a greater foe. It does such a good job in fact that you may even come to fear the titans yourself. Knowing that there are things out there that the characters are yet to even imagine.
The story is also well written with lots of twists and turns that keeps everything fresh. Anime can get stale really quickly when the viewer is able to see what is about to happen or even predict the ending to a pivotal scene. Predicting this anime is neigh impossible at some parts, keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
Attack on Titan is not a short anime by any means with 59 episodes spanning across its 3 seasons but if you can devote the time there is a lot of fun to be had.
My next comment may be controversial to some, but I really do not like fan service, especially on strong female characters. But this anime does not really dip its toes into this which in my opinion is a refreshing and welcome sight. There are enough diverse characters that anyone can find someone they connect with, although a word to the wise do not get too attached to people. This anime does not hold your hand, it lets you know that life is a hard thing especially when there are giants out to kill and eat you. Families are ripped apart and friends are left scarred and hysterical. One of my only criticisms about Attack on Titan is that it gets very confusing towards the end of season 3, missing an important piece of information could mean that the ending does not make sense. But don't let that deter you from watching it, because it is a great series and I think anyone who enjoys anime whether that be a veteran or a newbie will find something to like about it.
Also, the voice acting in my opinion is great on both the dubbed and subbed versions. I watched more of the dub as that is my preferred way to watch anime, but the Japanese voice acting is also well done for the people you enjoy subs more. Many anime have one or two dubbed characters that just sound all wrong, but Attack on Titan has great voice acting across the board and I would say that all characters fit there voice well. I know that a bad voice to character match up can ruin shows for me.
In conclusion Attack on Titan is a must watch that brings some much-needed variety into the enormous line up of anime.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review, this is the first time I have written a review for an anime or any kind of TV/Film for that matter. I hope that you found this informative and helped you make the decision to watch this anime. I would love to hear some feedback, so please feel free to leave some whether that be negative or positive. :)

Thanks, EO

<center>img700(https://i.imgur.com/ZoTq3qp.jpg)</center>
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<a>__Prefix:__</a>
Seven years, it has been more than seven years since Spring 2013 when Attack on Titan first started airing, and as someone who started watching the series when it first started, I remember vividly how season one took the world by storm, not just among anime communities, but so many people were brought in to this world of anime because of Attack on Titan, and now in Winter 2020, the beginning of the end of a journey that has taken almost a decade to end, is finally upon us. At the time of writing this, we are less than three weeks away from the final season of Attack on Titan, and because of this, I decided to do a complete rewatch of the entire series, instead of watching each season as they were airing, and I have to say, this rewatch really has added a new layer of appreciation for this series. 

When the first season of Attack on Titan finished airing, many people were very critical towards the series, ultimately writing it off as just an above-average shounen, and I was a part of this group. Season one isn't bad, just at the time, many of us couldn't understand the vision that went into the larger story that was being prepared, and ultimately, season one is just the beginning to a story that grows into something that I don't think any of us could have truly anticipated. Bot now, all these years later, with me finally being caught up with the series, I can honestly say that Attack on Titan is easily one of the most ambitious, thought-provoking, and epic anime to ever be produced. Moments that come later on in the series fundamentally change how this series should be viewed, and I anticipate it is only going to grow larger in season 4. So before that happens, I recommend you get caught up on the series to join in watching the end as it airs, but if you need a bit more than that, here is what I think of the series so far.

<center>img500(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AffectionateOptimisticHartebeest-size_restricted.gif)</center>
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<a>__Story & World: __</a>
Attack on Titan is one of the most popular animes of all time, so at this point, I'm pretty sure even reading this review, you have a basic idea of what the story is about. The story initially revolves around the life of people in a walled city that is constantly attacked by a seemingly endless stream of giant humanoid enemies called “Titans”, and from this initial seed, the story only grows. So from the very beginning, this is a story about the fight against oppression these people have to participate in to survive, and no matter where the story of the series goes from here, this initial struggle against oppression in search of freedom is never abandoned, as the scope of the story grows. Yes, there are many twists and turns the narrative takes as it grows in scope, some of which fundamentally change concepts you assume are concrete in this world, but this theme of fighting against oppression in search of freedom is never lost in the story, and by the end, this idea really becomes the narrative through-line for the series. 

However, another aspect I would like to highlight is the world of this series, more specifically the aesthetic that it has. One of the most eye-catching aspects of Attack on Titan, from the very beginning, is the aesthetic of this world, which has a very Germanic feel to it laced throughout. From the architecture of the buildings, to the cloth people wear, to the overriding importance of the military in society, and even the names of many of the character, much of this world, aesthetic wise, has a very German feel to it, which already sets it apart from many of the other entries in the anime industry. And as this influence becomes more and more pronounced, as the series progresses, I found myself thinking of a quote by Voltaire “where some states possess an army, the Prussian Army possesses a state.” 

You can especially see this concept during scenes like the first OP, where a German song plays over what can arguably be seen have a recruitment video for the military, showing our main character (who the last name is Jäger) protect society, as the flag of the military (not the state) majestically flies over in many of the scenes, if that isn't a military recruitment video, idk what is. But, this is not the only concept that influences the look of the series, as there is also a slight steampunk aesthetic mixed in to add an extra layer of complexity to this world, and this is most prominently shown in the technology of this society, the most iconic of which is the ODM gear, which all the soldiers used in the city to fight. In the end, both of these different aspects and more, come together to create a world that is very intriguing to learn more about, as the narrative unfolds throughout the series.

<center>img500(https://media0.giphy.com/media/2EQ7NCJZhI8iQ/giphy.gif)</center>
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<a>__Characters: __</a>
When it comes to characters, Attack on Titan has been compared to Game of Thrones, and for good reason, that is because in Attack on Titan no character is safe. Throughout the series, characters will die without warning, sometimes when you least expect it, and this is true throughout the entire series. Because of this, It is hard for me to highlight any one character without giving you a sense of false hope that maybe they make it till the end, however, I can at least talk about the main groups that make up this story. First, there is the group that is the main focus of the series, the 104th Cadet Corps regiment. After a tragedy befalls this society in episode one, it shouldn't be a surprise that many of the youth want to fight back against this reality, and thus, this story mainly focuses a group of these cadets as they embark on this journey to recapture what is lost. Through many trials and tribulations, we get to see these children grew up and complete their training, face adversities, fight battles, and ultimately rise through the ranks of the military. Of course, not all of the characters we fall in love within this regiment will make it to this eventual goal, some will die along the way, but because the main focus of the show isn't necessarily one individual but an entire regiment, no character is safe no matter how much time you have spent growing attached to them. 

Of course, we do meet other characters along the way that are in different regiments and even different branches of the military, that over time become important characters in their own right, but ultimately the focus of the series never really drifts far away from the original group. However, there is one other main group that is shrouded in mystery throughout almost the entire series, and that is the Titans. A large part of the conflict and ultimately the drive for the series is uncovering and understanding what Titans truly are. From the very beginning, these are creatures the vast majority of the population don't know anything about, in the first episode, all you are told is they appeared 100 years ago, and pushed humanity to the brink, forcing them to hide behind the walls. But is this really true? Or are the people at the top lying about the history? and if so, why would they lie about this? where do the Titans actually come from? All these questions and more are at the root of the mystery that the main story is trying to unravel. And ultimately I'm happy to say, by the end of season 3 you do get answers, they might not be the answers you were hoping for, and they might make you ask even more questions, but one of the best things about starting the series now, seven years later, is that you can get answers, and for that reason alone, now is the perfect time to start. 

<center>img500(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2e/25/31/2e253137fe8feaded2d10d4ed9d8aa3b.gif)</center>
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<a>__Music:__</a>
Arguably, the most iconic part of Attack on Titan is the music, ever since the release of the first season, much of the music from Attack on Titan has become some of the most recognizable music in the entire anime industry, and for good reason. Not just the OPs with it’s “Sie sind das Essen und Wir sind die Jaeger!” but also the EDs and even the OST from Attack on Titan is without a doubt some of the most memorable music you will ever hear in anime. From the thunderous German choir in Vogel im Käfig with its heavy war drums and bone-shaking brass sound, to the angelic vocals of Bauklötze with the sound of light violins echoing in the background, so much of the music in Attack on Titan hits you to your very core while listening to it. In fact, I challenge you even before watching the show to try to listen to the OST and try to tell me that this isn't some of the most epic music you have ever heard in an anime. You could make the argument that this is by design, since much of the music in Attack on Titan is in German, which is already a very unique, and thus memorable, creative decision to make this series stand out from rest. But this is not just unique for the sake of being different, the entire narrative like I mentioned in the story portion, at least aesthetic wise, is heavily influenced by how early Germany / Prussia is remembered today. So, because this inspiration is carried through to even much of the music, Attack on Titan can provide an immersive world that draws you in from the very beginning. 

<center>img500(https://www.dailydot.com/wp-content/uploads/80e/e2/snk-flying.gif)</center>
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<a>__The Look:__</a>
The animation in Attack on Titan it's quite honestly insane, while yes there are highs and lows just like in any show, the insane creative decisions that are implemented when the series truly wants to exhibit action, are still impressive to watch 7 years later. The most eye-catching feature in these scenes, to me, is how dynamic and chaotic many of the action scenes feel, allowing them to feel organic and spontaneous. Which is quite impressive to me, when you consider how choreographed and artificial these scenes have to be because of the nature of animation. It is because of this duality, that I honestly found myself during many of these scenes completely loss for words, with me trying to catch my breath as the characters jet through the sky only seconds away from death during every battle. Of course, you can attribute some of this to story, but how these battles are portrayed in the anime, I feel adds an extra layer of tension to every one of these scenes. There is also the art style chosen for the anime, which feels reminiscent of the art style for the manga, while still being realistic enough to invoke a sense of discomfort within the audience during many of the sense of graphic violence in the series. So while there are slight differences in the look of the anime between seasons 1 and season 2 (I assume because of the extended break between seasons) this fact doesn't detract at all from how impressive the series is to watch. The anime only continues to look better as new technologies and techniques become available to the production team, which is why I am so excited to see what comes next in season 4. 

<center>img500(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/42/a2/47/42a247170df602e311f0914ee692da26.gif)</center>
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<a>__Conclusion:__</a>
In the end, Attack on Titan is by no means the best anime ever made, that isn't really what I'm advocating here, but it is an anime that I can't help but get goosebumps every time emotions run high and the OST starts playing. I genuinely can't help but get so hype whenever the story starts kicking off in this series, and while this definitely is not the type of show I would recommend watching if you want to feel happy, I can't deny that the epic scope the series eventually has by the end of season 3, makes me lost for words every time I watch it. This series manages to (so far) do in 59 episodes what other shounens can't even do in hundreds of episodes, so for that alone, I am extremely impressed with this series. 

If you were to ask me back in spring 2013 what I would give Attack on Titan, it would honestly be a 70/100, because back then I really didn't view it as anything particularly special, but now all these years later, after a really taking in everything the story has to offer up to this point, I would give the series so far an 85/100, and I expect after season 4 I might even raise the score even higher. Attack on Titan is a series that only gets better the longer it goes on, which is why with every fiber of my being I genuinely can't wait to see what season 4 has to offer. I don't think I do not think I have ever been this hype for a shounen before in my entire life, and what scares me even more, is that I really think somehow the show is still going to find a way to blow my expectations out of the water, but I guess we are all just going to have to wait and see how it all turns out, so until the next review, じゃあね &#128075;&#128075;&#128075;

p.s. I will either update this review, or write a completely separate review once Season Four finishes airing, but as of right now, this is where my opinions stand.

p.s.s. I recommend watching all the OVAs, watch the first two episodes of Lost Girl before season 2, skip episode 3, and watch No Regrets before episode 48, so before the second half of Season 3, and watch any other OVAs after Season 3.

