Attack on Titan is a 25 episode anime (with 5 OVA) based upon the manga of the same name. It is a wildly popular series thanks to the intriguing concept and iconic scenes. It is set in a fictional world where just over 100 years ago, giant humanoid creatures known as Titans mysteriously appears and wiped out most of humanity. How? These are gigantic creatures ranging from 4m to 60m tall, they seek and devour humans and worse of all, they have quick regenerative ability. Decapitated one? The head will grow back within seconds. When the best of human's weapons are cannons, it is no wonder that they were nearly wiped out. There is one last pocket of humanity left, they have settled down within three gigantic walls that are aimed at keeping out the titans.
The walls not only keep out the titans but effectively, the humans themselves are trapped and have limited access to the natural world due to the titans roaming around. The area within the walls are gigantic, with mountains and rivers inside, humans are able to self-sustain and they enjoy peace for many years. All of this changed when one day, a Colossus Titan mysteriously appears and smashes the gate of the outer wall. To put it into perspective, this titan was 60m tall. This allowed many smaller titans to enter the city and create a massacre. This leaves us to following the protagonists, Eren, Misaka and Armin, who were just normal children. During this great tragedy, Eren was forced to watch his family brutally consumed by titans. This is sure to leave a huge psychological mark.
As humans retreat to within the second wall, Eren joins the military and swears to kill all the titans. So how can tiny humans kill a titan? Each titan has a weak spot which is the nape of their neck, in order to get that high, humans have developed a wearable propelling system which they wear as two packs on each side of their waist. Combined with grappling hooks and gearing which allows it to retract, they can travel like Spiderman, swinging through the city. Armed with two extremely sharp swords (with replaceable blades), they can jump up to slash the titans' weak spots and kill them permanently. The story is gripping but the first half falters. It shows great potential and each episode ends in a cliffhanger but the next one doesn't completely satisfy your thirst and hunger for more.
Episodes do not fully answer the questions raised and there is a lot of reflection and flashbacks. While this adds to the backstory, it gets frustrating when most of the episode is dedicated to a flashback and nothing actually happens in the present battle since the last episode! Attack on Titan also shows the cruel and brutal nature of war. Humans are devoured by titans and the way that this is shown is horrible. You feel the fear and despair that the characters much be experiencing. This isn't only done once, but is constantly shown such as when titans overrun a city and you're trapped in a building, being hunted, knowing that your chances of survival is slim to none. At certain points, it can go a bit too far in showing the graphic nature of the deaths.
Despite all the good points about the intense and despairing atmosphere that Attack on Titan has, the plot has a fan fiction feel at times. This is because some of the decisions by characters, or some of the events that happen feel unlikely or are farfetched. In the midst of a near total loss comes a sudden miracle, something that is very unlikely to happen. While it is eventually explained and rationalized, you can't help but feel that it was false tension. This gets frustrating when these events happen without explanation on why it is happening until more than a few episodes later, so it feels it is there just for the sake of action etc.
Attack on Titan also likes to stall for time with expositions or characters talking about theories before it gets back to the major plot point of that episode/arc. Sure, it is a storytelling technique but when it does this in the episode after every major cliffhanger, you can't help but roll your eyes and be annoyed, especially when it cuts from intense action sequences to 20 minutes of people talking in a room. Speaking of action sequences, this is where the anime excels. The battles between a group of humans against a group of titans is very enjoyable to watch. The overpowered titans and unorthodox fighting techniques of humans makes each battle interesting. These battles also instill a sense of fear to the viewer.
The horror and hopelessness you feel whenever a titan snatches a human from midair and devours them is unparalleled and guaranteed to surprise you every single time. This feeling is further heightened through the adrenaline pumping music used. The musical score throughout the series is fantastic, especially toward the second half of the season during battles. While typical of anime, the main character Eren is so useless during the climax as he reflects upon whether he should fight or not. What makes it frustrating is that he starts off with a strong resolve and then degenerates. Screentime from episode after episode is dedicated to his wavering. So when the final showdown is about to occur and this happens, and so many characters dies as he keeps trying to decide, you really want to punch him in the face. Once that is completed though, the final battle did not disappoint.
At the end of the 25 episodes, the biggest questions are still not answered and many plot threads are left unclosed for you to wait until the second season. Once again, this is frustrating that after spending more than eight hours, you did not learn much about the titans at all. Why did the titans appear? What are they? Why are some of the titans special? None of these questions are even touched upon. Frustration pretty much sums Attack on Titan. It is great to watch and the world is very interesting. It is let down by many questions it presents yet does not answer any of it. That said, Attack on Titan is definitely worth a watch thanks to the high quality animation and fight sequences.
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