Feb 18, 2022
*SPOILERS TOWARDS THE END OF REVIEW*
I picked up AOT when I was fairly young back in 2013 after it had been out some time. It starts off with an epic intro of the scout regiment slaying a titan only to cut to a serene yet eerie town behind the safety of a anti-titan wall. Here we are introduced to our main characters; Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. Each character has their own unique role in the story and are well written.
After all the intro information is established we are set into the story. The large "Colossal Titan" and "Armored Titan" breach the wall and hundreds
...
of man-eating titans flood into the last bastion of human existence. The events of the story hurl the main characters into a jarring and suspenseful battle against these creatures for the survival of their race. They encounter hurdles and struggles that aren't just limited to the titan monsters, and struggle physically, mentally and even politically to try and save the human race. If you are interested in a brutal and desperate fight for humanity's survival and great characters, I highly recommend the manga (or anime as well)
SPOILERS INCLUDED IN PT2 OF REVIEW
As before mentioned I picked this manga up in 2013 however, I dropped the manga around volume 11 or 12 (Can remember off the top of my head). I remember being frustrated as more humans obtained the same titan powers as Eren and felt that it downplayed his importance in the story. After a huge effort by friends to convince me to watch the anime I decide to finish the manga and boy was I happy I did.
One I got just a little bit further than I was before I realized the story really developed into something quite odd but intriguing.
Eren's visions begin to come together and a mythological importance to the situation at hand is revealed. and finally after sealing the wall that the warriors broke years prior we are faced with something that twists the story and adds a whole new layer of plot (In my case I disliked this initially as the manga felt like an entirely different story).
After being mesmerized by the steampunk-fantasy world of attack on titan after discovering what's in the basement the entire genre changes to a more dystopian si-fi story with fantasy elements. This could be off putting to readers but I think after it grew on me it made the political plots of the manga very interesting.
After this genre change we also begin to see a drastic change in our beloved main character Eren that many fans (myself not included) disliked. Eren begins a decadence arc that eventually lead to him switching to be more of a villain in the story. Far from his titan hating self we see in the earlier manga.
Eren eventually believes if he is to save the ones he must exterminate the rest of the world across the ocean. This leads many people (his friends included) ona mission to stop Eren from completing his plan. The story eventually ends in a very odd and open conclusion, leaving allegories, and metaphors as far as the eyes can read. Many people disliked this tragedy of their favorite character and did not like the ideas left for the fans to gnaw on. I totally understand this disposition however I feel like the story develops into something that a specific group of people enjoy and something that may anger fans who did not expect such a profound turn.
In Conclusion
If you are a fan of tragedy and the descent of characters, Political and conspiracy arcs, as well as dark and brutal combat, then I would recommend this manga will my full endorsement. However be warned that there are twists and changes that pushed long time fans away and even made myself question my opinion of the story. (however these changes grew on me and made me enjoy the story much more)
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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