<center>img700(https://i.imgur.com/gPnTgRA.gif)</center>

Full review of the series (Seasons 1 - 3), No Spoilers, TL;DR by the end of season 3 it is an 85/100

__ I'll start this off with a forewarning that this review is for all 3 seasons that have currently aired, with the final season set to air in about 9 days. I'm not a fan of making a review for every season but rather looking at the whole thing as one piece of art. THIS WILL HAVE SPOILERS (with tags don't worry). I will try to make it helpful for someone who hasn't seen the show but sorry in advance for all the spoiler tags. I also added a TLDR at the bottom for the lazy.__

When I first started the show I was oddly drawn to it. I started around the time the first season originally aired. But I quickly lost interest and didn't watch any more until years later (a few days ago). The Titans are a really unique concept and their goofy ass movement and often terribly proportioned faces were something I couldn't look away from. And then the gruesomeness of watching humans get eaten alive while screaming for their lives was a shock factor to keep people glued to the screen. Why did I not pick it back up for so long? Once you look past the initial shock factor, there really isn't much content in the first season. A large portion of it was basically a training arc and introducing a bunch of characters. I don't necessarily hold that against the show because it's pretty much necessary but that doesn't change how forgettable a majority of the season is. It lays a foundation for the world you're jumping into and fills your head with a bunch of questions. 

After picking the show back up and getting a good bit into season 2, I found myself enjoying it a bit more. From this point on you are constantly bombarded with questions about this world. About these people. I was honestly getting a little frustrated with the show at this point because I assumed that there would be a lot of either unanswered questions at the end or at lot of stupidly shoehorned in solutions because of how convoluted it all was. I was starting to get a Darling in the Franxx vibe if you know what I mean. (If you think "DAHHHLING" ended on a good note I feel sorry for you.) HOWEVER I do think they did a pretty good job of answering most questions by the end of season 3 AoT. With that being said I also think that the third season is by far the best yet. 

The best way for me to sort through my thoughts is through PROS and CONS.

__~~~PROS:~~~ __

~~~CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.~~~

 This isn't super prevalent in the first season (which makes sense) but the later seasons nail it. For example

I HATED Eren for so long. He always had a loud mouth that spewed empty words. Never really did shit to back up his words. He let his emotions control him in dumb times and I thought I would hate him the entirety of this thing. What turned this around was after their talk with:
 ~!Commandant Keith Sadies in Episode 11 of Season 3. He related to what the Commandant had said about himself, about not being special. At this point Eren became more down to Earth. He stopped letting his stupid dream of "I WILL DESTROY ALL TITANS BY MYSELF" control him and became more of a reasonable person who relied on his team for support. Time and time again when Eren learns more and more of the truth he would mellow out. Kicked down to earth if you will. This does a good job of grounding him in reality and makes him way  more bearable.!~

Armin was the most useless sack of shit in the beginning. He was nothing more than a third wheel to Eren and Mikasa. By the end of this show this guy becomes one of the most heroic people in the entire show. He grows up, as most other characters do, right in front of our eyes. From a nervous, shaking, trembling wreck who freezes at the site of a Titan to one of Humanities greatest allies.

Sasha is another good example. In her flash back she was a selfish defensive person. I don't need to go into much detail here so I won't spoil her episode but it shows her growth as a person. She even has her eating habits to show for the person she grew out of. 

~~~CHARACTERS ARE FLAWED. ~~~

What I mean by this is, nobody in this show is some one dimensional machine hell bent on completing their mission just because.( I know you're thinking about Levi but I don't think that describes him. He is insane combat wise yes but he has moments that show his humanity. He has reason.)  These people are human. They have human desires. They have human emotions. They have character flaws. The most in your face example of this is Commander Erwin.
 ~!His flaw is that he will do anything it takes to learn the truth. He needs his childhood question answered. He admits this multiple people to a few people. Right before the suicide rush into the Beast Titan he explains to Levi how he see's his fallen comrades all around him. He see's himself standing on top of a mountain of fallen friends that he holds himself responsible for because they followed his orders. He is staring almost certain death in the face and the last thing he desires is to get to the basement over everything else. He feels guilty about this to the very end, yet it doesn't stop him from yearning for his lifelong dream.!~  

A few more are: Armins lack of confidence not just in combat but in his own leadership, Mikasa being VERY willing to disobey anyone or do anything to protect the few she cares about regardless of the consequence, and a few of the main crews empathy towards a certain enemy on their deathbed.
~!I'm talking about Reiner!~

~~~SOME PRETTY DOPE ACTION SCENES LATER ON
~~~
This is pretty self explanatory but specifically in the third season they really stepped it up. I don't really think the general animation is anything special, in fact it's kinda boring to me, but when it comes to those action scenes later on, it's pretty wowzer. One that sticks out in my mind is in Season 3 episode 39 when a certain someone is making a hasty retreat in the city. ~!Levi running from Kenny duhhh!~ 

__~~~CONS:~~~__
~~~
IT SPOILS A BIG TWIST FOR YOU~~~

It's kind of impossible to say this without spoilers so keep moving if you don't want them. 
~!From REALLY early on it's laid out in front of you who the human titans are. Even before you know humans can turn into titans you see the Armored Titan and Annie's Titan and can think...huh...odd similarity. They don't dangle it in front of your nose in a cheeky way where you'd have to be clever to figure it out either. This could've been a HUGE moment for the series if used correctly and was actually kept a little more hush hush but I just kinda felt robbed of the surprise. Hell if you don't believe me on this point just go to Crunchyroll and search Attack on Titan. Now look at the image they use for the show. IT LITERALLY HAS REINER BIG AS FUCK BOTTOM LEFT ANGRY AS FUCK WITH TITAN MEAT ON HIS FACE. It's like a classic baddies on left goodies on the right looking at each other poster and it's up there for any newcomer to see. This doesn't really apply to Bertholdt because that big ass muhfucka doesn't resemble him at all.!~

~~~SOME IMPORTANT MOMENTS JUST FEEL OFF~~~

This might be a little nitpicky by me but there were a few times in the show that just felt awkward. It was like the tone wasn't right for what was happening. There are 2 specific ones that I can think of right now. 

The first  ~!When Reiner and Bertholdt capture Eren and Ymir and are taking the little break in the forest. Season 2 episode 34. Eren starts yelling at Reiner and then Reiner starts screaming back at him. The words they are saying make complete sense but the visuals with the shaking camera and those white action lines like something huge is happening just kinda falls flat. You can tell they wanted that to be a big moment but I just don't think it worked.!~ 
The second  ~!Season 2 Episode 31 when Reiner tells Eren their true Identity. This guy just calmly says "yo dawg i'm the armored titan and he's the colossal wassup". Not just that but it's laced in between the other soldiers dialogue. This again could've been a HUGE moment for the show. This should've been front and center. This should've been a serious moment. It should shock the audience as much as it shocks Eren. This could in part be because if you're paying attention you could tell he was the Armored Titan long before but even if you already guessed that it could still be a very powerful moment. It almost feels like they knew their identities needed to be brought forward but they weren't sure of a good way to do it.!~

~~~REALLY SLOW BURN IN THE BEGINNING~~~

I've already made this clear throughout the review but past the initial shock factor and oddity of Titans it can be painful to sit through the beginning. There's nothing too complex about this it just is what it is. 

~~~I PERSONALLY DON'T LIKE WHERE THE STORY HEADED~~~

This one is VERY subjective so feel free to completely disagree with me. Obviously this isn't really something I can get into without spoilers so uhhhh 
~!when shows have a big thrilling mystery or a dark past like this one it's exciting to see where the writers go with it. However I believe that using some type of otherworldly power or "God" in this example to explain is an extremely lazy cop-out. The ending sets up for a human vs human war (or titans if they utilize them) that i'm just personally not excited about.!~ 

__~~~A QUICK TLDR:~~~__

With everything said and done, I did enjoy the majority of my time watching the show. It has some issues here and there that bug me and a storyline headed in a direction I'm not really interested in. The characters in my opinion save the show. It's a good way to spend some time and you'll probably enjoy it, but I don't think it's a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination.

AoT leads you on a thrilling journey that's far from perfect. 3 seasons reviewed.

When I first watched Attack on Titan, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this show. Seasons 2 and 3 I liked a lot but S1 always remained on a weird spot for my opinions. I gave it a six initially before bringing it up to a seven. Apart from the action direction, everything else didn’t do it for me, and after rewatching it these past weeks, I can’t understand why.

While I do think this season was just as strong as the others when it came out, part of me still likes that I went through this odd mix of opinions. Watching this season again gave me chills like I haven’t felt for an anime in a long time. The big moments in this season may rise past ones even later down the line, even in S3P2. 

Episode 13 stands as my all-time favorite episode in this season. If you’ve seen it, you probably know why. It was the perfect mix of direction, emotion, payoff, and most importantly, the SOUNDTRACK! I am a huge fan of the composer, Hiroyuki Sawano, and his work on Attack on Titan is his best to date. My biggest problem with his music is that most anime that his work is featured in never use it right. 
Any anime directed by Tetsuro Araki being the exception. Titan, Guilty Crown and Kabaneri all use his scores to the fullest potential and have created unforgettable moments that have stayed with me years after I watched them. Almost every moment in Titan is unforgettable, and Sawano’s score is one of the sole reasons why. 

Of course, the story propelling everything is fantastic as well. It was nostalgic seeing the beginnings of this story again after knowing what it’s all leading to. While a lot of the side characters you get to know later get sidelined this season, that gives a lot of room for the main trio. I never liked Eren and Mikasa much but after seeing this season again, they’re masterfully written. 

Eren’s whining (while still slightly annoying) is believable to the person he is and Mikasa’s motivations just makes too much sense for what she went through as a kid. I always liked Armin so my respect for him went up even more. While I was disappointed to see how little screentime Sasha, Connie, Reiner, Bertholt, Christa and Ymir (they don’t even call her by name this season, only known as Freckles) got, I was glad to see how much focus Jean got. 

He’s been the backbone of the main squad and has been so ever since his debut. While Annie gets a lot of time (for obvious reasons) I was pleasantly surprised to see how much focus Marco got when he was still ‘a character’. 

I’ve seen people define this season as a ‘rollercoaster’. I never got why since I remember being bored a lot when I first watched it, but now I think calling it merely a ‘rollercoaster’ may be underselling what a ride this season is. 

Every single episode something awesome happens and the consistent and extremely skilfully directed action makes sure that this show has your full attention. This series is a modern classic by every sense of the word, and I am so glad that I can finally agree with that sentiment.

A true modern classic that I feel bad for not liking the first time I watched it

Bem, vou falar um pouco de Shingeki no Kyojin...
Com o lançamento da quarta temporada, pensei: "Vou re assistir a primeira e ver o resto até a quarta"
E é basicamente por isso que esta review está acontecendo, pretendo fazer uma review para cada temporada, contando minhas experiências e o que achei do anime.

