(TLDR Review at the bottom, as always, thanks for reading)
Obligatory Dream moment note:
Spoiler, click to view
Also, according to Anilist statistics, only a small percentage of people reading this review, are actually followed. So if you ended up liking this review, consider following, it's free, you can always unfollow later. Enjoy the review :)ALSO YES I TALK ABOUT THE DAMN ENDING. READ BEFORE JUDGING SCORE THO BRUH.
Despair. Anger. Secrets. Betrayal. Disappointment. Power. Freedom.
I could keep going forever. Unfortunately, I have a review to make.
POV: You are a survey corps member, in front of a 12-meter titan, you are the only person within your visibility radius, your comrades have fallen, you don't know if other threats linger around. The only question passing through your head is, "will this be the end?".
You could run away, you could try to fight it, you could sit there paralysed at the shock that has shaped your nervous system, maybe even hoping someone would come your way to save you. Or something else may happen, something peculiar like the titan suddenly skipping you out heading on to the next destination it has in mind, or maybe, it suddenly starts attacking another titan. In this world of Attack on Titan, when you feel like you have all the pieces together. You are suddenly thrown back down to zero. You just don't know what will happen next.
Isayama's Attack on Titan is a world where humans aren't at the top of the food chain, stories like these tend to be the most interesting diving into the different actions people take when faced with such hierarchical order, and with such stories, the human action is rather interesting to view. We are intelligent creatures with the ability to reason, but we also have our emotional sides to us which may hinder us when proceeding to take logical actions, in addition, some of us are 'good' people, others of us are 'bad'. Not only can we hinder ourselves with emotion, but we can also blatantly do what is morally wrong, and optimistically right for that matter, in the name of our own selfish desires, and that is what Attack on Titan can show us. In a world where humanity has been decimated to the point where they literally had 3 walls barricade them from their predators, living within them for many years, "safe", there are still some people that have the will to fight, an irrational fighting spirit, but one useful nonetheless. In the face of a matter of time until absolute obliteration. People still fight, some chance is better than no chance after all. But when the stats add up, and you see that most of the time, your side ends in failure, what is the reason to continue going? And even if you do somehow miraculously succeed. Are the losses worth it? How can you be sure that the aim you are heading for is one that won't lead to disappointment or even the complete opposite of what you hoped for? Attack on Titan is a great story, and probably one of the best, at telling a tale based on this premise. Relative to this fictional world, as weak feeble beings, we still go on forward, even when the odds are against us. People push on. You have probably heard this so many times over that it is uncountable, but Attack on Titan is believable, maybe even realistic with this situation it gives. Sometimes it is not even a question of who will win/lose, sometimes it is a question of is this even the correct battle to be fighting.
Attack on Titan's start isn't the best thing it has to offer, if anything, it comes across as rather generic. Young bratty ignorant child hates the world and wants what is supposedly rightfully his. Even the characters at this point are pretty basic with their one-dimensional personalities being layered with conspicuous ideals that are given at a constant, even though most readers probably got it the first 7 times already. It is rather slow to get into the more interesting sections which start around the Female Titan Arc, where we are really starting to question what the hell is going on in the world given. Other than that the start also gives a lightly fogged world to look into. The entire idea of the world of being trapped like birds in the cages was already questioned in the start, it makes you think, why is that. You can tell it has been happening for so long as well considering the residents constantly complain at the failure the Survey Crops give with each passing mission. People are still fighting, it has been like that for as long as who knows. But these titans just seem to come in endless swarms like they were Minecraft mobs. But that is all the noticeable things the start has to offer. The execution of it all was quite slow and takes a little getting into before you can get to the parts that really make Attack on Titan what it is, or at least the main part of it.
