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House of 1000 Manga - Attack on Titan


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kpk



Joined: 05 Apr 2009
Posts: 484
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:10 am Reply with quote
I liked it, up untill the whole trollish thing the mangaka did with spoiler["Killing" Eren].

spoiler[If he really would have gone through with it and killed him, I would have rated this manga as the "Game of Thrones" of the manga and anime world, but he didn't and my disappointment was too deep.]

From that point I really couldn't care for this manga anymore.

It's not bad, in fact it's actually good just not AS GOOD and game-changing as it could have been...
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Krey



Joined: 26 Jan 2014
Posts: 34
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:22 am Reply with quote
kpk wrote:
I liked it, up untill the whole trollish thing the mangaka did with spoiler["Killing" Eren].

spoiler[If he really would have gone through with it and killed him, I would have rated this manga as the "Game of Thrones" of the manga and anime world, but he didn't and my disappointment was too deep.]

From that point I really couldn't care for this manga anymore.

It's not bad, in fact it's actually good just not AS GOOD and game-changing as it could have been...


spoiler[Instead of just merely killing off a character, he turned into one heck of a plot twist and made him into a titan.] I personally thought that was much more interesting, and it was at that point where I truly got hooked to the series,
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GVman



Joined: 14 Jul 2010
Posts: 730
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:34 am Reply with quote
Quote:
And mysteries; the other great thing is the mysteries.


The mysteries are what killed it for me. I realized Isayama is just content to build the current mysteries and introduce new ones while never giving answers. I tend to build up the mysteries too much in my head, and when the answer is finally revealed I'm always disappointed. Granted, I've always hated stories that rely on plot development rather than character interaction, and I guess that's where Mr. Thompson's tastes and mine split. I think it's pretty telling that he barely mentions the characters in the article; there's just not much to anyone in this manga. It's great for folks who can tolerate fairly bland characters without much interesting interaction to get to some interesting mysteries, but I can't really stomach it.

I also never knew there was any controversy over the series being potentially "racist" or "nationalistic." It sounds like people were just making a big deal out of nothing. I also find stories where it's "us vs. them to the death" and it actually stays that way a bit refreshing; too many things do whole "The monsters/rebels/aliens are just misunderstood!" stuff nowadays.

Lastly, and this is a minor gripe, but am I the only one who found it completely ridiculous that a character actually says "Oh, I didn't know Pastor Nick was a priest!" at one point?


Last edited by GVman on Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:37 am; edited 1 time in total
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j Talbain



Joined: 27 Oct 2010
Posts: 279
Location: Toronto, Ontario
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:35 am Reply with quote
It's original and that's what makes it so great. I love the Manga I die waiting for the next volume. I am very careful of what manga I collect BC some just go on too long or go weird.

And I like knowing he has it planned out so it will end and it won't drag on for no reason.
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Parsifal24





PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:35 am Reply with quote
I read the first two volumes and didn't like it I can understand why people like it, but I find that I agree (for the most part) with Tomino's criticism of the series. While also having problems with fans who think violence and gore = "maturity".
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zztop



Joined: 28 Aug 2014
Posts: 650
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 11:46 am Reply with quote
I wonder when they will reach the basement of Eren's house.
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GVman



Joined: 14 Jul 2010
Posts: 730
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:01 pm Reply with quote
zztop wrote:
I wonder when they will reach the basement of Eren's house.


This sums up half my issues with AoT.
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kpk



Joined: 05 Apr 2009
Posts: 484
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:23 pm Reply with quote
Krey wrote:
kpk wrote:
I liked it, up untill the whole trollish thing the mangaka did with spoiler["Killing" Eren].

spoiler[If he really would have gone through with it and killed him, I would have rated this manga as the "Game of Thrones" of the manga and anime world, but he didn't and my disappointment was too deep.]

From that point I really couldn't care for this manga anymore.

It's not bad, in fact it's actually good just not AS GOOD and game-changing as it could have been...


spoiler[Instead of just merely killing off a character, he turned into one heck of a plot twist and made him into a titan.] I personally thought that was much more interesting, and it was at that point where I truly got hooked to the series,


The "twist" is what killed it for me.

I hated that twist and thought it was, well, stupid. So very stupid. It ruined the manga even more for me.
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Gasero



Joined: 24 Jul 2009
Posts: 939
Location: USA
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:28 pm Reply with quote
This article is a great analysis of what makes Attack on Titan interesting and I agree with all of it.

I do have a problem when series drag out mysteries for far too long. It's no secret that humans are likely the ones who are creating Titans, and it bothers me that it is taking this long for anyone to gain important knowledge about the origin of titans. I haven't read the latest chapters yet, so if anyone knows, please tell me if they have finally entered Eren's basement, and if not...why not?

It's enjoyable seeing dynamic characters. The good guys are not all good and the bad guys aren't all bad. I got tired of watching/reading stories where "friendship" and "compassion" wins battles. Attack on Titan revitalized my interest in anime and gave me hope that more authors would write original manga that can become popular.

I don't agree with the above comments about the "twist" ruining the plot. That twist was delivered perfectly. The problem is the explanation for the twist is taking too long.
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Pipoko



Joined: 13 Jun 2014
Posts: 165
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:34 pm Reply with quote
I think one of the frustrating things about series is the views Isayama expressed: considering what he said, should we see any means they use as justified because they're all fighting for survival or for the good of humanity? Personally I see it as just creating a morally ambigious situation because the results stemming from that way of thinking are pretty horrific by themselves. We saw it more in the final episode of season 1, but even if it's less pronounced it's still there in the manga, there's some pretty horrific possible consequences to be had to that way of thinking.