Bem... começá-lo-emos 

Produção: 
Acho que esse é o tópico que menos vou precisar argumentar sobre. A produção do WitStudio é simplesmente excepcional, tanto na animação quanto na direção. O anime tem umas sacadas muito boas sobre mistérios que só vão ser resolvidos no futuro, essas cenas são muito bem colocadas. A animação é simplesmente uma das mais consistentes que eu já vi. Cenários bonitos e um traço um tanto quanto único, parece que os personagens são contornados por um traço preto, dá um toque muito bom. O anime faz o papel de "deixar o espectador com medo dos titãs" muito bem. Eles sabem como impactar a pessoa que está vendo com a morte de qualquer personagem, por mais aleatório que ele possa ser. Sempre reforçando como os titãs são mais fortes que os humanos e como trazem o terror por onde andam.

img220(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/64/e5/80/64e580716ed3e9d7be7e08e2e3250c4d.png)
img220(https://gekkougear.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/01-4.png)


Personagens:
Vou focar nos três protagonistas...
Não gostei muito da maneira como o anime força tanto estereótipos neles. Tipo, tudo bem o Armin ser inteligente, a Mikasa fodona e o Eren um protagonista de shounen floppado oops... impulsivo.
Mas é que toda vez que citam um deles falam algo assim, não que seja um problema muito fodido, nem liguei muito pra isso, só vou citar isso porque eu acabei reparando, mas ok.
Tirando esse fato... 
Eu adoro o trio dos protagonistas, a relação entre eles são muito legais e divertidas de se ver. Outro ponto legal é que o anime não deixa os outros personagens de lado, obviamente eles não são os protagonistas, mas mesmo assim eles possuem uma alta importância na estória. 
Agora, o personagem que eu mais gostei (e o mais complexo num ponto de vista de diálogos e importância na estória) é o Armin. Tudo bem que você pode considerar o "cara inteligente que resolve tudo e foda-se" mas os planos dele são muito bem pensados, dá pra sentir que não é algo forçado, que ele sabe de alguma coisa porque sim, até essas coisas em Shingeki tem motivo, o cara pensou em tudo.


O plot:
Shingeki tem uma estória bem original e muito bem estruturada. Um anime de mistério que sabe apresentar o mistério na hora certa e revelá-lo de uma maneira muito surpreendente. Shingeki além de uma boa estória, sabe a contar muito bem. Hypa muito pra segunda temporada e deixa várias coisas em aberto que deixa o espectador com muita vontade de ver.

Agora vem um ponto que eu não achei muito pika do anime.
Spoiler aí, pra quem não viu. Agora vai ter spoiler.

Uma coisa que eu não achei muito plausível em Shingeki foi a relação do Eren e da Mikasa. A Mikasa foi salva pelo Eren e não pode deixar ele morrer de jeito nenhum, tá, ok. 
Mas como essa relação foi construída que eu achei meio quebrado.
Basicamente, quando a Mikasa é sequestrada e o Eren chega pra salvá-la, eu acho muito, mas muito sem sentido uma criança como o Eren esfaquear dois brothers adultos, tipo, não faz sentido.
Por mais que seja difícil aceitar que o Eren não ficou com medo mesmo sendo uma criança, até vai, até que dá pra tankar um pouco. Mas ao ponto de matar os ladrões impiedosos que iam vender a Mikasa, eu achei muito broxa e sem sentido.
 
Acabou os spoilers, top.

No geral:
Eu achei Shingeki uma obra positiva, mas exclusivamente por causa da produção do WitStudio, eu li um pouquinho do mangá e realmente não gostei. A maneira como a Wit conseguiu adaptar Shingeki foi muito excepcional. Óbvio que Shingeki tem uma estória boa, mas a maneira de como essa estória é apresentada pode mudar sua visão dela completamente. 

Foi mal por qualquer erro de português, etc.
Muito nois, beijo na teta.

Abusus enim multitudine hominum, quam tranquillis in rebus diutius rexit, ex agrestibus habitaculis urbes construxit multis opibus firmas et viribus, quarum ad praesens pleraeque licet Graecis nominibus appellentur, quae isdem ad arbitrium inposita sunt conditoris, primigenia tamen nomina non amittunt, quae eis Assyria lingua institutores veteres indiderunt.

Quid? qui se etiam nunc subsidiis patrimonii aut amicorum liberalitate sustentant, hos perire patiemur? An, si qui frui publico non potuit per hostem, hic tegitur ipsa lege censoria; quem is frui non sinit, qui est, etiamsi non appellatur, hostis, huic ferri auxilium non oportet? Retinete igitur in provincia diutius eum, qui de sociis cum hostibus, de civibus cum sociis faciat pactiones, qui hoc etiam se pluris esse quam collegam putet, quod ille vos tristia voltuque deceperit, ipse numquam se minus quam erat, nequam esse simularit. Piso autem alio quodam modo gloriatur se brevi tempore perfecisse, ne Gabinius unus omnium nequissimus existimaretur.

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Iam in altera philosophiae parte. quae est quaerendi ac disserendi, quae logikh dicitur, iste vester plane, ut mihi quidem videtur, inermis ac nudus est. tollit definitiones, nihil de dividendo ac partiendo docet, non quo modo efficiatur concludaturque ratio tradit, non qua via captiosa solvantur ambigua distinguantur ostendit; iudicia rerum in sensibus ponit, quibus si semel aliquid falsi pro vero probatum sit, sublatum esse omne iudicium veri et falsi putat.

J'ai voulu changer de photo de profil twitter dernièrement, mais j'ai eu quelques problèmes concernant le format de l'image, bizarre...

Homines enim eruditos et sobrios ut infaustos et inutiles vitant, eo quoque accedente quod et nomenclatores adsueti haec et talia venditare,

Et quia Montius inter dilancinantium manus spiritum efflaturus Epigonum et Eusebium nec professionem nec dignitatem ostendens aliquotiens increpabat, qui sint hi magna quaerebatur industria, et nequid intepesceret, Epigonus e Lycia philosophus ducitur et Eusebius ab Emissa Pittacas cognomento, concitatus orator, cum quaestor non hos sed tribunos fabricarum insimulasset promittentes armorum si novas res agitari conperissent.

Accenderat super his incitatum propositum ad nocendum aliqua mulier vilis, quae ad palatium ut poposcerat intromissa insidias ei latenter obtendi prodiderat a militibus obscurissimis. quam Constantina exultans ut in tuto iam locata mariti salute muneratam vehiculoque inpositam per regiae ianuas emisit in publicum, ut his inlecebris alios quoque ad indicanda proliceret paria vel maiora.

Equitis Romani autem esse filium criminis loco poni ab accusatoribus neque his iudicantibus oportuit neque defendentibus nobis. Nam quod de pietate dixistis, est quidem ista nostra existimatio, sed iudicium certe parentis; quid nos opinemur, audietis ex iuratis; quid parentes sentiant, lacrimae matris incredibilisque maeror, squalor patris et haec praesens maestitia, quam cernitis, luctusque declarat.

Iamque non umbratis fallaciis res agebatur, sed qua palatium est extra muros, armatis omne circumdedit. ingressusque obscuro iam die, ablatis regiis indumentis Caesarem tunica texit et paludamento communi, eum post haec nihil passurum velut mandato principis iurandi crebritate confirmans et statim inquit exsurge et inopinum carpento privato inpositum ad Histriam duxit prope oppidum Polam, ubi quondam peremptum Constantini filium accepimus Crispum.

Utque proeliorum periti rectores primo catervas densas opponunt et fortes, deinde leves armaturas, post iaculatores ultimasque subsidiales acies, si fors adegerit, iuvaturas, ita praepositis urbanae familiae suspensae digerentibus sollicite, quos insignes faciunt virgae dexteris aptatae velut tessera data castrensi iuxta vehiculi frontem omne textrinum incedit: huic atratum coquinae iungitur ministerium, dein totum promiscue servitium cum otiosis plebeiis de vicinitate coniunctis: postrema multitudo spadonum a senibus in pueros desinens, obluridi distortaque lineamentorum conpage deformes, ut quaqua incesserit quisquam cernens mutilorum hominum agmina detestetur memoriam Samiramidis reginae illius veteris, quae teneros mares castravit omnium prima velut vim iniectans naturae, eandemque ab instituto cursu retorquens, quae inter ipsa oriundi crepundia per primigenios seminis fontes tacita quodam modo lege vias propagandae posteritatis ostendit.

