Anime Analysis: Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin)

Note: This post contains SPOILERS.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition...

So I'm ashamed to say that I've just finished watching the Attack on Titan anime. Yes, you can boo me down, I deserve it for not finishing it sooner.

Is it THE greatest anime ever? No. Is it one of the most important? Yes.

What do I mean by important? Well remember a time during your childhood where every anime or comic book geek looked up to heroes like  Superman or Sailor Moon as models of virtue? Remember a time where you wanted to pilot giant mechs, bludgeoning evil weirdos with your chest sword and whatnot? Nowadays with all the cynicism, self deprecation and self-loathing permeating society it seems like the idea of a hot-blooded hero saving the world from a massive apocalypse has gotten outdated and it seems that the otaku culture has gotten affected by this cynicism too. In the words of Kaichiro Morikawa:

Generally speaking, I see a downward spiral. Aum Shinrikyo was influenced by Genma Wars. In the 1980s, otaku dreamt of Armageddon; they fantasized about employing supernatural powers to create a new world after the end of the world. But Aum's subway attack in 1995 thoroughly shattered the post-apocalyptic otaku dream of creating a new world in which they would become heroes. After their apocalyptic fantasies collapsed, they steadily shifted to moe. Before their Armageddon obsession, there was science fiction, which provided otaku with an alternative to the actual future. In the broadest terms, moe has replaced 'future.'

This shit is the death of anime! No objections!

When it comes to otaku culture gearing more towards the 'cute' aspect of anime, others also cite the extremely cynical and extremely depressing Neon Genesis Evangelion as another factor leading towards this 'downward spiral'. Now here I am not saying that it is wrong to view or watch 'kawaii' or light-hearted anime and manga; I'm a Hayate no Gotoku fanatic dude. But it's interesting to note the opinions of others and the fact that the concept of 'cuteness' or kawaiisa is a huge influence on Japanese culture, an aspect that was satirized and deconstructed in Satoshi Kon's Paranoia Agent.

The reason I called Shingeki no Kyojin one of the most important anime to date is because a) its massive popularity may be a sign of otaku culture breaking away from all this mainstream generic cuteness, b) anime may not be viewed as something quite niche any more and most importantly c) it may cause many otaku and geeks to regain their old fantasies about dealing with the world at large. Shingeki no Kyojin has literally become one of the most popular anime in recent years (Don't believe me? Just look at the views its opening theme has gotten on you tube. That's more views than flipping Cruel Angels Thesis people) and has appealed not only to fans of shonen but also more casual anime viewers. Why? Well the scope of this article really isn't to tell why although there are various reasons as some have pointed out. Either way I'm going to say why I liked it and what I didn't like.

Shingeki no Kyojin is the story of Eren Yaegar, Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert as they live the life of a child soldier battling a hoarde of man eating giants who drove humanity to near extinction, forcing the survivors to build a huge city surrounded by three long, massive walls in order to keep the Titans out. After a hundred years of peace with no real Titan attacks on humans taking place, a massive Titan, much bigger than all the others sited so far breaks down one of the walls leading to a massive massacre of civilians including the death of Erens own mother. Because of this terrible event Eren swears that he would kill all the Titans leading to him and his friends joining the military dedicated to fighting the Titans.

Nayahahahahaha!

First of all the anime has BEAUTIFUL animation, some of the best animations ever seen in an anime outside of a feature length one. The character designs are slick, linework is great, all the characters minor and major appear distinct from each other, and the action scenes cannot be described as anything but epic. I have to single out the animation and the designs on the Titans themselves whose faces go smack dab straight into the uncanny valley. The way they move is enough to make me shudder and though I rarely get scared, Shingeki no Kyojin actually succeeded in sending shivers down my spine by the mere look on the titans. Seriously, every time one appeared in a close up I was waiting for a jump scare...

Character-wise, all the character certainly are memorable, the have great chemistry, the main trio especially Eren are deep and well-rounded and you do get the feleing that these people are human, that they are people who have a lot to lose. Whilst it would have been a good thing to explore some of the other minor character's backstories, especially those of soldiers who would end up dying an episode or two after they were introduced in order for us to feel their loss more, I think they did a good job on establishing the angst, the sheer fallout that happens when a single soul died.

