Attack on Titan: First Look

     At first, I really had no idea what Shingeki no Kyojin (a.k.a. Attack on Titan) was about. I thought it would be a sort of Sci-Fi action thing judging by the title ("Titan" = Saturn's moon, Titan). Boy was I wrong... and quite happy about it.

THE PLOT
     Shingeki no Kyojin has a somewhat simple plot. Humans have been forced to retreat behind giant walls in order to escape extinction at the hands of giants, a.k.a. "titans". They've done this by building three enormous walls, far taller than any of the giants they've encountered.

You're too short! GO HOME!

     The wealthy and influential live in the "very safe" interior behind "Wall Sina", while everyone else either lives in the "safe" middle area behind "Wall Rose" or the "not-so-safe" outer area behind "Wall Maria". Then there are the unsafe "here-we-are-come-and-eat-us" cities built outside the original walls with a wall built around them, like a lump on the outer wall. This is where our "insert-kun", Eren, lives, along with his super serious and intimidating friend, Mikasa, and the super-wimpy-kun, Armin (okay, maybe he's not that wimpy, but that hair... yeesh). Eren's father leaves for the interior on business, but not before Eren says he wants to join the legion to fight the giants. Of course, his mother becomes irate, which makes Eren irate. Eren and friends run off to blow of some steam when the unthinkable happens...

THE HOOK
     While everyone is trying to enjoy a peaceful evening, an enormous giant rides a lightning bolt down to the ground outside of the outer wall.

Well hello there...

     It then proceeds to kick a titan-sized hole in the wall to let its buddies inside. Huge chunks of the walls rain down on the populace and kill dozens of people. Eren suddenly remembers that he does love his mother after all and runs off to make sure she's alright. Of course, because this show needs some motivation, she's not.

Raise the roof! No, seriously, get this thing off me...

     Eren and Mikasa try in vain to free her from underneath the house, but are run off by a particularly creepy titan. When I say creepy, I mean creepy.

Hope you weren't planning on sleeping tonight...

     These titans are meant to be horrid and menacing, and they're drawn that way. Said titan then proceeds to eat Eren's mom, because that's what titans do. It wasn't pleasant, and was all done with Eren watching. The episode ends with Eren being hauled off while his mother's blood rains down on them, which brings us to...

THE GORE
     This is a particularly gory anime. Apparently, the manga it's based off is just as gory, if not moreso. However, the blood and gore wasn't really overdone. I've seen a lot of anime that go way overboard with the blood and gore, but Shingeki no Kyojin doesn't. If anything, it adequately brings out the horror these titans can enact on humans, and the need to see them exterminated for the good of mankind.

That's all that was left of poor Moses-kun... No, seriously. That was a rather disturbing scene...

THE ANIMATION
     Absolutely fantastic. The crisp, thick lines are a delightful change from the norm, and it has a very unique art style that is very different from most of the anime I've seen recently. It's very well drawn and the animation is fluid. I like it. Also, the eyes:

Dem eyes...

THE COMEDY
     While episodes one and two have very little, if any, comedy, episode three alleviates the building tension and gives us a look at the anime's comedy style. It reminds me a lot of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, which is a good thing in my opinion. If you've read any of my anime stuff before, you'll know FMA:B is my favorite anime, partially because of how the comedy is handled. I know a few people who wouldn't like it, but I for one hope that it keeps up.



THE CHARACTERS AND VOICE ACTING
     It's still early in the anime, and we haven't quite gotten to know most of the characters yet, but there are a few who stand out in particular. Obviously, the main protagonist, Eren, stands out quite a bit. It's very easy to feel the same hatred and desire for the titan's extermination because of the emotion Eren portrays through the artist's rendering and the voice actor's zeal.

Imma' kill me some titans!

     Another character that I've found interesting is Mikasa, Eren's... well, I'm not quite sure. I don't know if she's his sister or just a good friend. From what I can figure out from little bits we see in the anime, I think she's the latter. I also think she lost her parents a long time ago and Eren and his parents are a sort of surrogate family for her. Anyhoo, she's Eren's protector and caretaker. She's got a cold and sorrowful look in her eyes, but her actions reveal that she does care a lot about Eren. She's also quite beautiful, so there's that.

     Then there's "Potato Girl". She cracks me up something fierce. I can see her becoming the focal point for most of the comedy in the show. That whole scene where we first meet her character is priceless, as is pretty much every time we see her afterwards.

I literally could not stop laughing...

     I expect great things from this character, and will be heartbroken when they eventually kill her off. That's what they do, you know. They get you to love a character before they dispose of them. That's how anime works... *sniff*

     Overall, I also feel the voice acting is very well done. Of course, it's all in Japanese, so it could actually be pretty bad. However, I still stand by my opinion that Japanese voice actors put far more emotion and feeling into their work, which American voice actors can rarely match. It's not that I get used to hearing a certain voice for a certain character, I just can't get over how bad some of the voice acting is in English dubs.

THE MUSIC
     The music is fantastic. It's equal parts creepy, suspenseful, and powerful, and adds to the overall experience without being overwhelming. Also, dat opening...

 
     It's the best opening I've heard and seen in a long while.

FINAL THOUGHTS
     A good way to tell that you've stumbled onto a good anime is by having a strong desire to watch each episode over and over. I've watched each of the three episodes that have been released twice now, and I want to watch them again. My only worry is that the anime will seem rushed. EDIT: There are supposedly going to be 25 episodes (with one recap episode). From what I've heard about the manga, there's plenty of content, so I hope we have a second season so that the story isn't hacked to pieces to fit a one-season mold.

You gonna' finish that?

     The first episode hooked me immediately, and it was an agonizing week of waiting for the second. Of all the other anime starting up this spring season, this is the only one to really grab my attention and hold it. Definitely give Shingeki no Kyojin a try. If the first episode doesn't grab you, then there's something wrong with you... I mean, it's probably just not your cup of tea... and there's something wrong with you.