____Review em Português:____
__Attack On Titan__ é um anime que eu demorei pra começar a assistir, ~~~~mas só por ter esquecido mesmo~~~~, fora que, até um ano atrás, eu não era tão focado em assistir animes, e também não tinha muito tempo.. Quando tudo se organizou, eu já podia assistir, mas tinha outros animes que preferi maratonar primeiro, e então, só comecei a ver __Attack On Titan__ em meados de __dezembro 2020/janeiro 2021__..
E meu Deus.. sabe quando você enrola pra começar a ver algo, mas quando assiste pensa: ____"eu poderia ter assistido antes"?____
É exatamente o que aconteceu comigo, então, resolvi fazer uma review da __primeira temporada de Attack On Titan__, ____eu só vi até a 2° até agora____, estou indo maratonar a 3° porquê o anime só melhora a cada episódio.
Eu sei que muita gente na internet gosta de __Attack On Titan__, e com motivos, ____o anime é MUITO BOM____, mas antes de começar a assistir, eu não botava tanta fé nele não.. Mas meus pensamentos mudaram quando assisti.
A primeira temporada de __AOT__, é mais __"focada"__ na curiosidade, reviravoltas, e descobertas, já que ao mesmo tempo que você vai conhecendo ____os personagens e a história desse universo____, as coisas já vão acontecendo tudo ao mesmo tempo, e os plots já começam aí..
~!!~Quando tudo parece estar minimamente calmo, o ____Titã Colossal e o Blindado____ já aparecem e começam a ____invadir a cidade____, os __titãs começam a comer as pessoas__, e uma recuada para outra cidade começa a ser efetuada, a cidade de ____Shiganshina____ não é bem __"preparada"__ pra isso, ela parece ter sido feita pra ser utilizada como ____isca para os titãs____, então __não há grandes armamentos, reforços, os policiais não foram preparados para lutar contra titãs__, o que resultou em ____mortes e mortes incontáveis____.. Voltando pra o menino ____Eren____, ele corre até a casa dele enquanto tudo isso está acontecendo, e se depara com __sua casa destruída e sua mãe presa nos destroços__, ele junto com a ____Mikasa____ tenta salvar a __mãe dele__, mas não conseguiram tirar poder do além __(até porque não é um shounen)__, então um polícial conhecido deles aparece pra ____lutar contra o titã____, mas ele foi ____fraco e não conseguiu____, pegou o ____Eren e a Mikasa____ __(que ainda eram crianças)__ e foge, ____deixando a mãe do Eren lá, que foi comida pelo titã____.. o Eren viu tudo isso acontecer em um piscar de olhos, e então, guardou essas mágoas no coração.~!!~
Como citado acima, o começo de ____Attack On Titan____ já é __"pertubante"__, muita coisa acontecendo, mortes também, eu não sei se isso é um ponto que gosto em ____Attack On Titan____, já que também é triste em boa parte, mas essa obra não tem dó de ninguém, mata todo mundo e é isso aahuahausu
~!!~depois do acontecido na cidade de ____Shiganshina____, uma parte da população é evacuada para a próxima cidade.. __pulando no tempo__, o Eren decide entrar para o reconhecimento, que é a equipe responsável por explorar "o mundo lá fora", enfrentar titãs fora da muralha e descobrir mais sobre eles, em resumo geral, ele consegue se tornar do reconhecimento, mas pouco tempo depois disso, outra invasão acontece pelo ____titã colossal____, e aí está o plot que mudou tudo, já que em meio a batalha o Eren é comido por um titã e ele vira um titã que mata outros titãs..
As consequências disso tudo, o resultado, a desconfiança de tudo no começo e a confiança que o Eren pode mudar todo o rumo da humanidade com o poder de virar titã, todos os outros plots, outros personagens, mais mortes, arrependimentos, ações e consequências do Eren, as descobertas, principalmente com novos humanos que se tornam titãs..~!!~
Olha só.. tudo isso e mais tornam ____Attack On Titan____ uma obra tão amada e aclamada por muitos, uma obra que te prende e te faz querer ficar ali assistindo até o final pra descobrir o que vai acontecer, são coisas dignas de uma obra dessas, onde qualquer público consegue assistir, você consegue apresentar o mundo dos animes pra outra pessoa com Attack On Titan sim!
E eu digo com certeza, Attack On Titan é um dos melhores animes dos últimos tempos, é incrível, te prende, tem muitos plot-twists, e enfim, sempre recomendo a todos assistir AOT, caso alguém esteja lendo essa review e não tenha assistido Attack On Titan ainda, recomendo demais!!
Se bem que acho improvável já que em questão de Spoilers o público de AOT é muito cauteloso em não tomar..
Enfim, essa foi minha review de Attack On Titan (primeira temporada), espero que tenham gostado! ^^
Desculpem qualquer erro de escrita ou algo assim, ainda estou aprendendo :^
____Review in English:____
____Attack On Titan____ is an anime that I took a long time to start watching, ~~~~but just because I forgot~~~~, except that, until a year ago, I was not so focused on watching animes, and also had no  a long time.. When everything was organized, I could already watch, but there were other animes that I preferred to marathon first, and then, I only started to see ____Attack On Titan____ in mid __December 2020/January 2021__..
And my God... you know when you roll up to start watching something, but when you watch you think: ____"I could have watched it before"?____
That's exactly what happened to me, so I decided to review the __first season of Attack On Titan__, ____I only saw it until the 2nd until now____, I am going to marathon the 3rd because the anime only gets better with each episode.
I know that a lot of people on the internet like __Attack On Titan__, and with reasons, ____the anime is VERY GOOD____, but before I started watching it, I didn't put so much faith in it.. But my thoughts changed when I watched it.
The first season of __AOT__, is more __"focused"__ on curiosity, twists and discoveries, since at the same time that you get to know ____the characters and the history of this universe____, things are already happening all at the same time, and the  plots already start there..
~!!~When everything seems to be minimally calm, the ____Colossal Titan and the Armored____ already appear and begin to ____invade the city____, the __titans start eating people__, and a retreat to another city begins to be effected, the city of ____Shiganshina____ no it is well __"prepared"__ for this, it seems to have been made to be used as ____flash for the titans____, so __there are no great armaments, reinforcements, the police were not prepared to fight titans__, which resulted in ____deaths and countless deaths____.. Returning to the boy ____Eren____, he runs to his house while all this is happening, and is faced with __your destroyed house and his mother trapped in the wreckage__, he together with ____Mikasa____ tries to save __his mother__, but they were unable to take power  from beyond __(even because he is not a shounen)__, then a police officer known to them appears to ____fight against the titan____, but he was ____weak and failed____, took ____Eren and Mikasa____ __(that the they were still children)__ and runs away, ____leaving Eren's mother there, who was eaten by the titan____.. Eren saw all this happening in the blink of an eye, and then, he kept those hurts in his heart.~!!~
 As mentioned above, the beginning of ____Attack On Titan____ is already __"disturbing"__, a lot going on, deaths too, I don't know if this is a point I like about ____Attack On Titan____, since it is also sad in large part, but  this work has no pity on anyone, it kills everyone and that's it LOL
~!!~after what happened in the city of ____Shiganshina____, a part of the population is evacuated to the next city.. __jumping in time__, Eren decides to enter the reconnaissance, which is the team responsible for exploring "the world outside", face titans outside the wall and find out more about them, in short, he manages to become a recon, but shortly after that, another invasion happens by the ____colossal titan____, and there is the plot that changed everything, since in the middle of the battle Eren is eaten by a titan and he becomes a titan who kills other titans..
The consequences of all this, ____the result, the distrust of everything at the beginning and the confidence that Eren can change the whole course of humanity with the power to become a titan, all other plots, other characters, more deaths, regrets, actions and consequences of Eren,____ the discoveries, mainly with new humans that become titans..~!!~
Look.. all this and more make ____Attack On Titan____ a work so loved and acclaimed by many, a work that holds you and makes you want to stay there watching until the end to find out what will happen, are things worthy of a work like this , where any audience can watch, you can introduce the anime world to someone else with Attack On Titan yes!
And I say for sure, Attack On Titan is one of the best animes of recent times, it's incredible, it holds you, has lots of plot-twists, and anyway, I always recommend everyone to watch AOT, if someone is reading this review and hasn't watched it  Attack On Titan still, I highly recommend it!!
Although I think it is unlikely since in terms of Spoilers the audience of AOT is very cautious not to take..
Anyway, this was my review of Attack On Titan (first season), I hope you enjoyed it! ^^
Sorry for any typos or something, I'm still learning: ^

Review da primeira temporada de Attack On Titan!
Em Português and English ^^

~~~~~~THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS~~~~~~

__Attack On Titan__ has no time for any nonsense, and cuts straight to the chase from the first episode with the fall of Wall Maria. What follows is a bleak, gripping, action-packed story with profound themes, undermined only by certain characters. 

# PLOT# 
The series scarcely runs dry with its story. From the very first episode it is galloping. That is not to say it doesn’t have its quiet moments; it does, but they are more spread-out and scarce. The few times the plot manages to become grating is the aftermath of Eren’s transformation into a Titan and the Female Titan arc. The aftermath of Eren’s transformation is an instrumental break that goes on for too long, though it is justified. The Female Titan arc has several episodes that follow the same pattern: The Female Titan chases Squad Levi, some extras die, Eren wants to transform but is hesitant, a few shots of the rest of the Survey Corps, and Eren ultimately getting dissuaded from transforming. It goes on in a loop until the Female Titan is cornered for the first time. It drags to a standstill and becomes rather boring. However, it manages to get back up soon after, and thus the show redeems itself.

# CHARACTERS# 
For the most part, __Attack On Titan__ handles its large cast well and fleshes them out. However, certain characters still ended up suffering.

____Eren Yeager____: Eren is your stock shonen protagonist — reckless, passionate, strong-willed, naïve, and loving to a fault. That is not to say he is not likable — in fact, quite the opposite. Eren is easily one of my favourite characters in the show __because__ of these qualities. His “angry” attitude is definitely justified — at the age of ten he watched his own mother get eaten by a Titan. It is this love for his mum that fills him with hatred of the Titans. Upon learning about his Titan-shifting powers, Eren uses it for mankind’s benefit, further showing his courage and good heart.

____Mikasa Ackerman____: On a much more negative note, Eren’s adopted sister Mikasa is easily one of the most wasted characters in the show. Mikasa is very devoted to the Yeagers, especially Eren. Her parents were killed by human traffickers at a young age, and Eren rescues her, and Dr Grisha Yeager – Eren’s father – adopts her into their home. Trauma caused the young Mikasa to realize the cruelty of the world, which caused her to develop her stoic personality. After the death of Carla Yeager and the disappearance of Grisha, Eren is her “home”, which explains her protectiveness and irrationality regarding him. 

__Thing is, there’s a difference between being sympathetic and having a sympathetic backstory. Mikasa Ackerman falls into the latter category.__ If she had a personality outside of her devotion to him, she could’ve been the former. However, keeping Eren safe — or “Ereh”, as she calls him — is her life goal. Eren is her will to live. Eren gives her strength. Eren is her weakness and she loses her composure when it comes to him. Everything in her life is centred around Eren Yeager. There is nothing to her except him. They use her to explore themes of human cruelty, but then drop it all to tie it back to Eren. There is no character for her to stand on by herself; Eren is a big part of it. And as someone who does not like character arcs tied to other characters, I did not like her at all.

____Armin Arlert____: Continuing in the same vein, albeit less intense this time, Armin was also one of my least favourite characters, although my dislike of him cooled gradually. He was said to be very intelligent and a brilliant strategist, but for about half the season the most he strategized was various ways to whine. He spends the first half of the season yelling, crying, and screaming. None of his “intelligence” shines through until the end of the second arc.  From then on, he loses most of his irritating aspects, although I still don’t like him. One could say Armin developed as a character.

____Levi____: The series encapsulates Levi’s personality in his first few scenes. He expresses annoyance upon seeing a large crowd watching the Survey Corps, considering it to be a racket. He slaughters Titans flawlessly, and is shown to be something of a neat freak. However, he doesn’t hesitate to grasp the bloody hand of a dying soldier to comfort him. Another is his response to someone who nearly got the Survey Corps killed by retrieving his friend’s dead body, yet ultimately failing. Instead of admonishing him, Levi simply hands him the badge of his friend and offers him words of comfort. In such few scenes he is given a lot of depth — a captain who seems to be intimidating and emotionless, yet underneath deeply cares about his soldiers. That is not to say his character is completely stony. This adult man gets immense pleasure from insulting others and making poop jokes. They managed to make him human and complex in a very short time, skyrocketing him to my favourites.

____Jean Kirstein____: Jean firmly established himself as one of my favourites in his first few scenes. Blunt, brutally honest, and incapable of suppressing his thoughts, Jean contrasts with Eren’s fiery nature and serves as a foil to him. Jean is initially shown to be a little cowardly, but he manages to develop courage because of Eren and Marco. As Marco put it, Jean is a good leader because of his down-to-earth and sympathetic nature. He undergoes character development when he abandons his selfish desires and overcomes his fear and joins the Survey Corps. 

____Connie Springer and Sasha Braus____: I figured I would cover these two together because my opinion of them is the same. Connie and Sasha are both very underdeveloped. I can barely pinpoint a single trait of Connie, as he is brushed aside to focus on others. He feels superfluous, and one begins to question why he is even included. Sasha is a comic relief character because of her obsession with food. That is her personality. She is given some expansion that she has a good heart, sharp instincts and a unique fighting style, but there is really nothing else to her.

____Hange Zoë____: Hange is an interesting character. Initially played as a goofy comic relief because of her obsession with Titans, she is given depth and a tragic reason for her goofy persona. She is actually a very friendly and charming person, and is quite rational and level-headed. Despite being mostly used as a source of humour, she’s given her own personality that makes her likable.

____Annie Leonhart____: Annie is incredibly well-written, and is also one of my favourite characters. Initially presented as a detached lone wolf, she is shown to be perceptive of her surroundings. Her selfish motives and backstory – briefly shown in this season – flesh her out and make her more developed. And when she is revealed to be the Female Titan, her “villainous” behavior is given justification, and makes her more than a stereotypical villain. Her backstory humanizes her and just shows her for what she really is: a brainwashed, scared girl wanting to go home.

____Other noteworthy characters I liked____: Erwin Smith, Reiner Braun, Marco Bott, Squad Levi, Hannes

# THEMES #
If it isn’t obvious, __Attack On Titan__ is bleak and cynical. It discusses the futility of sacrifices, the powerlessness of humans, and compassion in a cruel world. And whatever it discusses, it does so beautifully. The themes never feel out-of-place or hamfisted, and subtly weave themselves naturally into certain scenes. It does an amazing job of showing the themes rather than just telling. However, in spite of the bleak themes, the series still has an underlying hopeful message, which feels as natural as the cynical ones. To put it simply, the themes of the show are realistic and natural.

# SOUNDTRACK#
Though I am far from the soundtrack’s biggest cheerleader, it is fitting for the show. The pieces hardly felt inappropriate or overdone. However, for me, the pieces were not particularly memorable, except for [the Armoured Titan theme. ](https://youtu.be/BiEi4KGFDSY) However, the soundtrack fulfills its task, and is acceptable.

#OVERALL THOUGHTS#
__Attack On Titan__ has a thrilling, action-packed plot with some weaker points; a large, mostly likable cast; well-conveyed themes; and an acceptable soundtrack. I would personally recommend it as the positives of the show massively outweigh the negatives.

[...] a bleak, gripping, action-packed story with profound themes, undermined only by certain characters (Spoilers)

# __Review from someone totally new to anime__


__I was extremely bored throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and in september 2020 I finally started watching some anime a friend has been recommending. I've been missing out! I'll start out with attack on titan, as it's the first I've watched. I think maybe I can give a fresh look from the outsider perspective, as someone who has never seen anime before, and it might be good reviews for people who themselves are new to anime too :)
besides, I'll be writing these about once a week for the animes I've seen for now (most are comedy, romance or slice of life). If you wanna check it out.__
____
__Synopsis__
Attack on titan is set in a post-apocalyptic world. somewhere in the medieval period, unintelligent but quite dangerous giants called titans showed up from who knows where and started wreaking havoc by eating humans. Thus, humanity built three walls to defend themselves. Behind these walls, humanity became lazy and started to forget the danger of the titans. Needless to say; that backfired badly and things take an ugly turn for humanity. Main character Eren then joins the army, to fight the titans with his comrades, although those can't all be trusted.
img290(https://i1.wp.com/myotakuworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Attack-On-Titan-Walls.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1)


__Characters__
The story follows Erin Jaeger, a boy who has been scarred for life by the titans and wishes to kill them all. He is spirited but very impulsive. This is balanced out by his adopted "sister", Mikasa. She is calm and collected, but cares deeply for Eren. The two are accompanied by timid Armin, who appears much like a third wheel to me. 

Eren is quite an annoying character, but he is someone I can sympathize with. His fits of rage can seem out of place and overly dramatic, as if he's summarizing his anger directly to the audience. Mikasa's "no bullshit policy" makes for a much more enjoyable character. Armin has a similar approach as Eren, but rather are his speeches about himself being a wuss instead of himself going on a murder rage. Overall, the cast (including the supporting characters) feels really unique and their behavior makes sense, but sometimes feel more like strange caricatures of their personalities due to the dramatic tone. Speaking of tone...
img290(https://memegenerator.net/img/images/14721158.jpg)

__Tone and theme__
The tone of the anime was darker than what I was ready for going into this. My vision on anime has always been the pokemon-style upbeat stories so this was very unexpected. I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptic, and the anime has, like in "the battle of Trost", a masterful way of portraying the darkness of the world that the characters live in, by actually using the dramatic monologues. When this is alternated with their brothers and sisters in arms being torn to shreds by titans, I truly makes you immersed in the pain that war brings with it. For that is an important theme; the darkness of the world and how humans approach it. The spirit to make things right which brings a lot of rage with it, like Eren experiences, is a way some people deal with pain and hardship. Others are like Mikasa, a calculating, almost cold character who shuts out the horror and focuses on her objective; protecting those she loves. And for some, it gets too much. Like for Armin. He has a hard time coping with the horrors of reality and shuts down on multiple occasions. He has to outgrow his own emotion and do what is best for those around him.
All in all, I think the themes of attack on titan are outstanding, and explore what is usually shamefully overlooked in the post-apocalyptic genre; How do we humans deal with all the evil that happens around us?

__Narrative__
This is where attack on titan felt a bit meh for me. A major portion of the show is about mystery. You start out with dozens of questions, but you end with a million of them. Where did the titans come from? How could humanity but walls that big with technology so primitive? Why are these people so gloomy? Why are these people not just gloomy, but literally want to see humanity end? How did Eren get this ability he discovers half-way the season? Why is everyone so against it when it's so useful? What does this say about titans? What are titans? Why do they do what they do?
The stream of questions is endless, and constantly gets filled with new mysteries. The large cast (mostly war buddies of Eren) makes it feel like a diverse world, but also makes it hard to care about one single character. It took me several episodes to recognise a lot of them, let alone remember their names. And each of them has a complex history that the show takes a long time to discover. Then you discover some histories are tied together, and you fall from one intrigue right into the other. And as someone who watches this type of television for the first time, I can only think: 
>What the fuck is going on?

I think that is a fine description for the narrative. While attack on titan tries to make a compelling, dramatic and heartfelt arc for every character, it ends up creating only few, since I felt like being thrown around from place to place without ending up catching a breather to process what is happening.

__Remaining topics__
I will go over artstyle, animation, intro and music here, since I know that's important to people :)
Attack on titan looks undoubtedly beautiful. The design of the titans look goofy, yet terrifying at the same time. Their dumb appearances emphasizes they’re simpletons, reassuring the thought that they won’t show mercy. It has amazing shots which clearly shows the emotion of the characters, so you can fully immerse yourself in what they’re going through. That is important, considering the theme. The animation truly comes to it's right in the fight scenes, it is satisfying to watch, and seeing soldiers use the 3D maneuver gear the army utilises to get the angle on titans never gets boring to watch. When Attack on titan goes confusing with it's story, I can always come home to a good hack 'n slash of titan necks. The music wasn't very memorable, as in I don't remember anything of the soundtrack, apart from the songs playing in the intro's obviously! Those are extremely fun to watch, even if it's 25 times in a row. It makes you pumped for the episode to come and summarizes what the show is about.

__conclusion__
I wasn't too stoked about attack on titan while watching it, but when I did finish it in the end it felt complete yet had me hunger for season 2; There are so many questions and I demand answers! While it had some shortcomings in really immersing me in the story due to quite complicated story arcs, I didn't really need to know exactly everything what was going on, because one eventually figures out for themselves who is good and who is bad, and with the endless mysteries Attack on Titan keeps stacking on top of each other, there is always something else to ponder about and in the end, it makes it ok!

Attack on titan is a dark story with a narrative containing so many secrets it makes you question even yourself

