Shingeki no Kyojin: Kuinaki Sentaku

Many years before becoming the famed captain of the Survey Corps, a young Levi struggles to survive in the capital's garbage dump, the Underground. As the boss of his own criminal operation, Levi attempts to get by with meager earnings while aided by fellow criminals, Isabel Magnolia and Farlan Church. With little hope for the future, Levi accepts a deal from the anti-expedition faction leader Nicholas Lobov, who promises the trio citizenship aboveground if they are able to successfully assassinate Erwin Smith, a squad leader of the Survey Corps.

As Levi and Erwin cross paths, Erwin acknowledges Levi's agility and skill and gives him the option to either become part of the expedition team, or be turned over to the Military Police, to atone for his crimes. Now closer to the man they are tasked to kill, the group plans to complete their mission and save themselves from a grim demise in the dim recesses of their past home. However, they are about to learn that the surface world is not as liberating as they had thought and that sometimes, freedom can come at a heavy price.

Based on the popular spin-off manga of the same name, Shingeki no Kyojin: Kuinaki Sentaku illustrates the encounter between two of Shingeki no Kyojin's pivotal characters, as well as the events of the 23rd expedition beyond the walls.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Levi Main

Kamiya, Hiroshi Japanese

Smith, Erwin Main

Ono, Daisuke Japanese

Magnolia, Isabel Main

Ise, Mariya Japanese

Church, Farlan Main

Yusa, Kouji Japanese

Zoë, Hange Supporting

Park, Romi Japanese

Zacharias, Mike Supporting

Miyake, Kenta Japanese

Shadis, Keith Supporting

Mogami, Tsuguo Japanese

Berner, Moblit Supporting

Nishi, Rintarou Japanese

Narrator Supporting

Inoue, Marina Japanese

Darlett, Flagon Supporting

Tsuda, Kenjirou Japanese

Nakatake, Tetsuya Producer

Kawakubo, Shintarou Producer

Sumiya, Kenji Producer

Hariu, Masayuki Producer, Planning

Reviews

Dec 12, 2014

Lichtspiel

Recommended

I’ve been waiting for it since I finished the manga and finally, it’s here. Shingeki no Kyojin: Kuinaki Sentaku is better than I’ve expected.

Story 8/10
The story focuses on Levi’s past, as the title tells us.
The first episode is about Levi, Isabel and Farlan living in the underground capital and “earning” money as thugs, in order to get the chance to live on the surface someday. Because of being captured by Erwin Smith, the three of them decide to join the Survey Corps. But unfortunately, it's not that easy. Councilman Lovof wants them to retrieve a secret document from Erwin.
Coming to the second episode, the focus ... lies on their first days in the Survey Corps, as well as on the plan on how to get the document that Lovof needs. And their first expedition takes them outside the walls, where Levi, Isabel and Farlan have an encounter with their first titans. However, some unexpected things happen...

Characters 7/10
Isabel and Farlan are two new main characters, who are companions of Levi. Farlan is cool-headed and calm, while Isabel is energetic and vivacious. We get to see more of Levi’s character as well, which I find really interesting.
Beside new characters, we also see new sides of Levi and Erwin and get back-story of Keith Shadis, current Commander of the Survey Corps.

Art 10/10
Great, as expected from Shingeki no Kyojin. Levi's face expressions look really intense, and the scenes, where the 3D maneuver gear is used are breathtaking. I especially liked the chase after Levi, Farlan and Isabel, as well as the fight between Levi and the titan, where we get to see a lot of action and emotions.

Music 10/10
Basically the same music as in Shingeki no Kyojin, and they use some of the soundtracks pretty well for emphazising the atmosphere of the OVA.

Enjoyment 10/10
I really enjoyed every second of Kuinaki Sentaku. We get to see some new faces and the chance to gain an insight into Levi’s past, before he joined the Survey Corps.

Overall, I’m highly satisfied with Shingeki no Kyojin: Kuinaki Sentaku, although I think that two episodes aren’t enough for such a strong character like Levi. Nevertheless, they did a really good job. Definitely a must watch.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Dec 10, 2014

Millawls

Recommended

I have been looking forward to watching this OVA, as soon as i heard it was being made.

Story 7/10

This new installment of the Attack on Titan universe tells us a bit more about Levis' past and how he joined the survey corps. All the while being introduced to two new characters, Farlan and Isabel.

Characters 7/10

Farlan and Isabel are two new interesting characters.
Isabel seems to have a more childish attitude (A little like Zoë Hange), whilst Farlan is more responsible (taking care of his sick friend)
... Levi hasn't changed at all. Still the same guy as always. Still cleaning.

Art 9/10

Holy shit is the 3D maneuver gear awesome! We are given an intense and thrilling chase scene with LOTS of 3D maneuver gear usage. Animation is really fluid and the underground environment is a breath of fresh air.

