Attack On Titan: Complete Season One Collectio

Part 1
There are quite a few highly acclaimed Anime’s out there that have introduced people to the world of Anime, as well as gotten the attention of non-anime fans. Shows like that have been shows like Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, etc. Attack on Titan is one of the biggest new Anime’s available, and is one that has started off pretty well. But the question is, is Attack on Titan worth the hype that so many people have put on the show for the past year? Well, yes, it does deserve the hype, but I recommend going into the series not expecting too much to enjoy it to its fullest.

STORY
Humanity is on the brink of extinction and hide three great walls; Wall Maria, Wall Rose, and Wall Sina. These walls are fifty feet high, and are so big that no Titan can break through it. Until the Colossal Titan comes along and makes a hole in the wall, so that other Titans can get through. Thus starts the mass slaughter of humanity.
Now, we’ve all heard about humanity having to fight back against things before, but Attack on Titan brings this idea in a unique way. There are so many questions to be asked, like why do the Titans look like humans, but the answers cannot be given yet. It’s set up so that you know things about the situation before the main events begin, and then you learn what the characters learn. I like it when a series sticks you in with the same knowledge as the characters when a series begins, so that when something new comes along its surprising for both the viewer.
I really like this story because it feels so new, and unique, and it’s one of the few Anime’s that, so far, has no fillers. This means that you can easily go through the story, and purely enjoy the story, without being taken away from the main events and onto a story that serves no purpose. This series also deserves points for keeping you interested. For example; after the first couple episodes the endings of an episode end in such a way that makes you want the next one, then the next, then the next, until you’ve reached the end of all available episodes and all you can do is sit and wait for the next lot. I guess in terms of being addictive this show is like The Walking Dead, 24, Supernatural, and Game of Thrones; in other words its very addictive.

CHARACTERS
Now, how do I put this? Apart from the main characters, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, anyone else can die at any given moment. Heck, even the three absolute main characters I just mentioned can die. They may have less likelihood of dying, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t. This show likes to practically scream this fact to you most of the time.
So, what can I say about the characters that are less likely to die at the drop of a hat? Well, Eren is one of those characters that are fuelled by revenge for how the Titans have ruined his life, and has taken what he loves. He vows that he will kill every last Titan. In other words; he’s the awesome emo of the series.
Armin is, bottom line, a coward and a smart ass. He’ll cower as everyone around him dies, which plays a significant part in his character development, but when the situation calls for it he is a good tactician and can come up with a decent plan on the spot.
Finally, we have Mikasa. She’s a character that is described to be perfect, which in itself is a flaw, as well as the fact that she is one of the coolest heroines of all time.
There’s plenty of characters, and character development in this series, but if I try to explain in more detail it’ll be delving into spoilers.

ANIMATION & SOUND
The animation of this series is done by a brand new studio called Wit Studio, which was founded by the producers at Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion The End of Evangelion, FLCL, Blood The Last Vampire, anime scenes for Tales of games, and Psycho-Pass), as well as having production cooperation by them. So, the animation is pretty good. There are times when you can tell that they skimped on scenes due to budget, but then made up for it in other places. Mostly the moments when people are swinging around using they’re Mobility Gear. There’s also the very nice artwork as well. The backgrounds are beautiful, and the characters have thick black lines that distinguish themselves from the background. This maybe an art style for people to get used to, but I really liked this style and accepted it straight away. I recommend that people look at some pictures and trailers because it looks very well done.
Next, is sound, but I’m just going to comment on the music first. I mean, it’s very well done. It suits the scenes it’s played, and a lot of the music does stand out. Especially the surprising vocal insert songs ‘The Reluctant Heroes’ and ‘DOA’, which are in English by the way. I recommend to buy the Anime’s soundtrack mostly for those songs, but to buy the UK version not the import. The physical UK copy is provided by Anime Limited (A.K.A All the Anime), so why not support the official release over here and buy it rather than importing the same CD. This way we might see more Anime CD’s being released in the future.
Finally is the dub. This is something that a lot of people will rant and rave about because of the whole Sub VS Dub thing, so it really comes down to which version you watch first. Both dubs are good, so it really comes down to what people prefer. The English dub is by the infamous Funimation (Dragon Ball Z, Fullmetal Alchemist, and the new Evangelion movies-1.11, 2.22, and 3.33), and they do a really good job of dubbing this series. I honestly can’t say that this is a bad dub, because it’s solid. We have Bryce Papenbrook (Zidane in Dissidia Final Fantasy, Kirito in Sword Art Online, and Rin Okumura in Blue Exorcist) as Eren Yeager, who provides a fantastic performance with some touching moments that brought the character to life. Josh Grelle (Akihisa Yoshii in Baka and Test, Ichika Orimura in Infinite Stratos, and Shido Itsuka in Date A Live) takes a step away from Anime comedies and brings a decent, and surprising, performance as Armin. Trina Nishimura (Lan Fan in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Sohara in Heaven’s Lost Property, Makise in Steins;Gate, and Mari Illustrious Makinami in Evangelion 2.22, and 3.33) provides a solid performance as Mikasa, Mike McFarland (Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, and Master Roshi in Dragon Ball) who also provides a solid performance as Jean Kirschtein, and Matthew Mercer (Melvin Voyager in Fullmetal Alchemist The Sacred Star of Milos, Chrom in Fire Emblem Awakening, and Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil) provides a fantastic performance as the awesome Levi. There are not just some well-known actors/actresses in this, but also a decent amount of lesser known or new actor/actresses. We have Clifford Chapin (Howe in Jormungand: Perfect Order, and Kaito Yashio in Robotics;Notes) as Connie Springer, Austin Tindle (Ayumu Aikawa in Is This a Zombie?, and Accelerator in A Certain Magical Index/A Certain Scientific Railgun) as Marco Bodt, Ashly Burch as Sasha Braus, Scott Freeman (Yuuji Sakamoto in Baka and Test) as Ian Dietrich, Elizabeth Maxwell as Freckles, Robert McCollum (Goten in Dragon Ball GT) as Reiner Braun, R. Bruce Elliott (Captain Ginyu in Dragon Ball Z Kai) as Dot Pixis, and Morgan Garrett (Seraphim in Is This a Zombie?, and Kaori Kanzaki in A Certain Magical Index) as Rico Brzenska.