~~~

---
__This review will not only cover the first season but Ill try to keep spoilers to a minimum.__

Attack on Titan is one of the most popular anime out there and what can I say? It deserves all the attention its getting. The world, the characters, the animation, art, everything is just amazing. 

---

Let me start off by talking about the setting in general:

The premise of the show is pretty easy to understand which is one of the main reasons it gained popularity so quickly. Humanity is trapped inside three massive walls and there are titans all around them. Nobody knows where they came from or how they work exactly, so all they can do is stay in those walls and hope for the best. For a hundred years this worked out fine, until the Colossal Titan breaches the outer gate of Shiganshina, the city the main cast, Eren Jäger, Armin Arlert and Mikasa Ackerman live in. During that point in the show they're still kids but Eren swears that he'll kill every single titan out there. Fast-forward a few years and they all joined the military. There are 3 different military regiments: The Scout Regiment, The Garrison Regiment and the Military Police. The Scout Regiment ventures outside of the walls to gain information about the titans and kill them by using their 3D maneuver gear, which allows them to swing around with grappling hooks attached to their hips. They then damage the nape of the titans with swords, which is the only way to kill them. Eren, together with Armin and Mikasa, join the Scout regiment. Again, the premise of the show is fairly simple to understand, (in the beginning at least) but that's exactly what makes it so interesting. Attack on Titan doesn't hold your hand and doesn't explain everything by making characters suddenly talk about how Titans can be killed for example, for no reason at all. Instead, there is a flashback that explains it, which also clears up other things. This way of delivering information to the viewer makes it feel more natural. However, during the middle of each episode you'll see images and text showing up on screen for a few seconds with information about the world, so if you are interested you can pause and read those, which I always did. 


Next, let me talk about the animation / art:

Attack on Titan looks amazing. The art has a pretty unique style and the animations are fluid almost constantly. Just looking at the background or characters is fun. The animation really begins to stand out, when the 3D maneuver gear is used or when Titans fight each other and you can really feel the impact of each move and hit, it never gets boring. Even if you don't care about the story a lot you'll most likely still enjoy the show simply because of the fights. In season 4 CGI is used occasionally but it really didn't bother me all that much. People act like it looks horrible when it's probably some of the best CGI that I've seen in anime. I really have nothing else to say about the art and animation, its just a 10/10 imo. 


The characters: 

I love the characters in this show. Everyone has their own reason to exist. Nobody feels like he could be replaced by just anyone. Not only is every character unique and behaves realistically, they also look great. Even though everyone wears the same outfit for the most part of the show (their uniform) they still look very different from each other which again shows how great the art is. In some parts of the show, the main cast is barely even present, however, that doesn't make it boring at all. There aren't just 2 or 3 characters that carry the entire show, it's everyone together. Characters that are barely even present in the first season, suddenly become an important part of the story in the next. Its all so well put together and that brings me to the next part of the review.

The story:

I've already talked about the story in the beginning of the review but there is one thing that I've noticed while re-watching the show recently. And that's the foreshadowing. It's insane just how many spoilers there were in the beginning of the show and how many times things have been clearly hinted at, but you'd never notice because you're not meant to yet. This just shows how much work was put into carefully putting the story together from beginning to end. I've heard some people complain about the pacing but I really don't think the pacing is off at all. In just three episodes the main cast goes from being children to enlisting in the military I really don't see how that's supposed to be slow. 

The music:

Most of you have probably heard one of the opening or ending songs of Attack on Titan even if you haven't watched it yet and that's because the music is just as amazing as the visuals. The music just doesn't miss. Each OST compliments the scene beautifully and the opening and ending songs are just as amazing. The first opening is all about hunting and killing the titans, while the 6th opening (season 4) is more about war and the suffering of mankind. Not once have I felt like the music doesn't fit while watching the show that's just how good it is. 

---
__In conclusion:__

If you haven't watched this already I highly recommend you do. Its great from start to finish and I can't wait to see how they'll adapt the rest of the manga which I've already read because I just couldn't wait any longer.~~~

A great show that everyone should watch. 

# __Attack On Titan __

______
This is going to be my first time writing a review, I'll try keep it as coherent as possible. You can take what I say as a grain of salt as I'm using this as practice for writing other reviews. I'll also try and keep this as spoiler free as possible. If this isn't possible I'll mark spoilers. 

# Story Premise
___


~~~img220(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/807367175903772753/848542398691016724/iu.png)
~~~

A quick summary of the show before I begin:  mysterious creatures have driven mankind to the brink of extinction and are left with no other choice than to keep themselves within 3 walls:

1. Maria (The Outermost wall)
2. Rose (Second inner wall)
3. Sina (The last wall that humanity lives inside of) 

The idea of the show if common place among Western and Eastern producers. The idea of a force greater than humanity and humans becoming pray is one that roams in peoples minds often and makes for quite enjoyable stories to many. With that being said, the genre does get overdone and some stories in my experience have lead to more disappointment than engagement. However AOT never failed to do this as they kept my attention. The main Factors to this are as follows: 

__1. Fear __
I have never encounter a show that has conveyed the emotions of  fear and sorrow as greatly as as amazingly as this one. The Japanese voice actors did an exceptionally good job of screams of anguish and pain when having to watch a comrade die. One of my grievances with this show is that it didn't develop certain characters well enough before they die for example: ~!when Erens mom died, there was no emotional attachment for the watcher.!~ However I didn't need the emotional attachment to feel the pain Eren felt. Every contortion of his face painted his pain very vividly in my mind and I've never experienced that in an anime before. I didn't need emotional attachment to feel sorry for a character 
__2. Forcing the viewer to think __
Instead of spoon feeding viewers the plot through exposition, the anime forces the viewer to think for themselves to gain answers. For example~! in the fight against the female titan, viewers for forced to think about the greater meaning behind this. Most people would have guessed the Female Titans identity from the moment they saw her face, but this would have given more questions to the viewer. Are there more out there? What do these human transforming titans want? Who is their leader? Questions like this rushed through my mind as I watched the characters struggle. In addition to this, an encounter I found really interesting to me was the conversation between Levi, his squad and Eren through the large tree forest. Eren watched as the Female Titan trampled one soldier after another and was desperate to help. However their main goal of the mission was to keep Eren alive. While Eren understood this, he couldn't stand by and watch his comrades die.  Levi kept a cool head and explained to Erren 

> You can choose to have faith in the people you trust 
Or choose to trust yourself. I do not know the right answer myself, the outcome always remains a mystery. 

