Attack on Titan - Reviews

Alt title: Shingeki no Kyojin

Attack on Titan
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emptymind's avatar
Jan 15, 2022

Before around the chapter 100 mark, this was an AMAZING story - however I would legitemetly recommend not reading this purely because the last 40 chapters are SHIT. They are GARBAGE. Eren did a complete 180 from his normal personality for the sake of a twist. It was unrealistic and I actually believe that it ruined the entire story.

Don't read this. Please, don't waste your time, and read something actually good. 

7/10 story
8/10 art
4/10 characters
6/10 overall
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sneakyredlamp's avatar
Apr 10, 2021

Well, this ride has come to a traumatic, gorgeous and stiking end, and while everyone is out there calling it an awful piece of shit, breaking down in tears and putting up angry rants, I think I want to give this story a helpful, objective review to hopefully express what this story is truly about.

It has come to an end as of today, its final chapter is now imparted into the ages, and I can certainly say it has left me with a memorable emotion. A feeling of loss that wells up within me, but also of satisfaction knowing I saw this through. I consider myself fortunate to have experienced it in my lifetime, so now I impart to you the reader my feelings toward this manga.

I got into this story after seeing the first season of the anime, and since then I have read every chapter that came out every month, experiencing the highs and lows of the roller coaster ride with a wide range of emotions. I came to hate some characters, only to love them later on, and love some characters only to question their actions. Some felt they got too much focus while others felt they were poorly developed on the part of the author.

Through it all, however, I kept eating up anything I could find on it, the fan art, the doujins, the shitposts online and the meme fountain this series invoked. I experienced the joys, and harshness, of the fandom and at times lost my temper or supported fellow fans, but always I kept my mind open and my willingness to enjoy it strong.

While the story itself endured a bit of a lackluster setting, laughable artwork and had some trouble with world-building elements, I found the characters to be compelling at times, their misery, misfortunes, proudest achievements, tragic circumstances, the things that made them stand out and portray the humanity that struggled to survive dire situations, real.

It was first the threat of the man-eating Titans, then the existence of normal human enemies, then the cycle of hatred fueled by paranoia, racism and fear that made the protagonists' plight all the more relatable and understandable. 

It highlighted to me the necessity to look beyond our shortcomings and our prejudices, but it also showcased what humans are in the darkness, how even our most beloved heroes have the capacity to be horrendous murderers when looked at from a different angle.

Eren encapsulates the human condition, caught in the web of fate and trying desperately to save those he cares about while also facing his own weaknesses and  coming to understand that sacrifice is a must in order to achieve the results. And sacrifice is never portrayed as noble--it is terrible, it is gritty, calling for choices that will haunt the survivors for years to come. Throughout this struggle he becomes the story's hero, then its villain, then finally its most tragic casualty, confronting a world of where man is its own worst nightmare and no compromise can be promised.

The final arcs focus on what that confrontation becomes, a veritable catastrophe where everyone must fight to ensure their own survival as much as their friends' and their families', while facing betrayal, deceit, uncertainty and agony in an unforgiving situation. 

War is portrayed as terrible and irredeemable, rightly so. Genocide is shown to be brutal and traumatic, as it should be, and nationalism is seen as both grandiose and frightening. The Titans are grotesque, horrifying monsters that devour left and right without license to their actions, living on pure chaos alone. People are portrayed as equally haunting; they are both innocent and guilty, selfish and selfless, and possessing a capacity for both good and evil machinations. Yet they are also as strong as they are weak, an indication of the duality of man that Isayama set out to capture, and I feel he did a remarkable job at it. 

We see Eren's transformation, both literal and figurative, through the eyes of his friends and comrades, from the whiny weakling to the champion of humanity to the walking nightmare that results from years of struggle against his personal shortcomings, and by the time you come to the final chapter, you see just how damaged Eren has become. Yet that damage is why I followed his story, his determination to see his battle through to the end was genuine and devastating. He is not meant to be seen as a heroic savior of mankind, but as a broken, lost human being, weak one day then strong the next, knowing that life has a terrible but necessary cost, yet willing to pay that price, all to ensure the freedom and security he has yearned for all his life.