As said, the Female Titan Arc is when things get interesting, the story doesn't straight up tell you what is going on, you have to decipher it for yourself. It is pretty easy to understand where the secrets lie when those unanswered questions do come up, however, those only bring more questions unanswered. For example, understanding human-controlled titans exist only leads to the question of "who exactly broke the wall", "why did they", "where did they get this power to do such". When you feel like you finally feel like you have understood this damned world, you are spontaneously thrown back in the dark. It is just so engaging that you continue reading indefinitely. I am one of those people that read things, gets about a tenth of the way through, and then just moves on to some other story I find interesting, I can't say the same for Attack on Titan. It kept me occupied for quite a while. We can ignore the fact that I started reading the entire thing in the middle of September 2020 so I could get up to date for reasons of being impatient to wait for the anime, and there is this weird irrational feeling of need to feel like someone who knows everything because manga readers are like that at times. Though seriously, it does keep you drawn in its content because it plays with the mystery so well. Things continue to stay immersing as well. Most of the time, stories like Attack on Titan fail to stay enthralling because of how fast they give out information to the reader. It is kinda just hurled towards you without any second guesses, and you are expected to stay read on even though you might as well guess the ending considering you have a 70% chance of getting it right anyway, assuming you have read/watched a significant amount of anime/manga. Attack on Titan is different however and is one of the few stories I have come across that is exceptional at sustaining mystery, and it does it for so long too. People left and right you are not expecting to be a threat to humanity, abruptly switch up without leaving behind any real explanation you need for your lingering questions, and sometimes it isn't just, "Oh, I didn't did know X was going to be a titan", there is also humans in unprecedented powerful positions and other insane backstories to add on to the glory the story has quite the innovation.
I won't get too much into how the story closes, what I will say however is that it is vastly different from the rest of Attack on Titan before the Marley Arc. Everything has been answered, or at least everything relevant to what has happened prior, changes happen all over the place, and you understand that you are in the final stage, or the endgame if you like. Admittedly, this wasn't what I expected, I expected full out action throughout the entire thing, with an Avengers Endgame type finale as the cherry on top, but I guess I can say that I am still satisfied that it wasn't. It would have been nice, but Attack on Titan stays true to its glory. For those who would get easily disappointed by pure action taking away the value of a story, I can say wholeheartedly you needn't worry. However… enter the Final Arc.
The ending. Like. That ending.
What controversy. I don't know if I will see a community reaction like this again. I will be honest. I can't say I am happy with Isayama's decisions on the Final Arc, everything was going so well and then it just happened to break away slowly from the glory given before. Many fans call the arc worse than GOT S8, others say it ruined AOT, others say that this arc is amazing, hell, just about every opinion is here with this controversial arc. I myself find it a disheartening arc in that it doesn't really meet expectations I have, it's not shit as people will tell you it is, that is blind hate with no real analysis, but not spectacular either, there are flaws, I will gladly call out on when I must. For anyone new to this manga, I have tried to make this review spoilerless, but what I will say is that you may find yourself like me, not loving the ending, but not hating it with passion either. Really, with chapters coming in on a monthly basis, hyping will inevitably meet major disappointments if you see something you rather you wouldn't. That is essentially what has happened in this case. But enough about that though. Whilst the cherry on top has gone bad, the entire cake is still fresh and ready to feast on. Otherwise, as r/titanfolk would say, "Akatsuki no Copium".
Now for characters. By no means awful, the worst thing Attack on Titan had to offer. They started out as plain as possible, but as the story proceeded, they did become better on the whole. I really have no complaints with them other than the start. I could go on endlessly with a character analysis for each and every individual. But for this review, I will stick to the main trio, whilst briefly going over the other important characters.
Eren, probably one of the best characters to exist, it is completely ironic to what he is at the start of the story. Really. This guy is the textbook definition of that one kid at school people laugh at and doubt, who ends up making it into the history books as top 10 people who shaped the world. If it were real life, he would be up there with leaders of former superpower empires. Of course, it does not happen instantaneously, you need to converge yourself in the journey for full effect, see how he takes up such a drastic evolution. But it is all funny really, you would never guess a crybaby kid like him who thinks he is always right, turn the tables around while never actually touching the tables. What I mean is, when he says he will do something, he will do everything in his power to do so, taking no one else into account, and where does that lead him. Quite the dangerous path actually, but one that should have been seen since the very beginning. It is just amazing to see such a guy grow.