Levi's squad backed up this sentiment pleading with Eren to have more trust in them 
Eren decided to trust in his allies. Only for them to all be slaughtered right before his eyes. As he relapses to the conversation with Levi regretting not trusting in himself from the start. This encounter is very emotionally compelling as it challenges the ideals of the main protagonist and forces him into being seen as vulnerable. I completely sympathised with his situation because I've recognized this idea in my own life as well.
!~
__Conclusion__

Attack On Titan is a great read and watch that would give you the Shonen satisfaction you need. It's gory nature paints the reality of the situation these characters are in and makes you sympathise with them wholeheartedly. I hope this review will encourage you to pick up the anime and give it a watch. Apologies in advance for any mistakes made. This is my first review and all constructive criticism is welcome :)

This Anime Paints the dark reality of being prey. 

"Humanity will continue to wage war until there is one human or less"

                                       - Erwin Smith
(Review of the whole of SnK)
Animation - 9.9/10
The animation is astounding. The fight scenes are very dynamic and the ODM gear sequences can be mesmerizing as hell. There are a few CGI shots, but those are very easy to miss and i certainly wouldnt have noticed had they not been pointed out to me.

Soundtrack - 10/10
There are few anime that can match AoT's masterful soundtrack. Composed by the legendary Hiroyuki Sawano, the soundtrack adds further impact to the already hard-hitting plot of this show and helps craft some of the most iconic scenes in all of anime.

Voice Acting - 10/10
There aint much to say here. The VAs of this show are very talented and have been very successful in fleshing out the emotions, complexity and contradictions of the characters.

Characters - 10/10
The characters in this show are very realistic and well written and have a great deal of complexity and depth.
Nonetheless, a lot of people seem to miss this one but let me explain. In a lot of shows, the development of characters is laid bare before the watchers and is largely explicit. This is not the case with AoT, which often leads casual or non-attentive watchers to assume that the characters lack depth or real development. A lot of the characters have enjoyable and explosive moments and development, sure, but much of the development and characterization in this show is very implicit. A character does not need to give a giant monologue about being heartbroken, A simple gesture towards the object of one's childhood dream accompanied with a shot of the character's hollow and depressed visage. An expression of utmost horror on the face of a fearless and admired leader. A face of cold grief as one encounters the the oblivious parent of a dead comrade. The wistful last moments of a seemingly hardened and unemotional soldier, as he reminisces about the girl he loved but never paid any attention to. All these are but a few examples of AoT's masterful visual storytelling that convey the emotions, contradictions and hypocrisies of our characters, while leaving a great deal up to our interpretation and imagination. Characters in this show, irrespective of whether they are the "good guys" or the "bad guys", have compelling motivations and convictions that (intelligent) viewers can understand or relate to. Even when they operate in morally gray areas or commit reprehensible activities, you may find yourself sympathizing with and pitying them. Few shows can make compelling heroes and villains, and fewer still manage to craft rich narratives where there are simply no heroes or villains - just humans, enslaved to and driven by their beliefs and circumstances. Attack On Titan is unquestionably one of the latter.

Plot - 10/10
Out of the hundreds of anime, novels, manga and movies I have seen, only a handful of stuff matches (or surpasses) the level of storytelling Attack On Titan has to offer. Its a grandiose story that starts in a harsh medieval looking dystopian world and ends in an equally unforgiving world of warships, trenches, artillery and zeppelins. And in between, the development it undergoes is something I have hardly experienced in any other work of fiction. We start with a story where we and the characters know nearly nothing and as the plot progresses, we find ourselves in a different dilemma. Knowing so much that we can no longer discern truth from lies. There is no question as to why this story is so popular. After all, it isnt just a single story. It is political thriller, a coming of age story, an allegory of war and finally, a critique of humanity itself. This is the story of the brother who wanted to avenge his sister, of the child who desired salvation, of the man who coveted truth, of the lover who craved happiness for her beloved, and of course, it is the story of Eren Jaeger, the boy who sought freedom. It is all this and much more. This is Attack On Titan, the story that will leave you with more questions than answers, with one of
the foremost being:

WHO IS THE REAL ENEMY?

"Humanity will continue to wage war until there is one human or less"

                                   - Erwin Smith

___Shingeki no Kyojin_ __(___Attack on Titan___), is a master piece. It's one of the few animes that I started and finished in a very few days. It's one of the few shows that I kept seeing and still wanted more. I'll start with the Cons and move on to the Pros. 

__Spoiler Alert__ for Season 1. Spoiler warning is given if other seasons plot is given. No MANGA SPOILERS.

__Cons :__

 None
Call me a toxic fan or whatever but, I've been thinking for a long time, and I have no idea. (Message me if you can think of something)

 - Fandom

I know this isn't directly related to the official anime or manga, but the new fandom is bad.
(__Shingeki no Kyojin Season 4 spoilers__) Look, Eren in season 4 is amazing. But, the fandom spoiled it. Especially the "Tik-Tok" fandom. Look I personally have no problem with knowing Eren isn't strong against other verses. There's no way he's beating Goku, Saitama or other powerful characters. Honestly Eren is overrated and I wish he wasn't cause because of this, so many people just start hating on this Anime/Manga. Also, the manga-spoilers. I've basically been spoiled so many things that are to happen in the Part - 2 of Season 4

__GIVES DEPRESSION__



__ Pros :__

 - Excellent Start 

Shingeki no Kyojin, had one of the best first episode, it sets the tone and the story. You are introduced to this dark world and the story grips you as you move on and see Eren avenge his mother.

 - Great Characters 

The cast is great, everyone plays an important role. And everyone has their own motivations.

 - Female Characters

This is one of the shows where women are there as characters and as actual human beings. There is no fan service and the women are really powerful, too. 

 - Reality 

This isn't your usual anime. It's dark. No power of friendship. Sure there are things which help our characters but, you still don't know if they are going to make it out alive till the end. This really grasps you into the story as you wish and have this hope to see your favourite character live till the end.

 - Fights : 

The fights, granted there aren't much, but the ones that are there are really good. Like really, really good. 

 - No Villians (Season 4 spoilers)

I love the idea of how there is no good or bad. Just war. Everyone has suffered. Everyone at end is just a human trying to survive. (Except Reiner, let this poor man die and get some rest :( )

 - Animation 

Due to 7 Deadly Sins, We know story isn't the only thing needed for a good anime. Animation, Voice and many more are important. And the animation does not fail. It's really, really good. Some shots are just art. Just wanted to say Mappa did an amazing job, too. 

 - Voice Acting

Bro, Kaji Yūki is amazing as Eren. The rage scene in season 2 (I think, or 3, I'm not sure) is amazing. He just captures the essence of the character. Hiroshi Kamiya, Marina Inoue,  Daisuke Ono to name a few are Amazing. 

 -  Pleasure 

The thing with Shingeki no Kyojin, is you can watch it once and really enjoy it. The second time you find things you never knew and clues about future episodes. And I'm pretty sure after Season 4 part - 2, the re-watch will again give us more things we missed.

 - Openings 

The openings are gold. All of them. I don't think I've ever skipped a Shingeki No Kyojin opening ever. Best one is obviously Shinzou wo sasageyo, but others are super good, too.


I surely would recommend this Anime to literally anyone. Must Watch. Warning, gives depression.

Attack on Titan, the anime everyone knows, most love and is well received generally. When you say it was your starter anime a lot of people will quickly judge you and assume its your favourite anime and to be honest they wouldn't be wrong. I'm no different, Yes it is my favourite anime but like a lot of things your first always has a special place in your heart, your first star wars, first marvel movie, first book. The thing is to be your favourite it also has to be good, so for the first anime you watch to be THIS good is pretty amazing and surely competently understandably as to why it would be so many peoples favorites, it is an amazing story that introduced them to the fine world of Anime.

Anyways, Season 1 I watched all the way back in 2017, around the time season 2 began. I watched it cause a kid at my school said it was good and although at the time anime was considered weird, i gave it a shot and it blew my mind, id never seen an animated show be so "gory" and have such a good story, kids TV shows didn't compare to this masterpiece. When Eren "died" in episode 5  i was absolutely shocked, to "kill" off a main character was something I never expected from any show or movie ever and completely changed my perception on that kind of story telling. Obviously his return was then met with a great amount of relief and continued the series.

That was back in 2017 and here I am in 2021 being told by my brother to pick anime back up after he had begun his anime journey. I'd dropped off anime mid way through season 2 because of school studies and never found the time to begin again. I shrugged off my brothers suggestions as I remembered little of the show and doubted it had held up. But my brother continued to antagonize me to the point I decided what harm could it do. So I started up again, from Season 1. I remembered the few small main details and deaths in the first half but by the Female Titan Arc i remembered very few details other than some major ones. This Arc still stands now as one of my favourites, I love it because throughout it on the first watch you have no clue what to expect. So many questions are asked, who or what is the female titan? Why are they after Eren? What else is outside the walls? Its a completely different setting to that of the training arc inside the walls and it opens the story up so much.

So Season 1 made a huge impact to me, with one of my favourite Arcs of the series, characters who to this day ( the ones who survived... Marco...) are amazingly written and developed that i adore. It comes as no surprise that Attack on Titan is my favourite Anime, so I have to thank the guy who told me back in 2017 to watch it as well as my brother for getting me stuck back in not only to Attack on Titan but also Anime in general!

I plan to review a lot of the anime's i watch cause i enjoy giving my own opinions and writing, for those who have read this far i'll tell you how i work, i have a top 100 anime scratch off poster which i follow, currently as i write this i have 11 scratched off. My brother has the same poster ( courtesy of me) and he has around 25. I don't just stick to the list i do watch others that i see recommended on TikTok ( where i also see too many spoilers lol) as well as generally flicking through Funimation. I also rank all the ones i watch both on here and on my own personal Tier Maker which is set as my banner ( if i cropped it right) please accept this is my opinion and feel free to share your own in a civilized manner!

See you on AOT S2 review!

My Start To Anime- Why Attack on Titan is Understandably my favourite Anime 

A post apocalyptic vision of the future where giants called Titans have pushed humanity to the brink of extinction, Attack On Titan is an interesting, realistically depicted anime. Despite an over-reliance of cliffhanger endings and a slightly lacklustre middle portion of the season, Attack On Titan is an anime that relies a lot more heavily on realistic characters and its engaging story. Unlike other anime, there isn’t much in the way of humour and the show is all the better for it, giving a good sense of urgency to the issues at hand.
The tale begins in the town of Shiganshina where we’re introduced to Eren Jaegar (Bryce Papenbrook), a young boy who wants to join the military to fight against the titans. As events unfold, the second half of the season sees the show open up with more emphasis on the world outside the massive walls that protect humanity from the titans. The story is very well constructed and despite some episodes feeling unnecessarily dragged out or feeling like filler episodes, on the whole the pacing and the episode structure works well. With the season split in half, the second part of this season changes up the art style and quickens the pacing. This change helps to bring some much needed vibrancy to the art style to avoid it becoming stale with a colour palette that stays similar through large periods of the show.

