Post of the Day: Mahou Shoujo Pokémon

Madoka Magica x Pokémon fan art.

- takoyakiboy

Shingeki no Kyojin(Attack on Titan) Anime Review

Shingeki no Kyojin is a 2013 dark fantasy, action shonen anime produced by Wit Studio and Production I.G. and an adaptation of the manga series of the same name. A total of 25 episodes were aired from April 6 to September 28, 2013 along with an OVA based on "Ilse's Notebook" chapter that was released on December 9 of that year. Another OVA is to be aired on April 9, 2014.
The anime is set in a world where giant humanoid creatures called titans suddenly appeared one day and began to devour humans to the point of near extinction. The last remnants of humanity managed to survive the onslaught by living behind three concrete walls tall and strong enough to withstand the titans. The humans have also managed to adapt by creating gear capable of killing titans called Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear.
The story begins when after 100 years of safety from the titans, one day an abnormal colossal titan and armored titan appear and break through the outermost wall. As a result the three protagonists, Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert are forced to flee from their overrun hometown as children. Years later they all enlist in the military and hope to fight back in an always losing battle against the titans as well as discover the mysteries behind them.

This anime really did live up to most of its expectations, in my opinion. The animation and overall presentation was fantastic and well done. The distinctive bold lines had a very medieval Gothic style to the animation that I have never seen before. Music was also used perfectly to match the epic or darkest moments of the anime. Not to mention the both openings of the show were always cool to watch no matter how many times I'd seen them. The action scenes were the meat of the show but the addition of conspiracy and intrigue were mixed in well. Another thing worth mentioning is the alternate medieval  European setting. The attention to little details such as architecture, weapons, and even names were certainly a plus that made the anime look high quality.  The transition of battlefields also made the show more interesting. From civilian buildings within the walls to vast open countrysides and forests full of towering trees, the way the anime showed how the soldiers adapted to the terrain in which they fought was nice.

 As far as the plot and characters are concerned, I have mixed reactions. First let's talk about the characters. Despite having a quite large cast introduced throughout the anime, I felt that the anime only focused on a certain number of characters. Of course we do get a fair share of development from our three main characters but the show also does give a decent amount of dedication towards other characters that might as well make them equally important as much as the original trio. For example, Jean Kirsten is one of the fellow cadets who graduated along side the trio and he isn't that much of an important character in the first half of the show. However, as soon as the graduated cadets face their first battle and many get eaten by the titans, Jean definitely gets a lot more spotlight. One character's death in particular, deeply affects him and there's a couple of scenes that portray what thoughts are going through his mind. With all this time and development on Jean, towards the end of the show his character certainly changes a lot. There are a few other significant side characters that also do get development as well but as for the majority it felt like they would just fill in the role of comedic relief or end up getting killed.

Now, plot-wise I believe this show started off very well. Starting from the first episode it was action packed and even when there wasn't any action going on in some episodes it was still interesting to see what the characters were doing. Once we get into the second half of the show, however, we are treated to an EXTREMELY long battle that takes up a lot of episodes just to conclude. This one single moment does provide some great diversity of the tactics of the soldiers as they are forced to adapt to their changing surroundings with precaution but by the end of the show there is pretty much no progression in plot. In the end, the protagonists are not even close to answering any of the questions central the main plot even after the last episode. Now while this greatly frustrated me I will speculate on the premise that a second season will be in production based on the cliffhanger left in the last episode and therefore be a little bit more forgiving.
Long before this anime even began airing I have heard that it had received A LOT of hype and that so many people were calling it the anime to watch of 2013. As for myself, when I watched the teaser trailer for it I was not that excited, to be honest. The fact that the titans were giant naked people and had stupidily funny faces kind of subracted from the dark and serious atmosphere of the anime. Despite this fact, I was still able to feel the despair and hopeless mood by the numerous failures and deaths that occurred from the desperate battle of the characters against the overwhelmingly powerful titan force. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Shingeki No Kyojin and had an absolute blast watching it. Unlike most hyped animes that become somewhat of a disappointment, Shingeki No Kyojin truly delivered the epic battles it promised.

Pros:

+ Perfectly captures the atmosphere of doom and the determination of mankind's survival

+ Deaths have an impact on characters
+ Epic fight scenes

+ Very distinctive art style
+ Amazing music score
+ Large interesting cast
+ Beautiful detail to setting
+ Diverse environments explored

Cons:
- Pacing becomes inconsistent towards the second half of the series

- Unexplained major plot holes
- Lackluster ending
- Titans look more comedic than scary

Rating: 5/5
* Final Verdict: Definitely the anime of the 2013 and is one of the best animes I've watched so far.

-takoyakiboy

News of the Day: Sword Art Online II Announced

The long awaited second season of SAO has been announced at the end of the Special Edition episode and will come out sometime this year of 2014. Watch the teaser trailer featuring a new character, Sinon of Gun Gale Online, here: http://youtu.be/oLb0ZF08b7k

-takoyakiboy