Now we have Mikasa. sigh. I will get straight to the point, I like cold gloomy girls like Mikasa, but she is just all the wrong things slapped into a super-soldier. Probably the worst character in the entire story. Everything she does is in the name of Eren, sticking to the guy like that 2p coin I superglued under my table a few years ago. Her affection for Eren is why she sucks so much because that is all she is. She has no humanity for herself so much so that I cannot remember a single original thought or interest coming from the girl without the influence of Eren, not that Eren even makes her think about things that have nothing to do with him anyway. I understand that Eren quite literally saved her life. But even so, with the amount of shit most characters have been through, it is clear that they care for each other, characters that have been through more or less than Mikasa still show some sympathy in their actions, even those with similar personalities her. It literally feels like Isayama just remembered he learnt Python a while back and whipped up simple code, plugged it into her brain for her to function so that every time Eren appeared she would go dere dere mode. Other than that, I can't really say I like her a lot. What a waste of a great character, not that her backstory made up for it considering how irrelevant it became in the realm of Mikasa's mind. What a waste of a great waifu too.
Armin. Heh. I can't really put my finger at where he would be in terms of how great of a character he is. Although his physical weakness is a downside to him, he has good qualities about himself, being very intelligent as well as possessing the ability to freely think and make good judgement, but it was tragic how little attention he had, or should I say, the lack of engaging moments he has, which inevitably worsened his profile. I can't really say it was his fault, but for someone who is supposedly the MC, not much insight is given to him other than what he can do. Nothing about the guy is special other than he is Eren's childhood friend with that big dream of seeing the vast beauty of the world's landscapes. But even those with no connection similar to Eren as he has, have some detail behind themself as well as their motives. Armin just kinda exists and is used when he is convenient to the situation. Everyone in this world is suffering, but the guy may as well be mistaken for some citizen in the crowds because seriously, I don't see where he is different from the rest other than his usefulness. I really wanted to like the guy but I was never given a chance to, quite upsetting but it is what it is.
Secondary characters are very impressive in the story, they have the same importance as the main three, so they weren't slept on or anything like that. Characters like Erwin and Levi have that clear dedication to themselves in what they do, and what makes them better characters is that even though they have high positions within the military, they are still like every character left in the dark about the truth within and beyond the walls. But that doesn't stop them from going on to wanting to learn more, although Levi isn't as ambitious as Erwin, despite this, they both have the same curiosity even if it doesn't look like it. Strong characters mentally and physically, I personally prefer Erwin's character since Levi is just an overpowered super soldier compared to Erwin as one of the best members to exist in the entire military's existence. Everything about the man is moving forward and maintaining correct order for the people, the dedication from him is on an unprecedented level. Hange is a great character too, I like their personality a lot, but their development is very slow given the circumstances in the story, they didn't have enough time to develop into some beast of a character, rather, in the end, Hange was a fine line between the past and present version of themself. Generalisation here, but characters Jean, Connie, Sasha, Annie, Ymir, Krista, Reiner, Bertholdt, Gabi, Falco, Pieck were all good characters in their own right, like every other character they all had suffering to endure through, and towards the end, they go through a noticeable difference to how they started off as. I don't think any of these characters are forgettable, quite the opposite if anything.
All in all, every major character in the story plays their part to a high standard, I have missed out on quite a few characters but despite doing so, each and all individuals felt human and had realistic dialogue whilst conversing.
Do I really need to ramble on about art? Everything has been made with great detail to a high standard. Character designs are on point, flashy action scenes aren't just pure flashy content, there is attentive detail to character motion. What I will say, however, is that the art style looks ever so scratchy or scruffy. Not that it was a bad thing, it just gives Attack on Titan its differentiation from other manga that may fall into the same category, such as those that are outright madness (Chainsaw Man for example), but not that it is smooth as your general shounen manga (My Hero Academia for example). Plenty of great panels to just capture the scene throughout the entire duration.