It's funny to see people complain about no answers, when we got a huge bomb in the most recent one. We'll get all the answers soon, I'm pretty sure, hell, vol. 15-16 are supposedly the most impactful in the manga and we saw there's weight to that statement in the recent chapter which capped off volume 15. I can't wait for more of the series.


Last edited by Pipoko on Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
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abyss123



Joined: 17 Sep 2014
Posts: 18
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:34 pm Reply with quote
kpk wrote:
Krey wrote:
kpk wrote:
I liked it, up untill the whole trollish thing the mangaka did with spoiler["Killing" Eren].

spoiler[If he really would have gone through with it and killed him, I would have rated this manga as the "Game of Thrones" of the manga and anime world, but he didn't and my disappointment was too deep.]

From that point I really couldn't care for this manga anymore.

It's not bad, in fact it's actually good just not AS GOOD and game-changing as it could have been...


spoiler[Instead of just merely killing off a character, he turned into one heck of a plot twist and made him into a titan.] I personally thought that was much more interesting, and it was at that point where I truly got hooked to the series,


The "twist" is what killed it for me.

I hated that twist and thought it was, well, stupid. So very stupid. It ruined the manga even more for me.


Don't want to spoil anything, but the latest chapter showed that Eren was a titan since he was young, and the entire story with Grisha reveal some big revelation, so him making the character come into a titan it wasn't bull,

Well, if you don't like where the series is I hope you're not continuing it because let me tell you that's the main focus of the series. The origins of the titans. To each there own I guess.
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here-and-faraway



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 1529
Location: Sunny California
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:48 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Jason blows the dust off of an obscure old manga about humanity's desperate struggle against giant humanoid monsters. You've probably never heard of it.


One of the great things about this column is it lets readers know about obscure, but worthwhile titles. Despite its flaws, Attack on Titan is a solid title and deserves more love. Hopefully this review will stir up some more readers....

Laughing

On a more serious note, this was a well-written review. I enjoyed reading it. Thank you!
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ptolemy18
Manga Reviewer/Creator/Taster


Joined: 07 May 2005
Posts: 357
Location: San Francisco
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 1:03 pm Reply with quote
GVman wrote:
Quote:
And mysteries; the other great thing is the mysteries.


The mysteries are what killed it for me. I realized Isayama is just content to build the current mysteries and introduce new ones while never giving answers. I tend to build up the mysteries too much in my head, and when the answer is finally revealed I'm always disappointed. Granted, I've always hated stories that rely on plot development rather than character interaction, and I guess that's where Mr. Thompson's tastes and mine split. I think it's pretty telling that he barely mentions the characters in the article; there's just not much to anyone in this manga. It's great for folks who can tolerate fairly bland characters without much interesting interaction to get to some interesting mysteries, but I can't really stomach it.


I do love me some plot. Of course, the buildup to big mysteries is often more exciting than the actual reveal... it's hard to have the answer be as cool as your imagined version of what's happening. -_- But IMHO, Attack on Titan hasn't jumped the shark or dragged on too long yet (except maybe, maybe, maybe for spoiler[the repeated attempts by the bad guys to capture Eren]). It's still fresh & delicious.

About the characters, they're fairly simple and iconic, but I like them. I like the friendship of the central trio (Eren, Armin, Mikasa), particularly Eren, since he has the classic revenge-seeking hero motivation. I like Ymir and what's-her-name and their relationship. I even like the bad guys and I have to wonder spoiler[WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY THINKING?? It feels like their motivations are being set up as the big reveal that will either make or break the manga.].

And as for the not-really-secret big twist in volume 2 about spoiler[Eren being a Titan], I also thought this was cheesy when I first heard about it (I was in that mood when I wrote my original review of the Titan manga on Crunchyroll), but when I actually read about it, I think it works just fine. It makes it more of a superhero/battle story as opposed to a pure zombie story, but that's fine. To take another zombie-manga example, the 'twist' in Titan seemed much cooler and less 'yay, now the heroes get a power-up!' than spoiler[the hero's zombie-powers in the later parts of Fort of Apocalypse].

Quote:
I also never knew there was any controversy over the series being potentially "racist" or "nationalistic." It sounds like people were just making a big deal out of nothing. I also find stories where it's "us vs. them to the death" and it actually stays that way a bit refreshing; too many things do whole "The monsters/rebels/aliens are just misunderstood!" stuff nowadays.


I agree, I also find this to be a cliché. At least, as much of a cliché as any other way to approach zombies. Though I'm still not 100% certain Attack on Titan won't go this way... like I said in the review, it's nice not knowing.
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HeroicRebellion



Joined: 06 Dec 2012
Posts: 13
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 1:04 pm Reply with quote
One particular part I love about your review is the last 2 pictures brining in a extreme reveal. (those of you who don't know read the manga Chapter 42)
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ptolemy18
Manga Reviewer/Creator/Taster


Joined: 07 May 2005
Posts: 357
Location: San Francisco
PostPosted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 1:08 pm Reply with quote
HeroicRebellion wrote:
One particular part I love about your review is the last 2 pictures brining in a extreme reveal. (those of you who don't know read the manga Chapter 42)


You think it's a spoiler? The Colossus Titan shows up in the very 1st chapter, so you pretty much know it's gonna show up again...
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