My "Attack on Titan" viewing diary.

[Hijiri Byakuren]

I've binge-watched my way up to episode 10 and have decided to start up a little viewing diary.

My original review of the first 3 episodes can be found here, and most of what I said back then still stands. The episodes kind of blur together for me since I watched these first 10 just today, so I'll just lump everything from episode 4-10 together in this post.

The Boring Boot-camp Bullshit
Dear god was that hard to sit through, and it was a relief at the end of episode 4 when the colossal titan showed up. I hate boot-camp episodes; I've yet to see a writer able to do it well, and at this point I wish all writers everywhere would just stop trying.

Battle of Trost
I'm torn on how to feel about this string of episodes. The battle began very strong, with the colossal titan encounter being paced exactly the way I thought it should have. Up until after Eren gets eaten, it felt like the writers had finally found this show's rhythm, combining internal angst and external action in a perfect symphony of storytelling.

Once the story shifts back to Mikasa, we get this bizarre and abrupt cut to her childhood. In my earlier review, I mentioned that a good way to use the boot camp episode would be as a time to reflect and get to know these characters via flashbacks: this is one of those sequences that should have been in there, not the contrived BS with Eren and the balance test. Its placement here completely destroys the flow of the narrative, and had I not committed to watching the full season I probably would have turned the show off right there.

As a result of this, just planning to retake the supply base takes something like 2 or 3 episodes. During this time we start getting inside the head of John or Jean or whatever the fuck his name is (henceforth "Dickhead"), and Jesus fuck in heaven he's worse than Eren. Dickhead's lamenting not getting his cushy assignment sooner, lets several of his comrades get eaten, and finally gets to the supply base only to become a useless bystander once again. In case you haven't gathered by now, I really hate glorified extras.

Meanwhile, the only two characters who aren't completely useless are trailing a rogue titan, who has begun attacking other titans. They decide to use I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Godzilla as their 15-meter tall linebacker to make it to the supply base and clear out the invading titans. They rendezvous with Dickhead, and Armin comes up with a plan to use guns for blinding the titans in the canister room, while other soldiers hide in the rafters and slice the titans' necks. Surprisingly, this sudden bout of competence actually works, and they head outside to escape. But Mikasa decides to see what's become of the rogue titan, and shockingly this titan who looks almost exactly like Eren is actually Eren in titan form who the fuck would have guessed!?

The Aftermath
So they recover Eren and bring him back over the wall, only to have (and I shit you not) two goddamn episodes of the three of them standing in the exact same spot having a Mexican standoff with Captain Crazy and his Merry Men. And people wonder why I have little good to say about this show.

Remember, Armin has already come up and/or backed up some decent military plans, proving himself to be one of the group's most capable members. Naturally, he immediately collapses into a nervous breakdown at the slightest hint of adversity once this two-episode bullshit begins. Shinji "I mustn't run away" Ikari had more balls than this, and he was fighting eldritch abominations that can rip your very soul into shreds!

General Reason finally shows up and the angst calms down for the moment. He asks if Eren can use his power to move a boulder, and Eren says he'll give it the old college try. Roll credits, episode 10.

My Current Verdict
I like kaiju, and this show has some very good moments that make me want to like it. Unfortunately, those moments are precisely that: moments. The show as a whole so far is a narrative train wreck that makes the first season of RWBY look like a masterpiece of fiction. Let's hope tomorrow's viewing will show some improvement, because right now I'm not holding out a lot of hope for this show to redeem itself.

[Hydra009]

Yeah, boot camp was rough.  And you're right, the show has a lot of issues.  I'm rewatching it and I've noticed lots of padding - lengthy recap, stilled or panning shots, and inconsequential dialogue.  For every minute of awesome action, there's a lot awful lot of unexciting stuff to slog through.  I do like the Currently Disclosable Information bumpers, though.

The plot's very convoluted.  I still don't understand it, to be honest.  Though I have to say, it does improve over the course of the show.

As for the cast, I actually like a lot of the secondary cast more than the main cast.  I dunno, they just sort of grew on me.  I like them more now than the main three, to be honest.

I really like Hange/Hanji.



She's so passionate and inquisitive!  And reckless, but sometimes you have to let a fish bite your hand to toss it out of the lake.

[spoiler]

shockingly this titan who looks almost exactly like Eren is actually Eren in titan form who the fuck would have guessed!?

Eh...there is a resemblance, but it'd be hard for someone who doesn't know him well to notice it.  And it's not like people are predisposed to identifying titans.  They're simply monsters to be destroyed.  Who cares who they look like.[/spoiler]

[Draconic Aiur]

noobs watching anime

[PickelledEggs]

I liked Sasha in Attack on Titan. She was hilarious.

Attack on Titan was ok. I would call it worth a watch, but definitely not as good as everyone hypes it up to be. Maybe a solid 6.5, in my book at least.

[Hydra009]

noobs watching anime

[PickelledEggs]

I feel like most "good" animes recently are a 6.5 at best... with a small few exceptions, of course.

You can't compare them to something like NGE... or Paranoia Agent.

It shouldn't keep you from enjoying the new ones, but you still need to keep it real. lol If someone tries telling me that something like Attack on Titan is "the best", I know they're full of shit.

[Draconic Aiur]

Attack on titan better than a fuck ton of anime that's azumanga diaoh everything

[mauricio]

I feel like most "good" animes recently are a 6.5 at best... with a small few exceptions, of course.

You can't compare them to something like NGE... or Paranoia Agent.

It shouldn't keep you from enjoying the new ones, but you still need to keep it real. lol If someone tries telling me that something like Attack on Titan is "the best", I know they're full of shit.

Have you seen ping pong? best recent anime i have watched. Pretty much all of masaki yuasa works are genius. My personal favorite is tatami galaxy.

[drunkenshoe]

I liked Sasha in Attack on Titan. She was hilarious.

[drunkenshoe]

I liked it. It's good. I binged on it when I first found out about it.

[Hijiri Byakuren]

Attack on titan better than a fuck ton of anime that's azumanga diaoh everything

Azumanga Diaoh is amazing.

[PickelledEggs]

Have you seen ping pong? best recent anime i have watched. Pretty much all of masaki yuasa works are genius. My personal favorite is tatami galaxy.

I haven't. I'll check it out though. Right now I'm watching "Monster"