Humanity has trapped itself within walls it have built for their own protection. Outside, monstrous titans hunger for human flesh. It is a clash between the survival of humanity and the hunger of titans. It is "Attack on Titan."
I have watched the entire first season of "Attack on Titan," and, while watching the series, I genuinely enjoyed the show. I might watch an episode or two again sometime in the future. The majority of the otaku and anime community seems to have fallen in love with "Attack on Titan" since its debut in the spring anime season. However, I don't really understand the love and hype for the series, and I have been able to determine three main reasons why I didn't really fall in love with the series.
1. The introduction seemed to last forever.
Going into the series, I knew that I was supposed to expect awesome fight scenes between humans flying through the air against savage and giant titans. However, the first two episodes just show titans eating humans running in terror and introducing the personalities and motivations of the main cast. I probably wouldn't complain too much if the following two episodes was not just the training of the characters and more character introductions.
2. I didn't really like the characters
Now maybe this is a really opinionated reason for why I do not understand the "Attack on Titan" hype, but just hear me out.
Eren Jaeger is pretty much the angsty teen protagonist that can be found in dozens of anime series, and he starts to sound whiny and entitled, especially in the first few episodes. Mikasa Ackerman is very cold and distant, which does make her appealing in a really cool way, but not a character with whom I can feel a connection. Her love for Eren seems less sweet and leans more towards obsessive. Armin Arlert is actually a character I kind of like. He does start out really fragile and a sort of like a "damsel-in-distress" for lack of a better term, but Armin grows a lot in the series to be a brilliant strategist against the titans. However, Armin is not the main character, so his development is eclipsed by Eren (and sometimes by the undeniably cool, Levi).
3. The ending...
I'm not going to spoil anything for anyone who has not seen "Attack on Titan," but I did not like the ending. The series ended with a cliffhanger, which is not a bad thing in itself, but was such a big cliffhanger with so many unanswered questions that I felt like I was slapped in the face after I spent so much time watching each episode.
I liked the series and I think the premise of "Attack on Titan" is awesome and fresh. I just don't understand the overwhelming hype. Maybe it has something to do with tastes, and because I like more psychological drama in my anime, an action packed anime series laced with philosophy about humanity is not my cup of tea. Or maybe, I should read the manga, and my appreciation for the anime will improve. I don't know, but I do know that when "Attack on Titan" season two comes out, I will be watching.
