Attack on Titan: My Thoughts

The grandiose and destructive entry of the namesake monsters of Attack on Titan is a perfect mirror of the series' own entry into television. Based on the manga authored by then 23-year-old Hajime Isayama, and produced with the help of upstart Wit Studio, the show itself was such an alien creature on its face that a the rapt attention of the masses was bound to encircle it for some time. This would shortly prove to be one of its primary strengths, as a slew of barely disguised and well-used clichés began to effervesce upward from beneath its polished surface, and the logic underpinning its story began displaying its seams. These flaws are noticeable enough to at least threaten Attack on Titan's sustained popularity over the coming years.

I should remember to mention first that strength which immediately distinguished the series from its competition. The animation in the greater part of the twenty-five episodes of the first season is astonishingly fluid and emotive. If it ever lacks for model consistency, a valid rationale is provided by the very newness to television anime of the employed scenes and layouts. The violence and opulently beautiful scenery of every episode are together bathed in the earthy rainbow of the series' refreshingly realistic yet subtly otherworldly color palette, and sunset scenes in particular are a ravishing spectacle. As a contrast, the look of the characters' bold outlines is at times overly noticeable, and is oddly not reminiscent of the manga.

How nice it would be were the story told by such talented artwork constructed so carefully. Characters who are each seemingly capable of a single emotion are routinely tossed, with randomity as uninteresting as it is ironically unnatural, into simple and trite situations of peril. Dei ex machina (not ex machinis, as I can't make out multiple foci of such a simple story) are present in swarms; one becomes sadly numbed to their effect even before the season's halfway point. Moments that could have been more fully utilized for sorely-needed character development are instead devoted to hindsight exhibition and gratuitous gore; this show
is likewise unique, in the equivalent gratuitousness of its sentimental appeal, the grotesqueness of which competes with that of the violence I imagine most of us came to see.

Those approaching Shingeki no Kyojin hoping to have their intellect even slightly challenged will be left utterly starving, and I believe this criticism especially harsh when applied to a shounen series, most of which are hardly renowned for appeal to smarter audiences. As beautiful as much of the art and animation is,
its effect would only be heightened by a stronger and more consistent story to ground it. Unfortunately, a potentially reparative second season has yet to be confirmed, but hey, at least a high school spinoff is coming

Michael's First Impressions: Fall 2014 (Part 9)

1. GARO: Honoo no Kokuin:  surprisingly good.  Solid action with well established characters.  This anime is on the mature side of the spectrum.  They don’t shy away from gruesome deaths and violent imagery.  But this show is one of the few that does a good job of being mature.  It doesn’t come off as shock value to uphold a lazy narrative.  The premise is good.  We’ll be following two demon hunters as they fight to bring justice to those who’ve committed an unjust genocide of their kind.  Another thing to note is the CGI integration with battle scenes:  it’s quite good.  While it does contrast with the normal animation, it’s very polished and fluid which helps to make the battle scenes quite intense.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

2. Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai:  a thin premise that’s saved by wonderful comedy.  The premise has a chance to bloom into something significant, but for now the comedy will be enough to have viewers coming back.  The characters play off each other very well making for entertaining scenes even when it could be bogged down by cliché.  This is a comedy to follow with high hopes for an interesting end.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

3. Ore, Twintails ni Narimasu:  ♪GO! GO! TWIN-TAIL RANGERS!!♪  Someone needs to write that remix.  My goodness is this show dumb.  It’s not enough that the premise is about the forced removal of the twin-tail hairstyle; why not throw in some gender-bending transformations and a perverted alien with a twin-tail fetish on par with our lead.  If you believe in the power of twin-tails, this show is for you...and me.  Verdict:  GUILTY PLEASURE

4. Yuki Yuna wa Yusha de Aru:  hmm...well, that was unexpected.  If you have no idea what this show is about, then you’re in the perfect position to watch it.  The characters are decent enough.  The story is...well I can’t really say.  This is a show that’s best experienced with zero prior knowledge.  I will say that it involves cellphones and mobile apps.  And it will keep you nervously on the edge of your seat.  Have fun.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

Whew! Thirty two first impressions. These seasons are getting longer. As of this posting, there are still three open spots in Crunchyroll's Simulcasts. Sorry for any absent shows. I skipped many sequels since I hadn't watched the first season, and one or two are absent due to lack of legal streaming. Hope you're enjoying the Fall season.

