Shingek no Kyoujin: 7-10 - Hope

So far this show has done everything to raise our hopes only to snuff them out, but finally things are looking up and humanity sees a light. 

I am both happy and scared with how well things are going for Eren and everyone in the show, now that people have stopped dying and mankind finally has a weapon that matches the Titans. Eren's transformation into a Titan was quite the curve ball, but then again the foreshadowing of his father injecting him in what I thought was a dream kinda hinted towards this odd turn of events. 

Resurrection PUNCH!

The way Eren just jumps out of the Titan who eats him is pretty crazy, I mean, really now Eren just punches his hand out of the Titans mouth and forces the Titan to pretty much explode. 

One thing I really like is how everyone is running scared after seeing this, they panic and attempt to kill Eren out of fear, which is nice because no one is acting all happy and joyous, because if they were then you know something awful would just happen happen to snuff out that happiness once again. 

I have been waiting nearly all season for episode 8's Titan slaying. Shingeki no Kyoujin always made it seem like the soldiers would periodically kill the Titans in an awe inspiring fashion, but so far they just die off without much of a fight. Episode 8 changed all that when the new recruits take out the 3-4 meter class Titans, and Eren's rampage and total destruction outside. I was thrilled that my favourite bread eater Sasha managed to live through the ordeal, I was almost certain the show was going to pull the hope out from under me once again and kill off more of the characters in a sudden turn of events.

Mikasa's performance in episode 7 was outstanding. Once again we get more of an insight as to her personality and emotions. The entire beginning of the series shows Mikasa as a very quiet and somewhat cold person with no emotions or anything, she always appeared serious but we never knew why. Mikasa finally shows her self to be fully engaged with Eren and how he saved her in the past. Mikasa's thirst to live and serve as Eren's protector is quite noble but at the same time flawed. 

I really love Mikasa's character.

Eren is pretty much a reckless guy, but it seems Mikasa sees him as a hero, and it really is nice seeing how the characters are looked at differently than what we perceive them to be. I love the way these three characters are slowly but surely revealed through their mentality. 

I am so confused as to how or why Eren is able to transform into a Titan, and I really want to know about his father's research and what truths await Eren under his house. The biggest concern I have is why Eren's father kept his secretes locked away from everyone else. 

~Djr7

  

Shingeki no Kyojin: 3-6 - No Salvation for Humanity

Attack on Titan has a wonderful pace that fully explores the journey of Eren as he ventures to become part of the Recon Corps. 

The first two episodes did wonders to show how hellish life was under fear of the Titan's attack. Episode 3 and 4 explored the training and introduced us to some awesome secondary characters that also want to join the Recon Corps. Finally episodes 5 and 6 reunites the squad with their duties as they are set to face off against some Titans after graduating at the top of their class.

First of all, I am really captivated by the other characters we were introduced to. From a rival set on living in luxury, to a cold blooded killer, these secondary characters provided an amusing charm as rivalries and conflicting personalities are shown to separate and further identify the new recruits. One thing that really doesn't make a lot of sense is how the talent is placed throughout the empire. Only the top 10 students who graduate are permitted to work for the kings guard in the safest and luxurious part of the kingdom, while the lower graded recruits are sent to the dangerous zones. Why is it that the best of the best are sent to the innermost wall when they could serve better use at the outer regions?

Sasha drooling over her stolen meat.

Of the new characters, Sasha is my favourite. Her constant hunger and lust for food offers some random silly humour. While meat is apparently a rare delicacy, her unstable mentality towards food had her steal it, which apparently if she is caught she will get solitary confinement. Her amazing talent at using the 3D mobility equipment in such an unconventional manner is another reason why she amuses me. While the newly trained soldiers have to undergo harsh training with the 3D gear, Sasha is somehow able to perfectly use it on a whim without even trying, which makes it unfair to everyone else who has to train constantly in order to maintain a simple balance.

With everyone graduating I expected the show to go towards a steady killing of Titans, with each character getting some spotlight as humanity tries to stave off the attacks. As it stands now, I really have no clue on what is going to happen. Attack on Titan has become an amazing tale that shows how weak humans are, that not even determination or the fire in one's heart is enough to turn the tides of a Titan's unprecedented attack. The sheer overwhelming power of the Titans have over humans is like comparing an ant to an anteater. The show reminds me of Shinsekai Yori, with how well it is able to impose emotions. 

