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

OP 2nd

ED 1st

ED 2nd

TRAILER

TRAILER 2

AFA ID 2013

Hi, this is my late post about my experience in AFAID 2013’s event. 

The event last for 3 days in a row. Unlike last year, this event’s place was moved to the center of the city. Anime/manga lovers were very welcoming with this event. This new place they were using for the event is big, big enough to make you don’t mind with the crowd. 

Last year they held only 2 days, now they were holding for 3 days! It was exciting experiences I got with my friends. I went there and got the chance of watching and experiencing something that weren’t there last year. At first, we got a little confused where the booth for ticket sales was. So many irresponsible people who were selling out the tickets for a bigger price than the original price. For example, when I queued for the tickets; there was a person selling the exhibition+stage ticket for IDR 200K (originally IDR 150K). But fortunately, I don’t have to wait so long for ticketing queue and also entering exhibition+stage experiences. 

In stage experience, they promote the new tokusatsu kind of serials with Indonesian actors as the heroes. They also playing two anime movies at first and after lunch. Also, T.M. Revolution (the singer of Heart of Sword in anime Rurouni Kenshin) came and make the event went merrier. After that, they held the cosplay tournament. Unfortunately, I can’t watch it because of time, and we should go home. Before we go, we had the chance of looking around to see how the exhibition went. I noticed that the butler and maid cafe were joined, unlike last year. Maybe to avoid long queue or disappointment for them, whom couldn’t experience the cafe’s concept last year? Well, It looked like the maid and the butler were so full determined in talking and serving. Good to see them still as enthusiastic as ever. 

I also met the mangaka from Indonesia. It seems that She was a mangaka for manga about vegetables, her pen name was SYS (i think). She is a talented mangaka and I feel that She can be more developing in the future. I even bought one of her illustration, got it signed too. Plus, we took photos also. I even friended her on Facebook. Anyway, it was a good post card size illustration. 

We also took pictures in Animax booth. They had a very interesting booth, with Hyouka anime for the main theme for the booth. They set the booth with short table and a nice property for drinking tea. They gave us a free merchandise after we took the photo. 

I had fun! Next year I will come too =D

My Girl (Sahara Mizu) manga series

Yep! I feel like writing a manga review.

So, I’ve been routinely reading a manga from Sahara Mizu sensei called My Girl since i was still in my college year. It’s a 5 volume manga and still is the best drama manga story that I’ve ever read. I first saw this series in one of manga scan web. I clicked every manga title that showed up in that web which I took interested in and read the summary. There, I found My Girl from Sahara Mizu was being uploaded to manga scan web at that time. So I took my first step by clicking it and read the first chapter.

There are so many reasons to loyally follow this series for these long years. First, the story. The story is about a single working guy, Masamune who lives by himself suddenly got a shocking news that his ex-girlfriend called Youko is passed away due to the accident and leaving Koharu, a daughter he never knew of having. Shortly after, Masamune decided to start living together with Koharu and that’s where the story has begun!

Second, the artwork. I will upload, for you to decide =D Remember that the picture I upload is the works belong to Sahara Mizu sensei.

Third, the moral you can take. What was the moral? hmmm… If I should tell you, maybe I’ll tell you a few. Life is unexpected and it’s beautiful. Maybe in many parts of your life was came in many unexpected ways. Maybe it’s too early to speak about life itself. This story is empowering you to keep looking forward and to be brave in taking one step ahead. That’s what I think after reading chapter by chapter.

Well, that’s it! If in wherever you are staying, when it happens that you found this manga at the bookstore nearby, BUY it and support the mangaka (#advertise LOL). In my country? I don’t know… maybe the publisher here is just not interested (#sad). If any of you is a publisher in Indonesia, maybe you should consider to publish it right away!

;d