Nein, Wir Sind Der Jäger! - Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) Review

The anime world exploded again, all the way back in April of 2013 when Shingeki no Kyojin or Attack on Titan made it's debut. The series, based off of a manga of course, caused the anime community to collectively explode with excitement as to how good it was. I had heard this outburst of joy for months now but as usual I abided by my policy of not watching an anime until it has finished it's run. I had been planning to watch Attack on Titan since it had ended but other concerns has taken precedent. That was, until the incredible revelation I made last week when I found out that Attack on Titan had made it's way onto Netflix (before it's even been dubbed too which is even more rare). At that moment I instantly began watching the series just to see what all the hype is about.

Attack on Titan takes place on Earth in a universe in which humanity has been confined behind three walls. The reasoning for this are the bizarre and terrifying beings known as Titans who wiped out 60% of the world's population one hundred years before the start of the series. The Titans are large humanoid like beings which devour humans. Their origins and their motives are a mystery to what is left of the human race. However, the Titans haven't breached the massive walls and so humanity lived in peace for a century. In 845 AD, the present day, a massive Titan (appropriately dubbed "The Colossal Titan") breaches the outermost wall of the human settlement, leading to a massacre of the district. It is through this unfortunate series of events that we meet our three principal main characters: a young boy named Eren who isn't afraid to voice his opinions about the Titans, his quiet adoptive sister Mikasa, and their friend Armin. The Titan attack causes all three to lose a great deal and when humanity is forced behind the second wall, the three make up their mind to join the military. It is here where they meet the rest of the large cast of characters who make up the elite cadets in their class. The characters then are drawn into the world of fighting Titans, one that is even more horrifying than they could have imagined.

Uhm...where can I get one of those?

At first, the show draws you in on it's action, which is certainly delivers on. The gear that the military uses, known as "3D Maneuvering Devices", is obscenely cool as the characters leap across rooftops. It uses a combination of wires and compressed gas and allows our heroes to fling themselves around the city. It's damn impressive to watch and is a real feat in animation. However, despite the action sounding premise, the series is much more about it's characters than anything. In fact, you soon realize just how terrifying and how powerful the Titans are. The characters fail...a lot, making major mistakes and sacrificing lives only to see it come to nothing in the end. However, there are also moments where the characters persistence does pay off, leading to hope spots. In the end, the show paints a gruesome picture of how people deal with loss and the costs of war, especially a war that decides the fate of humanity. You understand that the characters have to fight because if they don't then nobody else will. The series does a great job conveying the terror of the Titans and how powerless the characters feel in front of them. I mean, they've had plenty of military training and yet still most of the characters aren't capable of even fighting the Titans, usually because of their complete fear of them. This same fear is relatable for us the viewer because the Titans are a huge mystery not only to us but to the characters as well. I was lucky that I knew that there was going to be a second season following this one. Attack on Titan certainly had more of what I like to call "WTF moments" that kept me constantly on the edge of my seat. Just about every episode ends on some sort of cliffhanger but nothing in the plot ever feels like an ass-pull. The whole thing felt smartly crafted. That being said, this season definitely left a lot of things unanswered and many of the most basic questions of the series are still present at the season finale. However, this can be overlooked on the basis that this is only the first season for the show and that the second season should finally resolve this issue.

It should also be noted that Attack on Titan has loads and loads of characters. However, luckily for us it's pretty obvious as to who are the important ones and who aren't. Eren clearly has MAIN CHARACTER written all over him so naturally, the series places a great deal of focus on him. However, the rest of the characters collectively receive an equal amount of screentime and by the end of the season it definitely feels like you know them well. It's pretty easy to get drawn to the characters before realizing that this is a series in which almost any character can die. You can really sympathize with these characters who in some instances watch their best friends get devoured. There are really four main characters that you have to focus on: Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Jean (Eren's early rival at the military camp). Jean was a really surprising character to me and of all characters is the one who shows the most noticeable growth over the course of the series. Like I said before, Eren is clearly the main character and so most of the plot was written around him. He was a very hard character for me to read however since he spends a lot of his time onscreen whining. I found that my favorite character in this was Mikasa since I found her to be a really interesting character and was established as one of humankind's most skilled soldiers. Armin however never really redeemed himself for me as a character and never really seemed to show much growth. It's established pretty early that he's not as strong as Mikasa or Eren but is useful on the basis that he's a skilled tactician. That part of Armin's personality is pretty cool but it hardly makes up for the obscene amount of time he spends being absolutely useless onscreen. However, despite my grievances with Eren and Armin, they still wound up being strong characters. The rest of the cast is especially strong as well and there's loads of likable characters. Despite the series' dark tone there are a few humorous moments thrown in there. Most of these come from Sasha "Potato Girl" Braus, who's love of food outweighs just about anything.

The plot mostly involves these cadets but also expands to a whole host of other characters as well

Having a cast full of interesting characters is certainly an aid to any show's cause. Being able to develop them all fully however, is another thing altogether. The plot is mostly from the point of view of the cadets who trained with Eren and their first experiences in the military. Since theres three branches of the military (Scout Regiment, Garrison Regiment, and Military Police) we get introduced to loads of other characters outside the one's we already know. In the Scout Regiment we meet Sergeant Levi and Commander Erwin. Levi is humankind's most skilled soldier and is easily the coolest character in the show so far. There's plenty of other minor characters that we meet in all three branches and even in their short appearances their personalities are fleshed out and it's pretty easy to grow attached to them.

Attack on Titan should also be lauded for looking absolutely fantastic. I absolutely loved the character designs and feel of the whole post-apocalyptic world. The Titans themselves were absolutely terrifying even if their designs were sometimes goofy looking. However, I'd say that goofiness actually helped their image more than anything and only added to how creepy they were. The designs of the military uniforms were also very well done and I've already gushed about how much I love their military equipment. The whole anime is beautifully done and sets the tone beautifully. The musical score was done by Hiroyuki Sawano, the same guy who did the music work on Guilty Crown. While there was many things wrong with Guilty Crown as a show, the musical score was fantastic there and Attack on Titan is another great job done by Sawano. Special credit should be given to the series' first opening, "Guren no Yumiya" which is the best opening for any anime that I've seen in a long while. You can really hear Sawano's touch on the musical score and it's really that final piece that makes this show great.

Attack on Titan is beautiful even when displaying it's horrifying monstrosities

Without a doubt, Attack on Titan is really the best anime to come out in a long while. It's not surprising, given it's popularity, that it's getting a second season and I'm very excited for it whenever it comes out. Attack on Titan does so many things well, it reminds me of Code Geass in the way that it is able to masterfully craft a story involving loads of different character and turn it into something coherent and meaningful. At no point does Attack on Titan ever feel bogged down or slow. It's absolutely brilliant and is a must watch for any anime fan who hasn't seen it yet. Considering it's now on Netflix there's no reason not to check it out.

My Score: 5/5