It is seeing what he becomes, the pain he instills in himself and his friends, and the terror he wreaks to get to his final endgame, that makes this story a marvel. It is not a masterpiece of literary fiction, but a reminder to what our society could become if we allow our darker inhibitions to explode. It is a warning to all civilizations to reconcile our differences and conquer our hatreds, lest we allow them to wreak havoc on us in the worst imaginable ways.

Attack on Titan is, at the end of the day, a wondrous achievement of its time, something that this generation will look back on with mixed emotions. You who read it for the first time will love it, despise it, misunderstand it, and even treasure it, but what you feel by the end of the ride will hopefully allow you to see yourself in a better light. This story will hurt you, fair warning, but that is exactly what it sets out to do, and that experience is exactly why it is a great story.

I wish you a pleasant read.

7/10 story
6/10 art
8/10 characters
7/10 overall
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Shotoxx's avatar
Sep 8, 2022

i think attack on titan is a fantastic manga/anime you can honestly consume either and get the full picture I think Eren will be looked at as one of the best written main characters for a while his character arch is very compelling but so is the entire story of attack on titan but honestly I think its clear you should read or watch attack on titan this show kind of broke the internet at multiple points

no spoilers but im talking about the ending next

overall its not what I was thinking was going to happen but most of the last arch I did not expect I think its definitely a good ending it has been growing on me the more i hear people talk about it and watch videos of people breaking down there thoughts on it i think that just shows how complex some of the topics in attack on titan are warping them up in a bow would of been a pretty complicated task

8/10 story
8/10 art
10/10 characters
9/10 overall
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Elfezen's avatar
Mar 27, 2023

Attack on Titan has been one of the greatest and most magnificient worlds ever created, as well as the highest quality product of the industry it originated in. The worldbuilding is phenomenal and of first class from every aspect, as it combines both a storyline with a lot of mystery and secrets that are being investigated slowly, as well as dramatic events of a larger scale that have a lot of impact to the world and the characters, with every small detail having importance to the overall narrative, as the mysteries slowly unfold as more of the world and its varous nations and people are being explored through the missions and overall lifestyle of the scouts. The main character, Eren Yeager, is possibly the most remarkable protagonist of all time, he has a particularly powerful charisma that attracts others towards him as loyal followers, his appearance is attractive and elegant, with the slim body silhouette, the stylish long hairstyle type and the fashionable clothing. With the development of his personality and the acquisition of more knowledge and power, he carried the entire story as well as the popularity of the series on his shoulders, by gaining perception of the entire narrative from the afterlife realm, he has been able to manipulate the events and the fate of the world, in which he is the center of it all. Overall the world of Attack on Titan has truly been a masterpiece of a work and a wonder of its own.

10/10 story
10/10 art
10/10 characters
10/10 overall
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ReviewBonfire's avatar
Jul 18, 2021

Shingeki no Kyojin


The AoT manga was completely unknown to me until the first season appeared in 2013. I didn't even know it existed because hardly anyone had talked about it.
After I had watched the first season, I was very dismissed from the series and could not perceive any real attraction in it and then left it and stopped watching.

Until then, I resumed the series because of the hype about the third season and finally started the manga with the Marley Arc. To be honest, I was fascinated and surprised by AoT, I didn't even know why I hated AoT back then and constantly criticized the series. It is true that AoT has plotholes and that some things could have been much better, but the quality is still meaningful.

There is also a certain split opinion among many about the quality of this work. Nevertheless, one should be unanimous here at least on these matters. Attack on Titan is by far one of the most individual manga/anime on the market and the author has a massive talent that has not been used enough. To say AoT is one of the best manga in the world? It's in the realm of possibility at some point. To be honest, the manga continued to decline from the "Marley" arc onwards, which fans consider being the best arc.