Its worth noting here too that along with some very good art is a great blend of CGI. It does stick out but the show works so well with it. Seeing the characters flying through the air or seeing the panned landscaped as the titans burst through the remains of abandoned houses are really well done and it never feels contrived or forced. For me though, I felt the second half of the season worked a lot better with this, with emphasis given to show the different regiments in the scouting division and the framing used to show endless rolling fields and trees before moving in close to the soldiers.
The characters themselves are generally well written too. With equal emphasis given to supporting characters along with Eren throughout, the unpredictable nature of characters being killed off by the titans gives a much needed sense of urgency. You genuinely don’t know if any character is safe and this is shown to devastating effect late on in the season during a tense battle in the forest with a female titan. Speaking of which, there’s a mystery woven through the latter episodes that engage the characters but not so much the audience. I won’t spoil too much but suffice to say, this was a little disappointing and too easy to figure out. Its one of the few negatives from a generally well written show.

Overall though, Attack On Titan is a very good anime. The plot is well constructed, with a quickened pace and heightened tension in the latter periods of this season. With well written characters and enough time given to develop them, the unpredictable nature of the titans killing characters off suddenly really helps build an uneasiness through large periods of this show. Its not perfect, with a disappointing mystery and a reliance on cliffhanger endings but on the whole, Attack On Titan is a very good anime and does the original manga comic justice with a great adaptation.

It's nice ♡ twists brings another feel!

Eren Jaeger lives within a cage, constantly awaiting, whether it be consciously or unconsciously, his own demise at the hands of beings that wish to harm him. Those beings can be complete outsiders, people on the inside with him, his allies, even his friends, and this first season of Shingeki no Kyojin illustrates this well. 

The anime adjusts the manga content as to help focus more on who Eren's allies are, telling the story chronologically as opposed to the manga's constant time jumps. We see Eren's hometown get destroyed, the birth of his resolve, that resolve hardening through his training, and his re-encounter with the Colossal Titan all in an order that follows Eren's own growth and development. While this change can be argued as having weakened the pacing of these early parts of the series, as well as making some fodder deaths feel even more pointless (and believe me, I have stated these ideas on occasion), this change also allows the series to focus more on Eren's relationships. 

From the start we get to see his friendship with Mikasa and Armin, during his training his rivalry with Jean is far more organic, his small bonds with Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie among others are given more prominence through this avenue. We meet all these characters, and then the story really begins, allowing the viewer to keep these relationships in mind while watching the anime, and it arguably makes the end of season reveal about the female titan more impactful. This is your spoiler warning. 

Annie Leonhart is the first of a number of infiltrators within the walls of Eren's cage. She situates herself as a member of the the Military Police within the furthest Interior Wall, and it is revealed later on in the narrative that she is the female titan. The female titan who has been killing the Survey Corps recently, the female titan who five years prior led the large group of titans to Eren's hometown, and now she is trying to capture Eren himself for reasons unknown. Despite the perceived bonds that Eren, Armin, and the others had made with her, she is just as easily able to work against them, but this betrayal has only made her mission all the more difficult. The person who she might have pretended to be left a strong impact on everyone in her training regiment, including (and especially) Eren Jaeger. 

During their confrontations, Eren uses techniques she taught him during their training, only this time it's against her in a real battle. Eren is quite literally taking this person who betrayed his trust and tried to take his minimal amount of freedom, and is trying to defeat or even kill her. This is the start of a trend of Eren taking people into himself, metaphorically and eventually literally, and this betrayal will leave a mark on the cast for the series to come.

Finally, once the battle concludes and Annie seals herself away, one final reveal is thrown. While Eren had been in a cage, and he hated the mere fact of that idea, he had still believed the cage was a wall of protection. But, Annie's hasty failed escape only revealed that their enemies are on the inside as well, and perhaps even more terrifying than the ones on the outside, a perfect lead in to the following seasons of Shingeki no Kyojin.

img(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/958476511785152532/968880371460632636/mpv-shot0036.png?width=1684&height=947)

Meta-comments on the review itself below, including reasoning for the score:
~!If you've spoken to me before, you know I strongly dislike Shingeki no Kyojin, in particular I detest this first season and I think the changes I defend here are part of that. The goal with this review was to write positively and look deeper into something that I quite despise, and I hope people enjoyed this. I do like Annie and I find Eren to be an interesting character. I hope to write a positive review for every season of SnK despite not liking most of the series.!~

Anime Changes, Eren, and Annie (Spoiler Warning)

Humans have reigned at the top of the food chain for a long time now. Other predators like sharks and bears might rip us apart if we have to engage them in a fist fight, but in reality we kill far more of them than they do us. But! What if that's no longer the case? What if something replaces us at the top and start preying on us? This is the conceit that "Attack On Titan" builds upon, and does it so compellingly that it became one of the few shows to break through the walls of anime fandom into mainstream consciousness. 
  
Set in a world where unintelligent, man-eating titans suddenly appeared one day and snacked humans almost to extinction, the story picks up with Eren, who lives in an outlying city on the edge of a civilization protected by walls that would make Donald Trump exclaim in envy: "YUUUGE!" The walls have kept the residents safe for a hundred years. But one day, a colossal titan appears out of nowhere and kicks a hole in the wall. With the walls breached, titans flood into the city and Eren's life is thrown into chaos. 
  
While the whole unintelligent human-eating-humanoids idea isn't exactly fresh - the zombie apocalypse scene having been done to death already (or should I say undeath har har) - "Attack on Titan" adds a twist to the formula: it made the humanoids huge. The change seems stupidly simple but the effect is drastic; all of a sudden, the odds for human survival seem insurmountable: this is not a case of buffaloes being hunted by lions, but of mice hunted by cats. And "Attack on Titan" hammers home the terrifying effects of this size mismatch from episode one as it graphically captures the bloody results of titans descending upon a human settlement. In addition, the titans' appearances, humanish but with creepy facial expressions and strange skin tones (the latter of which might be the unintended result of subpar CG), serves to make them even more unnerving in an uncanny-valley-esq way. 
  
So how do humans fight back against these grotesque mountains of flesh? One of the main methods involve "vertical manoeuvring equipment" which, via some gas-powered piston-shot grappling hooks, essentially allows humans wearing them to move around the way Spiderman swings through a city. This in turn gives them the ability to evade titans and attack their weak point on the back of the neck. It's a pretty cool concept that lends itself to some spectacular battle choreography. 
  
Despite being a shounen, "Attack on Titan" immediately distinguished itself in both its brutality and pacing. The action often feels raw and gory in its violence, even though it often doesn't display everything in full graphic detail. One gruesome scene might be animated in shadowy outline, another might cut away in a shower of blood just as someone gets pulverised underneath a giant stomping foot. The anime shows and implies enough to achieve a stronger effect than what could be done through fully animating the violence. That said, the early episodes contain a few odd scenes where the action cuts-away in unexpected places (and in a way that left me confused over what happened) and inserting in its place a few seconds of jarringly placid scenery. It makes me wonder whether these were production fuck ups or whether the scenes were censored (which would be strange given seemingly more horrific sequences were animated to some extent). 
  
The plot of "Attack on Titan" rarely stands still, with events constantly unfolding and bombshell twists exploding with regularity. While there's a good amount of lore and background information woven into the world, the show is economical with its world building. It does a good job of not letting exposition drag down the plot, and uses opportunities like commercial bumpers to convey across tidbits of info that enriches the world. (Though it's worth noting  that the last commercial bumper info-dumped a whole essay so I've no idea what those who are watching it live on TV without the benefit of a pause button was supposed to get out of it.)

Despite the fast pace,  "Attack on Titan" doesn't feel hurried for the most part. The training arc is exemplary: occupying just a single episode, it conveys across the difficulties of using the vertical maneuvering gear, then uses that as a representative for the rest of the training and moves on without dragging the whole event out. Contrast this to the likes of "Girls und Panzer" where the training feels too easy and other shounens where training could take up most of a seasonal arc. 

Still, the minor characters do suffer a little from the pacing. With the show being so ruthless, characters often drop like flies around a toxic turd but it's not always easy to give a fuck. Or even remember who they are. As "Attack on Titan" goes on, the show does get better at juggling the character development while driving the plot at a clip, and the later deaths do feel like they hold more weight. 
  
If I have one main complaint about the story, it would be that some of the scheming isn't entirely believable. The overarching plot often has a battle of wits feel where a few players are manipulating events far above the ground level that we see. But it feels as though some of them cheats on occasion by reading the script a few pages in advance before making their move. The kind of superhuman levels of deductive reasoning often possessed by fictional characters doesn't need to be realistic, but it does need to come off as believable, and "Attack on Titan" doesn't always manage to sell its leaps of logic to me as convincingly as, say, "Death Note". 
  
Thematically, "Attack on Titan" ends up on a path well-trodden by shows involving humans vs monsters. To quote Nietzsche: "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster." Like "The Walking Dead", "Shiki" etc, the more you watch the more you start to question: who are the real monsters here? The show's emphasis on the needs of the characters to make sacrifices and become monsters aren't exactly unique, but the ideas are naturally compelling enough to not wear out their welcome. It's rather fitting that the show's main character is in his own way a bit of a monster.  At first Eren comes across like a typical shounen protagonist: a screechy, spunky try-hard who's rather annoying. As the show continues though, it becomes increasingly clear something’s not quite right about the boy; he's a bit unhinged, a bit too much on edge, and I find him kinda fascinating as I'm never quite sure when and how he'll snap. 
  
Given the story of "Attack on Titan" is so full of tragedy and twists, the dramatisation pretty much handles itself. For the most part, the series also does a good job on the executing the drama. I particularly liked the music production. "Epic" is an overused word, but the music of "Attack on Titan" undoubtedly fits the bill. Choral heavy and possessing an exotic, middle-eastern twist, the music would ebb and flow, swell and diminish around the events happening on screen, complementing story tension and release with melodic counterparts. 
  
However, "Attack on Titan" also makes a few mis-steps when it comes to dramatisation which often devastate the grim atmosphere. A few moments in the story  seems contrived purely for the sake of laying on more drama and as a result come across as silly and unnecessary. Some of the art style of "Attack on Titan" also doesn't sit well with me. The show frequently uses shading and parallel hatching on characters' faces to convey dark moods, and, combined with the ultra-serious facial expressions this often yields an accidental comedic effect of similar style to "Cromartie High School". And there's also this wonderfully animated sequence of Eren swinging through the air, dual wielding blades and yelling out battle commands, then executing an epic aerial spin as though about to unleash a climactic whirlwind of attacks. Alas, the dramatic weight attached to the scene was not matched by the actual ending which saw Eren simply land on top of a wall. 
  
Additionally, I also found the series' comedic sensibilities rather dubious. Not that the comedy isn't funny (although it is hit and miss), but the show likes to peddle in a sort of dumb humour that does not mesh with the more sombre parts. I mean, some of the characters feels like they're auditioning for Wacky Races or something. 
  