As for Eren, whilst he is 'badass' and wild, whilst he is deep and unarguably one of the most interesting anime protagonists to come out in recent years, I have to say I was bothered by the fact that we don't see him actually fight enough titans outside of his Titan form. It didn't really detract from his character or anything although it did bother me enough for me to mention it.

Also, whilst I did say the animation was good and all there are way too many 'over-the-top' dramatic moments. I'm not criticising this anime for being over-the-top because it's an anime about humans fighting a ton of giants, it's sort of expected for it's story to be 'unrealistic'*. But when two characters enter an argument or are lamenting they don't merely cry, they weep uncontrollably; they aren't merely upset they break down and the animation elevates their feelings with it. Big dramatic sounds accompany almost every inner monologue or bitter confrontation and it can get a bit grating at times. Also, what was up with that scene between Krista giving some bread to Sasha in episode 3? I couldn't tell if it was going to be a serious moment at first and my only reaction to it was "Huh? That was supposed to be funny? I don't get it..."

Either way, don't try messing with this kid. He gives Guts a run for his money in the willpower and anger department. Also, he self mutilates. Yeah...

However, these are really just nitpicks. None of them detracted me from the shows enjoyment and if it weren't for my ahem, issues at the time I'd have finished watching it sooner. MUCH sooner. Now a reviewer whose content and opinions I think are otherwise excellent actually complained about how the only thing that forced him to not like the show was how selfish the upper society inside the walls were. He said that he sometimes wanted to side with the the titans in order to get rid of these assholes, that he couldn't stand these 'rich douchebags'. They said these 'rich douchebags' were one dimensional which I do sort of agree with. They also said that it was completely unnecessary to the story's development to set up humanity as a self destructive force. And I disagree. I think the fact that humanity not only had to fight the titans but also itself was one of the best aspects of the anime. Just as we have to fight out on our own against the problems that the world brings so we must also fight against ourselves.

As TV Tropes put it, it's about "...how people deal with trauma, survival, loss, and death...as they fight man-eating giants." To say that many characters die would be an understatement; insert obligatory Game of Thrones reference. They all have to face with loss and failure and for once things like collateral damage and loss of lives actually matter.

Throughout, the phrase "Letting go of ones humanity in order to fulfill a greater good" or a variation thereof is uttered. The theme of a person becoming a monster in order to kill an even bigger monster is a huge theme and it's best exemplified in the final two story arcs and especially in the final episode. I've never seen anything like the final fight between Eren and the Female Titan, partly because of how it dealt with the concept of civilian death. There's a scene where Eren sends the Female Titan flying into a building full of innocent bystanders killing them. Whilst he isn't really in control of his Titan form and whilst it is to be expected when two 15 meter tall monsters who are able to crush the very house you live in are ducking it out inside a friendly neighbourhood, I found that scene to be a big eye opener, a huge tear jerker. The scenes involving commander Erwin getting confronted over his decisions and crimes added to the impact that the scene left for me. It made me question the main characters' actions and whether they could have done something else in order to prevent such pointless deaths.

Ok, so this picture doesn't really have to do with anything but, I love women in dresses, hur hur :3

To conclude, would I call Attack on Titan a great anime? Yes. In fact if you haven't watched it, sit yourself in a chair and watch it right the fuck now. Shame on you. Better yet, if you HAVE watched it show it to some people who aren't fans of anime and watch how many times they go "HOLY SHIT!" It's guranteed to give one a good laugh. Despite it's admittedly minor flaws, Attack on Titan was a huge relief and despite its dark themes still very fun, and it's a good thing that it's serving a gateway for people to view other anime.

In all I give it an 8.5 out of 10. The only really serious problem is that it may take quite a while for a second season to even begin production. There's one thing Attack on Titan seriously needs to change and it is this perverted, idiotic practice of not continuing an anime even if its manga is ongoing 'cough' BerserkSankareaHaruhiSuzumiyaElfenLiedRurouniKenshin 'cough' . Ahem. of course we could have the equally bad  dragged out filler episode 'cough' NarutoBleachOnePieceDragonball 'cough'.

P.S. The soundtrack was f*cking amazing.

Sources:

http://the-artifice.com/reasons-why-attack-on-titan-is-popular/
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/AttackOnTitan
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Analysis/Moe