ANIME: 進撃の巨人 (Attack on Titan)

Also known as Shingeki no Kyojin (which is the romanisation of the Japanese)

Image from IMDb

At a glance: action, anime TV series (24 episodes, each ~20 minutes), Japanese, non-English, recommend 18+ (gore, & language [if the subs are to be believed])


Summary

A long time ago, a strange breed of giant humanoid lifeforms called the Titans came into existence. They stand from 3 feet up very high up ^^", often don't show signs of intelligence, and do not seem to have to eat or perform any other biological functions. There is also only one way to kill them, which is by slicing off a piece of flesh at the back of their neck. Their sole purpose seems to be to devour humans.

Due to their size and obsession and resistance towards being killed, they're incredibly dangerous, and the last of humanity now live within the safety of walled cities while the Titans roam the rest of the world.

But then, one day, a previously unknown type of Titan breaks down the outermost wall of the city, causing many casualties and forcing the rest of the citizens inside second wall. Eren loses his mother to a Titan, and from then on focuses single-mindedly on joining the Survey Corps and killing all the Titans he can lay his hands on.


Luna comments

The overview, and warnings of blood and gore, really didn't make me very interested in the series. And I'm generally not very interested in these sorts of premises. But then after hearing everyone in the anime circles talk about it, and then getting it recommended to me by my most reliable sources, and also having nothing else to watch, I gave it a shot.

And now I'm a fan too.

There still isn't much to talk about for the plot. They do make little discoveries, but they're so few and far in between that that's not really what makes the story interesting. For me, this story really hinges upon its characters. Oh, and the action scenes. They use what's called '3D Maneuver Gear' which consists of a pair of grappling hooks mounted on a complicated contraption that the user wears around their waist. This is their primary method of movement in a fight within the city walls. Despite my lacklustre description, surely it sounds awesome =D

Back to the characters. Here's a picture of the graduates from Eren's trainee squad.

Image from Shingeki No Kyojin Wiki
Eren is the 6th from the left.
Mikasa (his adoptive sister) is on his right and the top of the class.
Armin (his friend from childhood) is the 4th from the left.

I really like the the characters, even though I don't necessarily really like some of the characters themselves (most notably: Eren). They're a diverse and well fleshed-out bunch. Even though some of them don't have much screentime, they have the presence of a full-blown character rather than an 'extra'. They give the feeling that they have their own thoughts, emotions and lives somewhere off-screen.

As a group, the series does well in showing the characters' transformations. They start as trainees who may not even be in it because they want to fight titans (some are in it for the glory; particularly, if they graduate in the top 10, they are allowed to join the Military Police and move inside the innermost wall, to live among and move in the circles of the highest levels of society). They know that that's what they'll be doing if they graduate, but even then it's clear that the reality and horror of the situation doesn't hit home. They train hard, and the instructors warn them that not everyone survives even the training stages. These trainees make it anyway.

But then they encounter their first titan and watch as their friends and colleagues get killed. The show doesn't skimp on the visuals either, so these moments have quite an impact. Over the course of the series, they lose more and more members, and have to come to a decision about whether they really want to be risking their lives for the role they've trained for. The levity and playfulness of some of the trainees disappear over the course of the story. It's sad, but very fitting.

Anyway. Eren is very angry, rash, impulsive, and it doesn't take much to make him blow. He can act a bit uncaring and callous even towards his best friends, even though he does care very much for them. He's just a very angry person. Even before his mother was killed by a Titan, he showed a tendency to get angry, but this was exacerbated by that traumatic event. His emotions easily take over his rational thinking. So I don't find him very likable, but he's actions and personality are well-justified.

All the other major and recurring characters are pretty awesome, though =D

Movie version

They're making a movie version of this, which apparently cuts out some very important characters & adds in other new ones.

I think it's very funny that no one (including me) is complaining that cast is completely Japanese, even though Mikasa is the only known Asian. =P But I'm not complaining or anything. I just find it funny in light of the comlaints against the Avatar: the Last Airbender cast (yours truly, of course, being a complainant too).


Closing

Hmm. Give it a try someday. Nice action & cool characters =]