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EP. REVIEW: Attack on Titan

To sum it up, if we think these are enough to constitute controversy, then I can write you a lengthy analysis on how Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is speaking bad of animal rights and is offensive towards vegans, make some posts in a couple of forums, then call it controversial. The results would be pretty much the same.

Anyways, I don't think there is much point in continuing arguments of this kind, it's not like anyone's opinion is going to change. Long story short, I did not enjoy the reviews this time. Not because the reviewer seems to have an opinion different than mine, but because I believe that he did not know how to support properly his views for issues of this kind. Hoping for a better and more thoughtful continuation for the Final season!

Sherris wrote:

A click-bait article on a (generally shunned) site full of click-bait articles is now 'controversy'?

We as a community have spent decades trying to get people to recognize manga as literature, as art, as something more than easily-forgettable schlock. We can't have any of that without opening up the possibility that other fans are going to respond to the work differently from us. Consequently, while I don't agree with any of the conclusions of that Polygon article that you're presumably referencing, I'm certainly not going to pretend that Western fans haven't been questioning how Attack on Titan handles race since at least 2015 (and that for a lot of people who already believed that the show was iffy, the armbands are the straw that breaks the camel's back):

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-troubling-relationship-between-anime-and-fascism

https://www.mangauk.com/13757/

https://forum.evageeks.org/thread/17357/Attack-on-Titan-Racist-and-should-I-care/

http://collider.com/attack-on-titan-fascist/

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/2000121-anime-and-manga-other-titles/70050416

[url]https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-thoughts-from-Jewish-readers-of-Attack-on-Titan-who-are-caught-up-on-the-manga-I've-seen-complaints-of-antisemitism-and-nationalism-but-they-mostly-seem-to-hinge-on-the-first-couple-seasons-of-the-anime[/url]

Most of the shows I mentioned actually depict the main characters fighting against those militaristic regimes. Attack on Titan's Eren and his friends are attempting to uncover a military conspiracy involving the Titans. Fullmetal Alchemist reveals how a botched military invasion of a neighboring country (populated with brown-skinned people who have a different religion than the white folks) shows government corruption. Fascism in anime becomes a problem when fans glorify and emulate these clearly evil characters. After all, there are tons of stormtrooper cosplayers among Star Wars fans, but do any of them actually believe that the Empire was right?