Attack On Titan has no time for any nonsense, and cuts straight to the chase from the first episode with the fall of Wall Maria. What follows is a bleak, gripping, action-packed story with profound themes, undermined only by certain characters.

PLOT

The series scarcely runs dry with its story. From the very first episode it is galloping. That is not to say it doesn’t have its quiet moments; it does, but they are more spread-out and scarce. The few times the plot manages to become grating is the aftermath of Eren’s transformation into a Titan and the Female Titan arc. The aftermath of Eren’s transformation is an instrumental break that goes on for too long, though it is justified. The Female Titan arc has several episodes that follow the same pattern: The Female Titan chases Squad Levi, some extras die, Eren wants to transform but is hesitant, a few shots of the rest of the Survey Corps, and Eren ultimately getting dissuaded from transforming. It goes on in a loop until the Female Titan is cornered for the first time. It drags to a standstill and becomes rather boring. However, it manages to get back up soon after, and thus the show redeems itself.

CHARACTERS

For the most part, Attack On Titan handles its large cast well and fleshes them out. However, certain characters still ended up suffering.

Eren Yeager: Eren is your stock shonen protagonist — reckless, passionate, strong-willed, naïve, and loving to a fault. That is not to say he is not likable — in fact, quite the opposite. Eren is easily one of my favourite characters in the show because of these qualities. His “angry” attitude is definitely justified — at the age of ten he watched his own mother get eaten by a Titan. It is this love for his mum that fills him with hatred of the Titans. Upon learning about his Titan-shifting powers, Eren uses it for mankind’s benefit, further showing his courage and good heart.

Mikasa Ackerman: On a much more negative note, Eren’s adopted sister Mikasa is easily one of the most wasted characters in the show. Mikasa is very devoted to the Yeagers, especially Eren. Her parents were killed by human traffickers at a young age, and Eren rescues her, and Dr Grisha Yeager – Eren’s father – adopts her into their home. Trauma caused the young Mikasa to realize the cruelty of the world, which caused her to develop her stoic personality. After the death of Carla Yeager and the disappearance of Grisha, Eren is her “home”, which explains her protectiveness and irrationality regarding him.

Thing is, there’s a difference between being sympathetic and having a sympathetic backstory. Mikasa Ackerman falls into the latter category. If she had a personality outside of her devotion to him, she could’ve been the former. However, keeping Eren safe — or “Ereh”, as she calls him — is her life goal. Eren is her will to live. Eren gives her strength. Eren is her weakness and she loses her composure when it comes to him. Everything in her life is centred around Eren Yeager. There is nothing to her except him. They use her to explore themes of human cruelty, but then drop it all to tie it back to Eren. There is no character for her to stand on by herself; Eren is a big part of it. And as someone who does not like character arcs tied to other characters, I did not like her at all.

Armin Arlert: Continuing in the same vein, albeit less intense this time, Armin was also one of my least favourite characters, although my dislike of him cooled gradually. He was said to be very intelligent and a brilliant strategist, but for about half the season the most he strategized was various ways to whine. He spends the first half of the season yelling, crying, and screaming. None of his “intelligence” shines through until the end of the second arc. From then on, he loses most of his irritating aspects, although I still don’t like him. One could say Armin developed as a character.

Levi: The series encapsulates Levi’s personality in his first few scenes. He expresses annoyance upon seeing a large crowd watching the Survey Corps, considering it to be a racket. He slaughters Titans flawlessly, and is shown to be something of a neat freak. However, he doesn’t hesitate to grasp the bloody hand of a dying soldier to comfort him. Another is his response to someone who nearly got the Survey Corps killed by retrieving his friend’s dead body, yet ultimately failing. Instead of admonishing him, Levi simply hands him the badge of his friend and offers him words of comfort. In such few scenes he is given a lot of depth — a captain who seems to be intimidating and emotionless, yet underneath deeply cares about his soldiers. That is not to say his character is completely stony. This adult man gets immense pleasure from insulting others and making poop jokes. They managed to make him human and complex in a very short time, skyrocketing him to my favourites.

Jean Kirstein: Jean firmly established himself as one of my favourites in his first few scenes. Blunt, brutally honest, and incapable of suppressing his thoughts, Jean contrasts with Eren’s fiery nature and serves as a foil to him. Jean is initially shown to be a little cowardly, but he manages to develop courage because of Eren and Marco. As Marco put it, Jean is a good leader because of his down-to-earth and sympathetic nature. He undergoes character development when he abandons his selfish desires and overcomes his fear and joins the Survey Corps.

Connie Springer and Sasha Braus: I figured I would cover these two together because my opinion of them is the same. Connie and Sasha are both very underdeveloped. I can barely pinpoint a single trait of Connie, as he is brushed aside to focus on others. He feels superfluous, and one begins to question why he is even included. Sasha is a comic relief character because of her obsession with food. That is her personality. She is given some expansion that she has a good heart, sharp instincts and a unique fighting style, but there is really nothing else to her.

Hange Zoë: Hange is an interesting character. Initially played as a goofy comic relief because of her obsession with Titans, she is given depth and a tragic reason for her goofy persona. She is actually a very friendly and charming person, and is quite rational and level-headed. Despite being mostly used as a source of humour, she’s given her own personality that makes her likable.

Annie Leonhart: Annie is incredibly well-written, and is also one of my favourite characters. Initially presented as a detached lone wolf, she is shown to be perceptive of her surroundings. Her selfish motives and backstory – briefly shown in this season – flesh her out and make her more developed. And when she is revealed to be the Female Titan, her “villainous” behavior is given justification, and makes her more than a stereotypical villain. Her backstory humanizes her and just shows her for what she really is: a brainwashed, scared girl wanting to go home.

Other noteworthy characters I liked: Erwin Smith, Reiner Braun, Marco Bott, Squad Levi, Hannes

THEMES

If it isn’t obvious, Attack On Titan is bleak and cynical. It discusses the futility of sacrifices, the powerlessness of humans, and compassion in a cruel world. And whatever it discusses, it does so beautifully. The themes never feel out-of-place or hamfisted, and subtly weave themselves naturally into certain scenes. It does an amazing job of showing the themes rather than just telling. However, in spite of the bleak themes, the series still has an underlying hopeful message, which feels as natural as the cynical ones. To put it simply, the themes of the show are realistic and natural.

SOUNDTRACK

Though I am far from the soundtrack’s biggest cheerleader, it is fitting for the show. The pieces hardly felt inappropriate or overdone. However, for me, the pieces were not particularly memorable, except for the Armoured Titan theme. However, the soundtrack fulfills its task, and is acceptable.

#OVERALL THOUGHTS#
Attack On Titan has a thrilling, action-packed plot with some weaker points; a large, mostly likable cast; well-conveyed themes; and an acceptable soundtrack. I would personally recommend it as the positives of the show massively outweigh the negatives.