Despair, Emptiness, Death.

Attack on Titan gives us emotions such as fear, helplessness, and a sense of calamity. Another similarity I share with Shinsekai is the amount of shock I experienced with episode 6. This type of shock I had was a relentless crushing of my hopes for a positive result, just when you think everything is going to turn out fine, sh!t hits the fan and your left with a feeling of despair and a loss of hope for humanity. 

Finally we get the background history as to how Mikasa and Eren met, and wow was I even more shocked. I won't spoil the events that took place, however I would like to describe Mikasa's transformation from a cute little girl to an emotionless and instinct driven person. After the events of her past, it seems Mikasa was aware about the whole food chain and survival issues, such as how her father hunted their food, and how other creatures lived in a world of survival of the fittest. After her unfortunate incident, she suddenly accepted this truth of survival and became calm and collected when dealing with the lives of others, she decides she has to be strong and has to fight if she wants to live. 

During her flashback, I was happy to see the reason as to why Mikasa always looks after Eren, additionally I have more respect for Eren with how he acted during the flashback and was able to save Mikasa. I always thought Eren was too sheltered and put on a fake sense of survival, I felt that the only reason he was sure on defeating the Titans was due to the shock of his mother's death and childish grudge against the Titans. Eren, however, shows us some cold actions during the flashback which surprised me with how strong willed he is when he makes up his mind, showing us that he actually is a determined person who follows through regardless of what happened to his mother. 

The shocking events of episode 6 has thrown me into despair, and I still can't bring myself to believe what just happened. I will say that this might be the end of Shingeki no Kyojin, as I hear that the show gets somewhat weird and goes in a different direction than anticipated.

~Djr7

Shingeki no Kyojin: First Impression - The Depths of Fear and Hate

Also known as "Attack on Titan", Shingeki is a powerful display of human emotion with a very unique art style that does well to portray the gritty and harshness of the show's events.

Humans have retreated behind giant walls that span 50 meters at its lowest point in order to keep out man-eating titans. The show excellently covers a false sense of peace where the inhabitants of the walled city lie to themselves about their safety from the titans. The leading theme is this false sense of security, as humans have built these walls to keep themselves safe from the outside world, however our protagonist Eren points out how they are simply living their lives as livestock, waiting for the titans to come and eat them.

Powerful emotions throughout the show.

The entire intro shows us how true these words are. Most of the citizens live casually, ignorant to the lingering titans outside the wall, trying to get in and consume everyone. If a titan were to enter, what would the humans do? Probably nothing, as there really is nothing they can do, the guards even explain how they act lazy. The guards have lived their lives in peace as no titan has entered in over 100 years, and Eren's disgust at the guard's lack of passion to defend the people from titans helps to drive home how stranded and helpless the human race has become. 

Another heavy theme is hatred. The sheer amount of hatred Eren has for humanity's current state pushes the limits of his control over his own emotions. The events that take place in the first two episode slowly show how his hate transfers from hating mankind's situation, to hating the titans themselves with determination to wipe them off the face of the Earth.

Combat visual's remind me of Sword Art Online.

I really love how serious and dramatic the show is, and this reminds me of the epicness of Shinsekai Yori. As for the titans themselves, a few of them look like nightmarish giants, while others simply look too casual or normal to be considered a man-eating giant. The first two episodes cover the childhood days of Eren and his friends, while it appears we come to a more mature Eren who is hellbent on killing titans. 

Aside from Eren, Mikasa is another amazing character. She is shrouded in mystery, and during the events of the first episode I believe she lost her parents to titans at a young age which has scarred her emotionally, but still she hides her expressions and is pretty badass, making her a rather intriguing character. 

The first two episodes were amazing, I wouldn't change a thing, but I heard that the show does get "Weird" from a friend of mine who read the manga, and I really hope the show doesn't dive into some sort of titan killing action thing. The intro sequence as well as the first scene of episode one show the stunning action scene quality and is most likely a hint as to what we will see later on. 

~Djr7