Shingeki no Kyojin ~ Attack on Titan

Hi again!

I’m here now, make my time to write some more anime reviews. At this age I am still liking anime, manga and otaku stuff. But I’m not a genuine otaku. I like it, that’s all. This time I’m going to make a review about a serial anime that I recently watched. Shingeki no Kyojin.

Well, at first I didn’t know that this anime existed until one day I attended AFA ID 2013 in Senayan. I saw a big picture of the monster in this anime. Yep, it’s creepy yet interesting. Anyway, I tried to find a local magazine which had made the review already. I didn’t have time to watch it before, until 2 weeks ago I started to stream the episode online.

So, Shingeki no Kyojin takes time where mankind almost extinct because of the titan/giant. Mankind was cornered and struggling to defend their existence by build a gigantic wall that protected them from the giant. Wall Maria, Wall Rose and Wall Sina. That three walls are where our heroes comes from. 100 years has passed by and no giant has been going through the wall within that long time. Very little information that the mankind got from the titan, they have hard skin and regenerative abilities. They gain energy from the sunlight. Their weakness in in their lower neck in the back.

There are 3 kinds of troops that has the role to protect the walls. Military Police Brigade is an elite corps to protect the king and to enforce at the capital. Garrison is the soldiers to protect the town and the walls. Survey Corps is the corps who’s job is to fight the titan in its territory outside the walls. Their goals is to find out more about the origin of the titan, motives, weaknesses, etc.

Our hero Eren Yeager is the key of the story. He used to live with his parents and Mikasa Ackerman. He became an orphan because the bloody day that happened when Colossal (maybe?)Titan attacked the wall and made a big hole for lots of titan got into the town. Because of this event, Eren Yeager made a promise to himself the he will kill all of the titan. While Mikasa who became an orphan because of her parents were killed by her kidnappers, she lived with Eren and his parents. Because of the bloody day, she decided to always stay by Eren’s side no matter what. They both also has a friend who used to be bullied, Armin Arlert. He was a weak but he has knowledge and smart. He used to feel that he was a hindrance to his friends, but he decided to do what he can do to help their friends and stop being miserable anymore.

After the bloody day, they refuged to the other wall. As they grow up, Eren, Mikasa and Armin made into the military and meet their friends, the 104th Corps Graduates. After they are graduated, the Colossal Titan suddenly make an appearance again and once again break the wall, in front of Eren’s eyes at Trost. Decided not to hesitate no more, Eren fights with determination. Same as before, after the Colossal Titan attacking, it disappeared again and manage to make the breach in Trost. In this second attack, Eren was being eaten by one of the titan in front of Armin’s eyes. The thought of losing one of his best friend, made him extremely at loss and don’t know what to do. After Mikasa knew the news that Eren has been eaten, she’s gone mad and at loss too. Remembering that she is left alone again and don’t care what will happened to her. But suddenly when she was in a pinch, a mysterious titan appears. It helps Mikasa to fight. Armin who is smart, has the bright idea and seeing the chance to use the titan to helps the troops that already trapped in the central base of the wall. This idea first is doubted by his comrades, but he is determined in convincing them so they use his idea, which is turned out great. The plans has worked out. In the succession of Armin’s plan, the mysterious titan is being eaten by the other titan. It leaves a big question in Armin and other’s mind. Soon, after they took down the titan who’s eating the mysterious titan (i think), that mysterious titan is put out a lot of steam. It shows that in the lower back of the neck there is somebody, emerged inside of that mysterious titan. Mikasa not hesitant to get closer because of her hunch that the person is Eren. Armin is surprised by it but wonder how did Eren got the ability of regenerating like a titan and especially how did he transformed into a titan.

They were saved for now, but the military taken Mikasa, Eren and Armin to be questioned. The military has the suspicion of Eren’s existence whether he’s a threat or the savior of the mankind. Afraid to take a risk, the military decides to kill Eren. They were saved because Eren was transformed himself again into a half skulled body to protect his friends and in the meantime giving time to think what’s next. When Eren almost being executed one-sidedly, Dot Pixis came to stop the military. He is the Highest Ranked Administrator of the Southern Region Military. He’s seeing that Eren’s titan power can help them to seal the breach. When Eren’s got swayed at his new power and almost forget of his mission, he almost killed Mikasa. The soldiers who assists Eren and Mikasa to complete the mission, are in the verge of deserting Eren during his mission to seal the breach while in the end Armin helps to make his best friend wake up and conscious of his original mission. After the hell of a fight with titans and Eren’s struggling to seal the breach of Trost, Eren made it to seal it, which made the first winning of mankind. The fight isn’t over. The troops still have to fight the titan that still left in the wall, after the fight, the soldier still have to recollect the victim body also their comrades. Not a beauty image to begin with.

When Eren’s wakes up, He’s confined in the military jail. He got the visit from the head of Survey Corps, Erwin Smith and the head of Special Operation Squad (the sub division in Survey Corps), Levi. After being questioned, which the point is made Eren more determined to kill more titans. Eren’s answer make the head of the corps also Levi take interest in him and decide to keep Eren with them in the Special Operation Squad.

If I have to tell all the story, it will be a spoiler. Shingeki no Kyojin was originally a manga made by Isayama Hajime and it has won Kodansha Manga Award in Shounen category and and was nominated for both the 4th annual Manga Taisho award and the 16th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (source: wikipedia). The manga still on going (now still in 12th volume) while the anime has a total 25 episodes and 2 OVAs.

I rate this 9/10, because of the action scene. Seems brutal, but there are things that we can learn from the story. “The world is cruel” is what Mikasa said to Eren. I still love the fighting scene, it gave me thrill till the end. I hope that they will make the 2nd season or maybe after the manga ends they will remake it which will take a very long time (i remember Fullmetal Alchemist though). As for the soundtrack… judge yourself.

OP 1st