OVERALL
This is a great show that is as close to perfection as you can get with any show. It is by no means perfect but it is close. I can easily give this a recommendation to buy, because a great show like this deserves that much. If you are getting into anime, or are just interested in this show I still recommend that people watch it.

Part 2
Honestly, there’s loads of survival series that’s come out these days, and Attack on Titan is one that not only different but has a perfect mix of action, drama, and all sorts you’d expect to see if you like this sort of thing. Now, if you’re reading this then you must be an Attack on Titan fan, or just curious about how the series end’s, or both. I can reassure everyone now that it does end well, and if you haven’t bought it yet then go do it right now. The final number of episodes made me see why this series is so hyped up to the extent that it is. Now I’m not going to do that and hype this up to the heaven’s, but I will say that the final lot of episodes is very addictive and are probably the most addictive episodes I have ever come across. So, if you like the series, if you’ve bought part 1, or if you like survival, action, series then go out get Attack on Titan.

STORY
Anyway, the story progresses a lot throughout the final lot of episodes. There are all sorts of twists and turns. There are a lot of moments that have you guessing things, but then when little bits of information is revealed you can only get excited at what’s coming next. There’s a lot of moment’s that’ll leave you with your mouth wide open, chills running down your spine, and times when you scream, “No! That can’t be the end! Next episode, next episode!” If you found part 1 one big thrill ride then brace you’re self for part 2.
I will say it now though; the ending is a decent one. It doesn’t answer all questions, but instead leaves you hanging on a few. Which is good, but it just makes me want to watch more now. Hopefully we’ll see a second season soon; I’ll be pretty damn surprised if we don’t.

CHARACTERS
There’s a lot of character development in this part. There are more little interactions with characters that make them standout every time they’re on screen. This is done very well, like the last part, to the point where you can’t help but get attached to even the minor characters. All character development is done ever so well, and leaves you satisfied with how it all progresses in such a short amount of time.

ANIMATION & SOUND
The animation is just as good as the last parts, as well as the style of series. If anything the action sequences look a lot cooler, and get you excited in every possible way. Especially when it’s Titan VS Titan.
The soundtrack is also as good as ever, though most of the music from the last part is carried over to the rest of the remaining episodes, but at least there are still some interesting new tracks. That does also include some new vocal songs, which are just as good to listen to as the previous ones and are also in English like the others. If you didn’t know there is UK version of the Attack on Titan Soundtrack out now on CD; you just need to make sure that it is from Anime Limited (A.K.A. All The Anime), because it is important that the official release over here is supported so that we can see more anime soundtrack’s in the future.
The dub is also excellent. It sounds like that there’s more emotion to all the characters, as well as the actors, and actresses, putting effort into it. It’s most likely because the actors know the character’s better. There’s also a wide range of voice actors, old and new, that appear in either main roles or side roles. If you want to know who’s in the dub then please head over to IMDB, or Behind the Voice Actors.

OVERALL
With the conclusion to Season 1 of Attack on Titan I can proudly say it is one hell of a ride. There’s so much that happens, and there’s so much to say, but I can’t say much because of spoilers. But what I can say is that I think that this is one of the best anime’s to come out in recent years, and is probably one of the best examples that not all survival series-or series with survival themes-has to be like The Hunger Games, or Battle Royale.
I can definitely give this an overall rating, as an entire season, of 9/10 stars. I’m not going to give it a 10/10 rating because that would mean it’s flawless, which it isn’t, but the main reason is because of the open possibility of a second season. So we’ll have to wait and see how it continues. I can give this a recommendation to buy, without a doubt.
For all of you Attack on Titan fans keep you’re peeled for any news on an upcoming second season, as well as news on the OVA series based on the No Regrets manga, and the upcoming animated and live action Attack on Titan movies.