These problems are a bit too numerous for "Attack on Titan" to hold a spot on my personal favourites list - for now at least. I also wonder how much of my enjoyment got hampered by having the first major plot twist spoilt for me. Still, in its finest moments, this series blazes on all cylinders, and can certainly make a passable impression at being on par with the all-time greats, so it's not hard to see why it whipped the fandom into a frenzy back when it aired. It's still early days in terms of the overarching story though, and this first season has, for all its plot twists and reveals, left me with more questions than answers. Will the myriad mysteries of the plot click together and resolve into a triumphant conclusion? I don't know, but "Attack on Titan" has certainly launched into a solid start.

Niggling issues here and there, but a solid first season for this interesting twist on the zombie apocalypse formula.

Ever since completing the second season of the Hajime Isayama written series ‘Attack on Titan’ for the first time I never really felt the urge to continue as more episodes were released. I described my experience as exciting yet hollow, and the further the series went it seemed this didn’t change. While I always found appreciation in technical elements of the filmmaking, such as its animation and the musical score by Hiroyuki Sawano, I seemed to be disappointed by the “writing”, an appropriately vague justification for my disliking for the series as I was definitely not experienced in the field of media consumption, at least in the way I approach it currently. But as episodes of the third season got increasingly highly rated, to the point of many of its episodes standing on the top of IMDb’s most highly rated tv-episodes among shows like Breaking Bad, Mr. Robot, and Bojack Horseman, I found myself more intrigued than ever as to what quality the show had that I might’ve missed on my first visit. But I don’t think I expected to miss so much right from the beginning.


By far, ‘Attack on Titan’s most impressive element is how it establishes itself, whether it would be its characters or the world they live in. And while I can only speculate, I think this may be why the series had such enormous popularity since it’s incredibly easy to get into. And while this can turn into a double-edged sword which we will discuss later, it is an aspect I would be remiss to not go over. And the best example of this would be the titans themself. While we see glimpses of what they look like, episode one barely has any surface-level development of what the titans are but rather sets up a mood and presence that makes it so that you already know what the titans are even when you haven’t seen one. From Carla Yeager reacting to her son saying he wants to go outside the walls, to the Survey Corps coming back after a mission lacking what used to lie behind their eyes, there is a powerful sense of the danger the titans have imposed on humans. It keeps the mystery the titans thrive on and makes the scene at the end of the episode extremely emotional as everything that has been set-up is paid off. And this is emblematic of what’s so good about the first episodes, they are incredibly efficient.
What I mean by this is how well the series disguises its expositions and developments with very basic narrative elements and does so in a way that doesn’t rush over anything or slow to a crawl. Episode 4 is set 2 years after the previous, a narrative device I have seen many use as an excuse to not write important development between characters. And while I could see a version of the series where we see these two years in more detail, which may give some more camaraderie to the main cast, taking the pacing into account I don’t think it’s worth it. Episode 3 is already a good substitute to the general training process I could see the soldiers going through, and so going over it again for let’s say two more episodes would just ruin the pacing for no real reason other than following some arbitrary “good writing” rule. And this is what I again find so intriguing about the establishing episodes of ‘Attack on Titan’. I feel like it lets me into the process of how to write a series like this, which needs to convey as much information as quickly as possible. You could say the writing is very transparent, but in a way, I think there’s a lot to learn from. I would go as to say that the first eight or so episodes are a pretty great screenwriting teacher. Not because it’s the most well-written piece of media I’ve witnessed, but because it wears its techniques on its sleeve.

But it leads me to my central problem of the series. With such an exceptional setup, I feel it is almost bound to disappoint in some way the moment the series starts answering questions and developing itself, especially for a series so reliant on mystery and not understanding the world. And the aspect the most reflective of this, ironically enough, would be the titans again. 
In the eight-episode of the series, it is revealed that inside of the mysterious titan that has helped the cast get to the HQ during the battle for Trost lies Eren Yeager, who was seen eaten by another titan hours prior. This marks a change in direction the series goes into, where I think some of the mysterious intrigue to be found in the titans is lost. While we gain surface-level knowledge of the titans at times, the core of their being is very much kept hidden. Giant human-like creatures that eat people for the sake of it is a very creepy premise that should be kept that way. So when it is revealed that normal people could potentially be inside of the titans, or at least that a human can turn into them, so early on in the series, it removes just enough information about the titans that they stop being intriguing to me. And the thing is that I wouldn’t really be complaining if I couldn’t almost see a version of the series where this wasn’t a problem.
In episode 17, Armin encounters an intelligent female titan during the 57th exterior scouting mission which seems to be looking for Eren and has no other objective. Over the next 6 episodes, the scouting party is slowly informed of the danger the titan could have, until captain Levi decides to direct the formation into a large forest. This all culminates into a number of action scenes, and they are without a doubt some of the best action direction I have seen in anime in a long time, if not ever. It is incredibly exhilarating and interesting to just look at. I can’t really say it in a smart way, it’s fucking dope. There is a shot where a soldier shoots a grappling hook next to the female titan, she grabs the wire and drags the soldiers so she can mash them into a tree, and then another soldier swings towards the screen and the female titan grabs their wire and throws them to the ground. The depth used in these animations is honestly incredible and the only time I’ve actually wanted to see anime in 3D, amazing stuff. But it is here where we encounter the problem I brought up, and the potential I think was lost here. 

While I love practically every scene the female titan is featured in, the only problem I have again is that we know too much about her. There are still questions we might have for sure, but because the idea of turning into a titan was established earlier in the series, we can almost immediately predict that this is the case for the female titan. And it doesn’t diminish any enjoyment to be found in the scenes, that would be hyperbolic and the spectacle is still phenomenal. But storytelling-wise, I think there’s a lot of lost potential and reflective of how too much information is given at times. if anything, the forest sequence is where I think the reveal would be suited the best, since it would make the mystery much more intriguing than I already felt it was, and would make the surprise when the female titans appears again after having been eaten alive much more powerful. And while it may seem incredibly nit-picky to spend two paragraphs on being mildly annoyed at how the development of the titans are handled, I think it’s worth bringing up
But after having experienced it all I am extremely impressed, especially for a series I wasn’t very intrigued by on my first visit. The writing is very efficient and conveys information and themes of humanity I will go into more depth on in a bigger analysis of the series when season 4 is complete, and Tetsurou Araki’s directing is some of the best I’ve seen in recent years! And while I’ve expressed my problems with the series, I feel they’re mainly noticeable because of how great everything else is in comparison.

Attack On Titan is masterpiece and no one can tell me otherwise...

_~~~This review contains spoilers for Season 1 and vague spoilers for Season 2.
~~~_
~~~Stop me if you've heard this one before. 

I was a really big fan of Attack on Titan. Once the final season was getting close to airing I made it a goal to catch up with the manga and I absolutely fell in love with it. The intensely grim and hopeless atmosphere, the fascinating cast of characters with really complex ideologies clashing constantly, the high-octane and intense action, all of it engrossed me to a really high degree. But then the show changed studios and looked worse than WIT Studio's offerings, and then the manga concluded with an ending so horrible that it ruined the series, stained all of that passion and love, burned the crops, poisoned the waters, and blah blah blabbidy blah. Chances are I'm not going to provide any new, grand point to discourse or discussion around the AoT. I've just had the thought for a good while to revisit Attack on Titan, a series which, while I still felt overall positively about, had faded considerably from my consciousness. It's been due for a re-evaluation in my mind for a good while, for better or for worse. I also felt like doing so through the anime was the best choice since I actually hadn't seen it before! I was mostly in a phase of manga purism at the time I got into AoT, with the exception of Season 3 Part 2 so I could get a taste of WIT's offerings before it became time for the switch to Mappa with Final Season. And as much as I liked making a gag out of the stretch of the anime I had logged, I felt like the only one I had completed being Season 3 Part 2 was a bit awkward looking composition-wise. Apologies in advance if my thoughts can be a bit scattered, this is less of a formal review and more of me putting my thoughts out there in longform writing. So without further ado, let me take some time to talk about my journey with revisiting Attack on Titan.

In sharp contrast to how I felt with my exposure to Mappa’s take on the series, god damn the presentation of this show is absolutely stunning. I don’t even just mean the smooth-as-butter animation and the depth-defying movement of the characters flying around the sky, but the wider visual touches throughout. The sharp outlines around the characters make them pop out really well and give the show a keen visual flair. I always appreciate when an anime can make itself feel distinct with a specific aspect to it’s art direction, like the use of color in the DavidPro _JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure_ adaptation. Good use of outlines and shadows are a particular stylistic choice I love to see, it’s what makes the style of the game _Sonic Riders_ so appealing to me, and Attack on Titan uses them extremely well. This, _Kill la Kill_ and _Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion_ are really putting it in perspective how 2013 was a particularly fantastic year for incredibly stylish anime. 

The best part of going back to season 1 this time around was being able to look at all sorts of moments with the context of later events of the series and witness and infer parts of superb foreshadowing. I love seeing how the show constantly places Annie, Reiner and Bertolt together, knowing the common trait that ties them all together. This wasn’t limited to just major plot reveals, but seeing how characters act and the thoughts that inform those actions was really satisfying to see. The most standout case was without a doubt Eren Jaeger, for having the way he is at the end his winding and dynamic journey of character most fresh in my mind, seeing how he was early on made thinking about so many later moments really satisfying. (Aside from _that_ moment, but hey what can you do) I know what you’re thinking, “wow, seeing foreshadowing for moments you know about is a satisfying feeling, revelation of the century!” But I can’t emphasize enough how much it enhances the experience with Attack on Titan specifically, it makes the feeling of it all being planned feel that much more genuine. Even taking knowledge of future events aside, I think the overall feel of this season’s story is just in general really well done. It does an absolutely superb job of selling how incredibly bleak the state of the world is. The constant state of misery the common people find themselves in, the blatant corruption coming from both the inner circles of the wall and the superiors of the Military Police force, the constant shame and humiliation the Survey Corps face as they lose so many lives and resources while making very little progress, it’s sells an incredibly oppressive feeling even beyond the scope of the threat that the titans pose to humanity. 

If I had to leverage one big complaint about my experience, while this may stem from my knowledge of the whole story, it’s that the characters who are on the chopping block and the ones who aren’t are very clearly telegraphed. I’ve in general become accustomed to seeing through the whole “anyone can die at any moment” vibe that stories give off falling away and having a very clear main cast stick around, Magical Girl Apocalypse being the series that solidified that insight for me, and the show makes little effort to hide who’s gonna stick around. The most recurring characters are either way too distinct in how they’re presented to be at risk of death at this point like Levi or Hange, or get highlighted in a whole montage of important characters when they’re being trained by Keith. Like, was anyone’s favorite AoT character Thomas? Be real. Squad Levi is probably the most glaring case of this with how much they desperately try to get you to like them without giving them larger roles in the story. To make it clear, I don’t mind that this isn’t a story that puts everyone equally on the chopping block. Quite the opposite actually, I think it's better for it. I’ve seen the take that Eren should’ve actually died when he was eaten in episode 5 and Mikasa should’ve taken over as the protagonist. While that scene is a genuinely good fakeout, that would’ve been a horrible direction for the story, especially for its more interesting parts of its storytelling. I could go on a whole tangent about the obsession of death=stakes in anime fandoms, but it doesn’t really feel wise to bother with that.

Overall I’m really glad that I went through with starting this rewatch, it absolutely exceeded my expectations and made me increasingly optimistic for finding the passion that I lost for this series overall. One last thing, I’m really glad that I only have to go through 12 episode cours for the rest of it, it makes me feel far less likely to run out of steam.
~~~

Attack on Titan Series Watch Order

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4