Michael's First Impressions: Fall 2014 (Part 8)

1. Rage of Bahamut:  Genesis:  A fun, well-paced action adventure with a promising mythological background (seems predominantly Nordic).  The characters, while not well explored, are fun and keep the narrative going.  The action scenes are enjoyable and at times over-the-top.  It will be interesting to see where this show goes.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

2. Laughing Under the Clouds:  boring.  The characters are either dull or annoying.  And the plot is so vague that there isn’t even a sense of curiosity to get the viewer to the next episode.  The action is subpar at best with all the potentially good fighting done off screen while the viewer is stuck watching the weaker fighter try to prove himself a competent fighter.  The dialogue is bland and boring and gives nothing worthwhile about the story.  No silver lining here.  Verdict:  SKIP

3. Girl Friend BETA:  hmm...I don’t know what they’re trying to do with this show.  Nothing happens to indicates much of a plot.  It’s just a bunch of girls talking.  80% of the first episode is the lead trying to return a photo and constantly getting flustered at EVERYTHING anyone else says. As of right now I can’t recommend a show that has no inferrable direction.  And seeing as this is based off of a mobile dating-sim, I’m left perplexed at the noticeable lack of potential male leads.  Maybe this is going to be this season’s shoujo-ai.  Verdict:  SKIP

4. BONJOUR♪Sweet Love Patisserie:  a charming, funny rom-com that takes place in a confectionery school.  Our lovely lead is going to have a tough time focusing on her studies with so many attractive instructors around.  Unfortunately this show suffers from the dreaded short-form anime syndrome.  Many displeased viewers thought the stream screwed up only to find that it only had a five minute run time.  This feels as if it should be a normal twenty four minute show.  I don’t know why the creators chose differently.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

Michael's First Impressions: Fall 2014 (Part 7)

1. Madan no Ou to Vanadis:  one word to describe this show:  farce.  But that doesn’t make it bad.  The absurd nature of the premise and the handling of it by the characters is nothing short of stupid.  Though it can be fun to watch at times.  The viewer just cannot expect a well-written, dramatic narrative.  The characters are bland with no engaging story to back them up.  Just watch it for some mindless fun.  Verdict:  GUILTY PLEASURE

2. In Search of Lost Future:  an unclear plot peppered with a clichéd romantic subplot.  The lead is uninteresting while the other characters are equally boring and unexplored beyond their one-note eccentricities.  Without a clear plot I can’t recommend it.  And any guesses a have as to where the narrative will go  don’t feel promising.  There are some nice moments, but they can only do so much for the overall blandness.  SKIP

Michael's First Impressions: Fall 2014 (Part 6)

1. SHIROBAKO:  this show gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at some of what goes into the creation of the shows the love so much.  While an interesting premise and setting, it felt plodding.  The characters aren’t overly interesting so far.  Though that may be due to a lack of development.  We are given next to nothing about the individual personalities.  The dialogue fails to enthrall the viewer.  It seems realistic, but it’s not impossible that some flair could be added.  The premise is neat and there’s potential to take the viewer on an entertaining and educational ride.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

2. Your lie in April:  a musical-romance-comedy that has a fun contrast between toned down scenes and zany comical outbursts.  But the comedy is all that really entertains.  The show sets up the male protagonist that has a troubled past and the female contrast.  All the contrasting, while not unentertaining, makes the show come off as a bit unfocused.  But the potential is there for a good show.  GIVE IT A SHOT

Michael's First Impressions: Fall 2014 (Part 5)

1. Hi-sCool! Seha Girls:  pretty entertaining for an 11 minute anime about anthropomorphic SEGA game consoles.  And it automatically gets bonus points for having the SEGA Genesis (Mega Drive in the show) represented.  They effectively work in subtle humor alluding to various aspects of the different consoles represented.  But the CGI animation might not be pleasant for a number of watchers.  It does look and feel more like an online web series than a studio anime.  All in all, the show has creativity and a good sense of humor.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

2. Parasyte -the maxim-:  not bad.  While plenty grotesque and gory it won’t leave its viewers feeling disturbed as some other horror anime I’ve seen.  Though the final 20 seconds are utterly deplorable.  But I’ll have to get into that in another article.  The biggest problem this show faces is the lack of any true horror.  It’s more grotesque than horrifying.  But it is only the first episode and there’s PLENTY of potential for some truly disturbing imagery and narrative.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

Michael's First Impressions: Fall 2014 (Part 4)

1. Akatsuki no Yona:  a fantasy action with perhaps a bit too much comedy considering the dark tone the episode builds up to.  Though, for a first outing it’s acceptable.  Our lead is a mildly annoying entitled princess, but they way she interacts with the other characters is wonderful.  The ending, while almost surprising, feels a bit predictable.  And it left me more than a bit irked.  But I can understand the show’s creators wanting to keep certain character motivations secret.  I hope they have good reasons to back up their actions aside from the clichéd power grab.  Verdict:  GIVE IT A SHOT

2. TRINITY SEVEN:  And here I thought “Karen Senki” had erratic plotting.  This show isn’t going to be the best for those not familiar with this genre.  Major plot points feel glanced over, leaving the viewer with a muddled conception of the plot. And the pacing of the plot is too fast. It could've easily been filled out to better effect with two episodes.  The characters are far too upfront about their personalities.  While this may please some fans, it gives the dialogue a feigned delivery.  And the majority of the interactions between the characters are either humdrum or tasteless.  Perhaps interested viewers would benefit from checking out the manga first.  Verdict:  SKIP