I like that when I turn on MAL, I see all of this critical acclaim going to one particular series that has stirred up a lot of hype and praise for being bold and original, while also pushing the boundaries of what an anime could be. Some people decided to rate this one series a 10 because of the first 5 episodes, and how it shocked them to see how the main character supposedly dies in battle from the latest Titan attack. Others try to sugarcoat the hype it receives, claiming that. "Well, it is the best series I've seen all season, so it defiantly
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deserves all the acclaim." Well I hate to break to you guys, but this is by far one of the most mediocre and overrated anime series I have ever seen to hit the big screen, or in realistic terms, my computer.
So where to begin with this review? How about the first five episodes? That defiantly deserves some mention, considering how a lot of people point to those episodes as to reasons why it deserves the acclaim it has gotten. And, if I have to give credit where credit is due, the first 5 episodes were the best in the series. That however doesn't say much for the remaining episodes though.
The idea of a human race trying to survive the apocalypse by building walls to avoid superior beings is an interesting concept. It gives the audience a sense of danger and fear for the characters fighting to survive, as they are mostly inferior and ill-equipped to fight these Titans. We want to see them win these nearly impossible battles, by strategizing their attack and working together by building bonds and trust with one another.
However things take a turn for the worse, starting off with episode 7, as the series brilliant pacing and engaging story starts to take a nose dive (episode 6 was more of a character-building moment for Mikasa, but I'll get into that later). My problem with episode 7 and most of the other episodes, is how slowly paced they were and also how they were not ass engaging as the previous 5 episodes. It slows down, and doesn't advance much of story, as characters go through tedious monologues about how scared they are or the most recurring response, "What are we going to do?" How about you fight, instead of standing on a building for an entire 20 minutes contemplating your death!
This can also be said about the mediocre standoff the main characters had with the Survey Corps, when the Corps were trying to decide if they were friends are foes. I found myself laughing at how long this took, while in real life, this situation would've been taken care of in 5 minutes, not 22.
Alright, alright enough with these pacing issues because if I continue to talk about these issues for the other episodes, I could take all day, but I'm sure you all already get my point. Now to move on to the most annoying aspect of this series; the characters.
I find it insulting that a series like this with the amazing production values it contains has the least interesting characters I have ever seen. Eren is cliché and generic compared with other shonen characters in the past. His goal, which is cliché itself, is to destroy all the evil in the world, which are the Titans. You may say that Eren has every reason to feel this way, since he saw how his mother was brutally murdered, but even this idea is overexaggerrated, especially in the next to last episode when it takes him yet another full episode to realize what he's fighting for. Btw, if he also wants to help save humanity, he shouldn't try to destroy an entire city in the process when fighting titans, killing innocent civilians. Of course there's that whole Titan transformation Eren goes through, but I'll get into that later.
Then there's Mikasa, the love interest to Eren. You may think I might like her more because she's, you know, smart compared to her other colleagues who are all idiots, and also because she has a very traumatizing past. However after episode 6, there's not much depth added to her character, excluding the idea that she's a really badass fighter who's good at chopping off the fingers of Titans. Her love for Eren is also overexaggerated as she seems to also make stupid decisions when defending him. Yes I know Eren helped save her in the past, but I wish the series had given her more than being a life-debt to Eren.
And of course, there's Armin, the worst of the three. The reason I say that is not only because he's a whiny little brat, but also because I can expect his character development from a mile away. He starts off whiny, scared and useless, then starts to work with others to defeat the oncoming evil, while also delivering cliché speeches to stop the stupidity of the other members of the Survey Corps. I soon realized that Armin should've had a different role in the series, a strategist who helps plan the attack on the Titans while leaving it to the Survey Corps to fight. He should just stay the hell away from fighting because he is completely useless and is also a liability. Don't believe, just ask Eren, oh wait! The fact that he's even in the Survey Corps baffles me because he has no fighting ability at all.
And finally to explain what really did the nail in the coffin for me; Eren's transformation into a Titan. Some people believe bigger is always better, but this is not necessarily the case. As I said before, I liked the idea of the human race having problems fighting the Titans and losing to them because they were inferior to them in size. This creates tension and a sense of danger for them, as you don't know what will happen next. When Eren transforms, all of that tension and danger is gone as he goes through a rampage killing each Titan one on one. It destroys everything that made the first 5 episodes so good, and burns its way though an entirely different path that is least interesting. It's like someone handing you the answers to a test before you take it. You don't have to worry about a thing, just follow along and everything should be ok. There is no longer any more excitement or engagement in the series. You expect the expected, and you're left feeling bored.
Yes this anime has great animation. Yes it has great music. Yet it's lacking substance and a reason to care for what goes on in the story.
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I like that when I turn on MAL, I see all of this critical acclaim going to one particular series that has stirred up a lot of hype and praise for being bold and original, while also pushing the boundaries of what an anime could be. Some people decided to rate this one series a 10 because of the first 5 episodes, and how it shocked them to see how the main character supposedly dies in battle from the latest Titan attack. Others try to sugarcoat the hype it receives, claiming that. "Well, it is the best series I've seen all season, so it defiantly
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