Sound 8/10

The voice acting is as always great and we are given a new soundtrack to fit with the chase scene. Lots of new 3D maneuver gear sounds is also heard.

Enjoyment 10/10

I just fucking loved it! Everything from the throwback with Levi cleaning, to the soundtrack and action scenes.

Overall 9/10

If you liked the original Attack on Titan show and want to know more about the world and Levi, then this is a must watch!

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Sep 15, 2015

Neverstatic

Mixed Feelings

Alright, since the other reviews mostly summarize what we already know, I'm going to write down my thoughts on what I think works and why it did, and what I think doesn't work and why it didn't. I'll try my best to be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers, but I'll post warnings just in case.

Characters: 6 out of 10
Levi is the Levi we know from the main manga and anime for the most part, plus a little more care and emotion. I can say mostly the same for Erwin, plus a little more coldness. These two are the ones who kept ... this score up as high as it is. I think Levi's and Erwin's differences are appropriate because, in Levi's case, someone who is kinder will often be made colder after being exposed to what Levi endured, and that's what we got. Erwin is younger and slightly less mature than his main storyline counterpart, so he was realistic as well—also bear in mind that he did care more, among other things, in the Kuinaki Sentaku manga.

Isabel and Farlan are mediocre characters, to put it bluntly, and are what dropped this score from an 8. Isabel is a pretty cool character who isn't the typical "girly-girl" we often see in anime and manga, but in a story like Shingeki no Kyojin, "not a girly-girl" doesn't count for much. Such a character would be more unique and do more for the story in another genre, like romance or general slice-of-life to name a couple. She's an entertaining breath of fresh air, I'll give her that, but she's not special enough to stand out beyond giving audiences something different to see and hear. Farlan was much better in the manga than in this OVA, in my opinion. He was clever and shrewd, akin to Armin and Erwin, and that intelligence gets largely skipped over here. Moreover, Armin and Erwin already exist, and so he suffers the same fate as Isabel by failing to be special enough to stand out and hold his own opposite superior characters—namely Erwin since Armin isn't here, of course. I did care a bit about these two, though. They weren't terrible by any means—just average to a little cool.

Animation: 9 out of 10
Wit Studio delivers its best, and audiences will not be disappointed in the slightest. Seriously, these visuals were lovely to watch.

Sound: 9 out of 10
It's the Shingeki no Kyojin soundtrack, and it's great. I did think Levi's Japanese VA Kamiya overacted just a bit at the end, but it's not really an issue.

Story: 5 out of 10
This OVA provided backstory and nothing more. (Backstory can be used to drastically change perspectives on present situations in a story, but nothing of the sort was done here.) I preferred the OVA featuring Ilse Langnar because it introduced new elements that changed the way we looked at Titans and at SnK world building and its culture (later confirmed in part in the main manga). Don't get me wrong, it's a fun watch despite my griping, and it's great to learn new insights about the characters we love, but this is what one could call non-sexual fanservice. Why? Because it's really just for the fans' satisfaction only rather than the story's development—the SnK storyline does not absolutely need their backgrounds to progress—and frankly, the manga did it better. Catering to fans does not necessarily make the story worse per say, but it doesn't really add much value, so my score won't be that great as a result.

Here is where the potential SPOILER warning comes in, and I'll try to be vague: a certain scene at the end (in which Erwin influences Levi's final decision to stay in the Survey Corps) was not done justice, in my opinion. It was glossed over quite a bit. "Don't regret your decision" was mentioned, but "It's the Titans!" from the manga was omitted entirely, making Erwin seem largely uncaring and partially dismissive of Levi's situation rather than aiding Levi's resolve and getting him to see the bigger picture. Compare that to an earlier scene that features Erwin stepping out of a carriage and giving a few dramatic lines about his resolution to do what it takes. Putting the emphasis in the wrong location, maybe? That zeal would have been much better served in the final scene with Levi, Erwin. Instead you just looked dispassionate in the end.

Moreover, this OVA was pretty busy with an unnecessarily overcomplicated plot. I don't want a dumbed-down plot, just not one that tries to take on too much and show off when it isn't needed. The second episode in particular had too much ground to cover. I think that would have been aided by placing the split-off point between episodes in a different location—Levi resolving to do the "job" handed to him and his friends rather than at the point shown. I could get more specific, but that would result in spoilers. Perhaps three episodes would have been better, if it could be fit within a reasonable budget.

Enjoyment: 5 out of 10
As a manga adaptation, I say it was a slight disappointment. I couldn't help thinking that it certain characters and scenes were not being done justice, and that didn't help.
From an anime only standpoint, I say it was a fun watch, especially for more hardcore fans, but not much else. The only wow-factor for me lay with the visuals and sound; nothing else really impressed me.

Conclusion: It's a good distraction if you have some extra time on your hands, but personally if I could go back, I would have just read the Kuinaki Sentaku manga while listening to the soundtrack.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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