Even snatching off random panels from Google Images will do the trick. As I will prove with:
Marley arc and after spoiler images:
Spoiler, click to view
Attack on Titan's enjoyment is well built. When I say this I mean that the world it is set in is real. As in, everything that has been made isn't just, cannon goes boom, projectile goes hit, people go slash. There is a genuine thought out function to how things work, like the 3D manoeuvre gear works, how the cannons work, why there are little districts sticking out of the wall, why beef is a delicacy. All of it. Everything has some deep meaning to them. I find it great on Isayama's behalf to put so much effort into the little things that will probably woooosh over your head because, admittedly, who cares how something like that works or functions. Even so, the effort to make such a decision sets the world already before you have even started, whilst you may question why this isn't in the narrative section of the review, I think this mostly can come down to enjoyment too in that the little things of the story make you look and think "wow" or "great work there Yams".
Most of Attack on Titan is very enjoyable in the sense that as well as the story themes, the reactions you take from them are also something to look at. When an event happens, you yourself are allowed to question whether or not said person is doing the right thing or not, and there'd be no wrong answers. Take that as your thoughts towards a character or an entity and you are in a position where you love or hate something due to what it has done so far. Attack on Titan has done this implicitly and explicitly, one explicit community example boils down to a "who's side or you on". Very clear split between who is ever on the spectrum. I don't see a lot of manga doing this so Attack on Titan has a lot to give with internal and external enjoyment for all. A two in one I wouldn't dash toward the side. As well as this, there are just general hype scenes, who doesn't like a good tatakae moment or a battle between two OP characters. It's all in here in this manga.
Story - 95: Slow start, but the mystery is played with well. You have no idea about what will happen next. VERY QUESTIONABLE ending.
Art - 100: Great art that is used throughout regardless of the time within the manga.
Character - 95: Weak start, generic if you want. But the character development is real. Only 2 characters that don't quite fit the bill, but everything else makes up.
Enjoyment - 95: Again, slow at some parts. But overall very interesting, you are just engaged with whatever the hell is going on. Also great worldbuilding, top tier level.
Well, what can I say? I started Attack on Titan like most others did, with the anime. I started a bit later in 2014 though. I didn't watch it for a long minute until about 2019 where I went and watched the series from season 2 to season 3 part 2, finishing Final Season part 1. I can say that I have still maintained a positive overview of the series after such a while. I would recommend this to everyone and would go as far as to recommend this to anyone new to manga (and anime), it is one of those stories that will make it into the top 10 countless times, the series that defined anime of the 2010s, the only series able to allow places like r/titanfolk to exist, though admittedly, I wouldn't call it the best anime or manga in the world. That is a debate for another time. It is just very good, a "masterpiece" if you want to go that far.
This part is in italics as a quick real-time note whilst I'm about to upload this, if you are here for a genuine review, please skip this comment of mine.
I wrote this review long ago and just waited for the final chapter to come out to drop this, yes, I talked about the ending in the narrative section, but here is a more organic comment if you like. The ending obviously has changed what I think about AOT a lot, but logically thinking, whilst the ending does have major importance, IT IS NOT THE WHOLE THING, I myself, will admit, the ending isn't good, but it isn't bad either, it was a meh in my eyes. I have a lot to say about the ending, if you catch me on forums, feel free to comment on what I think about it. A reaction like this was expected, but I just didn't really prepare this review for that lol. Overall, AOT is still incredibly good, and yes, it doesn't play out well, but we forget that monthly releases and hype to the end will impact what we say. Sometimes the community curses thoughts, but really and truly, AOT was very fun to read, everything was executed nicely despite a disheartening ending.
And so, as the journey comes to a close, I leave you with some memorable lyrics, where it all started:
"Sie sind das Essen und Wir sind die Jäger!"
If you are not going to read the review and just see if the score I gave correlates to the ending. Just read the italics section I put lol.