[Story 6] The plot of AoT is a permanent roller coaster of mystery and tension until the retaking of the first wall, at this point a lot of clues were hidden that would later reveal themselves. In the area of ​​recapture, you got some quite fascinating twists and turns regarding the AoT universe and a glimpse into the whole world's perspective. Even if the World Building in AoT was quite weak, the backstory of everything that happened was very impressive. Even if there were many unexplained mysteries in the world by the end.
The problem with the plot is what happens after the time skip. The characters lost more and more of their personality and more and more of the structure was thrown away, even if I found the development of Eren very appealing.
The Finale Arc had intrigues, twists and turns, and unexpected results. However, the implementation got weaker and weaker and between chapters 120-139 the manga almost completely crashed, apart from a few extremely cruel scenarios.
And as everyone knows ´, the AoT final was a massive disappointment, the result is average, but everything that led to it and everything that came after was simply too badly worked out and considered. So it's understandable why many claim that the manga was just thrown away in the end.

A more obvious and interesting point that needs to be addressed is the "plot armor" in Attack on Titan, which almost reached an impressively negative level. In this universe characters die "all the time" and you can see how cruel the world is and how powerful the influence of the Titans is. And yet the protagonists manage to get out of every stupid situation unscathed. I'm not referring to Eren, at least his plot armor has been explained. However, everyone else owns the questionable protective vests. As soon as Elite soldiers fight, they are slaughtered. As soon as the newbies (protagonists) fight, they escape any grip as if by a blessing. In the long run, this is exhausting, especially in the end. There the plot armor was increased to 180 *.


[Characters 7] Despite all expectations, AoT has a very interesting collection of characters in terms of motivation and development. Even clowns like Connie were completely evolved by the end of the story through all the events that happened to them. The protagonist Eren had the greatest development and this is obvious, whether the implementation was good in the end is something else. "Plot" was used repeatedly as an excuse for its development. Even if Eren's perspective is understandable.
Mikasa has been empty and boring, her development is non-existent, she is just a stronger female lead.
Armin has a lot of self-reflection and is at war with himself. At first, it was also interesting how he tries to take responsibility. Towards the end this almost became a meme, as it is constantly negative and has failed to develop up to the last chapter.
Jean was by far one of the most realistic characters in the manga, along with Erwin. Which, among other things, have been my 2 favorites.
Levi was simple but understandable. There is nothing more you can say about him. His whole act was based on bad luck.
Most "antagonists" - I call them that, obsessively possess Most "antagonists" - I call them that - have obsessively simple ambitions that make them appear to be very hateful, even if their goals are understandable anyway.
Except for Zeke, who had a goal but whose goal shouldn't have any real support thanks to the considerably questionable approach. His logic for peace would never have brought peace.

AoT has a lot of interesting, some well-developed, and some somewhat disappointing characters. On average, the statistics hold up very well here.

The drawings in this manga are fluctuating but most impressive, especially in the areas of movement and fights. The attention to detail is also impressive, as "wounds" and "destruction" are constantly taken over in certain places in the manga and do not disappear as if by magic. A lot of effort has been made in this area, even if the character drawings themselves are only slightly above average. Towards the final of the manga, even more, an effort was put into the detail, depicting so many places and destruction.


Attack on Titan is probably one of my favorites despite this ending. Unfortunately, the author couldn't use his full potential and neglected too much, and didn't explain it properly. Between chapters 100 and 139, the manga was pretty mediocre to read.

Nonetheless, the manga is better than many would want it to be just because they were hurt by the ending. I understand, I was disappointed too. But ignoring the existing quality automatically, just because of negative contrasts, is not a solution.
AoT is still a very readable and individual manga that deserves its hype.

6/10 story
7.5/10 art
6/10 characters
7/10 overall
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